Behind Closed Doors

Below is a repository of notes from business meetings, behind-the-scenes footage from the Success Explained podcast, and inter-office memos, turned into articles to save you the pain and frustration of figuring out how to get your business to the next level.

How to Use AI to Grow Your Business: A Founder's Operating Playbook
AI for Entrepreneurs

How to Use AI to Grow Your Business: A Founder's Operating Playbook

The fastest way to use AI to grow your business is not to experiment with it. It's to commit to three focused areas immediately: replacing expensive vendors, compressing your team's execution time, and building the operational dashboards you've never had before.

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How Hollywood Spreads the Word About New Movies
Business Growth

How Hollywood Spreads the Word About New Movies

Hollywood's three-act marketing system floods theaters on opening day. Here is how to apply that exact model to your next product launch or campaign.
Empowering Your Team to Drink From the Fountain of Unending Drive
Leadership & Team

Empowering Your Team to Drink From the Fountain of Unending Drive

Having an empowered team starts before the hire. Six principles for developing employees who own their work and drive growth without constant management.
Website Optimization for Medium to Large Businesses
Business Growth

Website Optimization for Medium to Large Businesses

Most SEO companies keep you dependent on fear tactics around algorithm changes. The three principles that drive organic growth have not changed since Google began.
Building a Strong Team
Leadership & Team

Building a Strong Team

The companies that grow fastest are built on people, not just systems. What building a genuinely strong team actually requires, and why most founders get it wrong.
Game Day for Business Growth
Business Growth

Game Day for Business Growth

Most business owners go through their day as if it's always practice. The founders who grow fastest treat every day like game day.
How to Be ROI Positive on Every Media Buy
Business Growth

How to Be ROI Positive on Every Media Buy

More than 82% of businesses lose money on advertising. The problem is almost never the ad. It's the system around the ad.
Get Better Results From Every Meeting
Leadership & Team

Get Better Results From Every Meeting

Most meetings accomplish nothing because they're run the same way every time regardless of purpose. A simple structure that makes every meeting produce a concrete output.
Today's Limits Are Tomorrow's Victories
Business Growth

Today's Limits Are Tomorrow's Victories

The challenges you cannot overcome today are not failures. They are the raw material for the wins that define your company's future.
Work-Life Balance for Entrepreneurs
Business Growth

Work-Life Balance for Entrepreneurs

Work-life balance looks different for high-growth founders. A framework for stepping away completely and returning with the clarity that accelerates your business.
How to Develop a Strong Business Culture
Leadership & Team

How to Develop a Strong Business Culture

Culture is not a foosball table or a values poster. It is the behavior your leadership models and tolerates every single day. Here's how to build one that actually drives performance.
Successful Business Growth Is All About 2 Things
Business Growth

Successful Business Growth Is All About 2 Things

Forget tactics. Every successful CEO has these two qualities and uses them daily. They outperform strategy every time they run together.
4 Tips for Building an Online Community That Promotes Your Business Growth
Business Growth

4 Tips for Building an Online Community That Promotes Your Business Growth

A true online community grows organically and gives you customer feedback no survey can match. Four tips for building one that actually works.
The Ideal Agenda for a Board of Directors
Leadership & Team

The Ideal Agenda for a Board of Directors

A board meeting without the right agenda is theater. Here's the exact agenda structure I use that keeps boards focused on the decisions that actually move the business forward.
The Psychology of Customers
Business Growth

The Psychology of Customers

Understanding why customers buy is more valuable than knowing how to sell. The psychological triggers that drive purchasing decisions have nothing to do with price.
List of Paid Traffic Sources for Your Website
Business Growth

List of Paid Traffic Sources for Your Website

Every paid traffic source has a different buyer temperature and cost structure. The founders who scale paid acquisition know which sources match which offers.
When to Fire an Employee
Leadership & Team

When to Fire an Employee

Waiting too long to let someone go is one of the most expensive mistakes a founder can make. Here's how to know when you've already passed the point where coaching will help.
Business Growth Business Consulting
Business Growth

