Operations · 3 min read
Opening Day Is Decided 90 Days Out
I've been on the opening team for 15 stores. The ones that went well were won long before the doors opened. My playbook runs in three phases.
- T-90 to T-45, build the bones. Lock the timeline backward from opening day: permits and compliance, contractor milestones, fixtures, inventory and systems. Every item gets one owner and a date.
- T-45 to T-7, build the team. Hire leaders first, then the floor. Train on SOPs in the real space, not a conference room. Run the opening the way you'll run a Saturday, then fix what breaks.
- T-7 to T+30, run the show. Daily huddles, a written run-of-show for opening week, and a 30-day scorecard covering sales, conversion, labor and compliance. The work after opening is what makes it a business.
The rule: if it isn't written down with an owner and a date, it won't be ready on opening day.
Revenue · 3 min read
A Sales Engine Is a System, Not a Hero
Most early-stage revenue depends on one great closer. That works until you try to scale it. I build engines that work without heroes.
- Define the win. Know your ideal customer, the problem you solve and the proof that you solve it. If a rep can't say all three in one breath, the pipeline will show it.
- Make the stages honest. Each stage needs an exit criterion the buyer has done, not one the rep feels good about. Forecasts get accurate when the stages stop lying.
- Coach the activity, inspect the outcome. Run a weekly one-on-one on deals, ride along on calls, and make a short list of the behaviors that move the number. I've promoted 35 people by teaching this, not by managing spreadsheets.
The rule: hire to a standard, train in the field, and let the scorecard settle the argument.
Execution · 3 min read
Asana Adoption: Tools Don't Change Teams. Habits Do.
As an Asana Certified seller and trainer, I've watched great software die in teams that never changed how they work. Adoption is a leadership project.
- Start with one workflow that hurts. Pick the launch, the intake process or the weekly report everyone hates. Build it in Asana with clear owners, due dates and rules, and show the time saved.
- Set the operating rhythm. One source of truth: if it isn't in Asana, it isn't happening. Status updates replace status meetings, and portfolios and goals connect daily tasks to company OKRs.
- Train champions, then scale. Certify a champion on every team, publish templates, and measure adoption weekly. Expand only after the first workflow sticks.
The rule: leaders work in the tool first. Teams follow what leaders actually do.