Sara Simmonds

CEO Impact Innovator | Helping Purpose Driven Entrepreneurs Scale to $1 Million, $50 Million and Beyond | Follow Me For Systems On Sustainable Growth 🌎

With 100K+ followers, 14 years controlling $ Billion buying budgets generating $200M+ for corporates

Plus $10M+ growth for purpose led founder results and $50M+ in positioned expansion - I built the organic growth system for entrepreneurs I wished existed when I needed it most.

My $150K Lesson:

2007: Co-founded Sharkah Chakra, world's first award-winning impact jeans brand. Featured in Vogue, GQ. Winner/ 30 team members.

The insight: As a $Billion Dollar buyer, I saw what made offers succeed at scale. When I built my own brand, I realized most entrepreneurs don't think like buyers - they think like sellers.

The breakthrough: I stopped asking "What expert should I hire?" and started asking "What would make ME approve this budget?"

The answer: ONE Category of One business - fully integrated, perfectly aligned, impossible to ignore.

That shift changed everything

Impact Innovator OS - The Integrated Growth System

I built ONE system that integrates everything a Purpose Led Entrepreneur needs to scale:

Strategy - Your custom path to scale
Offer - Your Category of One Offer
Sales - Your revenue engine
Mindset - Your breakthrough leadership

Everything in-house. Everything you own. Forever.

My System Results:

£0 to £300K in 12 months without agencies
100K+ organic following through owned systems
Multiple 6-figure months, 40-hour weeks
Zero debt, 100% profitable

Founding Member Results Using This System:

Eugenie & Luis: $1M+ additional revenue
Ami: 0- $300K launch
Carol: $200K Sell out launches and scaling to $30MN
Rachel: $500K funding round achieved 
Jo: $2MN -$4MN Sales Increase 
Marie & Jason: Eliminated $144K agency costs
Alexandra: Closed $75K funding deal 
Paula: Scaled and exited in 12 months
Elizabeth: Ideal to Launch and 18 International Awards, plus Amazon Prime Distribution
Simon: High Ticket Offer launched in 90 days and Best Selling Author of his niche


Founding Member Access (Limited):

▸ Foundation: $15K - Build Your Category of One (12 months)
▸ Scale: $30K - Scale Your Growth System (12 months)
▸ Empire: $60K - Full Integration & Implementation (12 months)

(All programs replace $150K+ in agency costs with ONE in-house system you own forever)
(Limited spots)

For purpose-led entrepreneurs ready to scale to $1M, $50M and beyond as a Category Of One:

▸ Next Masterclass: "5 Systems to Build Your Category of One Business"
▸ Newsletter: Weekly buyer intelligence insights
▸ Strategy Session: 45-min Category of One assessment

→ DM 'SYSTEM' for founding member details
→ DM 'MASTERCLASS' for registration link
→ DM 'NEWS' for newsletter

Business Mentor

My client just sold out a $280K launch in 24 hours (Yes for real)

She achieved this: Using my Buyer Intelligence Systems.

Not fancy ads. Not a huge following. Just billion-dollar buyer psychology applied to her offer.

Here's what she had before we worked together:

Innovative product
Pioneer credentials
Mission-driven vision

Here's what was missing:

Clarity on which offer buyers actually want
How to connect credentials to influence
A system that converts at scale

We fixed all three in 90 days.

The formula? It's the same system I used when I controlled $100M+ in retail buying decisions.

I know what makes buyers say yes at scale. 

Because I WAS the buyer saying yes at scale.

If you're brilliant, purpose-driven, and stuck figuring out what buyers want—this is for you.

I'm sharing the exact formula in my masterclass: 

5 Virtual Unknown Buyer Secrets Monday, November 17th | 12pm CT

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

This is 10+ years of billion-dollar buyer intelligence in 90 minutes.

Because the world needs what you're building.

Love Sara

Founder Impact Innovator OS | The #1 Integrated Growth System for Purpose Led Entrepreneurs to Scale to $1M, $50M and Beyond as a Category Of One Business

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How I learnt the secret of success: Is celebrating each step you make

I used to never celebrate the journey

Until I realised success is one step at a time

Yesterday I was hiking in preparation for Patagonia, and something hit me hard.

I realized the exact moment I learned what real resilience actually means.

It wasn't when I was strong. It wasn't when everything was working.

It was when all I could do was take one more step.

Not the next ten. Not the summit. Just one.

One foot in front of the other. My process. My pace. Nobody else's.

That's when I learned: resilience isn't about being strong enough to see the whole mountain.

It's about being brave enough to just take the next step when that's all you can see.

My business didn't grow because I had it all figured out. It grew because on the days I couldn't see the path, I trusted my process anyway. 

One client. One call. One small decision at a time.

Your breakthrough won't come from having the whole map. It won't come from being where someone else is.

It comes from taking your next step. Even when - especially when - that's all you can manage.

The summit takes care of itself when you honor the step in front of you.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything on your plate.

But here’s the truth: 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫.

We live in a world obsessed with 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.

Do more.

Be more.

Try more.

Buy more.

But 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 doesn’t make you happy.

It doesn’t bring wealth.

It doesn’t bring peace.

It brings 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

And it distracts you from your soul’s real opportunity to make an impact that only 𝘺𝘰𝘶 can make.

Because right now, this moment,

is your moment.

Don’t waste it chasing what doesn’t matter.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭

I’ll never forget the moment I realised this.

I was about to close a $10 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 

buying the collection of a world-famous luxury brand.

Sitting in a beautiful townhouse in Mayfair, London,

pen in hand, ready to sign.

And suddenly, it hit me:

this isn’t 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 luxury.

This is just stuff.

True luxury, real success 

comes from 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 that changes everything:

The one thing you do.

The one thing you buy.

The one thing you offer.

The one thing you say.

The one mountain you choose to climb.

That 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 transforms your life

and the lives of those around you.

As the buyer responsible for that $10 million budget,

I realised I was only buying the 1% of what I was shown.

The rest? Waste.

That was the day I walked away from meaningless luxury

and began my journey toward meaningful impact.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞

As a founder, learning to apply the 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦

can transform your life faster in 12 months than in 12 years.

Because people don’t want 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 you do

they want the 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 you do brilliantly.


With that one thing, you can:

Transform your wealth.

Transform your business.

Transform your impact.

Transform your life.

𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

One of the entrepreneurs I mentor told me recently:

“I spent 10 years doing more — until I discovered my one thing.”

By unlocking that one, unique part of their offer,

their business grew by $1 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 12 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬.

That’s the power of focus.

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧

Today, give yourself permission to rebalance.

To do less and achieve more.

To focus on the one thing you do exceptionally well

and let go of the rest.

If you’re ready to discover your “one thing” —

join me 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 17𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 👉 https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

I’ll be sharing 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 to unlocking your 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳

so you can scale as the 𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘰𝘧-𝘰𝘯𝘦 leader you’re meant to be.

Meaningful freedom awaits.

You’ve got this.

𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚

DO THE ONE THING THAT MOVES YOUR LIFE FORWARD

Commit to what you hate, not just what you love

I used to hate content.

Not because I couldn't do it. Because it felt like a waste of time.

My ego told me: "You're a buyer. A business woman. Not a content creator."

I was ready to throw it in. Get AI to do it. Outsource it to an assistant.

And then I said my mantra:

NO.

Show up for yourself first.

Learn for yourself first.

