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

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

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

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

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

Don't be the insecure leader or employee. Leadership isn't just about making decisions. It's about creating an environment where talented people can challenge the status quo, solve problems, and help the organization grow. Ironically, some of the greatest threats to a company's success don't come from the competition. They come from leaders who become insecure when someone around them begins to outshine them. The strongest leaders hire people who are smarter than they are in

This might be a little overboard, but it gets the point across. For years, lean manufacturing has been held up as the gold standard for operational excellence. Build less. Carry less inventory. Reduce waste. Improve efficiency. Increase cash flow. On paper, it sounds like the perfect business model. But here's the reality: Lean manufacturing is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. It's a tool. Like any tool, its effectiveness depends entirely on how and where you use it. I've w

Every salesperson has heard the saying: "People buy from people they trust." It's repeated so often that it's almost become meaningless. But if you strip away every sales methodology, every CRM, every AI tool, every marketing campaign, and every pricing strategy, you'll find that one thing still determines whether a customer comes back: Trust. The interesting part is that trust has very little to do with how good you are at closing deals. It has everything to do with how you

Innovation is one of the most overused words in business today. Every company claims to be innovative. Every annual report mentions innovation. Every executive says it's a priority. But what is innovation, really? Innovation is the process of creating and implementing new ideas, products, services, or processes that solve meaningful problems and deliver value. Notice what that definition does not say. Innovation is not invention. Innovation is not copying a competitor and mak

What? No Quality Department? In manufacturing, engineering and quality are often closely connected. They work together every day to design products, solve problems, improve processes, and support customers. Because of that relationship, many companies make the mistake of placing the Quality Department under the Engineering Department. While this may seem efficient on paper, it often creates challenges that can negatively impact product quality, customer satisfaction, and long

Using common sense saves time. In a world filled with dashboards, artificial intelligence, analytics, consultants, and endless meetings, one of the most powerful business tools remains surprisingly simple: Common sense. According to the dictionary, common sense is: "Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." In other words, it is the ability to make practical decisions that are logical, reasonable, and grounded in reality. While common

Are automakers or consumers at fault? Recent headlines have focused on one alarming statistic: average new vehicle payments have climbed to record highs, now approaching $770–$780 per month, with a growing percentage of buyers taking on payments exceeding $1,000. The conclusion many articles draw is simple: the automotive industry has become unaffordable, and consumers are trapped in a dangerous cycle of debt. While there is certainly truth behind the affordability concerns,