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

I Just Got Back From 5 Incredible Weeks In Argentina and Uruguay 

I went from not knowing one single person in the country

To build a Dream 100 network In 30 days

Don't get me wrong, there were moments when I felt super lonely

One of them was arriving on an island at a tiny town 

where hardly anyone spoke English

It was right at that moment, my mum called me (her intuition working big time)

Are you ok? she asked. "Well, maybe I am a bit lonely, but we all get lonely, I said."

The difference is how we choose to handle it

I decided there and then to apply my Dream 100 network building principles

One of the key foundations I teach here at Impact Innovator OS

It's the idea of One to Many

Put yourself in the right environment (I was in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay fabulous place)

Next Step 

Be super focused on who you want to connect with and why

Then allow your own unique power and light to shine

And allow yourself to receive more ...

Here is how this worked in ACTION 

I followed my intuition to a relaxed, beautiful beach bar

And most importantly, did not look myself away when I felt lonely and vulnerable

And wanted to just give up

I kept going, putting myself out there

I sat at the bar - alone and embraced the moment

Got into the vibe, relaxed, and let go

Then heard some fellow English speakers

Stood up, took action, went over, said Hey, I'm Sara great to meet you, I'm here on my own and would love to connect

The rest is history

Amazing people introduced me to amazing people, who invited me to incredible events

And I built not only a new dream 100 network in Uruguay, but also in Buenos Aires.

Connection is all you need, with yourself first and then with those around you

It's time to Shine Your Light

Together, we will transform our world

Love Sara

Founder Impact Innovator OS | The #1 Buyer Intelligence Growth System for Purpose Led Entrepreneurs to Scale to $1M-50M as a Category Of One Leader In Their Niche

Together We Will Transform Our World 

How I overcame My Fear Of Being Out Of Control 

Climbing this glacier I was truly terrified.

I got over it - by applying my 3 steps to let go of control

As a Purpose Led Founder 

I used to try and control everything  

But that just led to burnout and working 247 getting nowhere fast

5 years ago i started hiking seriously ( turning a once in 10 years to once every two weeks)

Business, Mindset and Energy are all intertwined

And success is systemizing Business, Mindset and Energy

Life is Circular

Winning Systems Are Holistic 

And that is EXACTLY How I overcame my fear of being out of control

Step 1 - Think of Your Energy as a system - only so much mental, physical and emotional energy

Step 2 - Thinking of yourself as Social - your not meant to do things alone 

Step 3 - Set Big Audacious Goal - Focus on the present take one step forward each day


Climbing this glacier i was totally scared - now Im laughing but it was not funny at the time

I had set the goal, and guess what had not worried about it at the time

I prepared

I showed up with the right mindset

And I let myself be social and ask for help

I did not try to do this alone

I did this with experts

I let them hold my hand when I walked up

I let them hold my hand when I walked down

I listened to their expertise - I did not try to take selfies whilst walking on ice that is razor sharp

The Result - I followed a system, managed my energy, allowed myself to be supported

Succeeded - Climbed to the peak of the glacier without falling down

Success happens - one relationship, one system and one step at a time.

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Talks about #impact, #entrepreneurship, #productinnovation, #businessinnovation, and #businessmentorship

MY CFO Sophia, said to me on Saturday (when we met IRL)

Sara, I love your Simple System to Scale 

One roadmap

It works wherever the team is in the world

They can scale without you

We just proved it, after I was away on a remote trekking expedition 

The team was scaling without. me

And I could relax, and let go, feeling fully supported 

Sophia Shared this

These are the 3 elements we as a  team all understand clearly

1. What Our Category of One Positioning IS

( We help Purprose Led Founders Scale to $1-$50MN)

2. What our High Impact offer is

(One In house sustainable growth system that gives our founders category of one results in 30 days)

3. WHO our ICP IS

( Purpose led founders, conscious leaders, and innovators)

And HOW to sell without you

Using One Team Process, everybody understands: One Team Chat, One Team Meeting

The good and bad  problem today is that teams can be remote

At Impact Innovator, our team is from

London
Texas
Miami
Bangalore
Bali 

We are across continents, yet everyone understands that our positioning, offer, and system are simple

Today, I have one word for you

SIMPLIFY

Simplify All you do

To One Roadmap, One System, One Mentor

Simplicity =  Success

If you would like to unlock your One System To Scale

Join Me live next Tuesday in my masterclass, where I will lay out the simple 5 step roadmap to sustainable scale.

This is an intimate cameras on session, where I answer how you can get buyers to buy from you as the ONLY choice 247.

Join us, link below to sign up

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Together, we will transform our world

Love Sara

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So excited, I just heard one of our members signed a multi billion dollar partnership... 

(90 days ago, they were treading water)

Here is my Billion Dollar Buyers Guide

That empowered them to achieve this goal (after years of trying)

Growing a business with a purpose with a founder who has a heart

Isn't easy ... Let's be real

In my Live masterclass yesterday, someone shared this

"Sara, with so many competitors today, business is hard, but your systems make it easy to stand out and scale."

Being overlooked is a real problem today for founders

And here's the thing, it's no one's fault

Buyers will love you, they just got to understand these 7 things

Sara's Billion Dollar Buyers Guide

1. Your Unique Business Hook

2. How your Offer changed your world first

3. How your Offer changes others' worlds second.

4. Why you are a must have now and forever

5. How to sell you in one sentence 

6. Who your followers are

7. Why are you the number one in what you do

This list is the game changer for 2026, to stand out, get seen, get sell in, and get sell out

Give buyers instant clarity on your unique power and purpose

Let your brilliance shine

If you'd like to know more billion dollar buyer secrets, sign up for my newsletter here:

https://lnkd.in/dsVQABvv

Together we will transform our world

Love Sara

7 BILLION DOLLAR BUYER SECRETS

How I Stopped Being Overlooked And Became A Category Of One 

One of my favourite words is "Cringey" or "to Cringe."

