Ira Blumenthal

Whether it’s corporations, associations, or even individuals, you can’t have a better tomorrow if you continue thinking about yesterday. Looking back over last year, we’ve seen chaos, a pandemic, economic challenges, business uncertainty, and greater changes than ever before. We’re confused, overwhelmed, frustrated, and often impatient.

This is NOT business as usual. This is business as UN-usual.

And so, the threshold question for us all is simple… “What’s next?” It’s time for RECOVERY and pushing the RESET button on our businesses and lives. It has been said, “If you want to predict the future, create it!” This customizable program (onstage OR virtual) YOUR BEST IS NEXT, is precisely about creating the future and teaching your organization how to ensure that their BEST IS truly NEXT.

History books are filled with educational and inspirational stories of individuals who learned that “a bend in the road is not the end of the road…” and persevered through pain, suffering, adversity, downturns, failures and disappointment to make a “comeback.”  This highly customizable (for the client, for the audience, for the theme, for the event), interactive speech focuses on interesting and intriguing stories of individuals and corporations… current and historical… from all walks of life (i.e. industry, enterprise, science, art, sports, technology, etc.) who learned that the key to success in the face of a downturn, challenges and failure is to focus energetically on he “comeback” and never the “setback.”  Using a wealth of best practice stories and examples peppered with audience participation and “purposeful humor,” this is a “hold onto your seats” program.  Its focus is NOT on the failures but on the lessons to be learned from the “turn-around.”  Ira Blumenthal, a former Fortune 100 executive… a successful business consultant (longest continually retained consultant in Coca-Cola’s history, 26 straight years)… an author (with a best seller to his credit)… a former visiting university professor (University of Notre Dame; Michigan State University; etc.) and a high energy professional speaker who has addressed over 2000 business audiences on 5 continents (and has “opened” for the likes of President George Bush (Sr); General Colin Powell; Mikhail Gorbechev; Henry Kissinger; Cal Ripken Jr.; Tommy Lasorda; etc.)… is passionate about the “comeback” and “turn-around” program and has affectionately called it “CRASH… BURN… and RETURN.”

Based on Ira’s book, “Ready, Blame, Fire!”, this energetic speech (or workshop) focuses on challenging conventional wisdom. Targeting the fourteen greatest “myths” in marketing (i.e. “Bigger Is Better!”, “Close Enough Is Good Enough,” “The First One In Wins,” “It Won’t Happen Here!,” etc.), participants learn from history (the “misses”) and gain a well-defined understanding of the “compelling imperatives” for success in a complex, highly competitive business climate. The focus of this session is on business development, quantum leap growth, alternative channels of distribution and marketing success.

Products are consumed. Brands are purchased. In our branded world, we make Xerox copies, blow our nose in Kleenex, snack on Jell-O, relax in the Jacuzzi and cover wounds with Band-Aids. From Nike on our hats to Tommy on our shirts to Swatch on our watches and Starbucks in our cups, branding is critical to business development. This session focuses on the philosophy, strategy, guiding principles and “best practices” to create, build, maintain and manage brand success. After all, regardless of what your title is, everyone’s a brand manager… Great examples, provocative anecdotes and purposeful humor make this a great session, especially when customized for the industry, client and event. Everyone’s a brand manager!

There is one constant in life (and business)… change! Yet, change is not new. What is new is the incredible speed of change. Industries, companies and careers have gone from “distinction” to “extinction” because of their inability to adapt, adjust and master change. This session offers a high-content, high-energy, “hands on” approach to embracing, as well as capitalizing on change in business building. After all, change is to business what oxygen is to life.

Call it business development synergies, joint ventures, partnering, or strategic alliances… there is truly “strength in numbers!” This highly interactive keynote educates and motivates companies of all sizes (entrepreneurial, second tier, mid-size, multi-national) on the importance, power and viability of alliances. After all, we are fast-moving into “The Age of Collaboration.” Collaborative advantage leads to competitive advantage.

What if you thought of yourself as a brand? Everyone struggles with what they stand for… or what they’d like to stand for… Each one of us is a brand. This speech focuses on the disciplines of business branding and applies them to the process of crafting, developing, extending, managing and protecting your most important brand… “Brand You!” Ideal for business executives, sales professionals, even non-business audiences… this is an interactive, high-energy, fun-filled educational (and inspirational) speech (and workshop) experience. What if you thought of yourself as a brand?

In the words of Bill Gates, “Technology is a tool, an enhancement, an enabler. It can be an enormously helpful servant but a dangerous master…” Although the benefits of technology are vast, we depend too much on “high tech” communication with employees, customers, consumers, suppliers and distributors and depend too little on “high touch” communication. This interactive, action-packed, fun-filled, highly relevant speech is focused on strategies, tactics, tips and techniques designed to help business professionals connect, engage and grow mutually beneficial enterprise through dynamic interpersonal relationships.