The Agile Scaleup

Mentor to Millions; 21 Metrics; Gap Semester; Oct 1 Topgrading Webinar

Hope it’s been a productive and purposeful week for you. Here are some insights to help you outlearn/outthink our reaction to the virus.

Entrepreneurs are usually enamored with the preciousness of their product vs. something that can scale.

Scott Galloway, author of The Four

Money will buy you a bed, but not a good night’s sleep; a house, but not a home; a companion, but not a friend.

Zig Ziglar, quoted by son Tom Ziglar

Spanish Audible Version of Scaling Up
Only available on Audible – the Spanish audio version of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) is now available.

Jungle Gap Semester for 18 – 25-year-olds
Any young adults (college students hanging out at home) needing an alternative “gap semester” experience with some top scientists and professors in the jungles of Panama? 12 spaces, $12,500 per semester – see below.

Right Strategy – Scott Galloway’s NYU Stern 3-week virtual intensive
The always provocative (and usually right!) NYU Stern Professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway shared more ideas/minute in the 12-minutes he had during our Summit 2.0 last week (replay available) while making the case for which brands will win and lose coming out of the crisis (he’s also good at picking winners). For $895 (vs. the $7k his students pay) join 4,000+ leaders from around the world for his Oct 27 – Nov 16 online and interactive 3-week branding course. Learn how to drive value with brand strategy in today’s digital economy from the #1, and most engaging, guru on the topic. I just signed up my team. Strategy = Brand = Strategy.

Right People – Oct 1 Topgrading Workshop Complimentary
As detailed in Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) the Topgrading approach to interviewing and hiring is the only method measured to be 90%+ accurate in making sure you’ve hired the best A-player for the job (of all the candidates). It doesn’t mean people hire bad people; they simply overlook a better person because of inherent biases. And more importantly, it keeps you from hiring the wrong person – I’ve heard hundreds of stories (and experienced it myself) where you were sure the candidate was the perfect person until you conducted a proper tandem-based Topgrading interview. You hire the wrong person and the cost is huge - 15x their annual salary according to research – and so much damage in their wake.

Chris Mursau – Topgrading President Oct 1
Sign up for next Wednesday’s 4pm ET complimentary webinar with Chris Mursau, President of Topgrading – this is Topgrading author Brad Smart’s organization. He’ll share the “4 Keys to Hiring and Retaining Great People” (and now is the time to grab talent). It’s a system that has helped thousands of our clients increase their rate of hiring A-Players (the best person you can afford for the job) from an average of 26% to 85%. He’ll also show you their online system for streamlining the process, cutting hours out of what it takes to sort through candidates. Hiring – one of the two most important executive skills for scaling.

Right Mentor – Kevin Harrington’s New Book
Infomercial king, original “Shark Tank” judge, and one of my EO founding board members, Kevin Harrington has a moving and excellent new book out this week titled Mentor to Millions. Co-authored with entrepreneur Mark Timm, it’s a true story of how Kevin mentored Mark to succeed in business and in his relationships – not scarifying one for the other. Please take 2-minutes to download and read Tom Ziglar’s (“proud son” of Zig Ziglar) Foreword to the book – then keep reading. I skip most Foreword’s to books, but this one grabbed me – maybe it will you. Congrats Kevin and Mark for sharing this heartfelt story.

Right Metrics – 21 Stakeholder Measurements
Notes Alan Murray with Fortune this morning:

The World Economic Forum, working with the big four accounting firms, released a report with the ponderous title Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism: Towards Common Metrics and Consistent Reporting of Sustainable Value Creation. You can download it here. It’s a large document and will take some time to digest. But if you care about this issue, it is an absolute must read.

I just started reading this 96-page document (maybe a job for your CFO?). The 21 metrics are divided into four categories: Principles of Governance; Planet; People, Prosperity (interesting order!). What gets measured gets done. More to come as I digest.

Geoversity "GapYear" is open for 2020-21 applications!
The first of two 8-week semesters begins in Panama, for 18-25 year olds, October 28 through December 19. The curriculum is quite special, featuring an incredible line-up of pioneering thought leaders, unique hands-on opportunities, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including living systems leadership skills like "teeming for organizations," biomimicry, and regenerative design, as well as living ecology, anthropology, sustainable design, conservation approaches, storytelling, and media. For more information check out this brochure and/or reach out to Nathan Gray [email protected]. 

Order a box of 20 Scaling Up books
Want to save 50% over the price on Amazon? Go to this link. 

