I’m Rick Giarrusso.

I work with companies that are passionate about creating revolutionary change in their industry.

Over the past 25 years, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in the business world. Industries and institutions that went unchanged for decades, or even centuries, are now being shaken up. No one is immune. This change requires existing companies to evolve and is creating historic opportunities for new companies to grow. We are fortunate to live in such exciting times.

I’ve had a passion for entrepreneurship and business innovation for over 25 years. During that time, I’ve created and coached a number of revolutionary companies in industries like software, aerospace, data mining, professional services, life sciences, education, and financial services. These days, I sit on several boards, and continue to work with some of the most promising companies around.

I hold a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, where I studied decision analysis and helped revamp and teach the world-leading entrepreneurship program. This has put me in a unique position to work with some of the world’s leading companies, and most promising entrepreneurs.

Game Changers

As companies grow they have a choice: they can try to out-perform their larger, more established competitors with operational superiority, or they can seek to “change the game.”

Who is a game changer? Some of them are household names: like Apple, who reinvented the computer, then the music distribution business, then the mobile phone, and then the computer again; Amazon, who reinvented shopping; Google, who reinvented both search and advertising; and Netflix, who reinvented video rental. Others are less familiar: like Silicon Graphics (SGI), who made breakthrough computer graphics easy and widespread; Salesforce.com, who pioneered software-as-a-service when they created a web-based application for sales teams; or my own Rotary Rocket Company, who helped pioneer private space launch services.

What these companies share is a vision that allows them to disrupt their traditional industry so fundamentally as to permanently alter that industry. Once these companies have created their change, nobody can go back.

It is these game-changing people and companies who end up changing the world.

Coaching & Consulting

Over the past two decades, I have worked with many global leaders across a variety of industries. I have also had the good fortune to work with many exciting companies while they were still young, before they became household names.

Whether I’m working with an existing industry titan, or a promising young start-up, my goal is the same: to guide management teams through the rapidly shifting strategic landscape so we can identify and evaluate opportunities to create industry-transforming change.

Speaking

I am passionate about what I do, and love to share that passion with others.

I am frequently asked to speak at corporate and non-profit events, university classes, and other forums.  When I speak, I like to create an interactive environment that allows participants to experience the topic, rather than just hear about it.

Please contact me if you are interested in joining the conversation.