Jean Moncrieff

I’m an entrepreneur, community builder, and trusted advisor dedicated to helping leaders build exceptional, purpose-driven businesses that choose to be great — not just big.

As the leader of the Small Giants Community, I steward a network of values-driven CEOs and founders who believe business can be a force for good. Together, we navigate the challenges of growth while staying anchored in what matters most: our people, our purpose, and our communities.

My journey includes founding, scaling, and successfully exiting multiple companies in the 7 and 8-figure range. But what I’ve learned — and what Small Giants has taught me — is that true success isn’t just about revenue or an exit event; it’s about building organizations where people thrive, cultures are strong, and legacies last far beyond the founder.

Through my work, I bring a blend of hard-won strategic insight, practical operating frameworks, and a deep commitment to human-centered leadership. Whether I’m coaching CEOs, convening Small Giants gatherings, or creating spaces for authentic connection, my goal is to help leaders clarify their vision, lead with intention, and grow businesses that serve their families, employees, and communities for generations to come.

If you’re a purpose-driven leader who wants to join a community of peers on the same path, or you’re exploring how to grow and steward your business with intention, let’s connect.

Zurich is home for me and my partner Sinem, while most of my professional work takes me to the US. Cape Town is where I go to slow down and recharge.

Part-Time Marketing Director

The Marketing Centre is a UK market leader in offering part-time CMOs and Marketing Directors for SMEs. The portfolio businesses we work with are often early-stage high-growth ventures and much of our work involves close co-operation with private equity firms and venture capitalists to ensure rapid growth while creating value and optimum returns. With us, entrepreneurs can access a wealth of experienced and commercially minded marketing leaders who know how to make businesses grow, but who operate on a part-time basis and therefore more cost-effectively.

Typically I work with businesses who recognise themselves in at least two of the following: 

- have ambitious growth plans and want to capitalise on this growth
- may have stalled and need a fresh review of the business
- have a business owner is running out of hours in the day to do everything
- have sales pipeline needs more and better quality leads to achieve your growth plans
- need their online strategy reinvigorating
- need to re-evaluate and develop their proposition 
- are building towards an exit and want to maximise return
- has a turnover between £3m and £50m

If you are interested to know more, please contact me on 0792 638 1370 or email me at jean.moncrieff@themarketingcentre.com, and we can talk about your business.

What’s the best part of leading the Small Giants Community?

Sharing a meal with group of purpose-driven leaders. 

Having meaningful conversations about the challenges we’re navigating personally and professionally.

Sharing stories that make your belly ache with laughter and sometimes bring a tear to your eye.

Thanks for a great evening Brad Herrmann, Rane Butler, Ana Smelley, Sarah Lawson, Rachel Harner

CEO Small Giants Community | Keynote Speaker | Host Growing with Purpose Podcast | Author Finding Freedom | Connecting and Developing Purpose-Driven Business Leaders

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If you’re always the smartest person in the room…

you’re probably in the wrong room.

Growth rarely happens when everyone agrees with you.

It happens when you surround yourself with people who know their craft.

People who challenge you.
People who see what you can’t.
People who raise your standards.

I’ve just wrapped up a two-day intensive to level up my keynote.

A great reminder that if we’re doing life right, we never stop learning.

I’ve been fortunate to have Davin Salvagno walking alongside me on this journey — helping sharpen my keynote and refine the message behind the book.

Grateful for the people in the room this week and for the generosity of those willing to share what they’ve learned:

Conner Krizancic, Ivy Gustafson, Aaron Knipp, Quinn Conyers, Paul Epstein, Meta Jane Nelson, Margarita Kilpatrick, Amy Taylor, Kelly (Caffrey) Bjorseth and the whole SpeakrBrand team thanks for a phenomenal couple of days!

Davin — thank you for the guidance, the challenge, and the support as this next chapter takes shape.

Here's a subject a lot of founders balk at: navigating their exit strategy.

But having a well-paced, well-communicated, and purposeful exit strategy is one of the most important decisions you'll make as a business owner.

At the 2023 Small Giants Summit, Ryan Tansom took us through not just the different paths, but also the mindset of exiting.

