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You've likely heard the adage that it is far easier to cross-sell an existing customer a new product than it is to find a new customer.

And if your goal is to grow at all costs, then cross-selling makes sense. 

However, all of that sales growth may not do much for the value of your company. If you cross-sell your existing customers too much stuff, it could make your business far less valuable.

When you cross-sell a customer so many things that they begin to account for more than 15–30% of y…

Repeat business drives the value of your company, and you can categorize these sales into one of two buckets:

1. Reoccurring revenue comes from customers who purchase from you sporadically. They’re satisfied with what you offer, and they buy regularly yet not according to a specific timeline.
2. Recurring revenue is predictable, and you get it from customers who buy on a cadence. Usually in the form of subscription or contract revenue, the main difference is your recurring revenue comes in on …

Many people mix up re-occurring and recurring revenue, but one is much more valuable than the other. 

Re-occurring Revenue

Re-occurring revenue comes from customers that have a re-occurring need for whatever you sell and buy from you on an unpredictable yet regular basis. 

Imagine a health food store. Customers come in to replenish their supply of vitamins when they run out. The owner is never quite sure when a customer will be back, but she’s pretty sure they will return when they run low …

Is it better to own a big chunk of a small business or a minority stake in a big company? 

It’s one of the fundamental questions all owners must wrestle with. Owning a relatively small slice of a big pie has worked out well for both Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who recently traded places on the list of the world’s richest person. Musk still owns around 20% of Tesla, and Bezos controls about 10% of Amazon, so they both have chosen to sell most of their company to fund their ambitions. The success o…

Finally, 2020 is in the books.

Good riddance.

If your goal is to build a more valuable business in 2021, here are some New Year’s resolutions to consider:

1. Stop chasing revenue. A bigger company is not necessarily a more valuable one if the extra sales come from products and services that are too reliant on you to deliver them.
2. Start surveying your customers using the Net Promoter Score methodology. It’s a fast and easy way for your customers to give you feedback, and it’s predictive of y…

As we roll through the fourth quarter of the year, you may be starting to consider your business goals for next year.

Given how 2020 has gone, maybe your primary ambition is to survive in 2021. Perhaps you’re going to create a recurring revenue stream or finally hire that general manager. Or maybe you’ve decided to start preparing for an exit.

Whatever your goals are, the most important thing you can do now is write down your plan to achieve them.

A Revealing Study

This point was driven ho…

How’s your workload these days?

If the pandemic has forced you back into the weeds of your business, you’re not alone. Many owners are again doing tasks they haven’t done in years because they have had to lay off front-line staff or their employees have fallen ill or are caring for someone in need.

Being back in the middle of things is neither healthy for you nor your business long term. Personally, it’s a recipe for burnout, and professionally, your business will be less valuable with…