Build ALL the parts of your system for yourself first.

Because I know that not doing that is the fastest way to failure.

And also because I AM my product.

I don't just say things to my clients. I do what I say, not just say what I do.

So I committed. 30 days straight. Even though I resisted every single day.

The moment I got it done - even though it wasn't brilliant - everything shifted.

New scale-up ideas flowed.

Opportunities opened up.

Everything clicked.

But most importantly?

I realized I had let go of imposter syndrome.

Because doing that "dirty work" - the thing I resisted, the thing my ego said was beneath me

 - THROUGH THE PROCESS, I HAD BECOME.

Not by outsourcing it.

Not by AI-ing it.

Not by avoiding it.

By DOING it.

Here's what I know now:

The thing you're resisting in your work? That's not a block. 
That's your breakthrough.

The thing your ego says you're "too good for"? 
That's where you become who you need to be to scale.

The work you want to delegate before you've mastered it yourself? 
That's the exact work that will transform you.

Commitment isn't just about showing up for what you love.

It's about showing up for what you hate - because that's where you become.

I became the founder who could scale by doing the content I resisted.

What are YOU resisting that's actually your breakthrough?

Together we will transform our world.

Commit to what you hate as well as what you love 

Packing for Patagonia made me cry this morning.

Not because I'm sentimental.

Because my suitcase just showed me the living visual proof of the impact I make

And we make here at Impact Innovator OS

I'm taking 6 of our founders with me - not literally, but packing their genius in my case

Six founders. Six category-of-one brands. All are coming with me to the edge of the world.

I have in my suitcase: products, books, and coaching from the innovators I mentor.

Let's have a look at the IMPACT inside out:  

Carol Chyau - Carol's Category Of One Premium Yak Jumpers - to keep warm and stylish hiking

A year ago, Carol was "just" making sustainable jumpers. Now her yak wool is having $200K sell out launches, and is worn by the worlds to influencers 

Kristi Mayfield,- Kristi's Wine as a social power skill coaching wheel - to taste the best of Argentina

Kristi was "a brilliant wine educator" when we met, and now, 60 days later has launched

The number 1 network for wine as a social power skill in the US..

Vanessa Marshall - Vanessa's B CORP Impact shampoo in a bar - so I can travel light 

Vanessa had a brilliant impact beauty brand Jack59, figuring out how to scale to the next level. 90 days later, we have her game plan in place to double sales next year!

Simon Luthi - Simon's Personal Transformation book of the year - Rocket Shaman

Simon, when we met, was pioneering a brand new method of energy based executive coaching, together we simplified his innovation, now he is scaling 5 figure deals, and selling his services to the world's top 1%.

Jeannie Barsam - Jeannie's Not for Profit Gifing Brands - Collections from brands all sales go to charity

Jeannie had been running a not for profit for a few years, figuring out the best way to scale her genius. Together in 90 days, we have helped Jeannie scale to attract billion dollar partnerships, and have a roadmap in place to scale donations by millions    

Alexandra Merlino - Alexandra B Wild Play Longer  Outside Impact Sunscreen 

Alex is a passionate diver, hiker, and skin cancer survivor, we bonded over love of the outdoors and the lack of brilliant sunscreen - high quality and high impact. Together through Impact OS Alexandra has already raised £340K in funding and is set for an awesome launch next year in 2026!   

I am so proud to be taking each founder's genius with me, and proud to be part of their brilliant scaling impact. 

This is the transformation I help purpose led founders create:

Our members become friends together with each other and with me.

Because we all believe

Together we will transform our world

Love Sara

Ready to join us? DM Tribe to find out more

Out of office. Zero Slack. Zero client calls. Zero "quick questions."

My business is scaling without me.

Today is my first official day hiking in Patagonia, and this post is going out without me touching a thing.

Here's what's happening while I'm off-grid:

My team of 5 is running Impact Innovator OS.

My masterclass funnel is converting at 40%.

My clients are getting transformed through our frameworks.

My content is going out on schedule.

All without me touching a single thing.

This isn't a flex. This is what systems are actually FOR.

Most founders build systems to do MORE work.

I built systems so I could completely CHECK OUT.

Here's the billion-dollar buyer intelligence  Category-of-one founders know:

Your business isn't scalable if it can't run without you for a week.

Not "kind of run."

Not "survive."

Actually SCALE.

So here's my challenge for you:

Could your business scale for a week without you?

If not, you don't have a business. You have a job with extra steps.

The frameworks that make this possible:

✓ Masterclass funnel that converts without you on the call
✓ Team that owns outcomes, not just tasks
✓ Content systems scheduled weeks in advance
✓ Client delivery that doesn't depend on YOUR calendar

This is what 7-figure operations actually look like.

Not busier. FREER.

Enjoy this post. It went out while I was watching the sunrise over the Andes. 

If your business can't run without you, it will never scale beyond you 

DM Masterclass to find out how it's done

Why Amazon rejected me (and why I'm so glad they did)

Years ago, I interviewed at Amazon.

Final round.

They loved my buyer intelligence - the deep intuition to know WHAT in a brand or founder makes them sell and scale.

But in the end, they said no.

Why?

They wanted someone "data-driven."

I was "intuition-driven."

I even told them in the interview: "You need more high-impact offers with strong visual appeal - not just more stuff for stuff's sake."

They wanted rules. Systems. Data models that could be replicated.

I wanted to trust the intuition I'd been building since I was 5 years old - helping my Dad choose his sell-out brands.

That intuition isn't pointing a finger in the wind and praying.

It's buyer pattern recognition built over decades. It's billion-dollar buyer intelligence that sees what data misses.

Here is what I see data misses:

The cultural shifts before they show up in numbers
The founder energy that creates movements
The purpose that makes brands irreplaceable
Quality over quantity - high-impact over endless SKUs

Amazon chose data over intuition.

I walked away grateful.
Two weeks ago proved I was right.

Amazon laid off 14,000 people.
Most of them were brilliant at their jobs. That's not why they got cut.

Here's what actually happened:

They got cut because of commoditization.
The exact thing I warned them about in that interview.
When you optimize for "more stuff for stuff's sake," everything becomes replaceable. Including the people making it.

When your business model is built on endless commoditized products, AI can do that. Systems can do that. You don't need human intuition or judgment.

But when you build high-impact, Category-of-One offers with purpose?

You become irreplaceable.

The Old Way: Corporate Reality

Even "good" employees are getting cut
AI + "bureaucracy reduction" = you're expendable

Commoditization = anyone can do your job

The New Way: Purpose-Driven Reality

YOUR mission can't be replaced by AI
YOUR vision IS the business
You're building something that MATTERS, not just margins

Category-of-One = only YOU can do this

The Difference:

Amazon: 14,000 people woke up expendable
Purpose-driven founders: Wake up ESSENTIAL to their mission
Corporate: Optimize for quarterly profits
Purpose: Optimize for impact + sustainability
Commoditized business: Replaceable
Category-of-One business: Irreplaceable

This is why I chose to build my own purpose-driven business instead.

Because I knew I'd always be expendable there.

Those 14,000 Amazon employees? Talented. Skilled. Committed.

But they were building someone else's commoditized dream.

I chose to build my own Category-of-One mission.

And now I help purpose-driven founders do the same: become so essential to their market that they can never be replaced.

Not just another business. A mission only YOU can lead.

