From the Publisher
“Patrick nailed it! I LOVE the seven practices. They deliver the foundational steps for success in business. Arbill is living proof!”
Julie Copeland
CEO and President, Arbill
“Patrick Thean's The Journey to CEO Success is a masterclass in leadership and growth. As a client of Patrick's during some of my company's most pivotal moments, I can attest that this book contains the key wisdom that helped me succeed as a CEO and will be an indispensable guide for any leader aiming to navigate the complexities of CEO life with grace and success.”
Mort O’Sullivan
Founder, ARCA
“Mike never focused on the risk that AvidXchange might not be successful, but always on creating a culture of winning. He knew growing his leadership skills and nurturing a culture of teamwork was core to building a great company.”
Jim Hausman
*Former CFO, Public Company; current Board Member, AvidXchange *
“Having seen Mike grow his company from $30mm to $500mm in revenue, and even more importantly, grow enormously as a leader, I am grateful that he’s taken the time to share his journey and insights with the world.”
Matthew Harris
Partner, Bain Capital
“Michael Praeger has a rare combination of operational strength and optimism that has powered AvidXchange to its current success with his great executive team. This book is a step towards bottling and sharing his wisdom.”
Teresa Mackintosh
Partner, Blue Star Innovation Partners; current Board Member, AvidXChange; former CEO, Trintech
“Mike Praeger is relentless in his pursuit of possibilities. He is a master at envisioning a compelling future and then bringing it into reality.”
Mike Whitehead
CEO and Founder, Center For Intentional Leadership
“When our company was at a critical stage in our development, Patrick and his team helped us understand the importance of vision, refine our mission, and emphasize the need for a system to manage our priorities. With their help, we grew into one of the largest and most respected staffing companies in America. I highly recommend Patrick and Michael’s The Journey to CEO Success for anyone who wants to be a more effective and successful leader.”
Dr. Jay Cohen
Co-Founder, Dexian (formerly Signature Consultants)
“I have known Patrick and Michael for more than 10 years. The wisdom reflected in The Journey to CEO Success is not only a profound guide for leaders but also an embodiment of their collaborative genius, offering practical and effective strategies that are indispensable for any C-Level executive. This book no doubt will be celebrated by many for its actionable advice, and is a must-read for leaders wishing to enhance their journey with proven methods that have already paved the way to success for numerous C-Level executives."
Geoff Gray
Chief Customer Relationship Officer, Dexian
“A leader's most important asset is the clarity of purpose. The coaching and practices in this book have helped me develop my own purposeful leadership style with confidence. Use it to further develop your leadership brand and style!”
Maruf Ahmed
President and CEO, Dexian
“I have had the pleasure of learning and applying the seven practices and I am a better leader for it, but more importantly, the companies I work with are better off for these practices. Read and apply.”
Mark Nussbaum
Chief Administrative Officer and Founder, Dexian
“If you want a company that executes at a high level and has a culture of people who care and perform, “Be Curious” and adopt these seven practices. It works!”
Jeffrey C. Firestone
COO, Dutch Valley Family of Companies; President, Dutch Valley Food Distributors
“Patrick and Michael's collaborative effort delivers a profound guide with The Journey to CEO Success, offering invaluable insights for leaders navigating today's complex landscape."
Stephen Shepard
CEO, Farmer Focus
“As an entrepreneur myself, and having been Michael Praeger’s investment banker, investor, board member and friend since 2009, I’ve seen Mike in the trenches for nearly 15 years. Growing his business from $10mm in revenues to many hundreds of millions today, it is incredible to see Michael’s core principles laid out for all to devour. This book is a masterclass in CEO leadership and a treasure trove for any entrepreneur on the journey to greatness.”
Steve McLaughlin
Founder and CEO, Financial Technology Partners
“Mike has led AvidXchange on an incredible journey as he has gone from founder to public company CEO. His unwavering dedication to creating a premier software as a service company in Charlotte, NC, and his focus on appropriately evolving his leadership style while building a high-performing leadership team, have driven the company to deliver outstanding sustainable growth. AvidXchange's success is clear evidence of Mike's vision, persistence and determination!”
Lance Drummond
Chairman of the Board, Freddie Mac; Board Member, AvidXchange
“Patrick's The Journey to CEO Success distills transformative insights into seven core practices essential for any serial entrepreneur aiming to scale new heights. A must-read for those committed to leading high-growth ventures with visionary zeal.”
