Dale Gibbons

Escape the rat race by turning your experience and skills into a 7-figure consulting income.

You’ve spent years building expertise.

Now it’s time to finally own your calendar.

I’m Dale Gibbons, and I help seasoned professionals turn their experience into high-ticket consulting businesses. 

I work with corporate escapees, exited founders and military veterans who know they’re capable of more than another 5 years in the corporate grind. 

You don’t have to be:

- At the mercy of an employer’s decisions
- Drowning in conflicting advice and tactics
- Chasing referrals that aren’t worth your expertise

You already have 90% of what it takes. My role is helping you reach that last 10%. 

Anyone who has a genius zone can build a consulting business that funds freedom and legacy.

Over the past 18 years, I’ve coached hundreds of consultants and coaches to: 

✅ Build premium consulting offers based on transformation, not time

✅ Fill workshops that generate qualified leads on autopilot

✅ Convert without pressure using my Benevolent Servant Leader™ sales framework

✅ Systematize delivery and scale through proprietary frameworks and group programs

The result: Businesses that create freedom.

I’ve built a solid, repeatable system that attracts qualified leads, clearly shows your value, and converts trust into premium, long-term engagements.  

Here’s what clients say:

- “Dale helped me replace my corporate income in 90 days.”
- “This system gave me my confidence, and pipeline, back.”
- “I finally feel like I’m running a business, not just doing client work.”

If you’re considering consulting as your next chapter and are:

❌ Unsure how to get consistent, high-value clients
❌ Struggling to explain to leads your premium pricing
❌ Drowning in tools but not seeing traction

I’d be glad to show you a better way. 

DM me if you’d like to hear more.

Or, if you’d prefer to see the system in action first, watch this quick video: 
https://bit.ly/businessbreakthroughadvisors_Video

Let’s build the consulting business that funds your freedom and gives you your life back.

CEO and Owner

We help business advisors (and those who want to be) use AI to create a reliable 6-figure+ income and leave the rat race forever.

Most consulting problems don't come from a lack of experience.

They come from a lack of practice.

You can memorize all of frameworks that are available out there.
But what matters is how you apply them in a real situation.

Sometimes you walk into a meeting feeling fully prepared, and when a client is in front of you, all that knowledge goes out the window.

A new problem might come up, or they don't react to a proposal like you thought they would.

It'll often catch you off guard and trying to solve it in real time.
It happens to every consultant, no matter how long you've been in the game.

At the end of the day, we're human. It's natural that situations are unpredictable.

You can't expect things to go the way you want all the time. And you can't memorize one script for every situation.

What separates effective consultants from those who freeze is that they can stay steady throughout any curveball.

That's why practice matters just as much as preparation.

When I'm coaching other consultants, we walk through plenty of potential scenarios they might face with a client.

We go over everything from leadership conflicts to organizational drama, and use what we've learned to practice our responses in real situations.

The most important part is learning to stay grounded when something unexpected comes up.
That way, no matter what the client might say, people are ready to respond.

The more we get involved with problem-solving, the easier it gets to apply in real life.

That's a skill any consultant can count on.

On Thursday, January 8, I'm hosting a live webinar to talk through what's changing in consulting and how experienced professionals can build a successful practice.

If you're serious about doing this work at a high level, this is where to start.

📅 Thursday, January 8
⏰ 1:00–2:00 PM ET
🎥 Live Webinar + Q&A

Save your seat here:
👉 https://lnkd.in/g-jEGn6S

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Consultants don't stall because of inexperience.

They stall because of underdeveloped skills.

Many consultants reach a point where the business is steady, but trapped under a glass ceiling.

Even though they're trying to grow, something keeps holding them back.

Sometimes, it can be solved by investing in learning or a new tool.

But what a lot of consultants don't realize is that their skills are crucial to their growth.

If you want to grow your consulting business to the next level,
there are a few key skills that are worth paying attention to:

C - Clarify
↳ Help clients get clear on the real problem underneath the symptoms.

O - Observe
↳ Slow down and notice patterns, constraints, and tensions that others miss. Then you can act.

N - Navigate
↳ Guide conversations and decisions calmly. That's how you build a strong rapport with your client.

S - Systemize
↳ Document the parts of your process that work. Iterate what doesn't. 

U - Uncover
↳ Reveal what clients are avoiding, missing, or underestimating, then help them address it directly.

L - Lead
↳ Always show up prepared. Do your research before client calls to come up with the best steps forward.

T - Transform
↳ Change how your client's business operates for the better. 

A - Align
↳ Bring key players onto the same page so everyone knows how impact is being created.

N - Negotiate
↳ Make agreements that protect value and create mutual commitment between you and the client.

T - Trust
↳ Earn it by doing what you say you will consistently and to a high standard.

You don't need to be flashy to do your best work.

Being reliable, straightforward, and helpful is what builds for clients to trust you.

When you're known for these traits, you become indispensable.

If you're not sure what part of your consulting practice you need to work on,
I've built a quiz to help you uncover the blind spot.

It'll give you a personalized roadmap of your next steps.

You can take it here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

Which one of these skills do you think is most important?

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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The work you want starts with one decision.

Be bold enough to make it.

I've done my time in large corporate settings. I swapped family time for work, reached the top of the ladder, and checked all the boxes I needed and more.

There were parts of the work I loved doing, but it wasn't always as fulfilling as I thought it should be.

I'll be honest, I stayed in corporate for years longer than I should have. It wasn't until I got fired that I finally got an important wakeup call:

You don't need a corporate title to make a meaningful difference in people's lives.

What I loved most was helping people see their problems clearly, give them helpful suggestions, and improving their businesses.

What I didn't love was trading autonomy for approval, or time with my family for endless meetings.

That realization didn't make building a consulting business easy, but it did make clear what was important to me.

Many others are drawn to consulting for similar reasons.

It's not an escape from hard work. If anything, it asks more of you.
But it's the kind of work that you're satisfied with when your head hits your pillow at the end of the day.

You choose the problems you work on. You work directly with people you want to help. You get to see the impact of your work happen in real time.

For a lot of folks, that's the difference between stress and fulfillment.

If you've ever wondered if there's something more meaningful for you out there,
consulting might just be the next step in your career journey.

I've built a quick quiz that'll help you determine if you're ready for that leap.

You'll know exactly what stage you're at now, and what it'll take to move forward.
You can take it for free here: bit.ly/ConsultingQuiz

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Image credits to Felix Bertram.

Consultants who grow to 7 figures know what to avoid.

These mistakes are what trip up talented people.

Many consultants hit a point where things feel steady, but they know their business isn’t where they want it to be.

What they don’t realize is that some of the habits that helped them grow are now the same ones holding them back.

Those habits will keep them stuck at that plateau until something changes.

