Mark MacLeod

I help startup CEOs go from $5M in revenue to a massive exit

Since 1999, I have sat at the right-hand side of the leaders of high growth technology companies as either a CFO, VC or deal maker. I served as CFO for software companies including Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) and Freshbooks. 

I was a General Partner in Real Ventures, one of Canada's largest and most active seed stage funds. My investments there include the fund's largest cash on cash and highest IRR returns to date. 

Most recently, I founded SurePath Capital Partners the leading investment bank for SMB SaaS companies where we did hundreds of millions in financing and exit transactions.

The thing I loved most about these roles was the one on one coaching and advisory conversations I had with CEOs. 

Since 2020 I have been coaching, investing in and advising CEOs + helping them execute game-changing deals.

I am a semi-active angel investor with a portfolio of 22 investments, 2 highly positive exits and counting.

In my spare time, I am a passionate CrossFit athlete and electronic music producer/ DJ. I also run Deep Down Music, a record label.

Founder

I coach, advise and invest in the CEOs of high growth technology companies & help them execute game-changing deals.

Just posted my interview with Vitaly Pecherskiy , CEO of StackAdapt.

The company went from 170 to 1,600 employees in 5 years. Crossed $500M in revenue. Bootstrapped early, then raised from tier-one growth investors.

Three takeaways:

✅ Own your destiny: When VCs passed early on, they built product and got it in customers' hands fast. That forced self-reliance became their operating DNA.

✅ Don't raise too early: Many founders overestimate TAM, raise too much capital, then can't grow into the valuation. By the time they exit, their shares are worthless. Vitaly delayed raising until traction proved the market was real.

✅ Product > Marketing: When asked about the state of advertising, Vitaly flipped it: "Great marketing is easier when you have a great product." Marketing teams should sit closer to product and influence its direction.

The full conversation covers scaling culture across 20 countries, transitioning to CEO after 9 years as co-founder, and building a $500M+ business without the typical VC playbook.

Link in comments and you can find it where ever you catch your podcasts.

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Certified Personal & Business Performance Coach

Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA)

An exclusive community of VC and PE-backed CEOs who want
to scale themselves and their companies without limits.

Limitless is an exclusive community of VC and PE-backed CEOs who want
to scale themselves and their companies without limits.

I coach startup CEOs to grow themselves and their business all the way to a massive exit

SurePath Capital Partners is the premier strategic financial advisor to the global SMB Software market. With offices in Toronto and San Francisco, we aim to be the #1 advisor in this space globally and the one call CEOs and board make when they need to make a deal happen.

I led finance and corporate development at FreshBooks - the #1 cloud accounting specialist for small business owners. Since 2004, over 5 million people have used FreshBooks to track time, organize expenses and invoice clients online and in the cloud.

Accomplishments:
- Closed $30M institutional funding round + other unpublished transactions
- Led the process to find a partner to backstop a new product line
- Sourced and closed other key revenue-generating partnerships

CFO + Chief Corporate Development Officer

Venture Partner

Parter at Real Ventures where I focus on SaaS, freemium, e-commerce and digital media seed investments

Director, Fabric Technologies
Director, Context.io (sold to Return Path)
Director, Frank and Oak
Observer, Rewardli Inc.
Investor, Thinknear.com (sold to Telenav)
Investor, Localmind.com (sold to Airbnb)
Investor, Massive Damage Inc.
Director, Sweet IQ (sold to Reachlocal)
Observer, Unbounce.com
Investor, Engagio (sold to Influitive)
Investor, Origin.al Internet Company General Partner

General Partner

CFO for Tungle - a great solution for meeting coordination.

Raised a $5M "A" round. Served as CFO through the successful sale of the company to RIM.

Interim CFO, Shopify
Advisor, Well.ca
Advisor, Cakemail 
Advisor, Dok Dok Inc 
Advisor, Raymark
Advisor, Sitezoogle 
Interim CFO, Status.net Inc.

Advisor & CFO

Led finance, operations, legal, HR, strategic planning functions for this mobile communications startup. Raised an $10M B round led by Flybridge. Raised an additional $1M in China. Made major improvements to execution, ops, key metrics, etc.

Led finance, operations, customer support, IT and manufacturing for this venture-backed networked storage vendor. Negotiated the sale of Terrascale to Rackable Systems (NASDAQ: RACK) in a deal returning 10x on invested capital.

VP, Finance

Prepared this 15 person IP networking startup for commercialization & ‘B’ round funding. Responsibilities included financing, all back office operations, investor + board relations and negotiation of all  agreements. Towards the end of my term, I was given increasing responsibility for OEM sales and strategic relationships.

