Both in work and life, Brian and Linda O’Sullivan strive to reflect their three core values: integrity, service and dedication.
In terms of integrity, they want to be trusted advisors to their clients, working only in their best interests. Regarding service, they truly care about their clients and want to help them improve their lives and businesses. And when it comes to dedication, the O’Sullivans leave no stone unturned when realizing results for their clients.
That’s why the Schooley Mitchell consultants — who serve the Delaware, Virginia and Maryland areas — are so passionate about their roles as cost reduction experts. They work diligently to provide independent and objective advice to their clients, saving them money and optimizing their services to help them grow successful organizations.
The O’Sullivans are committed to helping their clients cut costs on their telecommunications, merchant services, small package shipping and waste disposal while simultaneously optimizing their services in these areas. Most businesses have almost no time to focus their efforts on analyzing their bills and services to find savings. Thankfully, the O’Sullivans are there to do it for them.
“I’ve had business owners tell me they don’t even have 10 minutes to set aside to look at their bills or call their vendors to negotiate better prices,” says Brian. “We really save our clients money, but we also save them time to keep focusing on building better businesses. That’s incredibly invaluable to them.”
According to the O’Sullivans, the worlds of telecom, merchant services, shipping and waste are complex and challenging to navigate. Most of the business owners they deal with are great at running their organizations and serving their communities, but they lack the resources and experience to effectively negotiate with vendors and analyze the marketplace to find the best solutions at the best prices to meet their needs. But with the O’Sullivan’s help, what should be a pain point can turn into an organizational advantage.
“With the money we’re able to bring in for our clients, they’re able to invest in better equipment, grow their operations, add staff, and do things like give out bonuses,” says Brian. “We’re not only saving them money, but we’re able to then make their businesses better in the process.”
The O’Sullivans bring a diverse set of skills to their work as Schooley Mitchell consultants. Linda spent 41 years as a teacher, bringing with her excellent communication and negotiation skills from that period. Brian worked in corporate marketing and product development for both Verizon and AT&T for two decades before opening a trucking business. With a master’s degree in finance and logistics, Brian understands the need for businesses to optimize their expenses and streamline their operations and systems. Wasted pennies can add up and have catastrophic effects on any business.
By saving their clients thousands of dollars and advocating on their behalf to vendors, the O’Sullivans provide a service that’s pivotal to any and every business, regardless of financial situation. And with changing demographic trends in Delaware, increased competition in the marketplace will provide unique challenges for consumers moving forward.
“For a long time, there hasn’t been a lot of choice for vendors here in Delaware,” says Brian. “But now, with people moving to the state because it’s affordable, nice and the taxes are low, we’re going to start seeing more and better service offerings and vendors. This will benefit our clients, but it will also be another thing for them to stay on top of.”
Among the O’Sullivan’s long list of happy clients is a business the couple helped save over $500 a month business the couple helped save over $500 a month in waste expenses. For a small business, a saving of this size will prove transformational as the owner can divert these funds to improving their organization.
The O’Sullivans helped another client — a local Cajun restaurant — save a significant amount on their merchant services bill while remaining with the same vendor. The client was thrilled they could save so much while not disrupting their services.
“By staying with the same provider, that client didn’t have to deal with the stress and upheaval that would have resulted from a vendor switch,” says Linda. “This is why the service we provide is so special — everything we do, from start to finish, is done with our clients’ best interests in mind.”
In their personal lives, the O’Sullivans are very active in their church, as well as in charitable efforts around their community. They also hope to dedicate a portion of their Schooley Mitchell revenue to St. Jude’s later this year. In all they do, the couple is committed to giving back to those in need. If the O’Sullivans were able to give one tip to business owners, it would be to ensure every dollar is a dollar well spent.
“Nobody can afford to waste money,” says Brian. “So, let us come in, do our free analysis, and we can potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars a year. Who would say no to that?”
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