
 CEO: Behind the Scenes What it really takes to scale a business
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 Oct 16, 2025  Verne Harnish, Founder and CEO of Scaling Up and a prominent voice in entrepreneurial growth, shares key insights into scaling businesses. He emphasizes the importance of curiosity-driven leadership and nurturing company culture while maintaining pricing power. Harnish reveals how great CEOs identify constraints and the need for strategic pricing models. He advocates for a coaching approach in management, encouraging modern compensation structures that reward top talent without pushing them into unwelcome roles. A fascinating discussion for any aspiring leader! 
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Operate Like A Professional Sports Team
- Run your company like a pro sports team: coach not manage and publish real-time stats.
 - Owners earn most, players should earn more than managers to drive performance.
 
Leaders Must Be Avid Learners
- Read widely and often to stay a learning leader and unlock new ideas.
 - Treat learning as a habit and leverage AI to tap huge amounts of knowledge efficiently.
 
Measure Return On Payroll
- Track return on payroll (ROP): gross margin dollars divided by total payroll.
 - Use ROP to adjust pricing and compensation so growth doesn't turn into 'growing broke.'
 