He should know - he's exited a business the wrong way, and has learned from his mistakes.

I've spoken with Ryan numerous times - on his podcast, on my podcast- and it's always a fruitful discussion. He has a way of making hard truths approachable, and delivering concepts that can sometimes feel heavy with upbeat energy.

If you're a business owner, I highly recommend you check out Ryan's content. And if you'd like to hear more discussions about navigating leadership, then join us at the Small Giants Community Summit next month.

I asked ChatGPT how old I am. 
I’m at that age where I genuinely can’t remember.

It looked me dead in the digital eye and said: 
“𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘦.”

For a moment, I thought: 
Good. The machine isn’t keeping tabs. 

We still have some control.

Then I told it: 17 March 1973.

And just like that…
 
"𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘑𝘦𝘢𝘯...🍀"

So much for anonymity.

Next, I asked it for my horoscope.

Apparently, I’m a Pisces. A water sign. Intuition, creativity, empathy… and (this is where it got interesting):

A “𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿.”
 
According to the algorithm...
 
Pisces leaders tend to: 
• Be 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 
• See the 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 
• Build through 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 
• Create things that matter 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁

And the shadow side? 
• Too many ideas 
• Not enough structure
• Avoiding hard decisions a little too long

(…no comment 😅)

But this line struck a chord: “𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹.”

Which is exactly why I’m drawn to the 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 ethos.
 
Because building something meaningful beats building something big.
 
It’s about creating a business that actually means something—to you, your team, and the people you serve.

Anyway… 53.

Still building. Still experimenting. Still slightly suspicious of AI.

Feels about right.

- Jean

P.S. Happy St. Paddy's Day y'all ☘️

At the 2023 Small Giants Summit, Elizabeth Glasbrenner told of her transition to becoming the CEO of her family's business.

She's the first to admit she wasn't the first choice for the role after her father stepped down. Smiley Technologies, Inc. is a technology company, and she didn't have the deep tech knowledge she thought she needed to be at the helm.

But after some initial resistance, and some team disruptions, she stepped up to the challenge, found her footing, and drove the company towards newfound success.

Elizabeth was able to do all of this because the harnessed her strength: 
People.

She couldn't handle a coding issue on her own, but she could handle people and relationships.

And that, no matter the industry, is crucial.

Elizabeth's story was a reminder to quiet the noise of doubt (both external and internal) and lean into your authenticity and strengths. 

If you'd like to hear more stories like Elizabeth's then join us at this year's Small Giants Community Summit, happening April 28-30 in Detroit, MI.

CEO Small Giants Community | Host Growing with Purpose Podcast | Speaker | Author Finding Freedom (due April 2026) | Connecting and Developing Purpose-Driven Business Leaders

With each step of the publishing journey, it feels a little more real that my book will soon be hitting bookshelves and held in strangers' hands.

But this one might be the greatest milestone I've reached so far.

Seeing the cover of my book makes it feel real in a way I couldn't imagine before.

No longer is it an endless scroll of a document on my laptop.
Or a stack of papers from my exhausted printer, marked with pen notes and coffee rings.

Now, it has a face.
Now, I can visualize it alongside other books that have inspired me.

And if my book can impact even one business leader in how they run and identify with their business, then it'll all have been worth it. 

Thank you to Scott Jeffrey Miller and Davin Salvagno and everyone else who's had a hand in bringing this book to life. I'm thrilled to be a Maison Vero author and for my title to be the first within the Small Giants Press imprint. 

Stay tuned - it won't be long until this long-held dream becomes reality.

The first official book out of Small Giants Press - the first imprint of Maison Vero!

So many buisiness owners start with a clear purpose and passion for the difference they want to make in the world, but all too often, as the business starts to grow, it starts to own them.

The world is full of daring entrepreneurs who were once filled with purpose and passion, who now feel trapped and even embittered by the personal sacrifices they have had to make. 

How does one build a valuable company and a meaningful life at the same time? 

Jean Moncrieff in this beautiful book reveals how business owners can build and scale a valuable business, and find the freedom to exit without sacrificing the purpose, culture, and impact of what they spent most of their lives building. 

