The Agile Scaleup

Matt Damon; New HQ; New ROI; Barcelona Nov 12 - 15

Don’t judge me on how bad my bad ideas are. Judge me on how good my good ideas are.
                     Matt Damon

You don't really know it unless your life (and business) really shows it.
                     Anonymous

An invitation to invest 2 to 22 minutes in your executive education this week.

Matt Damon IG
Actor Matt Damon, in this short Instagram video, shares his secret to creativity and growth – a lesson for all of us to embrace at work and in life.

Lessons from UConn Coach Dan Hurley
A-Players need a system/playbook. No matter how talented your team is, without a disciplined system in which to perform, it’s hard to string together victories like UConn men’s basketball team. Scaling Up Coach Rick Crossland’s short article details how coach Dan Hurley executed an almost flawless 37-3 season and crushed Purdue in the NCAA finals.

New ROI – Ripples of Impact
This short piece by Chip Conley who spoke at the Gathering of Titans (GOT) program last weekend, suggests a new kind of ROI – Ripples of Impact. What are the ripples, positive or negative, you and your team are putting out to each other (go back and read John DiJulius’s book), customers, and the community? It’s an excellent way to emphasize the multiplier effect of caring for each other and delivering outstanding service in our business and personal lives.

Where Credit’s Due – John DiJulius
One of my readers corrected me last week. It was John DiJulius, author of The Employee Experience Revolution, who shared during our virtual Learning Event the two onboarding lessons I highlighted last week– to involve existing employees in the onboarding process and to host a scavenger hunt. His excellent book provides hundreds of additional practical ideas. Please have your Head of Employee Experience (HR?) read it.

You and Your Employee's Health
This article details the impact on gut and brain health due to nanoparticles used in the processing and enhancement of foods. And this article warns of similar issues with certain ingredients in processed vegan meat products.

If You Can't Pronounce It, Don’t Eat It
Someone mentioned to me just last week a simple rule. Read the ingredients (hoping they are all listed). If you can’t pronounce one of the ingredients, don’t eat it (or put it on your skin).

Remote Work? Atlassian’s New HQ
An HQ better than a home/apartment? This under 2-minute video announces the groundbreaking of the world’s tallest timber building, the new $1.4 billion HQ for Atlassian. Co-founder Scott Farquhar, whose endorsement of Scaling Up is on the cover, is betting his workers will want to hang out at HQ vs. their homes/apartments. A pioneer of “Team Anywhere,” Atlassian released a report on the lessons learned after 1000 days of distributed work. It’s worth reading if you’re wrestling with making distributed/hybrid work, work for you.

CEO Boot Camps – Vail Sept 10 – 13 and Barcelona Nov 12 - 15
Install a proven “Performance Platform” to drive flawless execution. Limited to a handful of CEO/COO teams, it’s a chance for me (Verne Harnish) to spend three intense and fun days/evenings, including one-on-one sessions, to identify ways to scale easier with less drama. For more info – www.ceo-bootcamp.com

Order a box of 20 books
Save 50% over the price on Amazon for Scaling Up, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, and 12 Habits of Valuable Employees books here for less!

SCALING UP WORKSHOPS:
Engage your team with interactive Scaling Up workshops. Here's our list of workshops

Brisbane, Australia – May 1, 2024 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – May 8, 2024 (In-Person)
Portland, OR – May 8, 2024 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – May 9, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - May 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Columbus, Ohio – May 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Hong Kong / Singapore – May 22, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – May 29, 2024 (Virtual)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Dhaka – May 29, 2024 (Virtual)
Christchurch, NZ – May 30, 2024 (In-Person)
Adelaide, Australia – Jun 12, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Jun 13, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Jun 19, 2024 (Virtual)
San Diego, CA – Jun 25, 2024 (In-Person)
Washington, D.C. – Jun 27, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Jul 11, 2024 (Virtual)
Hong Kong – Jul 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Dhaka – Jul 31, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Jul 31, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Aug 7, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Aug 15, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Aug 28, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Aug 29, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Sep 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Denver, CO – Sep 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Columbus, Ohio – Sep 20, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Sep 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Oct 15, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Oct 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Nov 14, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Nov 19, 2024 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX – Dec 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Dec 12, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Dec 18, 2024 (Virtual)

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.

