In the realm of business, success and failure often intertwine, leading to a unique and unpredictable journey. The path to success is rarely linear, and the road is often filled with unexpected twists and turns. Christopher Carter knows this firsthand, as his path has been filled with twists and turns, highs and lows, growth and stagnation.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Christopher grew up in a home supported by the social welfare system. Life was a constant shuffle, moving from one home to another, relying on the kindness of friends and coaches. However, it was during his high school years that his passion for business and athletics started to emerge.

In 1984, Christopher's fascination with computers began to take shape. He purchased the first Commodore Vic 20, diving headfirst into the world of coding. Creating his own video games and code, he was captivated by the endless possibilities that technology offered.

Throughout his college years, he encountered trials and tribulations while learning about the revolutionary SAP technology called R3. The journey was filled with highs and lows, growth and setbacks. Yet, as he discovered, the true measure of success lies not in how many times you fall, but in how many times you get back up and keep moving forward.

Drawing inspiration from the famous Rocky Balboa quote, he found himself fortunate to surround himself with fellow SAP enthusiasts who had risen to executive positions. Building a network of supportive friends within the ecosystem proved an invaluable journey of transformational ideas, thoughts, and concepts.

As he navigated the world of business, Christopher learned important lessons along the way. Facing the consequences of being heavily reliant on a single client, he realized the importance of diversifying and not placing all his eggs in one basket. Trust in fellow executives and team members also became a crucial factor, as he encountered disruptive offshore consultants within the SAP ecosystem.

Continuing to grow and evolve, Christopher recognizes the significance of careful hiring practices, particularly when it comes to overseas consultants. Being mindful of their commitment and dedication to the company's goals is vital to maintaining a cohesive and productive team.

Christopher Carter's journey serves as a reminder that resilience, innovation, and a keen eye for teamwork are essential ingredients for success. Through the ups and downs, he has emerged stronger and wiser, ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.

 

Let's explore his journey of transformation!

From Homeless to High-Tech

Christopher has gone through a winding and lengthy journey full of ups and downs, successes and failures, growth and stagnation. This is something that he takes pride in, as any executive will understand that the path to success is never straightforward. Initially, Christopher was a young man living in Wisconsin. He grew up in a household where one of his parents was dependent on social welfare. As a result, Christopher and his family moved frequently and lived with different friends and coaches throughout his childhood. Eventually, they settled down during his high school years, and Christopher found himself drawn to both business and athletics.

In 1984, computers caught his attention, and he immediately purchased the very first Commodore Vic 20. This was the beginning of his coding journey on computers. It was an exciting experience for him as he watched seagulls fly across his screen while creating his own video games and code.

In the iconic film, Rocky, Sylvester Stallone spoke of his good fortune in his youth to have associated with some SAP individuals who have gone on to become executives. It is always thrilling and advantageous to have a network of supportive friends. This allows for the exchange of innovative ideas, perspectives, and theories among each other. Despite being heavily dependent on a single client who accounted for 70% of his company's billable activities, Stallone learned a valuable lesson when the client's business collapsed. He quickly realized the importance of diversifying one's business and not relying on a single source of income.

He quickly gained the ability to rely on other executives and team members. This was necessary due to certain offshore team members using SAP as a means of hiding and causing disruption within the ecosystem. He still learns to this day that it is crucial to be cautious when hiring consultants overseas, as they often work for multiple companies simultaneously, which can cause disruptions for your company and staff.

 

Uninterrupted Business Operations

Approyo is dedicated to assisting companies utilizing SAP software by providing them with the most proficient and helpful staff members available worldwide. They offer comprehensive SAP service technology that includes hosting, managing services, upgrades, and migrations for their customers who use any SAP-supported core functionality. Their ultimate goal is to guarantee that their clients can rest easy at night without any interruptions from outages or support problems. Approyo strives to provide peace of mind to its customers.

 

Pioneers of SAP Production in the Cloud

According to his perception, the outcome of their work can be observed almost daily in the market. They still retain the reputation of being among the first partner organizations to introduce an SAP production system in a contained VM or cloud setting. The moment it was launched at Sapphire, there was a buzz; phones were ringing, text messages were pouring in, and numerous questions were being raised: how could this be possible? This hasn't been given the green light yet, who's behind it, and what's the motive? Ultimately, someone sought out Christopher Carter, and they found him right away!

They specialize in the SAP landscape and the cloud environment utilized by companies to run their operations. They firmly believe in assuming complete control and collaborating closely with their partners and customers on a daily basis. This approach allows their proficiency in the market to shine through in every interaction with customers and engagement with partners.

 

Game in Corporate Values and Culture

The internal values that the organization upholds start at the top. While many companies create mission or value statements that end up being just words on paper, this is not the case for him. He understands the life of a consultant who is always on the go as well as that of an executive who is concerned about the security of their systems and the risk of being attacked. He has experience having difficult conversations with his staff and through HR, and therefore strives to foster a work environment that feels like a semi-family. Ultimately, he comprehends the challenges faced by those in leadership positions and works to make sure that the organization's values are truly reflected in their actions.

