E-Book TWTGW-Bonus-Free-Chapter
E-Book TWTGW-Bonus-Free-Chapter
INSIDE
Promise Phelon
thegrowthwarrior.com
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
FOReWARD
By Steven Latasa-Nicks
I’ve known Promise for more than 15 years. I’ve worked for her,
owned businesses with her, and sometimes even fought with
her. The only person I know better than Promise is my husband,
Fred. And it’s through this lens that I want to introduce you, the
reader, to your guide, to the person who’s going to invest in you
and make sure you develop the seven core skills that will fuel
your success.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Over the last several years I’ve talked to Promise many times
about the critical skills she presents in The Way of the Growth
Warrior. She has thought about them, evolved them and stress-
tested them. But I think what you’ll find most compelling are
the stories she shares to help reinforce the critical skills she’s
teaching us. I also think you’ll be amazed at how she exposes
herself emotionally. She helps humanize the entrepreneur’s
journey, letting us know our emotional reactions, fears and
doubts are real, but what we do with them and how we learn to
respond and manage them is one of the most critical aspects of
any entrepreneur’s success.
Steven Latasa-Nicks
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Introduction
If you’re reading this book, I bet I know you. We may not have
met but I see you, the heart of you. You’re an entrepreneur.
You’re not just any entrepreneur, though, you’re an
entrepreneur who is ready for more – to know more, to be
more, to have more for your business, family, community and
yourself.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
it all. You know what you want, but you may not know how to
get there. Unfortunately, those who are successful rarely share
their journey to success, and those who aren’t only help us
learn what not to do. Unlike attorneys who have a clear set of
exams, training and required ability to enter firms, the path to
entrepreneurship is a curvy road.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
By the end of this book, you’ll have absolute clarity on the seven
skills you need to be an amazingly successful entrepreneur. You
will have read stories that make you laugh and others that spark
emotion.
My goal is that you’ll not only have a new set of insights, but
that you will have the knowledge and newly-formed skills
needed to grow your $50,000 to $500,000, $5M to $50M and
beyond; and, that you feel like you have a path to improvement
as a leader, a warrior and an entrepreneur.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time for more. Let’s play!
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Chapter 07
Skill Four -
Build A Dream
Team
eadership is the joyous acceptance of responsibility.”
“L - Daniel Fender
Great teams aren’t built overnight. And they aren’t built by one
person. It takes a group of leaders and big-picture thinkers to
create a culture and an atmosphere in which talent can thrive.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Wrong.
Incredible. Thank you, Gary! Write that down, read it again and
get it stuck in your brain.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Perks vs Culture
I’ve seen and been a part of companies that hype up ping pong
and beer cart Fridays as a selling point to join their company.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
The best way I know how to explain company culture is via The
Iceberg. It’s a simple visual with a major impact. Think of the tip of
an iceberg. It looks mighty and beautiful, but it’s not keeping itself
afloat. The bottom of the iceberg, or foundation, is the strongest,
thickest, most substantial part. It’s the piece that keeps the top of
the iceberg afloat, the piece that allows the top to even exist.
THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Individual Learning
& Growth
Reward System
Winning: Habit
Transparency Decoding
what works
the “Market”
#ownershipculture
Financial
Culture is helping your team create long term habits that set
them up for repeated success.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
*$7M
$7. 5 M
$5 . 5 M
$ 3 .7 M
$3 . 5 M
$ 2.8 M
$1. 5 M
$ 1. 2M
$ 8 3 5K
$172K
$ 8 6K
$7 5 K
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
All three types of people can have attributes of the other, but
most successful businesses have a blending at the top of all three.
I am most definitely the entrepreneur. Steven is the manager-
leader type. We both have aspects of the artist within us.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Embrace Mentors
Aside from a great partner, you need strong mentors along the
way to provide perspective.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
The only exception is when you find a rare gem of a person. In full
disclosure, I have a coach, at least that’s what she calls herself.
But she’s a rare find and fits the bill of what I describe as a mentor,
which is why she’s effective and why I’m willing to pay her.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
but more than anything, they care that you are on your path,
progressing and moving toward your north star.
