The Agile Scaleup

Free PR; Peers vs. Managers; NetGain Multiple; Costco

Hello ScaleUps,

Hope it's been a productive and purposeful week. Here are some insights to help you outlearn/outthink the competition.

NetGain Technologies Receives Top Multiple When Sold --
The Rockefeller Habits were instrumental in Jason Jacobson receiving one of the highest multiples in his industry. More below, but first...

Free PR, $.99 Kindle --
Grab a copy of Cameron Herold's practical book on how to get TONS of free PR while it's less than a dollar. More below, but second...

Employees Learn More from Peers than their Manager --
According to new research 80% of people learn as much or more from their peers as they do from their managers. This article details the 7 reasons, including relevancy, safety, and reciprocity. This reinforces the importance of moving to more of a team of teams organizational structure and away from traditional hierarchies. Thank you to YPOer Paul Berman for pointing me to this article.

Implement Peer Coaching --
If people learn more from their peers than managers, the key is to implement peer coaching, something we've been emphasizing for years since Marshal Goldsmith noted the importance. Choose a colleague (inside or outside the firm) and then decide four or five behaviors/actions/activities you're going to do more of, less of, or better to be more successful personally and professionally - and then support and hold each other accountable on a daily basis. And the cost? Nothing! The article above points to a white paper on peer coaching.

The Resilience of Costco (thanks to Tim Ferriss) --
Tim Ferriss highlighted this "article" on Costco. Notes Ferriss, in his latest 5-Bullet Friday post (one of my favorite blogs each week): "For 40 years, Costco has succeeded with a simple formula: reinvest merchandising profits into lower prices and better products; be a disciplined operator; and treat customers and employees well." This is a great study in simplicity (drastically reducing SKUs, per slide 44, and keeping the stores barebone, per slide 70), contrarian decision-making (no expensive advertising, per slide 54, and only offering bulk sizes, per slide 58), and much, much more It also makes one wonder where Amazon Prime memberships will take Amazon, retail, and the world at large..." Please take 2 minutes to click through the 146 slides (it really is quick to absorb!). Thank you, Tim, for highlighting this great biz example - and love the clever way the story is told via slides.

NetGain Technologies Top Multiple (Scaling Up Case Study) --
Notes Jason Jacobson, NetGain's CEO: "I know you like to hear success stories so I wanted to let you know we recently sold our business to private equity. It was unexpected, but we realized selling your business is often not on your timeline, but on the market's timeline. I know you probably hear this a lot, but I specifically wanted to let you know I think one of the reasons they felt very good about our organization was the fact that we have implemented your habits. From the daily huddles to the one-page plan, I truly feel the disciplined culture we formed around the Rockefeller Habits helped us achieve the top 10% of multiples in our industry on the sale. Here is our press release:

Free PR just $.99 Kindle --
This is the book I've been waiting for Cameron Herold to write - and it's available on Kindle this week for less than a dollar. To quote from Amazon, In Free PR, you'll learn how the media world operates while you gain invaluable insider knowledge and actionable advice on how to:

• Build your own in-house PR team
• Provide effective interviews
• Score great media coverage for free with just a few easy steps

PR Better Than Marketing --
Amazon continues: Landing public relations coverage for yourself and your company is a powerful tool to help elevate your personal brand. PR is easier to generate than marketing, PR is easier to leverage than marketing and PR is more cost effective than marketing. In other words, Public Relations is more critical than ever in growing your brand and your business. You've got more passion, commitment, a larger stake, and a deeper understanding of your business than any outside PR firm could ever have. So, stop wasting money and take the reins yourself. Learn the secrets to landing TONS of Free PR for your company. Cameron, thank you for writing this important and well written book.

CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 6 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. March 12 - 15; Jun 4 - 7, 2019.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Contact us at [email protected] for more information or visit https://coaches.scalingup.com/.

