Mike McKay

Mike McKay

After 28 years in manufacturing and supply chain roles in the US Army and Fortune 500 companies, I started my coaching company in 2012. I chose ActionCOACH because of the simplicity and scope of the ActionCOACH toolkit and the community of other coaches around the world who continue to push the industry forward into the future. I co-founded ActionCOACH of Madison, LLC in 2014 which grew to include ActionCOACH Dane County, LLC and ActionCOACH Milwaukee #1, LLC. In October of 2023, Beth and I became sole owners of ActionCOACH Milwaukee #1, LLC. We’ve grown our business by using our own ActionCOACH tools and processes. I’m a member of the ActionCOACH Global Hall of Fame, and a multiple award-winning coach. When I’m not working, you can find me on a golf course somewhere or at Disney World.
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By Mike McKay

Good vs. Bad Job Postings: What Every Trades & Construction Company Needs to Know

Any job posting you put out in public should be treated as an Ad. Most trades companies write them like they’re copying an old ad from a newspaper in the days when there were more applicants than jobs. “General Labor. Must be reliable. Pay DOE.” Then they wonder why the only people applying are the guy who’s quit three shops
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Why Strong Businesses Have Coaches

Strong Businesses Have Coaches Running a business means juggling hiring, cash flow, daily operations and long-term planning, usually all in the same week. Most owners handle it by working harder. The ones who grow fastest tend to have help. Tom Brady worked with a throwing coach well into his forties, years after he’d already won multiple Super Bowls. Bill Campbell
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From Operator to Owner: Build a Business that Works Without You

Blog Summary: Most business owners can’t step away for 30 days because the company depends too heavily on them. This blog explains the shift from operator to owner and why building systems and a capable team is essential for a business that can run without constant founder involvement.   If you stepped away from your business for 30 days, with
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Transition From Doing to Delegating.  Are You in the Messy Middle?

Are you finding it increasingly difficult to juggle multiple responsibilities in your business?   Have you reached a point where your workload is growing faster than your ability to manage it?   If so, you’re experiencing what many entrepreneurs refer to as the “messy middle”.  The critical juncture where the shift from being a doer to being a leader happens.
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What Does It Really Mean To Be A Better Leader?

Have you ever wondered what it truly means to be a better leader?   Many people throw around the term, but the reality behind effective leadership might surprise you. Great leaders aren’t born.  They are created through experience, learning, and personal development. Leadership, properly used, affects every aspect of management and has a significant impact on the people around you.
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Nobody Buys From a Company. They Buy From Whoever Remembered Their Name. That’s Relationship Marketing.

You can run every ad in the world and still lose to the guy down the street who remembers his customers’ kids’ names. That’s relationship marketing summarized in one sentence, and it works the same whether you’re selling forklift parts to a plant manager or selling boots to people who want dry feet. Relationship marketing is not a new strategy. 
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Selling Isn’t Something You Do TO People

Most sales training makes it sound like selling is some kind of combat. Outmaneuver the prospect. Overcome their objections. Get them to yes before they know what hit them. That’s how you end up with used car people and why everybody’s stomach tightens up the second a salesperson walks over. You all have a version of that guy in your
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How to Improve Profit Margins Without Hurting Growth

Margin is the last of the 5 Ways. That’s not an accident. It’s a specific number that tells you the truth about your business.  Not how busy you are, not how big your revenue number is, but the amount you actually get to keep. Growing revenue and sacrificing margin is just working harder for the same paycheck, or worse. Good
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Do You Own a Business Or a Job?

Quitting your old job doesn’t mean you don’t have a boss.  It just means you fired the old boss and hired yourself instead. You have the same, or worse, hours, more stress, and probably worse benefits. The terms “self-employed” and “business owner” get used interchangeably.  But they’re not even close. Self-employed means you’re the business. Take vacation? Revenue stops. Sick
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Stop Chasing Leads. Start Squeezing More Out of the Sale You Already Made.

Everybody wants more leads. It’s the first lever business owners reach for, every time, because it feels like growth. New name, new number, new opportunity. But leads are the most expensive way to grow revenue. There’s a simpler, cheaper lever sitting right in front of you, and most owners never touch it: average dollar sale. Average dollar sale is just
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