Business Machine 005 - Mike Maddox of ASK: Full Service IT

Today on Business Machine is Mike Maddox, president and CEO of ASK, a Lansing-based Information Technology company. He made the jump to small business from his career in sales where the further he moved up in his corporate work, the more internal and impersonal his work became.

Mission

Take the hassle out of technology so that you can focus on your business.

Learning From Our Mistakes

When he took over as president, he sat everyone in a room and they decided on a tagline. He notes this is very important when communicating with colleagues and strangers. This ties into another challenge he’s encountered, which is focusing on what the company does best, not what it can make time for. As a leader, he also believes in keeping a personal connection with employees, which can be difficult when work needs to be done but it is something he treasures.

Recommendations

Favorite quote: "Never confuse activity with achievement" from a board hanging in his office.

Eating: Big dip ice cream scoops from Quality Dairy, preferably in the summer.

Eat with: Steve Jobs to learn how he managed the growth of Apple, not just the creation.

App: Microsoft One Note

Contact

Phone: 877-ASK-4-ASK

Webpage: www.justask.net

Podcast: Bottom Line IT every Tuesday at noon on the Michigan Business Network.