About
I have carried responsibility for revenue, people, operations, transactions, and the systems behind them. Today I use that foundation to help owners fix the things that slow them down, use AI where it actually helps, and build a business that's easier to run.
Appleton, Wisconsin — working remotely with clients nationally
I work with owners of privately held businesses on the parts of a business that decide whether strategy actually happens: operations, systems, revenue motion, and the way work moves through an organization.
Through MichaelGarsow LLC I help privately held businesses put practical AI and workflow automation to work, document their processes, reduce owner dependency, and build exit readiness. Not every engagement is about selling; often the goal is simply a better business. Separately, I hold real estate salesperson licenses in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Florida and work as a business intermediary with eXp Commercial, and I am a member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA). Before that I spent six years as Chief Operating Officer of a regional merger and acquisition firm, co-founded a website and digital marketing company that grew to 350+ clients, and led business development for a manufacturing technology group. That combination keeps my AI work a business conversation rather than a technical one.
None of that started with AI. The operating judgment came from ownership, leadership, revenue work, and transactions. AI has expanded what I can do with that foundation, which is why I treat an AI effort as business transformation enabled by technology — not as a technology project looking for a business purpose.
1,000+ hours of hands-on work using AI-assisted and low-code tools to develop products, design workflows, and turn business concepts into working platforms.
Oct 2025 — Present
Independent advisory | Brokerage conducted separately through eXp Commercial
Principal, Business Transformation & AI Advisor
Helping owners fix what slows them down, use AI where it actually helps, and build a business that's easier to run.
2025 — Present
Licensed in WI, MN & FL | Serving clients nationally
Business Intermediary
Guiding owners of main street and lower middle-market businesses through ownership transitions.
Jul 2019 – Aug 2025
Regional merger & acquisition firm
Chief Operating Officer
Regional merger & acquisition firm. Rebuilt core sales, administrative, and transaction workflows across a 43-year-old M&A firm.
2014 — 2019
De Pere, Wisconsin
Business Development & Web Services
Manufacturing technology group with subsidiaries producing consumer and wholesale products.
2013 — 2019
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Website development, hosting, domain, and digital marketing agency.
2003 — 2013
Wisconsin
Sales and Business Development Roles
Ten years of B2B and B2C sales across television, radio, digital media, and consumer products, including Nexstar Media Group, Cumulus Media, Shop Local, Private Label Coffee, and Vector Marketing.
Rasmussen University
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
2022 — 2025
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Associate Degree, Hotel & Restaurant Management
2008 — 2010
Areas that shape how I read a business and where I look first.