Do you use it in the US?

We use it here in London, to Cringe means to look fine on the outside

But to be feeling totally naked, exposed, and seen on the inside for who you really are, or are not, or think you are.

The problem today is trying to be like everything else - we all do it, even if we think we are being our REAL AUTHENTIC SELF, we are not

We are all trying to look and be like other people

But buyers don't want to buy from lookalikes

They want to buy from trailblazers, pioneers, buccaneers, innovators, stars

They want to buy from founders who have become so incredibly comfortable 

With their own quirks, own uniqueness, no matter how out of the box that is, and their own story

Buyers want to buy from founders who LOVE, and OBSESS over the GREATNESS of their own offer

I have a catch phrase I say to our members, "Your Real Power Is YOU."

That catchphrase comes from me having to face myself in the mirror and follow my own category of one roadmap

Because here is the thing

If you "cringe" at ANYTHING about your positioning, offer, story, or packaging, people feel it

If you're "trying too hard" to be the same, or to be different, or to be an innovator, or to be radical 

The game changer for me was following my own formula to strip away anything I was doing that was not authentic

To create my own language, to polish my offer, my packaging, and how I show up in the world

To be uniquely Sara AKA Stara

To let go of fitting in, and to embrace standing out

Your Real Power is YOU

The quicker you embrace being uniquely you, the faster you scale, the faster you make a real impact

To find out my 5 step roadmap to unlock how you can lead as a Category Of One Join me in my Live Masterclass Next Tuesday

Link is here to sign up: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Together we will transform our world

Love Sara

BECOME CAT OF ONE IN 30 DAYS

Yesterday I was talking About The Importance Of Trusting Yourself

You can have the best innovation, the best business, the best purpose

But if you don't trust yourself to cross the river

You never will 

You will stop just at the edge of certainty

How do I know that?

Because that used to be me

I would put in motion a great innovation or a great system

But I would not give it time for the innovation or the great system

To cross the river to success

I would get scared, I would freak out with the uncertainty of it all 

Here is what I learnt 

What I do 

And a key system I teach our members

You want to go SLOW in the foundation you are building

Take your time building your High Impact Offer Foundation

Breathe,

Give yourself the grace to BELIEVE IN Yourself

And Honour Your Innovation that is uniquely yours, without abandoning this or copying others

From fear

And

You want to

Go FAST in Implementing without waiting to be perfect

Because you ONLY become perfect through repetition of your actions and your process

You only become perfect by doing

You don't become perfect by waiting on the sidelines

My message for today: Just Do IT

Whatever you dream of for yourself this year

Commit and Trust Yourself To Make It a Reality

Life IS Short, Make Each Day Count

Together we will transform our world

PS. If you would like more insights on how to lead an impactful life, sign up for my newsletter here:

https://lnkd.in/dsVQABvv

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

Cross The River With Me

Hey, Sara Simmonds here. Welcome to the Impact Innovator Community.

Here is a story about Carol, one ofthe  members

Carol is an awesome ex-Harvard, Cartier Award winner, and brilliant innovator. 

Despite her credentials and working harder than anyone I know, her sales were inconsistent. 

Some months are great, others scaling felt impossible.

Sound familiar?

Using my $Billion Dollar Buyer System

In 30 days, we helped Carol close $200K in a sell-out launch. 

No massive following. 

No chasing attention.

No "Send me an email."

 Just a complete change in how we helped Carol package and optimise her offer.

How? 

I spent years as a billion-dollar buyer controlling $100M+ budgets. 

My success secret?

I chose less than 1% of what I saw. The other 99%? Filtered out. Invisible.

The formula the1% have? 

These Five things:

One: They were Category-of-One. Competition became irrelevant.

Two: One clear offer. Not five confusing ones.

Three: A movement, not just customers.

Four: Mindset mastery. Success is 90% psychology.

Five: They owned their system. No agency dependency.

Here's the truth: knowing these secrets is step one. 

Understanding HOW to implement them is step two.

That's what I break down in my free live masterclass. 

I keep it intimate, just 25 founders, so I can address your specific challenges.

If you're tired of being overlooked while others get all the attention, click below and reserve your spot.

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

See you there.

Last Night I Had Dinner With One Of My Mentors PETER SAGE And Our Awesome Friends

Peter helped me get out of my comfort zone and made me see WHY mentorship is the game changer

For every entrepreneur 

I met Peter 10 years ago

He helped me shift my mindset from being "Comfortable" playing small 

To be "Uncomfortable" with the status quo 

Here are the 5 shifts being uncomfortable changed in my life

1. I started to focus 10X more on the present - what changes I could make each moment

2. I let go of GOOP - One of Peter's favourite phrases, listening to "The Good Opinion Of Other People

3. I stopped listening to "the noise" of the media

4. I started listening to my own heart - and hearing the impact it wanted to make

5. I worked my a**s of to "DO the work" and realise my true path 

Being a top 1% mentor myself ( because I experienced the transformation in my life first)

Having a top 1% mentor changed my trajectory to live a life of meaning, impact and legacy

Because I stopped being afraid and started to show up in my unique brilliance

Imagine what having a top 1% mentor can do for yours?

