Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher

This episode highlights a company whose growth has more than doubled in just over a year. Bill is joined by Herb Cogliano, Scaling Up Coach, and Katelynn Minott, CEO of Bright!Tax for a conversation about the systems that will help support rapid scaling in your business. They share their scaling-up story and how they’ve grown using a lot of the tools found in the world of Scaling Up.   Bright!Tax is an accounting company that focuses on U.S. Expat tax services. The uniqueness of Katelynn’s business has made it possible for her to both compete and scale in an effective way. Additionally, having a purpose-focused business has created opportunities for the company that wouldn’t be available any other way.   Even with a unique business niche, Katelynn recognized that her company could go significantly farther with the help of Scaling Up coach Herb Cogliano. Together they leveled up her team at a time when they were struggling to find talent. They used a variety of Scaling Up tools to enhance both the client and the employee experience, including the favorite Daily Huddle, hiring A Players, monitoring work-life balance, and bringing curiosity into successes.   Building a culture that is infused with strategy, especially in a distributed workforce, is key to scaling up. Katelynn, Herb, and Bill have packed this conversation full of the tools and tips that can make scaling up a reality for any company that is ready to make it happen.   Interview Links: Bright!Tax   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

Again and again, Bill works with leaders who hold back from sharing what is really exciting and inspiring to them. Too many leaders think they need to be responsible and business-like instead of being unleashed and passionate.   In March 1963, in Washington DC, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a famous speech that was fueled by the passionate words of legendary gospel vocalist Mahalia Jackson — “tell them about the dream.” Her words changed a good speech into the fuel that launched the civil rights movement forward.   Bill knows a simple formula that will get you fired up about your work. First, talk about the way things are today, then consider where they are headed, and finally talk about your vision and what the future could look like if everyone was working toward that common goal. This formula will not only get you fired up but inspire those around you as well. And no matter what, don’t be afraid to let others see what you are really passionate about.   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Shortlist (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

Welcome back to another episode of Scaling Up Insights! For this round, we have guests Daniel Marcos, head of our e-learning platform, The Growth Institute, and Herb Cogliano, a recent podcast guest who shared one of his many client success stories.   In this episode, our panel of coaches discusses leadership change, unreasonable hospitality, managing versus leading, where innovation comes from, how pricing evolves, all that is happening with the economy, and taking care of managing your time.   Bill, Daniel, and Herb each share several stories of unreasonable hospitality — times when leaders have gone above and beyond to connect with and delight the people they are serving.   How have leaders learned to balance the virtual and in-person teams? Daniel and Herb share ideas that they have seen work, including “leg week” and weekly leader update videos. Bill points out that any leader who is forcing their team to get back to work full-time in person is missing the lessons we have all learned from the pandemic. Flexibility is the key to strong leadership in today’s changing work environment.   Growing your business 2X is so much harder than growing 10X. Daniel wants leaders to focus on changing their thinking to be more efficient all around. When leaders don’t get distracted by the little things, exponential growth becomes a perfectly reasonable goal. Creating a 10X and better BHAG is where breakthroughs happen because that’s where leaders start reimagining what is possible.   Despite constant change in the economy, leaders stay focused on the ways that they can help make the world a better place. Leaders focus on quality over quantity, and Herb reminds us of the importance of balancing time because the best ideas rarely appear in the middle of a long meeting in the office.   Interview Links: Herb: Aspiregrowthadvisors.com Daniel: Danielmarcos.co   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

What kind of leader are you today? The leader that you’ve evolved into may not be the kind of leader you want to be in the long run. What brought you to this point may not get you to the next level you’re aiming to achieve.   Bill has the secret to becoming the kind of leader that you want to become. 20 years ago he found himself exactly where he thought he wanted to be in his professional and personal life, but found himself feeling miserable and stuck. His coach prompted him to consider the end game — what would the success story at the end of his life sound like?   The kind of leader that you currently are is probably great, but stop and consider where you want to go from here. Then you can start building on those strengths that you want to achieve and start to make real traction with your end-of-life goals.   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Shortlist (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

The number one leader that you need to work with is you. There is a direct correlation between company goals an the habits of CEOs. The leader and the organization are one and the same, so what the leader does affects the organization, and what the organization does affects the leader, for better or for worse.   Leaders deserve the company they have and have the company they deserve. If there is a problem or something that needs to change, the good news (and the bad news) is that it’s your fault and you have the ability to do something about it.   Bill once worked with a successful but undisciplined leader who was late to every meeting, event and deadline. It was no surprise with that leadership style that the company had plateaued and just couldn’t hit their next level goals. Despite meeting with Bill, this leader wasn’t willing to make the needed changes to improve both his company and himself. And if a leader isn’t willing to change, even with effective coaching, it’s almost guaranteed that the organization isn’t going to change either.   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.    