Business Growth Business Consulting

Most business consultants give you a report. What growing companies actually need is someone who has done it and can show you the exact steps that worked.
Knowing Your True Profit Boosters
Business Growth

Knowing Your True Profit Boosters

Revenue is vanity. Knowing exactly which activities, offers, and channels drive real profit is what separates companies that grow from ones that spin.
How to Locate the Right People for Your Board of Directors
Leadership & Team

How to Locate the Right People for Your Board of Directors

The right board members are not the most famous or the most credentialed. They're the ones who've solved the specific problems you're about to face. Here's how to find them.
Reach Millions With Press Releases
Business Growth

Reach Millions With Press Releases

Press releases are not just for big brands. Used correctly, they are one of the most underused and cost-effective ways to reach millions of potential customers.
Grow Your Brand, Market Your Products
Business Growth

Grow Your Brand, Market Your Products

Your brand is not your logo. It's the set of beliefs your market holds about you before they ever speak to you. Here's how to shape those beliefs deliberately.
Most Effective Way to Show Appreciation to Employees
Leadership & Team

Most Effective Way to Show Appreciation to Employees

Generic recognition programs are a waste of money. The most effective way to show appreciation costs very little and produces loyalty you cannot buy through compensation alone.
Simple Business Website Conversion Strategies
Business Growth

Simple Business Website Conversion Strategies

Most business websites are digital brochures that generate nothing. Three simple conversion strategies that turn traffic into leads without a full redesign.
Internet Marketing Systems
Business Growth

Internet Marketing Systems

The difference between a campaign and a system is repeatability. Here's how to build an internet marketing system that compounds instead of restarting from zero each quarter.
Checklist for When You're Ready to Hire a COO
Leadership & Team

Checklist for When You're Ready to Hire a COO

Hiring a COO at the wrong stage is one of the most expensive mistakes a growing company can make. This checklist tells you exactly when the time is right.
iLead: Chris Guerriero
Business Growth

iLead: Chris Guerriero

Leadership is not a title. It's a skill set that grows with deliberate practice. The principles behind building an organization that follows you because they want to.
Are You Really Happy in Your Business? Find Out Here
Business Growth

Are You Really Happy in Your Business? Find Out Here

Most entrepreneurs can measure their revenue but not their fulfillment. A diagnostic framework for getting honest with yourself about whether your business is actually working for you.
Meeting Agenda Template
Leadership & Team

Meeting Agenda Template

A meeting without a clear agenda is just an interruption. This template has produced better outcomes in every business I've run and can be adapted to any team size.
iBranding: Online Branding
Business Growth

iBranding: Online Branding

Online branding is not about being everywhere. It's about owning the specific conversation your ideal customer is already having in their head before they find you.
Overcoming the #1 Obstacle to Growth
Business Growth

Overcoming the #1 Obstacle to Growth

There is one obstacle that shows up in almost every business that is stuck. It is not the market, not the economy, and not the competition.
How to Be a Better Leader and Develop a Leadership Team
Leadership & Team

How to Be a Better Leader and Develop a Leadership Team

Leadership is not a fixed trait. It's a skill set that develops through specific practice. Here's how to get better at it and build a team of leaders around you at the same time.
How to Start and Grow Your First 8-Figure Company
Business Growth

How to Start and Grow Your First 8-Figure Company

The gap between a good business and an eight-figure company is not luck or timing. It's a specific set of decisions made at each stage of growth.
Smart Options to Fund Your Business
Business Growth

Smart Options to Fund Your Business

Most founders think the only options are bank loans or venture capital. There are smarter, less dilutive ways to fund growth that most business owners never explore.
Your Next Best Hire
Leadership & Team

Your Next Best Hire

Your next hire might not be the role you think it is. Here's how I identify the single hire that will have the most impact on growth at any given stage of a company.
How to Gain Momentum in Business and Life
Business Growth

How to Gain Momentum in Business and Life

Momentum does not happen to you. It's built deliberately through a sequence of specific actions that compound on each other. Here's how to start the cycle.
Are You an Alpha Entrepreneur?
Business Growth

Are You an Alpha Entrepreneur?

