About 20 years ago, I decided to learn how to crochet.

I bought the yarn and found the pattern. I'd stitch five rows, pull out four, and start all over again. I'd watch and rewind tutorials and try again.

The picture on the pattern showed a cozy baby blanket.

What I created looked more like a parallelogram.

My edges drifted, my stitch count wandered, and somewhere along the way what I thought I was making and what I was actually making became two different things. My first attempt at a beanie wasn't much better. Depending on who you asked, it resembled either a beret or a bread bowl.

I had a pattern to follow. A finished product to reference. And I was willing to start, stop, and start over again and again. Still, it took a very long time to produce a blanket I was proud of — one I was willing to gift to an expectant mom.

That very first "good" blanket is still in my closet, almost too precious to part with.

A lot of business owners I know approach growth the same way I approached crochet.

They read the books. Listen to the podcasts. Attend the conferences. Take copious notes. Bring new ideas back to their teams. They adopt the recommended operating system, morning routine, leadership framework, or strategic planning process. And despite all that effort, they remain frustrated by persistently lopsided results.

The thing is, what has worked for another business owner might work for you. It might even work brilliantly. But following the same pattern does not guarantee the same outcome.

There's the pattern, and then there's the execution.

If I hold the yarn too tightly, I might technically create the same blanket, but it will look and feel very different from one made by someone with a looser weave. If I substitute a less expensive yarn, I may lose the texture or color variation that made me fall in love with the original design. There are dozens of reasons why my finished project might not resemble the photograph on the pattern, even after I've mastered the stitches.

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Business works much the same way.

We often assume success leaves clues. It does. But clues aren't blueprints.

Two companies can implement the same operating system and produce dramatically different results. Two owners can read the same books, hire the same consultants, and attend the same leadership programs. One creates a company that generates freedom, value, and opportunity. The other creates a business that consumes increasing amounts of time, energy, and attention.

The difference is rarely found in the framework itself. It's found in how the framework interacts with the realities of a particular business.

Every organization has its own version of yarn tension.

Leadership styles differ. Markets differ. Teams differ. Capital constraints differ. Customer expectations differ. The owner's personal goals differ. What works beautifully in one environment may create entirely different outcomes in another.

This is one of the reasons I get nervous when business owners become overly focused on replicating someone else's success story. The story often highlights the pattern while overlooking the thousands of small decisions that shaped the outcome.

The businesses creating the most value are not necessarily following the best pattern.

They're paying the closest attention to the results their pattern is producing.

My projects improved when I stopped obsessing over the picture on the package and started paying attention to what was happening in my hands.

Experienced crocheters don't wait until the blanket is finished to discover we've accidentally added twenty stitches. We stop periodically and check their work. We count stitches. We look at the edges. We compare what we're making to what we intended to make.

We make corrections while corrections are still easy.

Business owners need the same discipline.

Growth has a way of disguising drift.

Revenue increases.

Headcount grows.

The calendar fills up.

Opportunities multiply.

From the outside, everything looks promising.

Meanwhile, complexity may be growing faster than capability. Decisions may be becoming more centralized. Key relationships may be becoming concentrated in a single person. The organization may be developing dependencies that make future growth harder rather than easier.

None of this happens overnight.

Like a drifting stitch count, it happens one small deviation at a time.

That's why some of the most valuable questions an owner can ask have nothing to do with growth goals.

Instead, they sound more like:

Those questions require a different kind of leadership. They require the willingness to stop long enough to assess reality rather than simply pushing forward.

The owners who create the most value aren't the ones who avoid mistakes. They're the ones who notice them while there's still time to adjust.

They understand that value isn't created through blind adherence to a pattern. It's created through the ongoing practice of observation, learning, and course correction.

That first blanket is still sitting in my closet.

Not because it's perfect. It isn't.

I keep it because it reminds me that creating something worthwhile isn't about finding the perfect pattern.

It's about paying attention to what you're actually making while you're making it.

The same is true in business.

Not sure where to begin? Start with questions. Good ones. The kind that help you understand not only where your business is headed, but whether it's headed somewhere you actually want to go. A few years ago I wrote a piece called Start Here about creating the space to ask those questions consistently. It remains one of the most important growth practices I know.

Every owner starts with a vision.

The ones who create lasting value are the ones who periodically stop, check their stitch count, and make sure the business taking shape in front of them is the business they intended to build.

“I help business owners grow with the end in mind,” was the answer I gave when a business owner at my table asked what I do at a Chamber lunch last week.

Her eyes got wide and she said, “We need to talk.”

Not because she's ready to sell her business.

She's already working with someone to step back from client service and managing the day-to-day operations of her company.

As she acknowledged, that's hard work.

And it's given her the opportunity to grow her business in new ways. Now, after nearly two decades in business, a divorce, and kids getting ready for college, she's excited by the idea of growing with the end in mind.

My guess is that if we'd had this conversation a few years ago, she would have thought, "It's too soon for that."

That's what most business owners think.

It's certainly how most react when they hear phrases like exit planning or succession planning.

"I'm not selling."

"I'm not retiring."

"I've got at least another ten years."

"Maybe in five years, but not now."

I get it.

My business is growing, too. I have a lot of living left to do, and my business is a big part of that.

But here's what I know is true for me and the business owners I work with: The most successful transitions are rarely created in the final few years before you're ready for what's next.

They're built over many years through intentional decisions that increase business value, reduce risk, and create independence from the owner.

The owners who benefit most from exit planning are often those who have no immediate plans to exit at all.

Why?

Because exit planning isn't really about leaving.

It's about building a business that gives you choices for later and freedom, wealth, and independence right now.

What Does It Mean to Grow With the End in Mind?

