Our principal
Michael Ruskow
Founder and principal, Ruskow Consulting
“The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.”
Our principal leads every engagement personally. He has spent 25+ years building, running and rescuing businesses, from jobsites and hydroponic facilities to the world's largest flotation therapy center throughout his tenure, through May 2023, and he has put more than seven figures of his own capital behind his own standards.
- 25+years building, running and rescuing businesses
- 75+people hired and led
- $500Kraised from outside investors
- 14companies advised since 2019
The record
Four chapters. One way of working.
Work before May 2019 was done by our principal and the companies he built and led. Ruskow Consulting's own record begins in 2019.
2000 to 2013
Hydroponic facilities
Project manager and systems designer
Started as an unpaid apprentice, rose to the highest-ranking leader on site, and was then hired by other operators to design, build and troubleshoot their facilities.
Results
- Delivered a ~3,750 sq ft warehouse conversion with a ~$250K buildout and equipment budget: ~400A main service, ~20 tons of HVAC, permits, inspections and commissioning.
- Controlled annual budgets of more than $300,000 and led crews of up to 10.
2003 to 2015
StraightForward Installations
Founder and operator
Electrical contracting, light construction and facilities maintenance, with every job run end to end: estimate, permit, crew, inspection and the books.
Results
- Grew to more than $350,000 in peak annual revenue, running two to five jobs at a time with five to twelve employees and subcontractors.
- No failed inspections reported, and ~15 years of jobsite safety leadership without a lost-time injury.
2011 to 2023
Just Float
Co-founder · CFO, then CEO
Co-founded, built and led, from the ~$1.8M, ~18-month buildout he directed as owner's representative to a successful exit in 2023.
Results
- World's largest flotation therapy center throughout our principal's tenure, through May 2023: 11 suites, 100,000+ sessions, 700+ five-star reviews.
- Led the 2017 turnaround from days before possible closure to ~47.78% gross revenue growth in eight months, ~$805K to ~$1.2M.
- Through COVID, rehired and rebuilt the workforce and restarted membership from effectively zero.
2019 to present
Ruskow Consulting
Founder and principal
Principal-led turnaround and operations engagements, built on the seven pillars of The Ruskow Standard.
Results
- 14 companies advised since May 2019.
- Helped a client go from losing money every month to ~$13K/mo in profit, through expense reduction, marketing return and restructuring, avoiding closure.
- Builds AI agents, automations and data pipelines with Claude Code, including his own AI pipeline that runs unattended every night with spend caps and alerting.
Standards and stages
Standards, stages and screens.
- Weekly
NSF standards development
Took part in weekly NSF standards-development calls for flotation systems, contributing water-sanitation expertise from the operator's side.
- 2019
International Float Conference
“From Surviving to Thriving”, presented with Andreas Kraemer.
- 2019
TEDx
A talk on the benefits of flotation therapy.
- Disney+
The World According to Jeff Goldblum
National Geographic, season one, “Pools”, featuring Just Float.
Just Float has also been covered by Forbes, People, ABC News, the Los Angeles Times and Livestrong.
Credentials
Certifications held.
- 2006Universal Technician CertificationEPA Section 608
- 2020Certified Business CoachTransform Destiny
Work with our principal.
We accept a limited number of engagements each quarter. Engagements begin by application, and every one is led by our principal.
Apply for an engagement