Twenty-five years of work, in one place.

Built and sold· 12

• National Association of Sales Professionals

  2001–2008

  Founder and chairman. Grew it into the largest sales association in the world at 60,000+ members. Sold to Camelot Ventures.

• Buzz Mouth

  2001–2015

  Award-winning Phoenix digital agency. Over 100 websites, software projects and apps shipped. Sold to LaneTerralever.

• CareerTours

  2006–2010

  The first career video network — pre-YouTube, 10 million+ monthly visitors. Acquired 325 career domains in 2007; partnerships with Google, MySpace, Indeed and Simply Hired.

• Purposely

  2009–2013

  Online career services serving over one million students across 65+ universities.

• The Career Platform

  2012–2015

  Higher-education enrollment platform serving EDMC, Corinthian, Everest, Midland Technical, Indiana Tech and APT College.

• Buildmine

  2013–2015

  Furniture-industry commerce platform carrying Robert Allen, Peacock Alley, Duralee and Upholstery Therapy. Sold with Pacific Furniture.

• Get Crocked

  2011–2016

  The #1 food app in the Apple Store — twenty consecutive weeks at the top and over one million downloads. Built with Jenn Bare.

• The #2 ranked community on Facebook

  2011–2015

  Nine million visitors per week at peak.

• Arizona Collaboratory

  2013

  One of the first equity crowdfunding platforms in the United States.

• EventMob

  2014

  Event discovery and ticketing app.

• Namaste Republic

  2018–2020

  Apparel and B-Corp venture. USPTO serial 87862763.

• Streamfish

  2014–

  Digital media platform — website and app.

Building now· 12

• Aaron Bare & Co.

  2001–

  The facilitation and coaching practice. Over 200 organizations, 90 countries, all 50 states.

• Extraordinary

  2023–

  Growth agency building founder-led media companies, with Forbes Shannon.

• The Extraordinary Network

  2024–

  Private nomination-only network for founders, creators and innovators.

• The Incentives Lab

  2025–

  Co-founded with Ricardo Rosselló, former Governor of Puerto Rico. Establishing incentive design as a profession.

• Syzygy Studio

  2025–

  Book studio with Christine Butler — the Barker trilogy, the Rosselló book, Mothers of the Republic.

• Delivery Kitchens & LiveOrder

  2020–

  Ghost-kitchen operator and the AI voice-ordering kiosk built out of it.

• HackerLabs

  2024–

  AI build lab and the HackerLabs LIVE show.

• Conceptually

  2024–

  Portfolio venture.

• 3X Fit

  2024–

  Fitness app built on nine health pillars.

• 100 Great Books

  2025–

  Reading and ideas venture.

• Arizona After Dark

  2026–

  Live comedy show in Tempe, an Extraordinary production.

• TV Champs

  2026–

  Phoenix-area A/V installation platform.

Nonprofits and civic ventures· 5

• HeroZona Foundation

  2011–2021

  Co-founder and vice-chairman with Alan “AP” Powell. Named Arizona Charity of the Year, 2019.

• Checkered Flag Run Foundation

  2011–2018

  The predecessor organization. Vice-chairman across a decade of IRS filings.

• The Bridge Forum

  2017

  A national forum bridging police and the communities they serve. Published as The Findings from the Bridge Forum.

• One Community Initiative

  2020–2021

  Co-director of the nation's largest COVID-19 vaccination and testing program in underserved communities — partnered with the State of Arizona, serving over 150,000 people.

• HeroPreneur Academy

  2020–

  Free entrepreneurship program for veterans.

Programs, accelerators and curricula· 5

• Change Agents Academy & XMBA

  2019–

  Executive program in creative leadership.

• Arizona Virtual Accelerator

  2017–2019

  Built and run for the Arizona Commerce Authority.

• The Extraordinary Accelerator

  2024–

  For portfolio-company founders.

• Startup School

  2015

  Program and book, published with Topix Media.

• Certified Incentive Architect

  2026–

  The certification arm of The Incentives Lab.

Equity and advisory· 5

• Sworn Blue

  2025–

  Encrypted networking platform for law enforcement. Equity position.

• Kittyhawk (now Aloft)

  2018

  Tripled sales and doubled the client base in twelve months.

• Y-Scouts

  2016

  Doubled sales at the purpose-driven executive search firm.

• Baryons

  2025–

  AI venture; co-host of The New F Word podcast.

• Venture partner and venture scout

  2019–

  At a venture capital firm and a venture studio.

Engaged Buzz Mouth, Aaron Bare & Co. or Extraordinary directly. Every name here has a signed agreement, invoice, retainer or delivered project behind it.

Corporate strategy and innovation sessions run for these organizations through Oxford Leadership, WDHB, Hyper Island, Kaos Pilot, Singularity University, Wizard Academy, The Grove and Accenture.