Growing with the end in mind doesn't mean planning your retirement.

It doesn't mean putting your business up for sale.

And it doesn't mean spending your days thinking about what happens after you're gone.

It means making today's decisions through the lens of long-term value creation.

It means asking:

Growing with the end in mind means building a business that creates options.

Not just someday.

Today.

The Hidden Risk Most Owners Don't See

Many privately held businesses appear successful from the outside.

Revenue is growing. Customers are happy. Employees are engaged.

It's like a duck on a pond. The surface is calm, but even after more than a decade in business, the owner is treading water as fast as they can beneath the surface.

Every decision, new contract, key relationship, sales strategy, and operational detail runs through you.

Not only that, you don't fully trust your team to do those things, so you hold onto responsibilities you're desperate to let go of because you're afraid everything will fall apart.

There are too many people depending on you. Too much institutional knowledge and years of context that exists only in your head.

On a good day, you feel needed, impactful, and motivated.

On a bad day, you're angry, resentful, burned out, and ready to be done with all of it.

When a bad day turns into caring for a sick parent, dealing with an employee who leaves unexpectedly, or helping a child through a crisis, it becomes nearly impossible to sustain growth and profitability by doing things the way you've always done them.

You're the bottleneck.

But here's the part many owners don't talk about.

Many owners tell me they want freedom. 

What they actually want is permission.

Permission to take a real vacation.

Permission to miss a client call.

Permission to trust someone else with an important relationship.

Permission to believe the business can succeed without their constant involvement.

The challenge isn't permission.

It's about who you want to be and who you want your business to need you to be.

Most owners have the ability to delegate more, empower their team, and reduce their day-to-day involvement.

The harder question is whether they're ready to redefine their role.

When you've spent years being the person who solves every problem, drives every major decision, and carries the weight of the business, stepping back can feel more threatening than staying overwhelmed. But building a profitable, transferable, and valuable business - an exit-ready business - requires a shift from being indispensable to being intentional.

It’s no about becoming less important, rather you're creating space for the business, and yourself, to grow.

Building an Exit-Ready Business Creates Value Today

One of the biggest misconceptions about exit planning is that its benefits only appear when a transaction occurs.

The reality is exactly the opposite.

The same characteristics that make a business attractive to a future buyer, successor, or leadership team also make it stronger, more resilient, and more profitable today.

Strong Financial Visibility

Reliable financial reporting, meaningful KPIs, and consistent forecasting create confidence.

When you understand the true drivers of profitability, you can make better decisions about hiring, pricing, investment, and growth.

Reduced Owner Dependence

A business that cannot operate without its owner places tremendous pressure on that owner.

Developing leadership capacity, delegating decision-making, and documenting critical processes create a more scalable operation while improving your quality of life.

Diversified Customer Relationships

If one customer, one vendor, or one relationship represents a disproportionate share of revenue, both value and stability suffer.

Creating broader, deeper relationships throughout the organization allows others to build trust, open new markets, and create opportunities you could never pursue alone.

Institutionalized Knowledge

When key information lives only in someone's head, risk increases.

Documented processes, clear systems, and repeatable workflows improve consistency, accelerate onboarding, and support growth.

More importantly, they help you teach people how to think, not just what to do.

Strategic Alignment

Businesses create value when leaders understand where they're going and why.

A clearly articulated vision helps employees make better decisions, align priorities, and contribute to long-term success. You share responsibility, increase accountability, and delegate authority.

The Real Goal Is Optionality

When people hear "exit planning," they immediately think about selling.

I think about having the option to

That's what a valuable business creates.

Not an exit.

Options.

Five Questions Every Owner Should Ask

Whether you're planning to transition in the next three years or the next two decades, consider these questions:

Your answers may reveal that you're more ready than you think to start growing with the end in mind.

Reap the Rewards Now

If you're ready for more time, less stress, and greater confidence in the future for your business and your family, building an exit-ready business is one of the most effective ways to get there.

When the day comes, your exit won't simply be a transaction.

It will be the culmination of years spent creating value, developing people, strengthening systems, and building an organization that can endure.

A transition years in the making. One designed to take your personal freedom, flexibility, financial success, and impact to the next level.

The best businesses don't become attractive to buyers because they're for sale.

They become attractive because they no longer depend on the owner. Which makes them the most enjoyable kind of business for you to own.

So here's the question:

If you had to step away from your business for six months, would it thrive?

Or would it reveal just how much it still depends on you?

Because the work of exit planning doesn't start when you're ready to leave. It starts when you're ready to build a business that can thrive without you.

FAQs

1. What does it mean to grow a business with the end in mind?

Growing with the end in mind means making today's business decisions through the lens of long-term value creation. Rather than waiting until you're ready to retire or sell, you intentionally build systems, leadership, financial visibility, and transferable value that create more options for the future while improving your business today.

2. When should business owners start exit planning?

The best time to start exit planning is years before you're considering a transition. Successful exits are rarely created in the final few years before a sale or succession event. They result from intentional decisions made over time to reduce owner dependence, increase business value, and create operational resilience.

3. How do I know if my business is too dependent on me?

A business may be overly dependent on its owner if key customer relationships, major decisions, sales activities, operational knowledge, or day-to-day management rely heavily on one person. A simple test is to ask yourself: "What would happen if I stepped away from the business for six months?" The answer often reveals opportunities to build greater independence and value.

4. How can I make my business less dependent on me?

Start by identifying the decisions, relationships, and processes that rely heavily on your involvement. Then focus on developing leaders, documenting key systems, delegating authority, and creating accountability throughout the organization. Over time, this reduces risk, increases business value, and allows you to focus on higher-impact strategic work.

Success changes the questions people ask about their businesses.

