The Agile Scaleup

Stock Tip?; Boris’s Jam; Easy AI Tool; May 26

If you do things well, do them better. Be daring, be first, be different, be just.

Anita Roddick, founder The Body Shop

When we see happiness in the happiness of others, that's when we will be truly happy.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakeable Company – May 26 Webinar
Kevin Oakes, author of Culture Renovation* (one of the top biz books of 2021 already), will share his extensive research and insights into HOW to create a strong company culture. The pandemic has brought the topic of workplace culture into the glaring light of day for all organizations. And I know from talking to many of you that culture is very much on everyone’s minds. It’s also critical for growth. Join us LIVE for a free webinar on May 26th at 4 ET // 1 PT. Learn more and register here.

Great Places to Work 2021 – Also Crushing the Market
I missed Fortune’s announcement of the “Top 100 Great Places to Work 2021” a few weeks ago. Here it is with Cisco, Salesforce, Hilton, Wegmans, and Rocket taking the top 5 spots. Equally important, Fortune has tracked, since 1998, the stock performance of the Top 100 against the Russell 3000 and it’s crushed it by a factor 250%. Here’s an article that details. Culture matters, so carve out an hour and join the free webinar above.

$2.99 This Week -- Introvert’s Edge to Networking (May 17 – 22)
50% of the population are introverts, according to Matthew Pollard author of Introvert’s Edge to Networking: Work the Room. Leverage Social Media. Develop Powerful Connections.*  As we head back to face-to-face gatherings, it can be less exciting for introverts. Yet, networking has always been a key tool to scale a business and your career. Matthew’s book is an excellent guide and is available this week for just $2.99 on Kindle or iTunes – grab a copy – I did (I’m actually an introvert as well).

AI Startup Scales to $14 million ARR (Scaling Up Case Study)
Pivoting to “plan B” Dave Rogenmoser and his Austin-based Proof team used the Scaling Uptools/techniques to rapidly innovate a platform that uses advanced AI to help companies create Facebook and Google ads, website content and social media posts. Called Conversion.ai, this moved Proof into profitability and “a lot of cash,” which they used to acquire a competitor. Notes Dave:

“Cash sitting around allows you to do something like that. Buying that company was probably the single best decision we made from a growth standpoint.”

This Scaleups.com article, describes the tough personnel decisions they made; how their using scoreboards and daily huddles to drive performance; and their focus on improving processes vs. tossing people at the problems. Please take 2-minutes to read the article and pick up some hints for scaling your business.

National Scale Up Week -- UK
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the UK, clearly understands the crucial role scaleups play in rebooting an economy. And in a way only the British can exclaim/explain, PM Johnson notes:

“Too often we politicians have overlooked the crucial jam in our entrepreneurial sandwich” – the scaleups! 

Please enjoy 47 seconds to watch the first part of PM Johnson’s video message supporting scaleups – I so wish I had a British accent – then I could garner fees like Simon Sinek! Thank you to all our Scaling Up coaching partners in the UK. Led by Neale Lewis, we’re working closely with the City of Westminster (London) and the UK Government to support scaleups.

Weekend Countdown – 1-Minute of Wisdom
Enjoy this kickoff to your weekend – some bits of wisdom from a fresh set of wise teachers, updated each weekend: https://vimeo.com/552567399 

*As an Amazon Associate, I may earn revenue from qualified purchases made through this link.

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

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.

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.
Did you miss previous insights? - read here 

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.

COACHING:
Ready to scale but looking for guidance?
Work with a Coach! Scaling a company is hard, but you don’t have to go it alone. Elevate your business with the only end-to-end solution for entrepreneurs that are ready to move past the plateau and get exponential results. Whether you’re in growth mode, planning strategy, raising capital, or navigating a complex economic landscape, Scaling Up's globally recognized coaches leverage effective tools and an evidence-based methodology to empower you to achieve results. Over 70,000 businesses have done it!

Learn more about what it’s like to work with a Scaling Up Certified Coach™ by scheduling a complimentary, personal follow-up. CLICK HERE! Or check out our FAQ’s. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected]. 

