Ben Blankenship is the founder and owner of ACUO Business Coaching & Advising and an entrepreneur experienced with start-up, scale-up, and contraction. He has nearly 35 years of financial and operational leadership in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Ben has served in many leadership roles including CEO, CFO, COO, and CSO, and now serves his client partners as a business coach, fractional / interim executive (CXO), and exit planning advisor. He got his start as a professionally trained chef from the Culinary Institute of America, returned to school to study finance, then served on the founding team of Qdoba Mexican Grill including national corporate and franchise growth and an exit. For nearly 10 years, Ben has been coaching a wide range of clients with annual revenues from $5 million to over $1 billion across the U.S. and globally and spanning various industries. He is passionate about helping CEOs and owners activate their vision and working with leadership teams to get focused, be accountable, and achieve results. Ben is a certified Scaling Up Business Coach, Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and former EOS Implementer and Integrator. He also has a crème brûlée recipe that will knock your socks off.