Responsible College Advocates, LLC. (RCA) / current d/b/a The Responsible Brand
Jan. 2019 – Jan. 2024 21415 Civic Center Drive, Suite 207, Southfield, Michigan 48076 https://theresponsiblebrand.com/
Serving as a Principal, CEO for external needs, and Integrator for the Company. Over the previous 4 years I co-lead the development of a national College/Financial Advisor force topping 44 trained and certified Advisors marketing in 48 states, working on a virtual professional services sale platform, back-office support, and marketing staff. Legal, finance, compliance, outsourced services, corporate hiring, Advisory Board, and approval of all public communications were my purview. My internal focus included:
Oversaw third party development of our Proprietary Pay-for-College© Solution design (Drove UX concept and team approval i.e., Advisor Dashboard, Fact Finding Tools, CRM, Calculators)
Integration with our proprietary concepts, product training, managing and assisting with Advisor new business pipelines as well as stepping in on issues & compliance.
Designed/automated a step-by-step process for fees, certifications, tours of marketing materials, lead generation tools, new business development plan as well as calculators and systems.
Creating education was a huge component of the Company build and involved the development of a number of complex workflows and hundreds of hours of training and content. Initial onboarding included appointments with product companies, RCA Certifications sponsored by a national non-profit financial educator, systems training. I also employed an experiential training model to do deep-dives into financial product design, tax & FAFSA calculations.
Produced over $1m a quarter in new business opportunities (defined as parents self-selecting and both participating in a 3-meeting process, with 35%+ conversion to new business). We acquire prospects through webinars, onsite events, decision funnels & SEO with Google Ads and Facebook, also immersive interactive presentations, DRIPS, geo-targeting, and created a corporate persona that we mirrored with local Advisor online presence, Hootsuite deployment, and in Employee Benefits, HS, 8th Grader Seminars.
Corporate strategy (4 operating companies) and Intellectual Property (Trademarks, Copyrights). I was responsible for contract reviews and organizing our priorities and managing our legal team.
My external focus was:
Responsible for communications with universities, new business opportunities with strategic distribution channels and formal communications i.e. presentations, due diligence process, BD compliance review.
Wrote or edited content for the web presence, advertisements, lead generation drip, mobile push along with working with our consultants on individual SEO qualia, interactive education and personal branding for the Advisors. Content and decision funnels for recruiting, lead generation, and client engagements.
Compliance, monthly sales meeting as well as one-on-one mentorship cases with Advisor, field sales management and Cat Herder!
Education Planning Resources, Inc.
October 2016 - January 2019 21415 Civic Center Drive, Suite 201, Southfield, Michigan 48076 – RCA Owners left to build Company
I joined EPR to work with the future Co-CEO of RCA as an Education Consultant and to help build the Southfield, Michigan team (20 agents, and I recruited and developed 4), driving local revenue as a producer and mentor to my team as well as the field sales force. In this capacity I functioned as:
SKILLS: Education planning; wholistic financial planning; FAFSA; insurance; sales management
The Hantz Group
September 2010 – December 2016 22919 Eureka Road, Taylor, Michigan 48180 https://www.hantzgroup.com/
Served in a leadership capacity, as a Registered Investment Advisor representative, as well as several specialist roles to a Family Office concept (asset management, insurance, tax, legal and banking services to 25 reps and 1,500 retainer client office, driving adoption of new products and strategies in 8 product lines, with over $20m in revenue). My responsibilities included:
Assisted RIA’s on day-to-day revenue cultivation including client case design/sales prep as well as helping to uncover additional opportunities. I also ran a mandatory weekly case study class where all RIA’s were responsible to present client cases for peer reviews (6-10/wk.) = 4 hrs. of Culture & Education
Co-managed $35m in assets under management with a $750k annual GDC production (run with a CFP & CPA) driving 25% increase in the practice. I did the same with my previous practice the year before with another veteran, driving a similar percentage increase to $500k GDC practice.
I took pride in getting Advisors their first sales, working with them on case designs for financial plans, phone skills, financial and product concepts and application, marketing campaigns, & approach/outreach strategies for their natural markets.
LICENSES: Series 7, 66 (65 & 63), Life, Accident & Health; Property & Casualty
SKILLS: Financial planning; asset management; tax planning; retirement distribution strategies; benefits & business services; seminar presenter, Social Security Specialist; Business Development Specialist.
Financial Summit Ventures, Inc.
September 2002 - May 2009 1636 3rd Avenue, Suite 405, New York, New York 10128 – No website
Co-founded firm to leverage the partner’s competence in “packaging companies”: designing growth strategies, financial engineering, modeling and expansion documentation for investment, strategic partnership, or sponsorship. Assisting senior management of client companies with structure, tax strategy, business development, introductions, associated financial transaction(s), as well as strategic sales or marketing activities.
Designed, sold, and assisted in engineering a corporate consolidation and expansion of a national entertainment brand including: a hundred million financing commitment(s), advanced revenue modeling of 10 significant entities, 40 retail franchisees, and abundant multi-media opportunities. Led negotiations with financiers as well as some acquisition approach targets; guided the definitions on the valuations of numerous entities, tax & transaction structure and facilitated due diligence.