Write Your Own Book
Whether you want to make it to the bestseller lists or just sell a lot more of your goods or services, with a profound competitive edge over the competition, Book The Business: How to Make BIG Money With Your Book Without Selling a Single Copy is for you!

Request your free copy of this ground-breaking book at advantagefamily.com/scalingup.

EDUCATION: 

We’re Still in Business Coaching and Training Firms:
New Orleans, LA - Oct 1, 2020 (Virtual)
Wellington, New Zealand - Oct 1, 2020
Waltham, MA – Oct 6, 2020
Charlotte/Raleigh NC - Oct 7, 2020 (Virtual)
Adelaide, Australia - Oct 7, 2020
New York, NY & CT - Oct 7, 2020 (Virtual)
Colorado Springs, CO - Oct 8, 2020 (Virtual)
Vancouver, BC, CAN - Oct 14, 2020 (Virtual)
Stockholm, Sweden - Oct 15, 2020
Phoenix, AZ - Oct 15, 2020 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia - Oct 15, 2020
Louisville, KY - Oct 15, 2020 (Virtual)
Tampa Bay Area, FL - Nov 18, 2020 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH - Oct 21, 2020 (Virtual)
Lancaster, PA - Oct 27, 2020 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX - Oct 27 (Virtual & In-Person)
Colombia - Oct 27 & 28, 2020
Franklin, TN - Oct 29, 2020 (Virtual)
Salisbury, England - Nov 3, 2020
Chicago, IL - Nov 10, 2020 (Virtual)
Costa Mesa, CA - Nov 10, 2020
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 10, 2020
Mexico City - Nov 10 & 11, 2020
Grand Rapids, MI - Nov 11, 2020  (Virtual)
Phoenix, AZ - Nov 12, 2020 (Virtual)
Guadalajara, Mexico - Nov 12 & 13, 2020
Sydney, AUS - Nov 19, 2020
Franklin, TN - Dec 3, 2020 (Virtual)
Dallas, TX - Dec 3, 2020 (Virtual)
Atlanta, GA - Dec 9, 2020
Sydney, Australia - Dec 10, 2020
San Diego, CA - Dec 16, 2020
San Francisco, CA - Dec 17, 2020 (Virtual)
Waltham, MA – Jan 14, 2021
Salisbury, England - Jan 14, 2021
Salisbury, England - Feb 18, 2021

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? The Scaling Up team is prepared to support you. We have helped 40,000 other organizations over the past 30+ years, in scaling up their organizations through coaching, workshops, online training and more.

We would like to offer you a complimentary, personal follow-up from our Scaling Up team to share how we can support you in scaling your organization. 
YES! I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COACHING & RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY FOLLOW-UP (CLICK HERE)

For questions or more information contact us at [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY: 

ScalingUp Scoreboard
Integrated with Salesforce, Slack, and Zapier (allowing it to connect with 1000s of systems), use Scoreboard to provide your team (working remotely even more important!) a real time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

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.

Growth Institute Online Executive Education:
Master of Business Dynamics
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Exponential Organizations Master Business Course
Topgrading Master Business Course

Did you miss previous insights? - read here 
  
Read Verne's Insights on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SX13YI 

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

 

Bad News; Wealthiest; DoomScrolling; Supply Chain Jazz; 96-minute Special

Hope it’s been a productive and purposeful week for you. Here are some insights to help you outlearn/outthink our reaction to the virus.

...respondents who kept up with the news cycle reported lost sleep, stress, anxiety, fatigue, and other negative mental health symptoms. 

National Geographic Science 

96-Minute Special – Virgin, Airbnb, Nextdoor, Galloway, Grant, Hamel –
Join over 3000 CEOs and CXOs already signed up for the Sept 17 (replay included with registration) LIVE virtual summit with Richard Branson, Nate Blecharczyk, Sarah Friar, Scott Galloway, Adam Grant, and Gary Hamel – plus three “mere mortal” CEOs like us from the hotel, movie theatre, and restaurant worlds who are thriving in this crisis – expanding, acquiring, and being ambitious. Are you being ambitious in this crisis? 

Forbes 400 Wealthiest --
The annual list is out. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, worth $179 billion, is No. 1 for the third year in a row, followed by Bill Gates at No. 2, worth $111 billion. More fun facts below, but first…

Streamline Your Supply Chain – Grad Student Projects Georgetown Univ --
Georgetown’s Master of Professional Studies in Supply Chain Management (SCM) is looking for companies which would like a sharp group of students to figure out how to improve/optimize their supply chain. They are building a repository of potential partner companies.The current need is for the Supply Chain Analytics and Technologies Course, which requires each student to partner with an organization for the First Stage of work. Afterward, the students form groups and select one organization to move forward with developing the Second Stage of work. The course starts in early September and runs through December 17, 2020. For more information and to become part of the program, contact James Jacobe at [email protected]. 