Releasing April 21st from Small Giants Press!

Yesterday I spoke to engineers at Fermilab, the premier particle physics and accelerator laboratory in the US.
 
These are people working on some of the most exciting projects in the world, experiments that could fundamentally change how we understand the universe.
 
Let that sink in.
 
And yet, what we spoke about wasn’t physics.
 
It was emotional intelligence.

Because whether you’re powering a particle accelerator…
or leading a Small Giant…
 
The real breakthroughs don’t just come from intellect.
 
They come from how we work together.
 
Fermilab is a diverse institution, with engineers and scientists from countries, around the world, all contributing to experiments far bigger than themselves.
 
Brilliant individuals.
Complex systems.
Interdependent teams.
 
And in environments like that, team emotional intelligence can be a tough order.

• The ability to listen.
• The ability to regulate ego.
• The ability to collaborate across differences.
• The ability to align around purpose.
 
What struck me most?
  
These engineers, operating at the edge of human knowledge, chose to spend their time talking about how to become better teammates.
 
That humility.
That curiosity.
That commitment to growth.
 
It was a true honor to spend time with them.

Whether you’re building particle accelerators or purpose-driven companies…

 The future belongs to emotionally intelligent teams.

Anyone who attended the 2024 Small Giants Summit was given a real gift:

Hearing scott harrison on stage.

Towards the end of his captivating talk, he shares his favorite quote:

“𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱.”

He spoke about service. 
About suffering. 
About the uphill battle of getting people to care.

And what struck me is how much this applies — not only to the nonprofit world — but to those of us leading 𝗳𝗼𝗿-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀.

Because if you’re building a purpose-driven company, the work also has no end.

There is no moment when you say:  
“We’ve built enough culture.”  
“We’ve cared enough about our people.”  
“We’ve aligned profit and purpose perfectly — job done.”

There’s no finish line for integrity.  
No final milestone for trust.  
No retirement from being intentional.

But like Scott said — this endless cycle shouldn't feel paralyzing. It should be energizing.

You may never drop the mic and say, “I’ve done enough.”
But that's the point. Your motivation isn't to hit a certain number in revenue. It's to build a business that's a force for good. 

And there's no cap to that.

If you want more inspiring stories like Scott's, then join us at this year's Small Giants Community Summit, happening April 28-30 in Detroit, MI.

There are so many reasons to attend the 2026 Small Giants Community Summit.

Belonging.
Connection.
Inspiration.
Practical tools.

And perhaps most important of all, that precious time away from your business that allows for newfound perspective.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟴-𝟯𝟬 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁, 𝗠𝗜. 
Our theme is Navigate, in which we'll be digging into all the ways that values-driven leaders are currently navigating uncertainty in an ever-changing business landscape. 

❓ What's your reason for attending the Summit?

And if you haven't bought your ticket yet, what are you waiting for?! 

Link to registration in the comments ⬇️

Why the 2026 Summit is Worth Every Minute

It’s not just inspiring stories + leader journeys at the Small Giants Summit.
 
It’s practical takeaways you can bring back to your business immediately.
 
In this clip from the 2023 Summit, Tracy Bech breaks down a financial truth that too many leaders overlook:
 
We tend to focus on top line and bottom line…  and ignore everything happening in the middle.
 
But that middle is where the health of your business lives.
 
As Tracy explains, direct expenses rise with revenue. The more you sell, the more you spend to deliver. And if those costs quietly outpace your margins, growth won’t save you.
 
In fact, you can “grow broke.”
 
For leaders building people-first businesses, understanding your financials isn’t optional. It’s stewardship. It’s clarity. It’s what allows you to invest in your team with confidence.

Tracy is a fountain of knowledge, and her mission is to help leaders exercise their financial muscles for empowerment. 
 
Give this a watch — and pay attention to the middle.

And don't forget to register for the 2026 Small Giants Community Summit, happening April 28-30 in Detroit, MI.

One of the Freedom Factors I write about in my upcoming book Finding Freedom is this:

Letting go of control.

It sounds simple.

For many business owners… it rarely is.

Because the truth is, the very thing that helped you build the business in the early stages is often the thing that eventually holds it back.

