Traci Reuter & Co

Traci Reuter & Co.
Private Advisory for Revenue-Driven Marketing Leadership
(Serving visionary founders, growth-stage companies, and high-integrity brands)

At Traci Reuter & Co., I partner with founder-led businesses that are scaling fast—but struggling to connect the dots between marketing, sales, and sustainable growth.

Most have hired marketers, agencies, or freelancers. Yet results are inconsistent. Strategy is fragmented. And the founder is still in the weeds.

That’s where I step in.

With 30+ years in sales and marketing—including $50M+ in ad spend and 8-figure launches—I bring high-level growth strategy and executive leadership to businesses that are ready for more than tactics.

🔹 What We Do:
– Fractional Chief Growth Officer / CMO
– Strategic marketing advisory for $2M–$100M+ companies
– Clarity audits to identify what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it—then I lead the execution
– Buyer-led positioning & offer strategy
– Team development and marketing org design

My job:
✔ Bring strategic clarity
✔ Align the team around sales outcomes
✔ Build systems that drive predictable, profitable growth

This is not an agency. Not a freelancer.
This is marketing leadership with a sales-driven edge™ — embedded inside your business.

Limited availability. Most clients come through referrals or waitlist. Learn more at TraciReuter.com.

Founder & Fractional Growth Leader

Sunlight Digital

**We are no longer taking on new clients**

🚀 Imagine your business not just growing, but thriving beyond your wildest dreams. That's where I come in. I'm the founder of Sunlight Digital, and my superpower is transforming your vision into a digital reality that exceeds expectations. 

With a background in high-stakes B2B sales and a heart fully invested in digital marketing, I've mastered the art of crafting strategies that don't just aim for growth—they aim for explosion. My approach? It's all about reverse-engineering. You dream it; I map it out, step by vibrant step, from messaging optimization, funnel magic, to goal smashing, and then I shout it from the digital rooftops to the audience who can't wait to hear it.

I offer a suite of services designed to make your business shine brighter, from social media advertising that cuts through the noise, digital strategy audits that leave no stone unturned, to fractional digital strategy work and onsite consulting that feels like I'm part of your team.

My team and I dive deep to uncover where your strategy might be leaking dollars and opportunities. We're all about building robust plans, crafting roadmaps to success, and guiding you from the rough seas of digital marketing into the calm waters of growth and prosperity.

"Divine Social's ability to shed light on valuable insights into different digital marketing algorithms, strategies, and opportunities served as a core strong point in working with them. They demonstrate strong expertise by taking the time to invest in your success looking at the bigger picture and putting a great effort in understanding the business of all their clients." - Brittany, Director of Marketing

CEO & Founder

Paradise Jets

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer | Chief Growth Officer at Paradise Jets

At Paradise Jets, I lead marketing and growth strategy as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Chief Growth Officer, bringing over 25 years of expertise in sales, direct response marketing, and digital growth strategies to elevate the brand, drive customer acquisition, and scale revenue.

🚀 What I Do:
✔ Develop and execute high-impact marketing and growth strategies tailored to the private aviation industry.
✔ Align brand positioning, paid media, and content marketing to attract high-value clients.
✔ Build and optimize customer acquisition funnels that convert, leveraging data-driven insights.
✔ Implement omnichannel marketing strategies to increase demand and profitability.
✔ Guide business development initiatives to unlock new revenue opportunities.

💡 Why Paradise Jets?
Paradise Jets is redefining private aviation with a commitment to excellence, innovation, and unmatched client experiences. My role is to ensure our marketing and growth strategies reflect that same standard—driving demand, increasing brand equity, and positioning us as the premier choice in luxury private travel.

Let’s take this to new heights. ✈️

#FractionalCMO #ChiefGrowthOfficer #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth #LuxuryAviation #ParadiseJets

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer | Chief Growth Officer

Association For Creative Industries

The Association For Creative Industries (AFCI) is the premier trade association for the global creative arts products industries. 

