New Product Launch Strategy, with Monique Mills, TPM Focus (“Alpharetta Tech Talk”, Episode 21)
Monique Mills of TPM Focus joined host John Ray to discuss her entrepreneurial journey, how she helps start-ups and other businesses with new product launches, why everyone’s own future involves entrepreneurship in some form, and much more. “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.
Monique Mills, CEO, TPM Focus, LLC
Monique Mills is a degreed electrical engineer turned serial entrepreneur. She attended Rochester Institute of Technology for her engineering degree and completed her MBA, with a concentration on Management of Technology, at Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a licensed Realtor(R) as well as a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Monique began her career in the semiconductor industry then went on to hold positions in the energy, aviation, real estate, and technology industries. Monique’s earliest entrepreneurial experience began while simultaneously working in her engineering career. As a result of her love of real estate, construction, and desire to manage her personal investment transactions, she became a licensed Realtor and launched a real estate sales and consulting business to assist other investors in strategic planning and execution of their real estate ventures. Monique has expertise in buying, selling, leasing, and construction management of both residential and commercial properties. She is a Member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors.
Monique has founded four companies, one of which was a SaaS technology startup targeting the commercial real estate and retail industry. Currently, she is the CEO of TPM Focus, a strategy consulting firm providing revenue-focused strategy and execution services to startups and SMB’s launching new products.
Monique lends her talents to startup incubators and accelerators around the country including serving as a Mentor for Founder Institute, a Startup Coach for the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech, and serving as an Advisory Board Member for Stem to Market, a Kauffman Foundation-funded accelerator of the Association for Women in Science that supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) entrepreneurs seeking commercialization of their research and technology. She is an advocate for the diversification of STEM careers, expanded leadership, and equitable entrepreneurial opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities.
Monique is an Adjunct Instructor of Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University in the College of Business as part of the University’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute teaching students how to apply evidence-based entrepreneurship methods to go from an idea to a sustainable business model.
Company website
Monique on LinkedIn
Question/Topics Covered in this Interview
- Taking an electrical engineering experience, adding an MBA, and leveraging it as tech startup founder.
- Tech startup founder as a Black person and as a woman.
- Facing burnout.
- The addiction to the torture of entrepreneurship even though you have other “safer” options.
- Connection to Georgia Tech and desire to be helpful in whatever capacity in higher education (especially STEM and even teaching entrepreneurship at GSU)
- The challenges encountered with established small businesses.
- The challenges encountered with startups.
- How the future is entrepreneurship, in some capacity, for everyone.
About “Alpharetta Tech Talk”
“Alpharetta Tech Talk” is the radio show/podcast home of the burgeoning technology sector in Alpharetta and the surrounding GA 400 and North Fulton area. We feature key technology players from a dynamic region of over 900 technology companies. “Alpharetta Tech Talk” comes to you from from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and is hosted by John Ray.
Past episodes of “Alpharetta Tech Talk” can be found at alpharettatechtalk.com.
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