Eric Melillo

Over the last two decades, I’ve led partnerships with 250+ brands, driven $100M+ in revenue, and built systems that scale businesses.Then in 2021, I hit a breaking point.So I walked away from the agency I built —forced to start over from nothing.And I had a revelation.Financial freedom isn’t just for the lucky few.With the right systems, founders and coaches can turn their knowledge into income —without wasting years figuring it out.So I built the frameworks I wish I had.And it changed everything.That’s when I went all in —proving that building predictable client income isn’t just a dream, but a system founders and coaches can follow.Now I help founders and coaches build predictable client income and profitable, system-driven businesses—without wasting years guessing.My Results:→ $100M+ revenue across 250+ brand partnerships→ 20+ years building revenue systems for Fortune 500s→ 1,000+ systems, 2,000+ automations, 5,000+ AI prompts deployed→ Helped founders and coaches build predictable income from their expertiseAI Creator Accelerator is launching soon — join the waitlist:→ www.ericmelillo.com/courses/entrepreneur-osThe Modern Creator (newsletter):Every Saturday, I share 1 exclusive growth system, automation, or AI prompt you won’t find anywhere else:→ www.ericmelillo.com/newsletterhello@ericmelillo.comX: @EricMelillo_

Founder & CEO

ProScale OS helps scale your business smarter with proven automation systems & 10x productivity.

If you’re easily offended, sales ain’t for you.

The distinction is simple:

Sales asks: “Will this solve their problem and are they willing to pay?”

Politeness asks: “Did I offend anyone?”

Sales defines results.
Politeness defines comfort.

Most people confuse being “nice” with being effective:

Hesitate to ask for the sale

Avoid tough conversations

Sugarcoat objections

Give away advice or solutions for free

Ask them for money? Crickets.
Push back when they resist? Awkward silence.

That’s not sales. That’s wishful thinking.

Real sales example:
“I can help you save 10 hours a week with this system. If it’s not a fit, no worries—but if it is, we can start this week.”

Direct. Clear. Honest.

That’s how you close without being pushy.

The process supports it:

Identify the problem your customer actually wants solved

Lead with value, not features

Ask for the sale early and often

Listen, adjust, repeat

When you master this:
✓ Deals close faster
✓ Customers respect you
✓ You grow predictably
✓ You stop leaving money on the table

Ignore it, and you’ll stay small:
❌ Avoid tough conversations
❌ Wait for the “perfect moment”
❌ Give away your time and expertise for free
❌ Wonder why growth is slow

The uncomfortable truth:
The people willing to sell will always win.
The people too polite to ask, fall behind.

Stop overthinking niceness.
Start mastering sales.

Sales chooses your growth.
Courage wins it.

---

Doing the work but nothing’s changing yet?
I made a free 2026 LinkedIn Growth Guide.

You’ll learn:
- 6-figure frameworks
- How to turn skills into income
- How to automate growth with systems

It’s free when you join the newsletter.

Get it here → ericmelillo.com/newsletter

One-person business builder | Helping experts turn their knowledge into income | Powered by systems, automation, and AI

The real flex isn’t grinding 16-hour days.

It’s setting up systems that keep your work moving
even when you’re drained.

Most solopreneurs rely on luck.

Memory.
Willpower.
“Maybe I’ll do it later.”

That breaks fast.

Here’s what actually works for solo founders:

• One place for everything. Not Slack. Not notes. Not DMs.
• Tasks written as actions (send, review, publish, reply).
• Daily work capped at 3–5 tasks. Everything else scheduled.
• Repeating tasks automated or templated.
• Follow-ups auto-reminded so nothing lives in your head.
• A “done → next step” rule for every task.

Before this, my days as a solo founder were chaotic.

After this:

• No wondering what to start first.
• No switching between 5 apps every hour.
• No end-of-day panic over what slipped through.

If your system relies on motivation, it’s not a system.
Good systems run on autopilot, low energy, or chaos.

Less friction.
More output.
Zero burnout.

For solopreneurs, that’s how you win without burning out.
And here’s the truth: your freedom is only as strong as the system you build.

That’s the real flex.

You don’t need a team to make real progress.

I’ve learned this the hard way. 

Early on, I tried doing everything with a “team mindset” by myself—thinking I needed perfect systems, perfect tools, perfect timing. 

It was slow. Exhausting. Frustrating.

Then I realized: one person with clear systems can outpace a team with no direction.

