Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher

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.  

How do you build a billion-dollar brand? It rarely starts with a billion dollars, that much is certain.   Brian Smith has charted his own course to become one of the great entrepreneurial success stories of our time. In 1978, he imported six pairs of sheepskin boots from Australia, with a dream to build a business where every American would eventually be wearing the product.   That is how one of the world’s most recognizable brands began, and sales of UGG products have exceeded a billion dollars in each of the past six years.   It was a chilly day in California when inspiration struck, but it wasn’t long before Brian learned that his entrepreneurial idea wasn’t going to amount to anything without a profound amount of work.   Brian’s book Birth of a Brand highlights the most fundamental truth of any entrepreneurial idea — just as you don’t give birth to an adult, your fledgling idea won’t immediately appear as a successful, profitable, fully-functioning business either. Breakthrough-breakdown is the cycle that every growing business has to navigate, and Brian has serious wisdom about the growth and branding that took Uggs from tadpole to billion-dollar success.   Despite the moments when Brian thought he had failed, he never gave up. You’re never really defeated until you give up on yourself. Brian shares the experiences he had that taught him what it takes to stay in the game until you’ve changed the world.   Interview Links: Brian Smith Spend a Day With Brian   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.  

When mindfulness, creativity, and innovation come together, the result is powerful leadership and impactful inventions that can change the world.   Faisal Hoque is the founder of SHADOKA, NextChapter, and other companies that focus on enabling sustainable and transformational changes. Throughout his career, he has developed over 20 commercial business and technology platforms and worked with public and private sector giants.   His bestselling book, Everything Connects: Cultivating Mindfulness, Creativity, & Innovation for Long-Term Value (Fast Company), is currently #2 on Wall Street Journal and USA Today.   Faisal grew up in Bangladesh and his world travel has inspired him to write several books with a focus on individual and organizational leadership, creating long-term value, and resilience.   Deep, daily mindfulness about our intentions and actions is essential. Faisal highlights the example of Leonardo DaVinci — he was constantly striving to determine who he was as an artist, sculptor, engineer, and entrepreneur, and then apply it to his real life. Mindfulness about your value-add is absolutely essential as you work to make meaningful contributions in the world.   Generically, mindfulness applies to awareness of where our mind lands, but more specifically it applies to our self-awareness and acting intentionally rather than merely in reaction to external forces. Mindfulness impacts not only you but every relationship you are in.   Faisal calls empathy the foundation of transformational leadership. Leaders are self-aware, they are influential, and they are looking for ways to recognize and utilize the talents of others. Without effective mindfulness of the self, leaders can’t expect to be effective in leading or inspiring others.   Interview Links: Faisal Hoque   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.  

US-based entrepreneurs often underestimate the potential of expanding to other countries, but scaling globally requires an understanding of both company knowledge and local culture. Klaus Wehage and Aaron McDaniel are the co-authors of Global Class: How the World’s Fastest Growing Companies Scale Globally. They have seen first-hand the challenges that entrepreneurs face in translating their local success into international markets. Global companies are expected to localize their products and services to each country they are present in, as well as compete with both local and global competition. Language is the first level of how you operate and manage within a company, followed by pricing and marketing. But like an iceberg, there is so much under the surface that is required to operate legally and successfully in each different country. Global-class companies consider how their values resonate with the culture of each country, the importance or offense of offering feedback, and how technologies can be either a help or hindrance to scaling. The examples of Walmart and DocuSign illustrate that what works in one country might be the reason a company doesn’t succeed in another. The most difficult and most important effective part of expansion is the team. An overlap of local knowledge and company knowledge is ideal and requires hiring the right people to get the job done. There are spoken and unspoken rules in every country, and understanding these rules is key to successful global scaling.   Interview Links: Klaus Wehage Aaron McDaniel   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.