My name is Ron Tester. I help small business owners grow their businesses sustainably—so they can have the business and the life they want. I started my first business more than 20 years ago and have started, grown, and successfully exited several businesses since. I’ve also coached and consulted with many startups and small businesses as they were looking for ways to establish and grow their businesses.

Why do I do this? Because I believe in the power of small businesses to change lives, change families, change communities, change the world. And honestly, I feel sick when I see a small business that was doing good and making a difference go out of business. I think about the emotional and financial impact on the owner, their family, and the ripple effects on employees, vendors, customers, and the local economy. I also hate to see small business owners struggling in their businesses year after year, struggling to provide for themselves and their families, struggling to get to the next level in their businesses but repeatedly failing. 

I’ve seen the frustration, the heartache, the sacrifice, and I’m on a mission to make things better. To help small business owners figure out what they should be doing and then get them to follow through. To focus on the things that matter, the things that will make the biggest difference, and stop wasting time, energy and money on things that aren’t going to make a big difference.

When I first started out in business, I was like a lot of people—people who know how to do great work but they don’t know how to create and run a business that does that work. I was an awesome physical therapist (according to my patients), but I had no idea how to start, grow and run a business. I had a strong desire to change the world and a great idea for a business. What I didn’t have was real-world experience in starting a new business from scratch and making a go of it.

During my first few years in business, I hired several coaches to help me grow my business. Unfortunately, these coaches had never run a small business and had no idea what it was like to be in my position as a small business owner. They weren’t able to teach me what I needed to know or help me get where I wanted to go.

I kept persevering, though, and as my business became more successful, I began coaching startups and small business owners. One of the biggest challenges I heard from my clients was how to market effectively. My favorite book about marketing for service providers was (and is) Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port. After giving away dozens of copies of the book, I decided to get more training in the BYS system. So I participated in the Book Yourself Solid School of Coach Training and became a Certified BYS Coach. It’s a marketing system that’s proven, reliable and doable, and it can revolutionize your business. To become a better, well-rounded coach, I also participated in the Center for Executive Coaching’s program and became a Certified Executive Coach.

I have an undergraduate degree from SMU in Dallas and I have a graduate degree in physical therapy from TWU in Denton, Texas.

I live in Decatur, Georgia, and when I’m not coaching I’m usually reading or hiking.

about you: starter, does, and difference-maker

My ideal client is someone who has a vision, who wants to start something or has started something and wants to make a significant difference in the world. That difference may be an extraordinary service, an extraordinary product, or an extraordinary experience.