Planning to Exit – Critical Whitepaper
Selling your firm, for its maximum value, is the most important negotiation in which a business owner will participate. You are typically negotiating with 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, stealing tens of millions from you. Seeking help, owners discover 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). Email me to get a whitepaper on how to maximize your valuation and avoid the psychological games buyers play [email protected].

COACHING: Unlock Explosive Growth with a Scaling Up Coach
Is your business hitting a growth ceiling? Break through with a Scaling Up Certified Coach™. Our elite coaches master the Scaling Up methodology to reignite growth, align your team, and chart a clear scalability path. From day one, we provide a custom-tailored approach - conducting a comprehensive diagnostic, hand-picking your perfect coach match, and providing dedicated support. Whether a $5M or $250M firm, invest in coaching to propel your business to extraordinary new heights.
Schedule a complimentary follow-up or check out our FAQs. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected].

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 >

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

*This may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Butt Fossil; Super Butcher; Top 7 Books; MRH 22nd

Your chair, it bears the imprint of the previous owner like an ergonomic butt fossil.
                     Dan Heath, your new employee experience?

Neglecting the first day of a new employee’s experience is a huge, missed opportunity.
                     Dan Heath, co-author of The Power of Moments

An invitation to invest 2 to 22 minutes in your executive education this week.

Mastering the Rockefeller Habits 22^nd Anniversary Edition
Released April 02, this significantly updated classic is the best first book for every team member/employee to read in implementing the 3 fundamental habits at the heart of scaling: Priorities, Data, and Meeting Rhythm. Order boxes of 20 for half Amazon price. Add 12 Habits of Valuable Employees to your employees’ reading list and you and your team will have the company and career habits necessary to scale at less than $20/employee. Master both.

Hilarious Recruitment Video
This 2-minute SodaStream recruiting video, reminiscent of the hilarious Dollar Shave Club videos, shows how the new employee experience (EX) starts with the recruiting process. And it reinforces their values and culture. Have fun creating something similar – Canva and other AI engines can help.

Aussie Super Butcher’s Recruiting Video (Warning, Some Bad Language)
This less than 2-minute video does much the same as SodaStream’s and is like Atlassian’s Core Values video. Client of Scaling Up Coach Jade Green, Super Butcher notes “If it’s not fun, we won’t do it.” Enjoy another fun 2 minutes and create your own core values/recruiting video.

Include Existing Employees in Onboarding New
One of the YPO firms in my audience last week shared that they include an equal number of existing employees in their week-long new employee onboarding process. Usually, on their first and third anniversary with the firm, it’s a great refresher for existing employees and they are there to bond with the newbies. The existing employees often comment “Hey, this is better than we received!” if you’re continually improving that first-week experience.

Scavenger Hunts – New Employees
This same firm hosts a scavenger hunt during onboarding – sending new employees out to meet certain people, learn certain systems and procedures, and find some fun things out about the firm. Again, existing employees are there to help which further creates bonds.

John Deere’s First Day Experience – Dan Heath
This 4-minute video, by Dan Heath, details John Deere’s amazing new employee first-day experience. Start at 1:41 in the video if you only have one minute – see how John Deere, in a simple way, reinforces their purpose and why “it’s the most important work you’ll ever do.” The next 2 minutes are full of specifics you can incorporate into your first-day new employee experience (and include existing employees). Thank you to Scaling Up Coach Jade Green for sharing.

Top Employee Benefit – T&D
One of the top employee benefits, and great recruiting tool, is emphasizing the importance of training and development (i.e. Apple University) for all employees. To get the party started, pass out a couple books for every employee to read. PE firm K1 gives all new acquisitions two books – Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Scaling Up. What book(s) do you pass out during onboarding or ahead of time?

