Resources to run a better business.

Ask any entrepreneur how many hours they spend working each week. We’re a hard-working crew. My numbers are similar, even today. And when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I can also feel a little sorry for myself about the amount of time I spent working. But here’s the truth—something a colleague shared with me a long time ago. Not all of those hours are actually spent on my business. They’re spent worrying about my business.

By the time I meet a candidate, I really need to know just one thing. “How badly do they want to work here?”

This article is the first in a two-part series on alignment. In my experience, many companies that have problems don’t realize alignment is their core issue. They get so focused on this challenge or that obstacle that they fail to see the forest for the trees. So today is all about helping you self-identify: Do you have an alignment problem?

We spend thousands of dollars a year on what we call “Help First” Zoom/phone calls. It wasn’t an expense we ever thought we would be budgeting for. But we do it gladly. Here’s the deal. In our consulting company, one of our Core Values is Help First. What does that mean exactly?

My son, Max, has been playing soccer since he was 5 years old. Over the years, I’ve watched him and half a dozen buddies grow up, playing together on rec teams, club teams and school teams. Their teams have generally been pretty good. Part of their success, I’m convinced, is how long they’ve been playing together. They know each other so well, and that makes them tough to beat. And this year—Max’s senior year—they took it all the way.

“That’s just our culture: Sink or swim.” I hear similar sentiments from many of the entrepreneurs I work with. I get where they’re coming from. They’re smaller companies, and smaller companies are still building out their processes, training, and management structures.

Are you connecting the dots between what you do and why you do it? And who you do it for? Many of us are motivated not just by the feeling of accomplishment, but by a desire to take care of the ones we love. There’s always another thing you could do for your business. There’s always something more your business needs. It will take as much time and energy as you are willing to give it.

I’ve gone too far. That’s not easy for me to admit. You won’t find a bigger scorecard enthusiast than me. I’ve used scorecards to wrangle thousands of college kids into being a productive workforce in my student painting company. I’ve used them to help companies optimize efficiency, instill accountability, and clarify expectations. I know that scorecards work.

Financial clarity is critical for growth, yet many businesses face confusion and gaps within their finance function. Unclear reports, surface-level analysis, and inconsistent processes leave leadership without the insights needed to make confident, informed decisions. Join Eric Crews and Darren Fredette for a one-hour webinar to learn what makes a strong finance team and how to determine the right roles for your organization.