Chris Behrens serves as corporate board director and chairman at ALTI Financial, which provides everyday investors with access to private equity opportunities that would otherwise be available only to institutions. Through this innovative approach, Chris Behrens’ company brings a sense of fairness and inclusivity to high-profile capital projects with high potential for significant ROI.
Mr. Behrens excels in business transformation strategy. As operating partner with Baird Capital Partners, he helped direct a private equity group with international reach. He guided the sourcing and identification of targets for acquisition and served as CEO and board member of enterprises after mergers and acquisitions deals closed. He worked to boost corporate brand visibility and exert changes that boosted the bottom line, in areas such as product quality and operational efficiency.
Mr. Behrens’ background includes a past role on the board with Minneapolis company YA Engage. He delivered strategic growth strategies in the digital promotional marketing sector and worked to control costs by launching contact center operations in Canada.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I’m currently the CEO of GiGi’s playhouse and the executive chairman of ALTI Financial. As a result, my days are very structured and disciplined, which provides me the opportunity to focus on what’s important to drive the businesses forward. Asa result, I’m a very productive, organized, and effective leader.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring ideas to life by creating a plan, capturing the ideas through documentation, then executing through research and piloting new ideas. This then gets refined using feedback to bring new ideas to life.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The use of artificial intelligence and its impact on job performance and productivity. The possibilities of artificial intelligence appear to be limitless, which is what I’m excited about—the different tools that are coming to market on a daily basis.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
By being disciplined to stick and maintain my business and personal schedule. This trait has helped me to maintain an active schedule throughout my life.
What advice would you give your younger self?
It’s okay to fail and learn! It’s often the best way to learn. And don’t make the same mistake twice.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
“It’s a free world, do as you’re told.” Once it sinks in, it’s often sage advice.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Your business will never be successful unless you hire and place the right people, with the skillsets to execute the tactics in direct support of your strategic initiatives.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Step back and determine, “how do I get my point across simply and effectively, that is rational, and can be simply understood?”
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
By continually investing in myself; that has provided me the opportunity to continually learn and add value to career experiences.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Earlier in my career, I was working in a firm whose product became obsolete. As a result, I learned that I should have been more vocal, even if it was not my role or position to do so. I should have made it my responsibility to voice my concerns.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Microsoft CoPilot. Microsoft CoPilot has helped me with Excel to better understand the technical formulas and equations that go into understanding financial and operational data and reporting.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. It has taught me that to be successful personally and professionally that you must work as a team.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Top Gun: Maverick. That you can achieve anything that you want to, no matter the odds.
Key learnings
- The key to business success is recruiting the right people with the proper skillsets and cultivating a supportive environment.
- Develop a plan for executing ideas and refine them through research, piloting, and feedback.
- Never stop investing in yourself and treat failure as learning opportunities, but avoid making the same mistake twice.
- Control your own destiny, or someone else will.