Our story began in 1995 — not with a client roster or investor funding, but with a vision to disrupt a transactional, antiquated industry. Bert Miller had just walked away from a high-paying corporate career. Alongside his wife and co-founder, Laura Gonzalez Miller, he opened Protis Global with one hire, an empty office, and a phone that didn’t ring. There were no inbound leads. No digital platforms. Just belief, golf posters, and furniture he hand-assembled.

In an interview with Authority Magazine, Bert was asked, “Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?”

Bert stated, “Yes, without question. When I started Protis Global, I wanted to quit a few times during the first twelve months. I started the business with my wife, Laura Gonzalez Miller, and we hired one person to greet people and answer the phone, but no one walked into our office. I’ll never forget — I was setting up the computers and the phones, and I was relieved everything worked. Then, I looked at Laura and asked, ‘What next?’

 “That’s when I realized that no one was going to walk into the office and the phones were not going to ring — we had to get moving to make this business work.”

We had an empty office with cheap carpet and furniture that I put together myself, and golf photos on the walls that I bought at a local office supply store. I was 33 years old and walked away from a job that paid well into six figures a year in 1995 to start a business that didn’t pay me anything. I had two children, a home, and a modest savings account.”

Bert was fueled by not just his fear of failure, because everyone fails, but also a fear of surrender — that’s when someone quits even though they are so close to accomplishing their goals and reaching success.

What started with one desk and a dream is now a powerhouse that’s built some of the most iconic teams in CPG. We don’t just fill roles. We build companies. We change lives. And we’re only getting louder.