Building a fast growing business is fun. It’s like a drug: you get a taste of what it’s like to be raking in the business (or the customers, or the cash), and all you want is more.

And it keeps coming.

And coming.

Then suddenly one day you realize that the fun part has disappeared a little. The drug isn’t fun anymore, and it’s having a negative impact on your life and health. Your family might be ready to stage an intervention (and they might be right).  

You’re busy, but it goes beyond the normal kind of busy. You have too much work. You’re losing a valuable team member – and you can’t see the reason why. It’s only February, and your critical priorities for the year disappeared weeks ago. You are doing well to reply to the most important emails every day.

You want to keep growing: but the business is ballooning so fast it’s spinning out of control.

And far from letting go and slipping back down to a small business that just plods along, you’re ready to transition to a sizeable enterprise. One that runs on its own. Has the right people. Delivers on its priorities. And has the cash to do all of these things.

That’s scaling up.

A ‘gazelle’ is defined (by Verne Harnish, author of Scaling Up ) as one that scales up 10x its current position.

If your revenue is at $100k, it’s time to move to $1million. If it’s at $1 million already, it’s time to scale beyond $10 million.

And it is entirely possible: but you need help.

That’s why it matters that Steve Moss, partner at Holden Moss, is a certified Gazelles coach.

 

Business coaching and scaling up

“Business Coaching” is a term that is massively misunderstood, although it is coming back into circulation somewhat after a time in the doghouse.

One of the reasons it got a bad name for a while is that anyone could call themselves a coach. (Or a ‘guru’, which is far worse.) No training to speak of, and more importantly no system to follow.

The best coaches – whether in business or sport – encourage discipline. Regular training. Implementation of key practices, even if you’re tired or frustrated or want to give up. A laser-beam focus on what matters (and blocking out what doesn’t).

Gazelles Coaches are those who have been certified by Gazelles International (founded by Verne Harnish, who we mentioned previously), and have access to the best in education, tools, and community.

Here’s how it impacts you.

 

Get top-quality education passed on to you

The best business owners – and the ones we love to work with – are those who are willing to learn. It’s a key trait and a critical one. (If you’re proud of yourself and don’t need to learn anything from anybody, we’re probably not the advisors for you.)

Steve's Gazelle coach certification means that he - and our whole team - are constantly learning. Just as the North Carolina State Board of Public Accountants requires that as CPA’s we complete a certain number of hours of Continuing Professional Education, so our Gazelle coaching certification requires a continual learning on your behalf in these areas, too.

Here’s some of what we (and therefore you) can continually be learning:

• What works? What are small businesses and scaling businesses doing that is the most effective? We get to hear stories of those who are seeing massive change in their businesses and lives, and we pass it on to you.
• What doesn’t work? When we become aware of trends that are threatening to destroy (or are actually destroying) small businesses across America, we’ll come to you with a solution, and help.
• What doesn’t matter? It’s tempting to be completely overwhelmed by what is out there. New ideas, new suggestions, the best book of 2016. But there are some things that just aren’t worth your time and energy to spend time thinking about or working on. As an example, these two articles shed light on two things to ignore this year:
• Economic predictions – ignore them! Read full article
• The SWOT analysis – Nope, it’s SWT that matters! Read full article

And this leads us straight into the next area, which is the level of tools and resources that are available to you, through us.

Get the best-in-breed of business tools and resources

One of the things we love about the Gazelles process is that it is a process. It’s not just a concept, an idea, a certification on the wall.

It is absolutely packed full of specific resources and tools that will help you run your business better.

Here’s what’s great about these resources:

• They’re short. Most are one or two pages. You can grasp the idea, fill it in, learn something, and move on with your business all in a few minutes. (You can also use it for a full day or week-long session. They’re short, but they’re powerful!)

Here are a few short tools you can download now:

• Process Accountability Chart
• One page strategic plan
• Execution checklist
• Cash conversion map

 

• They’re simple. They are easy to understand and don’t require weeks or months or years of training to explore (although if you explore them for that long, you will probably still be learning!). Just because something is simple doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful.
• They’re achievable. The clients who have worked with us using these tools have been amazed at how possible it is to see progress, when only a few months before they were swamped, exhausted, discouraged. Remember, this is based on what the best companies in America, and around the world, are doing. We wouldn’t make it available if you couldn’t see change.
• They’re understandable. These tools are built for busy business owners. You’re not reading a 200 page whitepaper or a thesis. This is something you can grasp, ‘get’, and use. And please understand: we know you’re an intelligent business owner. You could, if you wanted, read a 200 page whitepaper and completely understand it. But would it help you see change? That’s the question.

 

Get connected to a community like you.

Because Steve's certification as a coach makes us part of the Gazelles community, we can connect you with like-minded business owners. Those who you meet who say, “Yes! That’s me, too! I can’t believe I’m not the only one.”

We are connected to those kind of business owners – and coaches – all the time.

Best of all, we’re like that, too.

We are small business owners ourselves. You may be looking through the Holden Moss website, complete with our Awesome 8 offering and our five offices and our Gazelles coaching certification and think, “I’m too small to get help from these guys.”

Not at all. We love working with small businesses. That’s our lifeblood, and it’s what powers this country (and the world) to be the incredible place that it is. So whether you need a short coaching session to get you back on your feet, or you want to meet weekly and build your business fast, we’re here to help.

Because the Gazelle certification matters to you. It matters to your business. And it matters to your life.

Arrange a session now online, or just call the office on (252) 492-3041.