TECHNOLOGY:

Create Accountability - Drive Execution with Align, cloud-based software designed to scale up your Rockefeller Habits implementation. www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer, tablet or phone. Click here to watch an introductory video.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

Alzheimer Cure?; Being Played?; Looks 19; Topgrading Online Course Launching

Hello ScaleUps,

Hope it's been a productive and purposeful week. Here are some insights to help you outlearn/outthink the competition.

Topgrading (hiring) Master Business Course --
The next online hybrid class is launching. Join other leaders in co-learning this critical interviewing and hiring skill. More below, but first...

This Is How You Should Treat Customers --
There are values, unique to a company, and principles, which are universal. HubSpot, the popular Inbound marketing CRM system (and new Scaling Up partner), has a beautifully outlined 10 point "customer code" that all of us can use (universal principles) to measure if we're taking care of customers properly. This link takes you to the list - worth sharing with your customer service department to audit your own progress on making things easier for your customers. Please take one-minute to scan down through the list and descriptions of each.

"I Don't Mind Paying, but I Do Mind Being Played" --
This is my favorite of HubSpot's 10 customer code principles. HubSpot goes on to explain "Customers shouldn't need a math degree to figure out their bill. Keep your pricing open, clear, and fair." This reminds me of Fred Reichheld's (Ultimate Question 2.0 fame) idea of "bad profits." Are you earning profits at the expense of customers well-being? Are you being deceptive? John Ratliff, founder of Appletree Answers (call centers), reduced the bills for his 10,000+ customers down to a single page, eliminating a bunch of the nickel and diming that went on in his industry which complicated the billing. Thank you to Andy Clayton, Scaling Up Certified coach, for bringing this HubSpot example to my attention.

Client Command Quarterly Theme Update (Scaling Up Case Study) --
Last week I highlighted Client Command's quarterly theme. Following the mention, Executive Assistant to CEO Jonathan Lucenay, Sharlene Yeager, noted:

We've had incredible success implementing the Quarterly Theme! Even if we come up short in a given quarter which does happen sometimes (we set the bar high), we accomplish a lot and have so much fun along the way. We've had some great celebrations, like the 70's disco skating party, Casino Royale night, Top Gun beach volleyball party, and great prizes like an Apple watch/iPad! Managers often say the best meeting of the quarter is when we break up into teams and brainstorm ideas for the next theme. We come back to present the ideas to the team and cast votes for the winning theme. We do all of that in one hour and it's amazing how creative we can be under pressure. Jonathan has done an amazing job incorporating many of your ideas into our culture. Thank you for sharing the Scaling Up framework.

Finish lines and fun - this is what people want - in games and at work. Pick a measurable goal for the next couple of months and have some fun working together to achieve it.

Alzheimer Cure and Key to Longevity? --
This article in the Feb issue of Fortune details how Paul Cox might be close to having a treatment that might prevent Alzheimer's disease, ALS, and a host of other neurodegenerative diseases. The cure is a naturally occurring amino acid L-serine. One of many indications this protein building block is critical to longevity and health comes from the diet of the Ogimi people. This population has the highest per capita of centenarians on the planet. Notes Cox:

(Their) women, they move like ballerinas. A 98-year-old who can bend over and touch the mat with her palms. I met a 54-year-old who came to the village from mainland Japan when she married a matriarch's son. She looks like she's 19...(and) wouldn't you know it! The Ogimi people are getting three to four times the level of L-serine that Americans get in their average daily diet...they have the highest L-serine content of any population that I've ever measured. They look unbelievable. And they live forever!

It's a lengthy, but fascinating article in a mainstream publication - worth a read this weekend.

Food Sources for L-serine --
This NCBI article (part of the National Institute of Health) details sources of L-serine in the Ogimi diet. FYI, I mention all this because poor health (or death) is the ultimate constraint to scaling a business. And having family members in poor health can drain what energy you have to give to your organization.

