The Agile Scaleup

Cobots; My People; Erythritol; Oct 02 Crisis

I dare you!
                     Stacey Lauren

There are no straight lines in nature or business.
                     Verne Harnish

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

Oct 10, Virtual Summit – 3 Authors/3 New Books/77 Min
Gather your team for 77 min of exec ed together -- no charge – 10:10am ET 10/10 – info and to register, which includes replay.

My People – TEDx Talk Stacey Lauren
You want to accomplish anything? Stacey Lauren’s 10-min TEDx talk, released this week, shares the key secret – identify “my people” and form a small support group? It’s not the same as your friends and family, who likely don’t support the same goals you have – like writing a book or scaling a firm or solving a social issue. The support, ideas, and accountability a small group provides are key – seriously. She’s on to something bigger than just EO and YPO Forums. Thx Stacey.

One Shopping Center at a Time (Scaling Up case study)
There are no bad industries, just bad strategy/leadership. This ScaleUps.com article details how Jack Glottmann, CEO of family-owned Saglo Companies, has used Scaling Up with the help of coach Jennifer Berkowitz to provide excellent returns for their investors in a tough sector – shopping malls. With comprehensive dashboards, meeting rhythms, and making some tough decisions on the leadership side, please invest 2-minutes to read the details on how Saglo is surviving and thriving in a tough market. There are always opportunities in every sector of the economy.

Order Kiosks NOT Decreasing Employment
McDonald’s, Shake Shack, and others are finding that self-service kiosks, rather than eliminating jobs, are doing the opposite. Notes this CNN article: 

…touchscreen kiosks have added extra work for kitchen staff and pushed customers to order more food than they do at the cash register. 

And it’s allowing employees to provide better service and keeping the restaurant cleaner. Please invest 1-minute to read the details. Where can technology eliminate mindless work and free up your people to provide “Unreasonable Hospitality” per the title of one of my favorite books.

Cobots – Key to the Equitable Burrito Bowl
Brand is about delivering consistency. Where could technology help? What Chipotle customers want is an equitable burrito bowl assembly with no need to see who got more guac or cheese! Cobots – collaborative robots -- are being tried in two California Chipotles. This Fortune article provides the details.

Sugar Substitute Linked to Heart Issues/Blood Clots 
If you can’t pronounce it or spell it, don’t eat it. This Lifecode article shares research showing sugar substitute erythritol (in many keto diet products, snack bars, etc.) is linked to increases in heart issues and blood clots.

Recession Unlikely?
Bank of America on Monday looked at five major economic fears (US) and provided counter data to suggest we’ll avoid a recession. This Fortune article provides the details.

Leading in a Crisis – Verne Harnish Oct 2, 3pm ET – No Charge
Micro-economics are more important than the macro-economy – meaning some sectors are often hurting even if the general trends are OK. Next Wednesday, Oct 2, 3pm ET I’ll be leading a one-hour webinar sharing the 5Cs (which I mentioned last week) for handling any crisis/downturn in the business. There are no straight lines in nature, neither in business! Register here which includes getting a replay if you can’t make it LIVE.



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! 

Additional Books 
Scaling Up Compensation, a quick read helping you get much greater impact and outcomes from one of your largest expenses; and The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time, which provides you with some great ideas to borrow/steal for your own business are available on Amazon.

TECHNOLOGY:
Scaling Up Scoreboard is AI-enabled and 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!) with a real-time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of the Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

EDUCATION: 
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Scaling Up Free Mini Course

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

Nottingham, UK – Oct 1, 2024 (In-Person)
London, UK – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Oct 7, 2024 (In-Person)
Atlanta, GA – Oct 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Phoenix, AZ – Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Ontario, Canada - Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Oct 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Chile – Oct 15, 2024 (Virtual)
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Oct 15, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Oct 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH – Oct 25, 2024 (In-Person)
St. Louis, MO – Oct 31, 2024 (In-Person)
Chile – Nov 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia – Nov 12, 2024 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Nov 14, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Nov 19, 2024 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN – Dec 5, 2024 (Virtual)
Chile – Dec 10, 2024 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX – Dec 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Dec 12, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Dec 18, 2024 (Virtual)
Washington, DC – Jan 28, 2025 (In-Person)

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.

