Walt on the value The Alternative Board Raleigh delivers. Plus what he likes about TAB.

The first and most rewarding thing I like about driving The Alternative Board in Raleigh is the quality of Raleigh's Members. These guys are Switched On! They are sharp, critical thinkers, experts in their fields but quick witted and flexible enough to be able to step into another Member's shoes and give the Member an Alternative thought or course of action or thing to watch out for.

They are Unique, they are privately held business owners seasoned by days in the driver's seat, seasoned by years of decisions. They are fun to be around, they bring their A-game to the table, they find it refreshing and invigorating to be with others like themselves...

"Having been the guy at the top of a privately held business for 20+ years I have a real appreciation for what "lonely at the top means..."

Sure, I had great #2s and my wife and family have always been supportive, but, let's face it... bringing every business thought home to the dinner table is not living life, and sharing far-reaching, unfinished thoughts and ideas with your # 2 only tends to take them off task, causing nervousness and uncertainty.

The Alternative Board enables us to work our forward thoughts out in an organized, structured, good for business environment.

One of The Alternative Boards cornerstone beliefs is that the business owners' personal and business life are linked through the business. No matter how hard we may try to separate the two they are linked.  TAB recognizes this and presses to have one's business work to fit what the owner really wants to do.  Reality is, if one is doing exactly what one wants to do then one will do it better.  TAB aligns these things when ever possible.

Disciplined People do not need Hierarchy, Disciplined Thought does not need Bureaucracy, Disciplined actions do not need excessive controls... Book "Good to Great"

I am passionate about disciplined strategic thinking and accountable tactical execution. With rigor, I teach and coach a process for disciplined strategic thought called Smart State. 

Smart State introduces Discipline at just the right dose for the private business owner, Smart State adds real world functional discipline to your strategic planning and thinking.

TAB Members do not go into their own business because they lacked discipline... however, the fact is, as business grows, we are pulled multiple ways and find it hard to make time to consistently focus on the big picture... The Alternative Board's Coaching using Smart State coupled with the Member's Board force the Member to be Disciplined, force his Thoughts to be Disciplined and force Actions to be Disciplined and accountable.

TAB is a clean system that is very time efficient and very effective at getting and keeping things rolling in the right direction.

The final and most rewarding thing I like about driving The Alternative Board in Raleigh is the quality of Raleigh's Members. These guys are Switched On! They are sharp, critical thinkers, experts in their fields but quick witted and flexible enough to be able to step into another Member's shoes and give the Member an Alternative thought or course of action or thing to watch out for.

They are Unique, they are privately held business owners seasoned by days in the driver's seat, seasoned by years of decisions. They are fun to be around, they bring their A-game to the table, they find it refreshing and invigorating to be with others like themselves...

Their PEERS are members of TAB.

Walt Brown owns and runs The Alternative Board - Raleigh

Mr. Mike Constantino, Partner of Ernst and Young, flashes a quick smile and describes Walt as a "Seasoned Multi-Company Entrepreneur" ...  "He has pretty much been there and has done that..." Says Mike.

After 4 seasons as an audit CPA Walt kicked off his first company in 1986, growing that brand/business then launching 2 tangential brands/businesses, stuttering then getting back on track with a total staff of 29 before selling to a group out of Atlanta in the summer of 2006.

Like most entrepreneurs, Walt's path has not been paved purely of gold, sometimes the going has been rough, sometimes it was smooth, sometimes the steps were uncertain. Walt was good at finding the intersection of Opportunity and Preparation, also known as LUCK.

Sometimes the crew was happy, other times they were not. Many times cash was great, sometimes cash was tight, competitors came and went.

Walt spent a ton of time in the aluminum tube, (airplane) his businesses were based in Raleigh but their business was transacted outside Raleigh in most of the major metropolitan areas of the United States that are adjacent to water.

Critical Thinking, Brand building and Team building are Walt's strengths. Yes, as an accounting nerd, he understands the numbers very well but does not refer to himself as an Accountant, he looks at accounting as the "Universal Language of Business".  "Traveling around doing sourcing deals overseas, and import arrangements, "the language of accounting" was always a solid point of communication for me and a real advantage when establishing business expectations..." says Walt.

As a Team Player, Walt is comfortable playing Center or Line-backer, being part of the team, helping leaders lead.

How Walt Became Involved In TAB.

Walt says: "I did not find The Alternative Board, TAB found me."

May 14th, 2006: "Walt, you would be a great TAB facilitator and coach"

Words from one of Walt's business peers, a TAB Member in the Boston area, while describing TAB to Walt over dinner.

Little did this peer know that Walt was in the final stages of selling Layline Inc and that Walt was wondering what he would do after the sale...

So,

August 6th, 2006 Walt signed the papers selling his 20 year old, 29 employee, business, Layline.

August 9th, 2006 Walt kicked the Raleigh TAB Practice off.

The rest follows...