Hey folks! Messed anything up lately? Who hasn’t? Today, you can save yourself some heartache and learn from… My 16 biggest life mistakes. Mistake #1: Hiring without a process From 2004 to 2015, my hiring process was driven by my gut. I’d spend an hour with a candidate, feel my way through the conversation, then trust my intuition and make a hire. I didn’t check references, I didn’t look at metrics, I didn’t have a candidate funnel figured out… it was the wild west. Bad hires have cost me...
13 days ago • 7 min read
Howdy folks! Every week, I’m sharing a practical, hands-on guide on how to run your small business better. Today’s topic: Employee onboarding. — Why onboarding matters Getting your onboarding right matters for two reasons. First, retention. You only get one first impression. So when your people are brought onboard properly, they’re more likely to stick around. Do it badly, and your new employees will lose confidence in the company. (Apparently onboarding can boost retention by 82%!) Then...
17 days ago • 4 min read
Hey GirdleyWorld! Did you know I was once a radio star? By that, I mean I told this story for 10 minutes on Texas Public Radio. So here we go: the Sacagawea opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Before we jump in — Do you have a newsletter? Would your readers be interested in my stuff? If you have an audience, I’ll pay you for every quality subscriber you send my way. Just fill out this form! YCombinator asks their applicants: “Tell us about the time you most successfully hacked some (non-computer)...
20 days ago • 5 min read
Hi folks! Every week, I’m sharing a hands-on guide designed to help you tackle common small business challenges. Today’s topic: how to raise prices without losing customers. Before we start: This playbook comes from the Scalepath resource library, which is packed with over 50 playbooks, plus templates and expert calls to help you grow your business. Whether you're dealing with pricing, operations, or customer management, there's something to help you make the right moves. If you're not a...
24 days ago • 5 min read
Howdy folks! My newsletter last month about what to do when times are tough seemed to resonate with a lot of you — thank you to everyone who commiserated or shared their stories with me! So today I’m following up with some more takeaways: 10 essential practices to beat stress Let’s do it! Before we start — early bird tickets are almost gone for HoldCo Conference 2025. Join us in Utah for an incredible weekend of learning, connecting, and swapping strategies with top holdco operators including...
27 days ago • 7 min read
Hi folks! Every week, I’m sharing a practical, hands-on guide on how to run your small business better. Today’s topic: How to hire a Virtual Assistant (VA). Before we start: Each of these playbooks is adapted from the Scalepath resource library. They’re designed to break down a common challenge for small businesses into simple steps you can nail the first time. There are over 50 playbooks in the library, plus dozens of templates, and expert call recordings. It’s just one of the perks of...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Howdy folks! It’s nerdy in here today! We’re talking how to invest in private companies. A quick note before I dive in: if you’ve been thinking about HoldCo Conference 2025, we’re down to our last 13 early bird tickets! Prices go up at the end of September, so get your early bird discount today! Investing in private companies is risky. But it’s also more exciting than dumping your cash in a market index and waiting. You’re more hands-on with your financial future. But here’s the catch: you...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Hi folks! Every week, I’m sharing a practical, hands-on guide on how to run your small business better. Today’s topic: How to create your ideal customer profile (ICP)... so you know who to keep happy! Before we start: These emails are adapted from the Scalepath resource library. Each playbook breaks down a common business challenge into straightforward, actionable steps so you can get it right the first time. There are over 50 playbooks in the library, plus dozens of templates, and expert...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Hey GirdleyWorld! Today’s issue is a little different — I thought we could all learn from each other. I’ve made a list of 23 behaviors I think are important in a manager. (As I’ve written before: behaviors are what really matters. Core values are stupid.) But instead of just blasting it out, I thought we could poll the very smart crowd (you) that reads my stuff. So here’s the drill: Read through my quick list of manager behaviors below. Rate the behaviors 1-5 on how important you think they...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read