The Agile Scaleup

Horror Management; Rites of Passage; Family Meeting Planner

If you don't initiate the youth, they will burn down the village.
                                                African proverb

This company is now a platform company to buy and grow.
                                                Shawn Skaggs

Rite of Passage Programs for Men/Sons
One of the 8 ideas I’ve been championing this past decade is the importance of parents taking their children through “rite of passage” initiations. All four of my children have participated. There are a couple programs coming up on the east coast (West Virginia mountains): 

Fathers and Sons Learning Together (sons 13 – 18) April 1 – 2

Young Men’s Rite of Passage (18 – 28) May 17 – 21

25 Acquisitions – Parallel Ag (Scaling Up Case Study)
This is our third in a series of “Scaling thru Acquisition” stories. Shawn Skaggs’ firm Livingston Machinery, with the help of private equity, acquired a second firm Ag Solutions Group. Using Scaling Up and the help of coach Stacy Eads, Shawn has integrated the combined firms, named Parallel Ag. With 13 locations selling new and used ag equipment, this new firm is serving as a “platform company” to do 25 more acquisitions. Please take 2 minutes to read the details on how Skaggs found his equity partners, integrated the acquisitions, and is pursuing additional acquisition targets. How do you become a platform firm and then grow through acquiring small firms in your niche? It’s one of the most important growth strategies this decade as the baby boom is exiting millions of companies.

Platforms vs. Operating Systems
Yes, operating systems are so last century. Platforms are what you want to create and use to scale in the 21^st century. It’s why Learning Management Systems (LMS) are being replaced with Learning Experience Platforms (LXP). And it’s why we call our Scaling Up solution a “Performance Platform” (www.scalingup.com) on which you can bolt all kinds of additional tools/techniques vs. an old-school operating system that is rigid and represents a “one size fits all” approach. You need the flexibility or you’re leaving millions of dollars and time on the table!! No time for amateur hour.

Recruiting – Name Price First
One of the CEOs in my recent 2-day YPO program in Australia emailed how the “name price first” approach I taught worked beautifully in recruiting a key position. He noted (preferred not to be named) that expressing: 

I don’t know what you’re paid, but this is what I have to offer, we are really excited and would love to have you on board…

…approach helped generate a “completely different conversation” vs. asking the person, first, what they were expecting to make. He goes on to note:

I was very worried about having to pay more for this particular role since these people are in high demand, but it went just like you said it would. We found a spot in the middle right on the top of our budget.

Great outcome. Very positive. We have come to a verbal agreement today and expecting a signature from the prospect tomorrow.

The Planner for Family Meetings that Work
Dr. Mark Goulston interviewed Alex Mont-Ros on his podcast, which BTW is in the top 0.5% globally and carried in 40 countries. Mark emailed me to share Alex’s “Family Meeting Planner”. It's a 52-week program in a binder where families sit down once a week and everyone shares their ups and downs, their goals, and steps they're taking to move it forward and more. He told me that his 8-year-old, three weeks earlier, asked to run the check-in for the family and one week earlier asked to run the meeting.

Coaching the Team vs. One-on-One
This HBR article details how team coaching vs. the typical one-on-one coaching is often more effective. It helps build better relationships within the team vs. just with the manager – and peers learn more from peers than their manager!! A key approach is “problem-based coaching” where a company/team challenge is treated like a case study and the team is asked to solve the case (like you would at Harvard, only your firm is the focus!). The case study method is powerful. Please take 2 minutes to read the article (and yes, I recommend two subscriptions – HBR and Fortune – my two favorite sources of biz learning).

Horror and Management
Australian Scaling Up coach Rob Nankervis sent me the following photo. You can make this stuff up! A local bookstore in Melbourne now has Horror and Management titles positioned right next to each other.