Over the years, I’ve narrowed it down to six main personas:

1. The Free Giver
↳ You spend hours giving free advice in the hopes it turns into paid work.

2. The Generalist
↳ You try to solve all sorts of different problems, so no one sees you as the expert.

3. The Over-Deliverer
↳ You cram too much into every engagement, which trains clients to undervalue you.

4. The Discount Dealer
↳ You drop your price at the first sign of pushback, which hurts your margins and authority.

5. The Lone Wolf
↳ You try to do everything yourself, which stalls your growth.

6. The Tactic Chaser
↳ You chase every new marketing trick, never building a consistent growth engine.

Recognizing the most common pitfalls is the first step.

The next step is making the necessary changes.

I've explained how to fix each of these problems in the image below.

If you're still not sure where you might be stalling in your business,
I built a quiz to help.

My consulting archetype quiz identifies your current growth phase,
and gives you a roadmap to fixing your biggest blind spot.

It takes a few minutes and is available for free here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

I didn't wake up one day and decide to become a consultant.

But looking back, the signs were already there.

There was a point, though, when I realized the work I was doing no longer fit the role I was in.

But still, I stayed longer than I should've, until one day my manager pulled me aside and said, "You don't belong here."

I had a tendency to push for the best outcome, get involved in key decisions, and think of solutions beyond what corporate wanted.

He saw in me what I didn't realize at the time and let me go.

Turns out, that firing was a blessing in disguise.

I had to pull up my bootstraps and build something that worked for my season of life.

Today, I've helped hundreds of consultants who've had similar stories (minus the firing).

They outgrow their roles and want to make a bigger impact for small businesses.
Consulting is just the avenue to do it.

If any of this feels familiar, you may already be closer than you think:

1. You're pulled into decisions
↳ You're asked to weigh in before key decisions are made, not only after work is assigned.

2. You've challenged leadership
↳ You've disagreed with senior leaders and can do it without damaging relationships.

3. You're given undefined problems
↳ You're handed situations without clear scope or answers and expected to bring structure.

4. You think in business terms
↳ You naturally consider revenue, cost, risk, and trade-offs.

5. You've outgrown your role
↳ Your role no longer reflects the level of responsibility or judgment you already carry.

6. You're limited by the system
↳ Politics, slow decisions, and rigid processes frustrate you more than the actual work.

7. You want to be paid for judgment
↳ You care less about title progression and more about being valued for your perspective.

Consulting isn't always a leap into the unknown.

For experienced professionals, it's often an honest way for them to do work they're already passionate about, but without the red tape.

If you're still unsure about whether this path fits where you are right now, 
I'm running a live session covering:

→ Why 20+ years of experience is a strong foundation for a consulting career.
→ How to make the switch from charging hourly to monthly retainers.
→ How to stop being overlooked and command the fees your experience deserves.

If you're clear on how you work, but unsure what comes next, this will help.

📅 Thursday, February 5, 2026
⏰ 1:00–2:00 PM ET

Save your seat here: https://lnkd.in/gkrG4fUb

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Most consultants want to make a real impact.

Very few understand what actually creates it.

After enough time inside organizations and coaching other consultants, you start to notice something.

The consultants who make the biggest impact aren't the ones who talk the most or have the flashiest ideas.

They've developed the behaviors that create trust and clarity between them and their clients.

There are 10 key practices that lead to that kind of result.
Take a look and see which ones you've already mastered:

1. They don't jump in with answers
↳ They take time to listen properly, understand the situation, and make sure they've earned the right to speak.

2. They catch what others miss
↳ They notice the awkward pauses and the things everyone has quietly learned to live with.

3. They stay calm when things get messy
↳ They help people slow down, take stock, and find a way forward that fits.

4. They keep it simple
↳ They strip things back where it matters and give people something they can act on.

5. They work with what’s real
↳ They deal with what's on the ground — pressure, politics, budget and all.

6. They lead without needing credit
↳ They'll do the work and won't care who gets the credit as long as the right thing happens.

7. They earn trust the slow way
↳ They show up on time, keep their word, and prove constantly they can be counted on.

8. They adapt without lowering the bar
↳ They adjust to the situation without compromising on what good work looks like.

9. They look after the relationship
↳ They know that how people feel matters just as much as the work.

10. They leave a mark
↳ They leave teams and leaders better off than when they arrived.

If you have one or two of these, you're already on solid ground.

Master all of them, and you'll grow to a 7-figure consulting practice.

If you want clarity on where you are right now and where you need to focus,
I built a short quiz to help.

It'll reveal your consulting archetype, your biggest blindspot, and what to work on next.

You can take it here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Tools only take your consulting business so far.

The rest of your impact comes from your skills.

I've seen consultants who, on paper, have their business entirely figured out.

They've got great funnels, messaging, and the perfect positioning,
but they still get tripped up when working with clients.

What a lot of them don't realize is that you can have all the tools in the world,
but if you don't overcome some crucial skill gaps,
you're clipping your business’s wings.

I've spent a lot of years coaching other consultants through these problems.

These are the ones that come up the most:

1. Leading a Decision
↳ You explain problems clearly to clients, but don't know how to guide them to a clear yes or no.

2. How They Come Across
↳ Failing to realize your tone, pace, or when you hesitate can work against you.

3. Quiet Authority
↳ You either undersell yourself or talk too much instead of trusting your experience.

4. Clear Thinking
↳ Jumping to solutions before slowing down and really thinking the problem through.

5. Follow-Through
↳ You know what works, but you don't do it consistently enough to see results.

6. Pricing From Impact
↳ Pricing based on comfort or history instead of the result you create.

7. Emotional Control
↳ You struggle to stay steady when outcomes are uncertain or slow.

All of these skills are important.

You don't need to work on all of them at once.

Identify the biggest obstacle and start there.

Look over your previous client calls.
Note the parts of your business where you struggle most.

That's how you can start working on what's holding you back.

If you're not sure which skill you should focus on first,
I built a quiz to help you focus.

It shows your consulting archetype, your biggest blind spot, and how to fix it fast.

You can take it for free here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

You didn't leave corporate to work 12-hour days.

Yet for a lot of consultants, that's the reality.

Building a business can give you control over your daily life.
But client work, admin and managing systems can eat up your hours.

Many folks have swapped out one daily grind for another. Only this time, it's one of their own making.

I've been there. My early days were filled with never-ending tasks. And I knew I couldn't keep it up if I wanted to spend quality time with my family.

If you're in the later season of life like I am, you can't outwork Father Time.
And you won't get your younger years back.

What you can do is take ownership of the time ahead.

You can use a simple system for this: 

The 8+8+8 rule:

8 hours of hard work.
8 hours of good sleep.
8 hours for everything else that makes life worth living.

