After more than 20 years in credit and operations roles, Travis Stepro is launching FocalPoint Business & Executive Coaching, a consultancy for small- and medium-sized companies.
When a business has stalled or needs direction to level up, Stepro’s services help owners course-correct to encourage growth and stability.
The challenges of small- to medium-sized business may vary, but Stepro often sees commonalities. The largest hurdle to success? Not having a process to consistently refine and adjust. Stepro finds that businesses discover that scaling isn’t linear. As the business grows, the processes and systems become more complex faster.
“If you haven’t had to navigate these situations before, the work can be overwhelming and will often sneak up on you. It can be hard to even know where to start when everything seems like top priority,” said Stepro. “I enjoy being able to use my experiences as a lender and start-up leader to help people filter through the noise and find success in their ideas.”
One-to-one guidance
Stepro’s consultancy, which is an independently owned FocalPoint Business & Executive Coaching practice, is focusing on one-on-one, personalized guidance for businesses in any industry with an emphasis on agricultural, professional, and technological services. Projects are completed based on the need, not a long-term contract.
“With so much momentum towards AI deployment in business, characteristics that are uniquely human are more important than ever: judgement, empathy, processing human perspectives, shared experiences,” said Stepro. “The tools can be really helpful when used thoughtfully, but I believe they’re just that: tools. Humans still must own the experience.”
A foundation in financing
Stepro’s experiences are built with a foundation in lending and banking, working in companies like PNC Bank, AgriFinancial, and FarmOp Capital. Holding a leadership role at two $1 billion+ lenders means analyzing thousands of businesses and approving billions of dollars in loans over the years. Those reviews “provide a ton of perspective of do’s and don’ts,” said Stepro.
“In my time working with Travis, he showed a knack for suggesting operational improvements that balanced our need for nimble execution with good governance practices, which can be a tricky line to walk,” said Keir Renick, FarmOp Capital Co-Founder and CEO.
When he joined AgAmerica Lending as Chief Credit Officer in 2021, Stepro made the move to Lakeland from Indiana and settled in. “Work may have brought me here, but the community has kept me here,” he quipped. “The area’s agricultural roots and growing small business community, coupled with my family’s love for the Central Florida city, makes Lakeland a welcoming, exciting place to call home.”
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