Coach to The Best

What Coach to The Best does

Coach to The Best is a privately held executive coaching, speaking, and advisory practice operated under Bottom Line Up Enterprises, LLC by founders Rich Russakoff and Maureen (Moe) Russakoff. The firm serves entrepreneurs, CEOs, and leadership teams through four primary service lines: (1) one-on-one and team business coaching delivered as multi-year engagements; (2) paid keynote speaking at major entrepreneurial conferences including the MIT Entrepreneurial Masters Program, Inc. Magazine Conferences, Fortune Magazine Summit, and multiple EO (Entrepreneur Organization) chapters; (3) capital acquisition advisory built around a proprietary 14-point process through which Rich claims to have helped clients secure $67 million in growth capital at a near 100% success rate over 30 years; and (4) customized multi-day forum retreats based on Hendricks Institute Big Leap and 5 Chairs 5 Choices methodologies. The firm also generates ancillary revenue through published books, most notably "People, Time & Money: Volume 2," which achieved #1 bestseller status on Amazon, plus advisory on business valuations and M&A positioning.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform; its "intellectual property" is a portfolio of human-delivered methodologies — the 6 Cs of Leadership, 11 Key Components of a Financial Strategy for Growing a Company, the AMT stress-response system, and the Zone of Genius framework — combined with Rich's 45+ years of operating and brokering experience. Customer acquisition is driven primarily by Rich's conference speaking circuit, content marketing (blog active through 2025, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, MailChimp newsletter), referrals from past clients and EO chapters, and earned media in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Fortune Small Business, and CBS MoneyWatch. Distribution is entirely direct: Rich and Moe personally deliver or facilitate every engagement, either remotely or on-site. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; engagements are typically multi-year coaching contracts.

The customer base is heterogeneous, with named engagements spanning furniture (Four Hands), legal services (Sackett & Associates, Lumen Legal), restoration services (Maxons Restorations), software consulting (International Software Consulting), music (Lucy Music), and transportation (Stett Transportation), across 50+ companies helped over the firm's operating history. The business is bootstrapped, founder-owned, operated with 1-10 employees from Chapel Hill, NC, and serves clients globally with no geographic restrictions. No external institutional investment has been disclosed.

Name

Coach to The Best

Legal name

Bottom Line Up Enterprises, LLC

Website

https://coachtothebest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coach to The Best is a founder-led executive coaching, speaking, and capital acquisition advisory practice serving entrepreneurs and CEOs globally, operating through Bottom Line Up Enterprises, LLC with 1-10 employees from Chapel Hill, NC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive and Business Coaching Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching (EDABANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Strategy, Decision-Making & Business Acumen Coaching (EDABANAH), Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF), Career, Purpose & Executive Wellbeing Coaching (EDABANAI)

Keywords

• Executive business coaching
• Capital acquisition advisory
• Leadership team training
• Entrepreneur speaking engagements
• Business growth consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Executive/Business Coaching: One-on-one and team coaching engagements for entrepreneurs, CEOs, and leadership teams. Coaching is personalized to each client's unique challenges, including business analysis, strategic planning, capital acquisition guidance, and leadership development. Services include on-site analysis, weekly check-ins, and ongoing advisory relationships.
2. Speaking Engagements: Keynote and workshop presentations at conferences, corporate events, and entrepreneurial programs. Rich speaks internationally on leadership, business execution, capital acquisition, and productivity. Speaking engagements serve as both standalone revenue and customer acquisition for coaching services.
3. Book Sales & Royalties: Revenue from published books including 'People, Time & Money' (Volumes 1 and 2), 'Make Banks Compete to Lend You Money', and contributed chapters in 'Mastering the Rockefeller Habits'. Volume 2 became a #1 bestseller on Amazon.
4. Forum Retreat Facilitation: Multi-day customized retreat experiences for peer groups, companies, and leadership teams. Includes extensive pre-retreat research, one-on-one interviews, and personalized agendas covering Zone of Genius identification, upper limits barriers, execution, and team dynamics.
5. Leadership Team Training: One-time, ongoing, or virtual training workshops and seminars for leadership teams covering alignment, communication, and business execution skills.
6. Capital Acquisition Advisory: Bank financing advisory services including loan package preparation, bank relationship development, and financing strategy. Rich has helped secure $67 million in growth capital for clients with near 100% success rate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coach to The Best delivers one-on-one and team executive coaching, capital acquisition advisory, international keynote speaking, and multi-day Forum Retreats to entrepreneurs, CEOs, and leadership teams worldwide. The practice is anchored by founder-led service delivery and a set of proprietary coaching frameworks including a 14-Point Capital Acquisition Process, the 6 Cs of Leadership, and the Zone of Genius methodology. Authored books on business growth and bank financing are sold via Amazon as supporting thought-leadership assets.

Product overview

Coach to The Best is a business coaching and consulting practice operated by Rich and Maureen Russakoff, offering a portfolio of services including one-on-one business coaching, international speaking engagements, capital acquisition advisory, and forum retreats. The core offering centers on Rich Russakoff's expertise in helping entrepreneurs achieve business growth, secure bank financing, and develop leadership skills. The company also publishes books on business success, including the 'People, Time & Money' series and 'Make Banks Compete to Lend You Money'. The coaching practice is complemented by strategic planning, business valuation, and M&A guidance services, creating an integrated advisory approach for entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bottom Line Up Enterprises: Parent company brand name used for business operations, programs, and services including Bottom Line Up's process for bank financing.