That last 8 hours break down into:

3Fs: Family, friends, and faith.
3Hs: Health, hygiene, and hobbies.
3Ss: Soul, service, and smiles.

Of course, there'll be some days when work demands more time from you. 

Life can't always follow a strict schedule.

But if you're consistently working more than 8 hours, 
now's the time to take a good hard look at your clients and systems and see where you can clean things up.

Because sacrificing the other 16 hours of your life means that you're building another job you can't escape.

You've already done your time. 

You've earned the right to build a business that works for you.

If you need help clarifying where you're stuck and what to work on,
my quiz gives you your consulting archetype and a personalized roadmap of next steps.

You can take it for free here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

What's one thing you'd like to do if you had another hour of free time in your day?

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Being highly skilled doesn’t always translate into being influential with clients.

I've heard plenty of stories where clients hire talented consultants but resist every proposal put forward.

And honestly, I've been through my fair share of battles in that area too.

Getting past that hurdle comes down to building real rapport with the client.

Here are six key principles to build that skill:

• Reciprocity
People become more open after you give them something of value first. Use your expertise to point out the gaps they've overlooked.

• Consistency
↳ Clients prefer decisions that align with what they already said yes to. Stay steady in your emotions and how you work.

• Social Proof
↳ Folks will turn to other people to help with decisions. Explaining specific outcomes they can expect will reduce that uncertainty.

• Likability
↳ People listen more closely to those they enjoy working with. Build a strong rapport, and reinforce it with results.  

• Authority
↳ If you can explain problems clearly and calmly, you'll reduce client's need for justification. 

• Scarcity
↳ People take decisions seriously when timing and access have limits. Set clear boundaries to prevent momentum from stalling.

Together, these components position you as the first person a client goes to for a solution.

Your previous roadblocks start to come down, and you shift from "just another consultant" to a key asset in their business.

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

I stayed in corporate for years longer than I should have.

Even though the cage door was wide open.

Visual credit to Lise Kuecker

We're all given this blueprint for how we're meant to live our lives.

Get a good education, put in your 40 hours a week for decades, clmbed up the ladder, and then you'll be successful.

I followed that path for 15 years. I felt exhausted and trapped.

But at the same time, I had a wonderful wife and two young boys to provide for.
If building my own business failed, how would I be able to look them in the eye?

It felt safer to push my own feelings aside, stay in my job, and stay the course.

But fate had other ideas.

One day, my manager pulled me into his office, leaned against the door and said,
"You don't belong here, and we both know it."

The company was changing, and he saw that my skills and potential wouldn't benefit from me staying there.

That forced me to face my fears and work on my consulting business.

It was a struggle in the beginning.

But when you're confronted with no other option, 
you truly see what you're capable of.

I didn't realize it at the time, but getting fired was the best thing that could have happened to me.

I began doing more work that felt fulfilling and impactful.

My expertise was helping real businesses make changes for the better.

And honestly, that's what all good work should be about.
Using your knowledge to serve people who need it most.

Not wasting time dealing with meetings about meetings and political maneuvering.

If you've been feeling the same way, don't wait until corporate America shows you the door.

You already have enough expertise to build your own way out.

I've made a short video explaining how three converging forces are creating the biggest consulting opportunity in modern history.

You can watch it here: https://lnkd.in/gq8WMWNt

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Controlling your calendar is what draws many folks to consulting.

But freedom without structure creates chaos.

Needless to say, I appreciate being able to take a day off without going through the red tape.

That doesn't make the rest of my work something I can just breeze through.

On your own, you don't have a boss making sure you're finishing your tasks on time.
If you're not careful, a "quick" bit of admin can swallow your whole day.

Here are some of the time frameworks that keep you on track:

Eisenhower Matrix
↳ Sort your tasks by urgency and importance.
↳ If it's urgent, do it now. If it's neither, drop it entirely.

Eat the frog
↳ Do the task that carries the biggest risk or impact for your client first.
↳ Block 60-90 minutes first thing to knock out a solid version.

Pickle Jar Theory
↳ Put your biggest deliverables in first, then fill gaps with smaller tasks.
↳ Protect deep-work time for what matters most. Admin and email can fill the cracks.

1-3-5 Method
↳ Plan each day around one big outcome, three medium tasks, and five small wins.
↳ This keeps you realistic about capacity instead of overcommitting out of ambition.

Pareto Principle (80/20)
↳ Identify the 20% of activities that drive 80% of your results, then double down on those.
↳ Review weekly to make sure your effort matches your impact.

Everyone will have a framework or two that works best for them.

Give a few of them a try and see what helps you get work done.

If you've been growing your consulting business or getting off the ground this year,
I'm running a live session that could change your trajectory.

On Thursday, February 5, I'll be covering:

→ Why 20+ years of experience is a strong foundation for a consulting career.
→ How to make the switch from charging hourly to monthly retainers.
→ How to stop being overlooked and command the fees your experience deserves.

If you're clear on how you work, but unsure what comes next, this will help.

📅 Thursday, February 5, 2026
⏰ 1:00–2:00 PM ET

Save your seat here: https://lnkd.in/gkrG4fUb

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

- Napoleon Hill

I'll always advocate for seeking knowledge from books.

And "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill is one of those books every consultant should have in arm's reach.

Here's an overview of the biggest lessons:

Results = Clarity x Belief x Persistence x Action

All four components are necessary to building a strong independent consulting practice.

The 5 Core Principles Hill covers:

1. Define chief aim
↳ Vague goals produce vague outcomes.

2. Belief shapes behavior
↳ What you believe determines what you attempt.

3. Persistence
↳ Most people fail because they stop too soon.

4. The subconscious mind
↳ Repeated thoughts determine your level of success.

5. Mastermind principle
↳ Growth accelerates around higher standards.

I agree with Hill heavily about the subconscious mind.
Our thoughts impact our behavior, and those determine what outcomes we can achieve.
It's a cycle that looks like this:

Thoughts: What you tell yourself daily
↓
Habits: What you repeat without thinking
↓
Actions: What others can see
↓
Results: What you end up with

If you want to stop the head trash and build more mental resilience,
you have to watch out for certain traps:

❌ Making vague goals
❌ Waiting for luck
❌ Quitting early
❌ Fear of criticism
❌ Changing direction constantly

Instead, build a system that lets you move forward and grow:

✅ Define one clear aim
✅ Act before feeling confident
✅ Let effort compound
✅ Expect resistance
✅ Stay the course

Books like this don't become classics by accident.

It's a reminder that your results come from your mindset.

Consulting exposes your thinking fast.

There isn't a boss to hide behind or a structure handed to you.
Building up that mental resilience can make all the difference in how much you succeed.