For me, that meant:
• A simple task list I actually follow
• A repeatable way to ship work
• Clear priorities, not endless to-dos

Suddenly, progress felt different. I was moving faster than before, even without anyone else involved.

Start where you are. Build brick by brick.

Write down what works.
Repeat it.
Cut what slows you down.
Automate what repeats itself.

Don’t wait for the perfect team, the perfect tools, or the perfect moment.
Clarity + action beats headcount every time.

Solo doesn’t mean small.
It means focused.
And focus, over time, compounds into momentum you can’t buy.

So today, pick one thing that matters. 

Ship it. 

Document it. 

Then do it again tomorrow. 

That’s how I keep making progress, and it works every time.

I help founders and coaches turn LinkedIn into a client machine | Powered by AI and systems | Ex Fortune 500 systems builder

3 audience growth myths that keep driven professionals overlooked online.

You post consistently.
You engage daily.
You follow all the "rules."

Still invisible.

Here's what I learned after building three different audiences:

Stop chasing numbers.
Start tracking signals.

Same content.
Completely different reach.

With vanity metrics? You're guessing.

Follower counts mean nothing.
Likes don't convert.
You're building in the dark.

With real signals? You're intentional.

One quality connection matters.
Engagement compounds.
Growth without gimmicks.

I spent two years posting into the void.

Then I tracked three simple metrics that actually predict growth.

The result?

Smaller audience.
3x the opportunities.
Zero algorithm anxiety.

Here's what to track instead:

1. Reply rate, not reach

Stop obsessing over impressions.

Track who responds.
Who starts conversations.
Who remembers your name.

That's your real audience.

2. Save rate over like count

Saves signal value.

Someone wants to return.
Reference your work.
Share it privately.

Likes are passive.
Saves are intentional.

3. DM quality, not quantity

One thoughtful message beats a hundred emojis.

Are people asking real questions?
Sharing their challenges?
Requesting your help?

That's traction.

Your audience isn't too small.

Your measurement is.

Track signals that predict real opportunities, not vanity metrics that feed your ego.

You'll grow slower but land faster.



If this helped:

Track one new signal this week. 🤙

 Myth

The truth about building in public:

Most people won’t understand your process.
They won’t see the point of sharing your work.
They won’t relate to the risks you’re taking.

And that’s normal.

The people who do get it?
They’re building too.
They’re experimenting, failing, adjusting.
They recognize the effort behind the progress.

Everyone else is just watching.
Reacting from the outside.
Waiting for a final result before forming an opinion.

You don’t need their approval.
You don’t need to explain yourself.

Your only job:

Keep building.
Keep showing the work.
Keep moving forward.

Because when it finally clicks,
they’ll call it “overnight” —
and you’ll know how long it really took.

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Helping Enterprise Companies Scale & Crush Competitors with HubSpot

I ignored LinkedIn for 10 years.

Quietly disrespected the platform.
Built audiences everywhere else.
Thought I was too smart for "professional" content.

Then I checked my booking data.

Every single prospect was coming from LinkedIn.
Not Twitter. Not Instagram. Not my newsletter.
LinkedIn.

6 months ago I went all-in.
0 to approaching 10,000 followers.
3x my inbound.

Here's what actually worked while building in public:

🎯 Post in-progress work, not polished lessons
People don't want your finished results.
They want the messy middle.
The thinking behind the decisions.

🎯 Write like a human, not a brand
Simple sentences beat smart-sounding ones.
If it feels boring to write, it's probably clear to read.

🎯 Solve one problem per post
Most content feels busy but audiences don't grow.
Because you're teaching everything at once.
Pick one thing. Go deep.

🎯 Reuse ideas that already work
Your best content isn't your newest content.
It's your clearest content.
Say the same thing better, not different.

🎯 Spend more time in comments than Canva
Engagement beats aesthetics.
Every single time.

The truth most people ignore:

Audience growth isn't about posting more.
It's about being useful.
Being visible.
Being consistent.

Same room. Every day.

No hacks.
No viral tricks.
Just clear thinking + daily reps.

Full breakdown in the carousel.
Pick one. Apply it today. 👇

___

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LinkedIn Audience Growth

I said yes to work that consumed an entire weekend.

Missed my son's soccer game where he scored his first goal.

Still think about it.

Most businesses struggle the same way…

Not because the product is bad.
Not because the team isn't skilled.
Not because customers are impossible.