5Cs; Risk Only Money; Lehman’s 10 Lessons; 10/10, 10:10am

Leaders absorb fear and exude hope.
                     Greg Brenneman

Arrogance always kills.
                     Jeffries CEO Richard Handler says of Lehman Brothers' 2008 bankruptcy

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

Free Virtual Summit -- Oct 10, 10:10am – 11:22am ET
3 new 2024 books; 77 minutes; no charge – our twice annual gift to you and your team’s executive education:

1. Jeff Karp, Harvard Medical School and MIT – LIT: Life Ignition Tools
2. Tiffani Bova, 3x Thinkers 50, 2x WSJ Bestseller – The Experience Mindset: Changing the Way We Think About Growth
3. Alden Mills, Navy SEAL, Inc. 500 Entrepreneur – Unstoppable Mindset: The Four Essential Actions of High-Performance Leadership

Register you and your team – includes a recording if you miss – thx for investing the time to outlearn the competition. Right now the right mindset is the constraint to scaling.

5Cs for Surviving a Downturn in the Biz
Inflation is real, pushing up costs and wages. Without sufficient price increases and a tightening of budgets by clients, revenues may have stalled, and margins squeezed. To get thru this:

1. Communicate Daily – Airbnb went into a daily huddle 7 days a week when they lost $1 billion in bookings during the pandemic. The key is looking at data and making decisions DAILY.
2. Customer Contact – double down on connecting with clients and finding out how to help them – they might be struggling as well. “Hidden Champion” firms have twice the number of employees directly supporting customers than other firms. Give to receive.
3. Clean Up and Catch Up – a downturn is a good time to clean up sloppy processes, eliminate needless activities, and play catch up with systems. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
4. Cash, Cash, Cash – review ALL recurring expenses that may have creeped into costs; ask all employees to find ways to reduce their expenditures; seek lower cost solutions; and tighten up billing and collections.
5. Calm and Considerate – above all, take a few deep breathes, only risk money (not your health), and remain calm and considerate. “Leaders absorb fear and exude hope” – it’s your job.

Please let us know how we can be of help – you’re not alone – ask for help. Most of our coaching partners will be happy to donate an hour of proactive and practical support – email me [email protected]

Lessons From Lehman Brothers’ Collapse

This Fortune article provides insights into the lessons learned after Lehman Brothers’ filed for the largest bankruptcy in history. Please invest 2-minutes to read the story as a reminder of how this can happen to anyone of us – and how to keep perspective. Here are the 10 lessons:

1. There is no such thing as a “slight liquidity crisis”
2. Everything in life is fragile
3. Sometimes bad things happen to good people
4. Never take anything or anyone for granted
5. Leverage can’t distinguish between good or bad, but it will happily (magnify) both
6. You never have as much time as you may think
7. Character is determined during tough times
8. Arrogance always kills
9. If your debt holders are at risk, your shareholders will probably be wiped out
10. If you stay positive through the storm, the sun always eventually rises, and life will go on.

Risk Only Money – Jack DeBoer
My friend, the late Jack DeBoer, came close to committing suicide after the collapse of his real estate empire. He recovered to go on to create Residence Inns, which he sold to Marriott, and four other industry changing concepts. He wrote a book I encourage all biz leaders to read who are going thru rough times titled Risk Only Money: Success in Business Without Risking Family, Friends, and Reputation. You’ll get thru this – please re-read lesson #10 above.

How to Boost Sales Going into Q4 – Sales CURE for Women
Sell, sell, sell is key right now. Particularly if you have women in sales, Million Dollar Women (MDW) and Julia Pimsleur are offering another one-month intensive sales training for women, Sales CURE Live starting on October 9th. I am on the MDW board and have seen grads rave about this program, many of whom have closed significant deals after the training – her stuff works (with men too). The program includes lifetime access to Sales CURE training and four live sessions for role play (which Jack Daly says is key to making this stuff stick). Julia has sold $32MM in products and services, and has helped thousands of women in business have greater confidence selling and close more deals. Check it out if you want to boost your team's skills. Insights subscribers get a 10% discount so be sure to mention us. You can sample Julia's teaching on her YouTube channel (FYI, I don’t get a penny for promoting this – just a huge fan during this tougher season to sell).

