Frequently Asked Questions

Your data is protected in a couple ways:

1. Webroot cyber security software is used to protect the servers and data from viruses.
2. Encryption. The Platform is hosted within the Microsoft Azure Cloud. Please read the following description for an overview on how Azure encryption works.

Your data is stored within a SQL Database. This database supports both server-side encryption via the Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) feature and client-side encryption via the Always Encrypted feature. This simply means that your data is encrypted on the back end (in the database) and on the front end (which prevents administrators from seeing things like passwords).

Your data is secured with ‘data at rest’ encryption. “Data at rest” includes information that is not being used and resides in persistent storage on physical media, in any digital format. Some examples of media includes files on magnetic or optical media, archived data, databases, and data backups.

Along with data that is at rest, Azure has mechanisms for keeping your data private as it moves from one location to another.  Microsoft uses the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol to protect data when it’s traveling between the cloud services and customers.

Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) protects connections between customers’ client systems and Microsoft cloud services by unique keys. Connections also use RSA-based 2,048-bit encryption key lengths. This combination makes it difficult for someone to intercept and access data that is in transit.

If you wish to learn more about how your data is protected, please refer to the following articles from Microsoft Azure:

Overview of Encryption in Azure

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/security-azure-encryption-overview

SQL Database Encryption

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-technical-overview

Compliance Certification

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-technical-overview

The STUCK Breakthrough Strategies Platform software:

• is hosted on Microsoft Azure’s server, which states a guaranteed uptime of 99.9%.
• has 24/7/365 service through a hosting company. This contract covers service for monitoring and attention to any outages, errors, or downtime that may be experienced.

This 99.9% is irrespective of any unforeseen operational issues of the Platform itself (including any bugs or major functional updates that affect the uptime of the software):

• An outsourced software developer guarantees a 24 hour response time, with resolutions expedited to the greatest extent possible, to those issues
• Updates are tested on a different server before they are pushed to the server the customer uses
• Downtime is anticipated to be minimal and has not yet experienced downtime due to updates or issues

Business owners and/or the leadership team will partner with either an internal (current employee of your company) or external (3rd party) certified STUCK advisor to use the software. It offers data, information and file storage, report generation and access to numerous tools in order to help businesses grow. The utilization of these tools and storage follows the time-activated and flexible STUCK Breakthrough Strategies process.

After getting registered to use the Platform, the advisor and designated business users of it will get access to their account by going to https://platform.getunstuck.com/index.aspx. 

For interested businesses: learn how our tools and strategies can help you grow.

For interested advisors: please refer to Become an Advisor.

The software is as simple as we could make it while still having the ability to take advantage of advanced features, such as:

• Calendar sync
• The ability to accurately record and compare your monthly results
• The storage of your external documents used at team meetings
• The option to add unlimited users to your account
• Set and schedule different meetings
• Email and print your work

Our advisors are trained to use the software and will be available to answer any questions.

The STUCK Breakthrough Strategies Platform covers our entire process from Yearly Plan to Monthly Execution. We also included 50+ tools to help businesses as they go through the process that were created to help develop both the hard-skills and soft-skills of your team. These tools will guide them to get over different sticking points, use the software, and generate financial reports all while keeping their information and data organized.

In order to be successful while using the Platform, we do require you do have an advisor. There are two ways to get one:

1. Selecting an external certified STUCK advisor. These advisors come from various backgrounds including expertise, disciplines and skill sets.
2. Picking your own internal coach. This person is an employee of your business and will act as a facilitator. This employee will have to get trained and certified through us to administer the advising and software.

The advising held through the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® Platform is managed by one of our certified advisors. While it’s license fee is cost effective and required, any negotiations about the advisor’s compensation will have to be made through them.

After the client and their advisor collectively agree on an amount, the advisor will send that agreement to STUCK. From there, STUCK will send the business an invoice with instructions on how to pay. The fee is annual and will be valid for 12 months.

The Platform was designed to work on any browser. As it does work on mobile devices, it is recommended to use it on your laptop or desktop computer as it’s easier to view, type, download and email materials.

Classroom and follow-up training will take place either our office or online (via an online conference room). Any other questions after this training will take place over the phone, email, or in special circumstances, online.

