Who We Are
An advisor who's been on your side of the table.
Our story
Decades on the inside of owner-led operations.
Tim Schaefer has spent his career inside owner-led businesses and deep in rural towns and businesses, close enough to know how the work really gets done and what keeps owners up at night.
He built Encore for one reason: to help owners run better businesses and leave stronger legacies. The approach is plain. Straight talk, real frameworks, and a guide who leaves you in control.
Tim Schaefer, Encore Consultants. 20+ years inside owner-led operations.
Joel Flaten
Coach
Joel has over 33 years of managerial and administrative experience. His passion is helping businesses improve organizational health and employee engagement. He joined the Encore team in October 2023, where he helps clients improve their operations by developing management skills, gaining new perspectives, and planning for change.
Julie Strunk
Office administrator
I am our office manager and strive to keep the office running like a well-oiled machine. Before joining Encore, I worked at the Mayo Clinic in Human Resources Education & Development. My career spans over 30 years of customer service experience in the public and private sectors. I work closely with Tim in client services and maintaining efficient business processes. Our clients and business partners alike appreciate the excellent job I do managing the office's many details.
Credentials that back the straight talk.
Certified Family Business Advisor
Trained to guide family and owner-led businesses through growth and transition.
Certified Professional Business Coach
Coaching owners and their teams to lead, not just operate.
20+ years inside owner-led operations
Real time in real businesses, not theory from the outside.
"We teach you to run it, then step back."
The guide philosophy at the center of every engagement.
Certified by my dad to drive the tractor at age six.
The first credential. Still the one I'm proudest of.
Where to start.
Every engagement begins with a conversation. Here's where owners most often begin.
Frontline Leadership
Turn the people you've promoted into leaders who can actually lead a team.
See the program →Growth Operating System
Hand down a business that runs on a proven system, not in your head.
See how it works →How we work.
A few beliefs run through everything Encore does. They add up to the tagline we hold ourselves to: Better Businesses, Stronger Legacies.
Tame the whirlwind
Bring order to the day-to-day so the business stops running on adrenaline and starts running on a system.
The customer is the hero
You're the one who built this and you're the one who'll carry it forward. We guide; you lead.
Pull in one direction
Get the family, the team, and the plan aligned so everyone's effort moves the same way.