Universities, agencies and city governments where he has lectured, held residency or facilitated.

Summits, conferences and speaking platforms.

The six· 6

The canon — two in print, two in production, two being written.

• 2022 · In print · Morgan James · with N. Forbes Shannon

  Exponential Theory: The Power of Thinking Big

  Wall Street Journal, USA Today and #1 Amazon bestseller. Why it takes less energy to think big than to worry small.

• 2020 · In print · with N. Forbes Shannon

  Reimagining Innovation: The Future of Exponential Leadership

  A common-sense model for creating entrepreneurship in business, government and society.

• 2026 · In production · Morgan James

  Bare Selling 2.0

  Thirty days to sales success in the age of AI. The 2007 playbook rebuilt for a world where everything is sales and nobody wants to be caught selling.

• 2026 · In production · with Gov. Ricardo Rosselló

  Perverse Incentives

  The hidden forces that shape human behavior, business and society. The founding text of The Incentives Lab.

• 2027 · Being written · A philosophy of subtraction

  Magnetic Zero

  Let it go, let it be, let it unfold. Twenty-four chapters on removing what was never yours in order to return to zero attachment, zero resistance, zero limitation.

• 2027 · Being written · with N. Forbes Shannon

  Think Big

  Exponential thinking for people who actually have to deliver.

Earlier titles· 6

The books that built toward the six, in reverse order.

• 2020 · with Jenn Bare · 284 pages

  The Crockbook: Slow Cooked Recipes From Our Family To Yours

  The one nobody expects. Written alongside the Get Crocked years.

• 2020 · Innovative Circus, Book 1

  Innovate During Crisis

  How companies can use a crisis to innovate and drive growth. Written and released inside the first weeks of the pandemic.

• 2019

  Venture Ready

  Written out of the accelerator and entrepreneur-in-residence years.

• 2017

  The Findings from the Bridge Forum

  The published record of the national forum he co-created between police and the communities they serve.

• 2015 · Topix Media

  Startup School

  The program and the book that came with it.

• 2007

  Bare Selling: 30 Days to Sales Success

  The original playbook, written out of the National Association of Sales Professionals years. Now being rebuilt as Bare Selling 2.0.

Also in progress and contributed· 2

• In progress · A philosophy for a more interesting life

  It's Really Not That Serious

  The refrain that runs through Magnetic Zero, and a book in its own right.

• 2023 · Derrick Mains · foreword by Aaron Bare

  Adaptagility: Overcoming Biological Resistance to Change

  Foreword.

Field notes

• AI Business Architecture for CEOsMay 2026
• Everything Is a SystemMay 2026
• The Jester Never Becomes the KingMay 2026
• AI Disruption: Build an AI Business ArchitectureMay 2026
• Nothing Is Random — You're Just Mid-ConversationApr 2026
• The Most Radical Idea in the History of Human ThoughtApr 2026
• AI Strategy for CEOsMar 2026
• Laugh Out Loud; Lightest of LagersApr 2024
• Mastering ChangeFeb 2024
• Aaron Bare at Venture CaféAug 2022
• Nielsen Launches First Veteran Consumer ReportDec 2018

Fast Company

• Mastering change: 7 pivotal strategies for transformative leadership2024
• The wisdom revolution2023
• Turn failure into momentum: a journey to antifragility2023
• The change agent's mindset2023
• Does the future still have meetings?2023
• Optimizing hybrid work2022

Also published in

Frameworks

Forty-five working models written down so they can be argued with — the full library.

Selected conversations

• The Key to Exponential SuccessCreating Confidence with Heather Monahan · #211
• How To Build a Sales Network Worth MillionsSell Anything · #15
• The Exponential MindsetStartup Hustle
• The Exponential Mindset, Part 1Modern CTO · #623
• The Intersection of Spirituality and Technology, Part 2Modern CTO · #624
• How He Got Into Rooms With Billionaires and PresidentsThe American Conversation · #13
• He's Exited 12 Companies: Here's His Advice to Every FounderAcquiring Meaning
• Achieving Unprecedented SuccessMaking Billions
• Change or Die: Why Your Business Needs to AdaptThe Liquid Lunch Project
• The Power of Thinking BigThe Expert-Ease Podcast
• Why Thinking Bigger Changes EverythingSpiritual Capitalist · #46
• Exponential LeadershipDeep Leadership · #229
• Becoming a Change AgentThe Creator's Playbook by Kajabi · #103
• The Billionaire MindsetMoney Isn't · #36
• Compounding TimeTime to Reset with Penny Zenker
• Embracing Failure, Learning, and Thinking BigBeyond 7 Figures · #173
• How To Rapidly Advance In The MarketYour First Thousand Clients
• The Power of Thinking BigThe Athletics of Business · #150
• Serial Entrepreneur Addicted to PotentialThe Fairy BOSSmother Show · #72
• Author of Reimagining InnovationBusiness Bookshelf · #112
• The Power of an Exponential MindsetThe Mentee · S5E24
• Growing ExponentiallyElite Impact · #27
• How To Use The Exponential Theory To Think BigElite Man · #361
• Creating an Exponential Mindset for Explosive GrowthThe Rich Equation · #58
• Disrupting the Status QuoThe Optimistic American
• Exponential TheoryThe Today's Leader Podcast · #438
• Bare Naked — Confessions of ChangeHis own show, with Forbes Shannon · 10 episodes
• Aaron Bare Podcasts — the complete listening list109 episodes

