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Roger Lewandowski started big and has worked his way to small business -- which is exactly where he wants to be.

He started at General Motors, graduated from the General Motors Institute and joined the GM division in Flint, Mich., as an assistant manager at a Buick plant.

It was an educational experience.

"I learned that assistant means you do all the work. Every time we had a problem I had to go to the general manager and tell him what the trouble was. I had to come in two hours early and stay two hours late to make sure everybody was coordinated," Lewandowski said as he sat behind his desk at a brand new division of his own: Successful Marketing & Sales Division, located at 1940 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville (865-681-3844).

After working at different GM plants he landed with Carrier, where he served as president of Air Conditioning Residential Heating and Cooling and later as president of Carrier Canada. His job was to turn lagging operations around.

"I was always a trouble-shooter," he said.

That's why he was sent to Canada.

"We did turn it around. It made money for the first time in four years,"

After Carrier was sold, Lewandowski went south, all the way to Maryville. Sixteen years ago he established World Competition Consultants (www.wcconsultants.com), which does work in Mexico, China, Canada, Ukraine and the U.S. It specializes in business turnarounds in manufacturing and implementing and coaching lean manufacturing, according to Lewandowski.

His new venture is Successful Marketing & Sales (www.successfulmarketingandsales.com).

His new target: retail sales.

"I think the retail people are really in trouble, so I started a separate division to help them," Lewandowski said.

He brings what might be a unique approach to the task -- after all, if he's going to work with retailers in trouble he'll be working with businesses without money to spare.

"What I want to do is to make confidential free assessments. Go in and look and see what their problems are and give them information about what to do to help them be successful."

There are two keys -- in Lewandowski's way of thinking -- that a successful retailer has to bring to the business table.

"Two secrets: One is a positive attitude. If you think of positive things, your subconscious will give you positive things.

"The other thing you have to have is faith. You have to have faith that 'yes I can do it.' We've forgotten the power of faith."

And there's one more thing. The thing Lewandowski said he can contribute.

"You can dress it any way you want to, but in small business you must have faith, a positive attitude and common sense," he said.

"All I can help them with is common sense -- what you should do. You may not like to do it, but you should do it. That's where I come in."