Xtra Mile Resources

What if we could teach you one skill that would radically transform your business owner experience? This work is not easy or comfortable, but mastering this skill would give you the opportunity to:Effectively delegate 5x more workHold your team accountable for resultsResolve conflicts quicklyCoach breakthrough performanceSignificantly reduce drama and dysfunction This one skill is called […]

High-performing teams aren’t just about hiring the right people; it’s about how you lead. Stop the drama and underperformance. Click on the video below to learn how we can help you build a team that gets things done and boosts your bottom line. Many of the SMB owners in our tribe are frustrated. Wondering why […]

Stop the costly cycle of employee turnover and internal dysfunction. The answer isn’t who you hire, but how you train your managers. Click the video below to uncover your options. “You can train your people and worry about them leaving. Or, you can not train them and worry about them staying.” – Zig Ziglar We […]

Welcome back to our Business Development Series for your small business. Take a quick look at our 2-minute video that sets the stage – Magic Feathers and Easy Buttons. Marketing is a generous act of helping someone solve a problem. THEIR PROBLEM! We experienced real Xceleration at XM Brands when we began to internalize the idea that marketing […]

Our Brand New Business Dev. Series Out Now!(Check out How to Fix “Not Enough Revenue”) I started version 1.0 of XM Performance in 2007. I had the consulting, training, and leadership experience, and my partner brought the marketing and sales know-how. We put some money in the bank, chartered our business, and quickly hired an […]

“Hope alone is wishful thinking. Pair hope with a sound strategy, a detailed plan, and a lot of hard work and nothing is out of reach” Admiral William McRaven, Wisdom of the Bullfrog. One thing that will accelerate your SMB team forward faster than any other activity – getting all the amazing (but unfiltered) ideas […]

The 3rd of four blogs in our “Not Enough” series. Not Enough Revenue We were working with a 2nd career business owner who had bought into a franchise system. He was struggling with the pain of Not Enough Revenue. Maybe you are familiar with these symptoms; sales significantly lower than projections, negative cashflow forcing a […]

My grandfather traveled back and forth between San Francisco and China as a fireman on a steamship. He was on a team that stoked the fires that kept the steam engines running. Stokers also worked on steam locomotives. The rider on the back of a tandem bicycle is called the stoker. The sole focus of this role is to add power […]

We worked with two high-potential businesses this week; reaching for their $5MM breakthroughs. Strong foundations are built and the potential for growth in their markets is very high in 2023. Their major obstacles for next-level performance are leadership capacity, leadership capability, and caring too deeply. Obstacle 1: Technical mastery ≠ Leadership ability. To get to the next level, these owners need leaders […]

‘I am going to grow this business and change the world.’ (Confidence overshadowing doubt) ‘Look at that we are actually growing…’ (Confidence shines, doubt removed) ‘Oh s^*! This is getting hard!’ (Overwhelmed, doubt moves back in) Over the past month, we have been working on midyear evaluation and planning with our clients. Several of our […]

We had two business partners in front of our whiteboards this week. In the middle of a pandemic, they launched a complex healthcare business and are already beating projections. They are very excited about the future. They are also EXHAUSTED. The transition from SMB start-up to growth mode is one of several challenging evolutions in the SMB […]

We have been in Phoenix this week serving clients in the chaotic 2nd half of 2021. Everywhere we are engaged in the SMB market, business owners and their teams are feeling the pressure of the Post Pandemic Trifecta. A tidal wave of work: Whole industries were holding (or held) back and have now taken action on […]

As a young man, I craved stability. I hoped my first career in the Army would provide that. One day in a maneuver training Area near Hohenfels, Germany, a captain who was evaluating my platoon told me, “The only thing constant in the Army is change.” My plans for stability were dashed and he could […]

Six months of a pandemic, three months left in 2020. My bride and I took 4 days off last week and spent time hiking, biking, and relaxing in Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, TX (it is the second-largest canyon in North America). What a relief it was to set aside the turmoil of 2020 […]

Our clients come from all over the business landscape. Some have expanded exponentially from pandemic demands. Some have made smart pivots and are solving new problems to keep their business moving, teams paid, and families cared for. Others have been devastated by the government forced shutdowns resulting in loss of travel and hospitality demands. […]

Whenever we want to learn a new skill, playing the banjo, for instance, we understand that upfront we are going to have to learn from others and invest time and money in lessons. Maybe someone who has a certain level of mastery, experience teaching, and a structure for guiding us from beginner to novice. Banjo, archery, scuba […]

Most of our #XtraMiler tribe knows that I am an avid cyclist with a small bicycle collection. (If I haven’t invited you on a ride, let me know #cyclingisthenewgolf). The global shutdowns have emptied the bicycle supply chain, local bike shops have experienced 40% or more growth. Outdoor recreation businesses are not the only ones […]

I got to share Xtra Mile insights with 50 Veterans in Business members at lunch yesterday. I was teaching about the basics of small business planning. Check out these statistics from a 2010 study on planning in the SMB community. Planning ALWAYS improves performance. Companies that plan have 30% faster growth. 71% of the fastest-growing […]

Over a dozen times in the last 10 years, aspiring consultants and coaches have sought our counsel on getting started. Because I am a high ‘D’ on the DiSC profile, I am usually quite frank. If you don’t want to learn and master marketing and sales, go work for someone who already has. Most business […]

We wrote several blogs on Strategic Planning in October (Are You Ready?, Do I Need a Purpose, or a Vision or a Mission?, Santa Clause and World Peace). We have been working dozens of companies through our simple strategic planning process in November. Future breakthroughs are being created by these #XtraMilers. To most businesses, large or […]