Ready to become irreplaceable? Join my masterclass Monday, November 17th, 12pm CT: 

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Trust Your Intuition 

People often ask me my secret to helping founders sell out (here it is in 60 seconds)

People decide whether to buy you (or not) before they meet you.

My job for over a decade was to hunt out cool founders and brands and give them 6, 7, and 8 figure orders in the process.

Thousands of founders would bang on my door, and I would ignore them.

The one secret that made me buy - those who had a community of raving fans.

When you build that community, people hunt the world for you.

That's why I hunted out the coolest founders from the basements of Berlin (and your clients will too).

Those Berlin basement founders weren't trying to be seen everywhere. 

They had cult status among the buyers who mattered. 

That's what made them irresistible - and expensive.

This is exactly what I teach my clients to build. Not mass visibility. Cult status with your Dream 100.

The Dream 100 Formula:

Element 1: Category-of-One Thought Leadership

Become THE voice your Dream 100 follows (not one of many)

Element 2: Movement Building

Create strategic content and events - they feel part of something bigger

Element 3: Strategic Partnership Network

Credible leaders amplify your reach 24/7 - network effects compound your authority

Element 4: Founder-Led Sales System

Everything connects: your leadership → your movement → your partnerships → 24/7 inbound sales

When these 4 elements integrate, you stop chasing. You build a movement that sells 24/7.

Real status isn't about being seen by everyone. It's about being found by the right people.

Your Dream 100 is hunting for you right now.

Sign up to my newsletter to discover how to make sure they find you.

https://lnkd.in/dsVQABvv

Build Your Raving Fans In 60 Seconds

My client https://lnkd.in/d4TNyHCu Simon Lüthi just hit Best Personal Transformation Book of 2025.

We met on Zoom. Him in Seattle. Me in London.

And within the first 15 minutes, I felt it.

That energy that says: this founder is going to change the world.

Simon had created something pioneering - Transmutation Design™. Bringing energy work to corporations. Teaching leaders how to lead without burning out.

He'd lived the journey. Corporate executive → cancer → self-healing → building an entirely new methodology.

But here's what he told me on that call:

"I can't get people to understand what I do. I know it works. I've transformed my own life and my clients' lives. But I can't simplify it."

30 days later, we had it.

His Category-of-One. Crystal clear.

Not through a course. Not through an accelerator.

Through personal 1-1 work with me and the Impact Innovator OS peer group community

Where I could see him, feel his energy, and pull the thread that made everything click.

The breakthrough in 30 days:

Transmutation Design™ - defined and scalable
How to develop Intuitive Intelligence for executive decision-making
The framework Top 1% leaders trust
The positioning that opened global doors

The results in 60 days:

Best Personal Transformation Book of 2025
#1 New Release
High-ticket deals flowing
Top global partners reaching out

This is why I only invite 2 new founders to join Impact Innovator per month.

Because this level of breakthrough clarity doesn't come from templates or group coaching

It comes from personal 1-1 work where I can see YOUR specific genius and help you make it scalable.

Simon is now transforming how corporations lead.

And it started with one Zoom call where I saw what was possible.

Want to see what transformation looks like?

Read Simon's book "Becoming the Rocket Shaman": https://a.co/d/hGUzIGK

Then join my masterclass to build YOUR Category-of-One: Monday November 17th, 12pm CT: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Together we will transform our world.

A friend calls me 'Stara' - Sara + star. I light up every room I enter. 

Not because I'm performing, but because I stopped proving.

Here is how I started to operate from self love rather than self loathing, proving or trying

I used to think magnetism came from doing more, being more,  or trying more

I thought if I just worked harder or closed that next deal

I would feel worthy, but it never happened

The more I tried to feel worthy by achieving, the less I achieved    

Then I realised: buyers don't choose you

UNTIL YOU CHOOSE YOURSELF

When I began to choose myself

Buyers choose me  because they FELT I was honouring my own light

Here are my 7 light warrior mastery tips for you

Implement them (and thank yourself later) 
 
1. Make decisions from your throne, not the gallery. You're not trying to earn the seat - you're already in it.

2. Stop treating your spiritual practice like a side hobby. 

My 1-2 hours of Buddhist chanting daily isn't "woo woo" 

It's the foundation that enables me to shine my light on the world.

3. Build relationships that nurture you, and do not extract from you.

Real radiance attracts =  real relationships. 

My top 1% network exists because we elevate each other, not use each other.

4. Understand that elevating your  consciousness and results aren't separate. 

Make time to do more elevating and receive more results = Simple Math

5. Stop asking "Am I enough?" and start asking "Is this a match for my frequency?" 

Not everyone gets access to your light; protect it.

6. Become known as number one in your purpose. Not by shouting louder, but by integrating your own light deeper.

7. Realise: the work you do on yourself IS the work that scales your business. 

They're not two paths. They're one becoming.

The moment I stopped proving my worth and started operating from it? 

My Results upgraded. My team upgraded. My entire reality shifted.

Not because I learned a new strategy. Because I let go and allowed my light to shine

This weekend, allow yourself permission to let go and allow your light to shine.

And ask yourself 

What would change if you stopped proving and started being? 

For more insights, sign up for my Impact Innovator newsletter here:

https://lnkd.in/dsVQABvv

Together, we will transform our world

Love Sara

My 7 Light Warrior Tips To Scale

Agencies charged me $150K to guess what buyers wanted. Plot twist: I knew

As a Buyer, I'd spent 10 years approving billion-dollar budgets. 

As a Founder, I thought other "done for you" experts knew better, until 

I realised my own missing link: Buyers want clarity of why you are 

The must have for their world:

Here's the insanity:

For 10+ years, I sat on the other side of the table making million-dollar buying decisions across 4 continents. I approved less than 1% of what I was shown.

Then I became a founder.

And suddenly I was paying "experts" to theorize about buyer psychology while I literally HAD the buyer psychology.

The wake-up call came when I lost $150K to agencies that were guessing.

They'd present strategies like: "We think buyers want authenticity..."

I'd think: "I rejected 99% of pitches. I know EXACTLY what made me say yes."

The 4 triggers that made me approve budgets instantly:

Clear Unique Power - I could explain why you in 10 seconds

Category-of-One positioning - You weren't "better," you were different

High-impact value - The transformation was obvious

Owned systems - You could deliver your brand clearly across all channels

When these aligned, price became irrelevant.

Here's what changed everything:

I stopped asking "What agency should I hire?"

Started asking, "What would make ME approve this if I were still the buyer?"

Built my own complete growth system using billion-dollar buyer intelligence.

The results in 12 months:

→ $0 to $300K revenue (zero agencies)

→ 80K+ organic following (owned systems)

→ 40-hour work weeks (no agency dependency)

→ Investment: <$50K (vs. $150K+ annual agency costs)

While other coaches teach what worked for THEM:

I teach the universal decision criteria that made me approve $100M+ across hundreds of industries.

The real truth: There's a 3-year window where conscious consumers are actively seeking Category-of-One leaders.

Every month you wait, someone else claims that position using owned systems while you're stuck in agency dependency.

Ready to stop paying people to guess what buyers want?

→ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dsVQABvv

→ Join my free masterclass: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

→ Apply for a strategy session: https://lnkd.in/dtiNbpJZ

Stop renting growth. Start owning it.

Your Purpose Is Your Compass To Success When The World Feels Like It's Spinning Out Of Control (Like Now)

Read the news, and you'd never get out of bed.