Engage University Student Groups --
J.D. Ewing, CEO of COE Distributing, has been using university student groups to determine the ideal location for a new warehouse and to build an AI to better predict new product success (he ended up hiring a couple of the students full time). Reach out to your local university, now that many are back in session, and see if various engineering, business, and other classes need projects for student teams – especially masters programs. 

Please Stop Consuming News -- Beware of Doomscrolling –
This Sept 4 National Geographic article might presuade you and your family/friends/team to stop consuming so much news, if any. And how social media is consumed – lurking or interacting – is critical to your psychological health. Please invest 7- minutes to read this extensively researched article and share with your children and team. Then consider going cold turkey re: the news!

5 Companies with Emotion-Tracking Technology –
This Fortune article highlights five companies pioneering emotion-tracking technologies as a way to manage anxiety, stress, and improve mental health. Featured firms include Healium, Reflect Innovation, Inner Balance, Sonde Health, and Feel. 

Overpaying on Commercial Leases? Need Less Space and Help Renegotiating Leases?
Jonathan Keyser’s firm, who we hosted at the beginning of this crisis, can help. Click on the link to secure your free assessment & strategy call with one of his lease renegotiation experts who can help you significantly restructure your real estate leases to save you money https://keyser.com/swat/

Forbes 400 Fun Facts for Weekend Gatherings (be in the know) --
Total wealth a record $3.2 trillion, up $240 billion from last year. Minimum $2.1 billion to make the cut, 18 new members to the list generating wealth from electric trucks to Zoom’s founder. 9 made a comeback, 2 died, and 25 fell off the list, 10 due directly to our reaction to Covid. The following highlights just cut and pasted from Forbes announcement – enjoy.

MORE:

Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey And The Big Gainers: These Billionaires Have Gotten The Richest Over The Past Year

Newcomers: 18 Billionaires Join The Forbes 400 List In 2020

Richest Women In America: Alice Walton And 55 Others Are Wealthier Than Ever

Falling Fortunes: Warren Buffett, Sheldon Adelson And 400 Members Who Saw The Biggest Losses

Rich, But Not Rich Enough: Kanye West, WWE’s Vince McMahon Among 233 Billionaires Who Didn’t Make The Forbes 400 List This Year

Order a box of 20 Scaling Up books –
Want to save 50% over the price on Amazon? Go to this link. 

Write Your Own Book –
Whether you want to make it to the bestseller lists or just sell a lot more of your goods or services, with a profound competitive edge over the competition, Book The Business: How to Make BIG Money With Your Book Without Selling a Single Copy is for you!

Request your free copy of this ground-breaking book at advantagefamily.com/scalingup.

EDUCATION: 

We’re Still in Business Coaching and Training Firms:
Portland, OR - Sep 15, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Salisbury, England - Sep 16, 2020
Michigan/Indiana - Sep 16, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Franklin, TN - Sep 17, 2020 (Virtual)
San Diego, CA - Sep 18, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Brisbane City, Australia - Sep 23, 2020
Georgia – Sep 24, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
New Orleans, LA - Oct 1, 2020 (Virtual)
Wellington, New Zealand - Oct 1, 2020
Waltham, MA – Oct 6, 2020
Chapel Hill, NC - Oct 7, 2020 (Virtual)
Adelaide, Australia - Oct 7, 2020
Colorado Springs, CO - Oct 8, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Vancouver, BC, CAN - Oct 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Stockholm, Sweden - Oct 15, 2020
Phoenix, AZ - Oct 15, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Sydney, Australia - Oct 15, 2020
Louisville, KY - Oct 15, 2020 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH - Oct 21, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Lancaster, PA - Oct 27, 2020 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX - Oct 27 (Virtual & In-Person) 
Colombia - Oct 27 & 28, 2020
Franklin, TN - Oct 29, 2020 (Virtual)
Salisbury, England - Nov 3, 2020
Chicago, IL - Nov 10, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Costa Mesa, CA - Nov 10, 2020
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 10, 2020
Mexico City - Nov 10 & 11, 2020
Grand Rapids, MI - Nov 11, 2020  (VIRTUAL)
Phoenix, AZ - Nov 12, 2020 (Virtual)
Guadalajara, Mexico - Nov 12 & 13, 2020
Sydney, AUS - Nov 19, 2020
Franklin, TN - Dec 3, 2020 (Virtual)
Atlanta, GA - Dec 9, 2020
Sydney, Australia - Dec 10, 2020
San Diego, CA - Dec 16, 2020
San Francisco, CA - Dec 17, 2020 (Virtual)
Waltham, MA – Jan 14, 2021
Salisbury, England - Jan 14, 2021
Salisbury, England - Feb 18, 2021