Together we will transform our world

Love and Gratitude Sara

There IS A SECRET Formula To Sell Out

Today I'm sharing this formula with you LIVE

But this is not for everyone

It is ONLY for you if you're a purpose led founder

With a mission to make an IMPACT

And you are tired of waiting for a breakthrough

You are ready for a proven system to 

Get noticed by buyers

As the ONE 

Get instant buy in and instant sell out

We have had over 150 sign ups, and my team told me

We have just 3 spots left to join us LIVE today

The link is below to sign up:

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Drop a READY below, and I will look forward to answering your questions live

How to transform your purpose, to sales, and to legacy

Together we will transform our world

Love Sara

TODAY UNLOCK THE 5 SECRETS TO BUILD YOUR LEGACY

My category of one purpose connects with people faster than AI ever will 

(If you want to scale faster in 2026 ready my 5 secrets below)

I realised in my temple last week with my community

People don't deeply connect with you through words

I mean deep like wanting to build a friendship, relationship, or sale with you

They don't connect with you through numbers

(Although great numbers are impressive)

And

They don't actually connect with you through status

(status sounds good, but it either attracts fake friendships or followers, or rubs people up the wrong way)

The Truth: In HOW people ACTUALLY connect with you

It's through the FEELING you give them when they meet you

That feeling is an inner feeling

They want to be part of your tribe

I always say to our members here at Impact Innovator OS

The fastest way to gain new business

Is to OBSESS over your Ideal Client

That's the first step

The Gold is the second step that builds the REAL connection is 

To become a Category Of One 

I have built and refined the Category Of One formula over the last decade 

The formula applies to you as a person, you as a founder, you as a brand ...

And your brand itself

People connect to people who are a Category Of One

They become drawn to you and your business and your brand

Like a magnet

So if you want to skyrocket your sustainable growth in EVERY area of your life this 2026

Across ALL your relationships, do this:-

Sara's  5 Step Category Of One Formula 

1. Unlock your unique power and embrace the real you

2. Stop burying your unique power, hiding it, or pretending it does not exist

3. Shine your unique light from your heart in all that you do

4. Show Up In Your Unique Power Consistently

5. Stop chasing and allow yourself the space and time to connect to people who truly value what you do

It's time to unleash your unique brand magnetism on the world

If you would like to find out HOW DM light below to join us

Or sign up for my live masterclass next Tuesday, where I will share the 5 secrets to stop chasing and start leading as a Category of One Founder, Brand, and Business.

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Together, we will transform our world

Love Sara

5 STEPS TO BECOME A CAT OF ONE

So I'm about to jump on the Closers.IO podcast, and honestly? I'm a bit nervous.

Not because I don't know my zone of genius - how to scale your unique purpose!

But because I'm walking into a room of professional salespeople... and I didn't grow up in sales.

I grew up in buying - and learning $Billion Dollar Buying Intelligence

Which is precisely why Closers.IO invited me on as their expert today

Because here's what I DO know: 

If you want to sell and scale in the world of endless competitors today

You've got to know how to become a category of one.

Here's what most people miss: Category of one isn't ONE thing you do.

It's EVERYTHING you do -

SIMPLE. Systemised and aligned into one roadmap.

That's how I close $15K to $150K deals at a 40% conversion rate.

Not through tactics. Through absolute clarity.

When you own your category, you don't compete. You convert.

The moment you become a category of one, price becomes irrelevant 

If you want the inside track on what that roadmap is, join me in my live masterclass next Tuesday. 

Link below to sign up 👇

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Together we will transform our world

Love Sara

Most founders believe they need a louder brand, a better-looking website, or a “more unique” offer.

That’s exactly why they stay overlooked -
while less capable competitors get picked.

I’ve spent years inside billion-dollar buyer rooms, watching how real decisions actually get made.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Buyers don’t choose the “best” offer.
They choose the one that aligns with five specific decision criteria most founders never see.

On January 20th at 1:00 PM EST,
I’m hosting a private masterclass where we break down all five.

No surface-level tactics.
No marketing tricks.

Just the real buyer levers that make decision-makers see you as the only obvious choice, and confidently say yes.

Here’s a preview:

Why “trying to be different” often works against you, and what top buyers actually use to decide who wins.

How purpose-led founders sell out $200K launches in 24 hours, without ads or agencies.

The two hidden mechanisms that turn unpredictable growth into sustainable momentum you own.

This is the same framework I used to approve and greenlight over $100M in buying decisions.

Founders have applied it to scale from $1M to $50M+:
→ Without bloated agencies
→ Without stacked systems, they don’t control
→ And without burning out

Seats are limited, and this won’t be made public.

Register now to unlock the private pre-training before we go live.

🔗 Save your seat: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Ten years ago, I made myself a promise.

One day, I would walk the trails of El Chaltén, Patagonia - not as an escape, but as a reminder of why I chose this path.

Last year, I did.

That hike wasn’t just about mountains.
It was about walking the path of innovators who refused to compromise what mattered.

The one who carried me through the hardest years was Yvon Chouinard - founder of Patagonia, the billion-dollar brand that was never meant to be one.

Yvon wasn’t a businessman chasing wealth.
He was a broke mountain climber who wanted better gear.

So he taught himself blacksmithing.
Made tools for his friends.
Sold them from his car for $1.50 each.

He didn’t set out to build a unicorn.
He just refused to betray his values.

When being a purpose-led founder nearly broke me 
when every part of me wanted to quit 

I remembered his words:

“Impossible is the lamest of excuses.”

