Happy Anniversaries!!

This coming week marks a couple of very important anniversaries...


First, and most importantly, August 17 marks the anniversary of my first date with my wife.  It was at Uno's, in case you were interested.  It think it went quite well. :)  Love you, honey!

Secondly, today marks the 1 year, 17 day anniversary of the founding of my first business, ABK Consultants!  I'm not sure what anniversary that is...you know paper, silver, etc...but I'm pretty sure it's an important one.  To mark this momentous occasion (and because I don't really feel like writing anything new today...yet at the same time I don't want to disappoint my legions of followers), I present to you now the original press release that marked the birth of ABK.

As you'll see...I laid out some bold objectives for ABK and I'm happy to report that we've met most of our metrics in the first 1 year and 17 days.  I've granted an exclusive interview to the reporter who penned the original press release for later in the week to discuss our progress...and I'll be sure to post the new article here.

Until then...

Full-Service Consulting Firm, ABK Consultants, Hits the Ground Running

Founder promises to ‘push the envelope’ and ‘think outside the box’

TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA – Determined to make a flashy debut, Andrew Knott, sole-proprietor of the fledgling consulting firm ABK Consultants, wasted no time in setting forth a bold agenda on day one. 

“We went online a little after 8 a.m. this (July 28, 2009) morning and have already made tremendous strides in becoming the biggest and baddest full-service consulting firm on the planet,” Knott said.  “The foundation of a great company is a name that fully encapsulates the company’s values and vision, in our case outside the box thinking and dynamic customer service…hence, ABK Consultants.”

When asked to outline the business model of ABK Consultants, Knott said, “Basically, we are looking to create a paradigm shift in the consulting world.  We’re going to start out by pushing the envelope, giving 110 percent, and maximizing customer satisfaction. Then, once we meet our benchmarks, we’ll take it to the next level by being proactive and creating the next generation consulting firm…the iPod of consulting firms, you might say.”

Despite the bold predictions and grandiose designs, Knott was quick to emphasize that ABK was built on more than just slogans and clichés. 

“We have a lot of experience and we plan to put that to use.  To start with, we will focus on biomedical writing and editing and grant/contract consulting because of my years of experience in the field and proven track record of success (7 peer-reviewed publications and experience with the federal and private grant and contracting process). Most importantly, however, we will always remain a client-centered company that is highly eco-friendly.”

And the next step?

Knott’s ultimate goal is to create a firm that consults on all disciplines.  “We want to do it all…because I’m super-talented like that,” Knott said.  “I’ve been through the pressure cooker that is the university research lab and research office.  The 35 hour weeks, the YouTube breaks, Espn.com.  I’ve seen it all and I’m ready for anything. And as our plural business name clearly indicates…I’m always eager to bring on new talent and grow the firm.”

While Knott’s ambitions know no bounds, one area of consulting in particular has drawn his attention.  “I have a huge passion for human resources consulting…probably because I really love humans.  I really respect what HR consultants do and I’m not so brash as to think I could jump right into that shark pool.  But, someday we’ll get there.  I have some ideas already.  One, team building…you can never do too much of it…fun games, group discussions…there is simply nothing better for creating a successful office.  Two, non-monetary awards…for example, “team member awards”…nothing boosts morale like giving awards just for showing up to work.  Three, valuing time worked over productivity…give me the guy who sits at his desk for 12 hours everyday surfing the net over the guy that works quickly and efficiently and wants to go home at 3 every now and then!  Four, pretty pictures with aphorisms like ‘Communication: Build Bridges, Not Walls’…I cannot over-emphasize the importance of such items to the office environment.”

While Knott continues to hone his plan for domination of the consulting world, ABK is beginning to find its way and is getting down to business.  And one thing is for sure…it won’t be satisfied with gathering just the low-hanging fruit.

ABK Consultants can be reached at abk.consultants@yahoo.com.