A Holiday Message for the Leaders Who Keep Going As I post this on December 23rd, many of you are still working—checking emails between family gatherings, reviewing Q4 numbers, planning 2026 strategy. That relentless commitment got you here. But particularly this time of year, I need to talk to you about something rarely discussed …
December planning sessions are in full swing, and leadership teams across companies of all sizes are setting aggressive targets for the new year. Throughout my career, I have consistently seen savvy executives projecting 40% revenue growth, record-time product launches, and flawless execution. Here is the uncomfortable truth: most of these plans are built on …
In the high-stakes realm of executive decision-making, even the savviest CEOs and founders can fall prey to subtle cognitive traps. One of the most insidious is confirmation bias—the tendency to favor information that reinforces our existing beliefs while disregarding contradictory evidence. This bias isn’t a sign of poor intellect; it’s a human default that …
The Confirmation Bias Boardroom: When Data Becomes an Echo Chamber Read More »
Most founders think they have a product problem. In truth, they have a traction problem. You can build something extraordinary, pour your heart and capital into it, and still fail—because you never figured out how to acquire customers predictably. That’s the hard truth behind Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares (2015). …
Traction Is Not an Accident: The Science of Predictable Growth Read More »
You don’t see the 99 companies that failed doing what the one did right. That simple truth should reshape how every CEO and founder thinks about strategy. Yet business leaders consistently fall into the same trap: studying success stories, benchmarking against winners, and copying “best practices”—all while ignoring the invisible graveyard of companies that …
The Survivorship Illusion: Why Copying Winners Rarely Works Read More »
In 2000, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings walked into Blockbuster’s headquarters with an offer: purchase Netflix for $50 million (Randolph, 2019). Blockbuster’s leadership rejected the proposal outright. At the time, Blockbuster had 9,000 stores worldwide and nearly $6 billion in revenue, while Netflix was a small mail-order DVD service. Blockbuster was anchored to its brick-and-mortar …
The Anchoring Trap: How a Single Number Can Hijack Your Business Decisions Read More »
Most CEOs I meet obsess over revenue targets. Few obsess over protecting them. Here’s the truth that becomes obvious in every M&A process or investor pitch: two companies with identical revenue can command wildly different valuations. The difference? One has a moat, the other has momentum. Investors and acquirers pay premium multiples for defensible …
Moats That Multiply: Building Competitive Advantages That Compound Read More »
If you’re running a company or business for any length of time, you’ve probably felt it—that invisible ceiling. You’ve expanded your product line, hired more salespeople, invested in marketing automation, and doubled down on customer success. Yet somehow, your growth curve looks less like a hockey stick and more like an EKG readout. The problem isn’t that you’re not working hard enough. The problem could …
Why 10x Is Easier Than 2x: The Behavioral Science of Exponential Growth Read More »
You’ve nailed product market fit and built a better mousetrap. Your product solves a real problem. Your pricing is competitive. Your marketing message is clear. So why aren’t your target customers converting at the rates you expected? I’ve seen this puzzle play out repeatedly with dozens of companies. The conventional answer focuses on awareness, messaging, or competition. But …
Why Aren’t Your Target Customers Already Buying? Read More »
Your next major customer won’t find you through a Google search. They’ll be introduced to you by an AI that has already made the decision about whether you’re worth considering. This isn’t hyperbole—it’s the new reality of B2B buying. And for CEOs, CMOs, and executives, the implications are profound and immediate. The Authority Bias Shift: From Blue Links to AI Arbiters Here’s a statistic …
The Invisible Hand: How AI Search is Rewiring B2B Buyer Psychology Read More »
Award winning Chief Marketing Officer, Founder, and Investor with a history of building profitable companies and top-tier brands for the financial services, fintech, data, martech, health care, insurance, and consumer financial products industries.
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