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 – verne@scalingup.com – 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!
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Order a box of 20 Scaling Up books
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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 ScoreboardIntegrated 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 coaching@scalingup.com.
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