by Ian Smith | May 27, 2019 | Scaling
Hard to believe but 98% of US companies employ less than 99 people. To scale these companies (and of course the other 2%), the simple formula that most entrepreneurs seem to ignore is quite simple. Define your Positioning that you wish to dominate in the prospects...
by Ian Smith | May 20, 2019 | Recruitment
This week the WSJ confirmed that Smaller Businesses are suffering from slow job growth – Headcount rose just under 1% in April compared with 2018. Note small businesses are defined here as employing < 20 people that’s 89% of US firms – 5.3 million...
by Ian Smith | May 10, 2019 | Leadership
The One Thing by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan was first published in 2013 and is on its 11th print run. It stimulated a powerful set of thoughts I’ve been blogging about for a while. Simplicity. The book’s thesis is amazingly simple! No matter how many...
by Ian Smith | Apr 23, 2019 | Acquisitions
Campbell Soup acquired Bolthouse for $1.55 billion in 2012 to enter the fresh food category and earlier this week announced it was divesting of the company for $510m to Butterfly Equity, an LA based PE group. PWC conducted a survey in 2013 of 106 executives at Fortune...
by Ian Smith | Apr 17, 2019 | Strategy
I’m always reading a business book whether I’m traveling or not. It’s been out for a few years now, but I’m enjoying Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. It sets out a strong case for believing “Less is More”. I’m not reviewing the book...
by Ian Smith | Apr 3, 2019 | Scaling
There was a fascinating article in the WSJ today which is worth summarizing for business owners. The article was valuable for entrepreneurs because it brought together some key statistics you should be aware of, and I’ve added a few more to add value and...
by Ian Smith | Mar 18, 2019 | Acquisitions, Exiting your business, Operational Tips
Buying Companies Most acquirers embarking on an acquisition are ill prepared to successfully buy another company and integrate it. Research consistently tells us we are weak at this common corporate tactic – buying other companies. Acquisitions are for...
by Ian Smith | Feb 16, 2019 | Leadership
We all admire a leader who can simplify a complex problem into an understandable, simple, explanation of the essential elements. We are motivated by the leader who can set out a clear, concise solution to a complex problem. Ultimately, in the best companies this leads...
by Ian Smith | Jan 21, 2019 | Scaling
Over the last ten years, to assist owners of businesses, I’ve tried to tackle all aspects of scaling a business, whatever your starting point. We’ve addressed positioning, sales processes, marketing playbooks, product launches, executive compensation, saleability...
by Ian Smith | Dec 30, 2018 | Leadership, Management
If you are a private company owner CEO, you face enormous challenges to scale your business. I don’t mean just grow. I mean scale. Building control, predictability, alignment and safety into your growth. Successful scaling sees market share growth, margins...
