The older I get, the less I believe business owners suffer from a lack of knowledge. Most already know what they should do. What they lack is clarity about what matters most. After 17 years of coaching business owners, I’ve noticed something interesting. The questions change, but the underlying problem rarely does. A young entrepreneur asks: “How…
Across all industries, our Profitability Coaches are seeing a pattern. Business owners want to grow and many want to grow fast. The trigger is usually caused by the owner’s desire to grow due to profitability targets pursuant to an exit. The other trigger is to use additional profitability to fund the business or the owner’s…
Most business owners believe profitability is a performance issue. They assume it’s about working harder, selling more, cutting costs, or implementing the right system. When profits disappoint, the instinct is to do more — more effort, more tools, more initiatives. But after years of working privately with successful owners, a different truth becomes clear: Profitability…
Complexity kills profitability. A CEO I recently worked with was exhausted. Revenue was growing, but profits weren’t. His team was juggling too many service lines—some impressive on paper, but quietly draining resources. The harder they pushed, the thinner the margins became. When we dug in, the pattern was clear: 20% of services were driving 80%…
Autumn is the season of preparation—farmers harvest, athletes train, and businesses sharpen their focus. Now’s the time to ensure your strategy is set up to deliver year-end results. Last year, I worked with the CEO of a contracting firm who was frustrated. Jobs were taking longer than expected, mistakes were cutting into margins, and year-end…
Every fall, kids head off with new backpacks, fresh notebooks, and a mix of nerves and excitement. It’s a season of learning. But here’s the thing—businesses need their own “back to school” moments, too. Take the story of a mid-sized accounting firm I worked with. They were experts in tax prep and compliance, but clients…
Balancing the present and the future is key—here’s how to exit without stagnating. When Janine started her boutique marketing/consulting firm, she poured everything into building a strong reputation. Over 25 years, she became the go-to expert in her niche. Clients loved her. Her team relied on her. On the surface, the business thrived. But when…
This Independence Day, focus on building a business that sets you free. Rod owned a thriving contracting firm—trucks on the road, phones ringing, jobs booked solid. From the outside, it looked like success. But every vacation told a different story. A cracked foundation here, a cash flow crunch there. His wife started calling it the…
A story worth sharing: Mark owned a successful design-build contracting firm. “He had a loyal team, happy clients, and a calendar booked solid.” But behind the scenes? He was the bottleneck. Quotes piled up. Projects slowed down. Cash flow felt like a coin toss. Every vacation turned into a “working retreat” (translation: laptop by the…
Are you halfway to your goals—or halfway behind? Here’s a simple way to get back on track. At the start of the year, Dana—a sharp CEO of a growing professional services firm—set clear goals: shorter cycle times, fewer errors, and a leaner, more profitable model. But by June, things felt off. Her team was talented,…
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