Obligent Consulting

Our Spotlight Recommendation

“Shoumo knows why businesses succeed and why they don't. ”

About Us

👁️ Our vision is a world where all small & medium businesses prosper. In that world all startups succeed and all social enterprises create an impact. We help with strategies that work, and then work with the business to make that strategy happen. Our "secret sauce" is the business modeling technique. It can be collapsed or expanded like an accordion to meet the complexity of your business.

📈 We help businesses double their growth, no matter how they define it. We do this by applying Design Thinking and Business Modeling techniques.
🎓 Shoumo mentors future entrepreneurs at the Rutgers Business School CTEC (Collaborative for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization) Program.
🦄 Advises startups using Lean Startup methods. Member of the LaunchNJ leadership team, that was an unique grassroot level non-profit for New Jersey entrepreneurs.
💰 Business counselor at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Middlesex County at Rutgers Business School, Piscataway
🏛️ Member of the Board of Directors of the Woodbridge Metro Chamber of Commerce
📚 Helps Public Libraries with their business programming
💻 Conducts webinars, workshops and training sessions on branding, marketing, and business tools – with effective use of social platforms.
🐬 Advises non-profits on social media policy, digital / web presence and communication & public relations strategy to meet organizational goals.
💻 Conducts webinars, workshops and training sessions on applying business modeling techniques for business planning, business growth and business innovation.
🚀 Have worked at premier big five consulting firm (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) and at IBM Business Consulting Services.
🛠️ Hands-on consulting experience of “making strategy happen” in business solution & organizational transformation initiatives.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Have led successful teams to deliver value to global brands like Toyota and national business in healthcare, banking / insurance, and life sciences industries.

Curious to have a feel of the experience of working with us? Scroll down further to read recommendations from clients and partners.

How We Got Started

One might say it all started with Dr. Soo saying, "I prescribe a change in job."

But I am getting ahead of myself. I got into corporate life in '84 and have been in consulting since '91. Solving business problems was fun in the early years. Getting to know the people who needed solutions was better. Priorities, however, have a way of shifting. Before I knew it, it was all about making anonymous rich business owners richer. Then the universe gave me a nudge and questioned my purpose.

I realized that the corporate life had blinded me to some facts. Small & medium businesses make up most of the economy. Most of them often go out of business in the third to seventh year of their life. My audacity is the belief that I can work with the community to change that statistic.

That's why my vision is a world where all small & medium enterprises prosper. The mission is to create structures and processes that takes away the anxiety. It’s time for business owners to thrive rather than survive.

The products and services we offer

Startup Advisory Services Business Growth Consulting Business Consulting Services Business Planning Marketing Strategy Digital Marketing Workshop Leader Facilitation Training Project Management Community Development Meetings & Events Professional Development Business Coach Free Consultation General Consulting Show all 16

"Shoumo is a very warm and welcoming individual. He’s very professional, while simultaneously..." Read more "Shoumo is a very warm and welcoming individual. He’s very professional, while simultaneously being very charismatic. I would definitely recommend working with him. 👍👍"

"Shoumo is consistent and great at what he does, connecting businesses to community partners and..." Read more "Shoumo is consistent and great at what he does, connecting businesses to community partners and resources because of his commitment and consistency, I have been able to make invaluable connections to grow my business."

Tuesday Nov 10th 5:30pm-7pm EST

Alignable Biz Networking @ Somerville

Welcome to the Alignable Alliance in-person monthly gathering for Somerset County - and the area nearby - at the SCBP. This meeting offers you the...

Thursday Nov 12th 10am-11:30am EST

Alignable Biz Networking @ North Brunswick

When business owners meet, good things happen. Throw in coffee and the opportunity to sit down and solve some challenges. And you have the perfect ...

Tuesday Nov 17th 6:30pm-8pm EST

Alignable Biz Networking @ Woodbridge

Welcome to the Alignable Alliance in-person monthly gathering for Middlesex County - and the area nearby - at the Woodbridge Public Library, Main B...

Webinar Wingman

Need more than your elevator pitch to showcase your value? How about sharing your compelling content on a webinar? Would educational sessions, prod...

Business Coaching, Consulting, Counseling and Advisory services

Business owners are experts when it comes to the matter of what they offer. At the same time, they do not have the luxury of switching between time...

LinkedIn Clinic: How to use it to build brand & win deals

What is it? The LinkedIn Clinic is a 90 min consultation in the context of the business operations and goals. In this session you will have a pla...

Gallery

Highly Recommended

"Gary is the kind of person with whom you will always want to have coffee with - or beer if you so..." Read more "Gary is the kind of person with whom you will always want to have coffee with - or beer if you so prefer. He has a no-nonsense attitude. Be sure to looking him up."

"Karina is an accomplished business person well connected to her local community. She has a..." Read more "Karina is an accomplished business person well connected to her local community. She has a marvelous facility with multiple ways to serve other businesses. Karina has both B2C and B2B offerings. I came away inspired after visiting her facility. "

Recent Activity

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on November 06, 2022

It would be nice to know, in replies to this comment, when does your Town celebrate the Holiday Stroll? (If you read the rest of this post you'll know why I ask this.) The Holiday Stroll in Woodbridge, NJ, downtown is organized by the Town's Rec Dept. They do a great job in getting Santa & Mrs.... (more) It would be nice to know, in replies to this comment, when does your Town celebrate the Holiday Stroll? (If you read the rest of this post you'll know why I ask this.) The Holiday Stroll in Woodbridge, NJ, downtown is organized by the Town's Rec Dept. They do a great job in getting Santa & Mrs. Claus to down, organizing a range entertainment programs and getting the Mayor to switch on the Holiday Lights downtown. There is music on the street, a horse & buggy ride for kids and even an ice skating rink. The Stroll is held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. That is on the Small Business Saturday. Residents love the Stroll, the businesses not so much. They don't like the street being closed. Some say that it is like Small Business Saturday without any consideration for the businesses. It is a complicated matter with multiple schools of thought on the topic. Maybe the Stroll needs co-ownership by the Business Admin Department too. Or, maybe, the Stroll may work better on a day that is not Small Business Saturday. Or maybe the businesses need to innovate and find ways to capitalize on the crowd that turns up.

1 Reply

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on February 11, 2022

Loved the post. Is there a presentation (e.g. on Slideshare) or an infographic that we can share? It might not be too late for a webinar to present the findings. The post also reminded me of "America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers." Thank you Chelsey, for working on this and sharing the... (more) Loved the post. Is there a presentation (e.g. on Slideshare) or an infographic that we can share? It might not be too late for a webinar to present the findings. The post also reminded me of "America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers." Thank you Chelsey, for working on this and sharing the findings.

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on January 06, 2022

I found this old post while searching for something else. If I had found this in time I'd have suggested working with the Libraries. If you need to do this exercise again then feel free to ask me for details. It would be nice to know what were you able to come up with and how did you solve this... (more) I found this old post while searching for something else. If I had found this in time I'd have suggested working with the Libraries. If you need to do this exercise again then feel free to ask me for details. It would be nice to know what were you able to come up with and how did you solve this need.

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on November 14, 2021

Great post. I feel how you respond to a connection request that you have accepted is important too. More so when there was no reason offered in the invite. That leads me to a question. Where / how do you see the reason the other person wants to connect with you? I see it once I have accepted the... (more) Great post. I feel how you respond to a connection request that you have accepted is important too. More so when there was no reason offered in the invite. That leads me to a question. Where / how do you see the reason the other person wants to connect with you? I see it once I have accepted the invite. Maybe I have been ignoring invites because I have not noticed why they have sent me the invite?