In the early years, growth rewards responsiveness. Quick decisions. Constant involvement. 

Carrying more than anyone else realizes. 

Most owners stay close to every part of the company because they have to. They solve problems quickly, fill gaps instinctively, and keep things moving through sheer capability and commitment. For a while, that level of involvement works. In many cases, it’s exactly what allows the business to grow.

Eventually, though, growth creates a different kind of complexity.

The company becomes larger, yet too many decisions still flow through one person. The team expands, but you remain the emotional center of the business. Revenue increases, while the pressure of carrying everything quietly increases alongside it.

Many owners can physically step away from the business for a few days, but mentally disconnecting from it feels almost impossible. 

A man in a suit pets a large dog lying on the floor, while two young girls watch. Several adults sit at tables in the background in a brightly lit room.

Eventually, the conversation becomes bigger than revenue alone. Time, leadership, family, energy, and sustainability begin carrying a different kind of weight. More growth no longer feels meaningful if it comes at the expense of everything else.

You start to look for something different: a business that feels sustainable, decisions that feel clearer, and growth that no longer creates constant friction.

That’s where alignment starts to matter. Not as a vague idea or aspirational buzzword, but as something deeply practical.

Alignment shapes how a business operates day to day. It affects leadership, decision-making, profitability, and whether growth creates more freedom or simply more complexity.

The business owners I talk to are looking for healthier operations, stronger leadership around them, and more life now — not someday after years of sacrificing everything to build the business. 

One client described it this way:

“I stopped chasing what I thought my business should look like and started building a company that truly reflects my strengths, values, and vision.”

That clarity changes the way you lead, how you make decisions, and what you prioritize.

My work with clients often begins by helping owners step back far enough to see their business clearly again, not just the immediate demands in front of them, but the repeating patterns underpinning the things they want to change. 

Sometimes the issue appears operational but is really about clear decision-making and follow-though. A pricing problem may have more to do with confidence than numbers. An owner struggling to delegate may have spent years building a culture where everyone unconsciously waits for them before moving forward. 

Those patterns are rarely solved by generic advice.

They require perspective, honesty, and thoughtful partnership.

That client also shared:

“Christy helped me strengthen not just the strategy, but the foundation underneath it — financially, operationally, and personally.”

That distinction matters more than many people realize.

Strong businesses are rarely built through strategy alone. They’re built through stronger foundations: clearer communication, healthier decision-making, better financial visibility, stronger teams, and leaders who no longer feel responsible for carrying every moving piece themselves.

There is a noticeable difference between businesses built to react and businesses built with intention.

Intentional businesses feel steadier. Leadership is clearer. People take ownership without needing to be chased. Decisions happen with greater confidence. The owner spends less time managing fires and more time focused on the work that actually moves the business forward.

As one client put it:

“Her approach is strategic without being rigid, and the support evolves alongside you.”

That flexibility matters because businesses and the people who own and run them are constantly evolving. The challenges facing a growing company rarely stay the same for long, and the support needed at one stage of growth often looks very different a few years later.

Healthy businesses create options. Companies with stronger systems, clearer leadership, healthier margins, and less dependence on the owner are more enjoyable to own and more sustainable to operate for as long as you choose.

Increasingly, success is being defined more holistically: building a strong business while still having the capacity to enjoy your life, family, work, and the future you’re creating. 

This is ambition with a present-tense purpose, not a long-term wish.

That makes your definition of success more complete and less dependent on delayed gratification at the expense of your health and prosperity. 

The goal is not simply to build a stronger business. It’s to build one strong enough to support the life you want while you’re building it. 

FAQs

What does “alignment” actually mean in a business context?

Alignment means building a business that supports both your long-term goals and your day-to-day life. Operationally, it often looks like clearer priorities, healthier profitability, stronger decision-making, and less dependency on the owner to hold everything together. Personally, it means creating a business that feels sustainable rather than constantly consuming your time, energy, and attention.

How is Purpose First Advisors different from traditional business coaching or EOS implementation?

Purpose First Advisors focuses on the intersection of strategy, operations, leadership, profitability, and long-term business value. While frameworks and systems can be useful tools, the work is never one-size-fits-all. The approach evolves alongside the business and is grounded in the realities of running a company, leading people, and building a life at the same time.

What kinds of business owners benefit most from this work?

Typically, the work resonates most with established business owners who have already built successful companies but are feeling the pressure of carrying too much personally. Many are navigating growth, leadership challenges, profitability concerns, succession planning, or the realization that the business still depends too heavily on them to function smoothly.

Does this work only apply to business owners thinking about an exit?

Not at all. In fact, many clients are still actively growing their businesses. The focus is on building healthier, stronger, more sustainable companies now. Long-term business value and exit readiness often improve naturally as leadership, operations, profitability, and owner independence become stronger over time.

How One Leadership Consultant Built a Business That Actually Fits Her Life

Paya made the leap from executive leader to independent consultant doing meaningful, high-impact work. Her clients valued her ability to help leaders reconnect to purpose, navigate complex dynamics, and turn insight into action.

Revenue was coming in. She used subcontractors to manage growth. But more often than not she wasn’t sure this business was going to work, like really work for the long-term. Revenue was inconsistent, difficult to predict, and required constant effort to replace.

For many consultants, coaches, and service-based business owners it’s not uncommon to feel like your business is doing well but is not yet designed to sustainably support your personal, professional, and financial goals. It can feel like that in the first few years or more than a decade into it when you thought surely the business would be less of a burden and more of a blessing by now. 

The Challenge

When this Paya began working with Purpose First Advisors in late 2023 the issue wasn’t that her business was underperforming.