Products and services

• Business Coaching
• Speaking Services
• Strategic & Financial Planning
• Bank Financing Advisory
• Business Valuations
• Mergers & Acquisitions Guidance
• Forum Retreat Facilitation
• People, Time & Money: Volume 2
• People, Time & Money: Volume 1
• Make Banks Compete to Lend You Money
• Leadership Team Training

Quantifiable outcome

• 529% ROI from coaching (research by Merrill C. Anderson, PH.D, from MetrixGlobal LLC); 788% ROI when including employee retention benefits
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• The Big Leap Coaches (Hendricks Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRich and Moe Russakoff are certified Big Leap Coaches through the Hendricks Institute. They conduct Forum Retreats based on this certification, helping entrepreneurs find their Zone of Genius and translate it into their business and life.
• 5 Chairs 5 Choices (Louise Evans)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRich and Moe are two of only four coaches in the USA designated as Ambassadors for the 5 Chairs 5 Choices behavioral management system developed by Louise Evans, based on Non-Violent Communication principles. They traveled to Tuscany for resident workshop with Louise Evans.
• MIT Entrepreneurial Masters ProgramflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRich is an annual presenter at MIT's Entrepreneurial Masters Program. This prestigious executive education program positions Coach to The Best as a thought leader for high-growth entrepreneurs.
• Entrepreneurial Organization (EO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRich speaks regularly at EO chapter events globally (Boston, St. Louis, Indiana, LAC chapters) and has been recognized as #1 speaker at multiple EO events. EO is a global network of entrepreneurs.
• Inc. Magazine & Fortune MagazinecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRich speaks at Inc. Magazine Conferences and Fortune Magazine Summit, positioning himself as a leading voice for entrepreneurial growth and business financing.
• Second City Training Center (Chicago)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoe Russakoff is a graduate of Second City Training Center in Chicago, the largest school of improvisation and sketch comedy. She uses improv techniques in retreat facilitation and team building.
• Bottom Line Up Enterprises, LLCcoreOthersParent company of Coach to The Best brand. Rich serves as CEO of Bottom Line Up Enterprises, LLC, the entity through which coaching and consulting services are delivered.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization): EO is a global peer network of entrepreneurs and a customer/partner of Coach to The Best (Rich speaks regularly at EO chapters). EO provides peer learning rather than one-on-one coaching, making it an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but the customer base is materially overlapping.
• Advantage|ForbesBooks: Advantage|ForbesBooks publishes business books and authorships for executives and entrepreneurs, similar in channel and audience to Coach to The Best's publishing arm. It is an adjacent ecosystem enabler rather than a direct coaching competitor, but it competes for the same author-entrepreneur attention and visibility.

Direct peers

• Vistage: Vistage is the largest CEO peer advisory and executive coaching organization, serving CEOs and business owners through peer groups and one-on-one coaching. It directly competes for the same entrepreneur and CEO customer base, with a much larger scale and distributed chair model.
• EOS Worldwide: EOS Worldwide provides the Entrepreneurial Operating System to entrepreneurial companies via a global network of certified implementers. It overlaps directly with Coach to The Best on the entrepreneur/leadership-team customer and on operating-system coaching, while scaling through a distributed associate model.
• Strategic Coach: Founded by Dan Sullivan, Strategic Coach is a long-standing entrepreneur coaching practice targeting entrepreneurs and founders with structured programs and signature tools — directly comparable in customer profile (growth-stage entrepreneurs) and service mix (coaching plus thought-leadership content).
• Tiger 21: Tiger 21 is a peer advisory organization for high-net-worth entrepreneurs and investors focused on wealth preservation and life-stage transitions. It overlaps directly with Coach to The Best on the entrepreneur/wealthy-founder audience and the peer-group-plus-coaching delivery model.
• Tony Robbins Business Coaching: Tony Robbins' business coaching programs target entrepreneurs and business owners with high-intensity performance coaching and mastermind groups. It overlaps directly on customer profile and on the high-profile thought-leader/coaching hybrid model.
• Gazelles (Scaling Up / Verne Harnish): Gazelles (founded by Verne Harnish, who invited Rich to write the final chapter in 'Mastering the Rockefeller Habits') coaches growth-stage companies on execution, strategy, and leadership via the Scaling Up methodology — a near-direct peer in methodology and customer segment, with whom Coach to The Best has an established content relationship.
• Birthing of Giants (MIT / YPO): Birthing of Giants is a flagship executive education program for founders of high-growth companies, originally at MIT and now affiliated with YPO. It serves an overlapping audience of growth-stage entrepreneurs and competes for thought-leadership visibility in the same ecosystem where Rich presents.

Broad incumbents

• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): YPO is a global peer community of CEOs offering peer groups, learning, and education. It is broader and more institutional than Coach to The Best, but addresses many of the same executive development, peer learning, and capital acquisition needs for the same entrepreneur customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/RichRussakoff
• Facebookfacebook.com/coachtothebest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coach-to-the-best
• Instagraminstagram.com/coachtothebest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coach to The Best