And I realised something important:

Quitting doesn’t make life easier.
It just postpones the dream.

Because dreams don’t quit.
They wait.
And they come back louder.

What stopped me from walking away was understanding this:

Everything is figurable-outable including sustainable growth.

Just as Yvon built for climbers, I spent the last 10 years building for purpose-led founders.

When there was no roadmap, I created one.
And that work became Impact Innovator OS.

So here’s the question I keep coming back to:

What would change if you realised your purpose isn’t the obstacle, it’s the path?

Most founders think they need a louder brand, a prettier website, or a “more unique” offer.

That’s why they stay invisible...
While weaker competitors get chosen.

I spent years inside billion-dollar buyer rooms watching how real decisions are made.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Buyers don’t choose the “best” offer.

They choose the offer that aligns with 5 specific buyer decision criteria almost no one understands.

On January 20th at 1:00 PM EST,
I’m running a private masterclass.

We’re revealing all 5.

Not surface-level tactics.
Not marketing tricks.

The real buyer levers that make someone see you as the only obvious choice and confidently say yes.

Here’s a taste:

1. Why “being different” actually backfires, and what top buyers use instead to decide who wins the deal.

2. How certain purpose-led founders sell out $200K launches in 24 hours with zero ads or agencies.

3. The 2 hidden mechanisms that turn random growth into sustainable momentum you actually own.

This is the same playbook I used to approve and greenlight over $100M in buying decisions.

Founders have used these frameworks to scale from $1M to $50M+:

→ Without hiring bloated agencies,
→ Without stacking systems they don’t control,
→ And without burning out.

Seats are limited.
This masterclass will not be public.

Register now to unlock the private pre-video series before we go live.

Save your seat: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Krystal Lopez, Gabriela Longhi and 31 other attendees

5 Billion-Dollar Buyer Secrets Masterclass | Make Customers Choose YOU!

If you want to learn how to be the only choice in your niche

Join my Live Today in my $Billion Dollar Buyer Secrets Masterclass

If you are a founder with a burning mission inside you

To make a difference in the world, this is for YOU

Here is why

This year, we are sitting at an amazing crossroads

We are in the middle of the biggest wealth transfer in history

It is the generational wealth transfer to millennials and Gen Z 

$87 Trillion Wealth Transfer

And this generation cares about one thing more than anything

That is buying with purpose

They know that what you buy defines who you are, and your legacy

But here is the thing

Buyers are overwhelmed with choice right now

And they don't want more choice

What they want is The ONLY Choice

So if you are a Founder, Coach, or Consultant who

Is tired of being overlooked or undervalued

And want one simple roadmap to become The Only Choice

Join me today, this is not a recording, this is LIVE with me, Sara Simmonds

These secrets are making founders over $7 Figure increases to their business

So if you want this year to be the year you break through and scale

Join me today, click this link: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Together we will transform our world

Love Sara

BECOME THE ONLY CHOICE TODAY

Why I Never Talk About Business On Saturdays

One Reason:

We need space each day and each week to zoom out

Think about it

How much of your time do you spend zoomed in?

Hyper focused on the nitty gritty of your day?

Hyper focused on getting that result?

Here is what I learned

Results do not come from

Hyperfocusing on the goal
Obsessing over the goal
Worrying about the goal

Results come from

Hyperfocusing on your process
Obsessing over your system
Joyously expecting the realisation of your goal

Learning to Zoom out resets your mind

Taking time every day and each weekend to zoom out and get lost in nature

It's a great way to do this

Remember this

Balance is the way to win

Together we will transform our world

Love Sara

Have you started the New Year trying to fix your brand, your website, or your offer, thinking that’s why sales feel slow?

That’s exactly why most founders get overlooked while weaker competitors close faster.

After years inside billion-dollar buyer rooms, here’s the real truth:

Buyers don’t choose the best offer.

They choose the one that activates 5 specific psychological switches.

We’re going live TOMORROW

📅 January 6 at 12 PM CST

We’re excited to have you tomorrow for this private masterclass, where I’ll break down exactly what those switches are and how to use them to make buyers say yes, fast.

No fluff.

No theory.

Just real decision-making levers.

153 founders already registered

Only 7 spots left

Start your year with the skills that actually drive revenue.

Book your seat here: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

How I Sold A Billionaire a 50K Offer in 7 days (using my buyer intelligence framework) 

I was talking to one of my team members the other day, explaining my buyer intelligence framework

That I teach Founders

Sara's 5 steps in Sustainable scale

1. Transform to a Category Of One
2. Focus on what you deliver that is a High Impact Offer
3, Implement a Social Selling Game Plan
4. Build a "Real Power Is You" Mindset
5. Stemise everything

And we got talking about step 3 Implement a Social Selling Game Plan

The first time I used this method, I built a $300K launch from scratch

The second time, I sold a Billionaire a $50K High Impact Offer in 7 days

The secret sauce of HOW I did that - I will reveal in my LIVE Masterclass Next TUESDAY

If you want to lift the veil on digital marketing, that is so simple that anyone can do this

And on what buyers really want to buy today to close 5, 6, and 7 figure deals

Join me LIVE:

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Link Below to Sign UP

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

I help founders simplify scaling.

You started your business. You pushed past $1M. Now you're stuck somewhere between $3M and $10M, working harder than ever but not moving faster.

The problem isn't effort. It's complexity.

Too many priorities competing for attention. Financials that don't tell you what to do next. A team that still needs you for everything. Growth that feels like grinding instead of building.
I fix that.

