11.22.22 - The REAL Key to Sustainable Business
A fascinating year
The reputation I developed early on was one of “speed” and chaos.
Just a couple days ago I caught up with an old client and friend about business. He is absolutely making a difference and crushing, as Gary Vee would say.
I told him I wanted a lower profile for a bit. Or, at the very least, to be known for things OTHER than rapid business growth. He asked why and I told him: the greatness of a thing is often inversely correlated to how quickly it grows.
It sounds odd, coming form someone who has notoriously grown things quickly, but I have learned my lesson many times over. From 2019 to 2022 just two of my companies took nearly 800,000 inbound phone calls. A hundred thousand (and then some) customers.
Master advertising, and you can create growth quickly and on demand. But not all growth is healthy growth — if you turn the faucet off, what happens?
One of my favorite videos along these lines is attached below. A non-exhaustive list of benefits that come with building things slowly, and methodically:
Maintenance is greatly reduced, as the infrastructure can adapt in real time as the size increases
“Stress tests” happen in a controlled vacuum that doesn’t compromise your reputation or integrity in the marketplace (when you build too quickly, other items can, at times, replace customer experience)
Other areas of life that are just as important (if not more important) are protected (these are often areas with deep time-sensitivity, meaning you can not “reverse” the trade if a trade is made)
Vision can be agile and dealt with proactively, rather than nonstop reactivity due to market conditions
Net stress decreases in the organization, as people (team) are able to process & execute with extended timelines rather than “urgency” everywhere
Enjoy the video, and Happy Thanksgiving :-)
In other news, now is a great time to be boosting your asset base. Sure, things could get worse (and likely will if we’re running with the statistics). This chart sums it up nicely: buy when you can, let the markets work it out.
-Taylor
P.S. Our consulting memo ships next week… this issue is loaded with research & education that should help as you build the scaffolding of 2023. And, we talk in detail about one of the biggest shifts hitting marketing/advertising now that you must be briefed on.