Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

At 7 stores, you can know almost everything happening in the business. At 200 plus stores, that is impossible. One of the biggest lessons I learned building Talk More Wireless was that the systems that get you started are rarely the systems that allow you to scale. Build the infrastructure before growth forces you to.

When we were operating more than 200 wireless stores, I learned very quickly that you cannot manage scale by simply adding more managers. Eventually the business becomes too large for leadership by observation. You need systems in place that tell you what is happening BEFORE the problem reaches your desk.

After 30+ years in business, I have become more convinced that leadership is largely about multiplying other people. Give talented people clarity. Give them responsibility. Give them room to execute.

You do not need hundreds of relationships to build an extraordinary business. You need the right relationships. People with integrity. People with experience. People willing to tell you what you need to hear.

I’m a big believer in speed, but speed without clarity just gets you lost faster. Know what matters. Know who owns it. Know how you are measuring it. Then charge forward relentlessly!

Founders often wait too long to build systems because everything still feels manageable. Then growth arrives and exposes every weakness at once. The best time to create operating discipline is before you desperately need it.

There is a huge difference between having a network and having people who will answer the phone when you need them. Your network isn't who you know, it's who knows you!

I have never seen a business plan survive exactly as written. Markets change. People change. Capital changes. Customers change. Planning still matters. But the real advantage is building a team capable of making good decisions when the plan stops matching reality.

Some relationships give you advice. Some give you access. Some give you perspective. A few completely change what is possible. Those are force multipliers. Learn to recognize them, invest in them, AND be one for others!

A great CEO doesn't need to be the smartest person in every room. A great CEO needs to be able to put the right people in every room.

I’ve been fortunate to build businesses, travel, and meet some incredible people, but nothing means more to me than time with family. This summer gave us some great memories in Ohio, where I grew up and where we return every year, and in Puerto Rico. The trips are great. Having everyone together is what really matters! #ThankfulThursday

You can have a brilliant strategy and still lose because your team cannot execute it consistently. Scale rewards repeatability. Clear expectations. Good people. Useful data. Strong systems. Accountability. The boring stuff becomes incredibly valuable when the company gets big.

Experience changes the questions you ask. Early in business, you ask, “Can we do this?” Later, you start asking, “Should we do this?” That second question has saved me a lot more money.

A lot of founders think growth means adding more. More products. More people. More meetings. More complexity. Some of the best businesses I’ve seen scaled because they did the opposite. They figured out what worked, simplified it, and repeated it relentlessly!

After 30 plus years in business, I’ve become much less impressed by complicated ideas. Give me: A clear customer, real problem, strong margins, good people, repeatable systems, and enough discipline to keep doing the basics well. You can build something very big from that!

You don’t need every relationship. You need the right relationships. The people who sharpen your thinking. The people who tell you the truth. The people who pick up when something goes sideways. Those are Force Multipliers!

I’ve built businesses where thousands of employees and hundreds of locations had to operate without me standing over everyone’s shoulder. You learn something quickly at that size: Trust without accountability is dangerous. Accountability without trust is miserable. Great companies need BOTH!

Find people who care enough about your success to tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear!

The founder who needs to approve everything eventually becomes the reason everything moves slowly. Delegation isn’t giving up responsibility. It’s building more people capable of carrying it. That's the job of a leader!