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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McKinsey's CEO says the firm now has 60,000 employees...

25,000 of them are AI agents.

When I first read the news, my reaction wasn't excitement or concern.

It was a simple question:

Who's accountable when the advice doesn't work?

Clients don't hire consultants for reports or recommendations.

They hire them because they want someone who delivers transformation.

And they expect the person guiding them toward a decision can understand the context, apply their judgment, and stand behind their reasoning.

AI can generate options quickly. That part is impressive.

What it can't do is own the outcome.

It can't sense when a CEO is hesitant but won't say why.
It can't navigate the internal politics that determine which decisions get made.
It can't take the heat when things go sideways.

That only happens when a human is accountable.

I'm not anti-AI. I use it every day.

But I use it as a tool, not a replacement for the thinking and accountability clients are paying for.

Ironically, McKinsey's choices might be the best thing that's ever happened for independent consultants.

You understand the distinction between using tools and being replaced by them.

Consulting without human ownership is just information delivery. And information on its own has never been worth premium fees.

If you're building a consulting practice, you're not competing against AI.

The goal is to use it wisely, while you remain the person who thinks, decides, and takes responsibility for the result.

I built a short quiz to help you spot any blind spots and what to focus on next:

https://lnkd.in/gdpuK7XC

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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"Anyone can be a consultant if they work hard enough."

I learned firsthand that's not true.

I'll admit, before I went down this path, I believed the same thing.

I was fired from my old corporate role for being "too entrepreneurial."

So I thought if I kept doing what worked before, clients would come flooding to my consulting business.

Instead, I got crickets.

I learned very quickly that being good at your job and running a business aren't the same thing.

Hard work alone won't get you the premium clients you want in your business.

It also takes:

Clear positioning
↳ If you sound like everyone else, prospects compare you by price, not by value.

The right timing
↳ Entering a market when demand is rising makes positioning yourself easier.

Systems & leverage
↳ The right system stops you from trading hours for dollars.

Focused offers
↳ Trying to help everyone with every problem means you help no one.

Emotional discipline
↳ There'll be rejection, slow months, and doubt. Having mental resilience is crucial.

Consistent lead flow
↳ You can't wait until the pipeline dries up. Have a system that encourages outreach every day.

When all these components work together, you're on your way to building a 7-figure+ business. 

But none of this works if you believe any head trash you tell yourself.

"I'm too old to start."
"The market's too crowded."
"I don't have enough credentials."

Without belief and mental resilience, you won't do any of the things that actually create results.

I've made a short video that explains some of the biggest myths about consulting,
and the three converging forces that are creating the largest consulting opportunity in modern history.

You can watch it right here: https://lnkd.in/gq8WMWNt

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

AI won't replace your human expertise.

But staying curious can grow your business.

Thanks to Paul Evans for pulling this together.

I've been learning about AI for a few years now.

When you've been in business as long as I have,
you learn very quickly how important it is to keep up with new tech. 

A lot of consultants are scared about what AI might mean for their business,
but once you start exploring, you realize it's not as complicated (or smart) as people make it out to be.

AI can never replace your human expertise. 

And the right tools can help you make parts of your business run much smoother.

If you're curious (and you should be), 
here are 6 free resources that can help you learn the basics:

1️⃣ OpenAI Academy
→ https://lnkd.in/eery3kCQ
→ These are short, practical lessons from the folks who built ChatGPT.

2️⃣ Perplexity Labs
→ https://lnkd.in/eTCxgvug
→ Perplexity is like ChatGPT, but it'll cite its sources and give deeper context.

3️⃣ Claude from A to Z
→ https://lnkd.in/ekQaWccX
→ An overall guide on how to use Claude effectively.

4️⃣ Gemini Prompting
→ https://lnkd.in/eJK6gdgF
→ Google breaks down how to give Gemini (and other LLMs) the best prompts.

5️⃣ Guide to AI Agents
→ https://lnkd.in/eE7bVh5n
→ This teaches you how to use AI for specific, repetitive tasks.

6️⃣ Deep Dive into LLMs
→ https://lnkd.in/e2pP3JJh
→ This video fully explains how AI actually "thinks" and how to use it to your advantage.

You don't have to become an expert and master every tool out there.

Take a moment to think about what's taking up the most time in your business,
and see if there's a tool or process that could make things easier.

To make the process easier, I've built a quiz that assesses your stage of growth,
your biggest roadblock, and how you can move forward.

You can take it for free here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

There's one signal every consultant should watch for.

It protects your revenue and your best work.

If any single client represents more than 20% of your income, that's not a problem to solve by turning down good work.

It's a sign that your pipeline needs attention.

When one client becomes too large a share of your revenue, your behavior changes, whether you notice it or not.

It feels tougher to challenge a bad decision.
You soften your language to avoid friction.
If they push boundaries, you might let things slide because the relationship feels too important to risk.

Your advice gets filtered through income protection instead of professional judgment.

The answer isn't to say no to good clients or cap your growth.
The fix is to build so you're never dependent on any single relationship.

A healthy consulting practice:

→ Spreads revenue across multiple clients.
→ Keeps an active pipeline even when things feel full.
→ Grows through addition, not restriction.

That structure gives you the freedom to give every client your honest best, without fearing the consequences.

I'd love to hear what you folks think about this.

And if there's something else you think might be holding your business back, I've built a quiz to help you uncover it.
It'll show you your current growth phase, what your biggest roadblock is, and what are the next steps forward.

You can take it here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

How Client Concentration Quietly Destroys Leverage

Most consultants get pricing backwards.

They focus on experience, not impact.

One of the biggest pricing mistake I see consultants make is waiting to "earn" the right to charge premium fees.

I've heard all the reasons over the years:

"I need more consulting experience."
"I need to start low and work my way up."

That's the fastest way for prospects to choose someone else.

This thinking is everywhere in the consulting world,
and it keeps talented people stuck in the "apprentice trap."

Most likely, you've already got plenty of experience under your belt as an employee.

And clients don't care about how long you've been consulting.
They care about the profit you can make for them.

While you're undervaluing yourself, consultants with half of your experience get double your paycheck.

It's the Premium Pricing Paradox.

When you price yourself like a discount consultant, clients assume that's what you are.

When you price yourself like someone who unlocks serious outcomes, they assume you're worth listening to:

• Business owners take you more seriously.
• You attract serious clients who want their problems solved.
• You skip the credibility-building phase.

When you lead with profit impact instead of credentials, clients are able to see the contrast.

Show a business owner they've got $300K in trapped profit,
and your $3K monthly fee looks like the bargain of the century.

Highlighting that potential with your tools and expertise is the key to justifying your prices.

You'll know you're getting things right when:

• Clients ask you about timelines and execution, not your fees.
• They take implementation seriously.
• They refer you to other business owners at the same level.
• You feel confident in your value proposition.