Better Book Club’s Top 7 Titles
We’re a huge fan of starting book clubs inside companies. To make it easy to host, administer, and gamify, we recommend the BetterBookClub reading rewards program, which literally takes 5 minutes to set up. Operating for years inside many of our clients, founder Arnie Malham shared some fun data with me this week. Here are the Top 7 titles on the platform: 

Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni

Scaling Up – Verne Harnish

Good to Great – Jim Collins

The 7 Habits – Stephen Covey

Who Moved My Cheese – Spencer Johnson

How to Win Friends – Dale Carnegie

Start with Why – Simon Sinek

No program on the planet promotes, recognizes, and rewards reading like BetterBookClub. It is a radically better way to build the HABIT of reading in your team members. And once the habit of reading is established, anything is possible.  Learn more at BetterBookClub.com.

Write Your Own Book/Content – Join Me June 12 - 14
Limited to 15 CEOs, yesterday I sent around a flyer for a program I’m co-hosting in beautiful Charleston, SC with Forbes Books. Over two days of working sessions, many one-on-one, you will create:

• An Executive Book Outline
• Optimized LinkedIn Profile
• Professional Headshot
• Guest on a Forbes Books podcast episode
• Personalized Brand and Content Strategy

If you’ve been needing to accomplish the above as part of your firm’s content marketing strategy, you can “get er done” in a couple days in Charleston, SC. I’ll be there to help since I’m such a lover of books/content.

Order a box of 20 books
Save 50% over the price on Amazon for Scaling Up, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, and 12 Habits of Valuable Employees books here for less!

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 Scaling Up workshops. Here's our list of workshops

Brisbane, Australia – May 1, 2024 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – May 8, 2024 (In-Person)
Portland, OR – May 8, 2024 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – May 9, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - May 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Columbus, Ohio – May 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Hong Kong / Singapore – May 22, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – May 29, 2024 (Virtual)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Dhaka – May 29, 2024 (Virtual)
Christchurch, NZ – May 30, 2024 (In-Person)
Adelaide, Australia – Jun 12, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Jun 13, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Jun 19, 2024 (Virtual)
San Diego, CA – Jun 25, 2024 (In-Person)
Washington, D.C. – Jun 27, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Jul 11, 2024 (Virtual)
Hong Kong – Jul 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Dhaka – Jul 31, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Jul 31, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Aug 7, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Aug 15, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Aug 28, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Aug 29, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Sep 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Denver, CO – Sep 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Columbus, Ohio – Sep 20, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Sep 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Oct 15, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Oct 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Nov 14, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Nov 19, 2024 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX – Dec 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Dec 12, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Dec 18, 2024 (Virtual)

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.

Planning to Exit – Critical Whitepaper
Selling your firm, for its maximum value, is the most important negotiation in which a business owner will participate. You are typically negotiating with 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, stealing tens of millions from you. Seeking help, owners discover 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). Email me to get a whitepaper on how to maximize your valuation and avoid the psychological games buyers play [email protected].

COACHING: Unlock Explosive Growth with a Scaling Up Coach
Is your business hitting a growth ceiling? Break through with a Scaling Up Certified Coach™. Our elite coaches master the Scaling Up methodology to reignite growth, align your team, and chart a clear scalability path. From day one, we provide a custom-tailored approach - conducting a comprehensive diagnostic, hand-picking your perfect coach match, and providing dedicated support. Whether a $5M or $250M firm, invest in coaching to propel your business to extraordinary new heights.
Schedule a complimentary follow-up or check out our FAQs. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected].