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

SCALING UP WORKSHOPS:
Engage your team with interactive workshops to optimize your company’s performance.
(list of workshops below)

Madrid, Spain – Mar 2, 2023 (Virtual)
Boulder, CO – Mar 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Boulder, Colorado – March 7, 2023 (Virtual)
Minneapolis, MN – Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Oxford, England – Mar 8, 2023 (In-Person)
Boulder, Colorado – March 14, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Mar 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia - Mar 15, 2023 (In-Person)
Barcelona, Spain – Mar 16, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne/Sydney, Australia - Mar 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Mar 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Hong Kong/Singapore – Mar 22, 2023 (Virtual)
Wilmington, NC – Mar 24, 2023 (In-Person)
Bengaluru/Hyderabad/India – Mar 29, 2023 (Virtual)
Scottsdale, Az – Apr 4, 2023 (In-Person)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Apr 6, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Apr 13, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – Apr 20, 2023 (In-Person)
Nashville, TN – Apr 20, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Apr 27, 2023 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – May 3 & 4, 2023 (2 Day) (In-Person)
Brisbane, Australia – May 10, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - May 11, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Jun 6, 2023 (In-Person)
Nashville, TN – Jun 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Jun 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Jul 6, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Jul 20, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Aug 10, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Sep 5, 2023 (In-Person)
Grand Rapids, MI – Sep 12, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Sep 14, 2023 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 10, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Oct 12, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Nov 9, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – Nov 9, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Dec 7, 2023 (Virtual)

COACHING:
Does it feel as if your business has hit a wall? If you don't see a clear path forward, it's a good time to bring in a coach.  All of our Scaling Up Certified Coaches™ are masters at guiding you and your leadership team through the implementation of the Scaling Up Performance. Our promise is a custom diagnostic approach from Day 1, including how we match you with a coach. We even have a team member dedicated to helping you find the perfect Scaling Up Certified Coach.™Schedule a complimentary, personal follow-up. Or check out our FAQs. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY:
Scaling Up 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.

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

Have you considered becoming a Certified Scaling Up Coach?
Learn more about what it takes to certify and what being a coach is like. Pop into our Coach Office Hours to talk with our coach certification coordinator and a certified Scaling Up Coach. Learn More & Register for Office Hours here >

Planning to Exit?
It’s the most critical decision a business owner will make in their lifetime – and over my 40 years of helping firms, I’ve seen owners taken advantage of time and time again – leaving tens of millions on the table. You’re up against sophisticated buyers who have done hundreds of acquisitions – whereas this is often your first rodeo. And these buyers have a formula for ripping you off – and it works. Seeking help, owners find the big M&A firms, especially those specializing in your industry, are more beholden to the buyers than the sellers (they will tell you otherwise). They are not your friend in the process, just another transaction. Email me to get a white paper on what to avoid when exiting [email protected].

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.

Your Brand as Marketing Powerhouse with a Forbes Books Content Partnership
If you want to be “top of mind” with your audience, then you need a strategy to build your authority in your field. Investing in media services with your personal brand can help you grow your audience and distinguish you as a trusted authority because you are educating, not selling. Learn how your brand can work harder for your business with a free brand audit.

Did you miss previous insights? - read here

Follow Verne on Instagram: @scalingup2.0

Follow Verne on Twitter: @agilescaleup

Connect with Verne on LinkedIn: Verne Harnish

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

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

Shark Flywheel; Amazon’s 3; Fewer Bigger; Feb 23 Negotiations Webinar

…a concession made before you start the negotiation counts for zero in the relationship bank. People like to see you concede during the negotiation.
                                                Dr. Victoria Medvec

…we have fewer but bigger customers, our minimums are higher, orders are bigger—and it’s had a big impact to the bottom line.
                                                David Harding commenting on HBS

High Stakes Negotiation Webinar – Feb 23, 11am ET
The strategies of high-stakes negotiations expert Victoria Medvec, Northwestern U, have saved and generated millions for businesses in the Scaling Up community. Alongside hiring, negotiating is among the top 2 most essential skills you need as a leader. Sign up for this free training.“Command the Conversation: The Top 3 Strategies to Win High Stakes Negotiations in the Digital Era” and dive deep into the powerful tactics behind Dr. Medvec's world-class negotiation methodology with University of Michigan professor Sara Soderstrom.