Not every entrepreneur is built the same. Alpha entrepreneurs share a specific set of traits, and knowing whether you have them changes how you build your team around you.
Experience vs. Opinion: Which Is Better in Business?
Leadership & Team

Experience vs. Opinion: Which Is Better in Business?

Opinions are everywhere. Experience is rare. Understanding the difference between the two will change who you take advice from and how you build the team around you.
Acquisitions Made Easy With Chris Guerriero
Business Growth

Acquisitions Made Easy With Chris Guerriero

Buying a business is one of the fastest ways to grow. Most founders never explore it because they think it's complicated. It's not if you know the right framework.
Where Millionaire Entrepreneurs Put Their Money
Business Growth

Where Millionaire Entrepreneurs Put Their Money

Millionaire entrepreneurs do not park money the same way average business owners do. Where they allocate capital reveals how they think about building wealth alongside building companies.
Mike Dillard Talks With Chris Guerriero About Starting a Board
Leadership & Team

Mike Dillard Talks With Chris Guerriero About Starting a Board

Mike Dillard and I discuss what most founders get wrong when they start a board of directors and why the right board structure is one of the most valuable assets a company can have.
Triple Your Profit by Targeting a Better Audience
Business Growth

Triple Your Profit by Targeting a Better Audience

Targeting a better audience is often worth more than tripling your marketing budget. Here's the exact approach I use to identify higher-value customers in any market.
Stressed vs Stretched: Super Productivity for High-Growth Entrepreneurs
Business Growth

Stressed vs Stretched: Super Productivity for High-Growth Entrepreneurs

Stress and being stretched are not the same thing. High-growth entrepreneurs learn to operate in stretch without tipping into stress. The difference determines your output ceiling.
Chris Widener on Developing a Lasting Impact in Business
Leadership & Team

Chris Widener on Developing a Lasting Impact in Business

Chris Widener joins me to talk about what separates leaders who leave a lasting impact from those who simply hold a title. The insights apply regardless of where you are in your business.
How to React When Things Don't Go Your Way
Business Growth

How to React When Things Don't Go Your Way

How you respond to setbacks is the single biggest predictor of long-term success. The leaders who grow the fastest have a specific protocol for when things go wrong.
Why Your Business Is Not Doing 8 Figures
Business Growth

Why Your Business Is Not Doing 8 Figures

I've consulted with hundreds of businesses stuck below eight figures. The reasons are almost always the same two or three things, and none of them are what most founders think.
Personal Assistant Interview Questions
Leadership & Team

Personal Assistant Interview Questions

Hiring a personal assistant is one of the most leveraged decisions a founder can make. These are the interview questions that reveal whether someone can actually handle what you need.
Preventing Burnout and Overwhelm in Business and Life
Business Growth

Preventing Burnout and Overwhelm in Business and Life

Burnout is not a badge of honor. It is a signal that the way you're working is not sustainable and that the business is too dependent on your personal energy.
How Rich People Recharge
Business Growth

How Rich People Recharge

Rich people do not rest the same way everyone else does. The way high performers recharge is specific, intentional, and directly tied to how they perform at the highest level.
How to Hire Great Employees
Leadership & Team

How to Hire Great Employees

Great employees are not found by accident. They're identified through a specific process that most companies never implement. Here's how to hire people who actually raise the standard.
The End of Traditional Marketing
Business Growth

The End of Traditional Marketing

Traditional marketing is not just declining. For most businesses, it is already dead. What has replaced it is faster, cheaper, and more measurable than anything that came before.
The Perfect Vacation for Business Growth
Business Growth

The Perfect Vacation for Business Growth

The right vacation can accelerate your business. The wrong one leaves you more drained than before you left. Here's how to design time away that actually recharges you at a high level.
Immature vs. Stupid: Who's Better for Your Inner Circle?
Leadership & Team

Immature vs. Stupid: Who's Better for Your Inner Circle?

