The Exit Paradox: Why Building to Sell is the Only Way to Build to Keep
Discover why treating your business like a product to be sold is the best strategy for operational sanity, even if you plan to keep it forever.
Ben Schmidt
7 minBusiness Growth
11 posts
The Valley of Despair: why your team feels stupid right before they get smart
Learn to navigate the learning curve dip. A guide for managers on normalizing the frustration phase of skill acquisition to prevent burnout and quitting.
Ben Schmidt
7 min
The Boomerang Advantage: why you should re-hire the people who quit
Discover the value of boomerang employees. Learn why maintaining relationships with former staff can lead to high-ROI re-hires who bring new skills and deep loyalty.
Ben Schmidt
6 min
The Compassionate Cut: why firing fast is actually the kindest thing you can do
Explore the logic behind 'hire slow, fire fast' with a focus on compassion. Learn why keeping a struggling employee hurts the team, the business, and the individual.
Ben Schmidt
6 min
The Amnesia of Tuesday Morning: Why Your Expensive Training Seminars Aren't Working
An analysis of why traditional 'training days'fail to produce long-term results and how micro-learning creates a sustainable culture of continuous improvement.
Ben Schmidt
7 min
The Nobel Prize for Failing: why rewarding effort is the secret to innovation
Learn how to build a culture of innovation by celebrating the 'attempt' rather than just the outcome. A guide for managers on rewarding risk-taking and intelligent failure.
Ben Schmidt
6 min
The Amazon Effect: Why Good Service is No Longer Good Enough
Explore how customer expectations have shifted due to the Amazon Effect and learn how to train your team to compete on human connection rather than just logistical speed.
Ben Schmidt
8 min
The Clone Army Trap: why hiring people like you is killing your business
Discover why diversity is a critical growth strategy for small businesses. Learn how hiring people with different backgrounds and perspectives eliminates blind spots and drives innovation.
Ben Schmidt
7 min
The Silence at the Top: Navigating the Structural Isolation of Leadership
A deep dive into the psychological toll of entrepreneurial loneliness, the science of decision fatigue, and practical strategies for building peer networks and leveraging technology to regain perspective.
Ben Schmidt
8 min
The Forensic Reference Check: digging up the truth before you sign the offer
Stop treating reference checks as a formality. Learn the psychological tactics and specific questions that reveal a candidate's true work ethic and potential.
Ben Schmidt
7 min