Rosalyn (Ros) and I worked together at Microsoft for many years.  I first got to know Ros in 2005 when I was the WorldWide Training Manager for the Public Sector team and Ros was the Product Manager developing training for our teams on the Commercial Software Initiative and Windows 7/Office 2007 launch.

Working with Ros as a business partner was an absolute delight as she was well prepared and always delivered on her promise of quality work.  Our working relationship developed into a friendship which has grown to include our spouses. We’ve enjoyed hosting them in Arizona for the annual Air Force Base Open House and Airshow for the past several years.

Ros started her consulting company approximately 12 years ago and it’s been a pleasure to watch it grow.  Her husband Mike, joined the company 3 1/2 years later.  He likes to say “I have nothing to do with the management stuff –  I’m employee #44.” Not only does Amaxra provide quality consulting, they also have a great aptitude for inserting an element of fun into their client relationships.

Both Ros and Mike have a bevy on interest’s outside of their consulting business. Mike is a pilot, they own an Air B&B, they travel extensively and they continue to stay engaged with their community via community outreach and giving.

It is my pleasure to provide you with more information on these two wonderful business people and friends.  Enjoy!

You’ve been in the tech industry for over 25 years. Tell me a little bit about the highs and lows of your career thus far.

I don’t really think about lows. Everything, even when it seems REALLY hard at the time, is an opportunity to learn and better understand things overall. Certainly on the high side was working for Microsoft after admiring their technology for several years and then working in multiple areas starting in consulting (UK), then pre-sales/training (Australia) and then finally several roles at their corporate HQ in Seattle. I’ve met so many amazing people throughout my career and even had the chance to re-connect with a few from my time in the UK recently – fantastic after 20+ years. 

You begin your career quite early in 1990, when you founded, a company that trained corporate employees on the latest software from Microsoft, Novell, Corel, and Lotus. Looking back on that experience, what were the hardest lesson you learned? What was the most positive thing you took away from owning this company?

This was really a time (early 1990s) when personal computing was just starting to become an everyday device rather than something big and expensive only managed by a few. It was an exciting time as more people could look at a career in computing but we also didn’t have the tools/technologies we have today that make running a business so much easier. The cloud didn’t exist, telephony was expensive, marketing automation wasn’t yet heard of. As for hardest – it’s easy to jump in quickly, I did learn how important a good business plan is and also adjusting as the requirements dictate. 

You have been a corporate employee, a field employee and you currently own your own consulting business, Amaxra. How have your previous roles readied you for owning your own consulting business?

I’ve been a manager, I’ve managed the business functions for teams (budgets, presentations, etc), I’ve helped pitch new ideas – all of these are skills that have helped when I’m the ultimate decision maker. Whether an employee or the employer – there are ups and downs and it’s learning from each situation (what went well and what didn’t) is what is important. 

Amaxra is now almost 12 years old. What type of opportunities or advancement for your company have you opted to pursue in the past but given what you know now, you wish you had not done so?

I’d probably say some diversification efforts. There is always the concern that you have too many eggs in one basket (or only a couple of baskets) so you look at ways to diversify but then it’s easy to take your eye off the important goals so that even those areas doing well are no longer doing as well as they should. When this occurs, it’s important to regroup quickly and refocus. This can sometimes mean losing good people who just don’t align anymore with the refocused objectives which is always incredibly hard. 

There are many studies that indicate we need more women in leadership roles. As the President and CEO of Amaxra you are frequently asked for advice on success in business. What are your top three tips for other women who wish to follow in your footsteps?

I don’t know if these tips are particularly for women but they definitely apply. 

  • Find a mentor or mentors – everybody needs a sounding board no matter how good they are – it doesn’t mean these folk are telling you what to do but their input helps formalize ideas and direction. I often think women see this as a weakness but it’s the ability to look to others for support that actually makes you a better leader and your mentors may change as your needs change 
  • Keep a REALLY close eye on the financials – they need to be current and accurate, it’s so easy to fall behind focusing on new/incoming business instead. For Amaxra we do a monthly financial meeting (finance management and accountant) which forces us to be current or know of any areas that are not up-to-date or might be areas of concern so we can address quickly. I also meet with Finance Manager at least weekly. I’ve always said to my team – “the veneer is very thin for a small business” meaning things can flip REALLY quickly from good to bad (or bad to good) – larger companies have more foundation and something that didn’t go well usually has less of an impact. 
  • If something doesn’t work out as intended, make sure to do the analysis so you don’t fall into the same trap again – whether this was a strategy, or a new hire or whatever – it’s so easy to move on to the next thing but if you don’t take the time to work out why something didn’t work out as you hoped, it will likely happen again in some form or another. 

Giving back to the community is a core element of your business.Why do you believe it is important? How do you determine which companies you give back to yearly?

