The information to Win in Business, the information to Win in Life, all wrapped up in one winning, weekly email. Winformation Weekly.

My 14 years’ experience of growing a business from £0-£100m as well as the life that goes with it.

No ads. No affiliate links. No BS.

Simon Says

Winformation This Week...

When we launched our business all those years ago (after the usual tough start we all experience) things couldn’t have gone better from years 2 to 6. 60%, 70% or even 100% year-on-year growth at that time was the norm. Then something happened. We plateaued. We got stuck at like 50 people for what seemed like years. Something had to change, and it did. In today’s One Idea to Win in Business, I talk about the absolute fundamental thing you MUST have in place to be able to successfully scale a business. I’ve lived through this, and whether you have launched and are looking to scale, or about to launch and one day want to scale, having a plan to implement this one thing will unlock huge growth for you.

Most people plan their days around what they need to do. Meetings. Tasks. Calls. Deadlines.

We fill the calendar first… and then try to find time to think, rest or switch off somewhere in between...which let’s face it, doesn't happen. In today’s One Idea to Win in Life we look at a totally different approach that’s working well for me and other people I work with. Time to regain some freedom...

One Idea to Win in Business

Something to Unlock True Scale

The One Thing You MUST Have in Place to Scale Successfully

Early stage founders think scaling is more leads, more customers, more people, more activity...but having lived through this journey for 15 years now, I can tell you from real world experience, you need more than that. We had all these things in place, and on paper it looked like real growth. In reality there was something missing.  

In the early days we had top performers, everyone growing, everyone striving for more. But when new people arrived, the results were often hit and miss.  

You had half a company of people that just “got it” and half a company of people that needed daily input.  

Everyone wanted to win, everyone wanted to grow, but not everyone was.  

The effort was there, but the transfer of knowledge wasn’t.  

You don’t scale a business by adding people. You scale it by transferring your best thinking into them. 

If you can’t transfer the knowledge of the founder and best performers into others that will use that to perform at the same level, you cannot scale.  

So, what did we do next? We tore it all down and started again.

1. We made sure the induction was exactly the same for every new person.

2. We included not just what we do and how we do it, but why we do it.

3. We hired a specific L&D coach.

4. We paid for everyone to have an audible account and listen to personal development books.  

5. We bought hundreds of physical copies of the very best books and built a library in the office.

6. We made sure everyone has a coach internally.

7. We close the company down to half days and invite world class speakers in regularly.

8. Every employee has access to 100 hours of online learning and 200 hours of in person training a year.  

This all created a culture of continuous learning. We hired people that wanted to improve, and come here specifically to do so. Who benefits from all this? The team and our customers. We have scaled using this method, smashed the glass ceiling that was above us.  

But what if it's just me? 

If you launch a company and it's just one of you or two of you, implement the love of learning now. Before your first hire, spend literally days planning their induction and their learning markers. What do they need to know at the end of day 1, week 1, month 1 and year 1? Create tick boxes and build ways to successfully transfer your knowledge to them. This is how to truly scale.  

Your team, customers and bottom line will thank you for it one day.  

One Idea to Win in Life

Something to Take Back Control

Reclaim Your Freedom: The Power Stop Doing Calendar

Rather than filling your calendar with the things you need to do, start with the things you refuse to do. No meetings before 10am. No phone after 8pm. No work on Sundays. This is your new “Stop Doing Calendar".  

You need to protect that white space in your calendar. That’s yours, that's for you.  

But leaving it white is an open door for other people to whack things in there.  

You need space to think, to recover, and to go again the next day with a clear mind.  

Blocking out what you aren’t prepared to do not only provides a daily reminder to improve your habits; it becomes protected time for you and your family.  

So, when Sunday night inevitably rolls round this weekend, rather than sit there in the usual panic, block out what you're not willing to do first, and let everything else find its place around it.  

In my experience, if you don’t fill your calendar with the things important to you, then someone will fill it with things important to them. 

Win or Wonder?

Ask Me a Question…

No matter where you are on this mad journey. Starting out, scaling up, or somewhere in the messy middle feel free to ask me anything.

Business, life or mindset, I read and reply to every question. The best ones will get featured in future editions of Winformation, with your permission of course!

To ask, just hit “reply”, type your question and send. That’s it. No forms. No fuss.

Until next week! 

Let’s win, together!