I'm talking about businesses that:

• Agree with every client request
• Avoid saying no, even when it hurts the team
• Hide behind "the customer is always right"

They think "pleasing everyone" is a business strategy.

It's not.

It's a burnout strategy.

Because the strongest businesses aren't the ones that say yes, they're the ones that guide, challenge, and set boundaries.

They'll:

• Give advice instead of blind agreement
• Set clear expectations without fear of conflict
• Focus on results instead of endless "yes"

And they win.

Here's the truth most people ignore:

• Every extra revision adds stress, not value
• Every "yes" that doesn't make sense costs time and money
• Every unclear boundary leads to missed deadlines

I learned this the hard way.

Said yes to 5 change requests from one client.
Worked nights. Worked weekends. 

Their feedback? "We didn't feel like you worked hard enough."

That's when it hit me:

No amount of accommodation will satisfy some people.
But it will drain you completely.

The market doesn't reward "always right."
It rewards clarity, guidance, and results.

So I made two changes:

𝗡𝗼 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 (𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆)

The result?

Better clients who respect my time.
Clearer projects with fewer surprises.
Stronger relationships built on mutual respect.

And I haven't missed another soccer game.

Your competition isn't smarter.
They're just better at managing expectations.

What's one boundary you need to set this week?

The best productivity method is the one that works for you.

Not the one your favorite creator swears by.
Not the one that looks good in Notion screenshots.
Not the one that worked for you during a completely different phase of life.

Your energy isn’t the same every day.
Your focus isn’t either.

Some days you can deep work for hours.
Other days, getting the basics done is the win.

That’s normal.

Listen to your body.
Notice when you’re sharp.
Notice when you’re drained.

Then test.

Short sprints. Longer breaks. Morning work. Late-night focus.

Keep what helps. 
Drop what doesn’t.

Over time, you’ll stop chasing “perfect productivity”
and start building a system that actually fits your life.

And that’s when work feels lighter.

Building your personal brand doesn’t need to be hard.

It’s actually quite simple.

And it comes down to one word.

You.

🎯 Write from what you already do
If you worked today, you have content.

A decision you made

A mistake you noticed

A shortcut you learned

A conversation that changed your thinking

Turn that into one post. No backstory. Just the lesson.

🎯 Share one opinion per post
Don’t explain everything.

Pick one belief and stand by it.

Example:
“I don’t think consistency builds a brand. Clarity does.”

That’s enough to start a conversation.

🎯 Use your real words
If you wouldn’t say it out loud, don’t type it.

Simple sentences > smart-sounding ones.

If it feels boring to write, it’s probably clear to read.

🎯 Repeat the same ideas
This is where most people mess up.

You don’t need new ideas.
You need the same 3–5 ideas explained from different angles.

Repetition builds recognition.

🎯 Post, then engage
Posting is only half the job.

Spend 15 minutes:

Replying to comments

Leaving thoughtful comments on others’ posts

That’s how your brand actually spreads.

No hacks.
No aesthetics.
No pressure to be “unique.”

Just show your thinking.
Again and again.

That’s the whole system.

Hiring is one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship.

Not because talent doesn’t exist.
But because expectations are broken.

Everyone wants:
Big salaries.
Senior titles.
“Work-life balance.”

Few want:
Ownership.
Consistency.
Learning before earning.

Early on, I thought the problem was me.

Maybe I wasn’t a good leader.
Maybe I needed better systems.
Maybe I needed to “motivate” people more.

Then I noticed a pattern.

People who cared about the work?
They didn’t need chasing.
They didn’t need micromanagement.
They didn’t disappear after payday.

People who only cared about the paycheck?
No process ever fixed that.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

You can’t manage motivation into someone.
You can’t train hunger.
You can’t systemize responsibility.

Skills can be taught.
Experience can be built.
Work ethic? That’s already there - or it’s not.

Now I hire differently.

I look for:
✔️ People who show up before being asked
✔️ People who ask better questions than they give excuses
✔️ People who treat the work like theirs, not “the company’s”

Here’s how I actually test this:

I don’t start with long interviews.
I start with small responsibility.

A paid trial.
A clear outcome.
No hand-holding.

If they need reminders, they’re not ready.
If they over-communicate, they usually care.
If they improve without being told, that’s the signal.

Titles don’t impress me anymore.
Resumes don’t predict execution.

Behavior does.

The fastest way to spot the right people?
Watch what they do when no one is watching.

That’s who you build with.

You're not stuck because you're afraid to fail.

You're stuck because you're addicted to certainty.

I spent 3 years knowing I wanted to leave my agency.
3 years scrolling LinkedIn during lunch.
3 years telling myself "next year."

The issue wasn't capability.
It wasn't even fear of failing.

It was the comfort of knowing.

Knowing what every Tuesday looked like.
Knowing when the paycheck hit.
Knowing what level of miserable I'd be by Thursday afternoon.

It was predictable.
Predictable feels safe.

Even when it's slowly draining you.

Your brain is wired to avoid uncertainty more than it avoids pain.

That's why people stay in jobs they hate.
That's why "someday" never comes.
That's why you'll plan for years but never start.

The shift happened when I realized something:

I wasn't choosing between success and failure.
I was choosing between two types of risk.

The risk of trying and not knowing what happens.
Or the risk of not trying and knowing exactly what happens.

Both are risky.
One just feels safer.

I didn't leave because I had it figured out.
I left because I couldn't stomach another year of predictable misery.

Here's what I wish I knew:

You'll never feel ready.
The certainty you're waiting for doesn't exist.
It shows up after you start, not before.

The people who escape aren't fearless.
They just decided uncertain possibility beats predictable misery.

I break down how to actually make the transition in my free newsletter.

Real systems. Real frameworks. Not just mindset.

Get it here: ericmelillo.com/newsletter

___

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uncertainty carousel

Most of the work you’re doing every day shouldn’t exist.

I know because I was doing it too.

Most people think automation is complicated.
But that’s not why they avoid it.

They’re too buried in daily tasks
to notice which ones are quietly stealing their time.

Not the lack of tools.
Not technical skill.
Not budget.

The real problem is manually doing work that doesn’t require thinking.

I set one rule:
If I did the same task twice in a week, it got documented and automated.

That changed everything.

I see business owners stuck in things like:
- Chasing invoices and payment reminders
- Sending the same emails over and over
- Copying data between tools

So they stay busy.
They feel productive.
They burn out.

Meanwhile, others grow faster with less effort.

Not because they work harder.
Because they automated repetition first.

Here are 3 workflows that freed up hours in my week:

Client onboarding  
New client signs → contract sent → invoice generated → welcome email delivered.  
I built this after slow onboarding caused a few clients to second-guess their decision.

Content repurposing  
Newsletter published → auto-posted to LinkedIn → saved to a content library.  
No tabs. No copying.

Payment follow-ups  
Invoice overdue → reminder sent → escalation sequence triggered.  
No awkward chasing.

Each workflow took about 30 minutes to set up.
Each saves me 2–3 hours every week.

That time now goes to strategy, content, and growth.

Automation isn’t about replacing yourself.
It’s about removing friction so you can focus on what actually moves the business.

---

Still manually doing work that should run itself?
I'll show you how to fix it inside my free newsletter.

You’ll learn:
- 6-figure frameworks
- How to turn skills into income
- How to automate growth with systems

It’s free when you join the newsletter.

Get it here → ericmelillo.com/newsletter

People make purchasing decisions in a split second.

They land on your page.
They scroll for a few seconds.
And in that tiny window, one thought decides everything:

“Can I trust this?”

If the answer isn’t yes — they’re gone.

Not because your offer is bad.
Not because your price is wrong.
But because trust didn’t land fast enough.

That’s why social proof matters so much.

• testimonials
• client results
• case studies
• screenshots
• before → after stories
• real conversations

These aren’t “nice to have.”

They speed up trust.

They tell your audience:

“People like you took the leap — and it worked.”

And suddenly…

warm traffic turns into real leads.
Interest turns into action.
Curiosity turns into confidence.

Not because you shouted louder.

But because you proved it.

So if you want more conversions?

Don’t just explain your offer.
Show the receipts.

People don’t buy the promise.
They buy the proof.

Most entrepreneurs think success comes from learning.

It comes from pressure.

I used to believe the "right course" would unlock everything.

Spent over $20,000+ on programs.
Read every business book on my shelf.
Studied frameworks until I could teach them myself.

Then I launched my first business.

And something odd happened:

None of it prepared me for the real thing.

When cash flow dried up.
When a client threatened to leave.
When I had to choose between paying myself or my team.

Meanwhile, I kept watching entrepreneurs who seemed to have no advantages.

No connections.
No safety net.
No backup plan.

Yet they were building 6-figure businesses.

Working flexible hours.
Actually sleeping at night.

What did they know that I didn't?

They understood that entrepreneurship doesn't teach you comfort.

It teaches you who you are under pressure.

They weren't chasing perfect plans.
They were taking messy action.

They weren't waiting for confidence.
They were building it through reps.

They weren't avoiding failure.
They were using it as feedback.

Every hard conversation.
Every moment of doubt.
Every time they chose to stay.

It all built character that no course could teach.

I stopped waiting for perfect.
Started embracing pressure.
Learned more in 6 months than 6 years of programs.

And built a business that didn't just make money, but made me into someone who could handle anything.

Now I teach others to do the same.

Because entrepreneurship isn't learned.

It's lived.

___

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One of the big side effects of being a solopreneur is sacrificing your mental health and family time. 
 
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and forget what really matters. 
 
Burnout is real. 
Working nonstop can wear you down. Isolation can creep in, and you might start feeling lonely. 
 Skipping family dinners or missing events can hurt your relationships. 
 
I remember focusing so much on my work that I missed quality time with my family. 
It hit me hard. 
Those moments with family are irreplaceable. 
 Since then, I’ve made it a point to prioritize family time. 
 
 It has helped my happiness and productivity. 
 
Your mental health and family are your greatest assets. 
 
Make sure to take care of them.

90% of solo operators confuse activity with progress.
The other 10% build systems and move calmly ahead.

Which one are you?

The difference is simple:

Productivity asks: “Why does this work exist?”
Tasks ask: “What should I do next?”

Productivity creates leverage.
Tasks create busyness.

Productivity stays stable.
Tasks change daily.

I’ve seen too many solo founders drowning in:

To-do lists
Daily planners
Time-blocking calendars
Productivity apps

But ask them how work flows?

Silence.

Or worse:
“I just try to stay disciplined.”

That’s not productivity.
That’s willpower with a deadline.

Here’s a real productivity system example:

“Every task enters one inbox, gets prioritized once, executed with templates, and reviewed weekly.”

That’s clarity.
That’s repeatability.
That’s saying no to chaos.

Then the execution supports it:

Daily: Capture → Decide → Do
Weekly: Review → Improve
Monthly: Simplify → Automate

See the difference?

Systems are your theory of how work gets done.
Tasks are just today’s actions.

When you build systems first:
✓ Less decision fatigue
✓ Faster execution
✓ Fewer dropped balls
✓ More mental space

When you skip systems and chase hacks:
❌ Constant overwhelm
❌ Fake productivity
❌ Burnout cycles
❌ Busy days, slow progress

Hard truth:

Solo operators with systems are outpacing you quietly.

While you optimize to-do lists,
they’re compounding output.

Stop managing tasks.
Start designing systems.

Systems choose how you work.
Tasks simply follow.

That’s how solo ops scales.

I use this system to drive a 1,900% increase in impressions.
It works when you treat it like a system, not content.
Consistency and sequence do the rest.

I help you (actually) use AI for content.

When I started on LinkedIn, I was lost.

My posts used to die at 400 impressions.

I didn't know how to write hooks.
I didn't know how to structure content.
I didn't know AI could do 80% of the heavy lifting.

I just kept posting and hoping.

Now I scroll LinkedIn every day.

And I see the same pattern everywhere:

- People with valuable insights.
- People with real expertise.
- People with brilliant ideas.

Stuck at 500 impressions.

Not because their content is bad.

Because of fixable mistakes:
↳ Weak hooks that don't stop the scroll
↳ No structure, so readers bounce
↳ No systems, so they burn out

A few tweaks and they'd be flying.

That's why I built The AI Creators Club.

What members have done in 30 days:

☑︎ 100k impressions in 28 days
☑︎ 5k followers in four weeks
☑︎ Three new clients closed

What's inside:

✦ Templates behind 40M+ views
✦ ~10 hours of pre-recorded training
✦ AI systems and prompts I use daily
✦ Daily feedback on your actual content
✦ Weekly live coaching with me and Fatima
✦ Private community + quarterly London meetups

To put it in perspective:

60 minutes with me costs £500.
3 months inside the Club costs £495.

Doors are officially closed.

Join waitlist: https://lnkd.in/eXtBeCA4

The AI Creators Club - Doors Close Tomorrow

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

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

cruzgamboadrive

patagonia-solar-llc

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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