It was that the structure behind the business hadn’t fully caught up with the quality of the work. Like many founders at this stage, she was navigating:

The Shift: From Reacting to Designing

The work started with questions:

From there, each coaching session focused on real-time business building. Together, we worked through:

This created a consistent rhythm. Dedicated time for her to work on and not just in her business. A space where wins were acknowledged. Challenges were addressed directly. 

And she could reflect and reorient to return to clarity and maintain momentum.

A pink and white water lily floats on calm, dark water surrounded by large green lily pads, with its reflection visible beneath it.

What Changed

Her progress didn’t come from one big move. It came from a series of deliberate shifts that reinforced each other over time.

1. Expanding the Right Market

Despite her uncertainty about the transferability of her knowledge and skills, Paya moved beyond her original niche to work with leaders and organizations across industries, this opened up more aligned opportunities while maintaining the integrity of her work.

2. Clarifying and Packaging Her Offers

Her coaching, workshops, and leadership development work became more clearly defined.

This improved:

3. Building Real Financial Visibility

Instead of reacting to opportunity by saying yes to everything, she began using financial data to guide decisions.

That included:

4. Turning Coaching Time Into Working Time

Our coaching sessions became a space to actually build the business:

We didn’t just talk about what she was going to do, we did it.

5. Choosing Sustainability Over Scale

She made a conscious decision not to pursue growth for its own sake.

Instead, she focused on building a business that is:

Two empty champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne rest in an ice bucket. In the background, blurred colored lights and wrapped presents suggest a festive celebration, possibly during the holidays.

The Results (So Far)

Our work together helped me stop chasing what I thought my business should look like and start building a business that actually aligns with my strengths, values, and life. Purpose First Advisors helped me strengthen both the strategy and the foundation underneath it, financially, operationally, and personally. The impact has been profound. - Paya Sample, Owner, Peak Leaders Collective

The outcome isn’t a single milestone, rather it’s a pattern of progress.

Financially

Strategically

Operationally

Personally

What Actually Made the Difference

At the start of this work, revenue was irregular and difficult to predict. Opportunities were coming in, but not in a way that created consistency or confidence. Pricing varied from engagement to engagement, and while the work was valuable, the business model behind it wasn’t yet fully defined.

Paya made a decision to change that by engaging with her business differently.

She chose to invest both time and money into building the business with the same level of intention she brought to her client work. That included committing to an ongoing relationship with Purpose First Advisors and creating a structure for consistent, focused execution.

Over time, that decision changed how the business operated.

She built:
A steady, more predictable pipeline of qualified prospects

These outcomes didn’t happen by chance. They came from sustained, supported action:

The shift was simple, but not easy: From intermittent effort to consistent, intentional action.

That’s what created momentum, and, ultimately, that’s what transformed the business from unpredictable to designed.

Why This Matters

Choosing to work with a growth advisor who is committed to helping you build your business by design is an investment in long-term profitability, transferability, and valuation.

It’s about choosing to make decisions and take action now that will produce outcomes and create future options you can’t achieve without intentional planning and execution over a long period of time.

It’s about recognizing that business ownership is a team sport. Where you go faster and farther together than alone.

Where outcomes are measured in profit margins and EBITDA, as well as in how well your business can run without you and provide you with the freedom, flexibility, security, and fulfillment you’ve always wanted.

At some point, the question isn’t whether your business can grow, it’s whether you’re willing to build it with intention.

FAQs

1. How do I know if I’m at this stage in my business?

You can be in this stage of business no matter how many years you've been in operation. If your work is strong and clients value what you do but your revenue feels inconsistent, your offers are still evolving, and you’re making decisions without clear financial visibility, you would probably benefit from working with a growth advisor to help you make your business more predicatble and less dependent on you alone.

2. Do I need to be struggling for this kind of support to make sense?

No. In fact, this work is most impactful when the business is already “working.” I just talked to two partners who've been runing their business for 15 years. They are doing well but feel like they could be doing better financially, and they want to have less stress and feel comfortable relying on their team more.

The goal isn’t to fix something broken. It’s to build the structure, clarity, and consistency required to make the business sustainable and scalable on your terms.

3. What actually changes when I invest in working with a growth advisor?

The biggest shift is consistency.

Instead of approaching growth as a series of one-off efforts, you create a structured way to:

Over time, that consistency compounds into more predictable revenue and a more sustainable business.

4. How long does it take to see meaningful results?

Some shifts happen quickly, usually around people, pricing, and decision-making.

The most valuable outcomes like a consistent pipeline, stronger financial performance, and a business that runs more predictably, are built over time through sustained, focused action.

This is not a quick fix. It’s a long-term investment in how your business operates.

5. What if I don’t have the time to focus on this right now?

That’s often the signal that this work matters and shouldn't be pushed off.

When your business depends on your constant effort to generate revenue, it’s easy to stay stuck in reactive mode. Creating dedicated time and structure to work on the business is what allows you to move out of that cycle and build something more sustainable, less stressful, and more fulfilling.

Most business owners track the same handful of numbers every year:

Those metrics matter. They tell you how the business is performing right now.

But they don’t answer a much more important question:

Is your business becoming more valuable?

Because revenue pays the bills.
Profit funds your lifestyle.

But business value creates wealth and optionality.

It determines whether you can sell your company, transition leadership, borrow strategically, or step back from day-to-day operations.

What Does It Mean to Treat Valuation as a KPI?

Treating valuation as a KPI means measuring and managing the factors that determine the market value of your business—such as profitability, risk, leadership depth, and revenue stability—on a regular basis.

Instead of evaluating performance only through revenue and profit, owners also track whether their decisions are increasing the company’s long-term enterprise value.

This changes how leaders think about hiring, pricing, operations, and growth.

Because every decision is evaluated through a different lens:

Will this increase the value of the business?