If you're not sure where your pricing matches the problems you're solving,
that's usually a clarity issue, not a confidence one.

I've made a short video about how to build a predictable $30-$50k monthly revenue as a consultant to help get you started.

You can watch it here: https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Very few people make it through life without regrets.
The real question is: 
How many are you willing to carry?

Nearly every consultant reaches a point where they feel stuck. 

Not because they lack the skills to reach their next goal, 
but because they don't have the confidence to just go for it.

The head trash they carry ends up being stronger than their potential.

Often it sounds something like this:

"I'll wait until I feel ready."
"It's not the right time yet."
"I don't have enough experience."

I've been there before. That head trash affects everyone.

What I've learned the hard way is that waiting always leads to one of two outcomes:

You eventually make the move and realize you spent years worrying for no reason.

Or you never make the move, and you're left with the quiet regret of knowing you stayed smaller than you needed to.

The only outcome that's proven to help you reach your goals is to take the next step,
even when you don't feel ready.

Consultants don't regret:

→ Charging for outcomes over hourly rates.
→ Trusting experience over credentials.
→ Saying "no" early on.

But they do regret the slow compromises:

→ Underpricing their expertise.
→ Taking on misaligned clients.
→ Saying "yes" to everything.

You can avoid that regret by working through the head trash.

It's not easy, but it's how you build a business that you're proud of.

If you're at that crossroads right now, 
pay attention to what feels intimidating.

Make a plan to move forward and stick with it.

It'll pay off in the long run.

If you want help seeing what's holding you back, and how to move forward,
I've built a short quiz.

It'll give you a personalized roadmap of the next steps you need to take.

You can take it here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Dr. Mike wasn't a rookie when he came to me.

He still chose to level up.

He runs an excellent coaching practice for executives, teaches at the graduate level, and consults when it fits him.

There was a tough, but fair system in place, which held his clients accountable to do the work they promised.

Yet, even with all his experience, he chose to work with me because he wanted to sharpen his edge with AI.

AI is changing how consultants operate.

It won't replace us, but it can multiply our impact if we leverage it properly.

I've helped a lot of consultants like Dr. Mike use AI to:

→ Streamline the unscalable parts of their work.
→ Sharpen their positioning and delivery.
→ Stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly shifting market.

All while retaining the unique human experience that your clients come to you for in the first place.

AI won't replace you. It makes your expertise run faster.

The consultants who succeed over the next decade are the ones who adapt now.

If you want to see which growth path fits your style and what might be holding you back,
take my quiz here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM and let's chat.
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Corporate doesn't always value decades of experience.

In consulting, that's what sets you apart.

If you've spent 20+ years building real experience, it can be frustrating to feel like the world has stopped seeing it.

You know how to lead.
You know how to make key beneficial decisions.
You know how businesses actually work.

And yet, corporate America has a strange relationship with people in your position.

You're invited to the table later than you used to be.
You're still relied on, but less often trusted to drive the direction.

Nothing is said outright, but the message becomes harder to ignore.

Your experience is seen as expensive or out of step.

To small and medium-sized businesses, it's exactly what they're looking for.

They want judgment, perspective, and someone who's been through enough cycles to know what matters and what doesn't.

That's what I call the Gray Hair Premium.

And it's becoming more valuable by the day.

On Thursday, February 5, I'm hosting a free live training session where I'll walk through how experienced professionals can turn decades of hard-earned knowledge into premium consulting fees.

During the session, we'll cover:

• Why companies spending billions on AI are still struggling
↳ And why they're actively seeking seasoned consultants to guide transformation.

• Why most consultants stay stuck at hourly rates
↳ And the 4-word shift that changes everything.

• What never to say in a discovery call
↳ This phrase makes prospects see you as a vendor instead of an advisor.

• Real transformations with previous clients
↳ Who started with zero consulting experience.

• The "Category of One" positioning technique
↳ That makes price comparisons irrelevant.

This isn't a session where I'll tell you to reinvent yourself to succeed. 

I'll be teaching you how to position your unique experience so the right clients recognize your value.

Event details:
📅 Thursday, February 5, 2026
⏰ 1:00–2:00 PM ET

You can save your seat here: https://lnkd.in/gkrG4fUb

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Helping Founders Break the $10M Ceiling | Strategy, Cash Flow & Leadership Systems | Scaling CFO

I help founders simplify scaling.

You started your business. You pushed past $1M. Now you're stuck somewhere between $3M and $10M, working harder than ever but not moving faster.

The problem isn't effort. It's complexity.

Too many priorities competing for attention. Financials that don't tell you what to do next. A team that still needs you for everything. Growth that feels like grinding instead of building.
I fix that.

I'm Cruz Gamboa, founder of Ascend Growth Ventures. I combine Scaling Up methodology with CFO-level financial clarity to help founders cut through the noise and scale with confidence.

Before this, I spent 25 years in corporate finance - including Regional CFO at GE and strategic finance leadership at GE Capital. I've seen what works at scale. Now I bring that to founders building something that matters.

I work best with CEOs in professional services, coaching, SaaS, and service-based businesses who are ready to scale profitably without burning out.

One conversation can change your trajectory: calendly.com/cruzagamboa/call-with-cruz-ascend-30min

Cruz Gamboa

Scaling isn’t about being nice.
It’s about being clean.

Clean with roles.
Clean with standards.
Clean with truth.

You don’t fire people.
You outgrow misalignment.

As the Netflix CEO puts it:

“If I wouldn’t fight to keep you, I owe you honesty—and a generous exit.”

Not because someone failed.
But because one of three things is true:
•	The role evolved faster than the person
•	The seat was wrong from the start
•	The bar moved—and the company didn’t move it back

High-performing companies don’t drag this out.
They decide early and act with dignity.

No drama.
No ego.
No moral stories.

Just:
•	Radical clarity
•	Respectful exits
•	Fair severance
•	Clean energy left behind

Dragging misalignment is the real cruelty.
Clarity is the kindness.

Scaling isn’t loyalty to individuals.
It’s loyalty to the mission, the team, and the future.

Right people.
Right seats.
Right standards.

And when someone no longer fits?
You don’t shame them.
You set them free.

If you want to scale, stop managing discomfort.
Start architecting teams.

Managers hesitate.
Leaders make room.

#scalingup #founders #growth #ceo

Most businesses don’t fail because they’re bad.

They fail because they’re trying to be someone else.

Burger King copied McDonald’s for 30 years.
Same audience.
Same positioning.
Same “family-friendly” nonsense.

And they kept losing.

Because you can’t beat the market leader
by playing their game better than them.

By 2004, Burger King was dying.
So they asked the only question that actually matters:

“Who is already buying from us?”

