Hidden growth killers
Growth killers hide in plain sight. They are often treated as cultural quirks. And in many cases when I’ve challenged about them, the leaders treat them as isolated problems or communication breakdowns, not systemic issues. Willful blindness feels good, but it doesn’t make growth.
Do Not Recommend
We've let the internet decide how we decide on nearly everything for two decades now. It's not working for consumers, and it's not working for your business. Here's what happens next.
Organic growth fails on purpose
There are only two business plans left for growing RIAs: Build to Sell or Build to Buy. And for all the firms not doing either, they are counting on running out a clock that is moving faster than even the most cash-sheltered RIAs can imagine.
Planting seeds of discontent
You cannot critique something well unless you love it. Once something is in your veins, like marketing and finance and education and the internet are in mine, passion for the possible feeds a holy discontent. One worth fighting for.
How legacies actually get made
To steal the infamous words from Hamilton: a legacy is planting seeds in a garden we'll never see. As a very amateur gardener, I think about this often. Even when you are going to see the seeds grow, you're often very, very wrong about the outcome you're going to get.
Communication is not the goal
Some combination of the internet's meltdown, media failures, and falling reading skills are killing communication. It's time to reset your sights: communication is not the goal, understanding is.
They decide with their eyes first
Trust-dependent ventures must think like designers. From visual layouts to client experiences, from lobby layouts to website UX, it’s imperative to your trust-based growth that you bring a design mind to the party. Featuring Guest Contributor Laura Sorensen
Breaking rules and techno-fantasies
Big trends are made by category incumbents, held up by media, and monetized by the masses who are desperate to feel connected to the newest, hottest thing. This collusion of the willing puts up barriers to entry to producing value and growing marketshare. This week we recognize the signs.
Finally! Fewer CMOs (but more bad rashes)
Fewer CMOs is good news, more Jon Stewart is not, and how to read better to think better.
The Good List 2023
2023 has been a whirlwind of a year.
From the headlines, books, media, and trends, we bring you 24 good things that came from this year... and a few hints as to what may happen next.
Is "Fund-and-Fix" the new model for RIA Growth?
Minority investors are finding what we’ve found in our years of working with RIAs: The ATT Trifecta (Acquisitions, Talent, and Tech) is not sufficient to produce scalable growth, and in the wrong hands it makes things worse. New entrants are trying to "fix" that.
AI quiet quits and trust comes back in fashion
Looking back, 2023 did a good job of making us believe that shiny objects, fancy AI gadgets, mass-produced content, and general internet tomfoolery would grow businesses in scale and trust. Turns out they were wrong, again.