The Factors That Drive Business Valuation

Business value is not determined by revenue alone. Buyers evaluate companies based on risk, sustainability, and transferability.

Several core drivers influence valuation.

Profitability

Consistent and improving profitability signals operational strength and financial discipline. Businesses with stable margins typically command higher valuation multiples.

Transferability

If the business depends heavily on the owner to generate revenue or make key decisions, buyers see risk. Companies that operate successfully without the owner are significantly more valuable.

Revenue Quality

Recurring or predictable revenue increases buyer confidence. Businesses that rely on repeat customers or long-term contracts tend to receive higher valuations.

Leadership Depth

A capable management team ensures the company can continue performing after an ownership transition.

Operational Systems

Documented processes and strong systems make performance more predictable, scalable, and transferable.

Why Tracking Valuation Changes the Way Owners Lead

Most owners run their businesses using operational and financial KPIs.

They measure things like:

But very few track valuation as a performance metric.

When valuation becomes part of annual planning, the conversation shifts.

Leaders start asking different questions:

These questions align daily decisions with long-term wealth creation.

How Business Owners Can Increase Valuation Over Time

Improving valuation rarely comes from a single initiative. It results from consistent focus on the factors that reduce risk and improve performance.

Owners who want to increase the value of their business often focus on:

Even if a sale is years away, these changes make businesses more profitable, resilient, and enjoyable to own.

A Strategic Insight Worth Remembering

Revenue measures activity.
Profit measures performance.
Valuation measures wealth creation.

If owners want their businesses to create lasting financial value, valuation must become part of the conversation long before an exit is on the horizon.

Measuring What Matters

When valuation becomes part of your strategic planning process, your annual plan becomes more than a roadmap for revenue growth.

It becomes a value acceleration plan.

You gain clarity about:

From there, your strategy, KPIs, and leadership priorities can align around one question:

How do we build a business that becomes more valuable every year?

Final Thought

You don’t have to be planning to sell your company to benefit from building one that is valuable.

In fact, the businesses that are easiest to sell are usually the ones that are most enjoyable to own.

Because they:

And that’s what building a valuable business is really about.onal timeline. 

Ready to add Valuation as a KPI to your business? 

FAQs

What does it mean to treat valuation as a KPI?

Treating valuation as a KPI means regularly measuring and managing the factors that influence the value of your business—such as profitability, risk, leadership depth, and revenue stability—rather than focusing only on revenue or profit.

Why should business owners track business valuation?

Tracking valuation helps owners understand whether their company is becoming more attractive to buyers, lenders, and investors. It encourages strategic decisions that increase profitability, reduce risk, and improve transferability.

What factors influence the valuation of a business?

Business valuation is influenced by factors such as:

How often should a business valuation be updated?

Many advisors recommend reviewing valuation annually as part of strategic planning. This allows owners to identify risks, track progress, and prioritize the actions that will most improve the company’s value.

Can a company grow revenue but lose value?

Yes. Revenue growth can reduce value if it increases risk—for example, by creating customer concentration, operational complexity, or greater dependence on the owner.

What is the benefit of knowing your business value before selling?

Understanding your business value early gives owners time to address weaknesses, strengthen operations, and increase valuation before entering a transition or sale process.

Is valuation important even if I don’t plan to sell my business?

Yes. Businesses that are valuable are typically more profitable, resilient, and easier to operate because they rely on strong systems, leadership, and predictable revenue.

What KPIs increase business value?

KPIs that improve business value often include gross margin, customer concentration, recurring revenue, employee retention, and operational efficiency. These indicators help reduce risk and increase buyer confidence.

That thing you’re feeling—the stress, tension, and weight of running and growing your business—is friction. The more friction you face, the greater the effort required, making even routine decisions feel like uphill battles.

Every business owner I know, myself included, strives to reduce the effort needed to grow and be profitable. We implement systems, automate tasks, and lean on AI or standard operating procedures to smooth out operational bumps. But the hardest friction to remove—the kind that no app or process can outsource—is people friction.

People friction manifests in two distinct ways:

  1. The friction of loneliness and isolation
  2. The effort required to build authentic relationships and lead effectively

The friction of loneliness

The loneliness of leadership can feel like an invisible weight pressing down on every decision. You struggle to solve problems, evaluate opportunities, and take consistent action alone. You beat yourself up for knowing better but not doing better, questioning whether you lack the ability or the sheer will to succeed.

You try to ease the friction by reading books, watching videos, and replicating the success formulas of others. If they did it alone, surely you can, too. Or maybe you hire a coach who reinforces the belief that pushing harder and working faster is the solution—relying on willpower to force results.

But eventually, you realize that effort alone doesn’t work. You’ve exhausted yourself chasing formulas, methods, and hacks that haven’t delivered sustainable success. And because you’ve already sought help once (or several times) and it didn’t provide the relief you needed, you resist engaging the advisors who could walk beside you—not just offer advice, but truly expand your intellectual and emotional capacity to grow your business.

Sometimes, you avoid seeking deep, committed support from the outset, convinced you can't afford it, don’t deserve it, or won’t need it until you hit a major milestone. Maybe past advisors failed you, or you struggle to trust that someone could be fully invested in your success.

And so, you push harder—trying to create better results through sheer determination—only to generate more friction, because you’re still doing it alone.

The friction of leadership

Leadership friction stems from the gap between the effort required to listen, teach, coach, and elevate others—and the effort you’re willing (or able) to make.

You want employees to show up, do their jobs, leave distractions at the door, and be intrinsically motivated to grow. You want self-starters with adaptability, resourcefulness, emotional intelligence, and strong communication skills.

To ease the burden, you hire better, pay more, or delegate leadership responsibilities. Yet, despite these efforts, employees still need your time, guidance, and support. They need you.

