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When the Founder Is the Rainmaker: How to Scale Without Losing the Spark
In many founder-led businesses, the founder isn’t just the leader—they’re also the best (and often only) rainmaker. They land the big deals. They have the trusted relationships. They know the pitch inside and out because they are the pitch.
It works—until it doesn’t.
As the business grows, this model creates a bottleneck. Every new opportunity depends on one and only person. And it’s the same person every time. But there’s a downside. When that person is also responsible for running the business, mentoring the team, and shaping the vision, something eventually gives.
The Entrepreneur’s Growth Playbook
Thu, Apr 22, 2021 — Blog 1: Are You a Pioneer or a Settler? Six Steps to a Better Business Model Written by: Paul Sparrow, Area Managing Partner & CMO, Chief Outsiders with Samuel Kniseley Ballesteros of The Advantage Solution and a Professional EOS Implementer Take a trip with us, if you will, back to Northern California in 1849. Word has spread across the land – there’s gold in them there hills, and we need to go find it. On just this pronouncement, and with not much more than hope and a promise, pioneers set forth to go find the gold – and with it, riches beyond their wildest imagination. You know the rest of the story – some of these folks went boom, most went bust, and the California Gold Rush became a literal flash in the pan.
Beyond the Mirage: How to Ensure Your 2020 Gains are Real and Lasting
Fri, Mar 19, 2021 — Blog 1: Reality Testing Your Sales Growth By Paul Sparrow and Adriana Lynch We are well into 2021 – for many businesses, optimism has been renewed, plans have been made, and in a review of 2020, things weren’t quite as “off” as expected. A recent proprietary study of small business (SMB) CEOs seem to confirm this prognosis: 45 percent of respondents indicated that their business has grown in the past 24 months, and 27 percent have seen flat results over that time – meaning, by our math, that more than two-thirds of businesses have the impression they’ve dodged the proverbial COVID bullet.
Successful Strategy for Entering International Markets
Mon, Dec 7, 2020 — "The life of a typical entrant is nasty, brutish, and short.” - Paul Geroski, London Business School There’s nothing that quickens the pulse of a growing enterprise-level business than expanding its footprint beyond its native borders. “Taking a company international,” as it is often less formally referred to, is no small task. What works well at home might be less than perfect abroad. It is also difficult to manage from a distance, so successfully going international takes some planning. CEOs need to keep target markets, objectives, entry mode, organization and execution in mind. It’s little wonder that many companies toil mightily to realize a decent return from a global shift. According to a Harvard Business Review study of 20,000 companies in 30 countries, it can take almost a decade to realize a positive rate of return on an international investment.
The Importance of Innovation for Sustainable Growth and Profitability
Thu, Dec 3, 2020 — The initial success of many small to mid-sized companies comes from an innovative product or service they developed. Passionately designed, promoted, and differentiated from competitors, it resonated with their customers. However, despite this early excitement and success, many companies fail to maintain a focus on innovation. Markets, customer needs, and technology are constantly changing. Those that recognize this and respond will drive growth and ensure a sustainable business for years to come.
Driving Growth in Service Businesses
Tue, Nov 3, 2020 — Creating a sustainable and predictable growth engine is critical to increasing revenues, profits, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), and the corresponding multiple in a service business. Creating a successful engine is more than just an annual plan or an intriguing digital marketing strategy. To succeed in their marketplace, service businesses must shift their thinking to implement the appropriate combination of revenue growth planning, processes, and talent.
Positioning for Explosive Growth: A CEO’s Guide To Enthusiastic Leadership: Part Two
Thu, Oct 29, 2020 — The Four Inhibitors of Engaged Leadership Little known fact about ducks: Though they exude grace as they glide atop the water, ducks hide a little secret just below the surface. For all the poetry they project in our view, ducks are actually shuffling their feet quite quickly to achieve that silky-smooth movement. As a CEO, you know this bifurcated existence all too well. Though you are expected — nee, required — to display a semblance of outward calm, beneath this facade are the fears, insecurities, and realities that come with the job.
Positioning for Explosive Growth: A CEO’s Guide To Enthusiastic Leadership
Fri, Oct 23, 2020 — In 2020 and beyond, the notion of leadership has been indelibly changed. No longer is it adequate to rule from 30,000 feet, to remain at arms lengths from strategies, and unable to touch tactics with a 10-foot pole. Leadership from a distance, in a time when distance is not just a suggestion, but a mandate, can strike a critical blow to a company that is already likely still trying to divine its direction in a pandemically-impacted landscape.
Selecting a Strategy for Market Leadership: Part Five
Tue, Oct 20, 2020 — Decision Time! Choosing the Right Strategy for Your Business In our previous blog, we discussed in depth the three types of market strategies from which to choose your overall go-to-market direction. As we discussed, the competitive strategy you select must fit with a company’s market, both in terms of geography, and with customer needs. It also must be completely in line with company strengths, abilities, and culture. Pick one of the three, and start positioning the organization as a market leader! Regardless of which option is selected, do not forget the point of all this — to increase business value. The success of a strategy is ultimately measured through cash, not profit.
Selecting a Strategy for Market Leadership: Part Four
Thu, Oct 15, 2020 — Evaluating Your Strategic Options Hopefully, in our last two blogs (Part Two and Part Three), you have learned a great deal about the influence that your industry and coming trends will have on your company’s overall success in the marketplace. Against the backdrop of the keen market analysis we worked through in each of the past two blogs, you now are in a position to make some tough decisions and choices. A competitive strategy must be fact-based and informed by industry analysis. By working through the steps in the previous articles, we laid a solid foundation for this strategy.