I know this because I lived it.

In the early days of my business, I was involved in everything.

Every decision.
Every customer issue.
Every opportunity.

That intensity helped us grow.

We expanded.
Acquired companies.
Revenue climbed.

From the outside it looked like momentum.

Inside… it felt like I was feeding a machine that never stopped demanding more.

Then one day it hit me…

I hadn’t built a business that gave me freedom.

I had built something that depended on me for almost everything.

My team waited on me.

Decisions bottlenecked.

Frustration surrounded us.

What I thought was leadership was clinging onto control.

And control, over time, becomes a trap.

That’s when I started to understand something important.

Freedom doesn’t come from tightening control.

It comes from letting go of control.

That means shifting from being the hero at the centre of it all to recruiting a leadership team capable of taking you toward your goal.

Growing leaders.
Building systems.
Creating a business that can move forward even when you step back.

That’s when something surprising happens. Something I wish I’d paid attention to earlier in my business journey…

The business becomes more valuable.

And the owner finally starts to feel a little more freedom again.

#FindingFreedom #FreedomFactors

Alysa Liu just showed the world that there's power in protecting your personhood.

We should all stop and let that sink in. Especially leaders.

Alysa was a prodigy.  
An Olympian at 16.  

And then — at that same young age — she retired.

Not because she couldn’t compete.  
But because she needed space.

Space to hang out with friends.  
To go on vacation for the first time.  
To get her driver’s license.  
To figure out who she was — separate from medals, rankings, and expectations.

She took time to become a whole person.

And in that process, she discovered something powerful:
She could return to figure skating — but this time on her own terms.

Not because the world expected it.  
Not because her identity depended on it.  
But because she loved the thrill. The artistry. The craft.

And with that clarity, that lighter grip on identity, she rose above the noise and pressure of the global stage — and won gold.

There’s a leadership lesson here.

When we tie our entire identity to our work, everything feels heavy.  
Every setback feels personal.  
Every metric feels existential.

But when we allow ourselves to be more than our title…  
We lead differently.
Calmer, clearer, and more grounded.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do isn’t to push harder.
It’s to give yourself permission to live a full life — separate from your work.

Because paradoxically, when the pressure lifts, performance often follows.

Work matters.
But it isn’t all of who you are.

Alysa knows that, and has a gold medal to prove that protecting who you are is a source of strength.

Most business owners think they need to be the smartest person in the room.

Early in the journey, that’s often true.

You know the product.
You know the customers.
You make the decisions.

That’s how the business gets off the ground.

But then something happens.

The company grows.
The team grows.

And suddenly…

Every decision still runs through you.

Your team waits.

The business slows.

Without realizing it, the very thing that made the business successful — you being the smartest person in the room — becomes the bottleneck.

This is where many companies plateau.

I’ve just come back from a workshop with a group of professional keynote speakers.

Everyone there had the same mindset.

Put yourself in rooms where you’re not the smartest person.

Rooms where you’re learning.

Rooms where you’re stretched.

Great business owners eventually realize something important:

Your job is no longer to be the smartest person in the room.

Your job is to build a room full of people smarter than you.

That’s when the real growth begins.

Next week I’m in Dallas for the 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗨𝗽 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲...
 
It’s rare that I go back to the same event twice. But this one is different.
 
The first time I attended, I wasn’t looking for more content. I’ve been speaking for years. I know how to structure a talk. I know how to hold a room.
 
What I wanted was refinement.
 
What I found was a small group of people who were serious about their craft. No hype. No big egos. Just a tight circle of speakers willing to put their work out there and let others challenge it.
 
That close environment changes everything. You do the work. You test ideas. You adjust language. You get honest feedback. You try again.
 
I walked away with sharper messaging, stronger stage presence, and real clarity about what I want to say when I’m standing in front of a room of leaders.
 
And now, with a book coming out, that clarity matters even more.
 
When you’re distilling years of experience into pages — and then into keynotes — every word counts. The message has to be tight. It has to be true. And it has to land.
 
The real value last time was the shift in confidence that came from knowing my message had been pressure-tested.
 
