CHRISTOPHER COTA
What inspires me to to this work is that I've been through it. I've had great successes, great failures, and everything in between, and I've come to love and appreciate the process.
What inspires others to work with me is the feeling that they have a friend and ally who is an expert in navigating the small business world. I have the rare ability to find the greatest strengths in each individual, creating working strategies that optimize each player's best assets, which is confidence building in any organization. Honesty, relatability, and optimism guide my working relationships.
What makes me good at what I do is years of practice connecting the dots. In the 20 years that I've been been running organizations, from restaurants to apparel companies to factories, I've developed a infatigable knack for seeing the big picture, and developing realistic roadmaps for how to achieve goals big and small.
I also have an MBA.
PORTFOLIO
SKINGRAFT
Co-founded the company in 2006, built a global brand from ONE employee to over 100, opened stores in N.Y. and L.A., sold the company, bought the company back, and it's still going strong.
FORMER
When four of the top pro athletes in surf and skate came to me with a business idea that they had formulated years prior in an Australian hotel room, I helped distill their concept into an actionable launch plan, launched it, and continue to manage every aspect of the backend of the business to this day.
PRODUCTION
Opened, developed, and continue to manage garment production facilities, processes, and teams. One of my greatest skills is my understanding of international logistics and trade policies.
SKID ROW DENIM
Guiding a non-profit organization in their transition from concept to execution by pulling resources in design and production, while continuing to offer my expertise as a member of the board of directors.
RESTAURANTS
Worked closely with a prominent Bay Area investment group to launch a series of San Francisco-based restaurants, establishing scalable bar programs, training methods, and staff development.