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

*This may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Get LIT; CEO 1-on-1s; 4 Female CEOs; 1 Decision

We wouldn’t rent the same bad movie 250 times, but we do that in our own mind.
                     Jan Chozen Bays, quoted in LIT

…the relational diversity of their social portfolio is a unique predictor of well-being.
                     Hanne Collins, quoted in LIT

LIT: Life Ignition Tools
Dr. Jeff Karp’s much anticipated book released this week. A Harvard and MIT biomedical engineering professor, his lab technologies have led to the formation of twelve companies including a glue that seals holes in hearts and “smart needles.” If you want to light up your life – get LIT – grab a copy of his book and just read the chapter titles. Pick one that sings to you and enjoy. We’ll be hosting Jeff on our next virtual learning event 10 October. Thx, Jeff, for a well-researched and thoughtful book – and your support of Geoversity in Panama.

CEOs – No More One-on-Ones – Like a Mafia Don
This week I’ve spent time with two YPO chapters/forums. For some reason, along the way, CEOs were convinced they needed to do one-on-ones with their senior team members. Wasting valuable hours of everyone’s time, one YPOer landed on an analogy for one-on-ones that made everyone both laugh and cringe. He noted that he felt like a mafia don in these meetings – with each team member bringing him problems he was expected to resolve. “No problem, I’ll take care of it!”

Replace with Daily Huddle – Peer Pressure and Support
Senior team members should be surfacing issues daily and getting assistance from their peers. And if they need coached, hire a professional. Coaching is NOT one of the top four jobs of a CEO. 30 minutes of effective daily huddles each week (8 minutes per day for 4 days) is much more effective than hours of one-on-ones. It doesn’t mean the CEO won’t get pulled into quick conversations throughout the week, but most issues require cross-functional response and support. The daily huddle is key. Let us help.

5^th Generation CEO of J.M. Smucker
This insightful Fortune article, on running a 5^th generation family business, details the three guidelines for family members who want to join the business:

• Work outside the company
• Go overseas
• Get a graduate degree (only one that surprised me – see next article)

“J.M. Smucker is a meritocracy,” says CEO Mark Smucker, a descendent of founder Jerome Monroe Smucker, who had to earn his “seat at the table.” If you run a family business, take 2-minutes to scan the article.

GenZ Going to Trade Schools – Six Figure Incomes
Students were “sold a lie,” notes this Fortune article.  

Parents and kids alike are starting to get the message that trade school is an amazing opportunity with just a fraction of the debt—if any at all—and a clear path to something that looks a lot like prosperity.

Finally, the big lie of the US education system is being exposed.

Fred Ayala Scales Teachers College in the Philippines (Scaling Up Case Study)
Scaling from 12,000 to 19,000 students in six years, Ayala Education Group is using Scaling Up to drive phenomenal and impactful growth. With the help of coach Jeremy Han, Fred Ayala and his team have identified key constraints and solved them quickly via the daily/weekly meetings as detailed in this ScaleUps.com article. The key is a focus on the quality of the education and revolutionizing old approaches. Notes Pam Wu, EVP of the school:

To that end, we’ve added improved technology, introduced more self-paced learning, and shifted to more active projects where students learn by doing, such as creating business plans. “One of the things we’ve started to focus on is really developing skills, rather than memorizing,” says Wu.

4 Female CEOs Share the 1 Decision That Propelled Their Career
Also, in Fortune this week, the women CEOs of Walmart International, Trip.com, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearances, and Yum China each share the one key decision they made to propel their career. And their answers are quite comprehensive, which is why I’m not listing them. It’s worth one-minute to read the four paragraph-long answers.

Bigger Quote of the Week – CEO Hilton
Hilton, named the #`1 Best Place to Work in the US last week, is a surprise given the challenges of attracting and retaining talent in the hospitality industry. The key is trust and purpose (not just words, but actions). Notes Chris Nassetta, Hilton CEO: 

We’re in a service industry, and our job is delivering exceptional experiences to our customers all the time…If I want to do that, and I want to do it better than our competitors and deliver that alpha. My team has to be inspired. They have to feel part of something bigger than them. They have to understand what the purpose is and understand how they fit into it and trust it. They have to feel good about it. And when they do feel good about it, they feel empowered. They give more effort, which translates into alpha and delivering better experiences for customers.”

