Start Ups

As a Senior Consultant to Start Ups, I ensure that the company’s product and/or service is marketable. I then provide the vision, structure, and strategies to bring the product and/or service to market. Importantly, I help raise the capital to finance their success.

Bold North Outdoors (Consultant)
Working under a consulting agreement, I joined Bold North Outdoors, a designer and manufacturer of portable power stations, to bring their innovative new product to market. I developed a business plan, secured initial funding, assembled a board of directors and advisors, and hired legal counsel and accountants. I established partnerships and negotiated contracts with overseas manufacturers and U.S. assemblers. As part of the sales/marketing strategy, I re-created the company’s website content and materials and interviewed and hired rep groups to sell the product throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Highlights include:

• Raised $150,000+ in first round of funding
• Developed all the written material and videos for the new website
• Boosted revenue by 120% in six months through retail contracts and trade shows
• Obtained high-level influencers to endorse the company’s products through promotional video presentations

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Instant Wireless Interpretation, LLC (CEO/Director of Business Development)
As CEO, I produced a business plan that raised capital to bring their new translation device to market. I managed day-to-day operations, established the corporate structure and hired necessary legal, accounting and design consultants. I conducted patent searches and negotiated agreements with technology companies to use their technology in our device by providing the benefits of our device being used in the marketplace and an estimate of potential sales. I was also instrumental in securing a Minnesota Tax Credit allowing our investors and the company to receive year-end tax credits.

Highlights include:

• Completed a Membership Control Agreement that was used to successfully raise $500,000 in equity
• Convinced one of the largest technology companies in the world to partner with us, which they usually decline to do with start-ups
• Collaborated with design/engineering to successfully produce a working prototype that proved our concept

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Real Time Translation, Inc. (CEO)
Originally hired by the founder and minority investors as a Consultant, I conducted market research and crafted a compelling business plan to secure capital for the launch of the company’s product, a body-worn translation device. Within a year, I took over as CEO, overseeing daily operations, recruiting a management team and hiring legal/accounting firms. I helped complete the Membership Control Agreement and provided written content and videos for use on the company website.

Highlights include:

• Selected a design and engineering firm that produced a working translation device prototype
• Initiated a survey campaign of first responders nationally, in which 90% of participants answered in favor of purchasing a mobile translation device and provided investors with proof of concept
• Raised $1.2 million in equity from investors as a result of the first-responders’ survey

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Food Manufacturing Client (Consultant)
I assisted a client in the food manufacturing business that had been unsuccessful in getting his new food product to market, specifically with SuperValu’s distribution center and shelves. To be able to work with SuperValu, the company needed to meet the following requirements: work with a certified distributor, create a specific label and size of containers, and partner with Golden Plump Chicken for taste testing by customers in SuperValu’s grocery chains. I analyzed the product niche and competitors, and conducted a free taste-testing barbecue for SuperValu’s corporate office that featured my client’s BBQ sauce.

Highlights include:

• Researched and hired a distribution company to produce the product, meeting SuperValu’s requirements regarding the amount of sauce needed to be produced per month
• Hired a marketing company to meet the specifications of SuperValu for container sizes and label content
• Negotiated with Golden Plump Chicken to use their product at in-store sampling
• Negotiated with General Mills to secure retail product placement with a major Midwest chain of supermarkets throughout the state

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Recreational Sports Industry (Consultant/CEO)
Recruited by investors, I developed and marketed an indoor soccer complex for a sport that was unproven in the region at the time. I accomplished this throughout the duration of the project by creating a marketing campaign to build community support, gaining city approvals, securing financing by negotiating a revenue bond exchange and seeking additional investor funding.

Highlights include:

• Obtained financing and city approvals to build a sports complex (which came in on-budget)
• Negotiated the exchange of $3.5 million in state bonds from one city to another and completed the financing needed to start construction in a six-month period
• Gained overwhelming support with 350 community teams signing commitment letters within a one-year period, resulting in investor funding
• Negotiated a contract with the most recognizable national name in soccer and gained an exclusive commitment to operate camps and clinics at the sports complex

For more information about our Start Ups and Services, please fill out the contact form or Contact Selle Consulting at 612-366-7473

Don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn.