Phil Sim’s advice for the next generation is to not be afraid to accept a challenge. “I had a pivotal moment in my career where I had an opportunity to accept the responsibilities of multiple partners who exited the Blytheco business due to them being bought out,” said Sim. “It was absolutely scary assuming the multiple roles and there were many moments where I questioned what I got myself into.”
Sim, a Hall of Fame Titan 100, said taking that leap of faith gave him invaluable experience while giving him the opportunity to make a huge difference at Blytheco, a consulting firm focused on transforming companies.
“That leap of faith led to other opportunities, and eventually, I was able to buy the company with my business partner,” said Sim. “There are times when one questions whether they can be successful, and when that happens, that is where the hard work and the digging deep comes into play.”
Under his leadership, Blytheco has reimagined one of its core businesses to be successful for the next decade. “We have over 1,000+ customers on one of our older legacy product lines, but the level of expertise on our team stands to diminish over time (due to retirements) while our customer base continues to grow,” said Sim. “Our initiative included mapping out our business for that product line over the next 10 years and then creating a larger, visible company-wide strategic initiative on how to solve the problem at hand.”
Sim said the company’s goal is to be the largest Sage 100 business partner in North America, and taking strategic steps proactively will lead to this distinction. “While delivering high quality, we are looking to pull other partners in a positive direction, so the entire ecosystem grows,” said Sim.
Blytheco is also at the forefront of talent development with the creation of Blytheco University, providing employees with product knowledge, soft skills to be a successful consultant, and domain expertise including finance and supply chain. Sim said his five-year vision plan includes taking Blytheco University to colleges and high schools.
“With Blytheco University, I am hoping to be an enabler to kids who would’ve never had an opportunity to make a good living in business and/or technology,” said Sim. “I know we can give kids who are driven to make a difference, with similar values to Blytheco, the ability to earn an amazing living while transforming all of the companies we serve.”
