In the room
Owners and executives, Utica to Dubai.
Same conversation, different accents. These are the rooms the work actually comes from.
Mike Taft Ventures
You can tell me what you do for your business. Can you tell me what it does for you, what it's worth, and where it fits five years from now? That's the conversation I want to have, and it's where every engagement starts.
The work
I work with business owners and executives who want to grow or sell their businesses. We start by taking an honest look at the numbers and the operation, then I bring in whatever it actually needs: software, AI, marketing, capital, or people.
I needed all of that for my own companies, so over the years I built it or partnered for it. A design and development team that has shipped work for Kraft Heinz, NASCAR, and BCG. A team that builds software and AI infrastructure. Former Wall Street analysts and investors who audit before they advise. An outsourcing pipeline that adds capacity in weeks, not quarters. That's the team that runs my businesses, and it's the team I bring to yours.
Before any of this, my career ran through the Department of Defense, Wall Street, consulting, software, and marketing. That's where the habit of reading the numbers first comes from.
It works best for companies with real goals and the will to invest in growth. We take on a limited number each year.
In the room
Same conversation, different accents. These are the rooms the work actually comes from.
The difference
Nothing gets built until we know what a customer is worth to you and where your business is leaking.
Most businesses leak in the same four places: operations, money decisions, revenue, and tools. We find yours first. Then the fix is whatever your numbers say it is, which is sometimes marketing and often isn't.
Who comes to me
Diagnosis
What's neededWhat's needed, and who does it
Who does it
You hear the route before anyone sells you anything. Sometimes it's marketing. Often it isn't.
The people doing the work have done it for global brands and for companies with twelve employees. The standard doesn't change with the size of your company. The scope does.
Work
A few pieces. Each line describes my team's role, not the size of the company. Drag, scroll, or let it run.
Also Fanta, University of Tulsa, Upstate Solar Group, Pristine Pro Wash, Nakupa, SportsDome, Safehouse, Rely, Novicate, TCR, L&S Service, DiapersDirect, GameFace, Next Level Athletics, and JTS Works.
The team
The people on the call, and the companies that do the work once we agree on a plan.
JunaidCo-founder. Runs production and market strategy. The Kraft Heinz and Tulsa work is largely his.Behance ↗
DavidPartnerships, Mike Taft Ventures. Makes the first call.
VinnyPartnerships, Mike Taft Ventures. Builds the first look at your business.Mike Taft Ventures is the name for all of this, and it's who my team works for. It is not a company you'll sign a contract with. You sign with the company doing the work, under its own name.
Process
First, a short call with David on my team, so we understand what you have and what you want from it. Then a conversation with me. If there's a fit, we start with an audit of whatever needs the look: the numbers, the operation, the software, the marketing funnel. Sometimes one, sometimes all of them. So we're working from facts, not guesses. From there we agree on a plan and bring in the right people for each piece: software, AI, marketing, capital, or staffing.
A call with DavidWhat you have and what you want from it. One business day after the form.
A conversation with meThe question at the top of this page, answered honestly, in a room.No pitch on the first call. If I'm not the right person, I'll say so and point you to someone who is.
Questions
Short answers here. Longer ones on the call.
If you want to know what it costs, ask. I'd rather have that conversation than publish a rate card that doesn't fit your situation. Every engagement has a number, but it comes after we understand your business, never before. Your goals and your work ethic matter more to me than what's in your account today.
Sometimes, and it's decided company by company. More often I invest my team, my time, and my access. What that looks like on paper is part of the conversation.
Yes. A good share of the companies I work with come through a president, a CFO, or a board member who saw the problem first. Bring the owner in when it's time.
David on my team calls you within one business day. He'll ask a few more questions about your business and, if it makes sense, get us in a room together. You can also book a time directly on the next screen.
No. I work with companies anywhere. Utica and the Mohawk Valley come first because I live here and I want to see it happen here.
Start here
Two questions, two minutes.