A picture of a dartboard with three darts sticking out of it. One is in the bulls-eye, the other two are a little bit outside the bulls-eye.

Target Market vs. Customer Avatar – Which should you focus on?

Dave Labowitz Scale, Start

Target market or ideal customer avatar (ICA)? Which makes more sense for your business? The answer is simple. It’s both! Target markets and customer avatars work together synergistically. Almost everyone is familiar with the target market approach, probably because it’s impossible to advertise without one. The odd thing, however, is how few people have actually been exposed to the reasons …

A picture of a woman wearing a blue track suit sitting on a sports field stretching her hamstrings. She looks frustrated and in pain.

Stretch goals: Use with caution!

Dave Labowitz Leadership, Scale

After over a decade as a startup executive, I’ll admit I cringe when someone brings up stretch goals. But Dave, according to Google, they’re best practice! It says it right there in their 10 things we know to be true philosophy document: “We set ourselves goals we know we can’t reach yet, because we know that by stretching to meet …

This image is symbolic of the questions surrounding how to scale a service business. It is a picture of a keyboard. The "Enter" key is red rather than grey and reads "Scale" rather than "Enter". Sitting atop the Scale key is a small, ornate bronze key. Part 2 of 2 is written in the lower right corner.

How to Scale a Service Business (Part 2 of 2)

Dave Labowitz Scale

Welcome to part two of a two-part article on scaling your service business! This part focuses on when and how to scale.  If you missed the first part, click here to start at the beginning. The first part addresses the what, why, and who of scaling your service business.  When is it time to focus on scaling your service business? …

This image is symbolic of the questions surrounding how to scale a service business. It is a picture of a keyboard. The "Enter" key is red rather than grey and reads "Scale" rather than "Enter". Sitting atop the Scale key is a small, ornate bronze key. Part 1 of 2 is written in the lower right corner.

How to Scale a Service Business (Part 1 of 2)

Dave Labowitz Scale

“How do you scale a service business?” is by far the most common question I get as a business coach. Sometimes the question is phrased differently, but at the heart of it is a frustrated entrepreneur or executive who wants their business to scale gracefully but can’t figure out how to make it happen. This two-part blog article will be …

A clip-art picture of a race, being run left to right. There is a pack of three runners behind the starting line on the left and a single runner who already has a sizeable headstart. The runner with the headstart symbolizes someone with a lot of talent. (1 of 3)

Why you Should Hire For Attitude and Mindset, NOT Talent

Dave Labowitz Leadership, Scale

“It is better to first get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats, and then figure out where to drive.” -Jim Collins, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… And Others Don’t” Generally accepted business wisdom agrees that the single biggest predictor of business success …

A picture of the Colosseum in Rome from the outside. In this case, the picture is symbolic of committing to something 100%: of being the "man in the arena."

The Top 10 Reasons to Commit 100% to Your Goals

Dave Labowitz Personal Growth, Scale, Start

A common topic that comes up for entrepreneurs during coaching is whether or not they’re committing 100% to their company and goals. From the outside this is counterintuitive. It seems that entrepreneurs commit 100%, just by nature of being entrepreneurs! In reality, though, commitment level fluctuates up and down over time. At times they’re more or less committed to their …

Large, winding roller coaster set against a beautiful blue afternoon sky.

The Entrepreneurial Journey is a Roller Coaster. Put Your Life First.

Dave Labowitz Personal Growth, Scale

“The entrepreneurial journey is a roller coaster,” they’ll tell you. “But the rewards are worth it.” I’ve heard this, or some derivative of it, more times than I can count. Some entrepreneurs really believe it while others just mouth the words. I’ve gone on the entrepreneurial journey myself a few times, so I know the story. But there’s an unstated …