Fewer, Bigger Customers – Hunt Big Sales (Case Study)
Scaling Up fan David Harding, CEO of Tipton Mills, contracted Hunt Big Sales (HBS) to create a sales growth strategy. Notes David: 

We initially hired HBS because we were not meeting sales goals and wanted a replicable and scalable growth strategy to take the company to another level. Now, through this new process, we have fewer but bigger customers, our minimums are higher, orders are bigger—and it’s had a big impact to the bottom line. Had we not done this, we likely would have had to do some structural changes to reduce costs... but instead, we are now growing!

HBS, who keynoted our last Summit, has been able to deliver over $18B of incremental sales opportunities to their clients and is helping a lot of Scaling Up firms. Here is more information: https://www.huntbigsales.com/scaling-up/. Or just reach out to them at [email protected] or 317-847-8037.

€4.5 to €60 Million via 14 Acquisitions (Scaling Up Case Study)
This ScaleUps.com article details how Marc Visser scaled his Netherland-based MSP hallo to €60 million and 300 employees thru 14 acquisitions. Teaming with a private equity firm that supplied €75 million, the article explains how he chose, structured, and integrated the acquisitions. Notes Visser: 

Many of them are small businesses that find it difficult to scale to the next level, build a management team and put money into marketing and automation.

Using Scaling Up to aid integration, the daily and weekly meeting rhythms help to drive a common culture and brand that has helped hallo become an employer of choice in the tech sector. Please take 2 minutes to scan through the details. Our chaotic economy makes for a great time to do acquisitions!! Let us help.

Adelaide Firm Eliminates All State Managers (Scaling Up Case Study)
Rob Cowie, CEO of Move Yourself Trailer Hire, attended our virtual Summit in 2022 and came away with an immediate decision. With over 1000 locations throughout Australia, he eliminated all his State Managers. Notes Rob: 

Despite our best efforts to guide them and train them, they always knew better and due to being remote to our head office, ran ‘their own show’ and bucked at attempts to improve despite systems we put in place.

Instead, he upgraded the “team leads” (called Coordinators) for Depot and Field Operations. The result – everything is better – morale, service, and financials.

Amazon’s 3 Priorities -- CEO’s Message to Employees
This Fortune article summarizes a leaked audio from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy to his employees after cutting 18,000 employees (out of 1.5 million). He suggested that the moves Amazon is making will be “misunderstood and underrated” and asked employees to focus on three things:

• Think Like Owners – be “speedy and insurgent” to stay ahead of competition.
• Focus – be more productive.
• Customer Obsession – “reprioritize and rethink” what is important to shoppers.

Have you decided/shared your themes for 2023 with your team?

Shark’s Culture Flywheel
Andrew Banks, one of the famous Shark Tank judges in Australia, was the opening keynote at our Scaling Up Summit in Sydney last week. This slide says it all – a strong culture is virtuous; a weak culture is vicious!

Ben Zander's “Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony” and Talk Feb 26 Livestream
The iconic conductor Ben Zander, whose TED Talk and book The Art of Possibility are renowned, is heading to Carnegie Hall to perform Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony on Sunday, Feb 26, preceded by a talk at 1:30 pm ET. It’s being live-streamed – not to be missed. For tixs.

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.

Become an Authority and Reduce Your Marketing Investment
Top leaders know that branding is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Becoming an authority means you and your brand are synonymous with trust and confidence. Growing brand equity translates to greater pricing power and the ability to reduce marketing costs. If you’re interested in proven strategies to help outflank your competition and grow your audience, request a free copy of Authority Marketing.

COACHING:
Does it feel as if your business has hit a wall? If you don't see a clear path forward, it's a good time to bring in a coach.  All of our Scaling Up Certified Coaches™ are masters at guiding you and your leadership team through the implementation of the Scaling Up Performance. Our promise is a custom diagnostic approach from Day 1, including how we match you with a coach. We even have a team member dedicated to helping you find the perfect Scaling Up Certified Coach.™Schedule a complimentary, personal follow-up. Or check out our FAQs. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY:
Scaling Up 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.