I'm Cruz Gamboa, founder of Ascend Growth Ventures. I combine Scaling Up methodology with CFO-level financial clarity to help founders cut through the noise and scale with confidence.

Before this, I spent 25 years in corporate finance - including Regional CFO at GE and strategic finance leadership at GE Capital. I've seen what works at scale. Now I bring that to founders building something that matters.

I work best with CEOs in professional services, coaching, SaaS, and service-based businesses who are ready to scale profitably without burning out.

One conversation can change your trajectory: calendly.com/cruzagamboa/call-with-cruz-ascend-30min

Cruz Gamboa

Scaling isn’t about being nice.
It’s about being clean.

Clean with roles.
Clean with standards.
Clean with truth.

You don’t fire people.
You outgrow misalignment.

As the Netflix CEO puts it:

“If I wouldn’t fight to keep you, I owe you honesty—and a generous exit.”

Not because someone failed.
But because one of three things is true:
•	The role evolved faster than the person
•	The seat was wrong from the start
•	The bar moved—and the company didn’t move it back

High-performing companies don’t drag this out.
They decide early and act with dignity.

No drama.
No ego.
No moral stories.

Just:
•	Radical clarity
•	Respectful exits
•	Fair severance
•	Clean energy left behind

Dragging misalignment is the real cruelty.
Clarity is the kindness.

Scaling isn’t loyalty to individuals.
It’s loyalty to the mission, the team, and the future.

Right people.
Right seats.
Right standards.

And when someone no longer fits?
You don’t shame them.
You set them free.

If you want to scale, stop managing discomfort.
Start architecting teams.

Managers hesitate.
Leaders make room.

#scalingup #founders #growth #ceo

Most businesses don’t fail because they’re bad.

They fail because they’re trying to be someone else.

Burger King copied McDonald’s for 30 years.
Same audience.
Same positioning.
Same “family-friendly” nonsense.

And they kept losing.

Because you can’t beat the market leader
by playing their game better than them.

By 2004, Burger King was dying.
So they asked the only question that actually matters:

“Who is already buying from us?”

Not who they *wanted*.
Not who looked good in presentations.

The truth.

The answer?
Men aged 18–34.
Heavy fast-food users.
People who came back again and again.

And those customers didn’t want:

➡️ Safe
➡️ Cute
➡️ Corporate

They wanted:

➡️ Flame-grilled food
➡️ Control
➡️ Edge
➡️ Personality

So Burger King stopped pretending.

They brought back “Have It Your Way.”
Not as a slogan.
As a strategy.

They built everything around that one customer.

Marketing got bold.
Messaging got raw.
Campaigns got polarizing.

Subservient Chicken.
Whopper Freakout.

Not for everyone.
Exactly the point.

What happened next?

Same-store sales jumped.
Franchises grew.
And net income increased 2860% in three years.

That’s not a pivot.
That’s a resurrection.

Burger King didn’t beat McDonald’s.

They sidestepped them.

McDonald’s owned families.
Burger King owned young men who wanted control.

Different customer.
Different lane.
No direct competition.

Here’s the real lesson:

If you try to serve everyone,
you get ignored by everyone.

The fastest way to grow isn’t copying the leader.

It’s finding the customer they don’t care about
and building obsessively for them.

Specific beats broad.
Always.

#ceo #founder #growth

Most businesses don’t fail from lack of effort.

They fail from listening to themselves instead of the market.

Dunkin didn’t pivot loudly.

They pivoted quietly by watching what people kept paying for. 

Then they let the data rewrite their identity.

That’s the real upgrade:
✅ Feelings → Facts
✅ Ego → Evidence
✅ deas → Income that repeats

The market is always talking.

Your sales are the language.

So here’s the uncomfortable check:
What do people come back for again and again?

And are you building more of that… or still pitching what you’re emotionally attached to?
#scalingup #CEO #founder #growth

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cruzgamboadrive

patagonia-solar-llc

Your First Product Is Not Your Last

Bill Gates could have flown First Class every day or flown on his own plane, even as a billionaire, 

But he chose to fly Economy until around 1997.

Why?

Because it wasn’t worth the money.

Same plane.
Same arrival time.
5× the cost for a tiny upgrade.

That’s how smart people think about scale.

Most people make money and immediately upgrade their lifestyle.

Smart operators upgrade what makes money.

More spending doesn’t equal more growth.
It usually equals more noise.

When you’re scaling, ask one question:
👉 Does this change the outcome?

If it doesn’t:
Cut it.

A fancy office doesn’t increase revenue.
A luxury car doesn’t improve execution.
Premium tools don’t fix broken systems.

Wealth has one real job:
Buy back your time.

Once you have enough, the goal isn’t more stuff.
It’s fewer constraints.

Less distraction.
More focus.
More leverage.

Scale isn’t about looking successful.
It’s about building something that works without you.

That’s real wealth.
#scalingup #ceo #growth #founder

He was 78 years old
…when he launched a vodka brand
…with no distillery
…in an industry that laughed at him

Sidney Frank.
The man behind Grey Goose.

No product breakthrough.
No secret formula.
No startup hype.

Just one insight most people missed:
People don’t buy vodka. They buy status.

Sidney didn’t make better vodka.
He made a better story.

France on the label.
Luxury in the bottle design.
A price so high it forced belief.

While others chased volume,
he chased perception.

He didn’t market to the masses.
He placed Grey Goose in elite bars first.
When bartenders poured it,
the world followed.

He moved slowly.
Protected exclusivity.
Ignored trends.

8 years later:
➡ Grey Goose became the default “premium vodka”
➡ Competitors copied the look
➡ Bacardi paid $2.3 BILLION

No overnight success.
Just disciplined positioning.

