According to research done by McKinsey & Company, the top 10% of the world’s largest businesses account for almost 90% of economic profit. Meanwhile, the bottom 20% are suffering massive losses. This represents a huge business opportunity for small-to-medium-sized enterprises that can compete with larger rivals by leveraging speed and creativity. As a CEO of a … Continue reading How to Compete with Larger Companies
Are we headed into a recession? I am hearing a lot about companies doing layoffs and if history repeats, we are at the beginning of a layoff cycle. That is good news in that it represents an opportunity to strengthen your company by getting rid of under performers. I strongly believe that’s the success of … Continue reading Intelligence– What it is and Why it Matters
It’s no secret that CEOs need advice. In fact, many of them are constantly seeking it out from various sources. But what’s less well known is that even CEOs need to be held accountable for taking that advice and turning it into action. In my experience, the CEOs/company owners whose companies are doing the least … Continue reading Why Even CEOs Need Advice
In the tech world all companies are growing or dying; there is no steady state that lasts for more than a year to two. If you are not growing you should ask yourself these questions. (1) Is the lack of growth a problem with my people, product, service, competition or market; or (2) is the … Continue reading To Grow or to Die, that is the question
In 1999 I experienced how lack of focus on exit planning was expensive. I was an investor in a venture backed pre-revenue semiconductor innovator that got a buyout offer for $3B. Fueled by lack of thoughtful consideration of what the future might hold we pushed for $4B, which the acquirer rejected. A year later the … Continue reading Fear vs Greed
A SPAC is a fast route to being public but there are at least four big things to consider before joining one. First, it is not a liquidity event. You generally cannot sell your equity for at least 6 months after you merge into one. Second, since the SPAC principals have equity in the SPAC … Continue reading Getting to an exit through a SPAC
When the environment supports growth, focus your energy on building to the upside. Focus more of your energy on downside protection when times are bad. Are we headed into a recession? As we likely are, I recommend you shift some energy into downside protection as failure to protect the downside is a company killer. Protecting … Continue reading Focus on Protecting the Downside When in a Recession
Raising capital from non-traditional sources can be a good way to get the money you need to grow your business. There are a number of different sources available today, and this article provides a brief summary of the most common ones along with things you need to consider before pursuing them. Capital Raising from Non-Traditional … Continue reading Capital Raising From Non-Traditional Sources
In my long career as a company financier, CEO, and business mentor I have found that among the many important things that had to be done right by business leadership was recruiting the best and brightest for all skill positions. I first learned this lesson in my business consulting activities. Grillos Axiom: There is a … Continue reading Value of A Players — Hire right or die by a thousand cuts
Grillos Axiom: There is a nearly 100% probability your company will go out of business if you do not recruit and retain A players. My reasoning involves two forces. First, there is substantial proof that there is an order of magnitude difference between the output of A players and everyone else (commonly referred to the … Continue reading Hiring A Players is the Essential to Company Success
