Business Growth

How To Start and Grow
Your First 8 Figure
Company

If you want to start and grow your first 8 figure company, you don't need to spend years testing different marketing strategies and short-term tactics.

You just need to learn the secrets from someone who has done it before.

In this episode, Chris shares the #1 lesson that has helped him build multiple successful businesses across four different industries.

Whether you've been in business for decades, or are just starting your company, this proven blueprint will shortcut your path to growth.

The speed at which you grow is directly determined by how fast you can learn lessons.

In this Episode:

  • The secret trick that will get you in the right mindset for building an 8 figure company
  • How to optimize your sources of revenue and cut expenses to get to 8 figures faster
  • Why systems are so important to the growth of your company
  • What you need to create inside of your business that will set you apart from all of your competitors
  • The one thing you need to do over the next month that will shortcut your success by years and save you millions

Want to learn more about building your first 8 figure company?

Take a look at the companies Chris has helped scale and see if there are any spots available in Chris's consulting program.

Enjoy the show? Check out the most popular episodes of Built to Grow!

  • Investing in Yourself to Grow Your Business
  • Overcoming the #1 Obstacle to Growth
  • Super Productivity for High Growth Entrepreneurs

Transcript:

I've built multiple successful companies in four different industries. And I've built a lot of smaller ones that either haven't hit the eight-figure mark yet or just tanked completely. Because sometimes, when you try to push through a new level of growth without the right systems or knowing how to build the right team, or knowing what I'm about to show you today, things fail. And there have definitely been times that I let my ego get in the way, and that always cost me.

I tell you this so you know my track record. I've had wins and a few losses, probably just like you, and learned lessons at every stage.

Every new industry I go into, every time a new competitor comes in, every time a market changes, every time I invest in or advise a company to scale, I learn lessons.

I'm a firm believer that the speed at which you grow is directly determined by how fast you can learn lessons.

The Number 1 Lesson I Learned In Growing My Business

Today I want to dig into the #1 lesson I learned that can help you go from 0 - or wherever you're starting right now - to 8-figures and beyond.

I wish I knew this when I first started out.

It doesn't matter if you're just starting out, or if you've been in business for a decade, if your goal is to build an 8-figure company - that's a company that brings in anything between $10 million to $99 million a year - then you need to start thinking about selling your company.

I know you might not want to sell, or you might not think you can sell, or you might not have even started your business yet. But building a company with selling it in mind is one of the reasons why I'm able to go into a company and 3, 4, 5x its growth curve in 12-24 months. Often far less than that.

Because when we start re-modeling a company to get it ready to sell, here's what happens:

  • You cut away all the BS expenses.
  • We optimize every source of revenue.
  • We find all the places money is being left on the table and we pick it all up.

Why We Need to Create Systems

We create systems for every important aspect of the company. And when we do that, all those areas begin to run more smoothly and far more profitably.

We build a basic yet powerful culture inside the company. If you're just starting out, then you still need to build a culture because a strong culture of growth will attract key people that will want to help you grow. That might be employees, or vendors, or advisors, or mentors, or future partner, or investors.

A simple, yet strong culture is what separates you from all the other businesses selling the same stuff you're selling.

How to Break Through the 8-figure Mark

And finally, we follow a proven model. Now there are hundreds of business models out there that work every time they're followed. I spend a few weeks or a month studying a successful model, you can literally shortcut your success curve by years and save yourself millions of dollars and lots of grey hairs.

So, whether you're just starting out, or you're looking for insight on how to break through the 8-figure mark:

  • Cut away all the unnecessary expenses
  • Optimize every source of revenue. If you're getting $5 per sale, and you can up that to $5.50, do it. If you have 3 sources of revenue and you can think of another synergistic source of revenue that won't cost you much time or money to launch, then launch it. Or if one of your products is costing you $1 to sell and you can find a way to sell it for 90 cents and profit 10% more, then do it.
  • Create systems for every important process.
  • Create a basic yet powerful culture inside the company, one that's based on your personal values.
  • Tweak your model until it's based on an already proven model so you're not forced to learn everything that someone else already paid for you.

And that's even if you're just starting out.

Begin your business with the idea that you're building an asset to sell, and you'll build a far more profitable, stable and duplicatable business to support your family, your employees and your dreams.

What else do you think you can do for your company to grow past the 8-figure mark?

Related Reading Overcoming the #1 Obstacle to Growth → Related Reading Smart Options To Fund Your Business →
Common Questions

Frequently Asked
Questions

What is the number one mindset shift required to build an 8 figure business?

Start building your business as if you're going to sell it, even if you have no intention of selling. When you design a company for sale, you automatically cut the waste, optimize revenue, build real systems, and create a culture that attracts top talent. Those are the same forces that drive 8-figure growth. The companies I've taken from early stage to 8 figures all share that same structural discipline, and it starts with that mindset.

How do I build an 8 figure business when I'm just getting started with limited resources?

The principles don't change based on stage. Cut unnecessary expenses from day one. Find every source of revenue you can and optimize each one. Build systems for every important process before the chaos of growth forces you to. Create a culture based on your personal values. Then find a proven model in your industry and study it until you can follow it without guessing. These five actions work at startup and at $30 million.

Why do so many companies with strong revenue still fail to reach 8 figures?

Revenue without structure doesn't scale. I've watched companies push through growth phases without the right systems or the right team structure, and they fail every time. Either the growth collapses because there's nothing underneath it, or the founder's ego gets in the way and they stop learning. The speed at which you grow is directly determined by how fast you can learn lessons. Ego blocks learning. Systems protect against collapse.

What does it mean to follow a proven model when building an 8 figure business, and how do you find one?

A proven model is a business framework that has already worked in your industry or an adjacent one. You spend a few weeks studying it, extracting the principles, and adapting them to your company. This shortens your learning curve by years and saves you from paying for lessons someone else already learned. You don't copy it wholesale. You identify what made it work and build those mechanics into your own business before you scale.

How important is company culture when trying to build an 8 figure business from a smaller base?

Culture is what separates you from every other business selling what you're selling. A simple but strong culture built on your personal values will attract employees, vendors, advisors, mentors, future partners, and investors. Those relationships accelerate growth in ways that marketing alone never can. If you're just starting out, you still need to build culture, because the people you attract early set the trajectory of the company for years.

Here’s How To Make This Your Best Year…

Club 28

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