“All work and no play make for a dull workplace… and a costly one.”   Organizations that provide opportunities for employees to playfully connect, bond, and build friendships see improvements in retention, engagement, and innovation. Intentional play at work creates a culture that benefits all employees’ physical and mental health and a company’s bottom line.   Kristi Herold helps connect people through play and helps companies unlock profit through play. Kristi’s vision is to get one million people playing annually. Her book It Pays to PLAY was born from the idea that play is a critical component of work.   Kristi spent 25 years connecting millions of people through play, and when the pandemic hit, was faced with the major challenge of pivoting to keep her business alive. What felt like a shot in the dark turned into a major business opportunity that helps connect people as well as helps companies unlock profit through play.   Kristi argues that a strong company culture does not come from having an organized event once a month (or year). There are ways to integrate playfulness throughout everyday work interactions.   No matter how serious your business is, make time to make those connections. When there is permission for bonds to be strengthened, everyone wins.   Interview Links: It Pays to PLAY 25% off JAM virtual events and a free PLAYbook   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

You might be able to build a $50 million business without the help of an executive assistant, but the work and relief they can offer you just might be the best thing to ever happen to your business. Especially for an entrepreneur who has never had an EA, bringing on an assistant who knows what they can take from your plate is invaluable.   Trivinia Barber is a speaker, author, and leadership consultant who helps entrepreneurs in businesses of all sizes scale growth, sharpen leadership skills, and build teams they can trust.   She founded Priority VA and developed The Momentum Method™ so clients may achieve better synergy between their products, people, and processes for greater growth & efficiency.   At every stage of growth, leaders wonder how to maximize their team, get the best help, and work well with the people that they have recruited. If there are problems, there are only two possible reasons for it — either the people or the process.   Too often leaders hire an executive assistant that wants to become a leader or entrepreneur themselves. Leaders shouldn’t be looking for a way to clone themselves, they should be looking for someone who has an entirely different value-add from their own.   Consistency, trust, commitment, and communication are the keys to finding the right person for the job. The right EA has to be a fit for the leader, and the reverse is true as well. If you like name-dropping or cursing, the sooner you get that quirk out there, the better.   Finding the right fit takes time, but as the success stories that Trivinia highlights show, having the right EA in your corner can make all the difference as you are scaling up.   Interview Links: Momentum Headquarters Priority VA   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

Getting your processes dialed and optimizing the processes you have to do again and again is key to scale.   Owen McGab Enaohwo is the CEO and Co-founder of SweetProcess, an easy-to-use software that enables company executives and their employees to collaborate to quickly document and/or improve their standard operating procedures, processes, and policies.   “There has to be a better way” is the thought that propelled Owen forward in his mission to improve employee onboarding. He took the time to interview potential customers about what they needed, and how he could provide a solution in the best way possible.   Identifying and documenting recurring processes is a critical first step to scaling up. Determine if they are income-generating tasks or production, behind-the-scenes tasks. Both have to be attended to, but Owen’s advice is to focus on the production side first. If you don’t, you’re not going to be prepared to meet the needs of your customers as they come in.   SweetProcess makes documenting standard operating procedures easy, and can effectively optimize the efforts of employees so that they don’t have to be reinvented time and again. Owen shares several examples of companies that have benefited from using the software consistently over time and highlights the ways that scale happens faster when processes are streamlined.   Interview Links: SweetProcess Try SweetProcess free for 28 days   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

The companies that last are the ones that are willing to pivot and adapt, and that have leaders who know how to lead the way.   Lori Michele Leavitt has coached, consulted, and trained hundreds of leaders around the world to achieve their objectives and generate momentum. She speaks globally on catalyzing momentum, leading, pivoting, and workplace culture change.   Lori is the founder and president of Abrige Corp., which offers the Aligned Momentum (A.M.)® leadership operating system to help managers lead better. She also leads the global 10x!® business & leadership peer groups.   “Pivoting” conjures up the idea of quick change, but the actual change from where you are to where you want to be is never a quick move. Pivoting requires orchestration, which only begins when a moment of pause provides clarity. Lori’s books, The Pivot and Pivot to Clarity, focus on that moment and the clarity that comes before the pivot can happen.   Lori shares several examples of companies that have successfully — and unsuccessfully — pivoted. The difference between the two is the ability to take input, be aware of innovation, and exhibit a willingness to change.   The strategies for pivoting are tried and true, but will only happen effectively when the leader is willing to put those steps into action. Stop telling yourself that you’re special or don’t have to put in the work; just put your head down and make the change happen.   Interview Links: Lori Michele Leavitt   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.  

What does it take to get prospects to come to you? The transition to becoming a sought-after expert who draws in the ideal audience starts with the story you tell.   Nancy Erickson, The Book® Professor, coaches people who aren’t writers to become authors of high-impact nonfiction books that can change lives, save lives, or transform society. She offers a step-by-step methodology that takes you from your initial idea, all the way to a published nonfiction book. All you need is an idea to get started.   Simply put, a book is not a book is not a book. In other words, when you are writing, you have to put forth your very best effort, your best thoughts, and your best self. Your book should establish you as an expert in your field, it should increase your credibility, and it should help you attract a following. But the surefire way to kill your credibility on page one is to have a poorly-written book.   Nancy has helped an array of business professionals to use their books to drive their speaking engagements and increase their following including author Stephen Denny and Vistage speaker Jim Canfield.   She advises each leader to start by reworking the books they may have written in the past to be relevant in today’s market. Second, know who your audience is so that you know how to best reach them.   Third, identify ways to repurpose each chapter of your book to increase your exposure and use revenue in other avenues, whether it be seminars, workshops, podcasts, blogs, online courses, or your own keynote address.   The truth is, not everyone is going to read a book. The more ways you can connect with your audience, the more ways your effort and the concepts in your book will pay off.   Interview Links: The Book® Professor   Resources: 20,000 Scaleups Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube Recruiter.com Short List (use code scaleup)   Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Scaling Up Coaches (formerly Gazelles). We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail.   Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the show, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.   We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash so that they can Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. Scaling Up is based on Verne’s original best-selling business book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then please leave a review! Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.