Online Topgrading Master Course --
This is a no-nonsense, highly effective, proven business methodology for hiring (and retaining) high performers -- the Topgrading Master Business Course. You and your team will learn the 12-step methodology directly from Dr. Brad Smart - trusted advisor to CEOs of leading companies (like Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric) and frequently regarded as the world's #1 expert on hiring. Here's what you and your team would get:

• 7 live, online workshops with a Topgrading coach;
• Two 45-minute One-on-One Coaching calls to discuss your progress and challenges;
• 60-day free access to Topgrading premium software TOLS 3.0;
• Downloadable toolkit & frameworks;
• And more... 

For more details, click here >>
There’s no application fee, so we encourage you to give it a try.

CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 6 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. March 12 - 15; Jun 4 - 7, 2019.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Contact us at [email protected] for more information or visit https://coaches.scalingup.com/.

TECHNOLOGY:

Create Accountability - Drive Execution with Align, cloud-based software designed to scale up your Rockefeller Habits implementation. www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer, tablet or phone. Click here to watch an introductory video.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

Burrito Bond!; Steve Martin; Client Command; Jan 22 Closing

Hello ScaleUps,

Hope it's been a productive and purposeful week. Here are some insights to help you outlearn/outthink the competition.

This is How You Customer Fund a Business --
The Burrito Bond has raised almost over £2.6 million so far for co-founder Eric Partaker's UK-based Mexican restaurant chain Chilango. And it was this very entertaining and clever video that drove the campaign. Note's Partaker, "Layered into the video are several important points from Steve Martin (influence guru) to maximize influence... and it certainly seems to be working as the campaign is already a HUGE success!"

Influence Guru to Keynote ScaleUp Summit --
Steve Martin, author of the upcoming book Messengers: Who We Listen to and Who We Don't, will join Eric Partaker on stage at the May 21 - 22 Scaling Up Summit in Atlanta. Steve is Robert Cialdini's (father of influence) partner and Honorary Professor at Columbia University.

Client Command's Quarterly Theme (Gazelles case study) --
With a focus on getting processes right (part of the Scalable Infrastructure barrier to scaling), CEO Jonathan Lucenay and his team at Client Command (automotive marketing technology) have a quarterly theme called "Unite and Conquer" where the focus is operationalizing 21 processes in Salesforce - 21 being their Critical Number. Notes Jonathan:

We've used Scaling Up like an instruction manual for several years. With a few tweaks and adjustments, it's helped us create a vibrant culture and a scalable company Below are a few pics from the launch of our current theme. What is not pictured is the audience plants complete with face-paint and signs or the vuvuzelas that were distributed to everyone in attendance. The atmosphere was electric!

Their reward is taking the entire company to an Atlanta United soccer match. Below is a photo of the scoreboard and from their launch event, complete with t-shirts. What is your focus for the next 90 days?

Ron Lovett's Ashwani Story --
I named YPOer Ron Lovett’s book Outrageous Empowerment the #1 biz book in 2018. He describes how he scaled to 1500 security guards with no middle management and ultimately sold for 24x earnings. This 3-minute video highlights one of his favorite stories from the book, describing how he challenged a new frontline employee to make a major purchase for the firm - and how it turned out.

5 Seats Left Scaling Up Master Class --
The final round of applications for the Scaling Up Master Business Course 2.0 is closing January 22. There are 5 seats left so apply now and start optimizing your company for continuous scale!

CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 6 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. January 15 - 18; March 12 - 15; Jun 4 - 7, 2019.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Contact us at [email protected] for more information or visit https://coaches.scalingup.com/.

TECHNOLOGY:

Create Accountability - Drive Execution with Align, cloud-based software designed to scale up your Rockefeller Habits implementation. www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer, tablet or phone. Click here to watch an introductory video.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

 

#1 Advantage; The Wei Way; 8 Pillars; Super Bowl Exiting Event

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Trust, not money, is the currency of business and life.
	David Horsager, author The Trust Edge

The Wei Way -- entrepreneur Wei Chen's remembrance last Saturday was both moving and inspirational, more below, but first...