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

We’re still in business coaching and training firms:
Lowell, Michigan - May 20, 2021
San Francisco, CA - May 20, 2021 (Virtual)
Amsterdam - June 3, 2021
Sydney, Australia - June 3, 2021
Phoenix, AZ – June 3, 2021 (In-Person)
Atlanta, GA – June 8, 2021 (In-Person)
Colorado Springs, CO - June 9, 2021 (Virtual)
WNY, Ontario, Great Lakes – June 11, 2021 (Virtual)
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - June 15, 2021 (Virtual)
Lowell, Michigan - Jul 22, 2021
Salisbury, England - July 6, 2021
Dallas, TX - Aug 12, 2021
Sydney, Australia - Aug 25, 2021
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - Sep 7, 2021 (Virtual)
Lowell, Michigan - Sep 22, 2021
Lancaster, PA - Oct 26, 2021
Sydney, Australia - Oct 27, 2021
Lowell, Michigan - Nov 4, 2021
Salisbury, England - Nov 18, 2021
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - Nov 23, 2021 (Virtual)


Follow our new Instagram account: @scalingup2.0 

Read Verne's Insights on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SX13YI 

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

Elon; Benioff; Highest Paid Con Artist; May 18

There is no traffic jam along the extra mile.

Roger Staubach

 

Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.

Cher

Your Corporate University – Scaling Up Master Class Next Week
Twice a year I personally teach a Scaling Up Master Class. Do you have new employees or maybe you need a refresher? It’s virtual next week. Just 3 hours Wed May 19 and 3 hours Thurs May 20 (90 minutes each for People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash) – plus a special 90-minute CEOs-only session Tuesday May 18 – and it’s recorded so you can review. 

Marc Benioff Says a Ranch May Be What Salesforce’s Work Culture Needs
This WSJ article notes Salesforce’s plans include the possible purchase of a large property to use for team and culture-building activities, as well as employee orientations and training sessions. “We’re looking at maybe buying a large piece of land, maybe a large ranch in the United States or some other type of acreage where we can build the next generation of Crotonville (GE’s fabled training center),” notes Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of Salesforce. Does your team have a go-to-place, in nature, to refresh, host quarterly planning sessions, etc.? PE firm K1 uses Terranea Resort – so you don’t have to own the place! Thanks to Scaling Up coach Bill Gallagher for pointing me to this article.

Congratulations Hermann Simon – New Business School in China
Author of Hidden Champions of the 21^st Century*, founder of the world’s largest pricing consultancy, and mentor Hermann Simon has a new business school named after him in China. Notes this Simon-Kucher announcement:

The initiator of the new business school is the Chinese entrepreneur Yang Shuren, who consistently led his company according to the Hidden Champions principles of specialization and globalization. With this strategy, Yang Shuren's company succeeded in becoming the world market leader in several specialty chemicals.

This SlideShare set of 75 slides summarizes the strategy of dominating a niche globally – start on slide 30. This is critical information – and only wish that Hermann’s school was in the US, though it’s providing virtual lectures! 

Elon Musk Hosts SNL
Cher would be proud (see quote above) – Elon’s hosting of Saturday Night Live last weekend was epic. With the third highest ratings this season; live streamed for the first time on YouTube to 100 countries; and concerns with SNL being LIVE and what Elon might say as a public company CEO, he acknowledged all this by exclaiming:

“I could say something truly shocking — like I drive of Prius!”  

He’s so comfortable, in an awkward way, in his own skin – and vulnerable enough to admit he has Asperger syndrome. That explains a lot. As Pat Lencioni (Five Dysfunctions of a Team*) details, vulnerability builds trust. We strangely trust Elon to drive us down the road and take us to Mars. 

Power of Deception
“The most expensive baseball player in history is a con artist” states this BBC Sport article. Trevor Bauer, pitcher for the LA Dodgers, isn’t the fastest, but he’s the most deceptive pitcher in the league. And he’s achieved these results through relentless analysis. Notes BBC Sport:

Insatiable and unorthodox in his quest to improve, he follows the science in searching for new forms of deceit. He has pitched blindfolded. He pitched with one eye shut in a pre-season match in March. And he has worn virtual reality goggles to face his own deliveries - all to analyse his own game.

 Pete Sampras trained in a similar way – to hide the direction of his serve. Please take 3-minutes to marvel in the depth of understanding Trevor has achieved in his craft. Are you doing similar work to master yours? 