You prioritize doing the work of the business, thinking that hiring managers and coaches will fill the gap—but without investing in a culture of leadership development, your efforts fall short. Employees become frustrated. You become overwhelmed and even resentful.

As your team’s needs grow, your ability to scale your business slows. Every attempt to bypass the work of building a high-performing, values-driven workplace creates more friction, not less.

"Friction tells us where things are straining, where care is needed, and where attention should go." - Kayla Scanlon

Your business’s nervous system is experiencing the friction. And you are experiencing the pain it creates.

If this pain has been lingering, it’s a sign that what you’re doing isn’t working. Not because you’re ineffective—but because the approach isn’t yielding the desired results.

Reducing friction starts with you

The friction and the pain it causes have your attention. So now, ask yourself:

When you pinpoint the friction within your business—when you act with care and intention to reduce effort and improve results—you create conditions that ease strain, remove barriers, and accelerate growth.

Reducing friction from loneliness & isolation

1. Build a Circle of Trusted Advisors : Many business owners believe they must "go it alone" to prove their competence. But having advisors and others who walk beside you—rather than just offering occasional advice—expands your capacity to make informed, strategic decisions.

2. Create a Decision-Making Framework: Loneliness amplifies decision fatigue. Without a clear framework, business owners second-guess themselves, delaying action or making reactive choices.

3. Cultivate Vulnerability & Self-Awareness: The pressure to appear competent can lead to self-imposed isolation. Admitting uncertainty isn’t a weakness—it’s a growth strategy.

Reducing friction by investing in leadership development

1. Shift From Transactional to Relational Leadership: Business owners often seek “self-starters” who require minimal guidance. But leadership development isn’t about hiring perfect employees—it’s about creating the conditions for growth.

2. Replace “Hiring for Skills” With “Hiring for Potential”: Skills can be taught—attitude, adaptability, and values alignment must be prioritized. This shift in your approach to talent management from performance to performance + potential is crucial for successful succession planning.

3. Lead With Clarity & Consistency: Many employees disengage not because they lack motivation, but because the path forward isn’t clear.

Looking for more help to grow strategically?

FAQs

Why does business growth often create friction?

As businesses grow, complexity increases—more people, more decisions, and more moving parts. Without clear systems and leadership structure, that complexity creates friction that slows progress.

What is business growth friction?

Growth friction refers to the challenges that emerge as a business scales, including decision bottlenecks, unclear roles, leadership gaps, and operational inefficiencies.

How can a strategic business advisor help reduce growth friction?

A strategic advisor helps identify root causes of friction, improve decision-making, strengthen leadership, and create systems that allow the business to scale more effectively.

Why is leadership development important for business growth?

As a business grows, success depends less on the owner and more on the strength of the leadership team. Developing leaders helps distribute responsibility and improves execution across the organization. It's the first step in succession planning.

When should a business owner consider working with an advisor?

Owners often benefit from advisory support when growth begins to feel harder, decisions are slowing down, or the business is becoming too dependent on them.

How do you know if your business is experiencing growth friction?

Common signs include constant decision escalation to the owner, lack of accountability, repeated operational issues, and slower progress despite increased effort.

Can business growth happen without increasing stress and workload?

Yes. With the right systems, leadership structure, and strategic guidance, businesses can grow in a way that reduces owner stress, increases valuation, and improves overall performance.

More FAQs

Back in February, Dr. Donna Marino and I hosted a LinkedIn Live conversation about the how myths, personal beliefs, and emotions play a significant role in family succession planning.

That conversation became the inspiration for an article we co-authored for Family Business Magazine in which we talk about the need for frequent, candid conversations and the important role trusted advisors play in helping families navigate the complex and often complicated landscape where family relationships and business continuity collide.

Whether you started the business or are helping carry it forward, the responsibility can feel both meaningful and complicated.

My family business

My personal experience with family business succession planning is one of unspoken expectations, avoidance, and a distinct lack of planning. Despite having years during a long illness to talk with me and my siblings, as well as his own brothers, about the current state of the business and what might happen when he was gone, my dad stayed silent on the matter. It wasn't until he died that we found out he left the business to one of his brothers and that my uncle was only willing to accept the bequest if we (his nieces and nephews) used my dad's life insurance to pay off the debt.

What followed was months of conversations about "this is what your father would have wanted" and coming to terms with how my uncle's feelings of entitlement and being 'owed' something collided with the reality that my dad's business was not financially viable and the things my uncle had done to help my dad 'run' the business during his illness prolonged the inevitable need to cease operations.

In hindsight, one might say that my siblings and I could've started the conversations my father wanted to avoid. I even thought that myself - that I had failed to push the issue and force the conversation. Realistically though, as I approached my 40th birthday I was still my dad's child. I knew he would shut down and shut me out if I brought up things he didn't want to talk about or deal with. I knew I couldn't force him to do anything. And I didn't want to fight with him. He wanted to avoid the reality of his illness, his mortality, and a failing business, as well as the emotions and expectations of his children and siblings, so we didn't talk about it. Frankly, no matter how many times I rehearsed my opening line and talking points, when the time came I could never bring myself to address the situation directly.

That saddens me because it meant he dealt with a lot of financial worry by himself when he didn't need to, and he left a lot for us to deal with in his absence. It also saddens me because I know our family's experience is more of the rule than the exception. But it doesn't have to be that way.