So I’m going back.
 
𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟱–𝟲 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘀, with a group that’s intentionally kept small. My good friend Davin Salvagno will be there again, breaking down stage presence in a way that’s both practical and powerful.
 
For me, this isn’t about becoming a “better speaker.” It’s about continuing to sharpen the craft — because if I’m going to stand in front of an audience, especially with a book behind me, the message needs to land.
 
– Jean 

👉 w͟w͟w͟.͟l͟e͟v͟e͟l͟u͟p͟s͟p͟e͟a͟k͟i͟n͟g͟.͟c͟o͟m͟/͟e͟v͟e͟n͟t͟s͟

SpeakrBrand

During a recent conversation, the wonderful leader and OG Small Giant Jay Goltz came up with this phrase for us to use when promoting the Small Giants Community:

"𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲."

That phrase ties perfectly back to my conversation with Ashish Kothari for my latest Growing with Purpose episode.

Sometimes, when two incredible leaders are telling you the same thing in quick succession, it means you should take note. 📝

🎙️ Check out this new episode with Ashish for more grounding insights: https://lnkd.in/eybckv_K

Rob Dube is so intuitive, he unknowingly mentioned the theme of this year's Summit in a podcast episode before it was announced!

Jokes aside, if you want to learn about intuition, mindfulness, and self discovery from a well-respected leader, you go to Rob. His presence is positive and calming, and his presentations are always actionable and emotionally resonant. 

And this April, anyone who's in Detroit for the Small Giants Community Summit has the opportunity to do just that.

Rob will be leading his SHINE Workshop on April 28 before the Summit kicks off. It'll be the perfect primer for you to feel re-centered and energized.

Spaces are limited, and workshop tickets are separate from Summit tickets. Don't miss out on this great event.

Many entrepreneurs think they’re building a business.

In reality… they’re building a monster.

I know because I did it.

Years ago I built an eight-figure company. From the outside it looked like success.

Inside, it felt like I was Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors.

Every day the monster needed feeding.

More deals.
More customers.  
More growth.

And if you stopped feeding it…

everything started to fall apart.

The business depended on me for everything.

And the uncomfortable truth was this:

I had never defined what winning actually looked like.

Like many founders, I was chasing growth without asking a much more important question.

What kind of life is this business supposed to create?

Freedom Factor #7: Choose Your Future

Because if you don’t define success…

your business can easily become a monster you have to feed.

- Jean

---

🚨FYI Business Owners — I’m sharing short videos on the Freedom Factors from my upcoming book Finding Freedom Experience.

#FindingFreedom #FreedomExperience

A pilot who trusts their instincts in a cloud… risks crashing.

When I was learning to fly, I once flew into a cloud.

Instantly I lost my sense of orientation.  
I couldn’t tell up from down.

Pilots call it spatial disorientation.

Your body lies to you.

The only way out is to trust your instruments.

Business is no different.

When the world outside your company shifts—AI, new technology, changing markets—leaders lose their bearings.

Everyone has an opinion.  
Instinct kicks in.  
Ego gets loud.

That’s when you need instruments.

Your instruments are the signals from the outside world:
• customers  
• frontline teams  
• suppliers  
• thought leaders  

Without those signals, strategy becomes guesswork.

And history is full of companies that ignored their instruments.

First it was the cloud.  
Now it’s AI.

Freedom Factor #4: Build and trust your instruments.

Build the dashboard that tells you what’s really happening outside your business.

Because when the clouds roll in (and they always do)…

Your instruments keep you flying.

- Jean

——————

🔔FYI Business Owners — I’m sharing short videos on the Freedom Factors from my upcoming book Finding Freedom, hit the follow button for daily #FreedomFactors

I had a small observational epiphany today.
 
When many leaders join Small Giants Community, what they often find isn’t just programming, resources, or networking.
 
They find 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲.
 
Language to describe how they’ve always wanted to lead.  Language to articulate what’s felt intuitive but hard to explain.
 
Values that guide decisions — not just decorate walls.
Hiring for culture add, not just skill set.
People at the center of the business.
Mission and vision driving culture.
Psychological safety.
 