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on September 28, 2021

Great piece, Al. As you have said, recommendations aren't a popularity contest. So I do not accept ones that do not have a reason attached. As a result, I have fewer recommendations. I found a doctor with stop smoking, lose weight, better sleep, reduce stress services on Alignable who has given... (more) Great piece, Al. As you have said, recommendations aren't a popularity contest. So I do not accept ones that do not have a reason attached. As a result, I have fewer recommendations. I found a doctor with stop smoking, lose weight, better sleep, reduce stress services on Alignable who has given out about 900 recommendations. I looked at the first 450 of them. All say "I support local business ." Each even has the extra space at the end of the phrase. Those recommendations don't mean a thing, and those 898 (and counting) businesses displaying the slogan don't gain anything out of it.

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on November 17, 2020

Great post and very timely. You posted it in time to help my research on virtual events and tradeshows. The Woodbridge Township is considering whether it would be best to cancel / postpone the Holiday Stroll that normally is held on Small Business Saturday. A virtual event would not be able to... (more) Great post and very timely. You posted it in time to help my research on virtual events and tradeshows. The Woodbridge Township is considering whether it would be best to cancel / postpone the Holiday Stroll that normally is held on Small Business Saturday. A virtual event would not be able to provide the experience of the horse & buggy ride - or similar activities that belong to the bricks & atoms world. But a virtual event opens up the possibility of better reach and "offerings" that might have overlooked earlier. A drone flyby of window decorations Tradeshow-like setup to include Main Street and other local merchants Musical performances (can be delivered in Zoom breakout rooms too) DIY guidance for face painting at home Virtual events would also encourage local Main Street businesses to go online. Going online need not be restricted to hosting a catalogue and offering an online shopping cart. It could also incorporate by-appointment or scheduled open timeslots when prospects and patrons could drop in for a chat. One of the challenges that I can envision is the ownership, expertise and budget (time, effort, money) needed to organize this. The other side of the equation is training the merchants to convince them that it is worth their time. Then, of course, this the "minor" matter of drawing in the shoppers with an intent to spend :-) Meetup is expecting that virtual and hybrid events will carry on in a post COVID era. There is no reason why it should not. So even if Downtown miss the bus this year, they might want to observe others and put up an event later.

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on August 20, 2020

This should be a treat. I know Sue and Jane to be great at what they do. Looking forward to Viv's piece as well. I am attending and I'd highly recommend that you do too :-) (more) This should be a treat. I know Sue and Jane to be great at what they do. Looking forward to Viv's piece as well. I am attending and I'd highly recommend that you do too :-)

1 Reply

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on January 02, 2020

Great answers from a ton of people. Anything I write would most likely been already shared. So here is an example, instead. Browse through the review responses by Chicken Galore in Woodbridge Downtown on Yelp to see how they do it. (This is the downtown of Woodbridge, NJ; one of the ten towns in... (more) Great answers from a ton of people. Anything I write would most likely been already shared. So here is an example, instead. Browse through the review responses by Chicken Galore in Woodbridge Downtown on Yelp to see how they do it. (This is the downtown of Woodbridge, NJ; one of the ten towns in Woodbridge Township, NJ.)

Shoumo from Obligent Consulting Answered this on July 21, 2019

Great that you gained something out of the bad experience and are back to your (metaphorical or otherwise) heavy lifting. I have the fortune of meeting and speaking with a lot of business owners and am always reminded of how bad things can get - like the lady who lost her healthy, brilliant... (more) Great that you gained something out of the bad experience and are back to your (metaphorical or otherwise) heavy lifting. I have the fortune of meeting and speaking with a lot of business owners and am always reminded of how bad things can get - like the lady who lost her healthy, brilliant daughter but battles on. Or the one who has bravely picked up the threads of the business after losing her brother who used to run the show. I recently was in contact with a business owner who has had a rough year and a half. She lost her nephew (32 year old) last year and her sister in law recently. She has then developed a debilitating vertigo condition and any movement of the head brings on a dizzy spin. She quoted her Dad to me, "better it can be, worse it shouldn’t." What keeps her going is the focus on the brighter side of life. She was looking forward to her daughter’s college graduation at the top of her class. Perhaps you can start a Small Business Hero award where you let the community nominate their local heroes?

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