Charge Forward Advisors + Charge Forward AI
More opportunity. Less dependence on you.
Practical AI, employer wellness, and focused advisory work for established business owners. Find the right opportunity, build the people and systems around it, and free up time for the work and life that matter.
Start with a short fit review. No calendar commitment. No documents to gather.
How I help
Start with the outcome you need. AI and employer solutions address specific opportunities; advisory work helps when the problem is broader.
Explore AI receptionists, follow-up, and business automation. Start with one workflow and a clear way to measure its value.
Explore AI solutions For employers Employer SolutionsExplore employer wellness and supplemental benefits. Review eligibility, total costs, and potential tax treatment with your own advisors before deciding.
Learn more Focused AdvisoryOne-on-one coaching for established owners who want clarity, stronger people, better decisions, and a path to the next gear.
Learn more Payment OptimizationPayment strategy built around options. Lower costs where possible, and real answers for the needs that don't fit a standard box.
Learn morePlanning growth or an exit? Explore exit and growth strategy. Still deciding? Try the free self-checkup.
AI receptionists, sales follow-up, and workflow automation designed to reduce repetitive work and improve response. Start with one use case, clear economics, and a defined handoff to your team.
The numbers get attention. The people are what I'm proud of.
About Jim
I spent years helping build and lead an organization from roughly $6 million to more than $100 million in annual revenue, from 32 people to more than 500, and from 6 locations to 65. We finished in the national top four for eight straight years. That part gets the attention.
What I'm actually proud of is the people. My job was never to be the answer to every problem. It was to develop people who could create results without me, and to remember that leadership is more about them than it is about me.
I love watching people do amazing things.
How I think
Strategy matters. Systems matter. Data matters. But people are the multiplier that makes all of it work.
The multiplier
Two-thirds of our monthly training was about the job. The other third was about the person: money, goals, planning, confidence, communication, boundaries. That is where the magic happened, and it is still the fastest way I know to grow a company.
Develop leaders, but don't abdicate leadership. Delegation should multiply capability, not create distance.
Put terms and expectations in the light from the start. Good fences make good neighbors. Clarity protects trust.
Take the big swing. Own the miss. Learn, adjust, show grace, and keep moving. If we never fail, we're not pushing hard enough.
The calls I'm proudest of
Eleven former team members have called me, out of the blue, just to say they paid off their homes. Some of them hadn't worked with me in years. They remembered the conversations about money, goals, planning, and building a better life for their families.
Others still call for a reference, for advice on a new role, or for perspective before they go after something they've always wanted. That is the real scoreboard.
They called because they knew I'd be proud of them. They were right.
Spend an hour with me first
The podcast is where business, leadership, health, family, faith, and the stories behind real success come together. It is also the easiest way to get to know how I think long before we ever talk.
Success stories
Real recognition, real people, real outcomes. No stock photos, no borrowed logos.
Named the back-to-back No. 1 fastest-growing private company in Greater Nashville during the run from roughly $6M to $100M+.
The award that came with the ranking. Growth built on people and process, not luck.
The best teams aren't copies of the leader. They're the people who make each other better.
The goal isn't to make sure nothing bad ever happens. It's to build you and your business into something capable of handling it when it does.
On coaching Valerie Kemp, CPA, through overwhelm, a hard restructure, and back to growth.The philosophy
The name started almost by accident. Over time it became the way I want to live and work. Build the redundancy. Understand the risk. Do the math. Develop the people. Get the information you need. Then move.
Not recklessness. Not pretending you're never afraid. Prepared confidence. And when people are in your charge, they are your responsibility.
In their words
Congratulations on being named Nashville's fastest growing business. You exemplify the behaviors we want to see from all of our partners.
If you want a leader with excellent human qualities who can get the job done, no matter how tall the task, Jim Cripps is the guy you want in your corner.
Under Jim's guidance, our company not only weathered storms but thrived and ultimately achieved a successful exit.
Free 5-minute checkup
Take the free Business Checkup. Fifteen questions highlight areas worth a closer look. See and save your results instantly, with no email required.
Find the right next step
Tell me what you want to improve and what is getting in the way. The first step is to check fit, then decide whether a focused conversation, a practical solution, or a different resource makes sense.
A few details help us work out the right next step before putting time on the calendar.