Resources to run a better business.

In the course of your company’s daily operations, how important is your customer?‍ Would it surprise you to learn that knowing your customer well—and serving them well—is an indicator of a company’s ability to grow?‍ It’s not just lip service. 

When does solving a problem require NOT solving a problem? One of the best things about operationalizing a company is the structure it provides around making decisions. If you’re familiar with our Growth Method or other business operating systems, you know they all tend to emphasize efficiency.

How stressful do you find your job, on a scale of 1-10? There’s no doubt that if you’re an executive, and especially a business owner, you’re under a good deal of pressure. Making the business run efficiently, navigating the danger zones of red growth, planning for potential economic crises. . . being in business is not for the faint of heart.

I just had the privilege of spending 3 days with 600 entrepreneurs at the EO Nerve conference in Virginia Beach. My team and I left feeling inspired, invigorated…and a little worn out from all those late-night parties. ;) These events always offer the chance to tap into what entrepreneurs are thinking about right now. Here are our takeaways on what’s top of mind for the entrepreneurial community.

“I’ve heard there’s going to be a recession, I’ve decided not to participate.” This quote by Disney isn’t about pretending recession isn’t happening. It’s not about wearing the kind of rose-colored glasses that distort your ability to see things for what they are. It’s about separating the macro from the micro. The country may be in a recession, and on a macro scale, that may have an impact on your business.

Who owns the financial health of your business?‍If you have a well-developed org chart, the answer might seem obvious: the CFO (or whoever runs the finance function).‍But 90% of the time, you’d be wrong.‍In most businesses up to $50M in annual revenue, the CEO owns the financial health of the company.

Do you have a business family? I come from a flesh-and-blood family with a long tradition of entrepreneurship. For me, business and family have been one and the same almost my entire life. But whether or not entrepreneurship was part of your birthright, you need a business family. Every business owner does.

When you are too focused on making sure everyone on your team is okay, you aren’t focused on making the best possible decisions for the business. And at the end of the day, if there is no business, there are no people for you to take care of.

If you’ve been in business for a while, you already know that progress isn’t linear. It’s more like a series of stepping stones. There are times when growth feels relatively easy—there are still challenges, but they aren’t insurmountable.