Scaling Up Wins Two Golds
516 entries from 37 countries competing for the 11^th Global Eventex Awards 2021. Scaling Up brought home two gold medals – winning the best “Online Education Event” and “Webinar” for our series of Scaling Up+ Summits in 2020. Thank you to the over 18,000 that attended these executive education events – to help you outlearn the competition!

Weekend Countdown – 1-Minute of Wisdom
Enjoy this kickoff to your weekend – some bits of wisdom from a new set of wise teachers: https://vimeo.com/548600929 

*As an Amazon Associate, I may earn revenue from qualified purchases made through this link.

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

EDUCATION: 
We’re still in business coaching and training firms:
Latin America - May 13 & 14, 2021 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH - May 14, 2021 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN - May 14, 2021 (Virtual)
Lowell, Michigan - May 20, 2021
San Francisco, CA - May 20, 2021 (Virtual)
Amsterdam - June 3, 2021
Sydney, Australia - June 3, 2021
Phoenix, AZ – June 3, 2021 (In-Person)
Atlanta, GA – June 8, 2021 (In-Person)
Colorado Springs, CO - June 9, 2021 (Virtual)
WNY, Ontario, Great Lakes – June 11, 2021 (Virtual)
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - June 15, 2021 (Virtual)
Lowell, Michigan - Jul 22, 2021
Salisbury, England - July 6, 2021
Dallas, TX - Aug 12, 2021
Sydney, Australia - Aug 25, 2021
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - Sep 7, 2021 (Virtual)
Lowell, Michigan - Sep 22, 2021
Lancaster, PA - Oct 26, 2021
Sydney, Australia - Oct 27, 2021
Lowell, Michigan - Nov 4, 2021
Salisbury, England - Nov 18, 2021
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - Nov 23, 2021 (Virtual)

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

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.

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.
Did you miss previous insights? - read here 

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.

COACHING:
Ready to scale but looking for guidance?
Work with a Coach! Scaling a company is hard, but you don’t have to go it alone. Elevate your business with the only end-to-end solution for entrepreneurs that are ready to move past the plateau and get exponential results. Whether you’re in growth mode, planning strategy, raising capital, or navigating a complex economic landscape, Scaling Up's globally recognized coaches leverage effective tools and an evidence-based methodology to empower you to achieve results. Over 70,000 businesses have done it!

Learn more about what it’s like to work with a Scaling Up Certified Coach™ by scheduling a complimentary, personal follow-up. CLICK HERE! Or check out our FAQ’s. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected]. 


Follow our new Instagram account: @scalingup2.0 

Read Verne's Insights on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SX13YI 

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

 

Most Persuasive Word; Cannabis Firm Scales; Team Anywhere Theme; TED Talk

Play by the rules but be ferocious.

Phil Knight

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.

John F. Kennedy

Adam Grant’s New TED Talk – Think Again
This 15-minute TED talk is a nice summary of Adam’s new book Think Again*. You can skip the first minute, but juicy insights the rest of the time. Intelligence is actually a trap – and being good at thinking can hamper your ability to rethink i.e the “I’m not biased, bias!” The most dangerous for business leaders? Escalation of commitment – we get so dogged about a course of action we’re willing to double down on a bad decision (guilty as charged). There are five more of these sage bits of wisdom with examples (the Melinda Gates story is newsworthy with the announcement this week!) Anyway, grab your favorite beverage this weekend and take 15 to learn from this master Wharton psychology prof.

Most Persuasive Word in the Dictionary
YPOer Brit Blacklidge, who attended our YPO-only CEO Boot Camp in February (another coming up in November) shared this Medium article with me this week. It’s crazy how this one word “because” makes your position much more persuasive – by magnitudes! Please take one-minute to read how it’s applied and start using it – it worked for me this week in landing a top CEO for an upcoming webinar (stay tuned).

Cannabis Company’s Focus on Profitability (Scaling Up Case Study)
Chris Driessen became CEO of public company Slang (OTCMKTS: SLGWF) last August and has been aggressively installing Scaling Up after attending our CEO Boot Camp (FYI, I’m a shareholder and fan).  With the help of Bob Verdun, an early practitioner of our tools who scaled and sold, Chris is powering the firm on five core values, slashed $8 million in costs, and is constantly fine turning their strategy by pulling out of unprofitable markets and moving towards more profitable ones. This article details the changes Chris and his team have implemented as the company approached US$70 million in market cap. 