The Divine Social team has been serving clients in the Arts, Crafts and Hobby industry since 2015, helping our clients to generate over $20million in sales.

Membership Committee

Happy Hour Marketing, LLC

Established coaching & consulting for small business marketing, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs & home business owners.  Helped small business with social media marketing strategy, generating leads & sales from their social media marketing.  

Created information products & courses to teach digital marketing & social media marketing to business owners who are interested in developing their own online social & digital media marketing campaigns. 

Consulted as an industry voice who is in tune, on top of and ahead of trends with the pulse of what’s working now in digital and social media marketing.  

Recognized speaker, industry expert & co-host of The Social Media Marketing Happy Hour Podcast, featured on Entrepreneur.com as the #1 Value packed podcast for entrepreneurs.

The Social Media Marketing Happy Hour Podcast received over 1 Million downloads in the first 5 months of being on air. 

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes: http://HappyHourHangouts.com/iTunes
Subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio: http://HappyHourHangouts.com/Stitcher

Skilled in:

Digital Marketing Strategy
Sales Funnels: Social Media Funnels, PPC Funnels
Twitter Marketing - converting Tweets to Leads to Sales
Facebook Advertising
Conversion Expert
Traffic Generating Expert
Webinars
Video SEO
YouTube Video Blogging
Content Marketing
Podcasting & Podcast Marketing
Running content driven membership sites
Visual Marketing
Microblogging
Email Marketing
Information Product Creation
Client Attraction
Primary Social Media Channels of Expertise: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
Working knowledge of all social media channels
Excellent written & verbal communication skills
Wordpress
and more….

Co-Founder & Podcast Co-Host

Play To Win Marketing

Marketing consultant & lead generation specialist leveraging social media platforms & email marketing to acquire new clients.  Generating leads & sales using YouTube SEO, Facebook, Facebook advertising, Instagram, Twitter, and more.  Selling information products, consumer products & coaching programs with primary demographic being entrepreneurs.  

Built social media following of thousands using a variety of paid & free traffic techniques.  Communicated strong CTA’s (call to action) to convert that audience into leads and then utilized email marketing strategies to convert those leads into sales.  

Utilized live webinars and Google Hangouts to develop strong reputation & loyal following in the market place.  

Early adopter of social media platforms.

Marketing Strategy & Sales Consultant - Digital & Social Media

Dun & Bradstreet

Leader of middle market portfolio consisting of customers across Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana & parts of Missouri. Broad scope of responsibilities included customer relationship management, business development, sales forecasting, hiring, training and management of cross-functional team members.

D&B provides solution sets that meet a diverse set of customer needs globally. Customers use D&B Risk Management Solutions™ to mitigate credit and supplier risk, increase cash flow and drive increased profitability, and D&B Sales & Marketing Solutions™ to provide data management capabilities that provide effective and cost efficient marketing solutions to increase revenue from new and existing customers.

Area Sales Leader

AT&T Wireless

Lead sales team of 120 representatives serving the wireless communication needs of business ranging from Fortune 100 to small, family run businesses.  Covered Illinois, Wisconsin, & Indiana.  

Consistently met and exceeded goal.  Earning multiple sales achievement awards.

Midwest Director of Sales

Your business is growing. But your marketing? Fragmented. Disconnected. Draining cash.

I’m Traci Reuter—Fractional CMO & Growth Consultant for founder-led companies ready to scale with strategy, not guesswork.

Through Traci Reuter & Co., I provide private advisory and executive marketing leadership for founder led brands who need their marketing to actually drive revenue.

With 30+ years in sales and marketing—including $50M+ in ad spend, 8-figure launches, and million-dollar sales days—I reverse-engineer growth strategies that align your team, sharpen your message, and accelerate results.