Lesson most builders miss:
Innovation gets attention.
Positioning creates power.

Experience didn’t slow him down.
It sharpened him.

Long vision.
Clear narrative.
Unshakeable belief.

#founders #scalingup #businessstrategy #longtermthinking

The first $5M? Brutal.
The next $5M? Still hard.
After $10M? Growth accelerates.

Here’s the scaling truth Kevin O’Leary calls out:

The first $5M is about survival. You’re learning how to deploy capital, take smart risks, and build systems that work. 

Most entrepreneurs quit here.

The next $5M? 

Execution matters. You’ve survived the grind, learned what works, and can now scale with confidence. Decisions compound. Efficiency improves. Strategy becomes your edge.

Beyond $10M? You’re playing a different game. Capital works for you, not the other way around. Systems, processes, and disciplined execution create leverage.

Lesson: 

Wealth and business scales the same way. 

Master the first phase. 
Build discipline. 
Then scale.
#scalingup #founder #growth #ceo

Most people think Starbucks’ rewards program is about free coffee.

It isn’t.

It’s about cash flow.

Starbucks Rewards is not a loyalty perk.
It’s a prepaid deposit system.

When a customer loads money into the app, Starbucks gets paid before any coffee is made.
Accounting-wise, that money sits as deferred revenue.

But operationally?
It’s usable cash.

That’s the move.

Instead of waiting for daily transactions, Starbucks created a system where millions of customers fund operations in advance.

No interest.
No bank fees.
No dilution.
No debt.

Every preload improves:
✅ Working capital
✅ Liquidity
✅ Balance sheet strength

And Starbucks holds that cash until the customer redeems it.

Some never do.

Unused balances.
Forgotten cards.
Abandoned apps.

That “breakage” flows straight to profit.

Multiply this behavior across ~29 million users and you don’t have a rewards program anymore.

You have a deposit base.

This is why Starbucks scales so efficiently:
▶ Stores expand faster
▶ Cash flow stays predictable
▶ Capital stress stays low

They didn’t out-market competitors.
They re-engineered when money moves.

The lesson:-

Growth isn’t always about selling more.
Sometimes it’s about getting paid earlier.

Starbucks didn’t build loyalty.
They built a financial engine and wrapped it in a green apron.#ceo #scalingup #growth #ceo #founder

Most companies scale faster by cutting people.
Publix scaled stronger by owning the opposite.

95 years. Zero layoffs.
Not luck. Not culture posters.
A Scaling Up system done right.

➡ Promote from within
➡ Clear succession planning
➡ Everyone thinks like an owner
➡ Leaders built, not bought
➡ Long-term value over short-term savings

When people own the outcome, execution compounds.
When leadership is grown internally, trust scales.

This isn’t a feel-good story.
This strategy may not be your strategy. 
For Publix, It’s a people strategy that beat Walmart.

You have to find what it's true for your company. 

Scale isn’t about size.
It’s about who owns the results.

#scalingup #growth #CEO

No Layoffs?

ADIDAS LOST €1.5 BILLION.
NOT TO NIKE.
NOT TO THE MARKET.
BUT TO ITS OWN BUREAUCRACY.

January 2023:
Dead Yeezy stock.
First loss since 1992.
Slow teams. Scared decisions. Broken speed.

9 months later?
Profitable. Faster. Sharper. Beating Nike.

The turnaround wasn’t magic.
It was leadership.

One CEO did 3 things most companies avoid:
→ Cut layers
→ Killed approvals
→ Simplified what already worked

No hype.
No noise.
Just speed, clarity, and conviction.

Big lesson:
You don’t lose because you’re small.
You lose because you’re slow.

Sometimes the fix isn’t more strategy.
It’s less nonsense.

#scalingup #CEO #founders #growth

ADIDAS Story

He didn’t fail for 10 years.
The market just wasn’t ready yet.

Hwang Dong-Hyuk sold his $675 laptop to buy food.
Lived with his grandmother.
Got rejected for a decade.

Studios said:

➡️ Too weird
➡️ Too violent
➡️ Not commercial
➡️ Too complex

Same script.
Same idea.
Same “no”.

Here’s the part most people miss 👇

This wasn’t a talent problem.
It was a timing + distribution problem.

He had the product early.
The market came late.

In 2018, Netflix expands globally.
Needs bold, non-safe content.
Needs local stories with global emotion.

One exec reads the script and says:
“This is exactly what we need.”

$21.4M invested.
Zero marketing push.
No homepage love.

Result?

✓ #1 in 94 countries
✓ 1.65B viewing hours
✓ $900M+ value created
✓ Best ROI in Netflix history

Scaling lesson most founders ignore:

Great ideas don’t die.
They wait.

If you’re early:
Don’t dilute the vision to get small yeses.
Build proof elsewhere.
Survive long enough to meet the right platform.

Scaling isn’t about changing your idea.

It’s about finding the right leverage.

One right distributor > 1,000 wrong pitches.

Ten years of “weird”
became a global empire.

Sometimes the world just isn’t ready yet.

Stay in the game long enough… and it will be.
#scalingup #founderstories #growth #CEO

The World Isnt Ready

Growth without cash flow is just noise. 📉
Dives deeper into why founders who master cash strategy scale faster, stay resilient, and win long term.

Full Cash Is King podcast episode premiering Friday 🚀

🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next clips—and the full conversation.