Classroom and follow-up training, as well as miscellaneous support thereafter will happen from the STUCK team.

Below is the criteria we use when assessing advisors:

Experienced

• Experience as a successful business owner or manager
• Proven track record in business or leadership
• Someone who can focus on the client’s overall business (both soft-skills and hard-skills)
• Has/Had a fulfilling career
• Prior client longevity
• Single or multiple disciplines a plus

Personable

• Charismatic and thoughtful
• Supportive, motivating
• A good facilitator
• Ability to drive company and individual initiatives

Ambitious

• Someone who wants a career opportunity
• An ambition to be not only successful in their own business, but in their advising with STUCK
• A desire to partner with company opportunities
• Consistent advising work

Flexible

• Someone who is open to being trained by us and who wants to use the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® Platform and the tools within it
• Ability to bring their own expertise or tools into their services
• Ability to multitask and move from client to client
• Able to be trained in multiple disciplines

If this sounds like you, please contact us! We will review your qualifications and if we think you are the right fit, we will get in touch. For more information, please refer to our Become an Advisor page.

Advisors will first apply to become part of our team. If, after reviewing their credentials, we feel they are a great fit as to what we are looking for, we will contact them. After that, we will send an agreement for them to sign and will then get a date for them to meet with us to be trained (either in-person or virtually). Certification will happen after the completion of the training.

After getting trained and certified, they will have the ability to find their own clients and start the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® process with them.

Every advisor will apply to STUCK. If we feel that they are a great fit, we will get in contact with them to train and certify them. The training process involves:

• Classroom training that will involve the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® process and the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® Platform.
• Support from the STUCK team with any questions you may have about the process or Platform. This support will be in addition to our classroom training, instruction manual and follow-up training.

We want to help grow our advisors. This being said, we will not get clients for you, but will give you tips to get you right on track.

Our process. The steps we use to access, create, deploy, and execute the Single-Page Plan is quick as we value the busy schedules of our clients. At the same time, it was created in a way that allows time-activation, simplicity, and organization in order that clients overcome any sticking point that may occur before or during the execution of the plan. In other words, our process was formed to always help you “today”.

Our strategies, tools, and methods came from the experience we gained from growing our business from a basement start-up to a 100M international company. We have the experience to handle all obstacles that arise from business growth while still maintaining the maximization of your investors share value and the empowerment for your staff.

Our strategies and tools helped grow our previous business, EMTEQ, from a basement start-up to an international 100M organization. These strategies and tools are consolidated in our advising structure, STUCK Breakthrough Strategies®, which offers a time-activated, simple, and organized approach to helping businesses get to the next level. In addition to this process, the tools help with the development of both soft-skills and hard-skills, helping businesses get unstuck from any inflection point that may occur.

We have worked with and would be willing to work with businesses from any industry. More importantly, we seek alignment with like-minded leaders who have a desire for growth.

We prefer to work with small to midsized privately held businesses that are looking for the next phase of their business growth.

Executive Advising:

Our passion is to help small to midsize privately held businesses drive substantial and sustainable growth by using our proven simple and effective strategies. The strategies we have created allow for a simple and effective way to create and implement a culture of growth within the business. When this is done, the business will start to grow as the employees are empowered, engaged, and accountable, and the owner can then work ON the business and not IN the business.

Our strategies are available to any business owner who has the courage to grow their business. To share our success with other businesses, we created the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® Platform, our cloud-based product that contains numerous tools that guides businesses, and their advisor, to reach their full potential while using our process.

Business Investment:

We are patient and flexible business investors that are looking for companies to partner with and invest in. Criteria for STUCK to invest capital into a business is based on:

• A location in SE WI is preferred but we would consider one throughout the US if it is the right opportunity
• Revenue ranging from $1-20M & EBITDA between $200,000 to 3M
• The company has opportunities to be the sole source supplier/provider (only one supplier or part number is specified, creating a high margin opportunity)

To see more criteria, please refer to the Business Investments page.

Our advising is a good match for an owner and leadership team who answers yes to all of these questions:

• Is the owner/leader(s) self-aware and willing to change?
• Will the owner/leader(s) embrace change, be willing to make the time to do what’s necessary and be accountable to the success plan?
• Is the owner/leader(s) open and honest? Are they trusting and trustworthy?
• Does the owner/leader(s) have financial stability?
• Are the desired results realistic and is there an agreement on how these results will be achieved?
• Will the owner/leader(s) ultimately be successful or do they just want to be successful?

