Discover how market focus can unlock growth, why operational excellence alone isn't enough, and how vision drives resilience. Insights from Art Saxby & more.
Read time: 5.50 minutes.
Read this on: jeanmoncrieff.com
What's in store for today:
- Why Looking Outside Powers Business Growth
- How to Gear Up for Growth in 2025
- Vision: Your Secret Weapon in Tough Times
Hey There,
Is your well-run company struggling to grow?
You're not alone.
In this week's episode of The Freedom Experience, Art Saxby reveals why operational excellence can actually hinder growth—and what to do about it.
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As founder of Chief Outsiders and author of "Growth Gears," Art shares how he built a team of over 130 fractional executives helping mid-sized companies break through growth plateaus.
Having started his company at age 50 during the 2009 recession, Art brings unique insights about seizing opportunity in challenging times.
With economists predicting significant growth in 2025, his message couldn't be more timely: the companies that will win aren't just the ones that execute well, but those that deeply understand market dynamics and can quickly adapt their strategy.
Whether you're feeling stuck, seeking new opportunities, or preparing for the upcoming economic upswing, this conversation offers practical wisdom for creating sustainable growth through market-driven leadership.
1. Why Looking Outside Powers Business Growth
The irony is striking: often, the best-run companies struggle the most with growth.
While operational excellence creates stability, it can also breed an internal focus that blinds organizations to shifting market dynamics.
Having worked with 100s of business owners, I've seen this pattern clearly: the best-run companies often focus so much on operations and internal processes that they miss crucial shifts in the market that could drive their next phase of growth.
"Running a company is about process, procedure, metrics, and repeatable results," Saxby explains. "But growing a company requires looking outward at what's happening in the marketplace."
The Operations Paradox
This fundamental tension creates a paradox where operational success can actually hinder growth potential.
The challenge isn't unique to any particular industry.
From software companies to manufacturers, organizations that excel at execution often struggle to maintain growth momentum.
The reason?
They're typically better at looking inside than outside.
Three Gears of Growth
In my interview with Art, we discuss the "Three Growth Gears":
At the risk of oversimplifying Art's model, here's my interpretation...
- Know Your Market: Get the real story - not just what customers say they want, but what's driving their decisions.
- Pick Your Battles: Focus your resources where you can win and create real value.
- Deliver Results: Move from planning to action with clear metrics and accountability.
The key is that these gears must work in sequence and harmony.
Too often companies jump straight to execution without proper market insights or strategy.
When a business owner tells me they don't have time to invest in Insights or Strategy, I know they're destined to fail.
2. How to gear up for growth in 2025
With economists predicting significant growth opportunities in 2025, Art's message becomes even more urgent.
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"The companies that can hit the gas pedal when it's the right time are the ones that already have the car tuned up and fueled up," Art Saxby.
This preparation involves several key elements:
- Get real insights into what your market actually wants
- Build a strategy nimble enough to seize opportunities fast
- Focus your resources where they'll drive real growth
- Keep operations sharp while staying market-focused
The New Resource Model
Here's something I'm seeing more and more: clinging to the old model of owning all your critical resources just doesn't make sense anymore.
The smartest companies I work with are getting more flexible - they're accessing top talent and capabilities when they need them, scaling up or down as their market shifts.
🤔Think about your sales and marketing engine...
Rather than trying to build everything yourself, bring in experienced leaders who've solved similar challenges before.
Use their expertise to understand your market, refine your strategy, and build systems that drive sustainable growth.
Breaking through
Look, if you're feeling stuck at a growth plateau, I get it. I've been there.
But here's what I've learned: you've got to start by really understanding what's happening in your market. Not just surface-level stuff, but deep insights that shape your strategy.
Then, and only then, can you execute with confidence. And here's the thing - you don't have to figure it all out by yourself.
Some of the best growth breakthroughs I've seen came when leaders were willing to look outside their organizations for fresh perspectives and insights.
You know what's interesting?
The businesses I see winning aren't always the ones with the biggest budgets or the slickest operations.
They're the ones that have their finger on the pulse of their market and can pivot quickly while keeping their operations running smoothly.
The best part?
You've got time right now to get this right.
While others are hunkering down, you can be the one getting ready to capitalize on the opportunities ahead.
That's not just smart business - it's how you set yourself up to win.
Struggling to drive your company's growth?
Join our Foundation for Growth Masterclass and build a business that works without you.
Perfect for owners struggling to break through the $5M ceiling who want to scale with ease, speed, and confidence.
Join our upcoming Foundations for Growth Masterclasses 👇
3. Vision: Your Secret Weapon in Tough Times
This week I spent time with an old friend and client in South Africa.
Having worked alongside Fernando, the founder and CEO of GuuD Global for over a decade, I've witnessed firsthand how a seemingly "crazy" idea transformed into a game-changing reality.
Fifteen years ago, when his team was struggling just to get satellites to automatically orient on their mobile services vehicles, most people couldn't grasp his vision of bringing essential services to underserved communities.
I remember him talking about how Amazon had revolutionized access to goods, and how the future trend would be to democratize serces.
His concept was brilliantly simple yet revolutionary: think of a mobile services vehicle like an iPhone - you can load different "apps" like optometry, mammography, radiography, dentistry, and even surgery, depending on what communities need.
Fernando's vision meant integrating global supply chains to build and service vehicles, build software to monitor vehicles and services, introduce financing and insurance products.
For years, skeptics questioned the viability.
The vision was too big, too ambitious.
And while, I've seen the business weather storms that would have sunk most companies.
Fernando never let go of his purpose - connecting essential services to people who need them most.
Today, they're the largest provider of mobile services to communities across Africa, with global expansion on the horizon.
Here's what I've learned from Fernando's journey:
- Big visions need time to mature - what seems impossible today could be inevitable tomorrow
- Purpose-driven persistence beats short-term thinking every time
- Sometimes the best ideas are the ones most people call crazy
- Real innovation happens when you solve fundamental human needs in new ways.
One quote to start the week strong
"Everyday you get up you have some growing to do."
- Lilian's grandmother, a centanarian approaching 115 years
During a coaching call this week, Lilian shared this beautiful reminder from her grandmother, who greets each day with the same curiosity and drive to learn as she always has.
No matter how much knowledge or experience we gather, there’s always room for growth.
I’m grateful to learn from my clients every week, and I hope they find something valuable from our work together.
I trust you’ll take something from these lessons, too.
Here’s to a week of growth!
- Jean
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