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! 

Additional Books 
Scaling Up Compensation, a quick read helping you get much greater impact and outcomes from one of your largest expenses; and The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time, which provides you with some great ideas to borrow/steal for your own business are available on Amazon.

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].

TECHNOLOGY:
Scaling Up Scoreboard is AI-enabled and 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!) with a real-time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of the Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

EDUCATION: 
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Scaling Up Free Mini Course

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

Pune, India – Sep 21, 2024 (In-Person)
Adelaide, Australia – Sep 23 & 24, 2024 (2 Day, In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Sep 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Nottingham, UK – Oct 1, 2024 (In-Person)
London, UK – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Oct 7, 2024 (In-Person)
Atlanta, GA – Oct 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Phoenix, AZ – Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Ontario, Canada - Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Oct 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Chile – Oct 15, 2024 (Virtual)
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Oct 15, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Oct 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH – Oct 25, 2024 (In-Person)
Chile – Nov 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia – Nov 12, 2024 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Nov 14, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Nov 19, 2024 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN – Dec 5, 2024 (Virtual)
Chile – Dec 10, 2024 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX – Dec 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Dec 12, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Dec 18, 2024 (Virtual)
Washington, DC – Jan 28, 2025 (In-Person)

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.

Likable Badass; Pro Fakers; Founder Mode; Sept 19 Webinar

…hire professional fakers and let them drive the company into the ground.
                     Paul Graham (context below)

Your customers will never be any happier than your employees.
                     John DiJulius

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

John DiJulius – Customer Experience Revolution – Sept 19 Free
I’m noticing my own behavior – and veering toward firms that provide a better customer experience – and that requires a workforce willing to deliver on that experience. See below info on author John DiJulius’s Sept 19 webinar – no cost.

Founder CEOs 20x the Valuation – Fortune 500
Continuing the conversation around Paul Graham’s Founder Mode vs. Manager Mode, this Fortune article looked at the cumulative returns generated by the 22 Fortune 500 firms still run by the founder (Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, etc.) and found:

The founder-CEOs’ companies delivered a median of 1,129% vs. 57% for the rest of the 500.

That’s 20x. They also outperformed their sectors by a median factor greater than 6x. Please invest 1-minute to read the article for the details.

Professional Fakers?
Paul Graham, founder of Y-Combinator, which has birthed thousands of firms including Airbnb, DoorDash, Reddit, etc. shared, after hearing Brian Chesky, founder/CEO of Airbnb describe the awful experience he’s had bringing in outside managers. Notes Graham:

Hire good people and give them room to do their jobs. Sounds great when it’s described that way, doesn’t it? Except in practice, judging from the report of founder after founder, what this often turns out to mean is: hire professional fakers and let them drive the company into the ground.

Let’s also suggest “professional interviewers” as one of our CEO Boot Campers noted this week in Vail.

Likable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve
Warmth and Competence – the two dimensions most people are immediately judged on – is the basis for noted research psychologist, professor, and consultant Alison Fagale’s new book Likable Badass (I’m halfway thru – its excellent). Recommended by Adam Grant, Fagale’s book makes a key point – that status (perceived competence) is how you get influence and power vs. the opposite. How you attain this – along with warmth – makes you a Likeable Badass. This interview (start at 9:06) flushes out her many insights.

To Double Your Revenue, Stop Selling by Half
Terakeet, a leading SEO marketing firm, was selling $100,000 contracts with a 30% close rate. By weeding out every possible “no” before presenting, they were able to increase their average contract size to $800,000 and double their close rate using the Hunt Big Sales Process.