(That's why I stopped reading it years ago.)

With the right formula to share your purpose with the world, you thrive and scale 24/7, no matter what is going on

Even if the zombies come! :)

Here is my advise: Proven over 20 years choosing which brands people buy and don't buy

If you want to scale, go INWARD to the heart of your unique innovation - and simplify it, that is what your dream buyers want.

Stop listening to the jungle drums of uncertainty and fear from the media, from well meaning friends, from family.

Start listening to really hard facts on purpose-driven data.

Here's what the data shows:

Purpose-driven businesses: 31% hit double-digit growth

Everyone else: 21% PWC

And this was WHILE the market dropped from 43% to 25% overall, PWC

Translation: When things get harder, the purpose gap gets WIDER.

Why purpose wins in chaos:

IBM's purpose: "Make a connected world smarter" 

Result: This mission became the focus of 25% of their research in year one - salesforce

Their Smarter Cities mission innovation delivered:

Stockholm: 22% traffic reduction + $92M revenue gain Salesforce
Malta: 15% water savings, 25% energy reduction salesforce
100+ cities transformed
Here's what billion-dollar buyer intelligence taught me:

When you can't see the path forward, purpose becomes your decision filter.

Most founders spin-chasing every lead, every trend, every "strategy."

Category-of-one founders ask ONE question: "Does this align with my unique purpose?"

That keeps you moving forward while everyone else panics.

Your unique purpose is your secret sauce to 7 and 8 figures.

Not your framework.

Not your funnel.

Your PURPOSE is what buyers actually want.

If you want to supercharge your results, the data is clear:-

Stop listening to the jungle drums of fear.
Start leaning into what makes you a category-of-one.

To get clarity on your unique purpose, DM "CLARITY" and I'll send you a private invitation to our upcoming masterclass.

The world wants YOUR purpose, turned up loud FACT

Purpose Your Key To Success

This is what purpose looks like in action. 💚

Together we will transform our world

Love Sara

Why do brilliant founders stay invisible, while others with weaker offers become no.1?

I have spent years uncovering what makes billion-dollar buyers choose one purpose led business over every other.

On November 17 at 12 PM CST, I'm hosting a live private masterclass revealing the 5 virtually unknown secrets that make customers choose your offer instantly

AND actually buy what you’re selling.

Here's what you'll learn:

1.⁠ ⁠Why being “different” keeps you stuck and what buyers really use to decide who wins the deal.

2.⁠ ⁠How some founders sell out $200K launches in 24 hours (without ads).

3.⁠ ⁠The 2 hidden secrets that make growth sustainable instead of a one-time spike.

This isn’t just another boring marketing class.

This is a live behind-the-scenes breakdown of the exact buyer psychology I've used to approve $100M+ in deals.

It's the same frameworks that have helped hundreds of purpose-led founders have the roadmap to scale to $1M to $50M and beyond without the need for outside experts.

👉 Seats are limited.

Register now and get the pre-video series before the live session.

Save your seat here: https://lnkd.in/daGbCRjA

Hamza Abuqalbeen, Damini Chomal and 13 other attendees

5 Billion-Dollar Buyer Secrets That Make Customers Choose You

This time next week, I will be starting a hike in El Chalten Patagonia Fulfilling a life Dream

To walk the path of innovators

I made myself this dream 10 years ago when I wanted to quit being a purpose led founder

Here is what saved me

The Innovator: Yvon Chouinard who founded Patagonia the $Billion Dollar Brand

Chouinard was a broke mountain climber not a business person with a desire to get rich

He simply had a dream to climb mountains

So he taught himself blacksmithing and made awesome mountain equipment.

His friends wanted them. He sold them from his car for $1.50 each.

He didn't set out to build a billion-dollar company.

He just refused to compromise what mattered to him.

When being a purpose led founder got tough for me,

And every bone in my body wanted to quit

I remembered Yvon famous words

"Impossible is the lamest of excuses" Yvon Chouinard

And I realised quitting does not make life easier

It just delays your dreams from being realised - because your dreams don't quit

They keep going back to haunt you - until you realise them

What stopped me from quitting was realising

Everything is "figurable outable" - Including how to build sustainable growth

Like Yvon for mountain climbers, I did the same for purpose led founders

When there was no roadmap for what I wanted to achieve, and help founders achieve

I figured out the roadmap over 10 years

And build the solution - Impact Innovator OS

What would you do if you knew your purpose was the path not the obstacle?

My Systems = Permission To Let Go

Systems aren't about control.

They're about permission to let go.

Most founders think systems mean MORE structure, MORE rules, MORE micromanaging.

They're building prisons, not processes.

Here's what I know with billion-dollar buyer intelligence:

The best systems don't need you watching them.

They need you TRUSTING them.

I just spent a week in Patagonia. Zero Slack. Zero check-ins.

My team ran the business.

My masterclass converted at 40%.
My clients got a transformation.
My content went out flawlessly.

Not because I had cameras on everyone.

Because I built systems that give my team permission to OWN their outcomes.

The difference between control systems and freedom systems:

Control systems: "Here's exactly how to do it, check with me before every decision"
Freedom systems: "Here's the outcome we need, here's the framework, you own the how"

Control systems: Team waits for your approval
Freedom systems: Team makes decisions and moves forward

Control systems: You're the bottleneck
Freedom systems: You're irrelevant to daily operations

That last one? That's the goal.

This is the shift:

Stop asking: "How do I build systems so I know what's happening?"
Start asking: "How do I build systems so I don't NEED to know what's happening?"

Your business will scale the day you become irrelevant to its daily operations.

Not because you abandoned it.

Because you built systems that give everyone else permission to own it.

That's not losing control. That's gaining freedom.

You have the power to protect your peace

I knew my billion-dollar buyer secrets were powerful (Join me at 12 PM CT time today LIVE)

I will be sharing all 5 secrets with you:

How you can get more customers to buy your purpose led offer ( while doing less) 

Why?

Your success is what drives me. 

Watching you break through, exit successfully, own your positioning, regain your confidence, this is why I built these systems.

Here are some of our recent 5 Star Trust pilot  Reviews

"I used Sara's knowledge to fine-tune elements which were decisive for the sale. I exited successfully while taking my company to the next level."
– Paula

"With Sara's support, we confidently stepped into a 'category of one' position—owning what makes our brand distinct and valuable. Within weeks, we were executing with focus and seeing measurable traction."
– Vanessa

"Sara's guidance helps you regain confidence back in your very own unique business value proposition."
– Sarita

"Sara's focused guidance helped me reconnect with the deeper purpose behind my work and articulate my value with much more confidence."
– Pramila

If you want the same results, join us today at 12 PM CT.

I'm teaching the 5 Billion-Dollar Buyer Secrets that get more customers to buy your purpose-led offer.

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Sara

Mountains don't apologize for taking up space.

Neither should you.

Before I start working with founders many feel like this 

(and its natural by the way, its an old in built operating systems that needs to change)

They shrink their offers to feel "more accessible."

They soften their prices to avoid "being too much."

They dim their genius to not "intimidate" people.

Here is why that old operating system needs to change:

Working as a  billion-dollar buyer taught me this:

The most magnetic founders never apologize for taking up space.

Not because they're arrogant.

Because they know their PRESENCE is their value.

Mountains don't say:

"Sorry for being so tall."

