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Business owners spend a lot of time thinking about profit, but far fewer stop to examine how money actually leaves the business. Recently, Michael Greene and Caleb Coke of ClearView Spend Solutions joined Kevin Chern on the MindShare podcast to discuss payment strategy, a costly blind spot for many small and midsize companies. Their message…
“Don’t count the people you reach; reach the people who count.”— David Ogilvy In the rush to launch, many founders skip the most foundational step: build an ICP (your Ideal Customer Profile). It seems obvious, almost too simple. But ignoring it means misalignment that can become impossible to unwind. Working with companies navigating product-market fit,…
In the wild world of business, staying still is like wearing concrete boots in quicksand. It’s only a matter of time before you’re stuck, sinking, and surpassed by faster, more agile competitors. Legacy thinking, the practice of sticking with outdated methods just because they used to work, is the T. rex of the corporate world:…
“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.”— James Cash Penney, Founder of J.C. Penney I once advised a tech company that had just crossed $50 million in annual recurring revenue. On the surface, everything looked stellar. Investors were satisfied, customers were renewing, and the team was expanding. But…
In the world of business, the stakes are always high when it comes to choosing strategic partners and vendors. A wrong decision can lead to significant financial losses, operational inefficiencies, and reputational damage. But what happens when the fear of making the wrong choice becomes so overwhelming that business owners and decision-makers find themselves frozen,…
Field Note 01: When plans look confident, I look underneath. I’ve spent close to 30 years working inside marketing, sales, product, partnerships, customer retention, revenue systems, and executive decision-making. Scary to write that number down (and also rude of time, if I’m honest). Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the patterns I’ve seen. The…
As business owners, we all know the value of a robust sales pipeline. But what happens when the leads filling that pipeline aren’t the right ones? What happens when you invest in lead providers who promise the world, only to deliver poor-quality contacts, wasted time, and lost revenue? Lead generation is a critical aspect of business…
“Burnout is what happens when you try to avoid being human for too long.” — Michael Gungor Let me paint a picture. A fast-scaling consulting firm out of Chicago hit $20 million in revenue in record time. But in the fourth quarter of last year, something odd happened. Projects began slipping. Client satisfaction scores dipped. Two senior…
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”— Michael Altshuler Let’s rewind to 2022. I was advising a mid-sized fintech firm, one with an impressive suite of tools, sharp people, and seemingly airtight systems. Yet, month after month, they couldn’t hit their quarterly growth goals. The leadership team was stuck…
Most vendor relationships operate in the shadows, leaving you guessing if you’re getting the full picture. That lack of transparency breeds doubt and stalls business trust, two things no growth-minded entrepreneur can afford. Clear, honest communication with your vendors builds solid business trust and unlocks stronger strategic partnerships that drive real success. Importance of Transparency…
