By Cheryl Powers

A Success Story from the Trenches: Breedlove & Associates' Journey

Imagine beginning a small payroll business from your home office, self-funding its growth, and then, two decades later, selling it for an astonishing six times the revenue. This is not a Silicon Valley fairy tale but the real success story of Stephanie Breedlove and her company, Breedlove & Associates. Starting in 1992, Breedlove grew her company by an average of 20% annually, focusing on a niche market - payro...

By Cheryl Powers

For a business owner or founder, the journey from inception to a profitable exit is like a masterful chess game, where strategic moves determine success. Let's begin with a story that resonates with many business owners. Imagine Sarah, who started her durable medical equipment business a decade ago. Last year, she decided to sell her business, expecting a lucrative deal given her impressive annual revenues. However, she was in for a shock when valuations came in far lower than ...

By Cheryl Powers

Imagine your mid-market business, once a mere contender in your competitive industry, evolving into a dominant force with unparalleled market value. Your remarkable ascent won't be by sheer luck or a one-time market anomaly. Instead, the deliberate and strategic enhancement of customer capital will have propelled your transformation. Such a scenario is not a rarity; it demonstrates how astutely managed customer capital can drive substantial business growth, increased valuation,...

By Cheryl Powers

Imagine your journey as a business owner whose company, once entirely dependent on your daily involvement, transformed into a self-managing, profitable entity. This metamorphosis not only skyrocketed your business value but also granted you newfound freedom and wealth. How did you achieve this remarkable feat? The secret resides in your strategic shift toward cultivating a team of high-performing A-players.

Understanding Your Growth Challenges

As a mid-market business own...

By Cheryl Powers

As a business growth advisor specializing in SMBs and mid-market companies, I've observed a common challenge among ambitious owners and founders: scaling their businesses while reducing their personal dependency. A compelling example of this is Jaclyn Johnson's journey with Create & Cultivate.

Unpacking the Founder's Challenge: The Story of Create & Cultivate

In 2012, Jaclyn Johnson embarked on an entrepreneurial venture, launching Create & Cultivate, a media platform aimed...

By Cheryl Powers

The Key to Premium Enterprise Value: Autonomy from Ownership

With all of its crispness and snowy goodness, winter is the perfect time to increase your company's value. 

Top-tier companies are distinguished by their ability to operate independently of their owners. This autonomy is a critical factor in enterprise value; businesses running on autopilot command premium prices, while those overly reliant on their owners face significant valuation discounts. Removing yourself from...

By Cheryl Powers

In today’s competitive talent landscape, attracting, finding, selecting, hiring and onboarding top managers for your company is tougher than ever before. This isn't just by chance; it's due to several reasons that small and mid-market business owners often miss or don't give enough importance to.

Knowing these challenges is key to solving them.

Let's explore why it's hard to hire great management talent:

Why Business Owners Struggle to Hire Top Management Talent

Owner's ...

 By Cheryl Powers

Expanding a team is more than just adding bodies to your company—it's about finding the right kind of people who'll turbocharge your growth. As an owner, you need to be tactical and thoughtful about whom you bring into your fold. It's not just about filling positions; it's about enriching your team's dynamics and enhancing your company’s capabilities. 

The Complex Journey of Team Growth

When you're at the helm of a small or mid-market business, expanding your team is like ...

By Cheryl Powers

In today's fast-paced entrepreneurial world, the key to sustained success isn't just about having a groundbreaking idea or unparalleled talent. It's about something far more fundamental yet often overlooked: effective business processes and systematization. As a business advisor and coach to founders and owners, I've seen too many entrepreneurs and business owners inadvertently hurting themselves, their businesses, their customers, their employees, and ultimately, their persona...

By Cheryl Powers

As Thanksgiving approaches, it's a time for reflection and gratitude, not just in our personal lives but in our businesses, too. This season offers a unique opportunity for business owners and founders to cultivate a thriving environment that adds value to their leadership, employees, and customers. Here's how you can harvest success this Thanksgiving and create a business that’s valuable on all fronts.

Cultivating an Engaged Workforce

An engaged workforce is the bedrock of...