Sam Trumps

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@girdley @BillDA @EndresenHeather @thegeneralmills Love it!

[Michael Girdley @girdley]

What do you do when a client doesn’t pay you?

It happens to everyone eventually.

And it always sucks.

I want to make it a little easier:

Here are my 9 steps to deal with it. 🧵

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

100,000+ small business owners participate in a peer group every month.

They’ve been around for 150 years for a reason - they drive outcomes.

Michael and I are building a modern version for the next generation of owners.

PS - we’re adding more groups soon

[Michael Girdley @girdley]

You need a CEO peer group.

I joined a decade ago:

- 10x’ed my businesses
- I now “tapdance to work”
- More time with family/friends

Here’s my story. 🧵

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

Great overview of how we launched @joinScalepath

We love playbooks and Effectuation is a great one!

[Alex Lieberman @businessbarista]

My bud @girdley has built a massive holdco.

12 businesses, $100m.

And he has a framework for finding businesses ideas I had never heard of.

It's called Effectuation & it has 5 core principles:

1) Bird-in-hand: business ideas start with your means—what you know, who you know, who you are

2) Affordable Loss: estimated downside > expected return

3) Crazy Quilt: obsess over partnerships vs. competitors

4) Lemonade: treat inevitable surprises as gifts vs. annoyances

5) Pilot-in-the-plane: focus on what you can control, stop trying to predict

Listen to our 24-minute Founder's Journal epi to help you find your next big business idea 👇

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@girdley @joinScalepath Excited to get this rolling! No one should start from scratch when building out their sales function

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

Another one!

Kevin is helping us build a Biz Dev Program. SMB Owners shouldn't have to start from scratch when building a sales function

[Scalepath @joinScalepath]

Announcing our latest Expert Partner!

Kevin Shaughnessy, the President of Sales Implementation, LLC, is a Business Coach and serves as an Outsourced VP of Sales powered by Sales Xceleration.

He's a pro at sales growth and building sales teams for small businesses.

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@joinScalepath Let's gooo

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@girdley @joinScalepath 🤝

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

Find a 1+1=3 partnership.

Launch fast.

@Chilis needs a time sq location.

…we’re just getting started!

[Michael Girdley @girdley]

We used a 120-day playbook to launch a cash-flowing business.

@joinScalepath became profitable in month 2.

Here’s how we did it — and the formula for you to copy:

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@polak_jasper @girdley @joinScalepath We allow international, but the vast majority of current members are US-based as of now.

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@WillAllen_72 @girdley @joinScalepath @MarkMagaro Great question: we can add the most value to businesses in that revenue range. Also helps build a more intimate community

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

Full story of Mark’s turnaround👇

https://t.co/H47CpUZPBE

[Michael Girdley @girdley]

If you want to learn more about this story,

It's from @joinscalepath member @MarkMagaro, who recently ran a turnaround on a playground equipment company called EcoPlay Structures.

Here is his story in detail:

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@girdley Love it!

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@girdley @jspujji @joinScalepath @jspujji love what you’re doing with Bootstrapped Giants. The playbook for scaling a vc-backed Co has been written 100x. The playbook for bootstrapping is...nowhere!

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@j_thomas_421 @girdley @jspujji @joinScalepath We think we can add the most value in the $500k-$7m range. It varies based on industry and profit margins, but good rule of thumb.

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@joinScalepath @marksinatra_peo @AspenHR Let's go!!

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@OrgSolutionsLtd @girdley @SecretCFO @joinScalepath Nope!

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

@jakelywakely @joinScalepath We’re just getting started!

[Sam Trumps @Sam_Trumps]

Excited about what we’re building at @joinScalepath

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel for 85% of small biz pain points.

Most owners start from scratch when faced with new (but common) problems.

It doesn’t need to be this way. We’re working hard to fix it

[Michael Girdley @girdley]

You need a CEO peer group.

I joined a decade ago:

- 10x’ed my businesses
- I now “tapdance to work”
- More time with family/friends

The Problem

As a CEO, you’re on your own.

It’s lonely and you’ve no professional peers.

And, you’re missing skills.

There’s no “class” to be a business leader.

The Answer: A CEO Peer Group

The members are running businesses like you. Same journey.

People you bounce ideas off, get feedback, and talk about anything.

There are many formats:

- Online/In-person
- By Industry
- Location
- Some even faith-based

Most have confidentiality rules, and often non-competes or non-solicits.

My Peer Group Story

I had been a CEO for about 6 years.

I was stuck.

I asked around about Vistage, EO, Tab, all sorts of different groups.

And it turns out feelings were mixed:

Some people totally loved them, and others not.

Making Peer Groups Work

The people that loved them were all-in:

- Totally open
- Growth mindset
- Humble
- Leaned into the process

Either you were coachable – or you wasted everyone’s time.

My search

I looked at many CEO groups

Each had a personality.

I wanted the most exclusive and hard-charging group.

That’s my nature: lighthearted, but serious.

The best ended up being @tomcuthbert’s @vistage group.

I got referrals, references and joined.

—

Here are the 7 Ways My CEO Peer Group Changed My Life…

1. Defeated Impostor Syndrome

Looking back at my 20s and 30s, I had it.

I was terrified of failure.

I wouldn’t even try.

With other CEOs, I learned that they were trying things, failing, learning, trying again.

If they could do it, I could do it, too.

2. Becoming Humble

Girdley in his 20s/30s was a jackass.

I was the “smartest guy in the room.”.

I’d jump to a conclusion.

In my group, I saw I had to be humble and coachable.

These days, I say, “Here’s what I think, but I could be wrong.”

3. Inspiring Gratitude

In a group of 18 CEOs, everybody brings in problems.

I walk in feeling my problem is big.

Every time, somebody else’s problem is 10x worse.

Might be theft, or bankruptcy, or even cancer.

I feel grateful for how good I have it when I hear my peers talk.

That monthly dose of gratitude makes me better.

4. Accelerated Learning

Nobody teaches you to be a CEO.

Before, everything I was winging it.

But my CEO peer group showed me new ideas.

I made my biggest transformation:

Systems-based thinking.

Now for any issue: is there a system for this?

Hiring, strategy, HR… I find the best system first.

5. 10x’ed Ambition

I’m a competitive guy. (Shocker!)

My CEO peers are friends.

But deep down, these high-achieving people raised my sights immensely.

My personal standards 10x’ed more.

6. More Friends

CEO of a small business is the loneliest job in the world.

You can be friendly to your employees, but you can’t be their friend.

I've made lifelong friends through my peer group.

I came for the learning, stayed for the friends.

7. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is thinking about your thinking.

When you’re neck deep in day-to-day operations, that’s impossible.

I now slow down, think deeper, and take the long vie.

My Advice: Just Try It!

If you’re serious about growth, try it.

Two groups I recommend:

- In-person group? Vistage via @tomcuthbert.
- Smaller biz or want virtual? @joinscalepath via @Sam_Trumps (I’m a cofounder!)

Look at others, too.

It will change your life. It did mine!

—

Please reply/bookmark/like this to help me on my mission:

To fill Twitter/X with high-quality content.

Follow @girdley for more like this.

Michael