👉 Set your reminder & watch the premiere here:
https://lnkd.in/eBnXhnie

#CashIsKing #DevinSizemore #PodcastShorts #BusinessPodcast
#CashFlowManagement #ScalingBusiness #FounderMindset
#SustainableGrowth #WealthStrategy #EntrepreneurLife
#YouTubePremiere #PodcastReels

GIANTS don’t fall overnight.
They fall one comfortable decision at a time.

They built the category.
Owned the market.
Had money, talent, and trust.

Then they did one thing wrong 👇
They stopped adapting.

Motorola. 
Intel. 
Netscape. 
Borders.

Not stupid.
Not unlucky.
Just late.

The market doesn’t punish failure.
It punishes complacency.

Scroll through this carousel if you want a reminder of one brutal truth:
➡️ Past success is not future security.
➡️ Comfort is more dangerous than competition.
➡️ If you’re not improving, someone else is preparing to replace you.

Stay hungry.
Or become a case study.
#SCALINGUP #CEO #FOUNDER #GROWTH

CRITICAL MISTAKES

Most people don’t need a new year.

They need a new operating system.

2026 won’t reward louder marketing, more hustle, or more tools.
It will reward founders who build clarity early and compound it fast.

What I’m seeing with founders between $3M–$10M is consistent:
• When financial visibility improves, decisions slow down in the right way
• Leadership shifts from reactive to intentional
• Teams stop guessing and start executing
• Growth becomes calmer, not heavier

Breakthroughs rarely come from doing more.
They come from removing noise and tightening the system.
That’s the mindset I’m taking into 2026.

Less chaos. More leverage. Fewer moves. Better ones.

If you’re also thinking about how you want to operate differently next year, I wrote a short piece on what actually creates momentum at this stage.

DM me or write "2026", and I will share the memo I wrote for my clients and friends with you.

#ceo #founder #scalingup

He refused to touch a $1.50 hot dog, and it helped build a ~$250B business.

Jim Sinegal.
Costco co-founder.

Inflation hit.
Costs rose.
Wall Street pushed the obvious move:

“Raise prices.”

Jim’s response was blunt:

“If you raise the price of the hot dog, you’re done.”

No slides.
No consultants.
No narrative gymnastics.

Just a rule.

So Costco did what most companies won’t:

They redesigned the system.
* Built their own production capacity
* Reduced supplier dependency
* Ruthlessly simplified SKUs
* Absorbed costs where trust mattered most

Instead of passing pain to customers, they owned it.

While others:
→ Blamed inflation
→ Shrunk products
→ Optimized short-term margins

Costco:
→ Held the line on iconic prices
→ Added ~5M new member households
→ Sustained ~92% renewal rates
→ Scaled to ~$250B in annual revenue

Here’s the part most founders miss:

They weren’t protecting a hot dog.

They were protecting trust.

And trust compounds faster than margins ever will.

Most companies raise prices to survive.
Strong companies redesign economics so prices don’t have to.

Boring moves.
Brutal discipline.
Unfair long-term advantage.

So what’s the one price, promise, or principle in your business that you refuse to break, no matter the pressure?

#scalingup #founders #leadership #pricing #ceo

In 1997, Jeff Bezos was stressed for all the right reasons.

Amazon was losing money.
Online retail wasn’t proven.
Most investors thought he was wrong.

Here’s the part people miss:

Stress doesn’t come from working hard.
It comes from knowing what to do and not doing it.

So Bezos acted.
Packed boxes himself.
Made the calls.
Shipped anyway.

No fancy office.
A door for a desk.
A Honda Accord in the parking lot.

Fast forward to amazon have $2.6 TRILLION market cap.

Lessons for founders:

▶️ Action kills anxiety
▶️ Clarity is earned through execution
▶️ Fancy setups don’t build big companies
▶️ Ignore opinions, obey the math
▶️ The long game compounds quietly

If something is stressing you out right now,
it’s probably your to-do list calling you out.

#scalingup #founder #ceo #growth

If everything is a priority, nothing scales.

That’s why most companies don’t stall from lack of ideas.
They stall from lack of focus.

The Power of One fixes that brutally fast.

Here’s the rule:

At every level of the business, there is ONE thing that matters more than everything else.

Not a vision board.
Not 12 KPIs.
One outcome that moves the needle now.

Company:
→ One #1 priority for the quarter that makes growth unavoidable.

Leaders:
→ One measurable result they own. No hiding. No excuses.

Teams:
→ One clear objective that directly supports the company's priority.

Individuals:
→ One commitment that, if done daily, makes execution inevitable.

Why this works (and why most won’t do it):

➡️ Focus beats intelligence
➡️ Clarity beats motivation
➡️ Ownership beats meetings
➡️ Execution beats strategy decks

Scaling isn’t about adding more people, more tools, or more plans.

It’s about removing everything that doesn’t matter
until what’s left cannot fail.

That’s the Power of One.

What is the one thing in your business that is calling for your full dedicated attention?

What are the things you are willing to pause so that you can fix it and remove the constraint?

#scaling #founders #growth #ceo

This is Why Companies Fail

Most founders do not have a growth problem.

They have a strategy stacking problem.

That is what the 7 Strata of Strategy solves.

It is a framework created by Verne Harnish to force clarity on the 7 layers that actually drive scale, profitability, and differentiation.

Not vision statements.
 Not buzzwords.
 Real strategic leverage.

What is the 7 Strata?

A practical checklist for building a strategy that compounds.

It answers one question:

“Why should the right customer choose you, pay you more, and stay longer?”