SCALING UP WORKSHOPS:
Engage your team with interactive workshops to optimize your company’s performance.
(list of workshops below)

Barcelona, Spain – Feb 21, 2023 (Virtual)
Washington, DC – Feb 22, 2023 (In-Person)
Madison, NJ – Feb 24, 2023 (Virtual)
Madrid, Spain – Mar 2, 2023 (Virtual)
Boulder, CO – Mar 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Minneapolis, MN – Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Oxford, England – Mar 8, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Mar 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia - Mar 15, 2023 (In-Person)
Barcelona, Spain – Mar 16, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne/Sydney, Australia - Mar 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Mar 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Hong Kong/Singapore – Mar 22, 2023 (Virtual)
Wilmington, NC – Mar 24, 2023 (In-Person)
Bengaluru/Hyderabad/India – Mar 29, 2023 (Virtual)
Scottsdale, Az – Apr 4, 2023 (In-Person)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Apr 6, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Apr 13, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – Apr 20, 2023 (In-Person)
Nashville, TN – Apr 20, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Apr 27, 2023 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – May 3 & 4, 2023 (2 Day) (In-Person)
Brisbane, Australia – May 10, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - May 11, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Jun 6, 2023 (In-Person)
Nashville, TN – Jun 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Jun 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Jul 6, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Jul 20, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Aug 10, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Sep 5, 2023 (In-Person)
Grand Rapids, MI – Sep 12, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Sep 14, 2023 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 10, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Oct 12, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Nov 9, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – Nov 9, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Dec 7, 2023 (Virtual)

Have you considered becoming a Certified Scaling Up Coach?
Learn more about what it takes to certify and what being a coach is like. Pop into our Coach Office Hours to talk with our coach certification coordinator and a certified Scaling Up Coach.Learn More & Register for Office Hours here >

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

Planning to Exit?
It’s the most critical decision a business owner will make in their lifetime – and over my 40 years of helping firms, I’ve seen owners taken advantage of time and time again – leaving tens of millions on the table. You’re up against sophisticated buyers who have done hundreds of acquisitions – whereas this is often your first rodeo. And these buyers have a formula for ripping you off – and it works. Seeking help, owners find the big M&A firms, especially those specializing in your industry, are more beholden to the buyers than the sellers (they will tell you otherwise). They are not your friend in the process, just another transaction. Email me to get a white paper on what to avoid when exiting [email protected].

Did you miss previous insights? - read here

Follow Verne on Instagram: @scalingup2.0

Follow Verne on Twitter: @agilescaleup

Connect with Verne on LinkedIn: Verne Harnish

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

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights   

Owner Financed Acquisitions; Unworking; Layoff Warnings; Coral’s Results

Managers are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack in the week after they fire someone.
                                                Fortune

What will a workplace adapted to the opportunities and challenges of the new world of work look like?
                                                Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office

Mass Layoffs Come with Large Hidden Costs
This Fortune article details how layoffs can end up being drastically more costly – lost productivity, replacement costs later, low morale, health issues with the survivors, etc. The article features Lincoln Electric (their stock is at an all-time high) which hasn’t laid off employees in nearly 75 years, one of the companies we highlight in Scaling Up Compensation. Thank you to Scaling Up Coach Ethan Martin for pointing me to this piece.

Unique Owner Financing of Acquisitions (Scaling Up Case Study)
Scaling Up fan Austin Clark scaled Moxie Pest Control through five acquisitions, tripling revenue. This ScaleUps.com article details how he chose and integrated these acquisitions. Key was complete owner financing with the article sharing the simple structure they used to payback the owner and the benefits to the owner. Scaling through acquisitions is key as many business owners coming out of the pandemic are anxious to exit. It doesn’t take “millions lying around” as Clark exclaimed.

Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office
Borrowing straight from GetAbstracts summary, this book might be useful to many of you as you figure out how to bring people back to the office: 

While the offices of large corporations may look serene on the surface, underneath they are struggling to adapt. Workers are fed up with rigid, hostile workplace structures. What will a workplace adapted to the opportunities and challenges of the new world of work look like? Jeremy Myerson and Philip Ross analyze the shifting role of the office since the early 20th century, and speculate on its ongoing evolution. This part-historical, part-exploratory study will appeal to anyone preparing for the future of the workplace, either as a user or provider of the office as a service.

NOTE: YPOers receive GetAbstracts for free. For the rest, it’s a nominal cost and they provide the best 3 – 5-page summaries of books!

First Time Implementing – Culture Change Concern (Scaling Up Case Study)
Coral de Camps, CEO of Cacaoteca, a bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer in the Dominican Republic she founded 8 years ago, emailed me:

I read Scaling Up with much joy…we have reached a new point this year: for the first time we are ready to work with budgets, sales predictions and data driven production calendars. I am really excited about it. However, I am at a loss on how to implement this culture change - mainly because I have never done anything like it! Do you have any suggestions? advice?

One Process at a Time – With a Whiteboard Update
My response:

Implementing the Rockefeller Habits -- where you’re using KPIs and Priorities (setting sprints) that align with your budget, sales, production goals -- causes the culture change.  Start with one thing – like the Jim Tobin example in the book.  His 28 employees weren’t using their new project management software indicated by all the late and unassigned tasks flagged by the system.  He set the monthly goal to get both late and unassigned tasks to zero and the team did. Key was updating a whiteboard in the breakroom each day with the latest numbers.

Results – Zero Missed Deliveries!
Coral’s results:

Thank you for answering my email! I had been waiting to answer back because I wanted to run the experiment of the simple step of starting with one thing. I chose my logistics department. They have been consistently lagging the rest in performance (the constraint). So, I changed management and gave them the goal of sticking to a pre-established calendar and reporting every day on the orders they have marked as closed in the system. The result – they now have zero missed deliveries. It has been wonderful. We have had immediate improvements. And most of all, a team who is now convinced they can do the work. The challenge now is for everyone to keep it up with them!!

Coral continues: “I am now reading Scaling Up Compensation. It has already changed my perspective and I am only starting!”

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

Planning to Exit?
It’s the most critical decision a business owner will make in their lifetime – and over my 40 years of helping firms, I’ve seen owners taken advantage of time and time again – leaving tens of millions on the table. You’re up against sophisticated buyers who have done hundreds of acquisitions – whereas this is often your first rodeo. And these buyers have a formula for ripping you off – and it works. Seeking help, owners find the big M&A firms, especially those specializing in your industry, are more beholden to the buyers than the sellers (they will tell you otherwise). They are not your friend in the process, just another transaction. Email me to get a white paper on what to avoid when exiting [email protected].

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.

Become an Authority and Reduce Your Marketing Investment
Top leaders know that branding is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Becoming an authority means you and your brand are synonymous with trust and confidence. Growing brand equity translates to greater pricing power and the ability to reduce marketing costs. If you’re interested in proven strategies to help outflank your competition and grow your audience, request a free copy of Authority Marketing.

COACHING:
Does it feel as if your business has hit a wall? If you don't see a clear path forward, it's a good time to bring in a coach.  All of our Scaling Up Certified Coaches™ are masters at guiding you and your leadership team through the implementation of the Scaling Up Performance. Our promise is a custom diagnostic approach from Day 1, including how we match you with a coach. We even have a team member dedicated to helping you find the perfect Scaling Up Certified Coach.™

Schedule a complimentary, personal follow-up. Or check out our FAQs. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected].

TECHNOLOGY:
Scaling Up 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.