"Maybe I should be smaller so you're more comfortable."

"Let me make myself less imposing."

They just ARE.

Solid. Unmovable. Unapologetic.

Today embrace this: You are allowed to:

Charge premium prices without justifying them

Have standards that eliminate 90% of people

Take up space in your industry

Be too much for some people

Shine without dimming for anyone's comfort

Stop asking permission to take up space.

Just take it.

Most founders think they need better branding, more content, or a “stronger niche” to convert buyers.

But that’s not why they’re being ignored.

Meanwhile, competitors with weaker offers…
smaller audiences…
and zero differentiation…

Are closing deals faster.

After spending years in high-level rooms where multi-million-dollar buying decisions happen, I learned something most founders never hear:

Buyers don’t choose the most impressive offer.

They choose the offer that triggers 5 specific psychological buying switches.

And almost no one is using them.

On December 8 at 12 PM CST, I’m hosting a private masterclass where we’re breaking down these 5 buyer switches in detail.

Not theory.
Not generic “positioning advice.”
But the exact mechanisms top buyers use to say yes - fast.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn:

1. Why “standing out” is often the reason you’re NOT getting chosen, and what buyers actually look for instead.

2. The strategy behind founders who sell out 200K launches in a single day without ads, funnels, or giant teams.

3. The hidden systems that turn unpredictable sales into steady, compounding growth.

These are the same frameworks I used to greenlight over $100M+ in deals, and founders have used them to scale from $1M to $50M without burning cash or hiring bloated agencies.

This masterclass is not public, and seats are extremely limited.

Everyone who registers gets access to the pre-training video series before we go live.

🔗 Reserve your spot: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

If you sell expertise, transformation, or innovation, don’t miss this. This one session could change how buyers see you forever.

Don't Fake It Till You Make It"

Starbucks just admitted what most brands won't:

Their purpose strategy misfired.

CEO Brian Niccol told Axios: "We had this strategy that was just a misfire of a purpose-driven store. It's like, well, the purpose is community connection. I think that's what got us off our game." TheStreet

Wait.

A $103B company with 40,000+ locations worldwide just said their PURPOSE got them OFF their game?

Here's what happened:

Starbucks tried to be everything to everyone.

Purpose became so broad it meant nothing.

Community connection? Great. But if your baristas can't make coffee fast enough, you've lost the plot.

Niccol's fix?

Go back to basics. "Above all else, a coffee company." Craver

This is the billion-dollar buyer intelligence lesson:

Purpose isn't about adding MORE missions to your business.

Purpose is about knowing your ONE thing so clearly that every decision flows from it.

The difference between purpose-washing and purpose as your operating system:

Say No To:- Brands trying to save the world while their core product suffers

Say Yes To: Brands whose purpose IS their product excellence

Look at Patagonia:

They don't talk about being a clothing company that cares about the environment.

They're an environmental company that makes clothing to fund the mission.
See the difference?

One is purpose bolted ON.

One is purpose built IN.

Most founders make Starbucks' mistake:

They add purpose to their pitch deck, their website, and their social posts.

But their operations? Still running on old systems that contradict everything they claim to stand for.

Category-of-one founders don't fake purpose till they make it.

They BUILD their entire business FROM purpose.

Every hire. Every offer. Every client decision.

Either it aligns with your purpose, or it doesn't belong in your business.

Don't fake it till you make it.

Make it real, or don't make it at all. 

Sign up to my newsletter here, for weekly strategic  on how to Be Impactful

https://lnkd.in/dsVQABvv

Strategy & Finance Executive | Scaling Impact-Driven Companies Beyond $10M | Strategic CFO | Certified Scaling Up Advisor

Scaling Founders Beyond $10M with Strategy, Financial Clarity, and Leadership Expansion

Most companies stall not because of lack of effort—
but because the founder has outgrown the systems, strategies, and financial models that once worked.

At Ascend Growth Ventures, we partner with CEOs of $3M–$10M companies to implement Scaling Up, strengthen financial infrastructure, and elevate leadership teams—building businesses that scale profitably and predictably, without burning out the founder.

By integrating Scaling Up, Exponential Organizations, and CFO-level financial insights, we deliver a complete, battle-tested system for sustainable, high-performance growth.

🔹 We Work With CEOs Who Want To:
✔️ Scale revenue and profits without chaos
✔️ Build self-managing leadership teams
✔️ Unlock hidden cash flow and improve financial decision-making
✔️ Sharpen their strategy for exponential growth
✔️ Prepare for capital raises, acquisitions, or exits

🔹 Our Core Focus Areas:
  * Strategic Scaling Up Implementation

  * Financial Strategy & Cash Optimization

  * Leadership Team Development

  * Systems for Predictable Growth

  * Valuation Prep and Exit Strategy

✅ Why Work With Me?
25+ years of experience scaling businesses from the inside out:
➡️ Regional CFO, GE Gas Power (LATAM, +1.5GW record year)
➡️ Strategic finance and underwriting leadership at GE Capital
➡️ Business/project development for 8-figure ventures
➡️ Trusted advisor to founders scaling past $10M and beyond

✅ Industries We Specialize In:
✔️ Clean Energy & Decarbonization
✔️ Industrial Goods & B2B Services
✔️ Impact-Driven Companies
✔️ Scaling Coaching & Consulting Firms

🧠 If You're Ready to Scale Intelligently and Sustainably

Let's have a strategic conversation about where you are—and where you can go.

Easiest way to work with me?

Book a private power hour call and let's create your vision.
https://calendly.com/cruzagamboa/90-min-power-hour

Cruz Gamboa

Some companies don’t stall because of strategy.
They stall because of perception.

You can have the right model, metrics, and playbook—
and still struggle to scale
because trust isn’t in the culture.

We think scaling is about systems, KPIs, and offers.
But it’s really about energy, alignment, and belief.

Teams don’t reject initiatives.
They reject inconsistency.
They sense when the leader says one thing
and embodies another.

Every interaction in a growing company is a mirror—
it reflects the culture that’s actually being built.

Before you refine your next OKR,
refine your presence.

Because the best strategy in the world can’t fix a trust gap.

➡️ People follow clarity before they follow goals.
➡️ Integrity scales faster than intensity.


#leadership #scalingup #growth #trust #mindset

The market tells stories. Your financials & metrics tell truth.

In 2001, Amazon's stock cratered from $113 to $6.

Wall Street declared it dead.

Let's be clear: that had to be terrifying. Even for Bezos.

Watching 95% of your valuation evaporate. Hearing the whispers. Feeling the pressure from every direction.

But here's what separated him from founders who fold in those moments, he kept coming back to his dashboard:

Customer acquisition costs...improving. 

Fulfillment efficiency...improving. 

Contribution margin per unit...improving. 

Defect rates...declining.

The stock price reflected fear. 

The operating metrics reflected reality.

Confidence isn't the absence of fear. It's choosing to trust what you can measure over what you can't control.

This is Financial Intelligence: knowing which numbers actually predict your future, especially when everything around you is screaming that you're losing.

Watch the video. Bezos is calm. 

Not because he wasn't scared, but because he had clarity.

He knew exactly what was true inside his business.

That's how you survive what looks like a reversal, and come out the other side stronger.

That's how $6 becomes $1.7 trillion.

So here's my question for you:

What would it be worth to have that kind of clarity the next time everything feels like it's falling apart?

