About ACUO

Ben and I were introduced by a mutually respected business associate as we entered a search for a strategic planning partner. After a very successful first meeting we agreed to work together to transform our company’s strategic planning process and business direction. Ben attacked the challenge like he owned a part of our company. Encouraging sometimes, challenging sometimes and always listening and learning. He has developed a close repour with our team and is a trusted advisor to our company. We have been very pleased with where we have landed regarding strategic direction and are appreciative of the innovative structure Ben proposed. Ben is a pleasure to work with and is a competent, well-rounded executive who would add a lot to any organization. If you want something a little bit more, Ben is your leader!

I highly recommend Ben for CEOs, executive teams, and business owners looking for an exceptional business coach and advisor. Ben brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of business operations and strategic thinking across various industries, which I have found invaluable when working with him. One of the things that truly sets Ben apart is his high emotional intelligence, which allows him to build strong relationships and foster positive work environments. His ability to hold clients accountable while maintaining confidentiality and trust is phenomenal. Ben is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a coach who can elevate you and your team to drive business growth or focus on your own personal development.

I have enjoyed having Ben work with our leadership team to help us get better focused on being more efficient as leaders and me as a business owner. His attention to detail and experience implementing processes and procedures to streamline tasks has proven very valuable. We look forward to continuing to work with Ben to help us on our journey of Continuous Improvement across all areas of our business!

We brought Ben onto our team in an effort to enhance our capabilities with respect to our most important asset – our people. He’s helped drive significant improvement in the way we get aligned, focused, and efficient in support of our management teams and the goals we have as a broader organization. Ben is a strong leader and his determined, collaborative and organized approach along with his genuine personality continues to be an incredibly good cultural fit within our team. We’ve also benefited greatly from his culinary skills – we’re talking homemade adobo sauces, mustards, caramel sauces…the delicious list goes on.

Wow where do I start about Ben Blankenship and the top notch service he/his company has and is currently providing my staff, my company, and myself. The Swiss army knife of business is what I like to call Ben when talking to others about his services. He has been many things to my company in the very short period we’ve been working together and I’m very thankful for each role.
His ability to understand you first as a person and then your business is one of the tools that makes him very good at his job. He first learns what makes the individual or the team tick, then the direction you want to go, and then provides actionable items in a way that everyone can succeed.
Ben is a hire I wish I made 10 years ago. But on to the next 10 years.

I highly recommend Ben from our work together at INVGR Hospitality. As CEO, Ben helps me with 1:1 and team coaching, strategy, planning and execution for weekly, quarterly, annual and long term goals. Ben also helped us implement the Scaling Up methodology and Align dashboard/reporting environment to track and respond to our team goals.

Ben not only brings leadership, operations, and business coaching experience, he also has a deep understanding of the restaurant industry which helps tremendously being the primary focus of our services. Given his knowledge, patience, and insight to people and how to make effective teams, Ben is someone we will continue using for the long-term in this and future businesses.

Ben integrated seamlessly with our organization in the fall of 2019 as though he had been a part of the team for years. His ability to balance comprehensive research and intellectual exploration with an ability to take decisive action is a very rare skill set. He is both a strategist and tactician – able to see and plan for the long view but also dig in and immediately get results side by side with the teams. Layer in his empathetic, yet direct, style of communication and you’ve got a partner that can deliver on many fronts!

… The issues that we now discuss in our weekly management team meetings are the most meaningful conversations that we have ever had as a team. We recently solved a problem that has been a company issue for nearly 20 years, only possible through focused team discussion…Ben brings organization and focus to the table and his experience as CFO has allowed him to coach us up on the specifics of forming operational plans…If your management team needs help working effectively as a team and focusing on what matters most, then I would highly recommend engaging Ben. 

In all my years of business, it is rare to find such a person who is the ultimate utilitarian leader and coach. Ben combines various levels of strategic thinking with tactical planning, all while bringing a high level of energy and go-get-it attitude to execute that plan. He brought organization and focus into our organization, helping us to rely on systems and tools. In doing so, we’ve been able to scale and grow methodically.
 

Thank you, Ben, for being such a trusted and strategic advisor and bringing a fresh approach to the Beyu team. It has allowed me to formulate and see the road ahead to make the tough decisions. But most importantly, I’m thankful for our friendship and our good times of laughter while embarking on this fun and exciting journey!

Ben’s ability to break down walls and facilitate true meaningful problem-solving sessions is second to none. If you are on or know of a team that is stuck or plateaued and looking to reach your full potential I would highly recommend getting to know Ben.

I … engaged Ben to help us evaluate some potential business transactions my company was contemplating. While my senior team and I felt comfortable from a big picture viewpoint of evaluating the companies and transactions, we quickly realized that to evaluate them properly required far more detailed analytical review and research than our team had the time or recent experience to perform.

…As a contracted CFO/Consultant, Ben represented my company professionally and with an extreme amount of skill to enable us to complete our review and formulate insightful recommendations for me and our management team to guide us in our evaluation of the potential transactions. I enjoyed working with Ben for his insight, deep business knowledge (operational and financial) and thoughtfulness to manage this complex project as an adjunct member of our team. It is wonderful to have found Ben and his resources for our business to use in the future.