ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVISORS

Every business encounters challenges. Candid, confidential, and supportive engagement is the key to our approach. We incorporate experience, open facilitation, coaching, and collaboration in order to drive client success. This is achieved by using the right tools (or combination of tools) at the right time, empowering individuals and teams to thrive.

OUR TEAM

Kris Kluver | Our Visionary

Kris Kluver is a highly experienced operator, investor, and advisor who has worked with over 100 CEOs and helped organizations achieve billions in valuation. He has over three decades of experience across diverse industries, from publicly traded companies to high growth startups. Kluver has studied entrepreneurial strategy at Harvard Business School, is a certified exit advisor, a fellow at York University in the UK, and author of two bestselling books.

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Janine Kirsch | Chief of Staff

Janine joined Entrepreneurial Advisors in May 2018. Having been born and raised in New Jersey, Janine recently moved to South Carolina and is enjoying the warmer climate and southern hospitality. She received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Montclair State University, as well as a certification in Microsoft Office from Rutgers University. Janine is a seasoned executive assistant with a wealth of experience, serving as a support staff manager, executive assistant, inside sales support, and most recently, sales assistant. In addition to her professional duties, Janine is very active within her community by volunteering at schools, organizing events, and spearheading fundraisers. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and family.

Chris Richardson | Business Coach

Chris Richardson is a highly driven and motivating coach who has an innate ability pull the best out of others. Chris’s skills at listening and ability to ask the right questions, at the right time, are exceptional and this is reflected in the impact he has had with the people he has worked with. Chris has a wisdom and drive beyond his years but, because of his age Chris connects well with younger people and can immediately establish trust and rappor. Chris’s scholastic, physical and martial arts accomplishments are reflective of his internal drive and unwillingness to compromise.

Jonah Larkin | Business Coach

Jonah is a leadership coach, group dynamics facilitator and communications consultant. He works individually with leaders as well as their teams to develop a common language for collaboration and conflict. He is also an instructor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business for the famed Interpersonal Dynamics program and a LEAD Coach for mid-career MBA students. His clients include leaders at companies such as Wells Fargo, AWS, Discord, Turo, and more. As a founder Jonah had his first successful exit at 32 by building and selling one of the first companies to sell skateboards online. He has drunk horse milk beer with nomads in Mongolia, surfed 25 foot waves on remote pacific islands, and speaks really bad Spanish. When he's not at work you can find him scouring the beaches of the world for the perfect wave.

Professor Ioan Fazey | Transformations Facilitator and Coach

Ioan is a facilitator, coach, trainer and consultant. He works with groups and leaders in businesses and organisations to help them work through complexity and bring about systemic change with outcomes that go well beyond just improving a status quo. He is also a Professor at the University of York, Director of the Department of Environment, and internationally recognized expert on transformation, with over 80 highly regarded peer reviewed research publications.

Ioan has conducted projects on five continents working at all levels, from the Governor of Louisiana and his senior staff to illiterate community leaders in Bangladesh and in remote areas of the South Pacific. He is also an experienced shamanic practitioner and trainer, helping people reconnect with the regenerative power of the natural world and to undergo the inner transformations they need to be able to support change on the 'outside’. His greatest love is spending time in the Welsh mountains with his border collie, Elidir.

Russ Sorrells | Coach

Russ Sorrells has walked the business ownership walk. He has built three companies from scratch and purchased three additional businesses throughout his 30-year business career. He understands the struggle that is business ownership & leadership. After successfully exiting his businesses, Russ now invests all of his time helping owner-operated businesses go further faster by clarifying the strategy and prioritizing actions with the ultimate goal of building a self-managing company. His client's revenue ranges from $7.0M to $1.5B annually. His ownership experience includes manufacturing services, medical devices, and consumer services. More importantly, Russ cares deeply that a business should be an asset that serves its stakeholders and not be a prison in which the owner serves. For more information, text or call Russ at 803-804-6970 or visit www.ownyourcategory.com to learn more & schedule a discovery call. Results Guaranteed!

