Luke Maslow on His Non-traditional Entrepreneurial Journey

VoyageATL sat down with APG's Co-founder Luke Maslow to learn about how he got to where he is today, more about his entrepreneurial journey, and what you should know about AP.

In the conversation, Luke shared his thoughts on how he gained an advantage by tackling each challenge along his journey.

From VoyageATL:

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Maslow.

Hi Luke, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I am someone who can envision the pathway to success, even early in the development of a strategy. I never assume the solution, but my intuition guides me through the steps to get there efficiently. I thrive on solving complex problems, enjoy philosophical discussions, and also love getting into the details. I enjoy being around people, meeting new people, and helping others find ways to express the best of themselves. I guess I was always geared to be a business owner and consultant; I just had a meandering pathway to where I am.I started off believing I would be a corporate employee who rose through the ranks to lead amazing teams of dynamic and talented individuals. I dreamed about the culture I would create, the fun outings we would have and the great work we would do together. In short, I never set out to be an entrepreneur.

Ironically, my first job offer out of college was with a major consulting firm, but the events of 9/11 and the dot-com bust caused that firm to pause all new hiring. This pushed me into a much less mature entrepreneurial environment than we know today. I gave small business ownership a try but quickly pivoted to an exciting management development program that would put me on the path back towards becoming Mr. Corporate!

In the corporate world, I led amazing teams that built and implemented some truly cutting-edge technologies: the first mobile check deposits, e-commerce credit card processing, and protocols around third-party supplier management. I also rose through the ranks, as I hoped I would, and along the way, I learned some hard truths about being ‘in corporate’: you have to be your own advocate and cheerleader, people come and go but the company remains, you are at the right place when your colleagues become dear friends, and working hard will always earn you more work to do. After all, they say “if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person.”I learned a lot from those experiences, and now apply it to my own business. As the co-founder of APG, my partner and I have built a business where we want to recognize the good work of our team, without them having to bring it to our attention. We want to make sure we look after the wellbeing of our teammates because they are the company and our brand. We are forging friendships that we believe will last over time. In fact, we hired a friend with whom we worked many years prior when we each were in the credit card processing world. Hard work is recognized and we check in to make sure our team has a good balance of work and life. We intentionally avoid ‘piling on’.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

I appreciate the question and can confirm entrepreneurship is not a smooth road! Imagine you just cooked spaghetti noodles and dumped them out on the kitchen counter. They go everywhere, overlap, and point in all directions – all at once. This is the best visual I can give you of a ‘day-in-the-life’ of a business owner. I manage through the spaghetti because I am resilient and have an amazing sounding board network of friends and family that are there for me.

As I mentioned before, my professional journey started with the interesting twist of fate that was the dot-com bust. Fresh out of college, I lost my first consulting job before it even started. What a disappointment! All of a sudden, the culmination of years of hard work and doing ‘all the right things’ did not result in everything going as planned. It took a long time for that sting to go away. It also introduced, for the first time, true self-doubt. I’ll share more about that later.

Following the first job loss, I ventured into entrepreneurship (for the first time) with the hope of realizing my dreams. I started and failed at a couple of small business endeavors, including a computer services business, a document imaging business, and even a college admissions consulting venture. The pain of these failures was a tough pill to swallow, but they became my greatest teachers. Every experience taught me to pivot, adapt, and hone my decision-making abilities. Since the early concepts did not stick, I embarked upon a successful 20-plus-year career spanning just about every aspect of financial services.

I mentioned a moment ago the introduction of self-doubt. On my second entrepreneurial adventure to co-found APG five years ago, I set more realistic expectations, and I was 20 years wiser! I knew I could make everything go much better. Remember the spaghetti on the counter I mentioned? Sure, I knew more about some aspects of business, but there continues to be so much more to running a business that I still needed to learn.

On the journey, self-doubt sometimes rears its head. Usually at the most stressful or inopportune moments. I still remember the first APG client who said ‘no’ to a proposal, and another time our work commitment was questioned after our team worked around the clock to manage an unexpected (bad) situation that was not even our fault. Doubt creeps in and you wonder if you’re really good enough to be doing what you are doing. Resiliency has been the key to me finding a way forward in these types of difficult moments. Usually this comes in the form of a teammate snapping me out of my own head, a friend who shares a completely unrelated and funny story that gets me laughing, or from my dog waiting at the door when I get home. The challenges do not stop coming, and I’m always working to equip myself to manage and overcome the self-doubt that may surface.