Peter Stas
CEO, MMT and Founder, Frederique Constant
“Through practical advice and real-world examples, this book equips leaders at all levels with the tools and mindsets needed to navigate challenges and thrive in today’s business environment. A must-read for anyone committed to personal and professional development.”
Sushant Trivedi
CEO, Fresh Tracks Canada
“These secrets are worth at least $150k/year of executive coaching. I have worked with Patrick for over 12 years and this feels like cheating!”
Jorge Partidas
CEO, Globofran and Movigy
“Patrick and Michael know what it takes to build an incredible business and their techniques helped me do it too.”
Aaron Houghton
Former CEO and Chairman, iContact
“Growth is my very top priority as a CEO and I found this book to be immensely helpful and inspirational in framing it with the leadership skills, disciplines and attitudes necessary to turn aspirational growth into real growth."
Dave Cook
CEO, InsightOne
“Patrick's blueprint is a must-have for any CEO. I've had the privilege to implement his methodology across multiple businesses with great success.”
Krish V. Patel
CEO, KVP Inc.
“Mike is one of the most inspirational leaders of our time. Mike shares his tremendous knowledge and experience providing valuable insights to all who read this book. This is a must-read for any scaling entrepreneur.”
Asif Ramji
Former CEO, Paymetric; current Board Member, AvidXchange
“Michael’s humility, drive and passion for constant personal growth—all qualities I deeply associate with him—are evident through the anecdotes in the book and 100 percent authentic to him as an entrepreneur. The path of a successful business, of a successful founder, is never linear. But through their hard-earned lessons, Michael and Patrick give leaders and aspiring leaders an outsized chance of kinking the curve on outcomes."
Nigel Morris
Managing Partner, QED Investors; former Co-Founder, President, and COO, Capital One; former Board Member, AvidXChange
“These seven practices helped accelerate our capabilities to effectively plan and execute, which in turn helped us achieve our first audacious goal of putting 10 million pairs of shoes on children all over the world."
Manny Ohonme
Founder and CEO, Samaritan’s Feet International
“Having observed Mike’s journey from industry pioneer to team motivator to master capital allocator has been a tremendously rewarding experience; the fact that he did it with constant positive energy and enthusiasm is a life lesson for us all.”
Bo Stanley
Partner and Co-Head, Sixth Street Growth; former Board Member, AvidXchange
“Mike is a visionary leader with unwavering tenacity coupled with a human-centric leadership style. His practical wisdom and guidance, captured in this book, will undoubtedly help shape the next generation of leaders.”
Sonali Sambhus
Former VP, Square; current Board Member, AvidXchange
“While new to working with us, Patrick has made a real difference. He has worked with me to give me confidence that by applying method, I can take on my greatest personal challenges. With our team as a collective we have applied the Rhythm method to bring greater execution precision with ‘rhythmic’ cadence, again imparting confidence through method. We are going through one of the most aggressive transformations a legacy company has embarked upon and Patrick will be a part of our collective success.”
Nikhil Eapen
CEO, StarHub Ltd.
“A culture of performance emerges from a dedication to clear frameworks and disciplined processes. Patrick and Michael have distilled their extensive experience into practical and insightful advice for CEOs and aspirants. A must-read if you are a practitioner in the art and science of performance.”
Olivier Lim
Chairman, StarHub Ltd.
“Seven relevant and impactful practices that will really help me guide our company as we keep growing consistent with Patrick’s Think, Plan, Do philosophy.”
Mike Tucker
President, Stego Industries, LLC
“As leaders in our companies, we need to always learn, improve, and grow to succeed in an ever-changing world. Thanks to Patrick and Michael for reminding me that it begins within US! As the CEO of our family business, I need to look in the mirror and say ‘self, it starts with you’!”
Brandon Tarbell
President and CEO, Tarbell Management Group
“Patrick clearly outlines the practices that will help any CEO grow their business. This book compresses a lot of wisdom into an easy-to-digest framework.”
Piers Carey
CEO, Teneo
“Patrick’s work helped our leadership team align our efforts and contributed to our ability to achieve our strategic priorities. As CEO, Patrick’s methodologies and insights were extremely important in the value the leadership created.”
Blaine Raddon
Former CEO, The Channel Company
“Having known Patrick for more than ten years, I can attest that his strategies have significantly improved my capabilities and effectiveness as a CEO and leader.”
Sheldon Wolitski
Founder and Executive Chairman, The Select Group