🔹 What I Do:
– Fractional CMO & Growth Strategy Advisory
– Marketing Team & Org Development
– Go-to-Market & Buyer-Led Positioning
– Revenue-Driven Marketing System Design

🎯 I partner with founders who are:
– Tired of piecemeal tactics and overpriced agencies
– Managing junior marketers but not seeing results
– Frustrated that no one owns the strategy
– Ready for a partner who can lead, not just “do”

🧠 Legacy Work:
– Founder of Sunlight Digital (Facebook & Instagram Ad Agency, 10+ years)
– Creator of 17 digital marketing courses (not currently for sale)

🟣 My work lives at the intersection of revenue clarity, buyer psychology, and team alignment.

💬 If you’re wanting to scale—but marketing feels like the bottleneck—let’s talk.

DM me or visit TraciReuter.com. 

Serious brands only.

Traci Reuter

Let’s talk about benchmarks and why they might be wrecking your strategy.
Last quarter, I was helping a client launch a new product inside a high-growth private aviation company.

New offer. New audience. New market category.
And yet…
The pressure to compare our performance to industry benchmarks was relentless.

📉 The problem?
We were being measured against standards built for companies with 10x the budget, 10x the team, and zero innovation risk.

And that’s when it hit me:
You don’t win by chasing benchmarks. You win by building the game you were meant to play.
If you're:
 ✅ Launching something new
 ✅ Leading with limited resources
 ✅ Or feeling behind because you're not “hitting the numbers” someone else said you should…

This message is for you.
🎥 I break it all down in this new episode of Growth in Motion:
 "Playing Your Own Game: Why Industry Benchmarks Can Kill Innovation"

💡 Inside:
The hidden danger of chasing metrics that don’t match your reality
Why category creators can’t play by someone else’s rules
How to reframe “underperformance” when you're building something big
The mindset shift that helped me re-anchor strategy, team, and expectations

👉 Visit: https://tracireuter.com/
 👉 Or DM me if you're leading a launch and need strategic marketing that actually drives revenue.

#FractionalCMO #MarketingLeadership #GrowthStrategy #Benchmarks #BusinessInnovation #FractionalCGO #TraciReuter #QuietPower #RevenueDrivenMarketing #SalesDrivenStrategy

Fractional CMO & Growth Consultant | Helping Growing Brands Align Marketing with Revenue | Traci Reuter & Co.

Make Calm your new KPI // Host, Beyond Margins Podcast // I help business owners build calmer businesses with comfortable margins // Speaker, CFO + COO, Consultant

Susan Boles

I used to have two personas:
1. The real me and...
2. The "professional", buttoned up, boring business owner
 
And it got really old, really quick... not to mention how exhausting it was.
 
So, I ditched the professional clothes, the complicated financial jargon, and the pretense of being impartial and demure.
 
Because I realized that when I just showed up as me, in my black t-shirt and grey hoodie, with opinions and direct language, it served my clients better.
 
Showing up as the real me means I can be a more empathetic strategic partner. It means I have more emotional and energetic margins to serve my clients. Being the real me is actually a huge part of having margin in my business -- and helping it feel calm.
 
And, honestly, it's just easier to be myself than to try to be "professional."
 
That means I'm not necessarily a great fit to work with some folks, but it ALSO means that the clients I DO work with are amazing, creative, passionate business owners - who get to be the real them too.
 
When's the last time you let your clients see the real you?

When I look back at what I 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 I'd do this year, I pay just as much attention to what didn't happen as what did. 

Not from a place of guilt, but as a diagnostic tool. 

Every unfinished project tells you something - maybe something more useful than the stuff you actually checked off the list. 

• Sometimes that particular project wasn't actually important once the year unfolded
• Sometimes it was harder than I expected because I didn't know what the real work was
• Sometimes the scope was so fuzzy that my brain kind of glitched
• And sometimes... I just didn't want it, no matter what earlier-in-the-year-me thought

As you're reviewing your own year, it's worth asking:
Were you procrastinating? Or were you getting information? 