When to use it

Use the 7 Strata when:
• Revenue has stalled between $3M to $10M
 • Sales feels harder than it should
 • Margins are thin
 • Marketing sounds generic
 • The team cannot clearly explain why you win
 • You are scaling but complexity is rising faster than profit

It is especially powerful during:
• Annual planning
 • Strategy resets
 • Go-to-market changes
 • Repositioning
 • Pre-scale phase

What each Stratum means

Words You Own
 The category in the customer’s mind.
 If you do not define it, the market will.

Sandbox
 Who you serve and where you win.
 Focus creates power.

Brand Promise
 The measurable result customers can expect.

Brand Promise Guarantee
 How you reduce risk and increase trust.

Differentiating Activities (3 to 5)
 What you do differently that competitors cannot easily copy.

X-Factor
 Your 10x to 100x structural advantage.
 Process, data, network, cost, or ecosystem.

Profit per X + BHAG
 Your economic engine and long-term target.

This is where strategy meets money.

Why 7 Strata?

Because advantage is layered.

Most companies operate with 2 or 3 layers.

Strong companies stack all 7.

Each layer multiplies the others:

Positioning
 → Focus
 → Trust
 → Differentiation
 → Structural advantage
 → Profit engine
 → Long-term dominance

Miss one, and growth leaks.

The founder truth

If your strategy cannot be explained on one page, it cannot scale.

Clarity is not a branding exercise.
 It is a profit lever.

If you are operating between $3M to $10M and growth feels heavier every year, your next breakthrough is probably not more hustle.

It is a sharper stack.

If you want, I can share the worksheet I use with founders to map this in under 60 minutes.

Just DM SEVEN

#scaling #growth #CEO #founder

Cash flow isn’t optional—it’s the #1 rule behind sustainable business growth 💸
In this episode, Devin Sizemore breaks down how smart cash strategy fuels scale, stability, and long-term success.

Full podcast episode premiering 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝟳𝗔𝗠 𝗘𝗦𝗧 🚀

🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next reels and the full episode.

👉 Set your reminder & watch the premiere here:
https://lnkd.in/eBnXhnie

#CashIsKing #DevinSizemore #BusinessPodcast #PodcastReels
#CashFlow #EntrepreneurMindset #ScalingBusiness #FounderTalk
#SustainableGrowth #WealthStrategy #StartupGrowth

Most founders brag about revenue.

That’s a mistake.

I’ve seen companies doing millions a year…
and the owner is still stressed, still stuck, still one bad month away from panic.

Why?

Because revenue doesn’t buy freedom.
Profit does.

More revenue without profit just gives you:

• More people
• More complexity
• More risk
• Same lifestyle

That’s not growth.
That’s leverage working against you.

Here’s the truth:

Growth does not start with selling more.
It starts with a profitable system.

There are only 3 levers that matter:

1. Price – Are you charging what it’s worth?

2. Volume – Are these the right customers?

3. Cost – Are you efficient without breaking delivery?

Everything else is noise.

Fix those three, and profit shows up.

Profit gives you:

➡️ Margin for mistakes
➡️ Proof the model works
➡️ Room to breathe

Profit turns into cash.

Cash pays the team.
Cash pays you.
Cash funds growth without stress.

Then you reinvest:
Better people.
Better systems.
Better clients.

That feeds the engine.

The engine creates more profit.

And now growth funds itself.

Stop asking:
❌ “How do we get more revenue?”

Start asking:
✅ “How do we make this system more profitable?”

Revenue is movement.
Profit is power.

If your business feels fragile, it’s because it is.

Fix the system.
The money follows.

Are you focused on more revenues or more profit in your business?  What would your business look like if you had more profit with the same amount of revenue?

#scalingup #growth #Ceo #founder

The Real Reason Teams Don’t Execute!

Most businesses don’t have a strategy problem.
They have a focus problem.

Everyone is busy.
Everyone is “working hard.”
And somehow… nothing meaningful gets finished.

That’s exactly what Rocks fix.

Rocks are the 3–5 outcomes that MUST get done in the next 90 days for the business to move forward.

Not tasks.
Not habits.
Not “stay consistent.”

Outcomes.

If you complete these Rocks, the quarter is a win.
If you don’t, the quarter failed, no matter how busy everyone was.

Why Rocks are non-negotiable:

Most teams run on to-do lists.
To-do lists reward activity, not progress.

Rocks:

➡️ Force leadership to choose what actually matters
➡️ Eliminate distraction disguised as “work”
➡️ Create alignment across teams
➡️ Make execution visible and measurable

If a company has more than 5 priorities, it has zero priorities.

How to implement Rocks the right way (no shortcuts):

1️⃣ Limit them aggressively
3–5 Rocks per quarter.
More than that means you’re avoiding hard decisions.

2️⃣ One Rock = One Owner
If two people own it, no one owns it.
Ownership creates accountability.

3️⃣ Write Rocks as finish lines
Bad Rock: “Improve marketing”
Good Rock: “Generate 500 qualified leads by March 31”

If it’s not measurable, it’s not a Rock.

4️⃣ Review weekly, not quarterly
Rocks die in companies that “set and forget.”
Weekly check-ins expose excuses early.

5️⃣ Protect Rocks from urgency
If a task doesn’t move a Rock forward,
it’s noise, no matter how loud it sounds.

Execution doesn’t fail because people are lazy.
It fails because leaders refuse to choose.

Scaling starts when focus becomes a discipline.

Are you ready to implement the same operating system Fortune 500 companies have used for decades, and today’s fastest-scaling founders rely on to grow?

DM CLARITY, lets talk about what's going on in your company.

#scalingup #CEO #growth #founder

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