Kyle Rickoff is the owner and turnaround strategist for AlignSimple. He and his team provide transformational resources that are otherwise unattainable or unaffordable for their small to medium-sized local news media partners. Fractional services offer a flexible and cost-effective solution for local media companies looking to optimize their operations. Instead of hiring full-time staff for every role, fractional services provide access to top-tier talent on a part-time or project basis. It’s like having a dedicated team of experts at your fingertips without the risks generally associated with staffing commitments.
We asked Kyle to answer a few questions to help us get to know him better.
What inspired you to start your own business and what was your biggest challenge? Attending UM for an MBA while mid-career is a pivot point. My intention was career development within an organization. However, the barrage of entrepreneurial spirit became unavoidable while I needed to maintain an intrapleural approach. Throughout my career, peers and leaders throughout the organization reached out to identify solutions. I have a talent for identifying new processes using existing people and technology and tight budgets. The plan was to be a consultant. On Day 0: Obtained a client. Day 2: Registered as a business. Day 3: Opened a bank account. Day 4: Hired an expert because I’m too busy running a business. Day 5: Embraced the mantra “Hire smart people and get out of their way.”
What are some of the most important skills you’ve developed as a business owner? Addressing my hyper-independence. I COULD do my own bookkeeping. I COULD do my own marketing. But I don’t have the time and other people are more qualified. As a business owner, I need to make the call on where the business needs to focus on for growth.
What is your best advice for someone starting a new business? Know your numbers. Know what they mean. Set operational and investment triggers based on those numbers.
What is most important to you about your business? As the media industry contracts, employment is a war of attrition. Survivors feel alone and isolated, while casualties struggle between jobs or career pivots. I want people to know they are not alone.
Is there anything else you would like to mention about your business? While we focus on certain industries, our fractional experts assist small-to-medium businesses and marketing agencies scale their digital marketing efforts – including websites, platform integrations, social, search, email, content marketing, and data management.
If you’d like to know more about Kyle Rickoff and AlignSimple, check out his website AlignSimple | Streamline Business Operations for Success or follow him on Facebook and Instagram