The STUCK tools, techniques and processes can plug n’ play into essentially any legitimate business from startup to sale. However, there may be situations where STUCK is not the best fit for you. We will be happy to discuss your situation, confidentially, and let you know whether your situation meets the decision criteria we use in selecting clients. This decision criteria ensures a positive ROI for you in engaging with STUCK.

There are multiple times when you may get stuck and need our guidance:

• When you’re mired in the day-to-day of the business.
• When you decide you want to grow your business quicker and easier.
• When you haven’t found the right business partner, or currently have the wrong partner.
• When you “don’t know what you don’t know” about yourself, your partner, or business
• When you, your investors, or board members are not informed about the industry you are in
• When you do not know the value of your business that want to know it in order to offer stock or want to sell
• When you are growing your business only to grow your profits, not your revenue
• When you have unreliable suppliers, leading to dissatisfied customers
• When you make business decisions without having the customer in mind
• When you have a business plan that is too complicated
• When you don’t have a business plan
• When you don’t give up control of your business
• When you don’t let your employee maximize their potential
• When you need help identifying challenges.
• When you don’t know if you can do it on your own.
• When you feel your leadership team is inadequate.
• When you don’t feel confident you can make it to the next level.
• When you simply need help in defining the next level and how to get there.

The experience we gained from growing our business from a basement start-up to a 100M international company allows us to be compassionate, empathetic and allows us to help you get over any sticking point you have. Our services include but are not limited to:

• Strategic Planning
• Sales and Marketing Planning
• M&A prep for business sale to maximize value
• M&A post-close integration to maximize the investment
• Advising owner/leaders (Autocrat to advisor, life plan, etc.)
• Facilitating cultural transformation
• Creating the proper organization structure
• Talent assessment, succession planning
• Business function enhancement (Finance, IT, HR, etc.)
• Continuous improvement strategy
• Compensation and incentive plans
• Owner/leader/key employee hard (job) and soft (behavioral) skill training

The advising held through the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® Platform is managed by one of our certified advisors. Any discussions about the pricing of the Platform and it’s advising will have to be made through them.

The first benefit is flexibility. By choosing a certified STUCK advisor, you will be able to do as much or as little as you need and can afford at any given time. Another benefit is that our advisors come from various industries, experience, and roles. This allows them to not only provide you with our tools, but bring in their own tools and advice to assist your business.

After initial discussions and we have tentatively agreed on project scope and structure of an agreement, we are happy to provide references.

Some of our clients insist on strict confidentiality, so we cannot divulge any information beyond their industry and a general description of the services we provided.

Yes, our clients are located across the United States as well as locally. Certified STUCK Advisors come from various areas and can serve your business. If there isn’t an advisor in your area, an internal advisor (or, employee of your business) can be trained and certified.

For more information about the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies Platform, please refer to this overview.

For more information about becoming an advisor, please refer to Become an Advisor.

Yes. We typically start off our process with strategic planning, which includes sales and marketing, before focusing on deployment and execution. In another case, if there is already a strategic plan in place, our process and tools can be inserted wherever your business needs it. The most important part of business growth is in plan deployment and execution, and much emphasis is placed on those two.

The STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® process can help any size company, including start-ups. The process involves the creation and execution of your Single-Page Plan which was created to help you achieve your goals. Our advisors come from various backgrounds, skills, and expertise and can help you through the process while using the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® Platform.

To learn more about our advising, please refer to How it Works.

For more information about the STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® Platform, please refer to Our Platform.

The STUCK Breakthrough Strategies® process is based off the creation of a Single-Page Plan. Our process was formed to allow for a simple, effective, structured, organized and flexible approach towards the creation and execution of it. Depending on the pace that your team will allow, the assessment, planning, and creation of the plan can take less than a week.

While our process allows for a quick path to execution of the Single-Page Plan, it will have to be administered by an advisor, either an external (certified STUCK advisor) or internal (we will train and certify one of your employees). The time it takes get an advisor will depend on if it will be internal, external, the availability of the advisor, and the time it takes to hire an advisor.