Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael.
Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In many ways, my story begins with Operation Desert Storm. I was ten years old when yellow ribbons tied around trees and Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to Be an American” sparked in me a deep love for my country and a sense of patriotism that has never left.
When I was in the eighth grade, a veteran paratrooper who jumped into Normandy on D-Day came to speak to my American History class. That day, I knew not only that I was going to join the Army, but that I wanted to be an Airborne Infantryman and serve in the 82nd Airborne Division. After graduating high school, that’s exactly what I did.
My original plan was to serve four years enlisted, then use my GI Bill to attend Texas A&M and return to the Army as a helicopter pilot like my grandfather. But during my first enlistment, 9/11 happened, and those plans changed. I ultimately served eight years on active duty and spent 15 months in Iraq before transferring to the Army Reserves.
While in the Reserves, I finished my undergraduate degree in business, worked in corporate oil and gas, and eventually led a national nonprofit supporting wounded and disabled veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. I was eventually able to attend Texas A&M, but this time to earn my MBA at 40 years old. It was during graduate school that I was diagnosed with ADHD and realized I had been playing life on hard mode, without any cheat codes.
While at Texas A&M, I joined the Graduate Consulting Club and won multiple case competitions. However, my experience running a nonprofit made it difficult to pursue traditional paths at firms like McKinsey, Deloitte, or KPMG. Instead, I leaned into my entrepreneurial energy and built my own consulting and coaching firm.
My passion for helping small business owners comes from a deep desire to make a real difference in people’s lives. I didn’t believe I could do that work in the same way inside a large consulting firm, and looking back, I’m confident I made the right choice.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road.
Like many veterans, the transition out of the military was far more difficult than I expected. A few years after returning from Iraq, I was diagnosed with PTSD. At the time, it felt less like clarity and more like a setback, and I carried a lot of frustration and misplaced shame.
What ultimately changed everything was learning about post-traumatic growth. I realized I wasn’t broken, and I had an opportunity to become and even better version of myself. That shift led me into deep personal work around resilience, growth, and understanding how the mind and body respond to adversity.
Years later, I had a very similar experience when I was diagnosed with ADHD while earning my MBA. Once again, something I had struggled against for years suddenly made sense. What I initially viewed as another obstacle turned out to be a gift. With the right structure and awareness, the same traits that once felt limiting became strengths, creativity, pattern recognition, energy, and the ability to see connections others often miss.
As I worked on myself, I felt a strong pull to help others do the same. That’s how I first became a coach, helping veterans transition from military to civilian life and experience post-traumatic growth for themselves. Today, that same approach carries into my work with entrepreneurs, especially those who are wired differently. I don’t see challenges as flaws to be fixed, but as raw material for growth.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tactically Strategic Business Solutions?
At its core, I help small business owners make better decisions faster. When I really break it down, that’s where I create the greatest impact.
I work primarily with founders of service-based businesses who have built something meaningful but feel stuck, overwhelmed, or alone at the leadership level. They’re often very good at what they do, but the business has outgrown the systems, structure, or decision-making frameworks that got them there. My role is to serve as a strategic thinking partner, someone who can step outside the day-to-day, ask better questions, and help them focus on what matters most right now.
Depending on the season of the business, that work may involve helping founders grow, scale, or prepare for a future exit or sale. Many of my clients come to me at an inflection point, and it’s not uncommon to hear, “Mike, I wish I had met you three years ago.”
I don’t believe most business owners need more information. They need better perspective, and someone who understands both the business and the human carrying it. Sometimes I’m a coach who consults. Other times, a consultant who coaches. Either way, my clients know they have someone in their corner they can trust to help them make the best decisions possible.
What sets my work apart is the blend of data-driven decision-making with an appreciation for intuition, energy, and human dynamics. That balance keeps me from fitting neatly into one box, but it makes the work especially effective for clients who value both sides of the equation. I’m deeply focused on creating measurable results, not just in business, but in life.
I also believe strongly that your vibe attracts your tribe. I’ve leaned into what makes me unique, and because the work is so personal, it’s not uncommon for clients to become friends and friends to become clients. Over time, I’ve built a reputation as “The Old Fashioned Consultant,” a reflection of both my style and my interests. I enjoy Old Fashioneds, cigars and pipes, golf, motorcycles, fitness, and being unapologetically myself, which tends to resonate with the right people.
What makes you happy?
I love a lot of things.
I love College Football Gameday and watching my Texas A&M Aggies. I love playing golf, paddleboarding, snowboarding, fishing, road trips, the mountains, the beach, crossing new state lines, visiting National Parks, and collecting stamps in my passport. I love food, trying new things, and ordering the same thing over and over again because I know it’ll be amazing. I love movies and binge-worthy shows. I love sweets, cakes, cookies, pies, candy, and ice cream. I love sunrises with coffee and sunsets with whiskey. I love birdie putts and going for the green in two.
I could keep going, but what matters most is who I’m sharing those moments with. All of these things are great, but without the right people, they can lose their meaning quickly.
I love helping, teaching, coaching, mentoring, and connecting good people together. I love seeing people have a breakthrough because of something I was able to share. What truly makes me happy is making a difference.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelpnasche/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelpnasche
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpnasche/
- Twitter: https://x.com/michaelpnasche
Image Credits
Kyle Hamilton
