Meet Rick
Founder and CEO. CFO. Entrepreneur. Author. Speaker. Coach. Lifelong learner.
I’m Rick Yvanovich.
Since beginning work in 1980, I have built a career at the intersection of finance, technology, people, entrepreneurship and international business. I have worked within major organisations, founded and built businesses, led across countries and cultures, and continued learning throughout.
Business As UnUsual is where I bring together what I have experienced, studied and tested to help Founders, CEOs and leaders think more clearly, act more deliberately and navigate an ever-changing world.
The Different Sides of Rick
One career. Many perspectives.
Rick’s work cannot be explained by a single job title. More than 45 years across business, finance, technology, people, entrepreneurship and international leadership have shaped the perspective behind Business As UnUsual.

Founder & CEO
Building and leading international businesses

CFO & Entrepreneur
Connecting finance, technology, people and growth

Author & Speaker
Turning experience and ideas into practical insight

Coach & Lifelong Learner
Challenging, learning and helping others grow
Beliefs
Core Values

Integrity
Integrity is my north star. It means being honest, transparent and doing the right thing consistently. I expect people to say what they mean, do what they say and take responsibility when they fall short.

Kaizen
Kaizen is my commitment to lifelong learning and continuous, incremental improvement. For me, that means learning something new every day. I expect people and organisations to keep learning, challenge complacency and always look for ways to make what already works even better.

Health, Happiness and Wealth
Health, happiness and wealth are not core values in quite the same sense. They are outcomes I want people to define for themselves and pursue intentionally as part of balanced fulfilment.
Journey
An UnUsual Life Journey
Rick’s journey did not follow a conventional route.
He left school in 1980 without the A-Level results needed for university and entered the world of work instead. What began as a disappointment became a trigger for lifelong learning and a career spanning finance, technology, entrepreneurship, international business, leadership, psychometrics, coffee, writing and coaching.
Along the way, Rick founded and co-founded businesses, worked across countries and cultures, defined his Life Purpose, wrote Business As UnUsual and launched the BAUU subscription.
The milestones below provide a snapshot of some of the moments that shaped his journey.
School
Following friends led me to mismatched teachers and subjects. I quickly learned how choices shape outcomes.
University
My grades didn’t make the cut for university, leaving a chip on my shoulder and sparking a drive to prove myself.
Trigger Lifelong Learning
Failure fueled my commitment to lifelong learning. I earned qualifications to build skills and prove my worth.
Career Ladder
In 1994, I founded TRG International, becoming a global entrepreneur across 80+ countries and 10+ industries.
Life Purpose
During COVID, I saw professionals struggling. I felt compelled to help others adapt, grow, and find fulfilment.

School
Following friends led me to mismatched teachers and subjects. I quickly learned how choices shape outcomes.

University
My grades didn’t make the cut for university, leaving a chip on my shoulder and sparking a drive to prove myself.

Trigger Lifelong Learning
Failure fueled my commitment to lifelong learning. I earned qualifications to build skills and prove my worth.

Career Ladder
In 1994, I founded TRG International, becoming a global entrepreneur across 80+ countries and 10+ industries.