Strategic consulting assignments: 
•	Advised on the sale of two software companies and the purchase of an education services company
•	Led the successful restructuring of an insolvent retailer. The company is now thriving and expanding
•	Enabled the restructuring & strategic refocus of a new media company that resulted in a 3x growth in revenues and 5x growth in profit & cash flow

President

Was responsible for Finance, Alliances and Corporate Development functions. Raised $19M in equity over 2 rounds + oversaw growth to over 100 people. Established many key partner relationships

Director, Finance + Corporate Development

Helping VC-backed CEOs scale themselves and their companies without limits. 
| Host of The Startup CEO Show podcast

CEO and Co-founder at StackAdapt

Helping VC-backed CEOs scale themselves and their companies without limits. | Host of The Startup CEO Show podcast

I'm giving up the one thing that's been holding me back.

For years, I've had a love/hate relationship with alcohol.

I LOVE champagne. I love the ritual. I love wine. I have studied it. 

But I know it's bad for me.

For years in my journal, I've noted how alcohol lowers my vibration. It holds me back.

I've decided to take a pause. One year. Nothing.

I'm sharing this for accountability. This will be hard.

I'm making a public promise to myself. I know it's the right thing.

As I help CEOs become limitless, I need to remove the thing that creates limits for me.

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If you think HR is just about hiring and firing, you haven't met Christine Song 

I just published my conversation with Christine, a multi-time Chief People Officer who's built strategic HR functions across corporate and startup worlds.

She breaks down what most founders get wrong about people:

→ Why HR needs to earn its seat at the table (not demand it)
→ How to speak truth to power, even if it costs you your job
→ Why investing in high performers beats fixing underperformers
→ The trap of hubristic hiring ("fat and happy" vs. high-performance)
→ How to build systems that scale people, not just product

Christine doesn't sugarcoat it. She's the leader who tells the CEO what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

She recently launched 5 to 9 Society, an invite-only network for elite operators. The kind of confidential, backdoor conversations that actually move business forward.

Everything in your business comes down to people.

If you're not treating people strategy as seriously as product or revenue, you're limiting your ceiling. See comments for the interview link.

Most CEOs make a fatal mistake when fundraising: They don't go for the NO. 

When I was a VC, I invested in 4% of the deals I saw. Imagine the deal flow of a partner in a top tier fund. You have to assume they are going to pass. Not because your company is bad. Just basic probability.

Too many CEOs waste so much time. They think a first pitch means interest. It doesn't! Even a 2nd meeting doesn't necessarily mean they are interested.

Andrew D'Souza, founder and CEO of Boardy (the company that I assume every single founder in N. America now knows...) recently shared his series A deck. It's not going to win any design awards, but it has a slide that I love:

Reasons NOT to invest.

Andrew calls it out. In fact, he begins the deck by stating what you need to believe in order to have conviction. Then later on he shares all the reasons not to invest.

I LOVE this. At FreshBooks, when we raised a growth round we had an entire presentation on the reasons not to invest. Of course, it was a bit of propaganda. We highlighted the reasons and then offered mitigating diligence. 
Still, we put the issues out there.

You need to do this when you raise. Don't hide them hoping they won't be found. You're just wasting time.

Go for the NO. Filter down rapidly to the investors who LOVE what you are doing.

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Founder of Boardy • Founder of Clearco (Clearbanc)

❌ "I'm a technical founder."

❌  "I'm not a sales guy."

❌  "I'm an introvert."

The moment you say these things, you've just built your own ceiling.

Every label is a limitation.

Your company needs you to evolve. Fast.

The role you played at $1M ARR won't work at $10M.

The leader you were with 10 people won't cut it with 100.

Stop defining yourself by what you were.

Start asking: Who do I need to become?

You have no limits except the ones you impose on yourself.

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Most CEOs set annual goals for their "Sunday self." The one who's rested, worked out, meditated, and firing on all cylinders.

But here's the truth: That's not the person running your business 90% of the time.

Real life is full of random Tuesdays. You wake up tired. An employee quits. Your kid is home sick. The deal you were counting on falls through.

This is your real baseline.

If you design your targets around your absolute best days, you're making it impossible to win. Because peak performance is rare. Consistency is what actually moves the needle.

Set goals for the version of you that shows up on a regular Tuesday in March, not the unicorn version that appears once in a while.

That's the person who gets you to December.

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The secret of my success has been following the same practice as Steve Jobs.

At his funeral, every guest received this book: Autobiography of a yogi. This is the story of Yogananda, the yogi who bought kriya yoga to the west.

The word “kriya” means “complete action”. Kriyas are yoga movements combined with breath work and breath locks. They are designed to create, move and stabilize energy. 

I discovered kundalini yoga, a form of kriya yoga, in 2012. I got serious about it in 2019. I now teach it. Kundalini yoga is the foundation of my life. Every day begins with practice. I see yoga not as the time on the yoga mat, but how I live my life. 

