Mike Berns and Howard Hauser are rare entrepreneurs. Yes, they successfully led companies to amazing growth. But here’s how they’re different.
Most exceptionally successful entrepreneurs can’t really articulate how they accomplished their success. They can give you the broad strokes but not actionable details.
Mike and Howard, on the other hand, have boiled down their knowledge, experience, and trade secrets into a proprietary system that’s simple to understand, learn, and implement. This success is because their Value Creation System allows them to see opportunities and gather insights that others overlook.
Mike Berns leadership philosophy was forged on the playing fields of team sports, from age 12 through his years as a starter on a division 3 college football team. The mentoring he received there instilled values that continue to define his approach to business and life.
These formative experiences taught Mike to thrive under pressure, embrace complex challenges, and balance discipline with creativity. He believes in applying knowledge to practical outcomes and has little patience for purely academic exercises without real-world application.
Mike credits his success to the real-world mentoring and coaching he received from highly skilled people throughout his career. This developed his mindset, leadership, decision making, and risk-taking skills to succeed in challenging, high-stakes situations. It put him a decade ahead of his peers, giving him the experience, skills, and confidence to join and successfully lead a $150 million company as COO at age 35.
Throughout his career Mike has distinguished himself by remaining calm in high stakes situation, and creating compelling visions that unite teams, and making difficult decisions when it’s necessary. He Believes a leaders primary role is guiding organizations forward to a better future, taking calculated risks, and achieving what others consider impossible.
Mike’s approach to problem solving is methodical yet innovative. When faced with challenges, he relentlessly gathers every possible piece of information related to the issue and its surrounding factors. Like a master three-dimensional chess player, he assembles facts, information, and impressions into a comprehensive mental mosaic, applying his mindset, experience, and logic to develop visionary solutions.
Mike’s combination of competitive drive and emotional intelligence allows him to solve complex problems while ensuring all stakeholders benefit. His leadership creates environments where teams don’t just perform, they excel beyond expectations.
Howard Hauser’s approach to business was shaped in the greenhouses of his father’s wholesale flower growing business in eastern Pennsylvania. The oldest of seven children, Howard didn’t just learn about hard work and getting his hands dirty, he discovered that engaging people created better results than commanding them.
Working alongside his siblings, Howard developed core values that still guide him today: self-reliance, integrity, finishing what you start, humility, and taking responsibility for others. Meanwhile, his creative side flourished through music, co-founding a band at age 15 that became Allentown’s top musical group by his college graduation.
While Howard never had a formal mentor, his lifelong love, reading non-fiction (with a heavy emphasis on self-development, spirituality, and business leadership) has given him an exceptional breadth of knowledge. This intellectual curiosity, combined with his practical experience, made him a person who people naturally turn to when facing difficult challenges.
Howard’s career took an unexpected turn when his first corporate role involved revitalizing a dysfunctional billing department rather than the accounting position he’d interviewed for. By applying the people-first principles from his upbringing, he achieved remarkable results, launching him into increasingly challenging turnaround positions across multiple industries. By 31, Howard was leading full-company revitalization and growth with complete P&L responsibility.
His collaborative leadership style draws directly from his musical background. Just as musicians listen and respond to fellow players’ improvisations, he incorporates diverse perspectives when developing vision and strategy. Because the most valuable insights often come from those closest to the action.
Howard’s communication style is straightforward and open. He connects with everyone authentically, asks probing questions, and listens intently not just to words but to the unspoken meanings behind them. His personal philosophy holds that every individual has value and can contribute meaningfully, though sometimes in ways that may not align with organizational needs. In such cases, Howard first coaches to bridge gaps, and when necessary, helps individuals find more suitable opportunities elsewhere.
Howard’s gift for creative problem-solving, change leadership, and financial acumen has transformed struggling departments, divisions, and entire companies creating healthier cultures, improved performance, and enhanced company value.
Benefit from over 40+ years of invaluable leadership and success insights. Mike’s and Howard’s extensive experience in guiding small to mid-size private companies ensures accelerated success for entrepreneurs, without the typical decade-long learning curve.
And they have the need to pass their system on to other entrepreneurs. They want them to experience exceptional success without the decade plus it typically takes to get there.
They have 40+ years of leading and coaching small to mid-size private companies. They’ve held leadership roles in over 50 companies – mostly in manufacturing and distribution.
In their extensive tenure, Mike and Howard have honed their expertise in elevating business performance across key areas.
Their strategic approach encompasses building performance-driven cultures and teams, optimizing sales, marketing, and revenue channels, enhancing profitability, boosting company value, fortifying financial foundations, and streamlining operational efficiency.
As you might expect, they’ve learned a thing or two. And the biggest takeaway? Continuously create greater value for all stakeholders.
They demonstrate that following this belief improves the performance of every aspect of a company.
Making it easier to lead and manage.
Mike and Howard share the core values of not only creating value, but helping others, solving problems, and making the world a better place. This is at the heart of their approach to both life and business.
Sit down and have a conversation with them and you can’t help but notice these themes emerge. At the same time, they believe in competing to win.