A Letter to My Partners
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
The good – no, the great news is that you can now build
“entrepreneurial” organizations where team members are
inspired by your vision and the company’s mission yet require
less management and self-organize. I sense that will result in
smaller companies with tighter core teams, networks of external
talent and better compensation. Why? Because one’s value in
the marketplace is always known. Great leaders are thinking
about and keeping the pulse on what their best talent is worth
and adjusting. And, members of teams, because they are likely
running their own side gigs, are becoming stronger in key skills.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
6) They want growth and are actively tuning their wheel of life:
spiritually, relationally, physically, emotionally and financially.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
My Leadership Qualities
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Bill Campbell, the former CEO of Intuit and the coach of the
Valley elite, is the mentor that taught me how to do big deals.
He called it kind of an aggressively feminine approach, which
is where you agree to be completely transparent and you
minimize “leverage” by putting it all out there. As I like to put it,
he taught me how to do big deals by partnering like a girl. Not
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
only does it move things (read: deals) faster, it allows you to see
bad partnerships before they happen and orders people to fully
embrace what matters on both sides.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
“Your title makes you a manager, but your people will decide
if you are a leader.” – Bill Campbell, Trillion Dollar Coach: The
Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
The attributes I aspire to role model for my team each day are
integrity, humility and excellence.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Are you doing this? The stronger your principles are, the more
sustainable, resilient and transferrable they will be to your
organization. Values and principles must transfer to your leaders
and their teams, as well as to successors who may take on the
role after you, across geography and function.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Consider this example: You, the manager, want a pitch deck for
your upcoming prospect meeting next week. You delegate this
task to the most effective employee on your team and outline
the desired outcome, taking some time to explain what you’d
like. They come back, and draft after draft, you refine the deck
to look like what you originally envisioned. The end product is a
pitch deck, exactly how you wanted it. Sounds good, right?
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
WORK AND
OUTCOMES
MANAGER MANAGER
LEADER LEADER
EXECUTION
TEAMS
DELEGATION LEVERAGE
Manager provides a focus on unique and disparate task. Exectutions Manager provides “north star” and larger mission to the team, and
are not aligned but focused on indvidual tasks, individual accountabili- aligns the team around shared successes and outcomes. Information
ty to the manager, and lack connection, to a higher mission or vision. is shared, a high degree of transparency and shared understanding
Role of manager is to judge completeness of task, to close “gaps” and exists, and shared responsibility and team accountability exist. Role of
“merge” work. manager is to inspireand provide collective guidance.
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
The Un-Meeting:
1:1 Meeting:
Company All-Hands:
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
NO NO NO NO
Adapted from “Do You Really Need to Hold that Meeting”, HBR Org. March 2015.
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Thank you for reading this short excerpt from
The Way of The Growth Warrior.
While I may not look like your conventional Silicon Valley entrepreneur, I
have been successful as one. As a brown, non-technical woman, I have
spent the majority of my career as a venture-backed CEO building,
running and exiting amazing businesses. Today, I have the honor of
partnering with other CEOs, entrepreneurs and investors to build, buy
and invest in SaaS companies.
Over the past 20 years, I’ve raised tens of millions in venture, private and
debt capital for companies in the tech space. I perform my best during
risky and uncertain times, transforming businesses and overcoming the
obstacles of scale. I have had the opportunity to view business from all
perspectives: creating and building, securing funding, turnaround,
successful exiting, and now as a buyer and investor.
Through The Growth Warrior and Growth Warrior Capital, I work with
entrepreneurs to gain funding, scale and create profitable growth
companies that are sustainable, as well as attractive businesses for
investment and eventual exit. As a mentor, my goal is to provide the
resources, tools and relationships necessary for them to accelerate their
business, achieve benchmarks beyond their wildest dreams and build the
seven non-negotiable skills they all need to scale in uncertain times. This
book is not a memoir but a practical compilation that demystifies what it
takes to have a great and diverse career as an entrepreneur starting today.