David Watt's Linkedin Analytics

Buyers Want a Business That Runs Without You … You can have a great team, strong revenue, and loyal clients, but if your business still depends on you to operate, it’s not ready to scale or sell. One of the biggest obstacles to acquisition in the event industry is founder dependency. Buyers aren’t just investing in the numbers. They’re investing in how the business works when you’re not in the room. If you’re thinking about future growth, exit, or investment, ask yourself: - Can the business run without me day-to-day? - Are systems and responsibilities clearly defined? - Does the team have the tools and authority to deliver? The more self-sufficient your business becomes, the more valuable it is. Because a business that runs on rails, without constant steering, is one that others can buy, scale, or partner with. How far could your business go if you stepped out for a month?

Big Targets Mean Nothing Without a Team That Can Deliver Them … It’s one thing to have a growth strategy. It’s another to have the people in place to actually make it happen. Ambitious goals demand more than motivation. They require structure, clear roles, and a team that’s aligned and capable of driving the plan forward, day after day. Here’s what that looks like in real terms: - Defined responsibilities. Everyone knows what they’re accountable for and how success is measured. - Leadership visibility. Your team shouldn’t need to guess whether the strategy is still on track; they should see it in how you lead. - Capability gaps addressed. If your plan outpaces your current structure, something will give. Either adjust the team or rethink the plan. There’s no value in setting targets your business can’t realistically reach. Strong leaders don’t just dream bigger. They plan smarter. Is your current team built for where you’re heading, or just where you are now?

Most Growth Challenges Start Higher Up Than You Think … When revenue stalls or delivery slows, we tend to focus on fixing symptoms—refining the process, adjusting the team, changing the message. But if those fixes aren’t making a dent, you might be solving the wrong problem. In our work with event businesses, we’ve found that most issues don’t start in delivery. They start at the top. 1. Lack of clarity at a leadership level. If the direction isn’t clear, the team can’t execute consistently. 2. Internal misalignment. When departments or roles aren’t working toward the same priorities, energy gets wasted. 3. Invisibility of deeper issues. Day-to-day activity hides strategic problems that only surface once performance drops. Solving surface-level problems is easy. Getting under the surface is where real progress begins. When was the last time you looked at the root cause instead of the latest symptom?

You Can’t Move Forward Until You Fix What’s Holding You Back … Every business hits friction. The mistake is thinking more effort will solve it. Sometimes, what’s needed isn’t energy, it’s clarity. When we run our business reviews, we’re not just checking processes or performance. We’re helping owners step back and ask: What’s really stopping this business from getting where it needs to go? Here’s what we often uncover: - The strategy doesn’t match the current structure. The business is chasing goals it’s not set up to deliver. - Teams are unclear on priorities. Execution fails when people are left to guess what matters most. - Leadership hasn’t adapted. What worked when you were smaller doesn’t always work now. Once you name the real problem, the fix becomes obvious. If you stepped back from the day-to-day, what would you see that you’re currently missing?

Growth Without Strategy Isn’t Growth – It’s Risk … It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of rapid growth. The numbers climb. The team expands. Momentum builds. But if your people, systems, and strategy can’t keep up, that growth won’t last; it will collapse under its own weight. We’ve seen it happen. A business scales fast… and then struggles to deliver, adapt, or even survive. Real growth isn’t just about now. It’s about building something that still works next year, and the year after that. Is your business growing on purpose, or just reacting to demand?

Is Your Business Built to Attract a Buyer? … Many business owners want to grow or exit, but few are building a business that’s actually ready. If you want your business to appeal to buyers, investors, or strategic partners, here’s what they’ll be looking for: - Long-term earnings visibility – Not just 12-month forecasts. Think 5 to 10 years of consistent, reliable income. - Systems that run without you – If the business only works when you’re in the room, it’s not ready. - Low founder dependency – Buyers want to invest in a machine, not a personality. - Proven lead generation – A well-functioning pipeline of new business is non-negotiable. These are the factors that drive real value, and make your business scalable, sellable, and resilient. How prepared is your business for acquisition or investment

Surface-Level Solutions Won’t Save Your Business ... When growth slows, it’s natural to assume the problem lies in marketing, sales, or operations. But in our experience, the real issue is rarely that obvious. Often, it’s higher up the chain: A lack of resources is frustrating your team. Misaligned goals create inefficiencies. Overlooked challenges are blocking progress. These aren’t the things you see day-to-day. They’re the things you feel: stalled growth, lost momentum, and underperformance. That’s where we come in. Our review program aims to reveal the underlying issues and provide a clear, actionable roadmap to get your business back on track. Sometimes, the answer isn’t where you think it is. But it’s there, and we can help you find it.

If You Want to Sell in 3 Years, You Need to Start Now … Most event business owners think they’ll just decide to exit one day and everything will fall into place. But buyers don’t pay top value for potential. They pay for predictability. And predictability takes time to build. If your business is: - Still relying on the founder for major decisions - Lacking long-term client contracts or recurring revenue - Operating without formal systems or a consistent lead pipeline …it’s not yet ready for acquisition. Getting this right doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a 2–3 year journey of building value and removing risk. But if you start now, you give yourself the best shot at a smooth, profitable exit. What’s one thing you could improve today to make your business more exit-ready?

Sustainable Growth Starts with the Right Questions … Fast growth feels good, until it’s suddenly hard to manage. That’s why the smartest event businesses don’t just chase momentum. They plan for it. Before you hire, expand, or invest, ask yourself: - Can we maintain quality at this scale? - Do our people have the tools and systems they need? - Is this growth still aligned with what our clients actually want? The answers aren’t always easy, but they’re essential. Because the businesses that scale confidently are the ones that pause long enough to plan for it. They don’t just grow fast. They grow well. What would it take to grow without compromising what makes your business great?

A Vision Without Buy-In is Just a Presentation … You can spend hours refining your business strategy, but if your team isn’t part of the journey, it won’t go anywhere. Too often, the vision sits in a deck or boardroom while the day-to-day reality feels completely disconnected. That’s when things start to break down, engagement drops, ownership fades, and execution stalls. Here’s how to make sure your strategy doesn’t stop at the leadership level: 1. Involve your team early. Buy-in starts when people feel like they helped shape the plan. 2. Keep the message consistent. Everyone should hear the same priorities, whether they’re in sales, ops, or client delivery. 2. Tie the vision to their future. Show your team how their growth is connected to the business’s success. When people understand where the business is heading and what it means for them, you stop pushing. They start pulling. How often do you revisit the vision with your team, not just at the top, but across the business?

Big goals are great. … But if your team isn’t equipped to deliver them, you’re not building a strategy, you’re building stress. We’ve seen event businesses aim high: doubling revenue, tripling client bases, expanding into new markets. The ambition is there. But without the structure, clarity, and capability to back it up, even the best vision starts to feel out of reach. A strategy only works if people believe in it and know how to act on it. Here’s what every scalable vision needs: - Clarity. Where are you heading? And can your team clearly explain it back to you? - Believability. Does the current business have the structure, skills, and people to realistically deliver? - Alignment. If the team isn’t on board, no strategy, no matter how smart, will land. Ambition isn’t the issue. Execution is. Is your team moving the plan forward, or just nodding along from the sidelines?

The Power of Conversations in a Changing Industry … One thing that continues to stand out is how open, thoughtful, and driven our industry is when it comes to sharing ideas. Over the past few months, the conversations around growth, leadership, and building sustainable businesses have been genuinely motivating. It’s not just about chasing numbers. It’s about creating businesses, relationships, and standards that stand the test of time. Thank you to everyone who’s contributed, whether publicly or behind the scenes. Every comment, every reflection, and every shared experience adds something valuable. A special thank you to Jess White, MCIM, CMP, Marianne Hadley, Debbie Marks, Wil Troup, Ruby Sweeney. Your interactions are truly appreciated. The future of our industry will be shaped by the people willing to lead it, and I’m grateful to be part of that conversation.

Growth Without Structure Will Eventually Break the Business … We see it all the time: an event business grows quickly, revenue jumps, the team expands, and everything looks like a win. Until it isn’t. Because behind the scenes, no one stopped to ask: - Do we have the systems to support this? - Can the team deliver consistently at scale? - Is the offer still aligned with where the market is going? Without the right foundations, success can become overwhelming. And when the next shift in demand hits, the cracks appear fast. Growth isn’t about how quickly you scale. It’s about whether your business can hold that scale when things change. Don’t just aim for acceleration, plan for stability. What part of your business needs strengthening before you grow further?