"Preparing to Exit" Super Bowl Bootcamp -- more info below, but second...

Is Trust the Most Powerful Advantage? -- trust is a serious business differentiator, and worth spending focused time nurturing in the marketplace (something a Brand Promise guarantee helps create). Go right to Chapt. 2 of David Horsager's excellent and practical book The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line. He opens that chapter with two poignant examples of trust - both smaller businesses, not Fortune 500 - and then goes on to share more. The balance of the book details The Eight Pillars of Trust (8 C's) and how to reinforce each. Join 1000+ leaders of mid-market firms and hear David keynote our two-day ScaleUp Summit May 21 - 22, Atlanta, where we'll feature a dozen top biz authors and leaders to help you outlearn the competition.

The Eight Pillars of Trust -- a key advantage of trust is speed, both inside and outside the firm - this is what several of the company case studies highlight. And the 8 C's of trust are: Clarity, Compassion, Character, Competency, Commitment, Connection, Contribution, and Consistency. Of course, I love the 4th one - Competency - which he summarizes as "People have confidence in those who stay fresh, relevant, and capable." The other is Connection - "People want to follow, buy from, and be around friends." 80% of life is showing up and every learning event I've ever attended, both competence and connection are reinforced - besides giving more clarity and reinforcing commitment.

Foundational Principles -- underlying a company's core values, which are unique to each firm, is what I've always believed is a foundation of universal principles. As I read David's book, it seems the 8 C's codify beautifully what must underpin all personal and business relationships. Go to the book's Table of Contents where David anchors each pillar with a short explanation. Then skip to the chapter that appeals to you most. This is a great book to focus on one chapter per month and audit the company for lapses that break trust.

The Power of Trust -- my favorite summary paragraph in the book:

Trust can accelerate, and mistrust can destroy any business, organization, or relationship. The lower the trust, the more time everything takes, the more everything costs, and the lower the loyalty of everyone involved. By contrast, greater trust brings superior innovation, creativity, freedom, morale, and productivity.

Trust the Economy? -- fear of a looming recession is dominating headlines. My take? Even if the global economy dropped by 5%, which would be considered another "Great Recession", the global economy would still generate $76 trillion, which is last year's GDP! If you can't grab a million or a billion of this economic activity, it's your fault. The key is to stay flush with cash (or access to cash) so you can weather any sudden losses and take advantage of the opportunities that surface. And these headlines give us permission to prune expenses, processes, etc. Do it now to start the New Year!!

The Wei Way -- last week I shared a sliver of what YPOer Wei Chen, founder of Sunshine Enterprises, achieved in his short 47 years. So how did he do it? It's what several of us are now calling the Wei Way, in honor of our dear fallen colleague. And not by accident, his way mirrors the 8 C's of trust:

1. He was eternally grateful for everything he had and it showed (his 17 year old mother sent him to live with his grandparents until age 6 because she couldn't feed him in China)
2. He always had a big smile on his face and assumed that whatever life dealt him, it was a blessing.
3. He stayed "present" with people and activities
4. And he could stay present and have the time because he really understood how to surround himself with great people to whom he could fully delegate his business and activities

A typical Wei moment - he would agree to chair something, assemble a team, walk in the room with the biggest of smile exuding love and energy and connection, listen in for about 10 minutes, then exit saying "I know you'll figure this out." Then he was the consummate cheerleader, never criticizing (just remaining silent if he didn't agree) and emphasizing, instead, what he did like. Thank you, Wei, for leading by example.

"Preparing to Exit" Super Bowl Bootcamp -- the 3rd Annual Super Bowl Weekend retreat is focused on "Preparing to Exit." Join the align5 team of John Ratliff, Chad Williams and Caley Sullivan as they facilitate 3 days of in-depth content and networking with other CEOs in the beautiful Florida Keys. Whether you are considering a possible sale of your company in 2019, or you are several years away, this retreat will provide you with the tools and strategies necessary to maximize value when the time comes to exit your business. In addition, align5 will provide a formal valuation analysis of your business, and one-on-one strategy sessions to help you build your unique Exit Plan. Space is limited to 5 CEOs/companies. Please visit the attached link for more details.

CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 6 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. January 15 - 18; March 12 - 15; Jun 4 - 7, 2019.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]  

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Contact us at [email protected] for more information or visit https://coaches.scalingup.com/.

TECHNOLOGY:

Create Accountability - Drive Execution with Align, cloud-based software designed to scale up your Rockefeller Habits implementation. www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer, tablet or phone. Click here to watch an introductory video.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

Wei Chen’s Passing; 7 New Year’s Resolutions; UK ERF Electrical; $2.99 Scaling Up Kindle

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough.
	One of Wei Chen's favorite quotes

Remembering Wei Chen -- it's with a heavy heart that I share the sad news of my dear friend and YPOer Wei Chen's passing. He, along with three of his leadership team, perished in a plane crash two weeks ago in Atlanta. An avid aviator and only Chinese citizen to fly solo around the globe, Wei and I met when he attended my workshop several years ago. He went on to champion and host that YPO International workshop with me throughout Asia and the US the past five years, positively impacting thousands of leaders and their employees. He always had such a giving heart and love for learning.

Successful Entrepreneur and Servant Leader -- With a perpetual bright smile on his face, Wei scaled Sunshine Enterprises in just 10 years from a one-man operation to over 400 employees, becoming one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of scaffolding products in North America and also the exclusive US distributor for the largest forklift manufacturer, Anhui Heli Forklift, in China. He was named Top Executive of the Year in 2006 and Top 40 under 40 in 2008. The company was also ranked one of the fastest growing companies in the US by Inc. Magazine. Continually seeking his next BHAG, Wei worked tirelessly to bridge the East and West - bringing Chinese and US business leaders together via cooperative ventures through his latest venture, Sun Capital. His memorial service is 10am Saturday in Memphis. For the many of you who have met him over the years, please send me your thoughts and stories which I'll share with his family this weekend.

7 New Year's Resolutions -- another dear friend and President of Vistage Spain, Conor Neill, wrote this insightful piece for Forbes detailing 7 resolutions for helping you be happier and more productive in 2019. #4 is my favorite - Network by Serving Others. This was precisely Wei Chen's key to both his happiness and success. Please take 1 minute to scan down through Conor's list for some powerful reminders of the habits that drive success.

UK's ERF Electrical Launches Core Values Video (Scaling Up Case Study) -- Robin Combellack, Managing Director of UK-based ERF Electrical Wholesalers, recently attended our CEO Boot Camp. One of the outcomes, besides streamlining KPIs to align with outcomes and launching their meeting rhythms, was the creation of two glowworm characters, Erf and Essen. They will bring alive the core values, quarterly themes, and other initiatives within the firm. To launch, this 1-minute video was created followed with cards and incentives for staff displaying the values represented by these characters. Later this quarter Rob will launch their version of "Dream On," collecting and granting the dreams of his employees. Noted Rob in his email "here is to a Bloody Fantastic 2019." I couldn't have said it better!! Thank you, Rob.

Top 5 Biz Books 2018 -- in case you missed my post prior to the holidays, here's a link to my LinkedIn article sharing the Top 5 business books of 2018

$2.99 Scaling Up Kindle Deal -- for one day only, Saturday 05 January, the Kindle version of my book is available for $2.99. Grab or gift a copy. And thank you for all your support - just before the holidays the book passed the 300,000-copy milestone.

CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 6 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. January 15 - 18; March 12 - 15; Jun 4 - 7, 2019.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Contact us at [email protected] for more information or visit https://coaches.scalingup.com/.

TECHNOLOGY:

Create Accountability - Drive Execution with Align, cloud-based software designed to scale up your Rockefeller Habits implementation. www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer, tablet or phone. Click here to watch an introductory video.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com