Fortuna BMC is Your Partner in High Performance Operations
As a business management consultant, how does Fortuna BMC place the right people in the right positions for your clients?
There are so many things that go into finding the best person to fit with our clients. At Fortuna BMC, really try to focus on getting to know our customers, as things like culture and personality aren’t something you can read on a resume but are vitally important when trying to create the best fit for our customers. Fortuna thrives on a deep feedback cycle using technical metrics as well as personality metrics that help us understand both the personality of the organization and the specific personality of the particular hiring manager.
One of the other things I like to learn about is how our customers, or other partners, are treating their people. I don’t want to team up with companies that have a bad work culture and then put our people into that work culture, so I interview them to see how they treat their people. I ask if their people feel like numbers and a part of the machine or if they feel like they are part of a team. I don’t venture to do business with people who aren’t part of a team.
Fortuna BMC has over a decade of experience in the business. Can you share your initial struggles and the strategy you took that led to success?
I started Fortuna in my kitchen with the help of LegalZoom and GoDaddy. All I had was myself and an idea. Initially, one of the things I really struggled with was past performance, and the fact that there’s no way to prove how good you are at what you do without it. It’s a difficult situation because, without past performance, others are very hesitant to hire so you can prove that you are as good as you say you are.
The first thing I had to do was get good at networking, so I spent the first seven years of Fortuna’s life networking as much as I could. Learning how to become helpful to people who needed people like me was essential for Fortuna’s success. I would them ask questions, we would do lunches, and dinners, and would go after projects together so I could learn the ropes on some small bids and low-margin contracts that not many wanted to take on. Even though they weren’t glamorous, it was an opportunity for Fortuna to prove itself knowing that it was an investment in the future. Eventually, Fortuna became a large success and one of the hundred fastest-growing veteran owned businesses in America and it was because of those efforts and the network I built. The most important thing I kept in mind with that network and partnerships was to not focus on what they could do for me, but on how I could be useful for them. This helped me really develop and execute on Fortuna’s overall mission.
There were many highs and lows in business, but something I’ve always kept in mind is that nothing is ever as good or bad as it seems. Keeping that mindset helped me to never get too inflated during a high point or too defeated during a low point. It kept me motivated to just keep taking the next step and never to accept failure. I think that perseverance has been key to our success. Even if there were bumps in the road, we created space for ourselves to figure out the problems and deliver what our customers needed from us. We continue to be a reliable partner for our customers to this day.
What services does your company provide? Which industries do you predominately serve?
Fortuna BMC is a veteran-owned scaling optimization consultancy committed to helping companies reach their full potential by placing people at the heart of every business growth plan. Fortuna offers a variety of services including scalable, on-demand team building; contact center solutions, veteran hiring, enterprise resource planning, IT consulting, information security, and project management. We support a wide variety of industries at the federal, state, and private sector levels.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is everywhere now. How do you think AI is going to provide opportunities, and how does it cut down on human resources?
AI performs very well with organizing complex data sets and simplifying the outputs. I think that data analysis in content development is going to become a force multiplier for creatives who know how to utilize it and aren’t afraid of it. It’s a force multiplier, not a human replacement. Those who embrace AI are going to be the most successful in their job roles because this technology is here to stay and will be a consuming topic for the foreseeable future.
How have you planned to scale your business globally?
For us, global business expansion is a multifaceted approach. Fortuna actually started globally, and we were able to leverage remote resources in the Philippines early on to gain traction and in 2020 we ultimately created our own corporation in the Philippines. From there, we have expanded to 4 continents and 12 languages. We’ve developed deep partnerships in Australia, Spain, and Japan in particular, including our partnership with Fujitsu in Japan, which has now led to a Fortuna partnership here in North America. This summer, I’ll be traveling to Italy to begin our first, deeper envoy into how we can connect our military hiring solutions internationally, starting with the Australian and Italian militaries and connecting to those communities. We will also look at investing in businesses to provide a bridge to the Italian business community for access to the United States.
Considering the rising number of competitors in the industry, how does your company stand out in providing solutions to your clients?
We focus on our why, first and foremost, which means we take care the people in our communities and in particular, veterans and their families. Our customers know that when they spend money with us, our people will take care of them and that they’re going to have quality service done by people who feel valued, appreciated, and enjoy what they do every day, which you can’t guarantee in most workplaces. They also understand that every dollar they spent with us is doing good in the world.
Jack Smith, Founder and CEO of Fortuna BMC:
Jack Smith is a dynamic entrepreneur, investor, and speaker, widely recognized for his visionary leadership and significant contributions to the business world. As a US Air Force veteran, Jack understands the unique challenges veterans face while transitioning from military to civilian life. To address this, he is committed to creating opportunities for veterans and promoting their valuable skillsets in the workforce.
As the founder and CEO of Fortuna Business Management Consulting (fortunabmc.com), Jack has built a remarkable enterprise that is certified as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and has received their HUBZone certification. With a focus on business process, implementation support, and software design, configuration, and information security services. Fortuna BMC helps its clients improve their operational capabilities. Jack’s leadership has enabled the company to leverage its expertise across a diverse range of sectors, maximizing their clients’ business potential through a blend of strategic and tactical understanding, business acumen, and a pragmatic, get-things-done attitude.
In recognition of his entrepreneurial achievements, Jack has been featured as a contributing writer in top business publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Fortune, Fast Company, and Sacramento Business Journal. He is also an award-winning entrepreneur, with Fortuna BMC being named as one of the fastest-growing companies in America, ranked #616 on the Inc5000 list after appearing 1531 in 2020. This is a tremendous achievement, and it reflects Jack’s unwavering commitment to creating value for his clients and driving business success.
Aside from his remarkable career as an entrepreneur, Jack is also a talented author and podcast host. He is currently working on a book called Purposeful Prosperity, which complements his upcoming podcast of the same name. Jack interviews inspiring leaders of purpose-driven businesses, sharing their insights and experiences with a broader audience. By highlighting the positive impact of such businesses on society, Jack aims to inspire and motivate others to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams with a social conscience. With his unique blend of skills, creativity, and passion, Jack Smith is undoubtedly a leader in the world of purpose-driven business.
“Fortuna BMC is a veteran-owned scaling optimization consultancy committed to helping companies reach their full potential”