Video

• The 2022 Visit Phoenix KeynoteVimeo
• Speaker reelGlobal Speakers Bureau
• Think Bigger. Lead the Future.Speakers Inc
• Arizona Achievers: Bestselling Author & FacilitatorSTN TV
• Exponential Theory: The Power of Thinking BigBest Book Bits
• Breaking Down The Power of Thinking BigMSP Radio
• The Exponential MindsetModern CTO
• The Change ModelVail Health
• Entrepreneurship Is a Skill. It Can Be Learned.The David Johnson Show
• Can Web 3.0 Unite Humanity?The Fix with Derrick Mains
• How Organizations Fail to Respond to Changing ConditionsDoug Thorpe
• The One Role That Drives Exponential GrowthHannah Hammond

Awards and honors

• Wall Street Journal, USA Today and #1 Amazon bestsellerExponential Theory, 2022
• XPRIZE — Next-Gen Mask ChallengePart of the winning team for FloMask, the surgery and dental mask, 2020
• Titan 100 — PhoenixTitan CEO, 2022
• Ten Most Admired Business Leaders to WatchKey Leaders Magazine, 2022
• Arizona Charity of the YearHeroZona Foundation, 2019
• Most Innovative Company of the YearAwarded to his company
• 35 under 35 · 40 under 40 · 50 under 50Entrepreneur and innovative-leader lists
• Co-executive producer, “The University”Award-winning documentary
• 3D printing patentHeld jointly with his daughter
• IAF Endorsed Facilitator — top 1%International Association of Facilitators, 2022
• Fast Company Executive BoardContributing writer
• Harvard Business Review Advisory CouncilMember

Press

• Trendsetter to Know: Author Aaron BareArizona Foothills Magazine, 2021
• Fabulous People: Aaron BareFabulous Arizona, 2022
• SELFMADESwagger Magazine, 2022
• Founder profileThe NYC Journal, 2022
• Rising Stars: Meet Aaron BareVoyagePhoenix
• Challenge Yourself to Think BiggerDaily Scanner, 2022
• SkySong companies serve today's Internet usersASU News — on CareerTours
• HeroZona plans full week of events for veterans99.9 KEZ, 2018 — the Daymond John fireside chat
• HeroZona Foundation Continuing ServiceImages Arizona
• CareerTours Acquires Digital Internet Advertising PropertiesPR.com, 2007
• NASP Partners with CareerToursChief Learning Officer, 2007
• CareerTours Expands Recruiting ReachPLANSPONSOR, 2008
• Frictionless RecruitingOnrec, 2006
• LaneTerralever acquires Buzz MouthPhoenix Business Journal, 2014

Education

MBA in Global Management, Thunderbird School of Global Management (2009) · MA in International Studies, Indiana University (1999) · BS Honors in Business, Indiana Institute of Technology (1995)

Entrepreneur-in-residence

Singularity University at NASA Ames · Thunderbird School of Global Management · ASU W. P. Carey School of Business · ASU Fulton School of Engineering · ASU SkySong · ASU School of Health Solutions · Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation · Arizona Commerce Authority

Certifications

IAF Endorsed Facilitator (2022) · Google Cloud Digital Leader (2022) · Heroic Leadership Coach (2022) · Oxford Leadership Coach (2021) · Exponential Organizations Certified Master Practitioner (2019) · Six Sigma Black Belt (2002)

Executive education

MIT CSAIL Cybersecurity · Stanford Design School · Stanford GSB Influence and Negotiation · Harvard Law / MIT Sloan / Tufts Program on Negotiations · Columbia Business School · Wharton Gamification · Cornell Design Scholar · Northwestern Content Marketing · University of Michigan Internet History · Jack Welch Management Institute · Kaos Pilot Facilitation · Hyper Island · Wizard Academy · Theory U · Cannes Lions School · Strategyzer · HEC Strategic Innovation · Harvard Berkman Center

Boards and service

Greater Phoenix Urban League · Arizona Junior Achievement · Arizona Collaboratory · HeroZona Foundation · Blue Zones steering committee · Graphene-X