Lots of wisdom in that quote – please take it to heart. And as someone who travels a lot, Marriott could learn a lesson or two from Hilton. It seems without a Marriott heir in the CEO seat, their service has lost its soul.

Order a box of 20 books
Save 50% over the price on Amazon for Scaling Up, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, and 12 Habits of Valuable Employees books here for less!

COACHING: Unlock Explosive Growth with a Scaling Up Coach
Is your business hitting a growth ceiling? Break through with a Scaling Up Certified Coach™. Our elite coaches master the Scaling Up methodology to reignite growth, align your team, and chart a clear scalability path. From day one, we provide a custom-tailored approach - conducting a comprehensive diagnostic, hand-picking your perfect coach match, and providing dedicated support. Whether a $5M or $250M firm, invest in coaching to propel your business to extraordinary new heights.
Schedule a complimentary follow-up or check out our FAQs. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected].

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 Scaling Up workshops. Here's our list of workshops

San Francisco, CA – Apr 18, 2024 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – May 1, 2024 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – May 8, 2024 (In-Person)
Portland, OR – May 8, 2024 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – May 9, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - May 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Columbus, Ohio – May 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Hong Kong / Singapore – May 22, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – May 29, 2024 (Virtual)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Dhaka – May 29, 2024 (Virtual)
Christchurch, NZ – May 30, 2024 (In-Person)
Adelaide, Australia – Jun 12, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Jun 13, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Jun 19, 2024 (Virtual)
San Diego, CA – Jun 25, 2024 (In-Person)
Washington, D.C. – Jun 27, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Jul 11, 2024 (Virtual)
Hong Kong – Jul 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Dhaka – Jul 31, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Jul 31, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Aug 7, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Aug 15, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Aug 28, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Aug 29, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Sep 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Denver, CO – Sep 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Columbus, Ohio – Sep 20, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Sep 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Oct 15, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Oct 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Nov 14, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Nov 19, 2024 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX – Dec 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Dec 12, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Dec 18, 2024 (Virtual)

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.

Planning to Exit – Critical Whitepaper
Selling your firm, for its maximum value, is the most important negotiation in which a business owner will participate. You are typically negotiating with 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, stealing tens of millions from you. Seeking help, owners discover 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). Email me to get a whitepaper on how to maximize your valuation and avoid the psychological games buyers play [email protected].

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

*This may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Lava Lamps; Riches in Niches; Best Places; April 9 Great Game

I’m rich, but I love gifts (Ana ghania o aheb alhadia).
                     EO Bahrain member Lesley Aljishi

…if it’s 3:00 in the afternoon and your child has a soccer game, you better be at the soccer game. Because I’m sure at 9:00 that night, you are going to be responding to all the emails you missed.
                     Chuck Robbins, Cisco CEO

Great Game of Business Webinar – April 9, 2pm ET
More info below and register here for this complimentary webinar.

Bridge It – Riches in the Niches (Scaling Up Case Study)
New Zealand-based Bridge It does one thing – build bridges. This Scaleups.com article details how Kim Bevins and team, working with coach Rob Morris, have increased profitability and cash flow for their 24-person company. Using our Cash Flow Story software, coach Morris showed them the importance of doubling their deposits for bridge projects, from 20% to 40%; and price a bridge based on certain risk aspects of the project. The focus is tripling the valuation of the firm by 2030, a metric Cash Flow Story provides.

Hilton #1, Cisco #2, Nvidia #3 – Best Places to Work US
Public companies still run by the founder and are Best Place to Work recipients have outperformed the market by a lot (10x in most cases). Nvidia is no exception as it rides the AI wave. Fortune’s list of the Best Places to Work is out this week – take a look at the winners. They are great investments and customers for mid-market firms.

Apply for “Best Places to Work” Awards
Most cities around the globe have these awards – and for different categories and size companies. It’s important branding in recruiting top talent – and often it’s simply a matter of applying for these awards. Apply for one this year.