Not who they *wanted*.
Not who looked good in presentations.

The truth.

The answer?
Men aged 18–34.
Heavy fast-food users.
People who came back again and again.

And those customers didn’t want:

➡️ Safe
➡️ Cute
➡️ Corporate

They wanted:

➡️ Flame-grilled food
➡️ Control
➡️ Edge
➡️ Personality

So Burger King stopped pretending.

They brought back “Have It Your Way.”
Not as a slogan.
As a strategy.

They built everything around that one customer.

Marketing got bold.
Messaging got raw.
Campaigns got polarizing.

Subservient Chicken.
Whopper Freakout.

Not for everyone.
Exactly the point.

What happened next?

Same-store sales jumped.
Franchises grew.
And net income increased 2860% in three years.

That’s not a pivot.
That’s a resurrection.

Burger King didn’t beat McDonald’s.

They sidestepped them.

McDonald’s owned families.
Burger King owned young men who wanted control.

Different customer.
Different lane.
No direct competition.

Here’s the real lesson:

If you try to serve everyone,
you get ignored by everyone.

The fastest way to grow isn’t copying the leader.

It’s finding the customer they don’t care about
and building obsessively for them.

Specific beats broad.
Always.

#ceo #founder #growth

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Most businesses don’t fail from lack of effort.

They fail from listening to themselves instead of the market.

Dunkin didn’t pivot loudly.

They pivoted quietly by watching what people kept paying for. 

Then they let the data rewrite their identity.

That’s the real upgrade:
✅ Feelings → Facts
✅ Ego → Evidence
✅ deas → Income that repeats

The market is always talking.

Your sales are the language.

So here’s the uncomfortable check:
What do people come back for again and again?

And are you building more of that… or still pitching what you’re emotionally attached to?
#scalingup #CEO #founder #growth

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cruzgamboadrive

patagonia-solar-llc

Your First Product Is Not Your Last

Bill Gates could have flown First Class every day or flown on his own plane, even as a billionaire, 

But he chose to fly Economy until around 1997.

Why?

Because it wasn’t worth the money.

Same plane.
Same arrival time.
5× the cost for a tiny upgrade.

That’s how smart people think about scale.

Most people make money and immediately upgrade their lifestyle.

Smart operators upgrade what makes money.

More spending doesn’t equal more growth.
It usually equals more noise.

When you’re scaling, ask one question:
👉 Does this change the outcome?

If it doesn’t:
Cut it.

A fancy office doesn’t increase revenue.
A luxury car doesn’t improve execution.
Premium tools don’t fix broken systems.

Wealth has one real job:
Buy back your time.

Once you have enough, the goal isn’t more stuff.
It’s fewer constraints.

Less distraction.
More focus.
More leverage.

Scale isn’t about looking successful.
It’s about building something that works without you.

That’s real wealth.
#scalingup #ceo #growth #founder

He was 78 years old
…when he launched a vodka brand
…with no distillery
…in an industry that laughed at him

Sidney Frank.
The man behind Grey Goose.

No product breakthrough.
No secret formula.
No startup hype.

Just one insight most people missed:
People don’t buy vodka. They buy status.

Sidney didn’t make better vodka.
He made a better story.

France on the label.
Luxury in the bottle design.
A price so high it forced belief.

While others chased volume,
he chased perception.

He didn’t market to the masses.
He placed Grey Goose in elite bars first.
When bartenders poured it,
the world followed.

He moved slowly.
Protected exclusivity.
Ignored trends.

8 years later:
➡ Grey Goose became the default “premium vodka”
➡ Competitors copied the look
➡ Bacardi paid $2.3 BILLION

No overnight success.
Just disciplined positioning.

Lesson most builders miss:
Innovation gets attention.
Positioning creates power.

Experience didn’t slow him down.
It sharpened him.

Long vision.
Clear narrative.
Unshakeable belief.

#founders #scalingup #businessstrategy #longtermthinking

The first $5M? Brutal.
The next $5M? Still hard.
After $10M? Growth accelerates.

Here’s the scaling truth Kevin O’Leary calls out:

The first $5M is about survival. You’re learning how to deploy capital, take smart risks, and build systems that work. 

Most entrepreneurs quit here.

The next $5M? 

Execution matters. You’ve survived the grind, learned what works, and can now scale with confidence. Decisions compound. Efficiency improves. Strategy becomes your edge.

Beyond $10M? You’re playing a different game. Capital works for you, not the other way around. Systems, processes, and disciplined execution create leverage.

Lesson: 

Wealth and business scales the same way. 

Master the first phase. 
Build discipline. 
Then scale.
#scalingup #founder #growth #ceo

Most people think Starbucks’ rewards program is about free coffee.

It isn’t.

It’s about cash flow.

Starbucks Rewards is not a loyalty perk.
It’s a prepaid deposit system.

When a customer loads money into the app, Starbucks gets paid before any coffee is made.
Accounting-wise, that money sits as deferred revenue.

But operationally?
It’s usable cash.

That’s the move.

Instead of waiting for daily transactions, Starbucks created a system where millions of customers fund operations in advance.

No interest.
No bank fees.
No dilution.
No debt.

Every preload improves:
✅ Working capital
✅ Liquidity
✅ Balance sheet strength

And Starbucks holds that cash until the customer redeems it.

Some never do.

Unused balances.
Forgotten cards.
Abandoned apps.

That “breakage” flows straight to profit.

Multiply this behavior across ~29 million users and you don’t have a rewards program anymore.

You have a deposit base.

This is why Starbucks scales so efficiently:
▶ Stores expand faster
▶ Cash flow stays predictable
▶ Capital stress stays low

They didn’t out-market competitors.
They re-engineered when money moves.

The lesson:-

Growth isn’t always about selling more.
Sometimes it’s about getting paid earlier.

Starbucks didn’t build loyalty.
They built a financial engine and wrapped it in a green apron.#ceo #scalingup #growth #ceo #founder

Most companies scale faster by cutting people.
Publix scaled stronger by owning the opposite.

95 years. Zero layoffs.
Not luck. Not culture posters.
A Scaling Up system done right.

➡ Promote from within
➡ Clear succession planning
➡ Everyone thinks like an owner
➡ Leaders built, not bought
➡ Long-term value over short-term savings

When people own the outcome, execution compounds.
When leadership is grown internally, trust scales.

This isn’t a feel-good story.
This strategy may not be your strategy. 
For Publix, It’s a people strategy that beat Walmart.

You have to find what it's true for your company. 

Scale isn’t about size.
It’s about who owns the results.

#scalingup #growth #CEO

No Layoffs?

ADIDAS LOST €1.5 BILLION.
NOT TO NIKE.
NOT TO THE MARKET.
BUT TO ITS OWN BUREAUCRACY.

January 2023:
Dead Yeezy stock.
First loss since 1992.
Slow teams. Scared decisions. Broken speed.

9 months later?
Profitable. Faster. Sharper. Beating Nike.

The turnaround wasn’t magic.
It was leadership.

One CEO did 3 things most companies avoid:
→ Cut layers
→ Killed approvals
→ Simplified what already worked

No hype.
No noise.
Just speed, clarity, and conviction.

Big lesson:
You don’t lose because you’re small.
You lose because you’re slow.

Sometimes the fix isn’t more strategy.
It’s less nonsense.

#scalingup #CEO #founders #growth

ADIDAS Story

He didn’t fail for 10 years.
The market just wasn’t ready yet.

Hwang Dong-Hyuk sold his $675 laptop to buy food.
Lived with his grandmother.
Got rejected for a decade.

Studios said:

➡️ Too weird
➡️ Too violent
➡️ Not commercial
➡️ Too complex

Same script.
Same idea.
Same “no”.

Here’s the part most people miss 👇

This wasn’t a talent problem.
It was a timing + distribution problem.

He had the product early.
The market came late.

In 2018, Netflix expands globally.
Needs bold, non-safe content.
Needs local stories with global emotion.

One exec reads the script and says:
“This is exactly what we need.”

$21.4M invested.
Zero marketing push.
No homepage love.

Result?

✓ #1 in 94 countries
✓ 1.65B viewing hours
✓ $900M+ value created
✓ Best ROI in Netflix history

Scaling lesson most founders ignore:

Great ideas don’t die.
They wait.

If you’re early:
Don’t dilute the vision to get small yeses.
Build proof elsewhere.
Survive long enough to meet the right platform.

Scaling isn’t about changing your idea.

It’s about finding the right leverage.

One right distributor > 1,000 wrong pitches.

Ten years of “weird”
became a global empire.

Sometimes the world just isn’t ready yet.

Stay in the game long enough… and it will be.
#scalingup #founderstories #growth #CEO

The World Isnt Ready

Growth without cash flow is just noise. 📉
Dives deeper into why founders who master cash strategy scale faster, stay resilient, and win long term.

Full Cash Is King podcast episode premiering Friday 🚀

🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next clips—and the full conversation.

👉 Set your reminder & watch the premiere here:
https://lnkd.in/eBnXhnie

#CashIsKing #DevinSizemore #PodcastShorts #BusinessPodcast
#CashFlowManagement #ScalingBusiness #FounderMindset
#SustainableGrowth #WealthStrategy #EntrepreneurLife
#YouTubePremiere #PodcastReels

GIANTS don’t fall overnight.
They fall one comfortable decision at a time.

They built the category.
Owned the market.
Had money, talent, and trust.

Then they did one thing wrong 👇
They stopped adapting.

Motorola. 
Intel. 
Netscape. 
Borders.

Not stupid.
Not unlucky.
Just late.

The market doesn’t punish failure.
It punishes complacency.

Scroll through this carousel if you want a reminder of one brutal truth:
➡️ Past success is not future security.
➡️ Comfort is more dangerous than competition.
➡️ If you’re not improving, someone else is preparing to replace you.

Stay hungry.
Or become a case study.
#SCALINGUP #CEO #FOUNDER #GROWTH

CRITICAL MISTAKES

Most people don’t need a new year.

They need a new operating system.

2026 won’t reward louder marketing, more hustle, or more tools.
It will reward founders who build clarity early and compound it fast.

What I’m seeing with founders between $3M–$10M is consistent:
• When financial visibility improves, decisions slow down in the right way
• Leadership shifts from reactive to intentional
• Teams stop guessing and start executing
• Growth becomes calmer, not heavier

Breakthroughs rarely come from doing more.
They come from removing noise and tightening the system.
That’s the mindset I’m taking into 2026.

Less chaos. More leverage. Fewer moves. Better ones.

If you’re also thinking about how you want to operate differently next year, I wrote a short piece on what actually creates momentum at this stage.

DM me or write "2026", and I will share the memo I wrote for my clients and friends with you.

#ceo #founder #scalingup

He refused to touch a $1.50 hot dog, and it helped build a ~$250B business.

Jim Sinegal.
Costco co-founder.

Inflation hit.
Costs rose.
Wall Street pushed the obvious move:

“Raise prices.”

Jim’s response was blunt:

“If you raise the price of the hot dog, you’re done.”

No slides.
No consultants.
No narrative gymnastics.

Just a rule.

So Costco did what most companies won’t:

They redesigned the system.
* Built their own production capacity
* Reduced supplier dependency
* Ruthlessly simplified SKUs
* Absorbed costs where trust mattered most

Instead of passing pain to customers, they owned it.

While others:
→ Blamed inflation
→ Shrunk products
→ Optimized short-term margins

Costco:
→ Held the line on iconic prices
→ Added ~5M new member households
→ Sustained ~92% renewal rates
→ Scaled to ~$250B in annual revenue

Here’s the part most founders miss:

They weren’t protecting a hot dog.

They were protecting trust.

And trust compounds faster than margins ever will.

Most companies raise prices to survive.
Strong companies redesign economics so prices don’t have to.

Boring moves.
Brutal discipline.
Unfair long-term advantage.

So what’s the one price, promise, or principle in your business that you refuse to break, no matter the pressure?

#scalingup #founders #leadership #pricing #ceo

In 1997, Jeff Bezos was stressed for all the right reasons.

Amazon was losing money.
Online retail wasn’t proven.
Most investors thought he was wrong.

Here’s the part people miss:

Stress doesn’t come from working hard.
It comes from knowing what to do and not doing it.

So Bezos acted.
Packed boxes himself.
Made the calls.
Shipped anyway.

No fancy office.
A door for a desk.
A Honda Accord in the parking lot.

Fast forward to amazon have $2.6 TRILLION market cap.

Lessons for founders:

▶️ Action kills anxiety
▶️ Clarity is earned through execution
▶️ Fancy setups don’t build big companies
▶️ Ignore opinions, obey the math
▶️ The long game compounds quietly

If something is stressing you out right now,
it’s probably your to-do list calling you out.

#scalingup #founder #ceo #growth

If everything is a priority, nothing scales.

That’s why most companies don’t stall from lack of ideas.
They stall from lack of focus.

The Power of One fixes that brutally fast.

Here’s the rule:

At every level of the business, there is ONE thing that matters more than everything else.

Not a vision board.
Not 12 KPIs.
One outcome that moves the needle now.

Company:
→ One #1 priority for the quarter that makes growth unavoidable.

Leaders:
→ One measurable result they own. No hiding. No excuses.

