Focus Area / Owners
Vision, strategy & growth
Whether you own the company entirely or you have partners (silent or otherwise) you all are involved in the company at this time because you want something from it. This focus area is about how you develop the company to provide what you want.
- Goals and Vision Setting goals is an art and a well-done vision is required for good leadership.
- Growth and Plans You can grow organically or through M&A. Plans are a critical tool. Eisenhower’s comment on this has been taken out of context.
- Partners & Boards If you have investors you likely have a board of directors. Learn how to deal with them properly.
Articles for Owners
41
March 8, 2026
What Does Progress Look Like?
It's bigger than revenue growth. TL;DR - Progress means you get what you want FROM your company. But you must build the right foundation before you can be strategic. When I first started coaching I knew people hired me because…
January 31, 2026
More Revenue Streams Won't Make More Money
Levers will. NOTE: You should use your CEO Time to think about this because Revenue Streams are a component of Strategy. Let’s Define Terms. “Make Money” means profit, not revenue. It’s best measured by an aspect of free cash flow…
January 3, 2026
Why You Can't Work ON Your Business
Even though you think you can. I know it’s not a great idea to tell your audience that they’re wrong. But in my experience of working with hundreds of SMB owners it’s true. We aren’t really working on our companies…
December 28, 2024
It's Time for the Time Skeleton
It's a Planning Tool not a Halloween Costume. This is an update of a blog post I did in 2019. Source www.zazzle.com/13_hour_clock_friendly_skeleton-256149445625222368. One of the two great tensions in life is between the short term and the long term. Another…
November 17, 2024
When Are You Working For?
That's a weird way to say it. Here's why. If I'd asked, "WHAT are you working for?" I'd be inquiring about the results (the outputs) you intend to produce. If I'd asked, "When are you working?" I'd be inquiring about…
November 3, 2024
The Most Important Output From Your Company
It involves a genie! The most important output of your company is not profit, free cash flow or even satisfied customers. It's what your company provides to you - the owner. Why is that the most important? Because it's why…
October 19, 2024
Do You Need an Annual Plan?
Maybe not. But if so, here's how to make one and use it. ( NOTE: This is a revision of a post I did 2 years ago. I’m revising it because I have many more subscribers and this is when…
August 3, 2024
2 Ways to Climb a Mountain – or Build a Business
Is it better or worse to have a plan? Yes! One method is putting one foot in front of the other and as long as each step is taking you higher, you're doing OK. The other way is to develop…
July 28, 2024
Plateaus, Valleys, and Guesswork
How you get where you want to go. I didn't coin the term TRAP ZONE but have talked about plateaus of profitability and the cash crunch valleys that come between them. I prefer the concept of plateaus rather than peaks,…
April 22, 2024
Stages of Company Growth
As your company grows it becomes different not just bigger. Most people track company growth by revenue. One generating $10M in revenue is twice as big as one generating $5M. That's not very useful as the are many things that…