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.
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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.