Individually, these are just phrases.
 
But together?
 
They form an identity.
 
I’ve heard leaders say, “I knew I was doing something different — or at least wanted to — but I didn’t have the words for it.”
 
Until they read Bo Burlingham's book 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘎𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴.  
Until they attended the Summit.  
Until they sat in a room and heard someone else describe leadership in a way that finally clicked.
 
There’s power in having language.
 
It gives clarity.  
It builds confidence.  
It connects you to others who see the world the same way.
 
So if you’ve ever felt like your approach to business is a little different from the status quo — a little more heart-driven, a little more mission-focused — you’re not alone.
 
And you’re in very good company.
 
Join us in the movement of building businesses as a force for good.

***

👋 Hi, I'm Jean. I'm on a mission to bring leaders together who see business as a force for good. 

If that's you, I'd love to connect.

Imagine your leadership team walking into your office and telling you this:

“Your leadership style has to change… or we’re leaving.”

That moment happened to Tom Walter, founder of Tasty Catering.

And it became the turning point that transformed how he led the business.

In today’s video I share that story and why it illustrates one of the key Freedom Factors in my upcoming book Finding Freedom.

The shift founders eventually have to make:

From hero… to builder.

#FindingFreedom #FreedomFactors

Shannon Byrne Susko

Director,  Past Chair

As a serial entrepreneur and former CEO, I know the overwhelming uncertainty that comes with growing a business. I never want another leader to feel stuck and desperate.

After building and successfully exiting two high-growth companies, I created Metronomics—a proven growth operating system that helps CEOs and leadership teams achieve sustainable, predictable growth by integrating strategy, execution, and cash flow into one repeatable framework.

🔹 3HAG (3-Year Highly Achievable Goal)—a clear roadmap for scaling with confidence
🔹 Used by thousands of CEOs & 60+ certified coaches worldwide
🔹 Achieve goals 3x faster with leadership alignment & execution strategy

As an executive coach, speaker, and business strategist, I deliver no-nonsense, practical insights on leadership, business growth, and execution. I’m also a 4x bestselling author of The Metronome Effect, 3HAG Way, Metronomics, and The M Game.

📖 Recognition & Impact:
🏆 Inducted into the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada Hall of Fame (2023)
🏆 Awarded Universal Women’s Network Game Changer Award (2022)

I hold degrees in Business and Computer Science from Saint Mary’s University and a Master’s in Computer Science from the Technical University of Nova Scotia. Today, I call Whistler, BC, home, where I live with my husband and three children.

If you’re ready to break free from daily execution and scale your business with confidence, let’s connect. Visit www.metronomics.com

Founder & CEO

Metronomics is global business team coaching organization that created and utilizes a 20 year old proven repeatable playbook and open playing field platform.  Our coaches work with CEOs and their leadership teams to ensure they achieve their goals through ensuring their business systems are thriving, confident and predictable.

Shannon Susko

I was a desperate CEO. 
Not because things were failing...because we weren't moving.

I was wearing three hats. Working 80% of my time IN the business instead of ON the business. No time for strategy. No time to coach my team. No time to think.

It took me time to realize that wasn't a discipline problem. It was a phase.

Every growth company moves through three phases. The symptoms are predictable. The fixes are specific. And most CEOs stay stuck in Phase 1 longer than they need to because nobody tells them what phase they're in.

I recorded what that felt like...and we built a 5-minute assessment that tells you exactly where you are and what to unlock first.

Link in comments to see what phase you are in.

2X Exited CEO · Founder, Metronomics™ · Helping CEOs Build Predictable 3-Year Growth · 4X Bestselling Author

Every CEO I meet has a vision. Almost none have a plan their team can actually execute against.

Here's what usually exists: a 10-year BHAG that inspires nobody because it's too far away. A 5-year plan that's really a guess. And an annual plan the team forgets by March. And nothing connects.

When I was running my first company, I had all of those things. I'd followed Collins, Lencioni, Harnish...all the best thinking. But our growth was stalled because none of it was wired together. Every quarter felt like it was getting further from the goal, not closer.