Mark Kennedy, the President, stated:
“We were going to double our sales staff until we used the Hunt Big Sales Process. It’s changed our whole revenue game plan.”

Hunt Big Sales is a key strategic partner helping our clients significantly increase revenue at a time sales seem to be getting tougher to make. They make it easier to double revenue.

Elevate Your Customer Service – Free Live Webinar Sept 19
Delivering exceptional customer service is non-negotiable in competitive environments. The challenge: How to train our employees in the top service aptitude skills to consistently meet and exceed customer expectations? The answer is crucial for every business, yet so often overlooked.

Join us September 19th at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT/8 PM CEST for the Customer Experience Revolution Free Live Webinar with John DiJulius. During this 90-minute session, you’ll discover how a thriving workforce translates directly into customer satisfaction and business success. Register for free here: https://hubs.li/Q02N_7qM0



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! 

Additional Books 
Scaling Up Compensation, a quick read helping you get much greater impact and outcomes from one of your largest expenses; and The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time, which provides you with some great ideas to borrow/steal for your own business are available on Amazon.

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

Denver, CO – Sep 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Adelaide, Australia – Sep 23 & 24, 2024 (2 Day, In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Sep 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Nottingham, UK – Oct 1, 2024 (In-Person)
London, UK – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Oct 7, 2024 (In-Person)
Phoenix, AZ – Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Ontario, Canada - Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Oct 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Chile – Oct 15, 2024 (Virtual)
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Oct 15, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Oct 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH – Oct 25, 2024 (In-Person)
Chile – Nov 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia – Nov 12, 2024 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Nov 14, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Nov 19, 2024 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN – Dec 5, 2024 (Virtual)
Chile – Dec 10, 2024 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX – Dec 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Dec 12, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Dec 18, 2024 (Virtual)
Washington, DC – Jan 28, 2025 (In-Person)

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].

TECHNOLOGY:
Scaling Up Scoreboard is AI-enabled and 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!) with a real-time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of the Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

EDUCATION: 
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Scaling Up Free Mini Course

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.

Founder Mode; Elle MacPherson; Graham Warning; Rick Sapio

Outsource everything but your soul.
                     Tom Peters

Delegate everything but your soul.
                     Verne Harnish

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

East African Firm Triples Revenue (Scaling Up Case Study)
Growing from $15 million in 2021 to $43 million in 2023, this ScaleUps.com article details how Patrick Mbonye, founder and CEO of Q-Sourcing ServTec, used Scaling up to drive this significant revenue growth. With the help of coach Elton Mutize, the firm has set a $500 million BHAG, serving small to mid-size firms with their outsourced staffing and training needs throughout East Africa including Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. Please take 2-minutes to read all that Mbonye is doing throughout the region.

Founder Mode vs. Manager Mode
All the rage this week, at least in Silicon Valley, is Y-Combinator Paul Graham’s essay about the importance of staying in Founder Mode vs. Manager Mode (which you learn in MBA school, Graham suggests) when scaling a venture – all based on a talk Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky gave last week. This Inc. article provides the details and a link to Graham’s short blog post – worth the one minute to read. In essence, does the CEO fully delegate everything (manager mode) or remain in the muck of things (founder mode).

Graham’s Critical Warning – Misuse of Founder Mode
If you scroll down on Graham’s blog post, you’ll see this warning (Note 3):

I also have another less optimistic prediction: as soon as the concept of founder mode becomes established, people will start misusing it. Founders who are unable to delegate even things they should, will use founder mode as the excuse. Or managers who aren't founders will decide they should try to act like founders. That may even work, to some extent, but the results will be messy when it doesn't; the modular approach does at least limit the damage a bad CEO can do.

Please take a minute to read Graham’s post which includes reference to hosting meetings with a diagonal cut of your team, like the late Steve Jobs did.

Delegate Everything but Your Soul
Tom Peter’s quote above, warning firms that they need to hold onto for themselves the soul of the business i.e. Tesla writes their own software, the soul of their vehicles, which allowed them to pivot to whatever chips were available in the pandemic. All the other auto manufacturers were stuck. Same with what you delegate inside the firm. Design is the soul of Apple which is why Steve Jobs met DAILY with Jony Ive and the design team. What is the soul of your firm and stay in “founder mode” around this aspect of the business.

