The Two Jobs of the CEO
Why is it so hard to build a company? On the surface, it shouldn’t be. Any successful professional should, in theory, be able to do it. After all, building a business looks like just another job. It certainly helps to understand all parts of the business. You need to be organized, articulate, and good with […]
Where AI Cannot Compete
The AI revolution is accelerating faster than most people expected. In a recent A16Z podcast, roughly 60% of executives reported using AI regularly, and many expect AI agents to spread rapidly across small and mid-sized businesses by 2026. If that forecast proves accurate, we’re about to see a massive jump in AI adoption in the […]
Born Visionaries vs. Evolved Visionaries
Gino Wickman popularized the idea of the Visionary entrepreneur, contrasted with what he calls the Integrator leader. A related distinction is often described as “Mr. Outside” and “Mr. Inside,” terminology commonly credited to Robert Townsend, former CEO of Avis, to describe complementary executive roles. The idea is straightforward. The Visionary focuses on the future of […]
Manifest Your Vision
Conventional thinking suggests that we should build businesses by listening to the market and following demand. “You can only channel demand, not create it,” proclaimed legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz in Breakthrough Advertising. Startups are encouraged to do the same: find demand rather than create it, and pivot quickly if your idea isn’t working. Y Combinator, […]
Why I Love Veteran Business Leaders
In my first career building an investment banking firm, I stumbled upon a hiring secret: recruiting former competitive athletes. I found them to have several attributes that were important to my business, and over time those attributes became a kind of pattern I could reliably bet on. The Hiring Secret I Learned in Investment Banking […]
Learn to Dig Deep
Building a company is a long and arduous journey. It’s a process of trial and error—and the error parts can be unnerving and outright scary. Entrepreneurs who achieve any level of success have almost certainly lived through moments when the survival of their venture was at stake, and those moments tend to arrive with no […]
What I Wish I Knew
Ever look back and think, “If I’d only known that back then…”? That’s been the story of my entrepreneurial journey—a mix of trial, error, and the occasional forehead slap. After building and selling one company and coaching hundreds more, I’ve boiled it down to three lessons I wish I’d learned much earlier. 1. Find a […]
Your Job #1: Stay in the Game
I’m not much of a card player—except for Dutch Blitz with my family over the holidays. (If you’ve never played it, try it!) I know the rules of poker too, but I almost never play. That said, one time I joined a Texas Hold’em tournament with about 50 fellow investment bankers… and somehow ended up […]
Why Do It for a “Why,” Not Money
When we moved to America, my plan was to continue doing investment banking in a more promising market. Within weeks of arriving I landed my first two clients and thought I was on my way. Instead, they turned out to be the last two M&A clients we had here. A virgin hand often wins, as […]
Soothing, Smoothing, and Handholding
What does it take to become a Trusted Advisor—the kind clients turn to when they need help improving their business, their life, and making difficult decisions? Prolific author and maestro of professional services David H. Maister suggests that technical knowledge is not enough. Clients judge professional service firms not only by technical quality but by […]