Kundalini is an energy practice. We all have dormant energy at the base of our spine. Through these kriyas we access this energy.

Studies have shown that this practice can turn on dormant parts of our brain. 

Why do I share this?

Despite being 2% of our body’s weight, our brain uses 20% of our energy. That’s for the average person. Imagine how much harder a founder’s brain works?

Energy is the key to your life. Energy is key to all of your dreams for your company.

It takes energy to create something from nothing. It takes to energy to create then keep up with massive growth.

If you want to turn your vision into reality, design your role, company and life around energy maximization. Kundalini yoga is how I did this. It has changed my life. 

Find the path that works for you. Make energy your top priority.

You wouldn't lead your company drunk.

So why are you leading it sleep-deprived?

After 17 hours awake, your brain performs like you're at 0.05% BAC.

That's legally impaired in most places.

Yet many CEOs run on six hours of sleep or less.

Sleep impairment is costly:

- 3x more likely to get sick
- 50% slower reaction times
- Triple the risk of diabetes
- 3.5x higher risk of hypertension

And these are the visible costs. The invisible cost is something you deal with non-stop. Chronic stress. Inability to think clearly. Lack of energy. Complete absence of joy.

Sleep deprivation doesn't just hurt you. It hurts your company. It hurts your family.

Worse decisions. More conflict. Weaker creativity. Higher burnout on your team.

You're not being hardcore. You're being inefficient.

What's the solution?

Treat sleep like your most important meeting. Non-negotiable. Seven hours minimum. Track it and improve it like any key metric in your company. This metric is the one that moves your company metrics.

Your brain compounds decisions daily. Sleep is how you clear the cache.

Limitless CEO knows: recovery isn't weakness. It's strategy.

Protect your sleep. Scale your capacity.

P.S.
Here's a random photo of my dog. If you need sleep lessons, she is the one to speak with...

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The best B2B brands are stealing from B2C playbooks.

My latest podcast guest proves it.

Reza Khadjavi (CEO of Motion) helps advertisers cut through the noise by combining science with creative that actually stops the scroll.

His journey includes:
✅  Disrupting his own agency to build Motion
✅  Navigating multiple AI waves and disrupting himself  again in the process
✅  Cracking the code on what makes creative work in today's noisy ad market

His biggest insight? B2B companies need way more consumer DNA in their marketing.

Most B2B brands are still playing it safe. Meanwhile, the ones winning attention are treating their audience like... humans.

See comments for episode link.

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CEO at Motion

You're not just a leader. You're a mental athlete, whether you realize it or not. 

Let's look at real athletes for a second.

They train obsessively. They perfect every move. They review their game tape. They have coaches, routines, and recovery days.

Their goal? Show up on game day at their absolute best.

But CEOs? You're expected to compete all day, every day. You never get "practice." You rarely hit pause.

That's a problem.

Here's where athletes have it right:

✅They don't just compete. They rest and review. 

✅ They don't go all out, all the time. They peak, then recover.

✅ they get real coaching and invest in support systems.

Want to level up in 2026?

Start treating yourself like a true mental athlete.

1. Prioritize physical fitness. Sleep, exercise and nutrition aren't "nice to haves" , they're high-performance tools.

2. Make rest strategic. You're paid to make decisions. Your mind needs clarity, not constant grind.

3. Review your performance. End each day with three questions: What went well? What didn't? What did I learn? Simple, powerful.

4. Get support. Every top athlete has coaches. CEOs need them too. Don't do it alone.

Personally, I use what I call my BOS (Business Operating System). It's a running chat, where I do my daily review, track patterns, and adjust my game.

If you've raised venture capital, the pressure to perform is real. Expectations are sky high.

So manage yourself like an elite athlete. Practice. Rest. Get support.

You'll be shocked at the difference this will make next year.

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The founder burnout myth nobody wants to admit:

If you're grinding 80-hour weeks, burnout isn't a risk. It's a certainty.

We love stories of founders at Meta, Stripe, Airbnb. We hear about their non-stop hustle, so we copy them. But there's a catch most people miss.

Those teams didn't just work hard, they started winning. And once you're winning, everything shifts.

Momentum changes how you feel. When your company becomes the market leader, the market pulls you forward. You wake up energized. You see results. The work fuels you. Your company has escaped gravity. Everything gets easier. 

But until then? You're just burning fuel to escape gravity. That's where most startups get stuck. The grind is unavoidable at first, but endless grind with no lift-off drains you, fast.

If you're still working endless hours and nothing feels lighter, you're not lazy. You're running out of energy because you haven't "escaped gravity" yet. And you can't brute-force your way through forever.

