Author of People: Dare to Build an Intentional Culture & Data: Harness Your Numbers to Go From Uncertain to Unstoppable | Visionary and CEO at EOS Worldwide

Today I'm Visionary at EOS Worldwide. But full transparency: 

I've failed more than I've succeeded.

After starting my entrepreneurial journey at 29, I built and sold 9 companies for 7 figures, made the Inc. 5000 thirteen times, and earned Inc's Honor Roll. 

I also started businesses that completely tanked (landscaping, furniture, boot camps, HVAC, and yes, a 660-acre ranch in Wyoming).

The failures taught me more than the wins.

In one of my "successful" companies, we hit pure chaos:

- Nobody agreed where we were going
- Everyone stepped on everyone else
- We fought fires daily instead of building
- We'd set goals then ignore them
- We hit a ceiling and stayed stuck

I knew there had to be a better way to run a business.

That search led me here: 

Helping leadership teams implement EOS to get control of their business and their lives.

We strengthen 6 key components: 

Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction. 

Most companies run at 20-40% strength. 

We get them to 80%+ so entrepreneurs can have what they really want: freedom of time, money, relationships, and purpose.

Ready to get what you want from your business? Start here: https://bit.ly/47a5Nfj

Built a business and want to help others? Consider becoming an EOS Implementer: https://bit.ly/49kWB99

Mark O'Donnell

Great teams solve 5-10 issues per meeting.

Weak ones waste two hours and solve one.

So many teams will sit in the same room week after week,
Discuss the same issues,
But end up resolving nothing.

That's because talking about problems isn't the same as solving them.

In Traction, we discuss the 10 Commandments of Solving Issues.

Functional filters that healthy teams use to make decisions and move forward:

1️⃣ Thou Shalt Not Rule by Consensus
↳ Trying to please everyone makes progress hard.
↳ Make space for discussion, but appoint an owner to decide.

2️⃣ Thou Shalt Not Be a Weenie
↳ Avoiding tough decisions creates confusion.
↳ Say what needs to be said. It's better to be clear than liked.

3️⃣ Thou Shalt Be Decisive
↳ Indecision is a decision. And usually a bad one.
↳ Use what you know now. Make the best call you can, and adjust if needed.

4️⃣ Thou Shalt Not Rely on Secondhand Information
↳ Hearing something third-hand leads to bad choices.
↳ Go to the source. Always check facts before solving the wrong problem.

5️⃣ Thou Shalt Fight for the Greater Good
↳ Solve for what's best for the company, not egos.
↳ When in doubt, ask: what helps the business most right now?

6️⃣ Thou Shalt Not Try to Solve Them All
↳ Not every issue needs fixing now.
↳ Pick your top priorities. Work through the real ones, let the rest wait.

7️⃣ Thou Shalt Live with It, End It, or Change It
↳ You have 3 choices. Staying stuck isn't one of them.
↳ Accept it, fix it, or move on. Stalling helps no one.

8️⃣ Thou Shalt Choose Short-Term Pain and Suffering
↳ Avoiding discomfort only makes it worse.
↳ Have the hard talk. Deal with it now to avoid bigger pain later.

9️⃣ Thou Shalt Enter the Danger
↳ The real issue is usually the one no one wants to say.
↳ Name the elephant in the room. Be brave enough to say what others won't.

🔟 Thou Shalt Take a Shot
↳ No one knows everything. That's not the point.
↳ Trust your gut. Use what you know. Action beats perfection every time.

If your team is stuck rehashing the same issues,
It's not because the issues are too complex.

You're likely just not following a clear process to solve them.

These 10 Commandments are just one piece of the Issues Component in EOS.
The full breakdown is in Traction.

📌 Grab a copy here https://bit.ly/490hqqy

Do you need to revisit any one of these with your team?

♻️ Share this if you know a leader frustrated by unproductive meetings.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on systems-based leadership.

Simple systems for stronger businesses and freer lives | Visionary and CEO at EOS Worldwide | Author of People: Dare to Build an Intentional Culture & Data​: Harness Your Numbers to Go From Uncertain to Unstoppable

 10 Commandments of Solving Issues

I believed every single one of these when I started.