To know—not hope, not guess—that you're on the right track?

That's the game worth playing.

Check out comments for details

#founder #growth #ceo #scalingup

Helping Founders Break the $10M Ceiling | Strategy, Cash Flow & Leadership Systems | Scaling CFO

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

Hamdi Ulukaya didn’t just build a yogurt brand, he redefined an industry.

No investors. No marketing budget. Just purpose, grit, and belief.

In 2005, he saw an ad.
An abandoned Kraft yogurt factory.

Everyone saw a money pit.
He saw possibility.

He didn’t have the money.
So he took a loan.

Bought the factory.
Kept 5 employees who believed when no one else did.

No income.
No sales.
No marketing.
Just faith, and a recipe from home.

Two years later, in 2007, Chobani was born.

No ads. Just bold packaging and pure taste.

Retailers hesitated.
But the people loved it.

Within 5 years, #1 yogurt in America.

Over $1B in sales.
The giants, Dannon, Yoplait, couldn’t catch up.

He stayed private.
Gave 10% of the company to his employees.

Hired refugees.
Put people before profit.

When asked why, he said:

👉 “Business is the strongest force for good, if it puts people first.”

From a shepherd in Turkey…
To a billionaire who still walks the factory floors.

Lesson?
You don’t need investors.
You need integrity.
You don’t need luck.
You need courage.

Because the dream still works, if you do.

Loved this story. Let me know your comments. 

What problem in your business keeps calling for your most creative energy?

#CEO  #FOUNDER #GROWTH #SCALINGUP

Two friends, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

One dropped out.
One got rejected from med school.
But both wanted to build something.

First idea: bagels.
Too expensive.
So they pivot to ice cream.

No experience. No investors.
Just a $5 correspondence course from Penn State.
$2.50 each.

They find an abandoned gas station in Vermont.
Borrow $12,000.
Do the renovation themselves.

Ben can’t even taste properly, a condition called anosmia.
So he focuses on texture.
Big chunks. Wild swirls. Bold flavours.

What others saw as a weakness became their edge.

Within months, lines formed outside the door.
Free Cone Day became a tradition.
Word spread fast.

Few years later, they launched Cherry Garcia.
The brand took off across the country.
Soon, Ben & Jerry’s was making over $500M a year.

All from $12,000 and a $5 course.

Lesson?
You don’t need the perfect start.
You need creativity, courage, and the guts to turn constraints into leverage.

#scalingup #ceo #founder #growth

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁.

Steve Jobs said it best, the greatest people are self-managing.

They don’t need direction. They are the direction.

When you’re scaling, this is the difference between speed and stagnation.

You can’t build a $10M company micromanaging every move.
You build it by surrounding yourself with people who:

➡️ See the problem before you do.
➡️ Fix it without asking.
➡️ Then tell you how they made it better.

That’s who scales companies.
Not followers.
Not “yes” people.
Builders.

If you have to keep pushing your team to move, 
you don’t have a scaling problem,
you have a people problem.

The truth?
The best teams don’t need managing.
They need mission.

Hire those who act like owners.
Give them the target.
Then get the hell out of their way.

That’s how you scale.
That’s how you win.

#scalingup #ceo #founder #growth

They emailed eBay 200 times.
eBay ignored every single one.
Most people would’ve given up.

But Marc, Oliver, and Alexander Samwer weren’t “most people.”

They cloned eBay.
Launched it in Germany.
Executed with speed and perfection.
Within months… eBay bought it back for $43 MILLION.

Then the brothers doubled down.
They built Rocket Internet, the company that turned cloning into a billion-dollar machine.

They copied.
They improved.
They scaled.
And they sold again, and again, and again.

Here’s the truth:

👉 They weren’t chasing approval, they were chasing execution at scale.
👉 They didn’t wait to be discovered, they created their own leverage.
👉 They mastered the one principle most founders overlook:
Doing it better beats doing it first.

Critics called them “copycats.”
But behind the noise, the Samwer brothers built an empire worth billions.

Most people stop when they hear “no.”
The one who succeed?
They push when it’s uncomfortable.
They build when others hesitate.
They turn rejection into momentum.

If you want outsized results, do what most won’t:
Step past comfort.
Step past doubt.
Step past fear.

Because the biggest payoffs live right beyond the point where almost everyone quits.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #bostonfounders

He built a dating site that generated exactly zero activity.
No users. No traction. No revenue.

Most leaders call that a failed model.
I call it an early audit.

Three ex-PayPal employees launched “Tune In Hook Up,” expecting market fit.
What they got was silence.
Operational cost? Rising.
User acquisition? Non-existent.
ROI? Negative from day one.

But here’s what mattered:
They reviewed the data instead of reacting to the emotion.

They noticed users trying to upload videos
Not for dating, but for everyday moments.
Unintended behaviour, but real demand.

So they executed the smartest financial move any early-stage team can make:
A low-cost pivot.

Same infrastructure.
Same upload system.
Zero additional burn.
Just a shift in positioning:
Share any video.

And that decision changed their entire valuation trajectory.

Users scaled exponentially.
Cost per acquisition plummeted.
Engagement skyrocketed.
Suddenly, they weren’t running a dating site…
They were running the internet’s first true video platform.

By 2006, their risk profile had flipped
High growth. High virality.
And high legal exposure.

Enter Google.
They offered $1.65B in stock for a business that still had no established monetisation engine.
From a financial lens?
That’s called derisking the future.

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim accepted.
Smart move.
They transferred operational liability…
And secured generational wealth.

Today, YouTube contributes over $40B in yearly ad revenue
and sits at a valuation north of $500B.

All from a product that started as a complete miss 
until the data told a different story.

Lesson:
You don’t scale perfection.
You scale what the market proves it wants.
Listen to the numbers, not the narratives.
And never underestimate the ROI of a well-timed pivot.

#CFOInsights #Leadership #Strategy #Scalingup

She sold her engagement ring for $10,000.
Ten years later, Vicky Tsai built a $500M skincare empire.

Most people call that crazy.
I call it commitment.

She walked away from a six-figure job…
Moved back into her childhood bedroom at 30…
Got rejected for 18 months straight…
And kept going anyway.

1,000 units.
Her last $5,000.
No safety net. No backup plan.

Month one? $2,000 in sales.
Most people quit here.
Vicky didn’t.

She packed every order by hand.
Wrote thank-you notes to strangers.
Built trust one customer at a time.

Then the internet found her.
Demand exploded.
Sephora called.
And the bedroom startup became one of the fastest-growing skincare brands in America.

In 2019, Unilever bought Tatcha for $500 million.
The $10,000 ring she sold?
It turned into 50,000x.

Lesson?
You don’t need permission.
You need conviction.
And the courage to burn Plan B. 

#ceo #founder #growth #scalingup

She was 20. A housewife. No experience. No degree.

Just a dream, and a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Everyone said it would fail.
“Cookies? That’s not a business.”

Banks said no.Experts laughed.

The market was ruled by Oreos and Chips Ahoy.

But Debbi Fields didn’t care.
She took a $50,000 loan with her husband.

Rented a small store in Palo Alto.

Rent: $800/month.
Failure wasn’t an option.

Opening day:
By noon, not a single sale.
She panicked. Grabbed a tray.
Walked outside.
“Try one. They’re free.”

That one line changed everything.
Crowds formed.

They sold out by evening.

