Michael Erath was on top. He took over his family’s $8M business, scaled it to $45M, and led 200 employees. Then—disaster.

The Great Recession hit. Worse, his trusted business partner betrayed him—embezzlement, fraud, federal prison. Michael lost it all.

But real entrepreneurs don’t quit.

In 2010, he bet everything on himself again and started a new business from scratch. Taking lessons learned, as well as studying various business operating systems like EOS^®, Scaling Up, Topgrading, and more, his new business soared. In 2015, they landed on the Inc 5000.

That success gave him freedom. He exited the business and became a record-holding Certified EOS Implementer® and also earned certification as a Scaling Up Coach so he could bring more value to his clients.

But there was a problem no one talked about—business coaching was flooded with rigid, one-size-fits-all systems, but businesses aren’t one-size-fits-all.

In 2020 he walked away from EOS^® and Scaling Up and built Next Level Growth—a firm of elite business guides, all former CEOs, Presidents, or Owners of $10M+ companies.

Next Level Growth doesn’t push a system. They push results. Using the Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations^®, they help businesses build a custom, scalable framework that actually works.

Michael’s journey—from empire to collapse to resurrection—is documented in his first book, RISE: The Reincarnation of an Entrepreneur (2017). In 2025, Michael released his third book, Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations (2025) and an AI Clone to help readers get deeper insights and guidance.

This isn’t theory. This isn’t guesswork.

This is Next Level Growth.

If you’re tired of frustration, firefighting, and hitting the same revenue ceiling… you’re ready.

Michael and his childhood sweetheart, now wife, Elizabeth, reside in Phoenix, AZ where Michael is an active member of the YPO Gold AZ Chapter. Having spent many years as a member of the YPO Souther 7 Chapter, and the Entrepreneur’s Organizations Columbus and Arizona chapters, Michael is very well connected and active in the entrepreneurial community. They have two adult sons, two granddaughters, and an adorable Frenchie named Fifi, who is often seen at the offices making friends with our clients.