Stop Competing on Price
THE GROWTH BARRIER SERIES – How to identify and communicate the value that makes price a secondary conversation.
Blog
Category: Uncategorized
Your Cash Flow Is Lying
THE GROWTH BARRIER SERIES – Revenue isn’t profit. Profit isn’t cash. And the gap between them is where businesses go under.
Lessons with Lily: Growth You Can’t Always See
This month, Lily and I spent an afternoon exploring Hershey Gardens. If you’ve never visited, it’s an incredible place filled with colorful flowers, beautiful landscaping, and carefully maintained gardens. Everywhere you look, there is something blooming. As we walked through the gardens, Lily naturally stopped to admire the flowers. She posed for pictures, pointed out […]
Hiring for Growth, Not Just Coverage
THE GROWTH BARRIER SERIES – The difference between filling a seat and making a hire that actually moves your business forward. A client of mine hit a wall last year that had nothing to do with sales or cash flow. Business was strong. The pipeline was full. But he couldn’t take on more work because his team was maxed out. So he did what most owners do when they’re underwater. He posted a job ad, hired the first person who seemed decent, and threw them into the deep end.
Lessons with Lily: You Decide What Controls Your Day
This month’s lesson with Lily came from a tough day at school. I received a message from her teacher explaining that Lily had gotten into a couple conflicts with classmates during the day. One interaction in particular involved another student repeatedly teasing her with comments like “boys rule, girls drool.” Eventually, Lily became frustrated and […]
Building a 90-Day Action Plan
THE GROWTH BARRIER SERIES – Why annual goals collect dust and what to do instead. Every January, millions of business owners sit down and write their annual goals. Grow revenue by 20 percent. Hire three new people. Launch that new service line. Open a second location. The goals get typed up, maybe put into a spreadsheet or a slide deck, and then shared with the team at a kickoff meeting.
Lessons with Lily – Chill Out Dude
This month, Lily reminded me of something simple that adults, especially business owners, tend to forget. We were enjoying a warm afternoon outside, and Lily had claimed her favorite spot for relaxing. Sunglasses on, stretched out in a hammock, completely at ease. No schedule. No rush. Just enjoying the moment. At one point I asked […]
The Pricing Trap
THE GROWTH BARRIER SERIES – How underpricing quietly starves your business of the resources it needs to grow. I once asked a business owner how she arrived at her pricing. She paused for a second, then said, “I looked at what everyone else was charging and came in a little lower.” That’s one of the most common answers I hear. And it’s one of the most damaging strategies a small business can follow.
Lessons with Lily: Snowmen, Strategy, and the Need to Rebuild
February brought us one of Lily’s favorite seasonal activities: building snowmen. With fresh snow on the ground and a spark of creativity in her eyes, she quickly got to work rolling snowballs, stacking them, and decorating the perfect wintry friend. The result was a smiling snowman with a carrot nose, leaf hat, and plenty of […]
Know Your Numbers (or They’ll Sink You)
THE GROWTH BARRIER SERIES – Five financial indicators every business owner should check monthly. No accounting degree required. A few years ago, I started working with a business owner who was pulling in just over $3 million in annual revenue. On the surface, things looked solid. The phone was ringing, the team was busy, and the top line was growing year over year.