Until EOS showed me what really works:

"Why does success feel this hard?" 

That's the question I kept asking myself early in my entrepreneurial journey.

We were winning by every outside measure, but I was exhausted.
My team was confused. And every new level of growth brought more chaos.

Turns out, I'd been believing 9 myths that made everything harder than it should be.

Discovering EOS completely reframed my understanding of a healthy business:

❌ "More hours = more success"
✅ More structure = more success 

Systems multiply your impact, and free you from the work you think only you can do.

❌ "Vision will take care of itself"
✅ Vision only works when it’s shared

Vision has to be documented and shared constantly so everyone is working towards the same goal.

❌ "I have to do everything myself"
✅ Right people, right seats = freedom

When people own outcomes instead of tasks, they solve problems you'll never even see.

❌ “Meetings are a waste of time”
✅ Effective meetings create alignment

90 minutes a week in a Level 10 Meeting builds more alignment than 10 hours of status updates.

❌ “We can grow through chaos”
✅ You can’t scale what isn’t organized

Predictable systems give you the confidence to grow without breaking everything you built.

❌ “Accountability means micromanagement”
✅ Accountability creates ownership

Scorecards turn guesswork into data. When people measure their own numbers, they manage their own performance.

❌ “Hiring fast solves problems”
✅ Hiring right solves problems

The People Analyzer keeps you honest about fit. Slow down the hire, speed up the results.

❌ “Every issue needs my input”
✅ Leaders solve root causes, not every symptom

Stop being the bottleneck. IDS trains your team to solve issues without waiting for you.

❌ “Traction happens by chance”
✅ Traction happens by design

Rocks turn 90 days into progress you can measure. Traction is the outcome of doing the right things consistently.

Structure doesn't slow you down.
In fact, it's the only thing that lets you speed up.

If you're stuck believing any of these, EOS can help. 

See if it's right for you: https://bit.ly/3X7GIeV

♻️ Share to help bust these common myths.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on EOS & systems-based leadership.

9 Myths Entrepreneurs Believe

If it feels like your business is fighting back, it’s not just you.

The problem is one of five predictable frustrations:

If you're an entrepreneur, you've probably hit all five at some point.

I know I did.

After starting nine companies, selling a few, and watching a couple tank,
I started seeing a pattern.

Now, after two decades of helping leadership teams run EOS,
The frustrations come up everywhere.

But these aren't random. They point to something specific.

Something you can fix:

1. Lack of Control
↳ Your business is running you.
↳ You're buried in decisions and can't find time to think.

✅ EOS Fix: Get your vision onto paper. Build structure and be driven by purpose.

2. People Problems
↳ Your team isn't listening or following through.
↳ Deadlines are slipping and there's no ownership.

✅ EOS Fix: Create and assign clear roles. When everyone knows what they're responsible for and they share your core values, things start to click.

3. Not Enough Profit
↳ You're working hard, but the margin isn't there.
↳ Growth costs more than it gives back. Revenue doesn't equal reality.

✅ EOS Fix: Focus on the vital few. Track the right numbers. Simplify your business so you can actually grow it.

4. Hitting the Ceiling
↳ You're always busy, but not growing.
↳ Every new idea dies in execution.

✅ EOS Fix: Delegate. Build systems. Think in 90-day priorities that compound over time.

5. Nothing's Working
↳ You've tried books, consultants, programs... but nothing sticks.
↳ You've lost belief that change is even possible.

✅ EOS Fix: Stop chasing quick fixes. Start running an operating system that aligns your people, process and purpose.

Every entrepreneur comes across these five frustrations eventually.

The question isn't whether you'll face them.

It's whether you'll stay stuck or systemize your way through.

Ready to get what you want from your business?

Let's figure out where you are and where you're going:
https://bit.ly/3X7GIeV

What's one frustration you're in right now?

♻️ Share this to help another entrepreneur out of these problems.
Follow me Mark O'Donnell for more on building systems-based businesses.

Step by Step Exit

Step by Step Exit is the leading "Exit Readiness" planning firm exclusively for businesses running on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®). We integrate a proprietary process, model, and tools with EOS® to maximize value and Exit Readiness for EOS business owners. Our mission is to guide entrepreneurs/owners to be always "Exit-Ready" no matter if they are looking to sell in 10 years or next month!