Here's the real dirty secret: The difference between burnout and breakthrough is simple. Progress.

Naval Ravikant said it best: "Startups die when founders run out of energy."

If you're not feeling the pull, stop pretending hustle is enough. Diagnose and work the problem. Be brutally honest. 

Ask yourself: "knowing everything I know about this company would I start it today"?

This question ignores sunk costs. It doesn't matter how long you have been at it. If the answer to this question is no, it's time for change.

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Most founders I meet are obsessed with the gaps.

What's broken. What's missing. What needs to be fixed.

They've trained themselves to scan for problems. It's how they got here.

But it's also stealing their joy.

You can't appreciate what's working when you're in constant high alert.

You miss the privilege of building something from nothing.
You miss the team that showed up and crushed it this quarter.
You miss the customer who just renewed because your product changed their business.

You're cutting yourself off from energy that actually fuels performance.

The irony? The CEOs who pause to appreciate what's working solve problems faster.

They're not stuck in anxiety. They're thinking clearly. Making better calls.

Gratitude isn't soft. It's strategic. It is an endless source of energy.

When you're grateful for the privilege of solving hard problems, you show up differently.

You stop chasing perfection and start creating momentum.

The gap will always be there. That's the nature of growth.

But so is everything you've already built.

Both are true. You get to choose which one you focus on.

The founders who last don't just optimize for performance.

They optimize for what makes the journey worth it.

Joy and gratitude are strategic.

Joy and gratitude will make your life better.

Joy and gratitude are self-fulfilling. The more you focus on them, the more you get of them.

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Last week I asked a CEO to declare schedule bankruptcy.

Blow up your calendar. Start from zero.

His days were back to back. No time to think. No time to execute. Just reacting.

"But these are all important meetings." Sure. But what are you optimizing for?

Your calendar should solve for two things:
1. Energy
2. Impact

Not accessibility. Not being helpful. Not keeping everyone happy.

Energy and impact.

So he is rebuilding from scratch.

What stays:
- Activities that leverage his unique superpowers
- Activities that give him energy
- Deep work blocks for his top strategic priorities

What goes:
- Status update meetings (send a doc)
- "Quick syncs" (usually not quick)
- FYI meetings (you don't need to be there)
- Networking coffees with no clear outcome

What gets blocked:
- Deep work blocks (energy)
- Exercise (energy)
- White space (both)

I can't wait to see the impact this has on his energy and the momentum of his business.

Most CEOs are calendar broke and don't know it.

You're spending time you don't have on things that don't matter.

Schedule bankruptcy isn't radical. It's necessary.

Your calendar is your strategy. Make it solve for what actually moves the business forward.

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Nobody on their deathbed wishes they worked more.

Yet here we all are, looking for ways to squeeze more hours into our weeks. 

There's a disconnect here. Something that we will likely regret in the end. 

The fix isn't working more. It's wasting less. So much of our time is wasted. Fix that and we don't need to search for more hours.

Stop tolerating:
- Chronic stress, fatigue and brain fog. You are not meant to live this way
- Meetings with no agenda
- Toxic team members
- Leaders who can't keep up with the company
- Projects that don't move the needle
- Interruptions disguised as "collaboration"

Start protecting:
- Your morning for deep work
- Your energy for what matters
- Your boundaries from urgency addiction

The limitless CEO doesn't outwork everyone. They outthink them. 

Limitless CEOs focus on physical, mental and spiritual health first. This gives them more energy, focus and inspiration. They direct that at unlocking the growth in their companies (and themselves). Creating a virtuous cycle.

Your company needs your creativity and energy, not your exhaustion.

Build the habits that expand what's possible without burning out.

That's the unlock. This is what we are doing Limitless.ceo

Limitless.ceo

Founders: stop pricing your deals for perfection.

Jason M. Lemkin just broke down the Brex acquisition: a $5.15B exit that's being called a "failure" because it's below their $12.3B peak valuation.

Think about that. A $5B exit. In 8 years. Called a failure.

This is what happens when you raise at valuations that require top 0.1% outcomes. You lose optionality. Jason calls these deals "hubristic". That nails it.

The problem isn't the capital. It's the expectations.

When you raise at $12B, a $5B exit isn't a win; it's a disappointment. The mercenaries who joined for paper gains leave. The narrative becomes "what went wrong" instead of "look what we built."

And it's happening again. Worse this time.

AI startups raising $2B seeds at $12B valuations. Before shipping products. Multiple funding rounds in one year. 3-4x markups in months.

Each round narrows your definition of success.

You're not just raising capital. You're setting the bar for what "winning" means to your team, your investors, and your ego.

A $3B exit sounds amazing—until you raised at $10B.

