Mike Baum’s career spans almost 40 years in a variety of senior management positions growing and diversifying both public and private companies. Baum specializes in helping iFranchise Group clients develop and implement strategies for raising expansion capital. He is also principal of Sophia Consulting, which assists companies to improve their branding and marketing to institutional and consumer customers.
A veteran in both the quantitative and the creative sides of direct marketing, Baum previously served as president and COO of the Artful Home, a web and catalog retailer of original art and fine craft. During his tenure, Artful Home completed a major rebranding, doubled sales, and raised several rounds of growth capital from both angel and venture sources.
Baum was formerly CEO of Renaissance Learning, Inc. (Nasdaq: RLRN), a leading developer of educational software and training for K-12 schools. During his tenure as CEO, sales grew from $20 million to more than $100 million. Baum led a highly successful initial public offering, interfaced regularly with institutional investors, repositioned corporate marketing, developed new products, and launched the company’s training and consulting arm, which became the core of its national sales program.
Prior to Renaissance Learning, Baum spent a decade in franchise consulting, assisting with franchise marketing, distribution channel strategy, and branding. During this time, he oversaw and provided consulting services to hundreds of firms covering a wide range of product and service categories.
Baum began his career in merchandising, working for 11 years selecting and marketing high-quality giftwares for a Chicago-based national catalog firm. He is an experienced presenter, facilitator, and public speaker. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University and an MB A from Northwestern University.
