Howdy folks! Want an easy Christmas gift for the business nerd in your life? I’ve got you covered. Because today it’s… 10 books that teach you how the world works (Plus handy Amazon links, so Santa Girdley earns a few cents in affiliate fees!) Most business books these days are 90% filler. They should have been a pamphlet. It’s usually better to just find a podcast where the author’s a guest. But there are exceptions. Here are 10 of them, and each one shaped who I am today. They’re not super...
5 months ago • 8 min read
Quick housekeeping note! We're switching newsletter providers, so the next few emails may come from a Beehiiv domain. Keep an eye out for it - and if you have any issues, reach out to [email protected]. Hi folks! Every week, I’m sharing a practical, hands-on guide on how to run your small business better. Today: How to deal with an underperforming employee. By the way — if you’ve ever been curious about joining the community and getting access to our whole playbook library, there’s no better...
5 months ago • 5 min read
Howdy GirdleyWorld! Entrepreneurship sometimes gets a bad rap. It’s not all sleepless nights, angry clients, and no work-life balance. So here are 7 “nice life” careers in entrepreneurship. I’ve written before about so-called “no-fail businesses”. Tons of people online treat them like they’re the holy grail of business. We’re talking stuff like laundromats, self storage, vending machines… But personally, I think these are terrible businesses to get into. They’re a TON of work. They’re...
5 months ago • 5 min read
Hi folks! Every week, I’m sharing a practical, hands-on guide on how to run your small business better. Each one comes from the Scalepath resource library — my small business peer group, connecting leaders across the country who are all solving the same problems. I’m chatting in the Slack community every day, we’ve got a great retreat this December, and there’s always something new happening. We’d love to have you! Apply today. The Playbook: How to Hire and Onboard Your First Salesperson When...
5 months ago • 5 min read
Hey folks! Building a holding company can feel daunting. But it helps to know they come in all shapes and sizes. So I’m trying something a little different — we’ve talked to a handful of different holdco builders about where they got their start, their challenges, and their biggest breakthroughs along the way. (Plus, it’s a great way to get you in the mood for HoldCo Conference 2025!) Today’s interview: Chase Murdock Chase is focused on building local businesses in Salt Lake City, Utah. He...
5 months ago • 7 min read
Hi folks! Every week, I’m sharing a practical, hands-on guide on how to run your small business better. Each one comes from the Scalepath resource library — my small business peer group, connecting leaders across the country who are all solving the same problems. I’m chatting in the Slack community every day, we’ve got a great retreat this December, and there’s always something new happening. We’d love to have you! Apply today. Today’s topic: How to build a remote team. The Playbook Why build...
5 months ago • 4 min read
Howdy Girdleyworld! According to my reader survey (please fill it out if you haven’t!) a ton of you are interested in buying businesses. So today I’ll go over the most important first step in acquisitions — that is, figuring out what you actually want with a business-buying checklist. Let’s do it! Why make a checklist? Business buying is a numbers game. Because ultimately, you find the right business for you by looking at a ton of businesses. But if you start agonizing over each one, you’ll...
5 months ago • 5 min read
Hi folks! Every week, I’m sharing a practical, hands-on guide on how to run your small business better. This week: How to host an amazing online event (Part 1) The Playbook: Hosting a great online event (Part 1 of 2) We have a secret weapon at Scalepath that makes our weekly calls, Q&As, cohorts, and other programming really come to life — and his name is Tony. Tony is our head of community. He’s got years of experience hosting gatherings of all sizes both in person and online. And he’s put...
6 months ago • 5 min read
Hey Girdleyworld! I spend a lot of time on Twitter. What an incredible place: direct access to thousands of brilliant minds, all for free… giving some of the worst business advice I’ve ever seen. So today I’m setting the record straight on 11 pieces of bad business advice — and what you should do instead. Let’s get into it. 1. “Hire good people. Leave them alone.” Instead: Hire great people. Help them be their best. Great people want to achieve more. Ignore them and you’ll lose them. You,...
6 months ago • 5 min read