The founders who maintain optionality:
- Keep expectations grounded in reality
- Attract missionaries, not mercenaries 
- Preserve multiple paths to success
- Don't need perfection to win

I have raised over $1B in venture capital over the years. I never once went for the highest valuation. I always solved for the most aligned investor and the deal that would enable me to sleep at night.

Price for success, not perfection. Keep your options open.

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Here's how to get ahead of 99% of other founders:

Build a daily learning loop.

End each day with 4 questions:

1. What did I do well today?
2. What could I have done better?
3. What did I learn?
4. What adjustments do I need to make tomorrow?

Five minutes. That's it.

Most founders never do this. They just keep going. Same patterns. Same blind spots. Same results. 

The ones who scale themselves faster than their companies? They extract the lesson before moving on.

They notice when a decision worked, and why.
They catch patterns in what's not working before it becomes a crisis.
They adjust in real time rather than when something breaks (most often it is the founder that breaks).

The best founders go through compound learning.

Each day builds on the last. You get sharper. Faster. More deliberate.

Start tonight. Four questions. Five minutes.

That's the difference between grinding and growing.

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We read a lot about the big outliers. The multi-billion $ market leaders. That's interesting but not relevant. That's not your world. And it's not my world. 

It's far more relevant to hear stories from founders who are closer to our reality.

Blair Livingston founder of Street Context is a story teller like no other. I was enthralled listening to his journey. I wanted to be sitting by a campfire.

There is so much actionable and inspirational goodness in the episode. 

Check out "The Startup CEO Show" where ever you catch your podcasts.

Episode link in the comments.

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Tinkering at Contextual Markets

Darrell Heaps took Q4 public. Then took it private with PE. 

18 years leading one company through every stage of growth.

Most founders don't make it past Series B. Darrell stayed in the CEO seat through IPO, private equity, and exit.

He was on the podcast last year. If you missed it, here's what he learned:

✅ Going public isn't the finish line. It's a new set of constraints. Quarterly pressure. Public scrutiny. Different growth expectations.

✅ PE brings capital and operational rigor. But you trade some control for expertise and resources.

✅ Leadership evolves. What got you to $10M won't get you to $100M. You have to grow faster than the business or you become the ceiling.

Darrell stayed focused on customer value through every transition. Product-market fit at scale. Revenue growth is the unlock.

Not chasing trends. Not optimizing for the fundraise. Building something durable.

If you're a B2B SaaS founder thinking about what comes after Series B, this interview is worth your time.

Link in comments.

The real reason you can't sleep? You're trying to finish the workday in your head after hours.

Most CEOs lie in bed replaying conversations, solving problems, planning tomorrow. That's not insomnia. That's unfinished business.

When I was at FreshBooks, this happened to me all the time. I called them "freshmares" (FreshBooks nightmares).

Your brain doesn't care that it's 11pm. If you didn't close the loops, it will close them for you.

Spend 10 minutes at the end of your work day:
- Do a quick review: what went well today? What did not? What did I learn?
- Write down what's unresolved
- Capture tomorrow's priorities
- Acknowledge what you completed

Ideally this work day should end hours before you want to sleep.

You need a simple closing ritual to signal to your body that you are done. 

Even though I work from home, I change my clothes when my work day is done. I get outside if it's nice out. I change my context completely.

Your brain needs permission to stop working.

Give it that before you ask it to sleep.

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Most CEOs are running on fumes by 2 pm.

Burnt out. Scattered. Making decisions that matter with zero energy left.

I used to be the same. Until I rebuilt my day around energy, not efficiency.

Here's what changed:

No meetings before noon:

Mornings are for deep work. Writing. Podcast recording. Program design. This is when my brain works best. I protect it ruthlessly.

I work out before lunch:

This resets me. I'm not grinding through the afternoon. I'm starting fresh with full energy for my clients.

I batch my coaching calls:

All client work happens in the afternoon. I'm in flow state. Full focus. No context switching between a coaching call and a budget review.

I stop when the work is done:

Not when I'm exhausted. When my priorities are complete. Then I actually rest.

Sleep is non-negotiable:

Same bedtime every night. Wind-down ritual. Today's performance started with last night's sleep.

This isn't about discipline. It's about design.

Your calendar either protects your energy or destroys it.

Most CEOs let their calendar happen to them. Then wonder why they're making million-dollar decisions at 6 pm when they're mentally done.

You can't scale a company faster than you can scale yourself.

Start with energy. Everything else follows.

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Evan Nierman

Founder & CEO, Red Banyan PR | Author of Top-Rated Newsletter on Communications Best Practices

I'm the Founder and CEO of Red Banyan, an international public relations and crisis management firm that exists to press the truth and deliver results. My team and I specialize in high-stakes PR, cancel culture response, litigation communications, and complex reputational challenges that require creative thinking, strategic clarity, and unshakable judgment.