The people in your inner circle shape your business more than any strategy. Here's how to tell the difference between someone who is immature and someone who is actually holding you back.
Dan Lok Talks With Chris Guerriero About How to Be an Entrepreneur
Business Growth

Dan Lok Talks With Chris Guerriero About How to Be an Entrepreneur

Dan Lok and I sat down to talk about what it actually takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Not the highlight reel version. The real one, including the parts nobody posts about.
How to Get Better Sleep With Doc Parsley and Chris Guerriero
Business Growth

How to Get Better Sleep With Doc Parsley and Chris Guerriero

Sleep is the highest-leverage performance variable most entrepreneurs completely ignore. Doc Parsley shares what actually works for high-output founders who cannot afford to run on empty.
Great Leadership Fast
Leadership & Team

Great Leadership Fast

Most leadership development programs take years. Here's how to develop the skills that matter most in a fraction of the time, without a certification or a formal program.
Time to Start a Business
Business Growth

Time to Start a Business

There is never a perfect time to start a business. But there are better times than others. Here's how to know when the conditions are actually right for you specifically.
Company Growth vs. Marketing
Business Growth

Company Growth vs. Marketing

Most companies mistake marketing for growth. They are not the same thing. Understanding the difference determines whether your next quarter looks like real progress or expensive noise.
The Best Paperwork for a Board of Directors or Board of Advisors
Leadership & Team

The Best Paperwork for a Board of Directors or Board of Advisors

The right legal and operational paperwork protects everyone at the table. Here's exactly what documents every board should have in place before the first meeting.
Momentum in Business
Business Growth

Momentum in Business

Momentum in business is not magic. It's a predictable result of the right sequence of actions. Here's what that sequence actually looks like and how to recreate it deliberately.
Guarantee Success
Business Growth

Guarantee Success

Success in business is not random. There are specific inputs that reliably produce specific outputs. Here's the framework I use to make outcomes predictable instead of hopeful.
Business Skill
Business Growth

Business Skill

The most valuable business skill is not negotiation, not sales, and not leadership. It's the one that makes all the others work. And most founders never develop it deliberately.
Business Success Hurts
Business Growth

Business Success Hurts

Nobody tells you that success comes with a specific set of painful transitions. Here's what those transitions look like and how to move through them without losing what you built.
Business Mistake to Avoid
Business Growth

Business Mistake to Avoid

There is one mistake I see made repeatedly by smart, driven founders that costs them years of growth. It is completely avoidable once you know what to look for.
Fast Business Growth
Business Growth

Fast Business Growth

Fast business growth is not about doing more. It's about removing the constraints that are slowing you down and doubling down on the one or two things that are already working.
Buying Companies
Business Growth

Buying Companies

Buying an existing company is one of the most underutilized growth strategies available to founders. Here's how I approach acquisitions and what makes one worth pursuing.
Volvo
Business Growth

Volvo

There's a lesson inside the story of how Volvo built its brand that most marketers completely miss. It applies directly to how you position any company in a crowded market.
8 Mistakes I Made Scaling My First Business
Business Growth

8 Mistakes I Made Scaling My First Business

I made every one of these mistakes during my first scale. I'm sharing them here because the pattern is predictable and most founders hit the same walls in the same order.
How to Stay Focused on What Really Drives Growth
Business Growth

How to Stay Focused on What Really Drives Growth

Focus is not about working harder. It's about knowing which activities actually move the needle and having the discipline to ignore everything else until those are done.
Investing in Yourself to Grow Your Business
Business Growth

Investing in Yourself to Grow Your Business

The highest return on investment any founder can make is not in real estate or stocks. It's in developing the specific skills and knowledge that directly compound your business results.
Position Your Company as a Leader in Your Field
Business Growth

Position Your Company as a Leader in Your Field

Market leaders are not born, they're positioned. Here's the framework I use to establish any company as the authority in its space, regardless of how crowded that space is.
Work Directly With Chris

Reading Is One Thing.
Applying It Is Another.

Club 28 is a private advisory program limited to 28 founders and CEOs. If you're growing a business and want the kind of direct, specific guidance that doesn't come from an article, this is where that conversation starts.

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