Cohagen Wilkinson | Coach

Cohagen is a Bloom Growth Coach, Co-Founder and COO at Nightfox Audio, and Managing Partner at Bluefog Group. After graduating from SMU with degrees in business and computer science, he began his career at Microsoft as a Technology Strategist where he honed skills in aligning tech initiatives with business strategy for Fortune 500 companies. As a leadership team growth coach, Cohagen excels in helping entrepreneurs streamline their execution and communication, focusing on simplification and prioritization. With experience serving directly on over twelve diverse leadership teams and advising dozens more in a paid, professional capacity, he brings a unique perspective to driving business growth and operational excellence for his clients and portfolio companies.

Michael Richman | Coach

Michael Richman is a husband, father, entrepreneur, mentor, and business leader. With decades of experience in diverse industries and roles, Michael brings a breadth and depth of knowhow to a variety of endeavors.

Michael owned and operated a 2nd generation multi-million-dollar custom manufacturing company, culminating in a successful exit. While running the company, Michael oversaw all facets of financial, operational, marketing and sales functions. During his tenure, the company doubled in size and increased profitability margins by 20%. He also established long term relationships with some of the premiere names in the hospitality and restaurant industries including Panda Express, Four Seasons Hotels, and Ritz Carlton. Additionally, he has been a sought-after commentator regarding industry, business and entrepreneurship in national publications including USA Today, Hotel Interactive, and INC Magazine.

Earlier, Michael worked as a Vice President of Communications and Marketing for a Commercial Banker heading up the marketing, communications, and outreach to small and medium sized businesses across Southern California. During his tenure there, he was involved in facilitating a large merger between his and a competing institution.

With a degree in Communications from the University of Southern California (USC), and an MBA From California Lutheran University (emphasis in Small Business Entrepreneurship), Michael also believes in community service at large. He has been a mentor at USC for first generation college students, where he worked with them on their transition into college and preparing for careers. Additionally, he is an active member of the Los Angeles Chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EOLA), where he chaired the Finance Committee, Membership Committee, and is slated to be President in June of 2025.

Since the sale of his business, he has served as a mentor, coach, and facilitator to numerous business owners and groups across the country.

He currently resides in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles with his wife Devra and daughters Juliette and Sofia. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and rooting for his beloved New York Yankees.

Mike Taylor | Coach

Mike is deeply passionate about effective team leadership and business growth strategy. As an unretired business owner with over 40 years of experience, he is dedicated to working with business owners and leadership teams to help them reach the pinnacle of their professional careers. His greatest strength lies in guiding others to find their path and fulfill their vision of success, leveraging his extensive entrepreneurial experience.

Mike's approach is characterized by structure and discipline, with a focus on aligning people with purpose and implementing strategic playbooks. His aim is to drive high performance and profitability. As a Business Coach and Pinnacle Guide, Mike leverages his expertise to support startups in realizing their potential and achieving their goals. His credibility is further enhanced by his successful career, having sold over $1.2 billion of products and services. He understands the complexities of business ownership and the value of coaching and mentorship in navigating them.

His journey as a business owner began during his first year at the University of Idaho when he founded a Commercial Furniture Installation Company. This venture was not just a business but a passion project that led to significant success. Over the next 22 years, his company grew to employ over 150 people and generate over $40 million in revenue, a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication.

Mike's commitment to mentoring goes beyond his professional life. He finds deep fulfillment in guiding military veterans as they transition from active duty to civilian life. This is a testament to his values and his unwavering dedication to making a difference. Mike is grateful for his supportive wife of 42 years, three remarkable sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren who affectionately call him PaDad. When he's not working with clients, Mike enjoys fly fishing and cherishes quality time with his family.