"One of the things we often miss in succession planning is that it should be gradual and thoughtful with lots of sharing of information and knowledge and perspective, so it's almost a non-event when it happens." Anne M. Mulcahy, Family Enterprise Foundation

Collaborate and communicate

To be clear, I didn't know how to start these conversations with my family and we didn't have someone like me or Donna Marino to help us figure it out. When it's you and your family, old habits, communication patterns, and decades of relationship baggage make it hard to do this work alone. In fact, it may be an unreasonable expectation. I know first-hand that it's not enough to know what you should do. You need someone who has the experience and emotional distance to initiate and facilitate some of the hardest conversations you may ever have.

Because taking care of a family business isn’t just about protecting what was built.
It’s about deciding what it needs to become.

With that in mind, I suggest the following for those who want to become more intentional about their relationship to their family business, explore what a 'good' transition might look like, and engage an advisor to help you talk about tough topics and make important decisions.

If you're the business owner:

If your the family member:

For more information about how Purpose First Advisors can help you and your family plan for the future, visit our strategic business advisors page or schedule a free consultation.

FAQs

What makes family businesses different from other businesses?

Family businesses involve overlapping roles between family relationships and business responsibilities, which can create both unique strengths and complex challenges.

Why is managing a family business often more complicated?

Decisions in family businesses are not just strategic—they are personal. Emotions, history, and relationships can influence leadership, communication, and decision-making.

How can family businesses balance relationships and business decisions?

Clear roles, open communication, and agreed-upon expectations help separate family dynamics from business decisions while maintaining trust and alignment.

When should a family business start succession planning?

Succession planning should begin well before a transition is needed. Early planning allows time to develop future leaders and align family members around the future of the business.

What are common challenges in family business transitions?

Common challenges include unclear leadership roles, differing expectations among family members, communication breakdowns, and difficulty separating personal and business decisions.

How can family businesses prepare the next generation for leadership?

Preparation includes leadership development, clear expectations, exposure to different parts of the business, and ongoing communication about roles and responsibilities.

Why is communication so important in family businesses?

Strong communication helps prevent misunderstandings, aligns expectations, and supports both the health of the business and the relationships within the family.

How can family businesses protect both the business and the relationships?

By creating clear governance structures, defining roles, and having proactive conversations about the future, family businesses can support long-term success while preserving relationships.

More FAQs

Sometimes the people who can get you to really think about what's next - how long you want to keep working, what will happen if you suddenly can't work, how much you want to work, what selling could look like - are spouses, children, and employees.

Who in your life wants to know - deserves to know - what your succession plans are?

Even if you're scared, overwhelmed, or intimidated by the prospect of things changing, might the concerns and need for clarity from people you care about be the encouragement you need to prioritize finding someone to talk with about business exits, leadership transitions, and ways to preserve your legacy?

The questions my client's employees were asking her about the future combined with her growing desire to work less got her to make the call.

“I thought I’d work forever and forever is now,” is what she said when I asked her what had changed, and why she was reaching out to talk about selling her business.

She took a sip of her coffee and said, “I’m well past retirement age, my employees want to know what my timeline looks like, and I don’t want to work this hard anymore. At the same time, I’m trying to cut back on my hours but I keep going to the office. I’m freaked out about what I’ll do when I’m not working but also tired and ready to work less.”

“This all makes sense and almost every business owner I talk to can’t imagine not working. Frankly, I’m really glad your employees have been bugging you for a plan and you’re ready to talk.”

“Yeah, it's time. I’d like to start slow, maybe with an with an emergency succession plan and go from there.”

I smiled and said, “That’s a great place to start. That process will open up your thinking about how you run your business, what you might want to keep doing while you scale back your hours, and what legal documents and internal processes you need in place to ensure business continuity in the event you become incapacitated (or fly off for an extended Tahitian vacation.)"

“Oh, I’m the only one who writes proposals, does invoicing, does the banking - there's a lot of things that no one else does,” she said.

I exclaimed, “I know! That’s why your employees want to know what the plan is and I want to help you train them to do these things so a potential buyer will be confident that the business can run profitability without you.”

She smiled, lowered her head and raised her eyes, “I get it. I’ve just never had to train anyone on the things I do and so many little details and nuances live in my head.”

“Yeah, " I said “and it means that you’ve built a $3m business with one hand tied behind your back.”

"My job is to help you think about what will make your business most attractive to potential buyers and create as many of those conditions as possible. High owner dependence makes your business less valuable. So does a lack of standard operating procedures and cross-training.”

I went on to say, “For you to work less, others need to work more or we need to hire other people to take on different roles. You need to train them and let them practice doing new things. You need to teach them all the things you do instinctively that make this business successful.”

She leaned forward and said, “I do have one person I’ve been showing how to do some things and she might even be interested in buying the business.” she said. “It’s important to me to help her do that when we’re both ready.”

I smiled and said, “That’s so good to know. What a wonderful thing to work toward!

I made a note and explained, “that means it’s also important for you to start making financial decisions based on demonstrating consistent, reliable cash flow. If your employee eventually needs a bank loan to make this deal work the bank will want to see the numbers that tell them the business can service the debt.”

“Fortunately, we have time to document, train on, and delegate your responsibilities before we go to market. And we have time to get your financial documents in order in anticipation of due diligence and an underwriting process.”

With a sigh and a smile she said, "It's a good thing I’m not ready to be ‘done, done’ tomorrow. This sounds like a lot of work!”

“It is.” I put down my pen and said, “which is why it's always best to run your business to be exit ready and transferrable regardless of whether you are ready to or interested in selling. Now the most important thing is to get started and make these changes."

“Let’s get focused. I’m ready to do it,” she said, sitting up a little straighter in her chair.

Getting focused helped this owner increase revenue 34% and profit 137% YOY, update her estate plan, review her wealth management strategies, create an emergency succession plan, identify a prospective buyer, and set an asking price 40% higher than initially anticipated.