For more than two decades, I’ve helped CEOs, public figures, law firms, and global brands navigate their most difficult moments. Whether it’s a viral controversy, a legal dispute, or a reputational crisis, I bring deep media experience and a relentless commitment to exceeding expectations.

I’m also the author of The Cancel Culture Curse and Crisis Averted, and I frequently appear on major news outlets like Fox News, CNN, BBC, and Newsmax to share insights on cancel culture, media strategy, and crisis communications.

🔹 Founder & CEO of Red Banyan
🔹 Author of The Cancel Culture Curse and Crisis Averted
🔹 Regular media commentator on PR and reputation issues
🔹 Trusted advisor to executives, attorneys, and public figures
🔹 Featured in Newsweek, PRWeek, The Washington Post, and Forbes

My mission is simple: help people and organizations tell their stories truthfully, strategically, and powerfully—especially when the stakes are highest.

📩 Learn more at www.redbanyan.com

Founder and CEO

Red Banyan Group is a strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, crisis management and marketing.  Red Banyan Group combines creative thinking, steady judgment shaped by experience and a relentless commitment to achieving results for its clients.  Red Banyan offers a wide array of services, including: media relations, crisis management, marketing, corporate communications, litigation support, social and digital media, copywriting and editing and media training.

Staying in a “good mood” isn’t the point.
Staying composed is.

In moments of pressure, leaders don’t earn trust by being upbeat.
They earn it by being steady.

When stress rises, people stop listening to explanations.

They start reading signals.

Your tone.

Your pace.

Your presence.

I’ve seen reputations damaged not by bad decisions
but by how pressure showed up in a leader’s voice.

Composure isn’t emotional detachment.

It’s emotional discipline.

It’s the ability to remain clear
when others are reacting.

That steadiness doesn’t just calm the room.

It restores credibility.

In a crisis, your emotional control becomes public leadership.

Follow for weekly insights on leadership, reputation, and crisis communication.

Kindness is often misunderstood in leadership.
Especially in moments of pressure.

In a crisis, many leaders believe strength means distance.

Control. Silence. Authority.

But the moments people remember most
are rarely the loud ones.

They remember who stayed human
when it was easier not to.

Over the years, I’ve watched reputations rise and fall under stress.

Not based on decisions alone
but on how those decisions were delivered.

Kindness is not softness.

It’s clarity without cruelty.

Accountability without humiliation.

Leadership without ego.

People do not expect perfection from leaders.

They expect fairness.

And long after the headlines fade,
what remains is how people felt working with you
when things were hard.

That memory outlasts any press cycle.

Leadership is not about being liked.

It is about being respected
even when the pressure is high.

Follow for weekly insights on leadership, reputation, and crisis communication.

Integrity is not measured when everything is calm.
It is measured when there is risk.

In a crisis, everyone claims to have values.

Very few actually demonstrate them.

Over years of working with leaders under pressure, a clear pattern emerges.

People with real integrity do not behave ideally.

They take responsibility when it is most costly.

This is what it looks like in practice:

They do not say what sounds best first.
They take ownership before they are forced to.
They do not trade truth for short-term peace.
They think in terms of long-term reputation, not today’s headline.
They protect people, even when it is unpopular.
They admit mistakes without drama or excuses.

These are not motivational traits.

They are reputational decisions.

The difference between a good leader and a trusted one
is not charisma.

It is behavior when there is no perfect option.

Integrity does not build image.

It determines whether image survives a crisis.

Follow for weekly insights on reputation, crisis PR, and leadership under pressure.

Many experienced entrepreneurs don’t stumble because they lack knowledge. They stumble because they rely too heavily on themselves.

As a company grows, a leader who doesn’t delegate,
doesn’t build a culture of trust,
and doesn’t surround themselves with people stronger than them
eventually becomes the constraint to growth.

True leadership doesn’t come from control.

It comes from self-awareness, trust, and the willingness to let others lead.

Experience doesn’t eliminate blind spots. It often hides them.

In this article, I share five leadership mistakes even seasoned entrepreneurs make

and how they quietly limit growth if left unaddressed.

Grateful to Entrepreneurs'​ Organization’ for the opportunity to explore this topic with their community.

The leaders who scale the furthest are the ones willing to examine what success can make easy to miss.

Read the full article here:

https://lnkd.in/gqD5W4HT

People won’t remember what happened.
They’ll remember how you handled it.

Years after a crisis ends, most people won't recall the details.

The timeline. The investigation findings. The resolution.

What they remember is simpler—and more powerful.

How you showed up.

Whether you seemed scared or steady.

If you told the truth or hid behind lawyers.

Whether you cared more about protecting yourself or doing what was right.