Because those aren't the same thing. And if you understand which one it was, next year's plan gets a whole lot clearer.

Procrastinating Carousel

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰: Taking your practices of rest + putting them in place so they stay there. 

The biggest takeaway I had from my fantastic interview last year with the brilliant Jordan Maney 💖 was this idea of a "rest ethic." It's a concept that has really stuck with me. 

See... I knew that I needed to make sure that I had habits around rest: 
• Fridays are no-work days
• Tuesday is a deep work/no call day (and I often take that afternoon off) 
• I have a pre-planned break week about every 6 weeks or so, with a 2-3 week break at the end of the year and mid-summer. 

Those are practices I've built by experimenting to see what works for me... over the course of about 3 years now. 

But I'd never thought about them as a rest ethic... or that having a complimentary practice to your work ethic was necessary to make sure that you do end up with something balanced... and calmer.

And if you want to check out the convo we had, here's the link to the full interview with Jordan: https://lnkd.in/g3q52bev

Jordan Maney Podcast Takeaways

What actually moved the needle for you this year? 

Not the stuff you bought because you felt like you should, but the investments that genuinely shifted how your business runs. 

I've been looking at mine, and this year was a foundational one. I didn't pile on a bunch of new programs or tools - I focused on things that would actually support the next phase of my business(es). A few standouts:

• The Lab from Jay Clouse is still one of the few communities that consistently changes how I think and operate and the Offline Event at Craft + Commerce was my favorite thing from the whole year.  
• My brand voice guides from Justin Blackman - so useful, not just a nice to have. 
• I'm so in love with my visual brand for my new company from  Hollie Arnett 💖
• Working with Jeremy Enns 🇨🇦 on the pod (and honestly, just general marketing strategy)... he pushed the rebrand to Calm is the New KPI Podcast and I love it! 

Your turn: 
What did you invest in this year that actually paid off - financially, emotionally, or operationally?

You’re wasting more energy on micro-decisions than on actual work. 
And you probably don’t even notice it.
 
Most people measure the ROI of software, team, revenue, whatever.
Almost nobody measures the ROI of decisions you no longer have to make. 

And honestly?  That’s the ROI that changes everything.
 
Every “quick little choice” has a cognitive price tag:
 
• When to send the invoice
• Where that file lives
• How you onboard this client vs the last one
• What order you tackle your day
• How you scope a project
• What you promised in the proposal
• How many revisions are included
• Which task gets done first
 
Individually, they look harmless.  Collectively, they drain more time and emotional energy than the “actual work” ever does.
 
And here’s the kicker:  Most of these decisions shouldn’t be decisions at all.
 
They should be:
 
• a template
• a rule
• a (thoughtful) default
• a system
• an automation
• a checklist
• a “this is how we do it here” document
 
The goal isn’t to eliminate thinking.  It’s to eliminate 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨.
 
That’s the hidden ROI most people never count.
 
When you stop burning calories on repeated decisions, you suddenly have margin - real margin - for the work that actually requires your brain.
 
If you want a calmer business, start by counting the decisions you could retire.
 
You’ll be shocked at how much energy you get back.

Every year around this time, the internet gets flooded with deals from giant companies… and we all pretend it’s normal to hand even more money to corporations that won’t notice it.
 
But here’s the thing most people forget:
 
𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.  They innovate faster. They care more. And they actually shape how you work day-to-day.
 
So if you’re going to spend money this week, tilt the scale toward the people building genuinely useful things.
 
