Having helped guide technology companies into rapid-growth orbit, Mike Harvath now assists smaller tech firms achieve liftoff at Revenue Rocket Consulting Group, his growth-strategy advisory firm in Bloomington, MN.
Harvath, whose career, which reaches from Apple's early days, launched Revenue Rocket in 2001 as a way to give back to the industry in which hard work had brought him much success.
Consulting also keeps him connected to the familiar surge of excitement when a new strategy or offering propels a company to new heights.
"I get to live vicariously through my clients and see them grow and experience success and, for me, that's very satisfying," Harvath said. "Obviously, if you've been with one of the fastest-growing tech companies Read more
Having helped guide technology companies into rapid-growth orbit, Mike Harvath now assists smaller tech firms achieve liftoff at Revenue Rocket Consulting Group, his growth-strategy advisory firm in Bloomington, MN.
Harvath, whose career, which reaches from Apple's early days, launched Revenue Rocket in 2001 as a way to give back to the industry in which hard work had brought him much success.
Consulting also keeps him connected to the familiar surge of excitement when a new strategy or offering propels a company to new heights.
"I get to live vicariously through my clients and see them grow and experience success and, for me, that's very satisfying," Harvath said. "Obviously, if you've been with one of the fastest-growing tech companies in history, you like the drug, you like the growth thing. It becomes part of your DNA."
Revenue Rocket offers consulting on growth strategy, and buy/sell-side mergers and acquisitions. Clients typically are tech services companies with $5 million to $50 million in sales.
Revenue Rocket has worked with more than 450 companies in 10 countries.
"As an outside guy, I think I bring more to the table, advising, counseling and facilitating growth,'' Harvath said. "I just feel more at home in my own skin working with 20 or 30 or 40 different businesses all at the same time.''
Worked with the Steves
To build his niche, Harvath has focused on smaller tech companies and offered a subscription-type pricing model. While some engagements last years, no client has to stay more than 30 days.
"We have to earn our stripes every day," said Harvath, who has an MBA in technology management from Harvard Business School and bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering and sociology from the University of Minnesota. "If we're not adding value, they will give us notice and we will be done. Particularly for small clients, that's comforting."
Harvath got his tech industry start at Apple in the early 1980s. "I worked with the Steves -- plural," Harvath said, referring to Apple co-founders Jobs and Wozniak. "It was a great experience. I did a little engineering on the first Macintosh."
He then founded and sold a company that implemented Apple desktops before landing at MicroAge Computer Centers, a Phoenix-based technology distributor that shot from $100 million to $6 billion in sales during his seven-year tenure.