Here's what outlasts the crisis:

1.) Your tone.
Did you sound human or like a press release?
Did you show empathy or just manage liability?

2.) Your presence.

Did you show up when it was hard or disappear until it was safe?
Leaders who face the moment earn respect.
Leaders who vanish lose it permanently.

3.) Your honesty.
Did you own the mistake or spin it?

People can forgive failure. 
They don't forgive dishonesty.
One moment of raw accountability outlasts a dozen polished statements.

4.) Your composure.

Crisis reveals character.

If you panicked, people saw it. If you stayed calm, they felt it.

Composure doesn't mean hiding emotion. It means showing strength when everyone else is looking for it.

I've watched crises fade from headlines within weeks.

But the leaders who handled them well—or poorly—are still defined by those moments years later.

Because facts blur. Emotions stick.

People remember how you carried yourself when everything was falling apart.

Not what the official statement said.

Not what the settlement amount was.

But whether you showed up with integrity, empathy, and courage—or didn't.
The crisis will end.

What you do during it lasts forever.

What people think about you often matters more
than what you actually do.

This might sound surprising, but in reality, perception drives everything.

Your reputation isn't built just on the actions you take.

It's shaped by how the public perceives those actions.

In a world where information spreads faster than ever, perception is often reality.

So, why does your reputation matter more than anything else?

Because in business, trust is the foundation of everything.

From customers to partners, employees to investors, how people feel about your brand influences their decisions, loyalty, and engagement.

Here’s the truth:

When people trust you, they listen to your message, engage with your brand, and stand by you even when times are tough.

But when trust is broken, no amount of good work can fix it.

In a crisis, managing perception can mean the difference between a minor setback and a business-ending scandal.

Reputation is your most valuable asset because it directly impacts:

1.) Customer loyalty
2.) Brand perception
3.) Growth opportunities
4.) Crisis resilience
5.) Leadership influence

To build and protect your reputation, you have to be consistent, transparent, and always in tune with how your actions are perceived especially in moments when you’re under pressure.

When perception is managed well, it doesn’t just protect your business; it propels it forward.

Your reputation isn't just what you've done. 

It's what others believe you've done.

And that belief drives success.

In a crisis, people don’t hear facts first.
They feel.

It’s a critical lesson that many leaders realize too late.

In the heat of the moment, emotions are high. 

Explanations struggle to stick. 

Details blur, and timelines become difficult to follow.

Not because the truth doesn’t matter — but because people’s emotions are overpowering their ability to process information.

Emotion shapes attention. 

It creates the lens through which everything is viewed.

The most effective leaders know that facts alone won’t carry them through a crisis.

They recognize that addressing how people feel is just as important as providing the truth. 

They lead by creating an emotional foundation first, building trust and clarity before moving into the facts.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Acknowledge feelings. 
You can’t move forward until people feel heard.

Speak with clarity, not defensiveness. 
A calm, composed message sets the tone.

Give space before precision. 
Sometimes, presence matters more than perfect facts.

Empathy in these moments isn’t a sign of weakness.

It’s a strategic move that helps ground the conversation and brings people back to a place of understanding, even in the chaos.

In uncertain times, being heard can be just as powerful as being right.

Leading with empathy allows you to regain control of the narrative and build the trust needed to move forward.

Before you say anything publicly,
ask yourself one question:

"Would I say this if I knew it would be quoted out of context?"

Because it will be.

Every statement you make can be clipped, screenshotted, and reshared without the nuance you intended.

The careful explanation gets reduced to a soundbite.

The context disappears.

And what's left is whatever fits in a headline or a tweet.

Here's what this question forces you to consider:
Can this be misunderstood?

If your statement requires explanation to be accurate, it's vulnerable.

Simplify it. Clarify it. 

Make it stand on its own.

Does this sound defensive without the full context?

Tone matters more than intent.

If a single sentence sounds evasive or dismissive when isolated, rewrite it.
Would I stand by this if it were the only thing people remembered?

Your most quotable line will become your legacy from that moment.

Make sure it's one you can live with.

Am I saying this for me—or for them?

If your statement is about protecting your ego or winning an argument, it will backfire.

If it's about clarity, accountability, and truth, it will hold.

The best leaders assume every word will be taken out of context.

And they speak in a way that still holds up when it is.

Because you don't control how your words get used.

You only control whether they can survive on their own.

You can’t build credibility in the middle of an attack.
By then, the narrative has already chosen sides.

The internet has changed how reputations are attacked — and how they’re lost.

Today, you don’t need facts to win a narrative.

You need speed, volume, and emotion.

I’ve seen baseless claims turn into “truth” simply because they were repeated often enough, by enough people, in the right corners of the internet.

Once that happens, accuracy becomes secondary to belief.