Here are a handful of small businesses that make Beyond Margins run smoother... and deserve more attention than whatever BigCo is pushing in your inbox:

• Transistor.fm - I've hosted Calm is the New KPI Podcast with them since day one and it's always just... easy. They're doing 20% off annual plans for Black Friday (even for existing monthly customers) https://lnkd.in/g22wwiiS
• Natalia Sanyal - she coined “Calm is the New KPI” back when I was in her Good Growth Lab. Her work is foundational: https://lnkd.in/gVJxhyBk
• Jay Acunzo - he's the brains behind my premise development for Beyond Margins... He’s running a premise pitch challenge worth your time: https://lnkd.in/gPW7bBsk
• Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 - her “Luck into a Client” challenge is a D&D-style business adventure. Wildly creative: https://lnkd.in/gu9T2CK2 
• Jeremy Enns 🇨🇦 - if you want to understand smart podcast marketing, his newsletter is where to be. His Black Friday email series is… clever: https://lnkd.in/gTZvgZKY
 
If you want to keep the internet weird, thoughtful, and human, start here.
 
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸? 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄... 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀.

I don't really do annual planning.
Not because I'm disorganized.
But because it's unreliable. 

Here's what I 𝘥𝘰 plan:
• My rest weeks
• Vacations
• Conferences or events
That's pretty much it. 

Everything else? Seasonally or quarterly. 

Why? Because a specific year-long plan assumes you can predict your capacity, your opportunities, your energy, your money, your motivation, and your market 12 months in advance. 

You can't.
I can't.

And yet we keep acting like a 12-month plan is some sign of maturity or professionalism.
It's not. It's mostly guesswork dressed up as strategy.

A shorter plan forces clarity.
A direction for the year provides context.

So, if you've been quietly skipping annual planning because it never matches your reality - good news:
You're not behind.
You're not doing it wrong.
You're just operating in the real world. 

And if annual planning has always felt like a thing you "should" do? 
Maybe stop "should-ing" yourself into systems that don't match how your business actually works.

You’re not failing. 
Your business isn’t failing. 
Your plan isn’t failing.

There’s just a mismatch between:
• what your business is designed to do and
• what you’re now asking it to do.
  
This mismatch shows up as:
• overwhelm
• capacity crashes
• resentment
• decision fatigue
• “Why does everything feel harder than it should?”
  
None of this is personal. It’s structural.
And structures can be redesigned... gently, intentionally, calmly.

If you loved the Calm is the New KPI Podcast episode with the fabulous Kendall Cherry, you should absolutely check out her upcoming workshop to learn how to write those magical testimonials she talks about in the episode! 

(If you haven't listened to the episode yet... you should. It's my most-listened to episode out of 129! https://lnkd.in/gyjkk4Vh)

Writer of stories that SELL ✏️ You’ve definitely seen my work | Copywriter, Ghostwriter, and Storyteller | Founder of The Candid Collective® | Creating a world that’s more candid and kind® 🌻

Later this month, I’m teaching YOU the ins + outs of writing the highest converting story format of all time….


…The Money Makin’ Testimonial™

If you’ve ever tried to share social proof with the classic 5 gold stars + a copy/paste testimonial and wondered WHY it didn’t drive sales…

…this workshop is for YOU. 
⁠
In this 60-minute workshop, you'll learn aaaaall my tricks of the trade for writing client case studies in story form, so you can share the messy middle inside your work AND the value you bring to the table. 
⁠
If you've ever found yourself...⁠
⁠
🤐 Afraid of talking about your client wins because you didn’t want to sound too braggy 

📉 Wondering why copy/paste testimonials weren’t effective (and totally tanked your engagement + leads)
⁠
💌 Trying to accurately AND ethically tell better stories about the transformations your work facilitates
⁠
🔻Wanting to write a story that was bottom of the funnel without throwing a sales pitch in someone’s face
⁠
This masterclass is for YOU! ⁠
⁠
I know that the end of the year is a big time for annual planning and reviewing the magic you created over the last year. 

But don’t let your biggest client wins (and the stories that surround them) stick to the 2025 floor like your bottle of bubbly on New Year’s Day. 

My goal is to teach YOU how to write more client case studies, so you can incorporate more stories into your 2026 content strategy that also sell your products and services. 

(And also? Because telling stories that sell is FUN!!)

