Scot Chisholm

Most companies think they know why their stars leave. They’re usually dead wrong. Don’t be too busy patting yourself on the back for hiring great talent to notice the cracks in the wall. These are the top 7 reasons why A-players update their resume. Ignore them and your A-team will be handing in their 2-week notice before you know it:

How to get your brain to focus: 1. Less is more - Saying yes to everything is a fast track to burnout. - Set 3 measurable goals for the year, no more. 2. Stop context-switching - Your brain isn’t built for multitasking. It’s costing you more than you think. 3. Cut meetings by 90% - Limit attendees to decision makers only. Meetings are where productivity goes to dies. Don’t be the executioner. 4. Set up simple systems - Complex systems break. Simple systems scale. - Create templates for reoccurring processes. 5. Hire A+ talent - Use peer interviews to assess cultural fit. - Create a thorough onboarding plan with weekly check ins for new hires 6. Delegate awesome stuff - Assign high-impact projects to top performers. - Delegation isn’t about offloading work. It’s about growing your team. 7. Rest & sleep - Sleep isn’t a luxury. It’s a productivity tool.

Behind every successful founder is: ∙ Paralyzing self-doubt ∙ Money issues ∙ Failed products ∙ Churning customers ∙ People quitting Ironically when this article was written... I was at my all-time low as a founder. My Series C investor trying to push me out of the company... And bring in someone with "more experience". It always happens this way though. Public perception is really high... But on the inside, well, it's a sh*t show. If you can relate to this... Just know that all of us have been there too. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep going. 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Ps: if you enjoy my content, you will love my free newsletter. Visit the link in my bio to subscribe!

Running your startup without a financial plan? Most founders think their accountant should handle this... But the truth is - if you can’t understand your own financials, you’ll never build a strong business. Stop skating by. Take command of your numbers. If you want my exact format on how to build a financial plan for your business, comment “PLAN” and I’ll send it your way.

14 things you should never say as a founder... and I’ll be honest, I’ve said at least half of them myself. These costly mistakes have burned millions in time and money, but they don’t have to burn you too.

Great teams aren’t born; they’re built—one trait at a time. Master these six and watch your team evolve from functional to phenomenal. I wrote pretty in depth article on top 7 company culture killers (that most people aren’t aware of). If you don’t want to lose your top performers, you’ll want to read this. Comment “CULTURE” and I’ll send you the link.

Most meetings suck. Here are the only three you need. ⬆️ Comment “MEETING”, and I’ll send you my exact framework for each.

Trust doesn’t happen by accident. Your teams will hate each other’s guts. I learned this the hard way at Classy when I noticed different teams starting to point fingers at each other: Sales blaming product. Product blaming engineering. Everyone blaming marketing 😂 But here’s the thing — it wasn’t their fault. As the leader, I hadn’t created the right environment for trust to flourish. So I developed these simple questions that transformed how our teams worked together. They’re not rocket science, but they work every single time 👇 Big credit to patrick lencioni for this concept in his book “5 dysfunctions of a team”

I’ve made every mistake possible building companies. Here are 30 uncomfortable truths most founders don’t want to hear (but need to). I share no BS tips like this in my weekly newsletter. Comment “LEADER” and I’ll send you a link so you don’t miss a beat.

The top 1% of CEOs do this best... They lead with influence, not with commands. And anyone can do the same with practice. Here’s how to join the very best. If you wanna learn more about the 12 habits to become a High-Performing manager, comment “LEADER” and I’ll send it you way.

Most people break under pressure. I used to be one of them. Then I mastered these 7 resilience techniques:

I’ve been told to give up 100+ times in my life... Even by friends and family. As a founder, you’ll go through some dark times. Times that’ll make you question whether you’re doing the right thing. Whether it’s even worth it. But trust me, it is. How to not give up on your dreams (when everyone says you should): 👇 I’ll never forget those early days at Classy, sleeping on the floor of a one-room apartment with my co-founder because we couldn’t make rent. We were struggling for traction. No funding lined up. People told me to quit. That this “tech company for charities” would never work. Sometimes I (almost) believed them. I got soooo close to quitting. But I didn’t. This was our dream, and we had to see it through. Giving up wasn’t an option. My determination came from my mom’s cancer battle. After all, we originally started the “company” to raise money for cancer research. She showed such perseverance, couldn’t I? That purpose fueled me during the dark days when our future was uncertain. It’s easy to doubt yourself when times are tough. I had no idea if Classy would succeed. But here’s  3 tips that got me through the hardest moments: 👇 1️⃣ Focus on your Why Find your deeper purpose beyond just growing a business. Let this purpose be the engine that keeps you going. Believing in something greater than yourself can get you through almost any challenge. 2️⃣ Celebrate Your Wins Acknowledge your progress, no matter how small. Cheering the milestones along the journey boosts motivation to keep pushing. It took us 6 years to get to $1M revenue. But we made damn sure to celebrate it. 3️⃣ Find a Community Entrepreneurship can be lonely place. But it doesn’t have to be a solo sport. Surround yourself with support. I had an advisory board that provided advice and accountability during tough times. Having a supportive core will give you strength when others tell you to stop. 👇 Anything is possible if you commit to your vision and ignore the naysayers. Never let anyone extinguish the fire inside you. You know your potential, even if others can’t see it yet. Stay fierce. Stay focused. And never, ever give up.