The Future is Human - with Kayleigh O'Keefe
68 - The Journey from Entrepreneur to CEO over 30 Years with Mike Vertolli, CEO of ComTec Systems
Welcome to the Kayleigh O’Keefe Show!
At age 17, Mike Vertolli went from high school student to entrepreneur overnight. After his stepfather died and his mom was left with no source of income, Mike decided to step away from his studies and dive headfirst into telecommunications. He and his mom worked together for 20 years to build ComTec Systems, a tech company that has received extensive acclaim. A serial learner, Mike’s curiosity and willingness to ask questions helped him develop the business acumen he needed to launch him to success at a very young age.
Tune into this week’s episode of The Kayleigh O’Keefe Show to learn more about:
• Mike’s journey from entrepreneur to CEO
• Why Mike and his mom made such a dynamic business team
• Allowing data to inform your business decisions rather than emotion
• How to shift from working in to working on your company
• And how to leave a lasting business legacy!
Quotes
• “I think the first step when people become entrepreneurs is they want independence and money. And then you realize that in order to get independence and money, you have to have something. So, the business is almost a vehicle to accomplish that.” (09:53-10:04)
• “I’m a serial learner….If someone is able to offer me an hour of their time, and I know they’re successful, I’m all ears.” (12:12-12:21)
• “I think by having that global look at the organization, both on what we’ve done and where we’re going, and having the people with the mentality and empowerment like that’s where they’re supposed to be, has really helped us hit the mile markers that we’ve set.” (21:58-22:10)
• “As soon as I have difficult decisions, whether it’s people, process, systems, whatever comes up, I have to say that I am no longer a part of the issue at hand, and I play the role of Mike Vertolli, the consultant.” (24:55-25:08)
• “For every person you keep that’s not a fit, it takes the position of a person that could have been an exceptional fit. I want to surround myself with exceptional people and, very importantly, I hope they’re better at their job than I could ever be.” (25:45-27:03)
• “We have to create a work environment that attracts high-quality people, driven people. And I think it comes from better understanding their drivers.” (29:13-29:25)
• “My legacy is more of leading people, helping them achieve the things that they want in life, showing people that you can be a very successful business by doing the right things.” (33:25-33:40)
Links
Get published with Soul Excellence Publishing: https://soulexcellencepublishing.com/
Visit Kayleigh's website: https://kayleighokeefe.com/
Schedule an Author Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/kayleigh-okeefe/solo-book-writing-publishing