At ESOMAR Congress in September we hosted a main stage panel discussion with industry leaders driving M&A activity in the marketing insights and technology vertical on “Key Drivers of Investment and M&A Activity in Market Research.”

At ScaleHouse we spend a lot of time working with founders on exit strategies that are focused on selling to a strategic buyer or private equity firm. But what if you’re a CEO looking to exit while still desiring the company to run in perpetuity? Or you’re looking to give up control of the day-to-day so you can focus on contributing to the business in a different way?

It seems a new business book with tips and tricks for scaling growth is released on a weekly basis. Given the constant influx of business content, it can be difficult to know what is actual field-tested advice that works, and what is a potential distraction.

September marks the beginning of the Q3/4 trade show season. Even if you’ve already read our previous post on this subject, it deserves revisiting before you hit the road with a big event investment.

Running an agency, regardless of the type, requires grit, determination, some serious smarts and of course, persistence. Without these ingredients, you will do well to survive, let alone thrive. But what if your ambitions are loftier than simply survival or running a lifestyle business? What if you want to grow your agency and achieve some scale so that you can exit with a high valuation?  That's a challenge that a lot of agency owners tackle and with varying degrees of success.

Invariably there are a few “holiday” months out of every year where business slows and you have a chance to catch your breath. 

There are countless articles, blogs and podcasts decrying the importance of sales and marketing team alignment, and the negative impact on revenues when these efforts aren’t aligned. Misalignment between sales and marketing can cost companies 10% or more of annual revenue.

This is one myth that may be tough to bust. Consulting inherently does not scale. It’s a one to one ratio. But like all good business models, consultancies can EVOLVE. As much as I’ve loved working solo, I also really love collaboration.

I’m often asked how to create more diverse sales teams and frequently hear from hiring managers lamenting the lack of female sales talent applying for their positions. Although sales has traditionally been perceived as a male-dominated profession, in truth, there are MANY female sales leaders— your job posting just likely isn’t appealing to them.