Life Purpose
During COVID, I saw professionals struggling. I felt compelled to help others adapt, grow, and find fulfilment.
Method
From Complexity to Clarity
I have spent much of my career dealing with complexity: businesses, technology, people, change and the messy reality of getting things done. My approach is to make complexity easier to understand without pretending it is simple. I use practical frameworks, questions, analogies and visual ideas to help people see a situation differently, find the clarity that matters and decide what to do next. The goal is not insight for its own sake. It is to turn understanding into practical action, learn from what happens and keep improving. This approach runs through Business As UnUsual, my speaking, masterclasses and coaching.
Credentials
Certs & Designations
My commitment to lifelong learning has led to professional qualifications, certifications and specialist training across finance, technology, psychometrics, leadership and personal development.
Associate Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA)
- CIMA
- Oct-1995
Accounting
- CIMA
- May-2010
Accounting
Fellow CPA Australia (FCPA)
- CPA Australia
- Aug-2010
Accounting
ProfileXT Certified User
- Profiles International
- Jan-2011
Assessments
ProfileXT Certified Trainer
- Profiles International
- Jan-2011
Assessments
CheckPoint360 Certified User
- Profiles International
- Jul-2011
Assessments
CheckPoint360 Certified Trainer
- Profiles International
- Jul-2011
Assessments
Profiles Performance Indicator Certified User
- Profiles International
- Jan-2012
Assessments
Profiles Performance Indicator Certified Trainer
- Profiles International
- Jan-2012
Assessments
Customer Service Profile Certified User
- Profiles International
- Jan-2012
Assessments
Customer Service Profile Certified Trainer
- Profiles International
- Jan-2012
Assessments
Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
- CIMA
- Jan-2012
Accounting
Masters, Strategic Business Management (MSc)
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- 2013
Strategy
The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™ Authorized Partner
- Wiley Learning Systems
- Nov-2016
Assessments
Everything DiSC® Authorized Partner
- Wiley Learning Systems
- Nov-2016
Assessments
Certificate in Performance Coaching (CPC)
- ITD World
- May-2018
Coaching
Certificate in Advanced Coaching & Mentoring (CACM)
- ITD World
- Nov-2018
Coaching
Certificate in Coaching & Mentoring Professional (CCMP)
- ITD World
- Nov-2018
Coaching
Hubspot Inbound Certified
- Hubspot Academy
- Jul-2019
Marketing
Hubspot Developing a Sales Plan Certified
- Hubspot Academy
- Sept-2019
Marketing
Hubspot Developing a Sales Plan Certified
- Hubspot Academy
- Sept-2019
Marketing
Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certified
- Hubspot Academy
- Sept-2019
Marketing
Cybersecurity Fundamentals for Finance and Accounting Professionals Certificate
- AICPA
- Nov-2019
Technology
Blockchain Fundamentals for Accounting and Finance Professionals Certificate
- AICPA
- Nov-2019
Technology
Hubspot Agency Partner Certification
- Hubspot Academy
- Jan-2020
Marketing
Hubspot Frictionless Sales Certified
- Hubspot Academy
- Jan-2020
Marketing
Hubspot Marketing Software Certified
- Hubspot Academy
- Jan-2020
Marketing
Certified OKR Professional (OKPR)
- OKRs Training
- Jan-2021
Marketing
Professional Certificate in Strategic Business Coaching
- ITD World
- Jun-2021
Coaching
Professional Certificate in Life Coaching
- ITD World
- Jun-2021
Coaching
Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching
- ITD World
- Jun-2021
Coaching
Professional Certificate in Disruptive Team Coaching
- ITD World
- Jun-2021
Coaching
Professional Certificate in Coaching Culture
- ITD World
- Jun-2021
Coaching
Certified Master Coach (CMC)
- ITD World
- Jun-2021
Coaching
Genos Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner
- Genos International
- Jun-2021
Coaching
Certified Chief Master Coach (CCMC)
- ITD World
- Nov-2021
Coaching
Certified Ikigai Tribe Coach
- Ikigai Tribe
- Sept-2021
Coaching
Certified Business Coach (CBC)
- Mindvalley
- Aug-2022
Coaching
Blue Ocean Practical Introduction
- Blue Ocean Strategy
- Sept-2022
Strategy
Paul McKenna & Mindvalley Certified Hypnotherapist (MCH)
- Mindvalley Coach
- Jan-2024
Hypnotherapy
What People Say
What leaders say about Rick
Perspectives on Rick as a Founder and CEO, business leader, speaker, coach, mentor and author.
I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Rick Yvanovich, and I can confidently say that he is an outstanding coach, mentor, and business leader. His ability to inspire, challenge, and empower those around him is truly remarkable.
Rick brings a wealth of experience in leadership, coaching, and business strategy, and his insights are always practical, actionable, and transformative. His coaching style is a perfect balance of guidance and encouragement, helping individuals and teams unlock their full potential while staying accountable to their goals.
Beyond his expertise, Rick’s passion for people development and his commitment to excellence make him a coach that anyone would be fortunate to learn from. I highly recommend Rick to anyone seeking a top-tier executive coach who genuinely cares about personal and professional growth.
Thank you, Rick, for your invaluable guidance and support. I love every moment when you coached me. Your impact is truly inspiring!”
Dona Amelia
I have known Rick for over ten years. Rick puts incredible energy into any client engagement – I am always happy to refer him to companies I come into contact with as I know he will do a thoroughly professional job, and always over-delivers.
Craig Martin
It was great having Rick from TRG International as a guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur podcast. He brought so much wisdom and I can absolutely vouch for his purpose and values. Thank you so much for appearing. I’m eager to celebrate your founder story with our audiences! You are making the world a better place with what you’ve been creating. 😇
Josh Elledge
I have know Rick since 1993 and watched TRG grow from strength to strength. His thoughtful approach to business shows up in the results he gets for his customers.
Tom Vovers
Rick is a brilliant entrepreneur who excels at combining strategy, process and technology to design creative solutions to problems. I have found him to be extremely thoughtful and articulate, and willing to put in that extra effort for the benefit of others.
Dario Priolo
Rick has sharp business mindset and big vision, help employees in learning & development, built good programs and benefits for employees. Working time at Rick’s company helped me ụnleash my potential and achieve great results. He’s one of my best managers and leaders in my career path.
Nghia Pham
Rick has provided over 10 hours of team coaching sessions to me and my team at Tribee.vn . Thanks to Rick’s coaching, we have managed to define our team purpose statement, team mission, corporate values, and create a client value proposition map. All within 4 coaching sessions which appeared to me to be an extremely efficient and successful process.
Thanks to Rick’s coaching, we’ve managed to understand better our core motivation to run the business. With that, we have successfully evolved our business model. It led us to winning new customers almost immediately after, which is something we had struggled with for 6 months prior to the engagement with Rick.
I can’t thank enough for the impact Rick has left on our team and the business!
Pawel Gorski
Rick is an amazing coach and inspiring leader. I am humbled to have the opportunity to work with him personally during my first placement as a marketing intern, for an international company.
Thanks to Rick’s committed attention to his employees, including the interns, I had a very uplifting 3 month virtual internship. I made numerous unforgettable connections and learnt so many things about marketing in the safe learning environment that he has created so meticulously. Most importantly, I’ve grown a lot in terms of personal development, owing much to the Kaizen culture that Rick endorses to his employees.
I believe that any group led by Rick will end up in a good place.
Thank you for letting me work at TRG International for the past 3 months!
Cindy Nguyen
Rick is a hugely influential director in our company. He has all the qualities that I admire in a leader – people management, ambitions and a great strategic mind. Moreover, despite being the top top director, he is always open to staff for conversation and feedback, never takes them for granted. He is the figure that inspires everybody in the company to try their best in their daily work. Overall, he is a type of leader that I always look up to throughout my career ladder.
Toan (Tom) Nguyen
Business As UnUsual is a must-read for anyone looking to adapt and thrive in the new normal. Yvanovich’s insights and frameworks provide a clear roadmap for personal and professional growth.
Prof. Mathews Z. Nkhoma
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