Don Shapiro

“Don Shapiro is the guy that asked the questions no one else ever ask”

Applying 28 years of research on how we make and influence choices.

Don Shapiro is the President of First Concepts Consultants, Inc., a management advisory practice that investigates difficult challenges and finds creative solutions. For 28 years, Don has worked with for profit and non-profit organizations in over 30 industries to discover ways to grow and operate better based on his original research in the areas of sales, marketing, strategy and change.

He started his career as a restaurant manager with Lawry’s famous for Lawry’s The Prime Rib, worked up to being a chain restaurant executive and also worked in the distribution and real estate industries. In 1985, he founded First Concepts Consultants to pursue practical research that could help organizations discover better ways to spur growth and lead their people.

Don has spent a life time learning about how we make choices, what affects those choices and how choices can be influenced. He discovered how customers figure out their perceptions of value and what causes that value to rise and fall. This enables salespeople, marketers and strategist to get more people to buy. His research about employee trust, retention and performance resulted in fresh insights on leadership. Finally, his on-going study into personal choices has helped thousands of people improve their journey through life.

Don Shapiro gave his first speech before an audience of 800 when he was 14 and they haven't been able to stop him since. He has spoken before thousands of groups including businesses, associations and community organizations with his high energy, interactive and fun style.

He is a co-author and editor of the new book The Character-Based Leader and is writing an inspirational self-help book Life Is A Fork In The Road. Don is a graduate of the Executive Program in Management at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.