Have you considered becoming a Certified Scaling Up Coach?
Learn more about what it takes to certify and what being a coach is like. Pop into our Coach Office Hours to talk with our coach certification coordinator and a certified Scaling Up Coach. Learn More & Register for Office Hours here >

SCALING UP WORKSHOPS:
Engage your team with interactive workshops to optimize your company’s performance.
(list of workshops below)

Costa Mesa, CA – Feb. 16, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Feb 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Nashville, TN – Feb 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Barcelona, Spain – Feb 21, 2023 (Virtual)
Washington, DC – Feb 22, 2023 (In-Person)
Boulder, CO – Mar 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Minneapolis, MN – Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Oxford, England – Mar 8, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Mar 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia - Mar 15, 2023 (In-Person)
Barcelona, Spain – Mar 16, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne/Sydney, Australia - Mar 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Mar 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Hong Kong/Singapore – Mar 22, 2023 (Virtual)
Wilmington, NC – Mar 24, 2023 (In-Person)
Bengaluru/Hyderabad/India – Mar 29, 2023 (Virtual)
Scottsdale, Az – Apr 4, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Apr 13, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – Apr 20, 2023 (In-Person)
Nashville, TN – Apr 20, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Apr 27, 2023 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – May 3 & 4, 2023 (2 Day) (In-Person)
Brisbane, Australia – May 10, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - May 11, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Jun 6, 2023 (In-Person)
Nashville, TN – Jun 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Jun 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Jul 6, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Jul 20, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Aug 10, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Sep 5, 2023 (In-Person)
Grand Rapids, MI – Sep 12, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Sep 14, 2023 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 10, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Oct 12, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Nov 9, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – Nov 9, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Dec 7, 2023 (Virtual)

EDUCATION: 
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

Follow Verne on Instagram: @scalingup2.0

Follow Verne on Twitter: @agilescaleup

Connect with Verne on LinkedIn: Verne Harnish

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

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights   

Key to Happiness; Most Admired; 14 Acquisitions; Gen-Z Desires

In these economic times, get better at what your customers value most.
                                                Brian Beaulieu

The principles and structures we learned from Scaling Up have helped us grow.
                                                Rob Schenk

Key to Happiness – Always a Great Reminder
What did researchers find who have followed over 700 people since 1938 to find the keys to happiness? In short, notes this Fortune article: 

…strong relationships most accurately predicted people’s happiness throughout their lives. They are “intrinsic to everything we do and everything we are,” the authors write.

Please take 3 minutes to read why, how, when, and with whom you should build relationships.

Scaled Via 14 Acquisitions (Scaling Up Case Study)
Launched in 1996, Rob Schenk took 15 years to scale his IT-managed services firm to 35 employees. At a crossroads, this Scaleups.com article details how he partnered with a PE firm and acquired two firms rocketing revenues to $22 million in 2021. Since then, he’s bolted on 14 additional acquisitions using a variety of deal structures. A Scaling Up fan, he worked with Scaling Up coach Bill Gallagher to put in the place the structures to handle the scale. Please take 2 minutes to read his story and consider scaling thru acquisitions yourself.

World’s Most Admired Companies
For the 16^th year in a row, Apple topped Fortune’s list this week. Amazon, Microsoft, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan Chase round out the top 5. Significant changes included Netflix which fell out of the top 10 and Costco rising to #7. Elon Musk was voted the most overrated CEO by the 3700 corporate executives, directors, and analysts, which seems like professional jealousy to me!! One interesting trend – CEO longevity seems to correlate to a higher ranking.

Given This Economic Landscape – Hone Your Value Proposition
Brian Beaulieu, CEO & Chief Economist of ITR Economics, keynoted The Economic Club of Grand Rapids. His key advice -- now is a good time to hone your value proposition. Get better at what your consumers value most. Trumpet that to grow sales and margin. Invest in your facilities, technology, company culture. Consider breaking into new markets. Companies that do this can grow and outperform the competition, even in an adverse economic landscape.

Gen-Z Want Salary Range – and Like Going into the Office
This Fortune article notes re Gen-Zers: 

Most (85%) won’t even apply to a job listing if it doesn’t include the salary range. It’s no surprise, considering the generation is bold about asking their peers what they make and sharing their salaries with strangers on the internet.