Looking back, I realize that each challenge I mentioned, and those I did not, left me with new skills and knowledge. My ability to grow a team, manage risks, uncomplicate complex processes, and craft the best strategies for clients came from living through all of these experiences. I guess I’d sum it all up by saying it isn’t easy, doesn’t go as planned, but can still work if you trust in those around you and constantly adapt.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about APG?

Our full-service technology consulting firm specializes in Financial Services, FinTech, Healthcare, HealthTech, and Municipal Government. We serve many other industries but have deep expertise in these. We are experts in workflow automation, AI (but the real AI, not the hyped AI), custom web and mobile development, SaaS enablement, and how to integrate disconnected technologies. We are adept at helping companies move from idea to implementation, recognizing the strategy (front end) and adoption plans (back end) are as important as the design and build of the technology.If you have team members who are frustrated by inputting data multiple times, are not using dashboards and queues to manage their workload, are losing time trying to search or find information, or are constantly switching between software platforms – you should talk to our team. These are just some of the most common problems companies have, usually due to how technology was adopted over time. It is not, however, something that has to be deemed “acceptable”.

We have two key differentiators as a company: First, we hire team members who can perform in more than one role. Our Product Owners are able to lead UI/UX design sessions, our Designers can lead technical discussions, and our Engineers think about the business problem and provide input into the design of a solution. We are not claiming that our team members are experts at every role – that would be crazy. Instead, our team’s diverse skills are what allow us to find better solutions, build better technology, or sometimes implement a solution that is not technical at all. Second, we operate from empathy – it is one of our core values. We talk all the time about the user being in the center of the room. We keep our focus on the experience of the end user. After all, they must use and like the technology for it to have the greatest impact. We know if we are always thinking about the experience of the end user, we will achieve our clients’ growth and cost savings goals every time.

I am proud of the fact we have very few former clients. We have developed a reputation for being partners, problem solvers, and good stewards of our client’s resources. They see that we invest in their business and are not just there for a job or gig. I’ll give you a great example of this in action: We have a client who came to us saying they thought they may need to pause on their company’s mobile app development because they were going to redirect spend to other technologies. Most companies would try to convince them why they should stick with their current investment. Not us. Our team circled up with the client, learned more about their broader business strategy, and we helped them to develop an overall technology roadmap tied back to their business goals. This is the difference between being a partner versus a service provider. In the end, we may have less near-term work because the roadmap may place the mobile app as lower priority. That’s okay because our team will sleep well at night knowing we helped our client find the best pathway forward for their business’s success. It may even open the door for expanded investment in the mobile app in the future.

It is my sincere belief that by being honest, candid, and supportive we leave lasting impressions on our clients that keep our brand forefront of their minds when they have the next major challenge in front of them. That is the type of company I wanted to build when I set out on this adventure over five years ago.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?

I was the oldest of three and the quintessential first child. I was a rule follower, worked hard to be the best at everything, and I remember never being scared to try anything new. The fun part about being a rule follower is you are always secretly trying to figure out how to get around the rules or change them.

I spent most of my time outdoors when I was not in school. I tried many sports and by middle school, I found my passion in running, swimming, and tennis. I regularly do two out of the three to this day – you’ll have to guess which one gets less attention!I was introduced to the Commodore 64 when I was still very young, and I enjoyed figuring out the intricacies of how the computer worked, how it could be programmed, and how fast it could deliver results. Around the same time the computer arrived, I distinctly remember one of my favorite Halloween costumes was when I dressed as a businessman, complete with my dad’s oversized (to me) briefcase and suit coat. Both of these experiences foreshadowed who I am today.

From my dad, I learned all about electrical wiring, woodworking, repairing cars and small engines, and how to maintain a lawn perfectly. From my mom, I learned how to cook, sew, sit up straight, entertain, and plan trips. From my siblings, I learned how to be a great boss – they may not agree! I learned how to be self-sufficient and also when to know I was out of my depth and call in some help.

By high school, I was top in my class and had achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. My Eagle Scout project solidified my love of taking projects from idea to completion. It also taught me that I liked to build things, leave it in a good place, and move on to the next challenge.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://goapgtech.com

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukemaslow/