Founder-led companies are some of my favorite businesses to work with. They usually have energy. They move fast. Decisions can happen in minutes instead of weeks. Customers often know the owner personally, employees feel connected to the mission, and there is usually a level of passion you simply cannot manufacture inside a conference room. But eventually, success creates a new problem: The company gets too big to operate the same way it did when it was small. The founder who

One of the biggest mistakes a new executive can make is walking into a company believing they were hired to fix everything they see immediately. I know because I've made that mistake. I entered a company with experience, confidence, and a pretty clear idea of what I believed needed to change. I saw opportunities almost immediately. Processes needed improvement. Accountability needed to increase. Certain parts of the organization needed structure, direction, and stronger leade

For years, many companies saw the senior Marketing Executive as responsible for branding, advertising, trade shows, social media, creative campaigns, and making the company look good. Those things still matter. But that is no longer enough. The modern Marketing Executive needs to understand revenue. After spending most of my career in the automotive aftermarket working across sales, marketing, distribution, retail, OEM, and direct-to-consumer channels, I have become convinced

Having a Product on the Shelf Is Not the Same as Having a Sales Strategy In Topic #1 of this series, I discussed product development and why I believe great aftermarket companies should focus on solving real customer problems instead of simply improving someone else's gadget. In Topic #2, I moved into Pricing & Channel Pricing, and understanding your brand value, building enough margin into the product, and making sure everyone involved in selling it has a reason to participa

Before we get into inventory, it's worth looking back at where this series started. In Topic #1: Product Development, I focused on solving real customer problems instead of simply looking at a competitor's product and trying to make it a little better. The point was simple: strong products should start with an unmet need, not with a benchmark. In Topic #2: Pricing & Channel Pricing, I talked about building the right pricing structure around that product, understanding your br

In the first article in this series, I talked about product development and why I believe aftermarket companies should spend more time solving customer problems and less time building a slightly better version of someone else's product. But developing the right product is only the beginning. The second thing I would focus on is pricing. And I don't mean taking your cost, multiplying it by a factor, comparing it to three competitors, and calling it good. Pricing is one of the

I've spent most of my career in the automotive aftermarket, and if I were handed the keys to an aftermarket company tomorrow, I wouldn't start by changing the sales team, cutting expenses, hiring a new marketing agency, or immediately launching ten new products. I would start with one question: What problems in our industry are customers still dealing with that nobody has solved correctly? Because somewhere along the way, I think too much product development became product co

One of the hardest things to learn as you move up in leadership is knowing when to push back and when to stop pushing and execute. Good executives should challenge decisions. If you see a problem, say something. If the numbers don’t make sense, bring the numbers. If the customer is going to hate it, explain why. If operations can't support it, speak up. If sales are seeing something in the market that the rest of the company is missing, bring it to the table. That is part of

I’ve been wanting to write this article for a while, but I wanted to make sure I approached the topic accurately, practically, and in a way that's easy to understand, especially for leaders and business owners at smaller companies. A P&L can feel intimidating if you don't work in finance every day, but understanding the basics can dramatically improve your overall business knowledge and make you more comfortable discussing financial performance with a CFO, controller, or fina

Ohhhh... that sales manager is upset! Before a company spends months recruiting an outside executive, manager, or department head, leadership should ask one important question: Have we seriously evaluated the people already on our team? Too often, companies immediately begin an external search when a leadership position opens. They hire recruiters, write job descriptions, interview candidates, negotiate compensation packages, and bring in someone who may know the industry, bu

I've never seen a race suit so clean! If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me to sponsor their race team or pay to have a sticker placed on their car, I’d be sitting on a beach watching the sunset every night. But race sponsorship is far more complex than free parts, cash, or logo placement. Let's dig into some hard questions both manufacturers and racers need to understand about each other's position. We can go much deeper than this article, but I don't think that

I love Crazy Cartoons! For decades, companies have used college degrees as a shortcut for determining whether someone is qualified. Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree preferred. But here's the problem: a four-year degree doesn't automatically make someone more qualified to lead a team, sell a product, build a business, manage an operation, market to a customer/consumer, or understand a customer. In many cases, requiring a degree may actually eliminate some of the bes

One of the biggest mistakes I see companies make in new product development is deciding what the product should be before the product team and engineering ever get involved. Leadership comes into the room with an idea, engineering is told what to build, sales is brought in when it's almost finished, and marketing gets involved a few weeks before launch. Then everyone wonders why the product doesn't generate the excitement they expected. I believe there's a better way. Give yo

When companies talk about growth, the conversation usually centers around outside sales, marketing, product development, distribution, and new customers. But for a consumer-facing brand, two of the most important departments in the entire organization are often sitting behind a phone, computer screen, live chat, or email inbox: Inside Sales and Customer Service. They are often the first real human interaction a consumer has with your company. And they absolutely should not be

Through my consulting work with companies doing less than $10 million annually, as well as fresh start-ups, I've learned that one area often needs more attention: P&L management education. That’s what led me to write this article (or maybe more accurately, a lesson plan) on how I believe a P&L should be built, understood, and managed throughout an organization. Now, I know some CFOs may disagree with parts of my approach, and leaders running $50 million companies may look at

Every company talks about growth. Far fewer spend enough time talking about what could stop that growth. That is the true purpose of risk management. Unfortunately, many organizations misunderstand what risk management actually is. They treat it as an insurance policy, a legal requirement, or a checklist that gets reviewed once a year during budget planning. Others become so consumed by avoiding risk that they stop making bold decisions altogether. Neither approach is correct

When many people hear the words continuous improvement, they immediately think of cutting costs. Reduce labor. Negotiate better pricing. Lower freight. Trim expenses. While those are certainly part of the equation, they're only a small piece of what continuous improvement should represent. The best organizations don't view continuous improvement as an annual cost-cutting exercise or a manufacturing initiative. They view it as a company-wide mindset that asks one simple questi

The word leadership has been overused to the point where it's often confused with simply holding a management title. In many organizations, the person with the most authority is automatically labeled the leader. But leadership has very little to do with a title and everything to do with creating an environment where people can perform at their best. One conversation has stayed with me throughout my career. A CEO once told me, "You need to do more of the work because your empl

Keep an eye on these brands! The off-road industry continues to evolve rapidly. While major vehicle manufacturers often grab the headlines, it's aftermarket companies that truly drive innovation, creating products that let enthusiasts push farther, explore longer, and build vehicles that reflect their unique style and needs. Over the past year, I've been quietly watching the truck, Jeep, and adventure van accessory industry, paying close attention to the companies that are pu

For the past year, I've been watching, learning, researching, and documenting where the Jeep, Bronco, truck, and off-road aftermarket is headed. I've stayed quiet... but I haven't stopped thinking. Now it's time to get back to doing what I love. I'm once again free to work with any manufacturer, distributor, retailer, startup, or private equity group looking to build stronger brands, develop winning products, and create profitable growth. For more than 27 years, I've lived th