Fortune goes on to note:

While they enjoy the flexibility to make their own schedules, they still like to go into the office to further their career and get to know people. Most respondents (75%) said they’d even be open to relocating to be closer to the office.

Please take 1 minute to scan this article for more details.

Scaling Up Compensation
Transparency of pay, like that of professional athletes, is becoming more prevalent (and the law in some places). Make sure you have wide pay bands so employees can earn more without moving up into management (which is going away!). Chapter 2 of Scaling Up Compensation details how to establish clear criteria for progressing in a specific job so the employee, customer, and company win with your comp system. It’s a quick read.

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

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

Planning to Exit?
It’s the most critical decision a business owner will make in their lifetime – and over my 40 years of helping firms, I’ve seen owners taken advantage of time and time again – leaving tens of millions on the table. You’re up against sophisticated buyers who have done hundreds of acquisitions – whereas this is often your first rodeo. And these buyers have a formula for ripping you off – and it works. Seeking help, owners find the big M&A firms, especially those specializing in your industry, are more beholden to the buyers than the sellers (they will tell you otherwise). They are not your friend in the process, just another transaction. Email me to get a white paper on what to avoid when exiting [email protected].

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.

Become an Authority and Reduce Your Marketing Investment
Top leaders know that branding is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Becoming an authority means you and your brand are synonymous with trust and confidence. Growing brand equity translates to greater pricing power and the ability to reduce marketing costs. If you’re interested in proven strategies to help outflank your competition and grow your audience, request a free copy of Authority Marketing.

COACHING:
Does it feel as if your business has hit a wall? If you don't see a clear path forward, it's a good time to bring in a coach.  All of our Scaling Up Certified Coaches™ are masters at guiding you and your leadership team through the implementation of the Scaling Up Performance. Our promise is a custom diagnostic approach from Day 1, including how we match you with a coach. We even have a team member dedicated to helping you find the perfect Scaling Up Certified Coach.™

Schedule a complimentary, personal follow-up. Or check out our FAQs. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected].

TECHNOLOGY:
Scaling Up 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.

Have you considered becoming a Certified Scaling Up Coach?
Learn more about what it takes to certify and what being a coach is like. Pop into our Coach Office Hours to talk with our coach certification coordinator and a certified Scaling Up Coach. Learn More & Register for Office Hours here >

SCALING UP WORKSHOPS:
Engage your team with interactive workshops to optimize your company’s performance.
(list of workshops below)

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Feb 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Franklin, TN – Feb 9, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Feb 9, 2023 (Verne Live In-Person)
Madrid, Spain - Feb 9, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Feb 10, 2023 (In Person)
Boulder, CO – Feb 10, 2023 (Virtual)
Costa Mesa, CA – Feb. 16, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Feb 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN – Feb 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Barcelona, Spain – Feb 20, 2023 (Virtual)
Washington, DC – Feb 22, 2023 (In-Person)
Boulder, CO – March 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Mar 7, 2023 (In-Person)
Oxford, England – Mar 8, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Mar 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia - Mar 15, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne/Sydney, Australia - Mar 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Mar 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Hong Kong/Singapore – Mar 22, 2023 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN – Mar 23, 2023 (Virtual)
Wilmington, NC – Mar 24, 2023 (In-Person)
Bengaluru/Hyderabad/India – Mar 29, 2023 (Virtual)
Scottsdale, Az – Apr 6, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Apr 13, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – April 20, 2023 (In-Person)
Franklin, TN – April 20, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Apr 27, 2023 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – May 3 & 4, 2023 (2 Day) (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - May 11, 2023 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN – May 18, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Jun 6, 2023 (In-Person)
Franklin, TN – Jun 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Jun 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Jul 6, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Jul 20, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Aug 10, 2023 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia - Sept 5, 2023 (In-Person)
Grand Rapids, MI – Sep 12, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada – Sep 14, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada - Oct 12, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Nov 9, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – Nov 9, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Dec 7, 2023 (Virtual)

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