Break free from "growth purgatory." Learn how intentional leadership and key strategy shifts can reignite your business and unlock sustainable growth.
Read time: 6.40 minutes.
Read this on: jeanmoncrieff.com
What's in store for today:
- It's not about growth for growth's sake
- It's a marathon, not a sprint
- Thank you for flying Swiss
Hey There,
This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mackey McNeill, founder of Mackey Advisors, on The Freedom Experience. Mackey has spent decades helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses with purpose and intention.
What sets her apart is her relentless focus on aligning financial strategy with the broader goals of the business. This is a game-changer for entrepreneurs who feel stuck in reactive mode.
If you’ve been feeling like you’re just treading water or scaling for the sake of scaling, this episode is for you.
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1. It's not about growth for growth's sake
We often fall into the trap of focusing solely on top-line growth, chasing the next revenue target without asking the deeper question: Why am I doing this?
During my conversation with Mackey, we discussed how a lack of clear intention can often leave businesses stuck in a "growth purgatory"—a space where you’re neither scaling nor moving toward your real goals.
It’s a frustrating situation, and many businesses find themselves in it when they focus solely on growth for growth's sake without a clear sense of purpose or direction. You might find momentum for a period, but eventually, you hit a plateau and languish there for years, even decades.
Mackey shared a story about her early days as a CPA when she took on clients simply to grow her business.
The result?
She became overworked and burned out, realizing she had lost touch with her original purpose: helping business owners to thrive and prosper.
Fortunately, she recognized the issue, took a crucial exit off the relentless growth highway, and made transformative changes. That’s when she pivoted, let go of her largest client, and rebuilt her business with a clear focus on her true intention.
đź’ˇTakeaway: Growth without purpose is hollow.
I just returned from a quarterly coaching session with a client, where we focused on the critical importance of defining a compelling why that truly inspires.
Many business owners lose sight of their original why as they get caught up in day-to-day operations, but reconnecting with it is crucial. A strong why unites people around a shared purpose and serves as a constant source of energy and motivation.
When your team is connected to a deeper sense of purpose, it becomes the fuel that re-energizes them to execute the strategy with passion and commitment. It’s the driving force that keeps people motivated and focused, even during the toughest challenges.
Spend time revisiting WHY you started your business in the first place.
Is the path you're on taking you closer to that goal, or just keeping you busy?
Define your intention, and let it guide every decision you make.
2. It's a marathon, not a sprint
This week, I had the opportunity to be interviewed on Shannon Byrne Susko’s Tip Top podcast, where we dove into some of the challenges of growing a healthy business.
One question Shannon asked me really stuck out: What’s the toughest thing about coaching business owners?
For me, the answer is clear—it’s getting leaderships teams to understand that business transformation is a process.
There’s no silver bullet.
It’s not a quick fix or a one-size-fits-all solution.
It takes consistent, intentional work from the entire leadership team.
I often see leaders who get stuck in a loop, repeating the same strategies and behaviors but expecting different outcomes.
It’s a frustrating place to be, and it leads to mediocre results at best. The truth is, if you’re not evolving your behavior, your business won’t evolve either.
Transformation requires your leadership team's desire, willingness, and commitment to change; without that, the business will stagnate.
In all the interviews I conducted for my upcoming book, this same theme kept surfacing: the leadership team’s willingness to change is what unlocks the next level of growth.
Whether it’s a fundamental shift in leadership style, bringing on a new COO, or making a tough decision about the person in the CEO role, these changes had a dramatic impact on the top and bottom lines of every business I studied.
It became clear that when the leadership team evolves, the business follows.
In my work, I often talk about the three barriers to growth: Leadership, Market Awareness, and Processes & Systems.
Of these, Leadership is by far the biggest factor holding companies back. It’s the reason so many businesses find themselves in growth purgatory.
💡 If you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself: Is my leadership team ready to evolve?
If the answer is no, that’s where the work begins.
Shifting behaviors, elevating leadership, and sometimes making tough decisions at the top are what pave the way for transformative growth.
If this resonates with you and you’re ready to break free from growth purgatory, I invite you to join one of our upcoming Foundation for Growth Masterclasses.
In this masterclass, we’ll dive deep into how to overcome these barriers and evolve your leadership team to drive long-term, sustainable growth.
Join our upcoming Foundations for Growth Masterclasses 👇
3. Thank you for flying Swiss
It’s that time again—quarterly planning!
I’m jetting around, working closely with clients to fine-tune their strategies as we head into the final quarter of the year.
Now, if you’re sitting on a strategy that you crafted earlier this year but it’s gathering dust in a digital folder or on a shelf, it’s time to pull it out and give it the attention it deserves.
To make the most of these final months, here are three things you can do this week to re-energize your plan and take actionable steps toward hitting your year-end goals:
- Review the plan with your team: Sit down with your leadership team and revisit your strategy. Make sure you’ve clearly identified the top three priorities for this quarter—the three most impactful things that will get you closer to the goals you set earlier in the year.
- Establish a meeting rhythm: To stay aligned and accountable, get your leadership team into a regular cadence of meetings. Daily huddles, weekly leadership meetings, and monthly check-ins are key. If you need a simple, effective structure, reply with “ONE PAGE” and I’ll send you a one-page plan template.
- Keep score: what gets measured gets managed. Set your key metrics and start tracking them weekly. This simple discipline can make a massive difference in your focus and execution. If you need help setting up a scoring system, reply with “SCORE” and I’ll send you a short video on how to get started.
Now, onto Swiss Air…
When I boarded my flight to London last week, I was struck by something unusual: the Swiss Business Cabin was actually larger than the economy class cabin.
As always, when checking in, Swiss offers an upsell—something along the lines of, “Arrive feeling refreshed for CHF 130 more!”
It’s not just about filling seats; they’re constantly adjusting their premium offering to meet demand, showing an understanding of customer value and willingness to pay for a better experience.
The experience got me thinking about a client...
They’ve perfected a similar strategy: as a leading supplier of premium 3D-printed parts for high-performance industries, they also offer a lighter, lower-priced service to fill production gaps.
The product is still top-notch, just not the premium version. This balance allows them to meet varying customer needs while increasing revenue and optimizing profitability.
So, how are you thinking about your business?
Is there an opportunity to offer an upsell or adjust your product lineup to capture more value?
Sometimes, meeting customers where they are can open up new revenue streams—and boost profitability without compromising on quality.
One quote to start the week strong
“We are all just passing time. And occupy our chair very briefly”
​– Comm. Frank Reagan (I'm a Blue Bloods junkie)
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how brief our time really is—both in life and in leadership.
This one beautiful life we have is fleeting, and it’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of it all, forgetting that every day is an opportunity to create something meaningful.
As a CEO, your time in that chair is just as brief, but the legacy you leave behind can live far beyond your tenure.
The real challenge isn’t just growing a business but building something that thrives without you and carries your vision, purpose, and values long after you’ve moved on.
It’s a powerful reminder that, whether in life or in leadership, the impact you make truly endures.
Have a great week!
- Jean
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