Atlassian’s “Team Anywhere” Policy – All in with Work From Home (WFH)
This Sydney Morning Herald article details how Atlassian (NASDAQ: TEAM) has gone all in with WFH rules for it’s 5700 employees worldwide. Please take 1-minute to see their guidelines. Notes Scott Farquhar, co-founder and CEO: “We’ve built a great company, tapping into a global talent base and so the idea of ‘Team Anywhere’ is that talent still exists anywhere it just doesn’t happen to need to exist within 50 kilometres of an existing office.” Thank you to Sydney Scaling Up coaching partner Anna Samios for sharing. FYI, I’m a shareholder and fan as well.   

10-Day Cost Free for Startups – Menorca
I’ve lectured in this program for several years (and will zoom in this year). Selected startups will be eligible for a 150k€ convertible note, with the top startups potentially receiving follow-on capital of up to 2M€. The first phase of applications is open now and you can apply here (it only takes 5 minutes!). The Decelera team has run 6 successful programs (in both Menorca, Spain, and Playa del Carmen, Mexico), and has worked with over 125 startups that have gone on to raise over €200M.

Zero to a Million?  Looking for Six Examples
I’m producing, with Mindvalley, a new Scaling Up course for startups wanting to scale past the $1 million mark. Have you been using the Rockefeller Habits to scale since you started? Have you soared over a million in revenue? Email me your quick story – and a couple examples of the tools/techniques from Scaling Up you’ve used – [email protected] – thx.

Weekend Countdown – 1-Minute of Wisdom
Enjoy this kickoff to your weekend – some bits of wisdom from a new set of wise teachers: https://vimeo.com/546031617

Speed Implementation of Scaling Up 
Prepare for the second half of 2021 (and the Roaring 20s) -- Scaling Up is 10x easier to implement if more people in the firm are on-board with the tools/techniques. I’m teaching the next Scaling Up Master Class mid-May.1.5 hours for the CEO-only (May 18); 3 hours May 19; 3 hours May 20. Over 750 CEOs and CXOs participated in December. Here's a 1-min video I recorded on the benefits of the workshop. Outlearn the competition!

*As an Amazon Associate, I may earn revenue from qualified purchases made through this link.

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

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.

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.
Did you miss previous insights? - read here 

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.

COACHING:
Ready to scale but looking for guidance?
Work with a Coach! Scaling a company is hard, but you don’t have to go it alone. Elevate your business with the only end-to-end solution for entrepreneurs that are ready to move past the plateau and get exponential results. Whether you’re in growth mode, planning strategy, raising capital, or navigating a complex economic landscape, Scaling Up's globally recognized coaches leverage effective tools and an evidence-based methodology to empower you to achieve results. Over 70,000 businesses have done it!

Learn more about what it’s like to work with a Scaling Up Certified Coach™ by scheduling a complimentary, personal follow-up. CLICK HERE! Or check out our FAQ’s. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected]. 

EDUCATION: 
We’re still in business coaching and training firms:
Cairns, Queensland, AUS - May 11, 2021
Townsville, Queensland, AUS - May 12, 2021
Latin America - May 13 & 14, 2021 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH - May 14, 2021 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN - May 14, 2021 (Virtual)
Lowell, Michigan - May 20, 2021
San Francisco, CA - May 20, 2021 (Virtual)
Amsterdam - June 3, 2021
Sydney, Australia - June 3, 2021
Phoenix, AZ – June 3, 2021 (In-Person)
Atlanta, GA – June 8, 2021 (Virtual)
Colorado Springs, CO - June 9, 2021 (Virtual)
WNY, Ontario, Great Lakes – June 11, 2021 (Virtual)
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - June 15, 2021 (Virtual)
Lowell, Michigan - Jul 22, 2021
Salisbury, England - July 6, 2021
Dallas, TX - Aug 12, 2021
Sydney, Australia - Aug 25, 2021
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - Sep 7, 2021 (Virtual)
Lowell, Michigan - Sep 22, 2021
Lancaster, PA - Oct 26, 2021
Sydney, Australia - Oct 27, 2021
Lowell, Michigan - Nov 4, 2021
Salisbury, England - Nov 18, 2021
Melbourne, VIC, AUS - Nov 23, 2021 (Virtual)

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

Follow our new Instagram account: @scalingup2.0 

Read Verne's Insights on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SX13YI 

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights