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06 / Growth

SMB growth advisory.

Helping Florida small and mid-sized businesses grow faster, more profitably, and clear the operational bottlenecks holding them back. Outside-eyes advisory from someone who built, scaled, and exited a regional MSP — and has seen what works (and what's a waste) across hundreds of SMBs.

Why me

I've sat in your chair.

I founded InfoStream in 1994 and built it into one of South Florida's most trusted independent IT and cybersecurity practices, serving municipalities, healthcare organizations, regulated industries, and hundreds of Florida small businesses. I know the SMB problem from the inside — payroll pressure, the vendor that's underdelivering, the system that should have been replaced two years ago, the opportunity you keep almost-getting-to.

The advisory work now is the part I'm best at and enjoy most: showing up with no agenda except yours, asking the questions your team has stopped asking, and helping you see the two or three changes that actually move the numbers — not the fifty things a consulting deck would prescribe.

Where I'm useful

Six recurring pain points.

If two or three of these sound like your week, we should talk.

A

The "we're stuck" diagnosis

You feel the bottleneck but can't quite name it. Outside-eyes session, structured questions, written diagnosis with the top two or three places to push.

B

IT & vendor spend rationalization

Tool sprawl, auto-renewing contracts, MSP relationships that have drifted from useful to expensive. Independent review with no reseller incentive.

C

Process & operational bottleneck removal

The handoffs that drop the ball, the meetings that don't decide anything, the workflow that everyone has accepted as "just how it works."

D

AI leverage for productivity

The two or three places AI actually pays back inside an SMB this year — and the places it's a distraction. Lightweight implementation, not a multi-year program.

E

Cybersecurity as a growth enabler

The deals you can't close because you can't answer the security questionnaire. Right-sized cyber posture that opens enterprise doors instead of just adding cost.

F

Owner & executive sounding board

The standing call when you want an honest opinion from someone who's done it, has no axe to grind, and won't tell you what your team is paid to.

Who this is for

SMB founders and executive teams ready to be told.

Most useful for owner-operated and closely-held companies between roughly $2M and $50M in revenue who want a peer they can talk to candidly — not a coaching framework, not a generic playbook, not a consulting team. One person, decades of pattern recognition, direct feedback.

Client voices

"Helping us grow our business."

From the InfoStream years.

"The best IT company in the business! Alan is very knowledgeable, and has always shown an interest in helping us grow our business."

Karen Houck TCG Telecommunications

"InfoStream is a fantastic technology partner. We have relied on InfoStream for over 12 years to maintain our network and keep it safe. We don't make any IT decisions without their advice."

Meghan Maguire CIO — Duffy's Management

FAQ

Common questions.

What size company is the right fit for this work?

Most engagements land in the range of a few employees to a few hundred. The common thread is a founder or executive team that needs an outside perspective from someone who has built and run a business through that growth curve — not from a consultant who has only ever advised.

Do you handle exit planning or business sales?

Yes for advisory and preparation — getting the business ready to sell, understanding what buyers will actually pay for, and navigating the technical and operational questions a serious buyer asks. Actual transaction execution stays with the broker, attorney, and CPA running the deal.

What industries?

Most B2B services, IT and technology, professional services, light manufacturing, and operations-heavy small businesses. The pattern recognition is operational and financial, not industry-specific. Strong industry expertise is a plus but not a prerequisite.

Founder-coaching or full team engagement?

Both. Some engagements are one-on-one with the founder or CEO; others are working sessions with the leadership team. The right mode depends on where the bottleneck actually is — if the bottleneck is the founder, working with the team is wasted motion, and vice versa.

Long-term retainer or project-based?

Both. Project-based for defined questions (should we open a second location, is our pricing leaving money on the table, are we ready to sell). Monthly retainer for ongoing advisory where the executive team wants outside perspective on a continuing basis.

Talk

If your business is good but you know it could be significantly better —

Email is the right channel. Brief one-paragraph on the business, the rough revenue scale, and the two or three pain points that prompted the message.