Business advice

The "A Player" System: Stop Hiring Bodies and Start Building The Machine

Here's the truth: Most businesses are run by B & C Players who are supervised by B & C Players hoping for A Results. Good luck with that math.

I was working with a CEO last week (in one of my Board of Directors group meetings) who couldn't figure out why his team kept dropping the ball. "Keith, I've got good people," he said. "They're just not performing. How do I get them to produce results? I feel like I am begging them to do their job."

Wrong diagnosis. He didn't have good people. He had warm bodies filling seats. There's a difference.

If you want A Players, you need an A Process. And that process starts with understanding this fundamental principle: You can’t manage what you can’t measure, and you can’t hire who you can’t define.

Positioned to Win?

I recently came across a brilliant passage in Shane Parrish’s book, Clear Thinking: “Each moment puts you in a better or worse position to handle the future. It’s that positioning that eventually makes life easier or harder… A good position allows you to think, rather than be forced by circumstances into a decision. One reason the best in the world make consistently good decisions is they rarely find themselves forced into a decision by circumstances. You don’t need to be smarter than others to outperform them if you can out-position them. Anyone looks like a genius when they’re in a good position, and even the smartest person looks like an idiot when they’re in a bad one. The greatest aid to judgment is starting from a good position. The company with cash on the balance sheet and low debt has good options when bad times come (they always do), and their options go from good to great. On the other hand, a company with no cash and high debt has nothing but bad options to choose from. Things quickly go from bad to worse.”

Opportunity Without Structure is Chaos

Let me be blunt: Your big idea is worthless without the structure to execute it. Passion, hustle, innovation—none of it matters if the business runs like a hair-on-fire circus.

Why You're the Bottleneck in Your Own Business

Every decision goes through you. Nothing happens without your approval. You're working 70 hours a week but spending most of it on $30/hour tasks. Here's the brutal truth about why your business is stuck. You’re operating the business instead of running the business. The reality is the business is running you.

How to Be a Successful Entrepreneur: The Importance of Thinking Time

Most entrepreneurs are so busy working IN their business that they never work ON it. The difference between millionaires and billionaires isn't working harder; it's thinking smarter. Schedule 2 hours of uninterrupted Thinking Time weekly, ask better questions, and watch your stupid mistakes drop by 80%. This isn't theory. It's how I became successful.

Your Guide to Buying a Business: Top Things to Know

Buying a business is not about chasing shiny objects or gut feelings. It's about disciplined financial analysis, strategic clarity, and ruthless due diligence. After reading this, you'll know exactly how to avoid some of the most costly mistakes, identify profitable opportunities, and execute a deal that actually makes you money.

5 Key Business Problems to Avoid

Most business problems aren't caused by a lack of ideas; they're caused by a lack of discipline, clarity, and execution. If you want to avoid losing millions, stop chasing shiny objects and start focusing on fundamentals. After reading this, you'll know exactly which business problems to avoid and how to sidestep them before they cost you time, money, and sanity.

How to Come Up With Ideas for Business: Stop Guessing, Start Winning

Most entrepreneurs waste time chasing shiny ideas instead of solving real problems. Great business ideas come from identifying painful problems, validating demand, and executing with financial discipline. After reading this, you'll know exactly how to generate profitable ideas for business and avoid costly mistakes.

Got Financial Problems? Start with Whacking Costs

When confronted with the challenge of making more money, amateur business owners lurch for the growth lever, especially when the business is in trouble. Yet if you look at the pros, you find just the opposite… When they have problems, the first thing they do is shrink. The pros shutter divisions, reduce the number of SKUs, shrink head count, get medieval about expenses and cost reductions, and find all the excess weight they have been lugging around to accommodate growth that hasn’t happened. Why? Because trimming expenses and optimizing for maximum efficiency is not only smart, it is the fastest and most efficient path to stopping the bleeding and solving the financial problem. Don’t believe me, try to find a major company that has deviated from this formula… Can’t be done. (GM, Peloton, Bed Bath and Beyond, Blue Bell Ice Cream… It’s a very long list!)

Business Ethics: What Are They & Why Are They Important?

Everyone has a personal moral code that shapes their behavior, and everyone must make ethical decisions every day of their lives. Businesses also consider ethics when making decisions. A company’s ethical or unethical behavior can significantly impact its reputation, operations, and revenue. Keep reading to find out more about business ethics and why they are important.