Somebody once said to me the first 2 years of a business should be focused on whether you even have a viable business, the next 3 years is establishing/solidifying. These initial years are definitely the “take” years as you don’t have the time or bandwidth to even think of how to give back (unless you have a product that does this from the beginning such as those that give socks or shoes away when you make a purchase) but as the business matures – it is important to think about how to give back. At Amaxra, we started around our 7th year. We decide as team who we want to support – maybe there is a charity that is really important to one of our current employees and/or we do a vote as a team. Sometimes the same charity will stay on our list for several years or we change them around. For 2019 we are supporting Homeward Pets, GSBA, Hopelink, Girls who Code and Fire 7 Foundation – all great charities and across quite a spectrum. 

Think ahead to five years ago. What changes do you foresee in technology and how will Consulting companies like yours lead that change?

The ability to do anything anywhere will continue. I can already successfully work remotely as long as I can connect to a wireless network (and my telephone hotspot is a great fallback) but this also means security and protection becomes even more and more important. When I think back to the 1990s – you rarely connected to anything outside of your office and the internet was only just starting but now we can connect to anything everywhere which also puts us at risk. It’s not enough to say “don’t click on links or open a document you don’t recognize” as that is relying on human nature which is unpredictable at best and a perceived threat is always scary – people want to do more and more so it’s also important to enable the security that goes along with this. Think of all the companies that now allow employees to BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) which would have been unheard of even 5 years ago. So it’s important to have the tools that enable people while also protecting a company’s assets and being able to quickly act should the need arise. 

You’re  a busy person wearing a lot of hats. Being in optimal physical health is a key element to success in the chaotic world we all live in. Tell me about your love of Peloton. How does using a Peloton bike make you a better leader and team member?

Exercise was always last on my list although I knew that wasn’t good; it’s so hard to juggle work, family, friends, etc. especially when there are huge responsibilities associated and people depending on you. As a small business owner it stops with you – if something hasn’t been done that needs to be done, you’re it! For me, exercise just would be the first thing to go as it was often too hard to have the time to get to the gym regularly and it just wasn’t that exciting. I always liked cycling classes but a 6am class just killed me – especially if I didn’t get to bed until after midnight. The Peloton bike has just removed the excuses and obstacles. It’s right there at home, I can do 10 mins or 2 hrs (so “I don’t have time” is no longer a valid excuse), it clears my head so I can better focus on work when I’m working but not be thinking about it every minute of every day and the community is great – there are people facing every kind of challenge and they share and learn from each other. This doesn’t mean the Peloton bike or treadmill is a unique device – whatever will enable you to stop, focus on yourself for a bit, clear your head and exercise is great. But they definitely have created something great with Peloton which has people who rarely or never exercising now loving it. 

What challenges have you experienced in your professional life and what are the top lessons learned? 

I think my overall motto which has always been give “it” your very best shot That doesn’t mean things will always work out as you want them to but if you at least tried your best you won’t sit there saying “if only”. We can all only do our best with the information we have available at the time. As I’ve moved through my career from employee to employer the above always applies. Do everything you can but then also know when to say “I’ve done the best I can here – it’s time to move on”. 

What are three key pieces of advice do you have for today’s job seekers? 

  • I see too many younger folk give up really quickly if they think a job is not their ideal one. My advice is to take the opportunity to learn as much as possible from every opportunity; even if the task in question is not your ideal, ask yourself “have I taken everything from this opportunity that I can” before moving on to the next thing. 
  • Thoroughly check your resume/cover letter if applying for a position – bad grammar/spelling will discount you straight away and also read what the job is asking for; if they say “must speak French” it’s no good applying if you don’t – it’s wasting their time and yours. We get so many folk who just don’t read the job description properly and/or submit poor responses that discounts them immediately and what you have on LinkedIn isn’t enough – I still want to see somebody can submit a viable application that shows they have read what we said we were looking for and not just send a link to their LinkedIn profile. 
  • Show passion – even if the job you are applying for is not your dream job. Why do you want this position? And this needs a better response than that “I need a job” or “money” but admitting it isn’t your long term dream is OK also. Also make sure you know something about the company and it’s objectives. If you seem like you don’t really care or just want a paycheck that will definitely come across. 

Knowing what you do today, what advice would you give your 20 year old self?

I’d still go back to always giving everything your best effort whether it’s short term or long term – that will see you through a lot of situations, good and bad. I’d add to make the most of every opportunity that comes along – which I do believe I’ve done. So much of my life has been perchance opportunities – I didn’t plan to move to the UK or know how long I’d live in the US, etc – you have to be open to new opportunities as they come along while staying true to yourself and doing the best you can to learn what you can from each one. 

What are the top 1-5 things that you are looking forward to in 2019? 

  • I just attended Peloton’s annual weekend in New York and met so many fantastic people. I’m looking forward to getting to know them more both in person and online (mostly Facebook and Instagram). 
  • The summer in Seattle – always wonderful!
  • Seeing my uncle and aunt from Australia when they come to stay for a few days on their way to meet the newest grandchild due in New York early July. 
  • Further growing our licensing business which covers both Microsoft and Google. We love helping customers to save money and we usually can simplify some technology aspect for them.
  • We are a finalist in Microsoft’s Supplier of the Year awards. Very exciting and an honor – looking forward to the awards lunch.  Late add: I’m so pleased to include that Amaxra won the Microsoft Diversity Supplier of the Year! The press release is HERE

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