Visionary

EOS Worldwide

A Professional EOS Implementer® is someone who helps entrepreneurial leaders:

-Achieve companywide alignment on their vision.
-Gain real traction against that vision.
-Create healthy teams and culture through masterful EOS implementation. 

EOS Implementers use the proven, simple, and practical tools of EOS to help leaders strengthen all Six Key Components™ of their business.

Implementers are experts at:

-TEACHING every tool in the EOS Toolbox™
-FACILITATING clarity, alignment, and resolution
-COACHING EOS® purity and accountability, and helping the leadership team become its best

EOS Implementer

Chief Technology Officer

BatteriesIncluded.com

President / Entrepreneur

M&A and Wealth Transfer Conference

M&A is and has been a viable option for growth and transition. In the past several years the world has been experiencing the largest transition of wealth it has ever seen. Ten trillion dollars will transfer over the next decade.

M&A and Wealth Transfer Conference is about the JOURNEY. If you have considered M&A as a growth strategy or as a possible exit then where do you begin? Who can you speak with?

We have brought together world class experts in the Entrepreneurial world to create the M&A movie which depicts what you don't want to happen, and the book Finish Strong which outlines the members of a team you may want to have. We spoke with thousands of business owners, CPA's and M&A advisors to aggregate this information.

We bundled this information together with Strategy, Organization and Preparedness and now are presenting this to you for your journey.

Managing Director

Loftopia

Niche Retail, LLC

Various Companies

➤ Partner – American Brick Company – 06/2010 to 08/2013
➤ Board Member – Jewish Federation of Metropolitan/Tamarack Camps Niche Retail, LLC, Sylvan Lake, MI – 06/2010 to 02/2014
➤ Entrepreneur – 3D New Media, Birmingham, MI – 01/1998 to 01/2001
➤ Entrepreneur – Virtual Courtroom, Inc – Birmingham, MI – 01/1997 to 01/1998

Additional Work History

↳ Leadership Team Builder 🚀 EOS Implementer 🔥 Growth Hacker 🧡 Remote/Hybrid Teams 🧡 Digital EOS Tools & Implementation. xCTO of EOS. 25+ years of EOS exp. as an Entrepreneur & Implementer; read my story in TRACTION!

EOS has been central to my entrepreneurial journey, from working with Gino in the late '90s (even transcribing his Traction notes) to implementing EOS at Niche Retail (featured in Traction) and leading the EOS technology team, including training 1000+ Implementers and launching EOS One.  After selling my company to EOS in 2020, I've returned to my roots as an EOS Implementer and startup visionary.

I thrive on helping growing entrepreneurs, bringing a tech-forward, digital-first approach to EOS implementation (using virtual whiteboards like Miro). I work seamlessly with in-person, hybrid, and virtual teams via Zoom.  Modern tech allows me to create client-specific microsites (e.g., https://issuesolving.com/90) and even AI-powered "deep dive" podcasts of homework (e.g., the Hedgehog Concept: https://resetyourthinking.com/hhc).

With 20 years of EOS Implementer experience (both for my own companies and at EOS Worldwide), I've learned from the best, including Gino, Mike Paton, and CJ Dube. My implementation style is rooted in EOS purity, open honesty, and a focus on data-driven decisions for maximum profitability and the greater good.

Recognizing the coming "silver tsunami" of business transitions, I founded Step By Step Exit (stepbystepexit.com) to help EOS-run organizations prepare for and execute successful exits or M&As.  EOS creates well-run companies, but entrepreneurs need guidance to maximize value during transitions.  We use EOS execution concepts to combat predatory buyers and ensure optimal outcomes.

Tyler Smith

Your company can’t scale—or sell—if it still revolves around you. Succession is not about replacing the founder; it’s about future-proofing the mission. When your leadership team can run the business without you, you gain freedom and value. That’s what exit readiness looks like.

https://lnkd.in/gkVJPuVV

EOS Implementer, Author of Exit Ready for EOS & Visionary of StepByStepExit.com. 30+ years of EOS experience as an Entrepreneur, Implementer & CTO/CMO of EOS; read my story in TRACTION!

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