Dan Anixt – Right Sourcing Solutions/R$2

It goes on day in, day out, at companies big and small across the globe: employees are hammering out contracts and agreements, closing deals, signing on dotted lines.

But think about it, says Dan Anixt: With staff turnover, hectic schedules, employee and management disconnect, and just the sheer number of contracts and agreements at any company, redundancy and overlap are inevitable.

He’s seen businesses, for instance, that have the same exact contract three times over. This is not only a “huge expense,” it creates confusion about terms, coverage and points of contact, he says. But because companies are future-focused, they might not devote time or resources to “go back through all the ancient agreements and business relationships and clean them up,” says Anixt, who serves as general counsel for Right Sourcing Solutions. “There’s a lot of waste in companies—the bigger the company the more the waste.”

Getting in on the ground floor

This is where Right Sourcing Solutions comes in. The small but growing company, launched in 2016, provides what it calls “pragmatic” sourcing solutions to help clients manage sourcing projects, provide consulting advice “founded in solid business acumen” and work with clients to “clean up” and streamline operations, save money and operate more efficiently.

That includes a function defined as “contract management,” which includes the process of “harmonizing contracts,” or eliminating duplicate leases and licenses. The company also provides procurement and real estate services and strategic business consulting, Anixt explains.

Because it is “eager and customer focused,” he says, the company is willing to get creative with its services. “What we do is find out what the customer wants. We’re very much a customized shop. Each project and engagement can be very different.”

Known in-house as R$2, Right Sourcing Solutions has 30 employees spread across New York, Pennsylvania, Kansas and India. Anixt, for his part, handles a host of transactional and international law matters; he is also helping the company establish its practices around compliance, alliance and marketing agreements as it steadily increases its client base.

While it is still a “basic transactional legal practice,” Anixt explains, he hopes to eventually branch out and provide more technology consulting services. He also hopes to bolster the company’s tech capabilities through acquisition of cloud software and other cloud and network services.

“I wear the hat of being a business guy in addition to being a lawyer,” he says. “I do a whole bunch of different things. In a small shop, you have to handle anything that comes in the door.”

A wide-ranging background; a diverse role

Anixt was recruited in early 2018 by founder and CEO John Greer, following what he describes as a “diverse and unusual legal career.”

Initially, though? He was a history undergrad. Of Russian heritage, he was intrigued by Russian history and the language, and even wrote his thesis on a subject of Russian history. But he also had a natural inclination toward legal matters, so he “was convinced to try the law out.”

It was a good fit. He worked in securities and banking litigation roles before joining telecommunications giant Mitel. Among the highlights: He managed a $6 million legal budget, and handled transactions worth millions. Later, at Verizon, he developed a niche in technology agreements. Although he didn’t have an IT background, Anixt is self-taught in technology concepts and platforms, including cloud capabilities.

As far as he is concerned, “no” is the worst answer you can ever give a business client, he says.

Besides the rare situation where a proposal is unethical or illegal of course, Anixt learned to come up with solutions and provide straightforward answers, he says. That’s often easier said than done, he acknowledges, but he feels fortunate to have that hands-on opportunity with R$2, what he describes as “a fun, flexible, very relaxed company.”

Calling the team tight-knit, and founder Greer an “easy, approachable guy,” he enjoys working for a startup and avoiding the multiple layers of bureaucracy he would confront with larger companies.

“I like the freedom of working for an entrepreneurial company,” he says. “Leadership is approachable, you can come up with and implement new ideas—and you don’t have to get 18 million approvals to do it.”