Join me on December 11th at 11:00 am Central!
⁠
Want to register? Sign up at the link in my comments below! 👇🏼

P.S. If you’re seeing this AFTER December 11th, you can still “register” for the workshop and you’ll get a copy of the replay!

Most service businesses are secretly designed for the best version of the owner.
 
You know… the well-rested, super-focused, nothing-went-sideways version of you.
 
The problem?  That version doesn’t show up every week. Or even most weeks.
 
So if your service only works when you’re operating at 100%, it’s not actually a sustainable service.  It’s an aspirational one.
 
And aspirational services fall apart fast when real life hits:
 
• a sick week
• kid stuff
• travel
• a flare day
• brain fog
• “everything is fine but I have zero focus”
 
A well-designed service should still function when you’re at, like, 50%.  Maybe even 30% on a rough week.
 
The real test is simple:
 
Could this still run smoothly if you were out sick for a few days?  
If not, the offer needs adjusting - not you.
 
This is where templates, rules, automations, and “this is just how we do it” systems earn their keep.  They give the business some breathing room so you don’t have to operate at peak performance just to keep things moving.
 
Instead of designing for your best days, try designing for your real days.  That’s where everything starts to feel a whole lot calmer.

Need a few ideas about what that might look like? You might check out my calm service design + delivery swipe file. I've got over 60+ services from 45+ service providers to give you some inso about how you might tweak your services to be more sustainable. 
https://lnkd.in/gNbf8waM

𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺.

One of the most underrated ways to build a calmer business?

Stop re-deciding things you’ve already solved.
(your brain is expensive. use it sparingly.)

Your systems ARE your decisions.
Every missing system is a decision you're forced to remake. 

And calm ins't the result of having more time or more discipline.
Calm is the result of having fewer decisions to make - because the business can make them FOR you.

Here are 3 ways I engineer clarity (and margin) into my business:

1️⃣ Codify decisions you want to make once.
If you’ve answered the same question more than twice? 
That’s a decision rule, not a one-off.
When you document the rule, your business starts doing the thinking. Not you.
Default businesses rely on your brain. 
Calmer businesses rely on design.

2️⃣ Theme your time around the work your business ACTUALLY requires
I don't theme my week because it's cute.
I theme my week because my business has a rhythm - and fighting that rhythm steals margin.

Mondays: project work
Tuesdays: creative + content
Wednesdays: clients 
Thursdays: client work or service development
Fridays: Rest + Reset (I rarely work on Fridays)

This isn't about productivity. It's structural alignment. 

3️⃣ Template Everything 
A good template is a calmer system in disguise.
It doesn't have to be rigid or cookie-cutter. 
Just structure that removes the "where do I start?" moment.

I still customize most things, but I'm not reinventing the wheel while I do it. 

Templates create space → space creates margin → margin creates calm.

Most of us try to create calm through effort. But calm doesn't come from trying harder, it comes from design. 

From decisions made once. 
From systems that think for you.
From structure that supports the version of your business you want next year - not the one you built three years ago. 

I've been working on something behind the scenes that helps founders build this kind of clarity into their business. Want more details? Drop a comment or send me a DM and I'll hook you up!

If you're prepping to plan for 2026 and you're not quite sure what you actually got stuck on this year, check out Cat Mulvihill's training tomorrow!

Find momentum (and keep it) on your own terms | Speaker & Trainer | The Momentum Formula

Frustrated by not following through on important tasks?

There's still time to sign-up for tomorrow's live call to learn the different roadblocks holding you back from getting important work done. 

Stop wasting time trying to solve the wrong problem and focus on what's really in the way. 

Can't make it live? 
Register and get the recording & self-assessment.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲.
 
“Growth at all costs” might sound like a badge of honor in the business world. But what does it really mean?
 
It’s the relentless pursuit of expansion (whether it’s revenue, market share, or headcount) no matter the price. And the price? It’s steep.
 