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? The Scaling Up team is prepared to support you. We have helped 40,000 other organizations over the past 30+ years, in scaling up their organizations through coaching, workshops, online training and more.

We would like to offer you a complimentary, personal follow-up from our Scaling Up team to share how we can support you in scaling your organization. 
YES! I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COACHING & RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY FOLLOW-UP (CLICK HERE)

For questions or more information contact us at [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY: 

ScalingUp Scoreboard
Integrated with Salesforce, Slack, and Zapier (allowing it to connect with 1000s of systems), use Scoreboard to provide your team (working remotely even more important!) a real time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

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.

Growth Institute Online Executive Education:
Master of Business Dynamics
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Exponential Organizations Master Business Course
Topgrading Master Business Course

Did you miss previous insights? - read here 
  
Read Verne's Insights on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SX13YI 

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

Poor to Billionaire; Pop-up Office; Steve Case; Sept 4 Deadline

Hope it’s been a productive and purposeful week for you. Here are some insights to help you outlearn/outthink our reaction to the virus.

So that's where the difference is! 

Tyler Perry, movie industry billionaire

Friday Sept 4 Deadline – Scaling Up Master Course
Now is the time for you and your team to be ambitious! More below. But first…

From Poor to Billionaire – Get Inspired
Tyler Perry has done it his way – taking control in an industry that wants control. He’s forged his own path and built a movie production empire in Atlanta – soon to be theme park like Universal Studios. Please take 5-min to read (and another 5-min to watch video) and get inspired by this Forbes piece and see how it’s all about doing things differently. How are you different (approach, location, ownership, pricing) in your industry? Get serious and be different! And own land :) -- read the article.

Pop-Up Backyard Office for $20k to $30k –
This Boulder, CO company, Studio Shed, has seen revenue jump 14x during COVID supplying stylish pop-up offices/sheds/pool houses that are shipped flat-packed and all in for just tens of thousands of dollars including site work (they don’t require a foundation). This Yahoo Finance article details along with a 5-min interview of Mike Koenig, founder and CEO. Thx to Steve Watkins for sharing.

Steve Case’s Take on the New Economy --
This 15-min Bloomberg interview of Revolution CEO Steve Case (founder of AOL) provides a wide-ranging view on what’s happening in the entrepreneurial world – and his focus on funding firms outside Silicon Valley. The tech scene is now everywhere – and the latest crisis is accelerating this trend. And at 11:45 in the interview he addresses the tech scene in China vs. US. – and the public markets. Draft Kings and BigCommerce, two of Steve’s investments, went public in the crisis. Grab your favorite beverage and gain insights from one of the grand investors of our time.

The Dream Architects – Great Read Over Weekend
All businesses will be organized like the movie/gaming industry. That’s why I love David Polfeldt’s easy-to-read book The Dream Architects which details the rise of Massive Entertainment, a division of Ubisoft, one of the most successful gaming firms in the world (Assassin’s Creed, Clancy’s The Division, and more). But first, go right to the end of the book and learn about a “secret” Italian approach to playing pool. Then read the last chapter of the book second. And if it were easy, this would be the perfect book to read backwards. One key lesson – an unbelievable focus on quality, to the nth degree, is how Massive won over James Cameron to build the Avatar game, coming soon!

The Book to Read Each Week -- Friday Forward: 52 Weeks of Inspiration -
Entrepreneur and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Glazer has a new book. Friday Forward is a curated collection of 52 inspirational stories featuring leadership lessons from high-achievers like Tim Ferriss, Ed Sheeran, Ann Miura-Ko and Adam Grant. The book is built off Bob’s newsletter of the same name, which started as an email to his team of 40 people at Acceleration Partners and has grown to an international readership of over 200,000 people in 60 countries. Those of you who have seen Bob speak at ScaleUp Summit last October know that he has a wealth of knowledge to share about how leaders can get the most out of their teams and keep the people they lead connected and motivated to learn and grow. Friday Forward is endorsed by Adam Grant, Alan Mulally, Whitney Johnson, Dan Pink, Liz Wiseman and others.