Designed integrated revenue model based on customer immersion values of an experiential national music tour; Authored sponsorship & corporate sales presentation materials as well as representing companies in meetings to designer brands for sponsorship participation.
Developed an expansion strategy for a classic NYC brand and worked with management to cost new entertainment venues in New York and Washington D.C.
Documentation, approach materials and representation for a developed marketing technology system that integrated loyalty tracking across platforms. I assisted the management team in exploring opportunities with professional sport teams, alternative retail vendors including national packaged goods companies, and media relationships. I worked with the team on a multi-faceted financial structure including micro-payments, float management as well as marketing and technology fees providing guidance on various pricing, revenue management and investor perception.
Financial documentation and institutional outreach resulting in three $50m offers for strategic partner funding/acquisition.
International Hotel BI Solution and a Long-Distance Calling App (I’m talking in the flip phone era)
We helped a handbag designer (that had her bags under the glass at Nordstrom’s) with fielding and understanding a number of large expansion opportunities. An opera industry visionary that was transforming the industry’s audition process. And a veteran NYC club promoter on an integrated social network and ecosystem…Along with the tween experiential business and the comedy and production companies I got to learn and explore revenue strategies, marketing, and customer experience from the best-of-the-best in their market verticals. Innovative in their segments we got to bring creative financial strategy and management consulting solutions to their projects.
SKILLS: Management consulting; revenue strategies & financial engineering; capital markets communications (private equity & venture financing); new business; entrepreneurship; marketing.
So, on December 27th, 2006, I had a skiing trauma. Handicapped me for a few years and brought me back to Michigan in the summer of 2009. It’s my story of perseverance and while I recovered, I worked diligently to regain executive level stamina, acquired my series 7, 66, Life, Accident & Health as well as Property & Casualty license, and worked on a network security patent and Company (0 I flipped burgers at a music joint and swam till I was fit…I did this all with pain, purpose and positivity. It also makes me appreciate my opportunities and more eager to enjoy the journey.
3rd Millennium Management, LLC
June 2001 - August 2002 One Newark Pompton Turnpike, Wayne, New Jersey 07470 – No longer in business
Joined a senior executive from my previous employer (following an acquisition) to co-develop 3rd MM Investor Relations & Communications practice. Projects included:
SKILLS: New business; writing; corporate positioning; executive communications; investor communications & meetings; technical proposals; brochures; website content; press releases.
MikeWorldWide (The MWW Group)
Sept. 1999 - June 2001 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 24th Floor, NY, NY 10036
Served as liaison to institutional financial community for the breadth of Investor Relations accounts in a high-profile, multi-disciplined communications firm guiding teams on Street sentiment, messaging and programing. Notable contributions included:
SKILLS: Investor relations campaigns; public relations; communications consulting; market research; investor & analyst management; rebranding; crisis & special circumstances (M&A, bankruptcy, systemic shifts in industries, divestiture; product launches); influencer relations campaigns; thought leadership & market awareness; private placement memorandum; perception audits; new business; account mgmt.
Marcus Evans previous d/b/a ICM Conferences
April 1999 - September 1999 380 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY York 100117 https://www.marcusevans.com/conference
Produced Technology Education: Conferences & Workshops, conducting primary research with fortune 1,000 executives, software analysts and media to distilled content, marketability, and concept – then created themes and collaborated with the presenters to author case-studies, sessions and workshops.
SKILLS: Executive communications; technology analyst; event organization/ management/ marketing; sponsorship strategies; department oversight (4); sales management; budgeting; software, network & telecommunications technical content creation; research; thought leadership.We develop effective content strategies that align with your business goals, target the right audience, and drive engagement, leads, and sales.
Prudential Financial
March 1998 - April 1999 100 Enterprise Drive, Suite 150, Rockaway Township, New Jersey 07866 https://www.prudential.com/
Like many students that find their first job in sales, it wasn’t exactly what I envisioned. But Prudential had one of the finest training cultures and I was drawn to the opportunity to learn from seasoned training managers, and an accomplished MD and senior producers in the office. I embraced the opportunity; devoured training material on product; and built a three-channel marketing strategy that allowed me to leverage my experience in education and small business.
LICENSES: Series 6 & 63, Life, Accident & Health
SKILLS: Financial Services (equity & insurance); personal & small business planning; benefits; tax strategies; education planning; sales; small business; seminar presenter; marketing and communication.Our email automation services help you streamline your email marketing campaigns, save time, and increase conversions through personalized and automated email sequences.
Erasers & Crayons, Inc.
January 1989 – December 2015 15225 Dix Toledo Road, Southgate, Michigan, 48195 – No longer in business
Like many small businesses, family involvement is critical. From initial set-up to seasonal management; it’s part of my origins story. And influential to understand retail, specialty markets, and general business. I got the opportunity to watch my Dad open new distribution/purchasing methodologies; these became an anchor to my intellectual curiosity of channel development.
SKILLS: Retail; specialty business; management; supplier/vendor relationships; PTA’s; schools; education.We create compelling and engaging video content that tells your brand story, educates your audience, and drives conversions across different platforms and channels.
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