Execution.
It’s what generates your revenue. Your customers and clients pay you to do something. If you do it better, your profit line increases.
It’s what you pay your teammates to do. If they perform better, you can grow your revenue. If they are underperforming, you pay more to get less.
Those questions that keep you up at night or keep you scratching your head? At their heart, they’re all about how to do what needs to be done.
“Never confuse motion with progress; a rocking chair gets nowhere.” – Benjamin Franklin
But here’s the trick: doing stuff is not the same as execution. The busyness of business is far different than the business of execution. Execution is about focusing on what matters and doing it.
And that’s precisely what I help my clients do. In my business growth coaching, my specialization is strategy execution, which is a systematic process of making strategy actionable and making sure that your actions match your strategy. It acknowledges that planning, as a practice, is insufficient to getting results, but planning, done right, helps us focus on the actions that generate the best results. The overriding question from the strategy execution perspective is “are we focusing on and doing the right things to achieve our goals?”
That’s all pretty abstract, though. Here’s a (non-comprehensive) list of some of things we can work on together:
- Effective planning, with a specific emphasis on mid-term planning.
- Developing a robust body of work and thought leadership.
- Getting out of the “don’t know how to grow but can’t stay here” stage.
- Product, service, event, and other offer development.
- Developing an effective, do-able launch strategy.
- Determining whether your price is right, and if not, what to do about it.
- Cashflow planning and projection.
- Streamlining your service and delivery process.
- Marketing campaign and plan development.
- Honing your brand and value proposition.
- Developing a decision-making framework that helps you become a faster, more effective decision-maker.
- Determining your high value activities and ensuring that they’re getting done.
- Assessing your business capabilities to determine whether you need to hire someone, what functional capabilities they need to have, and how to do it. (I don’t have a small or big bias – I have a right-size bias.)
- Diagnosing and eliminating unnecessary complexity in your business.
My clients often turn to me to get the business growth coaching and training they can’t get elsewhere. Plenty of people can talk about parts of business, but few people can systematically address the total scope of a business and determine how to go forward. That’s my genius zone.
Who Am I, Anyway?
I’ve been leading and orchestrating teams and projects of some type or the other for nearly a quarter of a century; I grew up catalyzing action and completing seemingly impossible projects.
In my twenties, I was a logistics officer in the US Army. Logistics is the art and science of getting supplies and troops from one place to the other safely and effectively. I deployed to Iraq, where I excelled in an above-rank position that orchestrated the movement of a transportation battalion that delivered point-to-point throughout Kuwait and Iraq. When I returned, I was given joint force logistics planning and coordination positions, so my job was to coordinate the logistics operations between the Army and Air Force.
I’ve been advising business owners and entrepreneurs on how to execute since 2007.
While I was doing all that logistics stuff in the military, I was simultaneously completing a PhD in philosophy. This background heavily complements my technical training; it’s the soul and heart of my work, whereas the rest is the hands and head of my work. (In case you ever wondered what you can do with a philosophy degree, here’s an answer: build an internationally recognized consulting company.)
All modesty aside, I’m the guy that many of the people you learn from turns to when they want some additional perspective on how to execute their wild ideas. My work is routinely featured, showcased, or highlighted in places like Inc., BNET, Fortune, the Guardian, Lifehacker, Copyblogger, Problogger, the Domino Project, and so on, and I’m a columnist at some of those venues. I’m also a paid speaker, event facilitator, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, the Small Business Life Cycle.
When I say that I get what it takes to start and run a multi-faceted business while having a full life, trust me, I do. It’s a daily practice for me and I’d love to be your guide from the side more than the sage from the stage.
Are We A Good Fit?
Fundamentally, working with a coach is all about fit and resonance. I’m sure you’ve had one of those experience where the same thing said by two different people had different results and meanings for you.
My ideal clients…
- understand that, as the owner-executives of their business, their personal and professional development is their most important investment. The golden goose needs more tending than the eggs it lays.
- have a mission to make a positive impact on the world around them at the same time they have a healthy, responsible approach to building a profitable business.
- understand the dignity of work and respect the people they work with, whether those people are customers, clients, teammates, or colleagues.
- are ready to do the work to get the results they’re after and aren’t looking for the “results without work” fairy to make all their dreams come true.
- understand that even game-changing counsel takes time to implement and see the results.
- actually enjoy what they do or did at one time but are also willing to work through the not-so-fun parts of business.
- know that they don’t want to do it alone anymore because they know they can’t see their own blind spots and stuff clearly because they’re too close to it.
I wake up in the morning excited about working with my clients and appreciate that they demand an A-game out of me in the same way that I demand it out of them.
If all this sounds a bit too much like the bad kind of work or you’re not ready to show up in a powerful way, please stop reading and do something else that supports you.
Let’s Get Started!
Our best results will come from working with each other over time. As General Patton said, “No plan survives first contact,” and I’m here to advise you on how to keep things going – despite the challenges that come up once you get into the work.
If you’re still reading, you’re probably wondering “how much does this cost?” That’s a reasonable question with a straight-forward answer.
A spot consultation is $500. It’s 75-90 minutes where we discuss your business plans, realities, and challenges; you’ll leave the call with a clear idea of the strategic objectives to focus on in the next quarter or two.
As I mentioned above, though, our best results will come from working with each other over time. A package of 3 1-hour business growth coaching sessions is $1200. Clients may purchase 1 session at a time after the first package.
For people really wanting deep, sustained support and momentum, I have six month coaching engagement options that come with additional support options and greater focus and intensity. To learn more, go here.
Testimonials
You’d expect me to say I deliver. I’d much rather you hear from my thriving, satisfied, and awesome clients and colleagues about the matter:
Jonathan Fields from CareerRenegade.com says: I’m the classic example of a hyper-creative, idea-bomber entrepreneur. The challenge has always been to figure out what’s worth building out, what should be left alone and how to focus on what really matters. Figuring that out just happens to be Charlie’s personal killer app. He’s that rare bird who has the ability to honor the maniacal nature of the creative professional and the need for freedom, while also creating a framework and approach that lets you actually get stuff done. If you’ve got ideas that aren’t making it from your head into the world, you need him…now.
Chrissy Scivicque from EatYourCareer.com says: Charlie has a rare ability to cut through clutter and simplify business processes. I worked with him when I was feeling overwhelmed and confused, unsure of the next steps I needed to take to reach my business goals. He listened and provided down-to-earth insight from the perspective of an invested business partner. He cares about his clients and it shows. When he makes a recommendation, it’s thoughtful and based on concrete experience, not just theory. Almost every day, I recall some piece of advice he shared and it guides me through my business challenges. The wealth of resources and knowledge I received from working with Charlie made the financial investment feel insignificant in comparison.
Jennifer Louden from JenniferLouden.com says: Charlie has the brains and the heart to help you map your business and take it to the next level with total integrity. I trust him. He’s the real deal.
Jonathan Mead from IlluminatedMind.net says: Charlie will take the roof off of whatever you thought was possible and show you a whole new sky of possibility. He’s helped me see the blockages in my business, free them up and get the energy flowing in ways that I didn’t know were possible. I’m getting more clients and repeat customers thanks to Charlie. But probably the greatest benefit I’ve gotten through working with him is overcoming my belief that systems = evilness. I now realize that systems give me power in my business and it’s freed me up to do more of the stuff that matters, and do more of what I shine at. Which of course means more money, freedom, and enjoyment. Charlie is really one of a kind, and there’s no one else I’d rather have on my team.Want to see more testimonials and recommendations? You might want to grab a drink before you do, as there are a lot here.