Friday Sept 4 Deadline – Scaling Up Master Course
Now is the time for you and your team to be ambitious! 283 leaders from 92 companies completed our online summer Scaling Up Master Course two weeks ago. 70% participated with 3+ executives – and not a single refund requested. Doors close for enrolling in the Sept blended (online and coached) course tomorrow -- $2400 for 1 seat; $4000 for 3. Join the next 200+ leaders (you’re connected with them in the course). 

Get your team all on the same page, completing the One-Page Strategic Plan in the course, and implementing the “routines that set you free.” For more info and a quick 1-min video https://hubs.ly/H0vt7zt0

Order a box of 20 Scaling Up books –
Want to save 50% over the price on Amazon? Go to this link. 

Write Your Own Book –
Whether you want to make it to the bestseller lists or just sell a lot more of your goods or services, with a profound competitive edge over the competition, Book The Business: How to Make BIG Money With Your Book Without Selling a Single Copy is for you!

Request your free copy of this ground-breaking book at advantagefamily.com/scalingup.

EDUCATION: 

We’re Still in Business Coaching and Training Firms:
Melbourne, Australia - Sep 8, 2020
Sydney, AUS - Sep 10, 2020
San Francisco, CA - Sep 10, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Columbus, OH - Sep 10, 2020 (VIRTUAL and In-Person)
Louisville, KY - Sep 10, 2020 (Virtual)
Dallas, TX - Sep 10, 2020
Portland, OR - Sep 15, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Salisbury, England - Sep 16, 2020
Michigan/Indiana - Sep 16, 2018 (VIRTUAL)
Franklin, TN - Sep 17, 2020 (Virtual)
San Diego, CA - Sep 18, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Brisbane City, Australia - Sep 23, 2020
Georgia – Sep 24, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Los Angeles, CA – Oct 1, 2020
New Orleans, LA - Oct 1, 2020 (Virtual)
Wellington, New Zealand - Oct 1, 2020
Waltham, MA – Oct 6, 2020
Chapel Hill, NC - Oct 7, 2020 (Virtual)
Adelaide, Australia - Oct 7, 2020
Colorado Springs, CO - Oct 8, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Stockholm, Sweden - Oct 15, 2020
Phoenix, AZ - Oct 15, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Sydney, Australia - Oct 15, 2020
Louisville, KY - Oct 15, 2020 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH - Oct 21, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Lancaster, PA - Oct 27, 2020 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX - Oct 27 (Virtual & In-Person) 
Colombia - Oct 27 & 28, 2020
Franklin, TN - Oct 29, 2020 (Virtual)
Salisbury, England - Nov 3, 2020
Chicago, IL - Nov 10, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Costa Mesa, CA - Nov 10, 2020
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 10, 2020
Mexico City - Nov 10 & 11, 2020
Grand Rapids, MI - Nov 11, 2020  (VIRTUAL)
Phoenix, AZ - Nov 12, 2020 (Virtual)
Guadalajara, Mexico - Nov 12 & 13, 2020
Sydney, AUS - Nov 19, 2020
Franklin, TN - Dec 3, 2020 (Virtual)
Atlanta, GA - Dec 9, 2020
Sydney, Australia - Dec 10, 2020
San Diego, CA - Dec 16, 2020
San Francisco, CA - Dec 17, 2020 (Virtual)
Waltham, MA – Jan 14, 2021
Salisbury, England - Jan 14, 2021
Salisbury, England - Feb 18, 2021

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? The Scaling Up team is prepared to support you. We have helped 40,000 other organizations over the past 30+ years, in scaling up their organizations through coaching, workshops, online training and more.

We would like to offer you a complimentary, personal follow-up from our Scaling Up team to share how we can support you in scaling your organization. 
YES! I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COACHING & RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY FOLLOW-UP (CLICK HERE)

For questions or more information contact us at [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY: 

ScalingUp Scoreboard
Integrated with Salesforce, Slack, and Zapier (allowing it to connect with 1000s of systems), use Scoreboard to provide your team (working remotely even more important!) a real time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

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.

Growth Institute Online Executive Education:
Master of Business Dynamics
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Exponential Organizations Master Business Course
Topgrading Master Business Course

Did you miss previous insights? - read here 
  
Read Verne's Insights on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SX13YI 

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights