I help international schools fix teacher training, recruitment, and leadership.

With 25+ years in education across Asia, I know what schools, teachers, and unis really need. I connect the dots between policy, strategy, and people — and get things moving.

Let's talk if you want to grow your teacher pipeline, build smarter CPD, or expand in Asia
.
My passion is to drive educational innovation, harnessing technology to enhance online and offline learning experiences. I hold an NPQH, a PGCE, and an M.Ed in Educational Leadership and Administration.

We also provide academic support to students planning to attend boarding schools in the UK, US, and Australia and help UK schools enter and succeed in the Chinese market.

John Woodberry

Trump is loudly “standing up” to partners.
Tariffs. Threats. Public spats.
Meanwhile, Xi just removed visa fees for Brits visiting China.

No press conference.
No chest-beating.
Just a simple signal: We are open for business.

That’s what modern power looks like.

Not shouting strength — just making yourself easier to engage with.

Soft power beats noise more often than we admit.

And while American politics obsesses over looking tough,
China is busy looking reasonable.

China 1 – 0.

Founder @ Red Dragon Education | International Teacher Training

No alternative text description for this image

If you think leadership is about titles or authority...
You’re already missing the point.

Real leaders don’t pull rank.
They earn trust.

They protect people when no one’s watching.
They give credit, not commands.
They create safety, not fear.

The fastest way to lose followers?

Remind people you’re “the boss.”

The fastest way to gain them?

Act like a human first.

Leadership isn’t a position.
It’s a behaviour.

Be Human!

Agree or disagree? 👇

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Need to make a move?
Get in touch: https://linktr.ee/pgce

Not sure about your next move in 2026? 
Get in touch: https://linktr.ee/pgce

Want to lead others and get a great job? 
Get in touch: https://linktr.ee/pgce

Unsure where 2026 is heading for your teaching career? Internationally recognised teacher training might be the leverage you’re missing. https://linktr.ee/pgce

If 2026 feels vague, that's a signal, not a problem. 
Upskilling through international teacher training creates that. https://linktr.ee/pgce

Still seeking clarity on your next teaching move in 2026? 
QTS gives you control, not hope. https://linktr.ee/pgce

2026 won’t magically sort itself out. 
International teacher training is how smart teachers open doors globally. https://linktr.ee/pgce

Many teachers drift into 2026. The smart ones prepare. The International PGCE and QTS pathways matter. https://linktr.ee/pgce

Uncertain about your next step? 
Teacher training isn’t a detour; it’s a multiplier. https://linktr.ee/pgce

2026 rewards qualified, mobile teachers, not wishful thinking. 

International training changes the game. https://linktr.ee/pgce

If career momentum matters to you in 2026, invest in training that schools actually respect. https://linktr.ee/pgce

The question isn’t where you’ll be teaching in 2026. It’s whether you’ll be qualified to choose. https://linktr.ee/pgce

2026 rewards qualified, mobile teachers, not wishful thinking. International training changes the game. https://linktr.ee/pgce

PHASE Conference Presenter

TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

We offer a range of online courses designed to enhance the qualifications of aspiring teachers and leaders. In partnership with leading universities, we provide pathways for careers in international education.
IPGCE / IQTS / QTS / PGCE / MA Leadership / MA Education / NPQs

Helping teachers get qualified through the partner universities: IPGCE, IQTS, MA, QTS Assessment Only and IQTS. We've worked with over 1000 teachers to realise their dreams of finding a great job.

Co-Founder

Set up the company and worked with a range of local and international schools in providing education solutions including:

- Tutoring
- Academic support 
- Revision courses
- A-level lessons and examinations 
- Professional teacher placement 
- School tours
- Boarding school advice
- Entrance exam preparation

Founder

Director

My main focus was to help with the students' academic achievements across the secondary school. I was helping grow the school from 200 to 1200 students in 5 years of service. After joining the school I quickly assumed more responsibility and helped lead a tutor group team of 15 staff. 

Worked in both the secondary and primary section of the school in the following disciplines as a classroom teacher:
- Geography
- PE
- Science 
- Economics

Deputy Head of School

Working across the high school in Geography and PE

Head of Geography

You don't hire teachers based on CVs.
You hire them based on how they show up on a Friday afternoon.

After hiring and working with international teachers across different countries, one thing is clear:

The best ones share the same rare traits.

Here are eight things I see in every great international teacher we hire 👇

1️⃣ Grit
They push through language barriers, cultural shifts, and tough classrooms — without quitting.

2️⃣ Relentless Resourcefulness
Different curriculum? Limited resources?
They always find a way to make learning work.

3️⃣ Optimism
They bring calm, positive energy into the classroom — even on hard days.

4️⃣ Constant Learning
The best teachers are students first.
They ask for feedback. They adapt. They grow.

5️⃣ Respect & Empathy
Great teachers don’t just teach content — they care about people.

6️⃣ Fun to Be Around
Students feel it. Colleagues feel it.
Energy matters more than credentials.

7️⃣ Growth Mindset
They see international teaching as an opportunity, not a sacrifice.

8️⃣ Ownership
They treat the classroom like it’s their own mission — not “just a job.”

🚩 Red flags we avoid
• Blaming past schools
• No apparent reason for job moves
• More focused on benefits than impact
• Complains more than they contribute

Skills can be trained.
Character can’t.

If you’re an international teacher who sees yourself in this — or a school leader who agrees —

What trait matters most to you when hiring or teaching abroad?

The teachers who deserve the most attention usually ask for the least. By the time someone resigns, you lost them months earlier; the resignation letter is just the paperwork.

The teachers who deserve the most attention usually ask for the least.

They stay late.
They absorb more than they complain.
They stop raising their hand.

And by the time someone resigns, you didn’t lose them that day.

You lost them months earlier.

The resignation letter is just the paperwork.

If you’re a leader, here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Silence is rarely loyalty.
It’s often exhaustion.

The people who care the most don’t always make noise.
They quietly decide when it’s no longer worth it.

Pay attention earlier.

Could you imagine this being written by a UK education secretary today?
I read a piece in The Straits Times this week and had to pause.

Not because it was flashy.
Not because it was controversial.

But because it was calm, evidence-based, and long-term in its thinking about teachers.

The author argues a simple idea:
👉 Teaching cannot work as a revolving door.

If you want better outcomes for students, you invest in teachers’ growth — over decades, not election cycles.

More trust.
More professional development.
More respect for experience.

Reading it, I couldn’t help asking myself:

Would we ever see a UK equivalent of this kind of writing from someone like Bridget Phillipson?

Less slogan.
Less short-term reform.
More system memory.

Singapore understands something many systems forget:
You don’t scale education by burning out the people who deliver it.

You scale it by helping them get better every year.

Credit to Wei Li — and to The Straits Times — for publishing a piece that thinks beyond the next headline and toward the next generation.

If we’re serious about education reform, this is the level of thinking we should demand.

What would change if we treated teaching as a long-term profession again — not a policy experiment?

Everyone sees it.
Almost no one names it.

Meetings keep moving.
Slides keep changing.
“Next steps” keep getting refined.

And the real issue stays in the room.

Unaddressed behaviour.
Broken incentives.
Fear of conflict dressed up as professionalism.

In education, we’re especially good at this.

We talk about strategy
while avoiding culture.

We talk about leadership
while protecting titles.

We talk about improvement
while refusing to confront what’s actually failing.

The elephant isn’t ignorance.
It’s avoidance.

Because once you name the real problem,
someone has to act.

And leadership isn’t the title in the room.
It’s who’s willing to say the thing everyone else is thinking.

So what’s the elephant in your classroom—or boardroom—right now?

In much of Asia, international schools don’t have a strategy problem.
How can these be solved via the 80/20 strategy? 

We’re incredibly strong at structure.
Less strong at the challenge.

Here’s the 80/20 most leaders won’t say out loud:

Student outcomes
80% psychological safety and belonging 
20% programmes and pathways

School improvement
80% what leaders model under pressure
20% what leaders announce in meetings

Teacher effectiveness
80% permission to question and disagree
20% appraisal frameworks

Parent confidence
80% calm, honest communication
20% prestige signals and branding

Innovation
80% leaders make it safe to be wrong
20% “future-ready” initiatives

Leadership wellbeing
80% boundaries and moral courage
20% mindfulness sessions

The uncomfortable reality?

In many Asian contexts,
people wait for permission — not because they lack ideas,
but because leaders unintentionally train compliance.

We say we want initiative.
We reward alignment.

We say we want innovation.
We punish visible failure.

The highest-performing international schools in Asia don’t have more systems.
They have leaders who:

 Invite dissent without taking it personally
 Create safety without lowering standards
 Choose trust over control, even when reputation is on the line

If your staff are quiet, compliant, and “aligned”...
don’t assume buy-in.

Assume caution.

Nice list. Wrong focus.
This is not how hiring works in 2026.

Everyone memorises answers.
Very few demonstrate a signal.

“Tell me about a time...”
has become performance theatre.

Polished stories.
Tell-me-what-you-think-I-should-say answers.
STAR frameworks with no real stakes.

What actually matters now isn’t what you say.
It’s whether you can:

– Learn fast
– Think clearly
– Navigate ambiguity
– Work across cultures, tools, and time zones
– Adapt when the script breaks

In global, fast-moving workplaces,
there is no “perfect answer.”

There is only evidence.

Evidence you can solve unfamiliar problems.
Evidence you can communicate under pressure.
Evidence you can grow after feedback, not just talk about it.

If interviews still reward memorised stories,
they’re selecting for confidence — not capability.

And candidates know it.

The future of hiring isn’t better answers.
It’s better questions.

What do you think interviews should actually measure now?
👇 Curious to hear your take.

We're hiring experienced and passionate IB tutors. 
Know anyone who might be interested?
These opportunities span IB DP, MYP, and PYP, with roles matched by programme experience and phase.

Pressure doesn’t create failure.
It exposes preparation.
AFCON proved it.

Morocco.
Penalty in the 95th minute at 0-0.
A Panenka attempt.
Missed.
Not a talent issue.
A preparation issue.

We see the same thing in international school leadership.
When pressure hits, some leaders improvise.
They go for flair instead of systems.
That’s when things fall apart.

Great leaders don’t get creative under pressure.

They get predictable.
Because the work was done earlier.

Under pressure, leaders try a “T-cup” move:
• Improvising instead of planning
• Trusting instinct instead of systems
• Hoping experience will carry the moment

What in your leadership would break if real pressure arrived tomorrow?

International schools don’t need another strategy refresh in 2026.
They need focus.

• Keep good teachers instead of constantly replacing them
• Build leadership depth, not just titles
• Prioritise teaching quality over curriculum branding
• Take student well-being seriously. With structure, not slogans

Most schools already know this.
Very few will act on it.

That gap is where 2026 will be won or lost.

I didn’t plan to become an entrepreneur.
I accidentally fell into it back in 2009.

I followed the “right” path:
International schools.
Leadership roles.
Systems. Strategy. Structure.

From the outside, it looked successful.

Inside, I felt constrained.

I loved developing people and shaping culture.
I struggled with how slowly change could happen.

So I stepped off the ladder.

Not because I stopped believing in education.
But because I wanted to serve it differently.

Entrepreneurship gave me:
– Freedom to design solutions
– Speed to test ideas
– Impact across multiple schools, not just one

Here’s the truth we don’t say enough in education:

Leadership doesn’t end when the org chart does.
If you’re a school leader wondering, “Is there another way to lead?”

There is.
And it might look nothing like a straight career path.

👉 Have you ever considered leading beyond your school?

Be careful who you take advice from in 2026. 
They are probably an echo chamber.

Most school leaders don’t intentionally burn out their teams.
They do it by accident.

Especially in international schools.

Different cultures.
Different time zones.
Different expectations.

And suddenly... your best people are exhausted.

Here are 8 leadership mistakes I see burning out international school teams 👇

1️⃣ Expecting your team to be “always on”
Just because someone can reply at 10 pm doesn’t mean they should.

2️⃣ Being unclear about what you actually want
Vague priorities = constant stress. Clarity is kindness.

3️⃣ Ignoring your team’s strengths
When people are misaligned with their strengths, disengagement follows.

4️⃣ Avoiding tough conversations
Unspoken tension drains energy faster than well-handled conflict.

5️⃣ Punishing people for mistakes
Fear kills innovation — especially in diverse, international environments.

6️⃣ Keeping all decisions to yourself
Ownership disappears when trust does.

7️⃣ Ignoring stress and burnout signals
Silence doesn’t mean everything is fine.

8️⃣ Forgetting to show appreciation
Recognition travels further than you think — across borders and cultures.

The hardest truth?

👉 Most burnout isn’t caused by workload.
👉 It’s caused by leadership habits we never stop to question.

If you lead in an international school, this matters.

Because healthy staff = stable schools = better student outcomes.

Which one do you see most often in schools today?

I’m usually a fan of Simon Sinek.
But this one is a double fault.

Anyone who’s competed in sport at a serious level knows this:

You remember the wins fondly.
But the losses?
They burn themselves into your brain.

That’s not a weakness.
That’s how standards are built.

If Andy Murray were watching, he’d probably laugh.
He spent an entire career berating himself and poor mother — out loud — and still became world No.1.

High performers aren’t fueled by feel-good memories.
They’re sharpened by the moments they never want to repeat.

Pressure + self-criticism isn’t the enemy.
For some people, it’s the engine.

Curious — in your experience, what actually drives excellence in high-performing schools?

International education is heading into one of its most disruptive periods in years.

AI is changing how we teach, assess, and support learning.
Parents are behaving more like informed consumers than ever before.
Visa and regulatory environments remain unpredictable.
And affordability is becoming a deciding factor, not a secondary one.

What’s striking is that none of these forces exist in isolation.

AI accelerates expectations around value.
Cost pressures amplify parental scrutiny.
Regulatory shifts reshape demand almost overnight.

For schools, universities, and education providers, the challenge isn’t choosing which disruption matters most.

It’s building systems flexible enough to respond to all of them at once.

The institutions that will thrive in 2026 won’t be the ones chasing every trend.
They’ll be the ones that:

– Communicate clearly with families
– Design learning with integrity and adaptability
– Invest in people, not just tools
– Plan for volatility as the norm, not the exception

I’m curious to see where this community lands.

Which force do you think will have the biggest impact on international education in 2026? 👇

What will be the biggest disruptive force in international education in 2026? 

Looks balanced.
But are you actually a leader in deficit or surplus?

Most leadership models only show assets.
Vision.
Empathy.
Resilience.
Innovation.

Rarely do they show the liabilities.

Delayed decisions.
Micromanagement.
Avoidance dressed up as “being busy.”
Poor communication is hidden behind good intentions.

And that’s the problem.

Because leadership failure isn’t dramatic.
It’s cumulative.

Small withdrawals.
Unaddressed issues.
Energy taken from teams without reinvestment.

You can have strong values
and still be running a deficit.

You can inspire
and still exhaust the system around you.

The real question isn’t
“How good are my leadership assets?”

It’s this:

If your team audited you today, would you be in surplus—or quietly underwater?

👇 Worth an honest look.

This below on “setting boundaries” looks reasonable. But in international school leadership, boundaries aren’t about protecting comfort.

They’re about protecting standards.

You don’t set boundaries, so leadership feels lighter.
You set them so the school gets better.

Real boundaries in international schools look like this:

• Clear expectations that don’t shift with pressure
• Follow-through when it would be easier to let things slide
• Accountability that challenges people without humiliating them

Yes, leaders need rest.
Yes, burnout is real.

But schools drift not because leaders work too hard —
they drift because boundaries around quality, behaviour, and consistency become negotiable.

Strong leaders don’t avoid hard conversations.
They time them well.
They hold them respectfully.
And they don’t outsource them to policy documents.

The healthiest schools I’ve seen weren’t “low stress.”

They were clear.

Clear roles.
Clear standards.
Clear lines between support and excuse-making.

Boundaries aren’t about saying “no” more often.
They’re about saying “this matters” — and meaning it.

What boundary, when held consistently, has made the biggest difference in your school?

Nice story. Wrong lesson.
This is not how international education works.

For bamboo, patience is enough.

For international students, educators, and institutions?
Patience without power is just waiting.

Waiting for visas.
Waiting for recognition.
Waiting for policies to catch up.
Waiting while timelines, money, and futures are on the line.

We love telling people:
“Growth takes time.”

But in international education, growth takes systems.

Clear pathways.
Stable policy.
Institutional accountability.
Support that shows up before things break.

When success looks “sudden,” it isn’t magic.
It’s the moment the system finally worked.

If we keep praising patience,
we avoid fixing the structures that make patience necessary.

And that’s the real lesson we keep missing.

So what matters more in global education—patience, or better systems?

👇 I’d love to hear your take.

International schools don't have a teacher development problem. They have a problem with teacher alignment. PD days are packed. Budgets are spent. Certifications are collected.

And classrooms look... basically the same. 

If you're leading PD in an international school, try this instead of another "whole-staff training day":

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯𝟬–𝟲𝟬–𝟵𝟬 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲
Week 1: pick 1 micro-skill (e.g., checking for understanding)
Weeks 2–4: teacher rehearses it + gets one targeted observation
Weeks 5–8: peer walkthroughs + student work review (quick protocol)
Weeks 9–12: evidence of impact + share the "how" with the team

Same time.

More transfer.

Less fatigue.

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

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

cruzgamboadrive

patagonia-solar-llc

Your First Product Is Not Your Last

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

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

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

McDonald’s didn’t win because the food was amazing.

They won because nothing was left to chance.

400°, not 375°.
2 minutes 50 seconds, not 3.
Two pickles. Always two.
Golden outside. Fluffy inside.
If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.

That’s not micromanagement.
That’s scale.

69M customers a day don’t tolerate creativity.
They tolerate consistency.

Ray Kroc didn’t build a burger company.
He built a machine that produces the same outcome, every time, anywhere in the world.

Most businesses fail because:

➡️ The standard lives in the founder’s head
➡️ Quality depends on “good people”
➡️ Execution changes with mood, energy, or talent

McDonald’s removed all three.

They turned judgment into instructions.
Talent into training.
Excellence into a checklist.

If your business needs you present to run well,
you don’t own a business.

You own a job.

Scale happens when systems are so tight that average people produce elite outcomes.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #founder

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

A Sony engineer watched his daughter play Nintendo in 1984 and thought “the sound on this thing is garbage.”

Ken Kutaragi secretly built a better chip and gave it to Nintendo. Sony almost fired him for it.

Then he convinced Sony to partner with Nintendo on a CD-ROM console called the “Play Station.”

June 1991. Sony announces the partnership at CES.

Next morning? Nintendo takes the same stage and dumps Sony for Philips.

Sony’s board wanted to quit gaming entirely. Called it a “toy business.”

Kutaragi stormed into the president’s office. “Are you going to be a laughing stock to Nintendo for the rest of your life?”

The president’s response: “Just do it.”

They had to exile Kutaragi’s team to Sony Music because headquarters refused to house the project.

Then Kutaragi pitched Sega on a joint console. Their board laughed: “That’s a stupid idea. Sony doesn’t know how to make hardware.”

Betrayed by Nintendo. Rejected by Sega. Nearly killed by his own company.

December 1994. PlayStation launches. 100,000 units sold day one.
At E3, Sega announced the Saturn at $399. Sony’s Steve Race walked to the mic, said “$299,” and walked off. Standing ovation.

By 1998, PlayStation was 40% of Sony’s total profit. 563 million PlayStations sold across all generations. The PS2 is still the best-selling console ever.
The prototype’s codename? “PS-X.” Everyone knew the X was a reminder of who crossed them.

Most founders think this is a story about revenge. It’s not.
Kutaragi’s biggest fight wasn’t Nintendo or Sega. It was his own organization that thought the vision was beneath them.

That’s usually the real constraint. Not your competition. The blind spots inside your own company that nobody’s willing to name.

#scalingup #founder #ceo #growth

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

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