Teams:
→ One clear objective that directly supports the company's priority.

Individuals:
→ One commitment that, if done daily, makes execution inevitable.

Why this works (and why most won’t do it):

➡️ Focus beats intelligence
➡️ Clarity beats motivation
➡️ Ownership beats meetings
➡️ Execution beats strategy decks

Scaling isn’t about adding more people, more tools, or more plans.

It’s about removing everything that doesn’t matter
until what’s left cannot fail.

That’s the Power of One.

What is the one thing in your business that is calling for your full dedicated attention?

What are the things you are willing to pause so that you can fix it and remove the constraint?

#scaling #founders #growth #ceo

This is Why Companies Fail

Most founders do not have a growth problem.

They have a strategy stacking problem.

That is what the 7 Strata of Strategy solves.

It is a framework created by Verne Harnish to force clarity on the 7 layers that actually drive scale, profitability, and differentiation.

Not vision statements.
 Not buzzwords.
 Real strategic leverage.

What is the 7 Strata?

A practical checklist for building a strategy that compounds.

It answers one question:

“Why should the right customer choose you, pay you more, and stay longer?”

When to use it

Use the 7 Strata when:
• Revenue has stalled between $3M to $10M
 • Sales feels harder than it should
 • Margins are thin
 • Marketing sounds generic
 • The team cannot clearly explain why you win
 • You are scaling but complexity is rising faster than profit

It is especially powerful during:
• Annual planning
 • Strategy resets
 • Go-to-market changes
 • Repositioning
 • Pre-scale phase

What each Stratum means

Words You Own
 The category in the customer’s mind.
 If you do not define it, the market will.

Sandbox
 Who you serve and where you win.
 Focus creates power.

Brand Promise
 The measurable result customers can expect.

Brand Promise Guarantee
 How you reduce risk and increase trust.

Differentiating Activities (3 to 5)
 What you do differently that competitors cannot easily copy.

X-Factor
 Your 10x to 100x structural advantage.
 Process, data, network, cost, or ecosystem.

Profit per X + BHAG
 Your economic engine and long-term target.

This is where strategy meets money.

Why 7 Strata?

Because advantage is layered.

Most companies operate with 2 or 3 layers.

Strong companies stack all 7.

Each layer multiplies the others:

Positioning
 → Focus
 → Trust
 → Differentiation
 → Structural advantage
 → Profit engine
 → Long-term dominance

Miss one, and growth leaks.

The founder truth

If your strategy cannot be explained on one page, it cannot scale.

Clarity is not a branding exercise.
 It is a profit lever.

If you are operating between $3M to $10M and growth feels heavier every year, your next breakthrough is probably not more hustle.

It is a sharper stack.

If you want, I can share the worksheet I use with founders to map this in under 60 minutes.

Just DM SEVEN

#scaling #growth #CEO #founder

Cash flow isn’t optional—it’s the #1 rule behind sustainable business growth 💸
In this episode, Devin Sizemore breaks down how smart cash strategy fuels scale, stability, and long-term success.

Full podcast episode premiering 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝟳𝗔𝗠 𝗘𝗦𝗧 🚀

🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next reels and the full episode.

👉 Set your reminder & watch the premiere here:
https://lnkd.in/eBnXhnie

#CashIsKing #DevinSizemore #BusinessPodcast #PodcastReels
#CashFlow #EntrepreneurMindset #ScalingBusiness #FounderTalk
#SustainableGrowth #WealthStrategy #StartupGrowth

Most founders brag about revenue.

That’s a mistake.

I’ve seen companies doing millions a year…
and the owner is still stressed, still stuck, still one bad month away from panic.

Why?

Because revenue doesn’t buy freedom.
Profit does.

More revenue without profit just gives you:

• More people
• More complexity
• More risk
• Same lifestyle

That’s not growth.
That’s leverage working against you.

Here’s the truth:

Growth does not start with selling more.
It starts with a profitable system.

There are only 3 levers that matter:

1. Price – Are you charging what it’s worth?

2. Volume – Are these the right customers?

3. Cost – Are you efficient without breaking delivery?

Everything else is noise.

Fix those three, and profit shows up.

Profit gives you:

➡️ Margin for mistakes
➡️ Proof the model works
➡️ Room to breathe

Profit turns into cash.

Cash pays the team.
Cash pays you.
Cash funds growth without stress.

Then you reinvest:
Better people.
Better systems.
Better clients.

That feeds the engine.

The engine creates more profit.

And now growth funds itself.

Stop asking:
❌ “How do we get more revenue?”

Start asking:
✅ “How do we make this system more profitable?”

Revenue is movement.
Profit is power.

If your business feels fragile, it’s because it is.

Fix the system.
The money follows.

Are you focused on more revenues or more profit in your business?  What would your business look like if you had more profit with the same amount of revenue?

#scalingup #growth #Ceo #founder

The Real Reason Teams Don’t Execute!

Most businesses don’t have a strategy problem.
They have a focus problem.

Everyone is busy.
Everyone is “working hard.”
And somehow… nothing meaningful gets finished.

That’s exactly what Rocks fix.

Rocks are the 3–5 outcomes that MUST get done in the next 90 days for the business to move forward.

Not tasks.
Not habits.
Not “stay consistent.”

Outcomes.

If you complete these Rocks, the quarter is a win.
If you don’t, the quarter failed, no matter how busy everyone was.

Why Rocks are non-negotiable:

Most teams run on to-do lists.
To-do lists reward activity, not progress.

Rocks:

➡️ Force leadership to choose what actually matters
➡️ Eliminate distraction disguised as “work”
➡️ Create alignment across teams
➡️ Make execution visible and measurable

If a company has more than 5 priorities, it has zero priorities.

How to implement Rocks the right way (no shortcuts):

1️⃣ Limit them aggressively
3–5 Rocks per quarter.
More than that means you’re avoiding hard decisions.

2️⃣ One Rock = One Owner
If two people own it, no one owns it.
Ownership creates accountability.

3️⃣ Write Rocks as finish lines
Bad Rock: “Improve marketing”
Good Rock: “Generate 500 qualified leads by March 31”

If it’s not measurable, it’s not a Rock.

4️⃣ Review weekly, not quarterly
Rocks die in companies that “set and forget.”
Weekly check-ins expose excuses early.

5️⃣ Protect Rocks from urgency
If a task doesn’t move a Rock forward,
it’s noise, no matter how loud it sounds.

Execution doesn’t fail because people are lazy.
It fails because leaders refuse to choose.

Scaling starts when focus becomes a discipline.

Are you ready to implement the same operating system Fortune 500 companies have used for decades, and today’s fastest-scaling founders rely on to grow?

DM CLARITY, lets talk about what's going on in your company.

#scalingup #CEO #growth #founder

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