When growth becomes the only thing your business solves for, you sacrifice:
• 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 - leading to burnout and turnover.
• 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - as quality takes a backseat.
• 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 - as the pressure to scale mounts.
• 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸-𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 - as work invades every corner of life.
• 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 - as reckless decisions pile up.
 
These aren’t abstract risks - they’re the costs businesses pay every day in pursuit of endless growth.
 
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳, 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲? 
 
𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘀... 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺. 
 
Growth could still happen - but it wouldn’t come at the expense of everything else.
 
👉 I’d love to hear your take: What do you think are the hidden costs of “growth at all costs”? Did I miss any?

💖 Having strong processes + systems in your business is an act of care. 
 
For example: Having a strong onboarding process for your clients
 
➝ Client Wins: it gives them confidence that you're going to deliver an awesome service AND makes them feel cared for. 
 
➝ Business Wins: clear communication in the onboarding process means that you or your team don't have to spend time answering the same questions over and over, AND everyone knows exactly what needs to happen (bonus points if it's automated and no one actually has to DO anything) 
 
➝ You Win: you're not spending time or energy worrying about whether or not all the steps will happen, or if you or your team forgot something, or if you're client knows what's supposed to happen next. 
 
⚙️ Tiny Workflow Step Towards Calm: If you don't have an onboarding email already written for your main service, take a few minutes, search your email history and turn an email you already sent and save it as a template.

Most founders treat margin like something that will magically appear “someday.”

After the launch. 
After the hire. 
After the busy season. 
After things “calm down.”

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

If your business isn’t designed to create it, you will always be running 5–10% beyond your real capacity.

The good news? 
𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.

I’m working on something that shows exactly how.

Want the details? 
Drop me a DM or a comment here and I'll fill you in.

Most of the biggest decisions in your business aren’t ones you 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 at all.

They’re default decisions - the choices you made without realizing you made them.

How you price. 
How you pay your team. 
How clients pay you. 
The tools you use every day.

Each of those choices shapes how your business feels to run... and whether it feels calm or chaotic.

The best way to spot a default decision?

Ask one simple question: “𝗪𝗵𝘆?”

• Why did you pick that pricing model? 
• Why that project management tool? 
• Why that payment process?
  
And if your answer sounds like… 

“That’s how my industry does it.” 
“That’s what I’ve always done.” 
“I’m not sure.”

Then it’s probably a default decision. And maybe worth revisiting.

Because a calmer business doesn’t happen by accident. 
It happens when you stop running on defaults and start designing on purpose.

🤝 What are your favorite conferences or events?


I'm starting to look at my calendar for 2026, and thinking about what events/conferences I want to head to, and I'm curious...what are YOUR fav events (bonus points if you say WHY it's your fav!)?

Or... what conferences are you considering for 2026? Maybe we can meet up!

For my CFO-friends... if you're trying to figure out how to manage spending on AI in a smart, strategic way - check this out!

We're excited to feature Mr. Ravi Verma (PST, CPCC, CRP) - Certified ROI Professional, #TechTransformation Coach and Founder of Al Dente and Org Whisperers, on our upcoming webinar: "𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗢𝗜-𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗗𝗟𝗖"

Ravi is a seasoned fractional Tech Transformation coach, who believes the choice between profitability and employee care is false- you can (and must) achieve both! He helps organizations achieve both with sustainable, measurable results.

Here are some real-world achievements from his past clients:
- 95% Reduction in Time to Market
- 80% Sprint Goals Achieved
- 85% Gain in EBITDA
- 154% Positive Growth in NPS

With 25+ years of experience, from 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗘𝗢, he brings a perspective that ensures your AI investment drives both shareholder value and human potential.

Join us to learn how you can apply the ROI Institute’s ROI Methodology to your AI initiatives, by transforming your #SDLC: https://lnkd.in/gZmKs8iT

Jithendra Ganji ROI Institute, Inc Jack Phillips, PhD Patti P. Phillips, Ph.D.

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