Even if you think you’re going to work forever, you might change your mind. Let’s talk about integrating succession planning and value acceleration strategies into your annual growth plan to position your business to be as appealing as possible to potential heirs or buyers. That gives you more business exit and transition choices whenever you decide to change your role in the business or sell.

FAQs

Why do employees start asking business owners about succession plans?

Employees often begin asking about succession when they notice signs that the owner may eventually step back—such as changes in workload, age, or business direction. These questions usually reflect concern about stability, leadership continuity, and their own future within the company.

When should a business owner start talking about succession plans?

Ideally, owners begin discussing succession and transition plans five to ten years before a leadership change. Early conversations allow time to develop leaders, strengthen systems, and create a thoughtful transition strategy.

Why do many business owners avoid succession planning conversations?

Succession planning can raise difficult questions about identity, retirement, leadership readiness, and the future of the business. Because these topics are both strategic and emotional, many owners delay the conversation even when they know it’s important.

What are the risks of avoiding conversations about the future of a business?

When succession planning is avoided, uncertainty can grow among employees, family members, and leadership teams. This uncertainty can lead to confusion about decision-making, reduced confidence in long-term stability, and missed opportunities to prepare the business for transition.

How can business owners start conversations about the future of the company?

Owners can begin by sharing their general thinking about the future of the business, asking key team members about their goals, and exploring what a successful transition might look like for everyone involved.

Who should be involved in succession planning conversations?

Succession planning often involves a mix of stakeholders including the owner, potential successors, senior leadership, family members (if applicable), and trusted advisors who can help guide the process.

Why do early succession conversations strengthen a business?

Early conversations allow organizations to identify leadership talent, clarify expectations, and strengthen systems so the company can continue operating successfully through future transitions.

More FAQs

Every generation - no, actually, every individual - has their own ideas about what work is, how much and for how long they want to work, and what retirement will look like for them. 

Which is why some days I’ll talk to a current owner who is 60+, never plans to completely stop working, and needs income from the business to fund their retirement while the future owner is in their 30s and sees work as a means to living the life they want, not a calling.

Or an owner who is in hospice and still booking new business while their successor wants to retire. 

Or an owner who isn’t ready to sell but is very eager to be out of direct client work and day-to-day operations while revenues can’t currently support new hires. 

Or a prospective client who chose the hard work of being an owner to have the freedom to ‘do things how and when I want to do them,’ but sees profits (and the freedom they bring) declining. 

The more in touch you are about what work is and what it means to you the more likely you are to 

You can start getting more comfortable with the ‘big’ questions related to work, retirement, your life’s purpose, and your legacy by asking yourself questions that shift your thinking from “who am I related to others?” to  “who am I at my core?” Try one of these: 

1. The "Who Am I?" Challenge

  1. What do these words reveal about you?
  2. Do they align with how you see yourself when you’re alone?
  3. If few words remain, what does that say about how you define yourself?
  1. If your list feels empty, what traits would you like to define you outside of relationships?
  2. How can you strengthen those aspects of yourself?

2. The Subtraction Method

3. The “What Would Stay?” Exercise

4. The Mirror Test

5. The “Five Lives” Exercise

6. The Inner Compass Test

Contact me to learn more about how Purpose First Advisors can help you get the most out of your business and plan for ‘what’s next.’

VoyageSTL Article

At the end of 2024, Voyage STL asked me to share my story for readers (link above.)

In my responses, I look the liberty of going back to the beginning, which for me is being born into a family business. Dee’s Florist was my grandfather’s dream and my dad’s occupation.

My dad was one of those business owners who planned as far out as the next big sales cycle - think Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Christmas. He wasn’t an innovator. He didn’t change with the times. He ran the business the best he could for as long as he could.

When he died, there wasn’t much for the next generation because it wasn’t built for us. It was built to be an income source for my dad and our family. As such, in a less than orderly fashion, the business was dissolved more than a decade ago.

My family business experience was profoundly impactful in my life. It created some amazing memories and wonderful experiences. And it was the setting for some hardship, hurt feelings, and heartache.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to run a business that creates the lifestyle you want and ceases operations when you are ready to be done working. In those circumstances you plan and execute an orderly dissolution.

What is problematic is running a business that

All business owners WILL EXIT their business eventually.

Even if you plan to leave the details to your executor, you owe it to them to have a well designed plan with all the legal and financial documents in order to take care of the business of your business when you’re gone.

So go ahead, work forever. But please do so

  1. In a way that allows you to generate the income, savings and personal freedom you deserve to live the life you love, and
  2. With an emergency succession plan (for the ‘what if’s’ of life) and a thorough, professional estate plan.

Learn more about how we can help you get the most out of your business and plan for the future to protect and grow what you have and the people you love.

maroon quotation marks
  • I have said many times to colleagues, “I wish I had hired Christy Maxfield a few years ago.” Even with a 27-year-old company, I have learned so much from her. Christy has been an invaluable partner helping me operate my company more strategically, i.e. strengthening financial reporting, guiding succession planning, navigating complex people decisions, and increasing the overall value of my business. Christy brings insight, clarity, and genuine care to her work. Her disciplined approach and guidance has made me a more confident and effective business owner and positioned my company for its next phase of long-term success.
    Laurna Godwin
    Owner, Vector Communications
  • Christy’s coaching has has been instrumental in elevating my business to new heights. Her ability to facilitate strategic conversations has been transformative, helping me identify opportunities, overcome obstacles, and refine my business strategies for optimal results.
    Paya Sample
    Owner, Peak Leaders Collective
  • Christy took the time to assess my business model, understand my goals, and identify areas for improvement. What impressed me most was her ability to provide tailored strategies that were practical and immediately implementable.
    Sue Bailey
    Owner, Celebrating Life Cakes
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