Paul Graham – Why You Don’t Want to Be a Visionary
Entrepreneur, Investor, and well-known co-founder of incubator Y-Combinator, in this 26-second video, explains why you don’t want to be a visionary, a term floating around in our world that I feel is a little egotistical and creepy anyway!

How AI is Changing Corporate KPIs
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are often siloed measures. So how do they relate across an organization? Michael Schrage at MIT has found you can use AI to relate various KPIs to give more meaningful insight. This Fortune article details how. For example:

At Pernod Ricard, the KPI profit margin has historically belonged to finance, while marketing looked after the market share KPI—but the two are correlated. Now, as Calloc’h points out, it’s possible to use AI to simultaneously assess how a shift in marketing spend might impact both market share and profitability.

BCG – AI Powered KPIs Measure Success Better
AI is also redefining these KPIs. This Boston Consulting Group report provides the details behind the Fortune article above. Please have your CFO study this report which includes the ChatGPT prompts Michael Schrage used to relate customer churn and customer lifetime value. Helping your siloed teams see the relationship between their activities and their impact on cash and profitability is crucial. This is ultimately how you find your Moneyball stat for your business.

Wall of Lava Lamps Protects Internet
Chaotic pendulums, Geiger counters, and a “Wall of Entropy” made up of lava lamps are used to create real-time encryption codes that protect data. This 3-minute video details. I thought it was simply fascinating and a fun fact to know. Plus, the wall looks cool.

Great Game of Business Webinar
Gamify your business. Join the Growth Institute on April 9th for a free live webinar with Steve Baker, Vice President of The Great Game of Business, and learn how to engage and empower your team to think like owners, taking tremendous pressure off the senior team. Register here for this April 9^th, 2 pm ET webinar – a perfect compliment to Scaling Up.




Order a box of 20 books
Save 50% over the price on Amazon for Scaling Up, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, and 12 Habits of Valuable Employees books here for less!

Planning to Exit – Critical Whitepaper
Selling your firm, for its maximum value, is the most important negotiation in which a business owner will participate. You are typically negotiating with 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, stealing tens of millions from you. Seeking help, owners discover 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). Email me to get a whitepaper on how to maximize your valuation and avoid the psychological games buyers play [email protected].

COACHING: Unlock Explosive Growth with a Scaling Up Coach
Is your business hitting a growth ceiling? Break through with a Scaling Up Certified Coach™. Our elite coaches master the Scaling Up methodology to reignite growth, align your team, and chart a clear scalability path. From day one, we provide a custom-tailored approach - conducting a comprehensive diagnostic, hand-picking your perfect coach match, and providing dedicated support. Whether a $5M or $250M firm, invest in coaching to propel your business to extraordinary new heights.
Schedule a complimentary follow-up or check out our FAQs. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected].

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 Scaling Up workshops. Here's our list of workshops

Guatemala, Mexico, Chile – Apr 9, 2024 (Virtual)
Boston, MA – Apr 11, 2024 (Virtual)
Ontario, Canada - Apr 11, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Apr 18, 2024 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – May 1, 2024 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – May 8, 2024 (In-Person)
Portland, OR – May 8, 2024 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – May 9, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - May 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Columbus, Ohio – May 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Hong Kong / Singapore – May 22, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – May 29, 2024 (Virtual)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Dhaka – May 29, 2024 (Virtual)
Christchurch, NZ – May 30, 2024 (In-Person)
Adelaide, Australia – Jun 12, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Jun 13, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Jun 19, 2024 (Virtual)
San Diego, CA – Jun 25, 2024 (In-Person)
Washington, D.C. – June 27, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Jul 11, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Jul 31, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – August 7, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Aug 15, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Aug 28, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Aug 29, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Sep 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Denver, CO – Sep 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Columbus, Ohio – Sep 20, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Sep 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Oct 15, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Oct 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Nov 14, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Nov 19, 2024 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX – Dec 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Dec 12, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Dec 18, 2024 (Virtual)

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.

Sign up for Verne's Weekly Insights  

*This may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.