She baked fresh every 2 hours.
Never sold day-old cookies.
If they sat too long, she gave them away.

Advisors hated it.
Customers LOVED it.

Year one: $200,000 in sales.
Then store #2.
Then San Francisco.
Then malls.
Then the world.

By the 1990s:

➡ 600+ stores
➡ $500M in annual sales
➡ And a new category: premium cookies

All from one woman who ignored logic and trusted her gut.

The takeaway:
If everyone says your idea is crazy,
you might just be onto something.

#scalingup #founder #growth #ceo

He got fired.
The company he built said, “We don’t need you anymore.”
Everyone forgot him.

But Steve Jobs didn’t stop.

He poured tens of millions into a failing company called Pixar.
Everyone thought he was crazy.
Most would have quit.

12 years later… that gamble sold for $7.4 BILLION.

Here’s the thing:

👉 He wasn’t chasing money. He was chasing vision.
👉 He embraced risk when others ran from it.
👉 He bet on what he believed in, even when the world said no.

Most people quit right before the payoff.
The real winners? They push through when it’s hardest.
They see opportunity where others see failure.

If you want massive results, you need to do what most won’t.
Step past comfort. Step past doubt. Step past fear.

Because the biggest payoffs live just beyond the point where almost everyone quits.

#scalingup  #growth #ceo

Steve Jobs

He built pole barns to pay for college.

Decades later, John Menard Jr. built Menards, an $18B home improvement empire.

Most people call that luck.

I call it financial discipline.

He opened a small lumber yard in 1964…

Kept prices rock-bottom by building his own factories…

And built every store with cash, not debt.

No investors. No loans. No noise.

While others chased speed and Wall Street, John chose control.

He knew his margins by product line. He tracked cash flow like a pilot tracks altitude. He made the numbers his single source of truth.

Store by store. State by state. Slow, steady, unstoppable.

When 2008 hit, he didn't scramble; he expanded.

Today?

340+ Menards stores. $13B+ revenue. 3rd third-largest home-improvement chain in America. Still 100% private.

The lesson?

You don't need to grow fast. You need to grow right.

That means: 
→ Knowing your profit margins by service line 
→ Tracking cash flow weekly, not just at tax time 
→ Building systems so the business works, not just you

Financial clarity isn't about being a "numbers person."
It's about building simple, repeatable habits that let you scale with confidence.

Have the courage to own every decision, starting with your numbers.
#founder #growth #businessmindset #financialclarity #scalingup

Most people think success comes from working harder, dreaming bigger, or thinking smarter.

Here's the truth: none of that matters if you don't act.

In one simple test, a $50 bill was up for grabs. 

Everyone wanted it. 
Everyone talked about it. 
Everyone wished they had it…

Except Debbie.

She stood up. She walked forward. She took it.

That's it. 

That's the difference between winners and everyone else.

While everyone else burns time and money chasing online strategies that become less effective every day…

The smartest entrepreneurs thriving in 2025 are walking away from their screens and adding an extra 7-figures through live events.

Real humans. In-person communities. High-profit partnerships.

The ultimate advantage in the age of AI isn't replacing humanity with efficiency; it's experiences that are deep, connective, transformative, and profitable.

Getting face-to-face with your ideal clients AND peers is the most consistent solution to the Trust Recession.

I'll be at Event Profit Engine in Austin (December 10-12)...and I still have 4 discounted tickets.

If you're ready to get clarity on the financial blind spots keeping you from scaling, this is your moment.

Don't sit in the room wishing. 

Be Debbie.

P.S. Stop waiting for perfect timing. The money, the deal, the break… it's waiting for the first person who moves. Will it be you? DM me AUSTIN for ticket details.
#scalingup #CEO #founder #growth

Most founders don't fail because of competition.
 They fail because of the blind spots they never see coming.

Cash looks fine… until it doesn't. Revenue grows… but profit disappears. You hire fast… and spend months fixing mistakes. You work harder… but scale refuses to unlock.

I spent 20+ years at GE Capital navigating these exact challenges at a corporate level.

Closing an $800M+ power plant deal? That taught me cash flow precision. Managing international transactions? That revealed the profit leaks most miss. Building high-performance teams? That showed me the cost of hiring fast vs. hiring right.

Those frameworks didn't just help me lead deals—they gave me the blueprint for scalable growth.

Now I help founders apply these same battle-tested systems to their businesses.

The 7 blind spots in this carousel? They're the ones holding 90% of founders back from predictable, profitable scale.

If you want to go deeper… Download my free ebook in the comments. 

Fix the blind spots. Scale with clarity. Build a business that runs like a pro—because you learned from one.
#scalingup #founder #ceo #growth

7 Blind Spots

𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿.

Most founders know Pinterest.

Almost no one knows Paul Sciarra, the guy who paid early salaries out of his own pocket, skipped taking income, and carried the company when no one else believed.

He wasn’t a “supporter.”
He was the architecture.

And then the quiet part of startup life happened.
Not a blow-up.
Not a fight.
Just… inches.

One meeting he wasn’t invited to.
One decision he didn’t have visibility into.
One board conversation that happened without him.

By the time Pinterest crossed millions of users and raised over $100M…
Paul was out.

He walked away with ~$15M.
Not nothing.
But painful when your original idea becomes a $25B enterprise.

This isn’t a story about betrayal.
It’s a story about leadership, governance, and identity.

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘆.
They lose it when:
 • they stop owning the financial strategy
 • they delegate governance without understanding it
 • they avoid hard conversations
 • they let investors define the path
 • they disconnect from the role of architect

You can build something extraordinary…
and still get written out of your own success if you don’t stay in the seat you were meant to own.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 $𝟯𝗠–$𝟭𝟬𝗠 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻.
The product works.
The company has traction.
Teams are growing.

 But governance, capital strategy, and leadership identity aren’t keeping pace.
That’s the real risk.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻:
Your idea can change the world,  but only if you stay in the role of architect as it scales.

Own your equity.
Protect your seat.
Upgrade your thinking.
Build with intention.
The threat isn’t being pushed out.
The threat is drifting out of your power.

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
 Are you building like the founder…
 or leading like the architect?

#ceo #founder #scalingup #growth

He was dropped at an orphanage at seven.
No food. No money. No choice.

By 14, he was on a factory floor, making metal frames.
One wrong move crushed part of his finger. Permanent injury.

Most people would quit. Most people would settle.
He didn’t.

He watched. He learned.
Every machine. Every process. Every decision.
Night classes. Every penny saved. Knowledge accumulation.

At 26, he opened a tiny eyewear shop in the Italian Alps.
Nothing fancy. No connections. Just him, a few employees, and an obsession with understanding the craft end-to-end.

Most competitors sold parts. He had a different idea: make complete frames. Control the product. Own the market.

By the 1980s, he was making designer frames for fashion houses.
By 1995, he bought LensCrafters—suddenly he controlled both the product and the retail.

Then came Ray-Ban.
Everyone said he overpaid $640 million for a dying brand.
He didn’t see risk. He saw opportunity.

Ray-Ban wasn’t just glasses anymore.
Movies. Celebrities. Fashion statements.
Value multiplied. Brand exploded.

He kept buying. Oakley. Sunglass Hut. Prada. Versace. Chanel. Pearle Vision.
Vertical integration? Check. Market dominance? Check. Monopoly? Almost.

When he died in 2022, Leonardo Del Vecchio had $25.8 billion.
One orphan. One factory worker. One relentless learner.

