by the way, when you
are done, shut the lights
off and lay yourself off,’”
laughs Lisa. “So I did.
We put many people
in other parts of the
organization. Once I
completed that, I left.”
Stick with me while I
explain how Lisa Mininni
joined the ranks of
entrepreneurs, built a
unique and incredible
business, and grew a
professional following
while coaching other
business owners to
success. I learned a lot from her story
and her spirit.
THE NUTS
AND BOLTS
Lisa has a Master of Science degree in
administration, and an undergraduate
degree in business. With over
nineteen years of experience in
corporate business, she brings a lot
to the table in terms of skills and
practical business knowledge. Lisa has
been incredibly successful translating
those talents and skills to help
smaller businesses get traction and
achieve financial success through her
company, Excellerate Associates.
Excellerate Associates has different
programs depending on what tract the
businesses are on. Lisa’s proprietary
model takes a holistic systems
approach to profitability. She created
this three-step system for her clients
based on the skills she honed in
corporate America.
effect on her specific division. Economic
circumstances eventually dictated the
health care corporation’s decision to
dismantle the division she was in.
“They told me that I had to lay
everyone off, and then they said, ‘oh,
“I was a certified quality improvement
trainer and a systems and process
improvement trainer, so I created a lot
of systems in those roles,” explains Lisa.
“The interesting thing about that was,
even though I worked in a large enterprise
in corporate America, there were a lot of
business units that we tore apart and put
back together from scratch.”
When she left, she had all of these
systems and quality improvement skills.
What she noticed when she first got
started in her own business was the
very systems that she had routinely put
in place for bigger organizations, she
was not initially applying to her own
small business. Once she did institute
those systems, it created leverage and
she was able to see how she could help
her clients with that application.
“Businesses that pull in $500K to $200
million can benefit from our programs,”
she explains. “There is a broad span in
there and we do service startups and
second stage businesses, as well.”
SUCCESS SURPRISE
“I have never been in sales, and I had a
mentor ask me what my close rate was.
I told him it wasn’t very good because
I thought 100 percent was good. I was
aiming for that,” Lisa reveals. “I didn’t
know that eighty percent was good.
During my start-up phase, I was at an
eighty percent close rate. He asked me
what I was doing.”
Lisa Mininni is certified in a number
of assessments because of her
organizational development and
design background. There is one
assessment that Excellerate Associates
use, called AcuMax Index, which is
the only ass