Xtra Mile Resources

Click here to check out our video this week – describing two types of Bad Apples that bring sour dysfunction to our SMBs. Our full prescription if you’re considering letting an employee go is outlined below in four steps: Step #1: Love Them. Care about the humans in your business enough to be present and make sure they are okay. […]

Check out our latest Xtra Mile Pharmacy video below and identify the symptoms that are causing fog on your team. https://youtu.be/gf719dYBzGg?si=W-yZzEO2kIg66iFV We’re giving away the #1 tool we use to help our clients get on the same page with their employees and deliver results that matter. This can be tailored as an annual, semi-annual, or quarterly dashboard. […]

When Fanni Gambero first joined our team, we had a Christmas Party at my house. She made these amazing cream cheese cookies with peppermint candy baked in. SO good!! I asked for the recipe, she said, “No, it’s a secret family recipe.” She is a meanie. When it comes to successful family business transitions there is […]

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025! Let’s Go! Our commitment to our PURPOSE of making SMBs the best places to work in America will never change. However, we believe we have the calling to go bigger, serving more people in a wider range of places than ever before. Here we grow! New Look: We […]

From our work with dozens of businesses every year, we witness a wide range of team retention results. Our best-led client businesses consistently practice four disciplines to show their teammates they are treasured. Subsequently, the SMB owners are rewarded with high levels of retention, engagement, and overall performance. We think it is important to know […]

Check out our video Not Another YOU for a 1-minute paradigm shift on building your bench for maximum impact. In a scene from Bill Watterson’s classic comic Calvin & Hobbes, the anti-hero, Calvin, decides to build a duplicator. His theory: if he can create another Calvin, the duplicate can be responsible for the chores, homework and other […]

E2X = Elevation * Evolution * Xceleration We have worked with hundreds of business owners and executive leaders in the SMB space this year. Their next breakthrough (and your next breakthrough) is waiting for the next E2X (Elevation * Evolution * Xceleration) in performance from leaders. This transformation requires mastering a new set of skills (New Toolbox) […]

Turnover is expensive…really expensive. Have you been following along with our series on how to get top talent onto your SMB team? Check out blog 1 No Time to Waste and blog 2 Sell-Wow-How. For the final blog in this series, we will assume that your recruiting and hiring are putting great players on your team. Now, how […]

Accelerated growth in the SMB world frequently breaks down when the team can’t perform at the next level. Owners and leaders get frustrated, and they want to know how to delegate better, and how to hold people accountable. ‘Show me the ‘easy button’ for results, Ross!’ There is no easy button. Building a […]

Let’s talk about the lost opportunity dilemma. A SMB owner spends 3-5 years laying a strong foundation. The team has mastered marketing and sales and finally experiences Xcelerated growth. Suddenly, the systems, processes, and people are overwhelmed, and the temptation is to take our foot off the gas. We can’t find good people fast enough. […]

(Part 3 of our 4 part series on leadership in the SMB space) We had a rising star on our team that had just been promoted to team leader when we hired a new Administrative Assistant. During a leadership huddle I asked our newly minted leader about progress on a couple key initiatives. When we found […]

(Part 2 of our 4 part series on leadership in the SMB space) Lie #1: It’s just easier if I do it myself. Lie #2: I am the only one who can do it. Lie #3: My people don’t care as much as I do. XM Truth: Most of us suck at basic delegation; these […]

$4,500,000. That is what it cost monthly to keep the Gaylord Texan closed in the early days of the pandemic. Yes, you read that right. $4,500,000 monthly is what it cost to be closed!! We heard from a panel of large NTX hotel General Managers (Gaylord Texan, Great Wolf Lodge, Hilton DFW Lakes) at a Rotary […]

Most of our work is in the fast-growing markets of North Texas and Pheonix. Every client we have has a BIG VISION. More than pure growth and profit, they also want to make an impact on people, families, and communities where they serve.. Finding great talent has become the #1 obstacle to growth in most […]

Have you made any changes in your accountability approach based on the two XM Truths from last week’s blog? In our wide range of SMB clients, most human performance problems are missing these components. We want to share two more hot tips that will help leaders make delegation and accountability positive and powerful. Hot Tip #1: […]

We have been wrestling with the elusive topic of ACCOUNTABILITY with several business leaders this week. We know we need it, and though it is easy to talk about WHAT, it is very difficult to execute HOW. Accountability is a complex human interaction that takes time and effort to master. XM Truth #1: Accountability is impossible without clarity. Simple […]

We have 78 days left until Thanksgiving Day; 116 days left in the year. The time between Labor Day and Thanksgiving must be a time of focused impact for the SMB owner. This is how we guide our top clients through this high-leverage window of opportunity. Create Strategic Focus for 2022+: Set time aside early […]

Almost all of our clients are rebels to some extent. They have a better idea, a more compelling vision, an insatiable desire to disrupt the status quo. If they followed our #XtraMile guidance in January they put a plan together for an economy that came back faster than expected. As we hit 2021’s midway […]

We have a twenty-year-old tradition with our extended family vacations: After the event, Ross (aka Dad, Uncle Ross, and now Grandpa) makes a highlight video. (Click here for a sample). The beauty is, all you remember when you watch the video is the fun stuff. Not the conflict, drama, and frustration that occurs when 8 […]

#Snowmageddon2021 in Texas is in full force. For the first time in history, the entire state of Texas was under winter storm warnings at one time. With a -2°F on the thermometer Wednesday morning, we tied a 1949 record for the coldest recorded temperature in Dallas/Fort Worth. The stress of having too much cold, for […]