He has a team that works for and with him, and he treats them like he would treat his own family. He is more open with his staff than many other companies would be, but he believes that working as a team and being like a family is important for success. One of his staff members, who has been with him for several years, was a new SAP consultant fresh out of college. Despite being inexperienced, he was motivated, eager to learn, and took initiative.

Christopher has been provided with ample opportunities to pursue their desired career path, whether it be within the cloud-based or foundational aspects of the business, and has consistently grown and expanded their skill set year after year. They have sought out new courses and mastered new SAP tools, resulting in their continual advancement within the company. Their personal and professional value is highly regarded, and they serve as an exemplary member of the team. It is hoped that their example has set a positive standard for all employees within the company.

 

Experience Unmatched Success

The company heavily depends on technology and uses cloud-based solutions, including SAP and various tools such as Overwatch, cloud-based security management, and AI-based toolsets. As a managed service provider in the SAP ecosystem, they possess extensive knowledge of the importance of IT infrastructure as a whole. The company understands the significance of your data and its contribution to the success of your daily business operations. Managing and monitoring diverse components of your landscape can be a challenging task, but with Overwatch, you can quickly obtain a comprehensive view of your IT infrastructure, including networks, servers, cloud containers, and applications.

By offering 24/7, year-round monitoring of data and systems, these professionals assist businesses in preventing potential problems before they arise. Their expertise allows them to monitor even the most complex landscapes, providing an advantage when it comes to ensuring the success of their customers. With this toolset, created and developed in-house, you can rest easy knowing that it is helping you avoid issues and sleep soundly at night.

 

Revolutionizing SAP Software

The ideal change for him would be to have every company using SAP software work alongside them, experiencing how they ease their minds and how they support them to become better SAP customers. His other desired change is to enhance the encryption capability from a data perspective. Homomorphic encryption and AI-based tools are becoming the future for everyone. They have already started using these tools and have observed significant results in data monitoring support and proactive activities.

These activities benefit not only SAP ecosystem customers but also customers worldwide. Approyo is leading by example and success, at the forefront of an exciting industry. They have customers all over the world, including Europe, Asia, the United States, and Latin America, and provide support in various ways, including core SAP ECC. They even have an R3 environment that they manage and run for an organization. Their team is built around technology and how that technology can be utilized for everyone.

 

Modernizing Landscape Management

As previously mentioned, the belief is strong that homomorphic encryption and AI-based tools will shape the future of IT. As noted, these very tools are already being utilized to supervise and sustain landscapes worldwide. Upon implementation and endorsement across an entire landscape, ticket reduction and the ability to foresee future issues are significantly amplified. It is firmly believed that these tools will transform the management and support of companies.

The need for a staff of 20 individuals to manage and run a landscape is no longer necessary. With the installation of Overwatch in a limited capacity, an entire landscape can be managed with only a quarter of the personnel. This leaves the remaining staff members to be allocated for new projects and activities that will strengthen the organizational structure, resulting in better sleep at night.

 

CEO's Passion for Success in the SAP Ecosystem

He expresses his enjoyment in leading this company, taking pleasure in nurturing his staff and engaging with them on a daily basis. He relishes meeting with clients in person as frequently as possible. However, he also cherishes his family, and as they mature, he desires to spend more time with them. After working 16–18 hours a day for 30 years, he acknowledges that this routine can be tiresome, but he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. He aspires to contribute to the growth of the SAP ecosystem and the companies within it. He recognizes that the current upgrade cycle is the most formidable and delicate since they embarked on the R3 upgrade cycle in the 1990s.

As many as 500,000 customers are in need of upgrading to the new S4, which is a challenging task due to the various modifications and changes that companies make to their systems on a daily basis. However, this challenge serves as motivation to assist these customers in achieving success. Despite the difficulty, the joy of engaging in conversations and supporting organizations in taking this step is unparalleled. The ultimate goal is to rise together and ensure that your landscape is successful.

 

Passionate Entrepreneur Shares Secrets to Success

When advising aspiring entrepreneurs, he passionately urged them to take action and pursue their dreams. He shared that, besides his family and daughters, nothing brings him greater joy than starting and growing multiple companies. Even if it means waking up at 5:00 a.m. to prepare the company for success, he willingly shoulders the responsibility. He strives to help his customers succeed and believes in nurturing his staff members. He encourages bringing in individuals who possess knowledge and strengths different from his own so they can complement each other and work together towards success.

He further said, "Watch your productivity growth as well as theirs, and then help with the new generation behind you. Just because you’re a young entrepreneur does not mean there’s not another younger entrepreneur behind you. Remember, as you’re growing and going up the ladder of success, reach your hand back and help the next young entrepreneur come up the ladder of success."