Show Notes
Send us Fan Mail At some point, every growing business owner faces the same dilemma: how do you get owner-level thinking from key staff without handing over real equity? In this episode, Stuart and Mena unpack the concept of shadow equity incentive structures designed to drive performance and long-term thinking without introducing governance risk. Because real equity isn’t just upside participation. It comes with voting rights, decision influence, exit complications, and potential future conf...
More from Business By Design
Send us Fan Mail Most businesses lose time, margin and customers at the handovers nobody owns. Mena and I map the full customer journey, the backbone of systems and processes for business growth, then show how to assign owners and hunt down hidden waste. Every business runs on five stages: reach, sales, delivery, billing and after-sales care. Southwest Airlines’ 2022 meltdown shows what processes nobody can see end up costingGive each stage one directly responsible individual (Apple’s DRI ide...
Send us Fan Mail If your business still runs through you, that is an engine problem, not a people problem. Mena and I break down what systems and processes for business growth actually look like, and the four numbers that show whether yours work. Most owners start as what Michael Gerber calls the technician: excellent at the work, but stuck working in the business rather than on it. Learning to step off the tools as a business owner starts with building systems from day oneTry the holiday tes...
Send us Fan Mail Your happiest clients are often your best source of new business, yet most owners leave referrals to chance. Mena and I walk through a referral engine framework: earn advocacy first, ask at the right moment, and make the introduction low risk. You can buy attention, but you have to earn advocacy. Fyre Festival's influencer spend couldn't cover for a promise it never deliveredThe right time to ask is straight after a client acknowledges the value they've received. Swap "do you...
Send us Fan Mail Here's the uncomfortable truth: by the time a customer tells you they're leaving, you're usually too late to do anything about it. The decision was made months earlier, when they quietly began questioning the value; nobody noticed, and the cancellation email just makes you the last to know. In this final episode of the Value series, Stuart and Mena reframe churn as the most honest feedback your business receives, if you're willing to understand what's behind it. Mena ex...
Send us Fan Mail Every time someone buys from you, they're taking a risk: will you do what you promised? Trust is what gives them the confidence to proceed, and without it, a great product, sensible pricing, and sharp marketing still won't close the sale. This episode unpacks how trust is built, borrowed, and lost. Mena explains why price and frequency determine how much trust a purchase requires: a $4 coffee versus a $40,000 renovation, and why your sales process must reflect the risk the cu...