So I built something to close the gap. A 3-Year Highly Achievable Goal...close enough to touch, far enough to stretch. We called it the 3HAG.

It changed everything. Not because the goal was magic... but because it forced us to map the 12 quarters between here and there. It made the decisions visible. It gave the whole team a story they could tell without me in the room.

Make it exist first. Make it good later.

This image from Ash Lamb perfectly captures one of the most important principles in the 3HAG WAY: Gut It Out.

When I coach leadership teams through their first 3HAG (3 Year Highly Achievable Goal), there's one trap I see over and over again...the desire to make it perfect before it even exists.

Teams stall. They debate endlessly. They wait for "the right data" or "more clarity" before committing anything to paper.

But here's the truth: your first 3HAG is supposed to be gutted out.
Right, wrong, or ugly...just write it down.

At Paradata, my first company, we gutted out our 3HAG answers on sticky notes. Were we confident in those numbers and that position? Not yet. But we had something real to work with. Something we could debate, refine, and evolve...quarter over quarter.

That's the power of "good enough for now."

Your first gutted-out 3HAG is that single ellipse in the image. It doesn't look like much. But it's the beginning of everything. Each lap around the strategic execution system...mapping your market, identifying your core customer, defining your differentiating actions...adds another layer. Another ring. 

More clarity. More confidence.

By the time you've gone through several quarterly cycles, that simple ellipse has become something intricate, robust, and beautiful. Not because you planned perfection on day one, but because you started.

As Alan Cohen said: "Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect."

So if you and your team have been stuck trying to get your strategy "right"...stop.

Gut it out. Get it on paper. It's good enough for now.

Then evolve it. That's the 3HAG WAY.

Thanks Chris Young, M.S. for the share!

A-players aren’t luck. They’re a system. Do you have one?

Most companies say they want A-players.
Very few build the system to consistently hire, coach, keep and grow them.

Today in the Business Olympics, I break down the Human System — and why talent density is never accidental.

What would evolve if you showed up with discipline for 28 straight days?

Twenty-eight days.
One idea a day.
No edits. No slides. Just discipline.

Here’s what I learned:

Reps build confidence.
Clarity improves when you simplify.
Consistency compounds.

The Business Olympics don’t end.
They evolve.

Growth isn’t dramatic.
It’s disciplined.

What will you commit to next?

What do you do with the sting of losing?

Losing hurts.

It’s heavy.
It’s uncomfortable.
It stays with you.

You feel it in your gut — in sport and in business.

But here’s the real question:

What will you do with that feeling?

Will you bury it?
Blame it?
Rush past it?

Or will you use it — to tighten the system, raise the standard, and grow?

In today’s Business Olympics, I’m talking about how leaders turn the sting into structure — and why that choice changes everything.

I know what it’s like to carry everything on your shoulders—what if your business could run without you pushing every piece?

Carrying it all yourself only gets you so far. The real shift? Going from doing everything to designing the system that runs without you. Let’s talk about how that changes everything.

Can every person on your leadership team explain how you win — clearly and consistently?

Most companies don’t lack ambition.
They lack an integrated Strategic System.

Today in the Business Olympics, I break down why strategy must evolve, be owned by the team, and connect directly to execution — or it will stall.

How clear are you on your critical path to grow you business?

Foundation.
Momentum.
Compounding.

Each phase has a different constraint.
Solve the wrong one — and growth stalls.

In today’s Business Olympics, I walk through a simple 5-minute diagnostic to identify your growth phase and the critical path you must move next.

Growth doesn’t reward intensity.
It rewards alignment.

Who’s setting the pace on your team — runners or walkers?

A-players run out front.
B-players are behind.
C-players are walking.

Growth never outpaces the speed of your leadership team.

Today in the Business Olympics, I’m talking about talent density — and who’s really setting the pace in your company.

How I Misdiagnosed My Growth Phase — And What It Cost Me

I thought we had a revenue problem.
We didn’t.

We had a phase problem.

I pushed harder.
Hired faster.
Added complexity.

But we hadn’t stabilized Foundation.

Cash wasn’t predictable.
Execution wasn’t disciplined enough.
Strategy lived too much in my head.