Lesson:
You don’t need luck. You need mastery, observation, and relentless execution.
Start small. Learn everything. Then own the ecosystem.

#ceo #scalingup #growth #founder

Passion isn’t happiness.
It’s pain.
It’s grinding when no one is watching.
It’s suffering through every mistake, every rejection, every late night, just to build something nobody thought was possible.

Jensen Huang didn’t follow the market.
He didn’t wait for AI to be big.
He invested 10,000 engineer-years ahead of demand.
He pivoted Nvidia from graphics chips to AI dominance.
That’s vision. That’s first-principles thinking. That’s suffering smarter than everyone else.

Breakthroughs aren’t born in comfort zones.
They’re born when you refuse to quit, when you embrace the grind, and when you’re willing to suffer today for what the world will celebrate tomorrow.

Extraordinary isn’t given.
It’s earned.
Through struggle.
Through relentless work.
Through being willing to do what everyone else won’t.

If you want to be great, get comfortable being uncomfortable.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #founder

Mastermind Scaling Dinner 

This past Wednesday night in Boston, twelve leaders got uncomfortably honest about their real constraints.

No pitch decks. No surface-level networking. 

Just the Hero's Journey framework and one question: 

"What's actually stopping you from scaling?"

Three principles guided the conversation:

🪞 Your Business is a Mirror 

The bottleneck in your business is a reflection of a constraint in your leadership. 

Stop fixing symptoms. Fix the leader, and the business scales.

🐉 Constraints are Your Greatest Leverage

 Your biggest constraint is not a problem—it's the dragon guarding your next treasure. 

The right constraint, once identified and solved, unlocks massive, non-linear growth.

⚖️ Not All Success Has the Same Price

 You can build a company that breaks you, or one that fulfills you. 

Alignment + Clarity = Sustainable Success.

🎯 What showed up:

Estate planning. Cybersecurity. Medical devices. Food distribution. Banking. Fractional sales leadership. IT services. M&A law. Green infrastructure. Urban revitalization. Job search acceleration.

Different industries. Same truth: Every business grows until it hits a constraint, then grows no further.

The magic wasn't in solving everything in one night. 

It was in naming the real constraint out loud - not the sanitized version we tell at networking events, but the 2am version that keeps us up.

Some constraints were about capital. Others about people, partnerships, or positioning. A few were about letting go of what got them here to embrace what gets them there.

🤝 The vulnerability created immediate value: Real partnerships forming. 

Actual introductions being made. Problems being reframed. Resources being shared.

Thank you to Adrian Mendoza and the Mendoza Ventures team for hosting us.

And to everyone who showed up: Marco A. Schiavo , Geoffry Gilton, Joshua Sigsworth, PT, DPT, Dominic Endicott, Jacques Cohen, Maud Dentico, Vasant Narayan, Raffi Yardemian, CSL, Paul Smith, Alex Khalarian, and Sam "Butch" Nigro.

This is what happens when you build community around truth instead of transactions.

The Mastermind dinner happens monthly ( but we are taking a break in December). If you're a founder or executive in Boston or Greater Boston working on something real and willing to get honest about your constraints, let's talk.

We are going to start hosting Metro West dinners as well. More to come.

P.S. - Curious about finding the constraint for your business? Drop a comment or DM.

Most founders don’t fail because they’re lazy.
They fail because their goals are small.

Small goals keep you grinding.
Big goals force you to rebuild the system.

When you raise the target to 10x, everything changes:
your strategy, your thinking, your standards, your circle.

You stop playing in the crowded middle
and start operating where very few people dare to go.

10x isn’t harder.

It’s cleaner. 
It’s clearer. 
It’s smarter.

Stop playing safe. Start playing big.

I learned this lesson the hard way.

I wanted to grow my LinkedIn presence to 100K in a year.
I had 2k followers. 

A few people said that it would take years and that I was unrealistic.

Maybe they would have been right - if I'd believed them

I tried anyway. 
I took a course to learn from others who were ahead of me.
I showed up here every day.
Continuously improved my content (and my mindset)
Hired people to help me.

Did I accomplish my goal?
NO. 

I am still at 72k followers today, a year into that challenge.
But I am still grateful for the results. 

Can you imagine what would have happened if I had played small?
I may be at 15K followers at best. 

And that's the whole point. 

Even if you miss the 10X mark, it beats linear thinking. 

This same principle is why I help founders identify the 7 financial blind spots killing their scale - because small thinking about money keeps you grinding, while 10x financial clarity forces you to rebuild the system.

Want to apply 10x thinking to your finances? 

I've identified the 7 blind spots most founders miss. 

Download the guide; link is in the comments. 

#founder #ceo #growth #scalingup

10X Thinking = 10 X Results

He bought a bankrupt textile factory for $15 million.
Forty years later, Bernard Arnault built a $500B luxury empire.

Most people call that impossible.
I call it vision.

He didn’t invent anything.
He didn’t design a product.
He didn’t chase trends.
He just saw what others couldn’t.

Buried inside that dying company was a forgotten gem: Christian Dior.
Everyone overlooked it.
Arnault didn’t.

He sold everything except Dior.
Bet the house on one iconic brand.
And rebuilt from zero.

Then he made an even crazier move
He went after LVMH.
Louis Vuitton. Moët. Hennessy.
The crown jewels of French luxury.

The elite hated it.
The media mocked it.
It was the most hostile takeover France had ever seen.
Arnault didn’t blink.

He bought the shares quietly.
Took control boldly.
And turned LVMH into a global machine.

One acquisition at a time.
Fendi. Tiffany. Givenchy. Sephora.
Dozens of brands reborn under one ruthless strategy:

Let creators dream.
But keep the business razor sharp.

While tech giants chased disruption…
Arnault chased timelessness.

While others discounted…
He raised value.

In 2023, he became the richest man on Earth.
Quiet. Precise. Unshakeable.
He outplayed every tech titan without writing a single line of code.

Lesson?
You don’t need to invent.
You need to see the hidden gem
And have the courage to bet everything on it.

#entrepreneur #growth #businessstrategy #founder #scalingup

𝗛𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀.
𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Back in the early 2000s, Jon Oringer wasn’t building empires, he was just trying to find affordable stock photos for his tiny online business.

But what he found instead… was an opportunity.

Stock images back then cost $300+ per photo, a luxury small creators couldn’t afford.

So Jon did something different:

▶ Bought a camera
▶ Took 100 photos a day
▶ Built his own website
▶ Uploaded 30,000 photos
▶ Charged $49/month for unlimited downloads

That’s how Shutterstock was born.

No fancy investors. No marketing team.

Just a subscription model, executed brilliantly.

He wasn’t selling images,
he was selling convenience, freedom, and access.

And the best part?

Every sale cost him nothing to reproduce.Pure passive income.

By the time Shutterstock went public in 2012,
Jon still owned 55% of it.

His net worth crossed $1 billion,
built from a camera, a simple website, and consistency.

That’s not luck.
That’s vision meeting execution.

Because the smartest entrepreneurs don’t wait for an opportunity,
they create it by solving a problem once
and selling the solution over and over again.

𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧:

Stop chasing “new.”
Find one problem.

Solve it better than anyone else.
Then systemize, scale, and sleep while your solution works for you.

#Entrepreneurship #ceo #BusinessModel #founder #scalingup

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