“The CEO’s job is to keep the lights on, not to count paperclips.” – These were the words of my CEO boss and mentor.
In the 10 years that I worked for growth stage start-ups, I was responsible for leading marketing teams to support salespeople to drive revenue. In one particular company, we became one of the fastest growing start-ups in Canada named by Profit 100 Magazine, we grew an 8-figure business in 5 years with a small amount of capital. I was mentored by the CEO and I rose in the ranks quickly. I was the youngest person on the Executive team. We survived the dot com bubble, 9/11, and fierce competition.
One of the greatest lessons I learned during that time in my life was that it’s possible for an average, lean company with a small team to grow quickly and become number one in their niche, despite what goes on in the external environment.
How?
By focusing on the right things, having confidence in your mission, having the courage to move forward with conviction – and not allowing yourself to get distracted.
If our company’s CEO didn’t focus on “keeping the lights on” and counted paperclips instead, we wouldn’t have created as much success as we did.
What I learned from that apprenticeship is that Marketing, Sales and Leadership are the engine of all organizations.
Over the last many years, the focus of my coaching & consulting practice has been to help business owners and growth-stage Entrepreneurs overcome the plateau to 7-figure+ growth, by helping them with their marketing, sales, systems and leadership.
Focus on the right things in your business, and you will get traction, gain momentum and make an impact.
Are you ready to make an impact? Contact me.