Jody Grunden | Coach

Jody Grunden is an accounting visionary with over 20 years of experience. He has helped pioneer innovative changes within the industry, including the introduction of the first subscription-based billing method employed by an accounting firm. He is the author of two books, Digital Dollars and Cents and Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud.

Together with his partner Adam Hale, Jody co-founded Summit CPA Group (Summit) in 2002, which merged with Anders CPAs + Advisors (Anders) in 2022. Summit, now Summit Virtual CFO by Anders, was the first fully distributed firm and the leading provider of Virtual CFO Services in North America. With this merger, Summit brings to Anders a number of benefits which will help continue Jody’s vision of changing the way people think about accounting, including strengthening the now “hybrid” work environment, building out the advisory side of Anders with a Virtual CFO service model, and implementing weekly subscription billing rather than hourly billing. His specialties include Virtual CFO Services, Creative Agencies, and Remote Team Management.

Jody is part of many professional organizations including: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Indiana CPA Society, Member of the Forbes Finance Council, Member of the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA), Pinnacle Business Guides Partner, and Member of Running Remote. Jody has also been recognized for his expertise through being awarded as a 2017 Indiana CPA Society Innovation Award winner, CPA.com’s 2017 Innovative Practitioner of the Year finalist, and CPA.com’s 2020 Top Innovative Practitioner of the Year winner.

Scott Johnson | Coach

Scott Johnson is a seasoned business operator, former CEO, investor, independent board member, and strategic advisor with over 30 years of entrepreneurial success. He is also a proud Girl Dad!

Throughout his career, Scott has built, scaled, and exited more than 10 early, mid-stage, and public businesses across healthcare, technology, and professional services. As both an entrepreneur and investor, he has navigated both sides of the capital raise process, contributing to over $350 million in transactions. This dual perspective gives Scott a deep understanding of what it takes to scale companies and accelerate their path to liquidity.

Scott believes the best outcomes come from having the right people aligned to a shared vision, strategy, and empowered to take ownership. He specializes in guiding companies through the challenges that often impede growth; whether it’s scaling inefficiencies, execution gaps, leadership bottlenecks, or lack of clear direction. His greatest passion is helping entrepreneurs navigate their journey with more confidence and less stress. Answering three distinct callings in his career, Scott’s journey began in healthcare, where he started as a biomedical engineer and eventually led a $100M business. His second calling drove him to leave corporate America to lead, turn around, and grow early to mid-stage companies, resulting in five successful exits. His third and current calling is helping founders, CEOs, and their teams achieve more than they ever thought possible while maximizing returns for investors.

Why should this matter? Scott has walked this path. He has faced the tough decisions and challenges that come with scaling businesses and has a proven track record of driving growth. With insights, guidance, and proven operating systems, he partners with leadership teams to align strategy, optimize operations, enhance profitability, and create lasting enterprise value.

Outside of work, Scott thrives on adventure, including skiing, mountain biking, hiking, wakeboarding, or exploring new places with his family. His personal philosophy mirrors his professional one: true success is about thriving on the journey, not just reaching the destination.

Our Pool Of Advisors

EA boasts a pool of over fifty highly experienced entrepreneurial coaches, trained facilitators, advisors, and specialists across the country. Only the best of the best are invited to become Senior EA Advisors. Most are required to have at least one exit, formal experience as an owner/founder/CEO, formal strategy, facilitation training, and a minimum of 5,000 hours of facilitation and coaching. Many of our coaches far exceed this number, with several having over 15,000 hours.

These elite advisors must share our values and be willing to openly collaborate with each other in an effort to constantly improve and provide greater value for our clients. To be blunt, these professionals are wired for this and love what they do, which is why they excel at it. As a collective, if anyone ever gets stuck, they can lean on the group for additional resources or experience.

In addition, we have an extensive network of vetted resources for mid-manager leadership training, meeting facilitation, culture index, process creation, executive assistants, and many more areas.

Everyone we work with is experienced, vetted, and trusted.