1) Trust to grow The biggest mistake young entrepreneurs are making: Not being able to let go of control. I struggled with this in my early years. The ability to let go stems from trust.

A lack of trust amongst your team prevents your business from truly scaling. I can operate multiple businesses simultaneously because I trust my team to keep the ship moving. Plus, I use incentives that encourage them to grow, iterate, and innovate.

If you can’t trust others to implement your vision, you’ll never grow beyond yourself. Don’t let your lack of trust for others hold you back!

How do you implement trust? It’s easier to trust your team when you: • Hire effectively • Learn to not micromanage • Provide your team with the tools to execute Trust forms the basis of mutual respect. Be a leader, not a micromanager.

To scale, you’ll need to delegate tasks that access sensitive information. • Account usernames and passwords • Financial documents • Payroll Trust your team but also protect yourself and your clients with clear contracts and NDA’s.

2) Your time is everything Unmanaged time leads to lost revenue. So be deliberate with yours. • Learn to say no • Use project management tools • Block out time on your calendar • Set deadlines for yourself and your team Time is your most valuable asset. Treat it as such.

Increasing productivity is an efficient way to buy back your time. All the productivity hacks my company and I use can be found here:

3) Set goals Every team in your company needs a purpose. Provide your team with: • OKRs • Realistic deadlines • Accountability frameworks Measure your teams goals through the use of KPI’s…

And most importantly, GIVE THEM INCENTIVES to hit and surpass their goals! Incentives unify your team with a common goal, And give them fulfillment and excitement with day to day wins.

How my companies successfully track progress towards goals: 1) Set quarterly KPI’s 2) Have department leaders track them 3) Attach bonuses to completed KPI’s Your department leaders’ KPIs are rated on the success of those beneath them. One last point to save you money:

Avoid the “restaurant model” bonus structure. This mistake cost me hundreds of thousands in “bonuses” with 0 increase to productivity. No one was actually incentivized to go above and beyond their individual work load. Always hold individuals accountable for their work!

4) Have an open mind Being open to new ideas enables your company to exist at the cutting edge of innovation. Invite your team to innovate and challenge you. Don’t get stuck around “yes men/women.” To go one step further...

We host slack channels to keep our teams collaborating and thinking openly. We have one for inspiration, one for updates on shifting markets, And another one for “knowledge bombs.” Develop spaces for your team to inspire one another.

5) Drop your ego A big reason why I’ve had a lot of success over the years, Is because I’m able to admit when I’m wrong. Many leaders can’t do this. Your ego can only get you so far until it becomes a hindrance. Listen to your team, acknowledge your flaws, and move on.

Once you know where your deficiencies lie, you can hire people who excel in those areas. It’s never good to be the smartest person in the room. This applies even more so to your company.

6) Urgency & speed If your business is early stage, you’ll be intimately involved in its progression. But beware of getting complacent as your business grows. Urgency will keep your complacency at bay. Hustle like your business depends on it, even if it doesn't.

Speed is everything in the business world. The barrier to entry for online innovation is lower than ever. If you’re not moving fast, Your competitors will always be leaps ahead of you.

7) Network It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. To expand your network: • Attend networking events • Identify new opportunities • Communicate with industry leaders The world of business never sleeps. There’s always a chance to open a new door.

When I was 21, I went to an affiliate conference is LV. At 4am, I met a guy at a black jack table. We happened to have a lot of mutual friends, so we got to chatting, and decided to partner on an opportunity. Fast forward 12 months…

Our partnership grossed 5 million dollars in 12 months. All because I put myself out there at a black jack table. You never know where your next opportunity will come from. Always put yourself out there.

7a) Networks add priceless value A big reason my agency is so successful is because my network sends me • clients • market insights • potential recruits … Without me even asking. Provide value to your network. The dividends you receive will be endless.

8) Be adaptable Apps are always changing. Markets are always changing. The economy is always changing. Pay attention. Stay on top of the shifts. Just like YouTube did back when it was a video dating site:

Youtube was originally a video dating site when it launched in 2005. To no ones surprise, it never took off. But the founders realized people were using their site differently than they intended…

YouTube cofounder Jawed Karim, noticed the users were posting silly videos. So he posted one famously saying “elephants have really, really, really long trunks.” More users joined and YouTube as we know it was born. You may be one iteration away from a paradigm shift.

9) Learn from failure With my 1st eComm business, we took a major risk by doing fulfillment ourselves. We had to move warehouses 5 times and kept missing orders. We thought we’d be saving money but it ended up being a liability. The risk led to our downfall...

Don’t be afraid to fail. Take the risk, there’s only 2 outcomes.. If you win, great. If you fail, reflect, and move forward. My failures have become my agency’s unique value proposition. “We’ve made the mistakes so that you don’t have to.”

9 lessons to scale your business: 1) Trust to grow 2) Your time is everything 3) Set goals 4) Have an open mind 5) Drop your ego 6) Urgency and speed 7) Network 8) Be adaptable 9) Learn from failure

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