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How the Top 1% of CEOs and COOs Run Their Business Faster, Cheaper, Smarter

For over two decades, CMDS has guided CEOs, COOs, and entrepreneurs toward business growth, walking them through the intricacies of operational strategy and aligning their ambitions with actionable plans.

And yet, repeatedly, we hear the same challenges voiced by these business leaders, no matter the industry. However, these shouldn’t be seen as challenges but rather as transformative opportunities.

Let’s take a look at the most common issues faced by CEOs, COOs, and entrepreneurs and dive into what we believe are successful business ideas that lend themselves to a more focused business mindset.

• People Buy When an Emotional Connection is Made
  “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it,” Simon Sinek.

  A purchase is made when an individual connects with a brand. It begins with understanding the purpose behind what you do and being able to effectively communicate your company’s values and your “why.”

  First and foremost, knowing your genuine purpose allows you to define and communicate your mission more effectively. When you have a clear purpose, it’s easier to set goals, make decisions, and prioritize tasks. It provides clarity and enables you to articulate your purpose to your team, stakeholders, and consumers. Having a clear understanding of why you do what you do ignites a sense of passion and drive. It fosters a collaborative environment, creating a positive company culture and a sense of pride among employees. Additionally, it fosters a sense of connection between your brand and your customer base.

• Get Out of Your Own Way so You Can Rediscover Your Passion
  Now that you have a clear understanding of your “why,” let’s revive your passion! As a CEO, COO, or entrepreneur, your leadership encompasses an array of responsibilities but is often dominated by operational concerns. When you become entrenched in day-to-day tasks, your passion can become overshadowed.

  From what we’ve experienced, time blocking is a best practice from the top down. Build out your calendar to include time dedicated to strategic thinking and innovation. Working ON your business means setting your emails to “do not disturb” and blueprinting a roadmap for the future. When you schedule your time in this way, you allow yourself more time for the things that bring you joy and your passions. Whether that be time with family or time on the golf course, you’ve now framed your schedule to allow for the things that fill your cup while simultaneously building your brand.

  Additionally important is the art of delegation; while seemingly straightforward, can be a challenge. A survey by the Harvard Business Review revealed that nearly 46% of CEOs, COOs, and entrepreneurs are apprehensive about delegation. This can be attributed to concerns over quality control, a sense of responsibility, or even a habit formed from their earlier roles in the company.

  Delegating tasks, especially to skilled managers, can yield significant benefits. By redistributing tasks that don’t require top-level intervention, you’ll free up valuable time and mental bandwidth. This newfound time (what a concept) allows for working ON the business. Plus, entrusting your management team can boost morale and better overall business efficiency.

• Design A Careers Page Attracting Candidates for the Business You’ve Built
  Now, let’s work on building a dream team you can trust to take on every role from A-Z with an effective careers page. This is your opportunity to find people to fit not just the needs of your brand, but also your company’s culture.

  A well-laid-out careers page should provide a window into your organization, extending far beyond simply highlighting available jobs. A recent study by Glassdoor found that 76% of job seekers want details about what makes a company an attractive place to work before applying.

  Today’s employees often view company culture and a work-life balance as more important than salary or benefits packages. Because of this, companies need to offer potential hires a vivid picture of the day-to-day experience of working there, this includes highlighting everything from professional development opportunities and workplace flexibility to additional benefits.

  Think of your careers page as your first impression; before a potential employee clicks on a specific job listing, this page is an opportunity for them to vet your brand. When designing your website, consider adding team photos and video clips to showcase what makes working for your company different. Within a specific listing, you should include the finite details (i.e., salary, 401K match, additional PTO, etc.)

  By organizing your careers page in this way, you avoid unnecessary clutter while highlighting the company’s investment in its workforce. It also streamlines the recruitment process. When candidates clearly understand what the company offers its employees and what the company values, they can better ascertain their fit within the organization. Consequently, this leads to a more efficient hiring process, attracting individuals whose values and aspirations align with the company’s, ultimately fostering a more harmonious, productive, and profitable work environment.

• Fast-Track Onboarding and Retain Employees while Holding Them Accountable
  Once you’ve attracted your ideal employee, you want them, and the rest of your team set up for success. This is where playbooks come in; they’re crucial tools that outline processes, roles, and responsibilities for employees. Like a roadmap, they ensure everyone knows their tasks and expected goals. This is especially beneficial for new hires. A well-structured playbook can make the difference between a smooth transition and a rocky start. Incorporating these structured guidelines streamlines onboarding for both the new employee and the employee overseeing their training, boosts overall productivity, and ensures a consistent approach.

  A recent survey found that companies with a formal onboarding process experience a 60% year-over-year improvement in revenue per full-time employee.

  A playbook also prevents headaches when a seasoned employee departs, ensuring that knowledge isn’t lost, and offers a blueprint for the remaining team members to continue the work seamlessly. Overall, alleviating this type of bump in the road during times of transition will save a company time and money.

• Maximize Profitability by Focusing on the Right Service
  You know your “why,” you’ve rediscovered your passion, you’ve built an allstar team, now take your service offerings to the next level, but how? Instincts cannot be the sole basis for service segmentation. One survey indicated that 83% of executives lean on intuition but businesses that utilize data-driven insights typically have financial returns surpassing their industry’s median.

  Regarding service segmentation, relying only on intuition can result in overlooking profitable niches. CEOs, COOs, and entrepreneurs must combine intuition with financial and market analysis—assessing profit margins, scalability, and market trends. Additionally, understanding future market trends can guide investments, ensuring longevity and profitability.

  Consider the following ten ways to scale your business growth:

  • Package your offerings into a branded “product.”
  • Assess whether your offering is the best in its category and identify necessary improvements.
  • Provide so much value that your brand has a competitive edge.
  • Ensure you understand what your ideal clients are looking for.
  • Leverage what your ideal clients buy before, during, and after needing your services.
  • Sell to many by selling to one.
  • Become a maven in your industry and strengthen brand perception.
  • Define your company’s “Why” and deliver it in your marketing.
  • Explore the possibility of creating a category of your own.
  • Offer something that will generate recurring revenue.
• Turn Your Business Goals into Business Growth with Strategic Decision Making
  In the race to expand, many businesses rush into marketing without a clear strategy. However, a hasty approach can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. A study by the Content Marketing Institute found that less than 40% of businesses have a documented strategy. Strategic, data-driven marketing is crucial; it ensures alignment with business goals and maximizes ROI.

  To be strategic and successful in aligning your business goals with your marketing strategy, it is important to understand who you are marketing to, what messages resonate with them, and where they are throughout their consumer journey. You can answer these questions by creating audience personas, also known as customer profiles. By doing this, you can reach these potential customers using pain-point-driven messaging at different consumer touch points, keeping your company top of mind when they need you.

  But that’s not all; understanding your audience persona is extremely important, but analyzing your company data is just as crucial. Analyzing data from sources like Google Analytics 4 can help you understand how your customers interact with your website, what content they find useful, and whether they’re converting (i.e., filling out forms, making a phone call, sending an email, etc.). Another example of analyzing data could be your email analytics. Email analytics can provide you with pertinent information like who exactly opened your email, how many times they opened it, and what content they interacted with. There’s much more on that here.

  Understanding and analyzing customer behaviors backed by data can help you make better decisions so that you rely less on gut-driven decisions that may not result in reaching your business goals. But these are just two examples of how you can gather data to make data-driven marketing decisions. Many more platforms with robust analytics can help you better understand how to strategically position your company in front of your customers with the right information and at the right time.

  When you focus on these elements of strategic marketing and go through the exercises to build a plan to execute them, you’re more likely to achieve your business goals, thereby setting your business up for true success.

CEOs, COOs, and entrepreneurs face many challenges, from strategizing marketing efforts to managing teams and getting back to doing what they truly love. Understanding these challenges is the foundation for crafting solutions. Our journey to address these issues begins with the transformative Business Breakthrough Bootcamp. As the cornerstone for all our subsequent strategies, our bootcamp sets the stage for an intensive, collaborative effort.

At CMDS, our unique two-day interactive sessions are tailored to dive deep into your business ecosystem. Post-bootcamp, we work shoulder-to-shoulder with you, mapping out blueprints that span operational recommendations, trust-building tactics, unique opportunity mining, and strategies to sculpt a stronger company culture. The outcome? An extensive executive summary capturing everything from business goals, messaging nuances, target personas, and a meticulously crafted tactical marketing and business action plan.

If you’re a CEO, COO, or entrepreneur ready to turn challenges into growth opportunities, consider joining us for a transformation that’s impactful and enduring. Contact CMDS today.