Ron Welty, Founder, Visionary and CEO of IntelliShop, heads one of the leading customer experience measurement and improvement firms in the country—and yes, this involves mystery shoppers. Located in Perrysburg, Ohio, IntelliShop started in 1999 and has steadily grown while remaining strong throughout its 20+ year history.
About four years ago, Welty leafed through Inc. Magazine that mentioned Gino Wickman and the Entrepreneurial Operating System® for small businesses. Intrigued, he read Get a Grip and decided right then to start using EOS for his business.
And no, he didn’t start with CultureShoc. Initially, Welty did hire an outside EOS Implementer to help his company. And soon into the EOS process, he recognized the need to let go of some of the personnel in the company that didn’t fit IntelliShop’s Vision. The changeover, however, ended up being quite disruptive, with Ron having to step into the Integrator role for a good part of a year. Meanwhile, Welty also was assessing an opportunity to merge with another company.
This overwhelming situation made him realize he was not living one of the core principles of EOS which attracted him in the first place: doing what you love. So, he set out to find another EOS Implementer that was more aligned with his approach; enter the Buffalo Mindset! Through a mutual friend, Ron met me and was hooked with CultureShoc’s “Be A Buffalo” motto.
To guide IntelliShop to the next level, I helped their team find the next Integrator for both companies to lead the merger and build a strong leadership team with Welty back in the right seat, the Visionary role. Using the Delegate and Elevate™ EOS tool, Welty then was able to let go of the reigns and focus on the direction of the organization.
As the two companies worked together, it became clearer and clearer that the best course of action for the business was to call off the merger and keep the Integrator just for IntelliShop. Welty would soon realize just how right those two decisions were for him personally, as well as for the business.
2020 came, the pandemic hit, and IntelliShop was not immune. But because of the processes put in place, thanks in large part to EOS, the company knew how to navigate through the storm together. Then in June of 2020, a personal storm hit Welty, and he had to suddenly step away from the company for the foreseeable future. In many companies, this would have been a devastating blow. However, with a strong leadership team and the EOS Process, IntelliShop persevered. While they didn’t make a profit in 2020 for the first time in the history of the company, IntelliShop still remained strong as a whole. In fact, they are now on target for a record year.
All of this would not have been possible if Welty didn’t take the leap to EOS and be open and honest in the process.
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