Bonuses Can Backfire
This Fortune article details research showing how certain individual bonuses (“certain individual” are the keywords) can decrease performance. Aligned with Chapter 4 in Scaling Up Compensation titled “Easy on the Carrots”, bonuses are meant to signal behaviors you want on top of the normal job. Giving bonuses for just showing up is an example of mis-signaling. Please invest 2-minutes to read how nuanced setting bonuses can be. And note…

Daily Huddles Drive Better Performance
…the above article goes on to note:

…daily set-up meetings, where employees are asked to present their progress on a project or task, can keep them accountable without having to introduce pay for performance.

We at Scaling Up couldn’t agree more. Another reason the daily huddle is indispensable in driving performance. Is everyone on the team in one?

Thank You Adam Gant
Received this note and photo from CFA Adam Grant:

…finished reading your book Scaling Up Compensation while on a climbing trip yesterday. Summitted Mt Colonel Foster and really love the book. Lots of great ideas I'm going to implement in the business immediately. 

Thx Adam – I’m sure that’s the highest point on the planet this book has ever been read.

Supermodel Elle MacPherson’s Integrative Medicine Journey
Following on the heels of Rick Sapio’s journey to recover from stage 4 pancreatic cancer, shunning the advice of traditional doctors and still alive a year later; Elle MacPherson also opted out of chemo and instead took an integrative medicine approach to recover and thrive post a breast cancer diagnosis. This BBC article provides the details. You might note, her team included two holistic dentists. We’ve found at the Riordan Clinic (I’m Vice Chair) a strong correlation between infections in the mouth and breast cancer. Not surprisingly, a day later various news organization have come out with “experts” criticizing her approach.

Benefiting from Insights – $20 to Rick – Please
Thank you to all of you who donated to Rick’s “find the cure” fund last week. If you benefit from these insights, rather than charge a fee, once a year I ask for a donation to a cause – this one is for Rick and his family. If all of you who open these insights donate $20, Rick will be covered. Please and thank you https://rickneedsacure.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! 

Additional Books 
Scaling Up Compensation, a quick read helping you get much greater impact and outcomes from one of your largest expenses; and The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time, which provides you with some great ideas to borrow/steal for your own business are available on Amazon.

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

Chile – Sep 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia – Sep 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada – Sep 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Denver, CO – Sep 17, 2024 (In-Person)
Adelaide, Australia – Sep 23 & 24, 2024 (2 Day, In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Sep 24, 2024 (Virtual)
Nottingham, UK – Oct 1, 2024 (In-Person)
London, UK – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 2, 2024 (In-Person)
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Oct 7, 2024 (In-Person)
Phoenix, AZ – Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Ontario, Canada - Oct 10, 2024 (Virtual)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Oct 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Chile – Oct 15, 2024 (Virtual)
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Oct 15, 2024 (In-Person)
San Francisco, CA – Oct 16, 2024 (Virtual)
Columbus, OH – Oct 25, 2024 (In-Person)
Chile – Nov 12, 2024 (Virtual)
Melbourne, Australia – Nov 12, 2024 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 14, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Nov 14, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Nov 19, 2024 (Virtual)
Franklin, TN – Dec 5, 2024 (Virtual)
Chile – Dec 10, 2024 (Virtual)
San Antonio, TX – Dec 10, 2024 (In-Person)
Ontario, Canada - Dec 12, 2024 (Virtual)
San Francisco, CA – Dec 18, 2024 (Virtual)
Washington, DC – Jan 28, 2025 (In-Person)

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].

TECHNOLOGY:
Scaling Up Scoreboard is AI-enabled and 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!) with a real-time visual dashboard of cascading priorities and metrics. Get a personalized tour of the Scaling Up Scoreboard to see how you can use it to better implement Scaling Up in your business.

EDUCATION: 
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Scaling Up Free Mini Course

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].

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