That’s how bad actors win online.

A few hard realities leaders underestimate:

False narratives spread faster than the truth. 

Research consistently shows misinformation outperforms facts, especially when outrage is involved.

Debunking can backfire. 

Repeating a lie, even to correct it, often amplifies it further.

Belief drives damage. 

Once enough people accept a story, whether it’s true stops mattering. 

Reputations suffer anyway.

Online collectives magnify this effect.

Volume creates legitimacy. 

Repetition creates confidence.

And suddenly, a fringe claim feels mainstream.

The brands and leaders who fare best don’t wait for attacks to peak.

They build credibility early, communicate consistently, and understand that narrative control is proactive, not reactive.

In a digital environment that rewards outrage, the goal isn’t to win every argument.

It’s to make sure your truth is present, clear, and credible before misinformation fills the vacuum.

Because once a false story hardens, reversing it takes exponentially more effort.

And by then, the damage is already done.

The fastest way to lose control in a crisis
is to let others explain your silence.

In a crisis, social media is a weapon.

The question is: are you wielding it—or is it being used against you?

I've seen brands navigate crises brilliantly on social media.

And I've seen them implode because of one careless post.

The difference isn't luck.

It's strategy.

Social media moves fast. Too fast for most crisis teams to keep up.

But when used correctly, it can protect your reputation, control the narrative, and keep your audience engaged.

When used poorly, it amplifies the damage and gives critics ammunition.

Here's how to make social media work for you—not against you—during a crisis:

1. Stay silent if the source is unreliable.
Not every fire needs your attention.

Sometimes, responding to a baseless claim just gives it oxygen.

Ask yourself: Is this credible? 

Is it spreading? 

Does it require our response?

If the answer is no, let it pass.

Reacting to noise can turn nothing into something.

2. Share with care.

Every post during a crisis should be intentional.
Helpful. Relevant. Clear.

Before you post, ask: Could this be misunderstood? 

Could this make things worse?

Because once it's out there, you can't take it back.

And in a crisis, one poorly worded post can undo weeks of damage control.

3. Post with purpose.

Random updates create confusion.

Every message should align with your overall crisis communication strategy.
Ask: What does our audience need to know right now? How does this help clarify the situation?

If you can't answer that, don't post it.

4. Be human.

Corporate-speak kills trust during a crisis.

People want to know there's a real person—who cares—on the other side of the screen.

If someone criticizes you unfairly, don't get defensive.

Address it with empathy.

If the complaint is valid, own it and explain what you're doing to fix it.

Authenticity defuses tension. 

Deflection escalates it.

5. Monitor constantly.

You can't manage what you don't see.

Set up alerts. Track mentions. Watch for patterns.

If misinformation is spreading, you need to know immediately—before it becomes the dominant narrative.

6. Control your channels.

Don't rely on the media or third parties to tell your story.

Use your own platforms—your website, your social accounts, your spokespeople—to communicate directly.

Own the narrative. Don't let someone else shape it for you.

Social media in a crisis is high-risk, high-reward.

It can save you—or sink you.

The brands that survive are the ones that move fast, communicate clearly, and stay relentlessly strategic.

The ones that fail are the ones that react emotionally, post impulsively, or go silent when they should be present.

In crisis, social media doesn't give you time to think.

So you better have a plan before you need one.

A television interview can repair credibility — or permanently redefine it.



I’ve seen leaders accept TV appearances thinking the facts alone would carry them through. They rarely do.

Television amplifies everything — confidence, hesitation, emotion, and missteps — all at once.

Before agreeing to a televised interview, leaders should assess the risk as carefully as the reach.

And if the decision is yes, preparation becomes the strategy.

Here’s what consistently separates strong performances from damaging ones:

1. Preparation beats explanation.

Knowing the facts isn’t enough. You need to anticipate the pressure points and rehearse how you’ll handle them.

2. Visuals matter as much as language.

Tone, posture, and composure often communicate more than the words themselves — especially when clips travel far beyond the original broadcast.

3. Persuasion isn’t about critics.

The audience that matters most is undecided. Messaging should be built for them, not for detractors or loyal supporters.

4. Discipline prevents headlines.

One emotional reaction can overshadow everything else you say.

Handled well, a TV interview reinforces trust and authority.

Handled poorly, it becomes the crisis.

Media doesn’t reward improvisation under pressure.

It rewards clarity, discipline, and leaders who understand the stakes before the cameras turn on.

Brand strength today is measured by how quickly and clearly you respond when expectations change.

In my new piece for Fast Company, I share why responsiveness has become a defining trait of leadership and brand trust.

Read the full article here:

Open article: A new era defined by brand responsiveness by fastcompany.com

A new era defined by brand responsiveness

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