Growth doesn’t stall because of effort.
It stalls because you’re solving the wrong problem for the phase of growth you are in. 

Today in the Business Olympics, I’m sharing what I got wrong — and how aligning to the Critical Path changed everything.

If every major decision depends on you, are you leading or controlling? 

If decisions stall without you…
If managers wait instead of decide…
If escalation is the default…

You don’t have a leadership team.
You have dependence.

Today in the Business Olympics, I break down the Coach Cascading System — and why leadership must scale before growth does.

Have you ever felt empty after achieving something huge?

You crush a goal — and suddenly it feels… empty.    That’s the Olympic hangover.

Today in the Business Olympics, I’m talking about why the moments after the win determine long-term growth — and how systems keep you moving forward when the adrenaline fades.

If your weekly leadership meeting disappeared, would growth stall?

Today in the Business Olympics, I’m breaking down the Execution System — and why strategy proves itself in the weekly rhythm.

If growth accelerated tomorrow, would your cash system hold?

The Cash System isn’t owned by Finance.
It’s owned by the Leadership Team’s behavior.

Today in the Business Olympics, I break down the Cash System — and why predicting cash is what makes growth possible.

When a client becomes a coach, you know the system works.

Catherine Dahl, FCPA, FCMA took Beanworks from under $1M ARR to a $115M exit — three years of 100% growth, year over year.

She didn't have a roadmap. She had never scaled a company before. But she committed to the system, and her team committed with her.

Now she coaches other CEOs through the same journey.

This is exactly why I built Metronomics.

She had no idea how to scale a company. Watch what happened next. ↓

Catherine Dahl, FCPA, FCMA, Founder & CEO of Beanworks, had managed people — but she'd never built a company from the ground up and taken it to exit.

Then she found Metronomics.

In one year, they went from struggling to hit $1M ARR — to crossing $2M, then nearly $3M.

Three years in a row of 100% growth, year over year.

Final outcome? A $115M exit — acquired by Quadient. At 15× multiple.

She's quick to point out: it wasn't the people that made the difference. It was the system that found, hired, and kept those people.

"You can say we're successful because we had these people. But we didn't have those people until we got a system for hiring and retaining them. And that's all part of Metronomics."

Today, Catherine is a Certified Metronomics Coach — helping other founders find the same path she did.

If your company can't grow without you, this is what the other side looks like.

→ Find your growth phase at metronomics.com
#Metronomics #CEOGrowth #ScaleUp #3HAG #CompanyExit #Leadership

I've built and sold multiple companies...and I still remember the dark nights.

When John and Glen asked if I'd experienced the CEO Doom Loop myself, I didn't hesitate:

"I don't know any CEO that wouldn't say that."

The questions I wrestled with early on weren't strategic. They were existential:

— Did I actually want to do this?
— How do I get there?
— Who's going to help me?
— Are we actually moving forward, or just spinning?

What got me through?

Not a framework. A coach....someone who could see where I was when I couldn't see it myself.

Now I'm a coach. And I give back the same thing that saved me.

Here's my question for you:

Who in your life can see what you can't right now?

Drop a name, or just share your thoughts. I'd love to hear who's keeping you from falling.

View company: Apex North Business Coaching

Shannon Byrne Susko, has built and sold multiple companies, and she still remembers the dark nights.

When John and Glen asked if she’d experienced the CEO Doom Loop herself, she didn’t hesitate:
"I don't know any CEO that wouldn't say that."

The questions she wrestled with early on weren’t strategic. They were existential:

- Did I actually want to do this?
- How do I get there?
- Who’s going to help me?
- Are we actually moving forward, or just spinning?

What got her through? Not a framework. A coach, someone who could see where she was when she couldn’t.

Now she’s a coach herself, giving back the support she once needed.

Here’s a question for you:
Who in your life can see what you can’t right now?

Drop a name, or just share your thoughts, we’d love to hear who’s keeping you from falling.

#EscapeTheCEODoomLoop #CEOCoaching #Scaling

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Jean Moncrieff

Shannon Susko

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The Battle

Jean Moncrieff

Shannon Susko

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jean Moncrieff's LinkedIn Performance

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