Complexifying; Obsession vs. Passion; China’s March Backward; Feb 5 – 10 Panama

"…insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Geoversity Feb 5 – 10 Panama — applications are being accepted for 30 CEOs to participate in the 3rd annual "Nature of Business" program in the Republic of Panama. This 2-minute video and website will explain why some of the top YPOers, EOers, and other leaders have raved about this experience of how Mother Nature informs us about organizational structure to product/service design to physical facility enhancements. One YPOer running a $400 million construction firm not only picked up some important innovations he's incorporating in his business; he's also applying what he learned to the design of a new park in his city (he's chairing the development).

Equine Industry $300 Billion — I opened the ScaleUp Summit this week in Denver showing a photo of the Ford Model T and a horse. The car was supposed to put the horse out of business, yet last year the equine industry generated over $300 billion globally. There are no bad industries; just bad leadership. The equine industry simply pivoted from transportation to entertainment, one of the fastest growing segments in the global economy. Does your business need to pivot to something more lucrative in your industry?

Don't Complexify the Business — VC and entrepreneur Brad Feld was the opening keynote. He's coined the term "complexify" – when you have something that is working and then you mess it up with something complex. Leaders often don't realize when complexifying is happening. That is the value of a board or a coach. And don't make complicated mistakes – when you make a mistake on top of a mistake. How have you added needless complexity to your job/business?

Obsession vs. Passion — Feld feels passion is overrated – and people can fake that they're passionate about a business, idea, etc. Instead, he looks to invest in leaders who of obsessive about their business. Are you just passionate about what you do, or are you truly obsessive?

Do Less, Then Obsess — this aligned with Morten T. Hansen's research into the 7 keys to being Great@Work, the title of his breakthrough book and the theme for our ScaleUp Summit. The key is understanding what it means to really focus. Saying no to obvious things you shouldn't do isn't focus. Instead, focus is saying no to something you think is phenomenal because you have something even better to do i.e. Steve Jobs shelved the iPad because he felt the iPhone was even better. What great thing do you need to set aside for now?

35 Years Ago Today — Oct 19, 1983 was the launch date of the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs (ACE), the official start of the young entrepreneur movement. Fittingly, Lovepop co-founder Wombi Rose opened our ScaleUp Summit this week, sharing how he and his friend John Wise launched their fast growth biz while at Harvard Business School in 2013 and today have over 1000 employees, before they've turned 30, producing amazing 3D greeting cards. This article details how they've scaled

I'll Share Additional Ideas from the Summit over the Next Few Insights…but next…

China's Backward March — Vernon Menard sent me a link to this Foreign Policy magazine article about the likely negative impact of China's current trajectory toward Mao-style dictatorship. Noted Menard, "(the article) reminded me of your prediction that India will win The Hare and The Tortoise race. Democracies, as imperfect and messy as they are, always trump dictatorships in the long run. And fewer people die." Please take 5 minutes to read this article this weekend.

IV Vitamin C Continuing to Save Lives from Deadly Sepsis — half of all deaths in a hospital are due to sepsis (what killed Nelson Mandela), contributing to almost 20 million deaths each year globally. Dr. Marik's protocol based on high dose IV C is already saving many lives. This Whole Foods article details the results.

CEO-BOOTCAMP: spend 3.5 days with Verne, serial entrepreneur John Ratliff, and 6 other CEOs in a beautiful retreat setting, addressing the constraints holding back you, your business, and your industry. January 15 – 18; March 12 – 15; April 23 – 26 , 2019.

EXITING: Thinking about selling the business for $40 million or more? Want to get 25% to 200% more than you thought? Request the whitepaper from the Exit Strategies Summit at Harvard from Denise Richmond at (610) 299-6466 or email at [email protected]

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? Contact us at [email protected] for more information or visit https://coaches.scalingup.com/.

TECHNOLOGY:

Create Accountability – Drive Execution with Align, cloud-based software designed to scale up your Rockefeller Habits implementation. www.aligntoday.com – on your computer, tablet or phone. Click here to watch an introductory video.

Better Book Club — What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.