…companies with an executive chair underperformed those without one.
                                                Jason Baumgarten, Spencer Stuart

I’m not about to apologize for being a good businessman…Too many people in music have ruined their lives because they weren’t.
                                                Jimmy Buffett, billionaire musician, RIP

Scaling Up India – Oct 12, Mumbai
With one of the finest leaders in the world and a wicked smart English-speaking young population, India is projected to be the largest economy in the world. Oct 12 I’ll be leading a one-day Scaling Up workshop held at Taj Lands End, Bandra, Mumbai. I’ll also tour a half-dozen EO chapters throughout India and Bangladesh and you’ll meet our growing group of coaching partners ready to help scaleups capitalize on this opportunity.

Beware the Executive Chair
Has your founder and/or former CEO stepped up to an Executive Chair role in the firm? Often useful for up to a year in transition, but after a year, the track record isn’t good. This Fortunearticle details research showing that firms with executive chairs underperform than those without the confusion about who is running the firm – the executive chair or CEO! Pls take 1 minute to read this FortuneCEO Daily summary of the article – then pls take another 2 minutes to read the article if you face this situation.

Biz Lessons from a Legend – RIP Jimmy Buffett
This AL.comarticle highlights the business savvy of the late Jimmy Buffett who passed away at age 76 last Friday. Not the best singer or guitar player, he simply outworked everyone and was a savvy businessman. His projects included a nationwide restaurant chain, a record label, retirement communities, the Land Shark beer brand, and more—while also finding time to author multiple bestselling books. Buffett's holdings were valued at more than $1B, and he was routinely placed high on Forbes' list of wealthiest celebrities. Here are some of the lessons we can all learn from “the other Buffett (thx to Paul Berman for sharing the article)"

Margarittaville -- Own a Word – Create One Even Better
The name of his first hit song (1977), Buffett knew how to name and brand. Capitalizing on its popularity, he formed Margaritaville Holdings based in Palm Beach, FL and launched his first Margaritaville restaurant in Key West in 1987. Notes the article:

The chain grew to 16 outlets and Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., teamed up with Buffett to develop the $700 million Margaritaville Casino & Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi, near where he was raised…and The Margaritaville cafe on the Las Vegas strip was said to be the top grossing restaurant in the nation.

What word(s) do you own? Are they a brand? How are you fully capitalizing on these word(s)/brands?

Job to be Done/Purpose
The article goes on to note: Buffett’s legacy will be, in his words, “helping people forget their troubles for a couple of hours.” In one phrase Buffett articulates his purpose and “job to be done” strategy for all his ventures – and his legacy. It's so much easier to scale when there is this underlying one-phrase driving decisions. What is your phrase? “Helping biz owners scale the valuation of their business” is ours – or shorter “Scaling Up Valuation.” Hagerty Insurance insures collectible and expensive cars; but their broader job-to-be-done is celebrating the thrill of driving which has made them as much a media firm as an insurance firm.

Parrotheads -- Brand Your Customers
Yes, Buffett has millions of fans. More importantly, they have a brand -- Parrotheads. The Riordan Clinic has patients they call Co-Learners. Have you branded your customers? The more fun and memorable, the better!

Boats, Beaches, Bars, and Ballads – Strategic Anchors
Notes the article:

Buffett’s 1992 collection titled “Boats, Beaches, Bars, and Ballads” became one of the best-selling box sets ever and his annual summer concert tours with his Coral Reefer Band became major events…

What a brilliant alliteration – and provides a way to frame what is Margaritaville, making design and product extension decisions much easier. What are the design elements of your brand?

Start with the Parrotheads – Steve Jobs’ Thoughts
This short Instagram clip featuring Steve Jobs sums up the starting point for all strategic decisions – start with the customer not the technology!

MRH Audiobook Released – 20^th Anniversary Edition
This week the audiobook version of the 20^th Anniversary Edition of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits (MRH) was released – in my voice. The much better book for the rest of your employees to read/listen to (quick, fun, easy), it’s half the pages of Scaling Up. Made current to 2022, it provides the perfect context for implementing our Performance Platform inside your firm. Start everyone with MRH and then have your leadership team advance to Scaling Up.

Order a box of 20 Scaling Up and Mastering the Rockefeller Habits books
Want to save 50% over the price on Amazon? Get the box of 20 Scaling Up books here and the box of 20 MRH books here for less!

EDUCATION: 
Growth Institute Online Executive Education:
Master of Business Dynamics
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Exponential Organizations Master Business Course
Topgrading Master Business Course

COACHING:  
Does it feel as if your business has hit a wall? If you don't see a clear path forward, it's a good time to bring in a coach.  All of our Scaling Up Certified Coaches™ are masters at guiding you and your leadership team through the implementation of the Scaling Up Performance. Our promise is a custom diagnostic approach from Day 1, including how we match you with a coach. We even have a team member dedicated to helping you find the perfect Scaling Up Certified Coach.™ Schedule a complimentary, personal 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 >

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].

SCALING UP WORKSHOPS:
Engage your team with interactive workshops to optimize your company’s performance.
(list of workshops below)

Grand Rapids, MI – Sep 12, 2023 (In-Person)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad, India – Sep 13, 2023 (Virtual)
EMEA – Sept 14, 2023 (Virtual)
Toronto, Canada – Sep 14, 2023 (Virtual)
Denver, CO - Sept 18, 2023 (Virtual)
Brisbane, Australia – Oct 4, 2023 (In-Person)
Nottingham, UK – Oct 9, 10 & 11, 2023 (3 Day Workshop - In Person)
Toronto, Canada - Oct 12, 2023 (Virtual)
Madrid, Spain – Oct 16, 2023 (Virtual)
Brussels, Belgium – Oct 17, 2023 (In-Person)
Sydney, Australia – Oct 19 & 20, 2023 (2 Day Workshop – In-Person)
Dallas, TX – Oct 25, 2023 (In-Person)
Nashville, TN – Oct 26, 2023 (Virtual)
Denver, CO - Oct 30, 2023 (Virtual)
Sydney, Australia – Nov 2, 2023 (In-Person)
Hong Kong / Beijing / Singapore – Nov 8, 2023 (Virtual)
Nashville, TN – Nov 9, 2023 (Virtual)
Wellington, NZ – Nov 9, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Nov 9, 2023 (Virtual)
Grand Rapids, MI – Nov 9, 2023 (In-Person)
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 14, 2023 (In-Person)
Bengaluru / Hyderabad, India – Nov 15, 2023 (Virtual)
Auckland, NZ – Nov 16, 2023 (In-Person)
London, UK – Nov 16, 2023 (In-Person)
Dallas, TX – Dec 6, 2023 (In-Person)
Toronto, Canada - Dec 7, 2023 (Virtual)
Auckland, NZ – March 11, 2024 (In-Person)
Christchurch, NZ – May 30, 2024 (In-Person)

Better Book Club –
What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.

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.

Did you miss previous insights? - read here

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