I am just Mike.
Not a rock star, not a guru, or someone you would notice walking down the street.
My ambitions are my own and are probably not what you think. The things that drive me (to the brink) are mostly too scary to talk about in public. No, I do not sleep much.
All kidding aside: One of my biggest strengths is translating between technical and business contexts. I can sit with a vendor’s engineering team in the morning discussing API architecture, then meet with their business team in the afternoon to negotiate contract terms.
I’ve spent 28 years solving problems across 200+ implementations. I don’t just understand the technology—I understand the business context where it needs to operate. You can read my full resume here.
The Gap Between Strategy and Execution
You know what needs to happen. Your team sees the trends. The strategy is sound.
But execution is slow. Too slow.
By the time you’ve deployed new tactics, the market has moved. Your personalization system runs independently from merchandising. SEO split into AEO and GEO, and your team is still figuring out what that means for workflows.
The problem isn’t awareness. It’s architecture.
Your tools don’t communicate efficiently. Your processes have too many handoffs. Your teams are structured for stability when they need velocity.
I don’t bring you new tools—everyone has the same tools. I bring you working systems that adapt as fast as your market.
My approach:
- Architect technology stacks that communicate effectively
- Eliminate operational bottlenecks that slow deployment
- Build processes that enable speed without sacrificing quality
- Transfer knowledge so your team maintains velocity after I’m gone
Marketing IS technology today. The question is whether your technology enables speed or creates drag.
How I Got Here
1997-2012: Built technical foundation (15 years freelance + founded my own retail business)
2012-2023: Scaled expertise across 200+ clients (pattern recognition)
2021-2024: Proved value at Turning Point Brands, promoted from contractor to eCommerce Manager
2023-2024: Led Magento 1 → Magento 2 migration
2025: Elevated to Director, immediately led $500K+ dual Adobe Commerce → Shopware 6 migration
2025+: Building AI-augmented migration & marketing tools based on hands-on experience
You can read my full resume here.
The Map Is Not The Territory
A compass, I learnt when I was surveying, it’ll… it’ll point you true north from where you’re standing, but it’s got no advice about the swamps, deserts and chasms that you’ll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp, what’s the use of knowing true north? ~ Alfred & Abe
I’ve walked through these particular swamps recently—the $500K+ migration, the dual-instance consolidation, the hub-and-spoke architecture. I don’t just point north; I can show you where the solid ground is.
There is a philosophy in the dojo that you teach up to your belt. I only know what I know, and I do not know what YOU know. That’s why every engagement starts with listening.
My Commitment
It’s not always easy being a consultant, and hiring one can seem difficult in a world full of people outsourcing what they promise you.
I caution prospective clients that I may, or may not, be the right person for your project.
My commitment to you is to be as brutally honest as possible about what I can and cannot do. I am selective about projects I take on. We can talk about it and find out together.
Take very little of what I write here seriously (except what I’m serious about). There is humor in every odd thing written, though it might not be your style. If you have a question, the answer is always 42.
What I’m Working On Now
I’m currently building two tools based on real-world experience:
AI-Augmented Platform Migration Tool — Codifying patterns from our $500K+ migration into a solution designed for agency partnerships.
Platform-Agnostic E-commerce Analytics Engine — Universal GA4 integration providing real-time conversion metrics across any platform.
Both are partnership-first: designed to help agencies and hosting companies serve their clients better, not compete with them.
Interested in beta testing or partnerships? Let’s talk.