(This is part of a regular series of technical advisor CEO Spotlights, where leading TAs share their secrets for success and goals for the future).

“You want to be successful, become a translator.”—That’s a key piece of advice Bridlewood Consulting CEO Scott Levy has for aspiring tech leaders. In other words, speak the language your customers can understand. But first, listen to them to discover their needs.

After working with Fortune 1000 and Forbes 200 companies for decades, Levy became independent in 2003 to improve his life-work balance. He started Bridlewood in Bloomington, IN, in 2015 and has since delivered tens of millions of dollars in true savings to clients. Levy said he first focuses on relationships, and uses that approach to impact customers’ businesses, people, processes, and tools they use. Levy was a 2026 Channel Partners Technical Advisor (TA) Thought Leader.

Here is his background, secrets to his success and his take on the TA industry today.

What inspired you to start or lead your company, and what is your company’s mission?

Levy: After losing my dad in 2003 my perspective changed. I found myself wanting more life-work balance than the reverse I had lived all my adult life. I had missed too much of my daughters’ lives and opportunities to see them grow up because of work. After many years in advisory and consulting services for Fortune 1,000 and Forbes 200 clients, I decided I wanted my own path and to do things my own way. Our mission is to approach each client with passion and integrity focusing on both strategic and tactical long-term outcomes.

What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry over the next five years?

Levy: The biggest opportunity is enterprise class clients with $500,000 a month spend or more want to broaden their scope, increase the level of corporate impact technically, financially, and operationally. These are enterprise clients that the channel never thought it could service. Enterprise clients looking for true trusted advisors/partners to help avoid the landmines and navigate fixed, mobile, and managed services, at US and Global levels.

The biggest challenge is there are not nearly enough individuals capable of having a true global enterprise dialogue. Vendors promising or implying that they can operate globally when that might not be exactly accurate. I believe customer care and attention -- other than for a sale -- are at the lowest point I have seen in my 30-plus years in this industry.

Scott Levy

How does your company use AI and other emerging technologies to stay ahead of the curve?

Levy: AI has more potential applications in telecom and IT than there are people and expertise to wrangle it. None of us can actually stay ahead of the AI curve because it is light years ahead of our ability to understand all the potential. Great ideas – AI or otherwise -- that cannot be executed are just good ideas. My focus is to understand the outcome to enable reverse engineering the solution.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs or leaders in the tech space?

Levy: Listen far more than you talk. Tech is great, it’s amazing, and less than 3% of people in any client environment will ever understand it. You want to be successful, become a translator. Translate the technical into terms that the business can understand, embrace, and put their dollars and commitment behind to succeed. Too many sell the sizzle without clearly showing the impact to business, to people, to processes, and to outcomes that can be realized from those products.

What’s next for your company? Are there any exciting projects or initiatives you’d like to share with our audience?

Levy: Continual growth of opportunities within each of our clients. As for exciting projects, we just kicked off an interesting project with a large health care group. They have antiquated systems and services they want to do a complete facelift on. With over 200 locations and a seven-figure monthly spend, the project has kicked off with a six-month consult to assess current state and build roadmap to future state. Once complete, we will implement those changes over the subsequent year to a year-and-a-half. I’m excited to have a client that is fully engaged in the journey and willing to roll up their sleeves as well to make positive impact across the entire company.

What do most people misunderstand about building a sustainable business in the advisor channel?

Levy: I believe they ask clients to write checks that are greater than the size of the relationship. Sustainable business must first start with relationships. I attribute 100% of my success over the years on the focus I have always had on the relationship. Too many “advisors” spend way too much time advising rather than listening. If more advisors would have 30-minute conversations with their clients without once ever trying to sell something, I promise both the relationship and the opportunities associated will grow considerably.

Where do TAs risk losing credibility with buyers today?

Levy: First, by compromising integrity for a dollar. There is never a sale that is more important than the trust and reliance that client has of you to be proposing or providing what’s in the client’s best interest. Second, customer care and services after the sale. You must be there after the contract has been signed far more and far more often than the pre-sale. You make your mark and you build the long-term relationship and revenue opportunity based on how you deliver.

If you were starting today, what would you do differently and what would you do exactly the same?

Levy: If starting today, I certainly would not believe all the hype that some in the channels talk about. I would do more diligence to understand true capability. I would also ensure I knew how each partner works and act “when it breaks.” No client cares until things go wrong, then they and you must know how to get the fix. What I would do and continue to do exactly the same is focus on customer satisfaction, performance measurement, and over-deliver on each promise. I don’t leave my clients wanting for things, I work hard to bring it, or answer it, before they ask.