Archives for January 2026

A Decade in Sync: Writing a Book With My Second in Command

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When Collaboration Becomes the Obvious Next Step

Launching a new book is always a milestone.

Doing it for the first time with my Second in Command made it something else entirely.
After more than a decade working side by side, Meridith Kuba and I turned this release, Grandma’s Business Secrets, into a natural extension of the partnership we had already built.

This was not about starting something new. 

It was about capturing what had already been working for years.

A Decade of Shared Context on the Page

Long term partnerships do not survive on structure or intention alone.

They last because, over time, execution replaces explanation.
 Decisions happen faster.

Ideas do not need defending.

Trust eliminates friction.
When we sat down to write this book, that shared context was already there. The pages moved forward the same way our companies always had, through trust, momentum, and a single vision carried by two leaders operating in sync.

Why Writing This Book Was Different

This is my seventh book, and I have co authored before.

What changed this time was not experience. It was depth.

Writing with Meridith meant working with someone who did not need interpretation. Someone who understands how ideas move from vision to execution. Someone who cares as much about the outcome as I do, and sometimes more.

That level of alignment accelerates everything.

Ideas moved faster. Concepts went further. The work itself became sharper.

Why Grandma’s Business Secrets Focuses on What Lasts

Grandma’s Business Secrets is intentionally simple.
It focuses on leadership and business fundamentals that stand the test of time, the kind of principles that quietly outperform trends, tactics, and theories.
The book does not chase what is new.

It reinforces what works.
In many cases, the basics matter more than what formal business education prioritizes. Clarity, consistency, and execution will always outperform complexity.
Our decade long partnership reinforced that lesson again and again. Clarity is what truly scales.

The Bottom Line

This book is more than a collaboration.

It is the result of ten years spent removing friction instead of creating it.
For leaders, the takeaway is simple. Strong Second in Command relationships do not just scale companies. They elevate the quality of the work itself.

Grandma’s Business Secrets is now available.
Secure your copy on Amazon.

The COO Job Is Not to “Help” the CEO

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The COO role is one of the most misunderstood positions in a scaling company.

Many CEOs talk about hiring a COO as a way to get support, like someone to help or someone to take work off their plate.

That framing is where things go wrong.

A COO is not there to assist the CEO.
A COO is there to run the business.

When the role is positioned as “help”, execution weakens, accountability becomes unclear, and the CEO stays stuck as the bottleneck far longer than necessary.

Helping Creates Dependency, Not Scale

When a COO is positioned as support, the organization stays CEO centric.

  • Decisions continue to flow upward because authority was never clearly transferred. Teams wait for direction instead of owning outcomes. The COO becomes an extra layer of coordination instead of a driver of execution. 
  • The CEO stays deep in operations, reviewing, approving, and resolving issues that should already be handled in the business. Strategic time disappears. Growth feels busy, but fragile. 

This structure feels safe at first, but it is also expensive.

Momentum slows not because the COO lacks capability, but because the role was designed to assist instead of lead.

The COO Owns Execution, Not the CEO’s Inbox

A strong COO does not ask how to help the CEO. They ask what the business needs to execute at scale.

  • The COO owns operational clarity. Clear priorities. Clear accountability. Clear decision rights. They ensure execution happens without constant escalation. 
  • The COO pushes structure earlier than most CEOs want it. Not to slow the company down, but to protect speed as complexity increases. Systems replace heroics. Execution becomes repeatable. 

In companies that scale well, the COO is not an extension of the CEO.
They are the operator who makes the vision real.

When the COO truly owns execution, the CEO is freed to focus on strategy, culture, capital, and the future.

The Bottom Line

The COO role is not about helping the CEO feel less busy.
It is about ensuring the company can execute without the CEO in every decision.

If your COO is positioned as support, you are underusing one of the most powerful leverage roles in the organization.

To learn how elite operators define, design, and execute the COO role properly, explore the COO Alliance and gain access to proven frameworks, peer insight, and leadership development built for COOs who run the business, not just support it.

If Everything Needs Your Approval, You Built It Wrong

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At some point, approval turns from protection into friction.

In early stage companies, centralized decisions feel efficient.
Fewer people. Faster answers. Clear control.

As the company grows, that same model quietly breaks execution.

When everything needs the CEO’s approval, speed collapses.
Not because teams are slow. Because leadership design did not scale.

Approval Is a Symptom of Missing Structure

When decisions stack at the top, it is rarely about trust. It is about clarity.

  • Teams seek approval when ownership is unclear. Decision rights are vague. Priorities compete. People escalate not because they want permission, but because they do not know where authority actually lives. 
  • Leaders feel indispensable because they built a system that requires them everywhere. Meetings multiply. Context switching increases. Strategic time disappears. The business moves, but only when the CEO pushes it forward. 

This feels like leadership. It is actually a bottleneck.

Scalable Companies Push Decisions Down, Not Up

High performing organizations do not rely on constant approval. They rely on design.

  • Clear roles define who owns which decisions. Teams are trained to decide within boundaries, not wait for validation. Execution speeds up because accountability is built into the system. 
  • Leaders stop being the approval layer and start being the clarity layer. They define direction, priorities, and standards. Teams execute without constant escalation. 

This shift is uncomfortable for many leaders. Control feels safe.Letting go feels risky.

But approval based leadership does not scale. It suffocates momentum.

Leadership Is About Building Decision Capacity

If your calendar is full of approvals, reviews, and sign offs, the issue is not workload. It is leadership design.

Great leaders build organizations that think and act without them in every room. They invest in leadership capability early so execution does not depend on permission.

That is how speed compounds instead of collapsing.

The Bottom Line

If everything needs your approval, the system is broken. Not the people.

The solution is not pushing harder or working longer. It is developing leaders who can think, decide, and execute without waiting.

If you want to build that capability inside your company, Invest in Your Leaders is designed to help managers and leaders step up, take ownership, and reduce dependency on the CEO so the business can scale with confidence.

Why Hiring a COO Too Late Costs Millions

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Hiring a COO often feels optional. Until it becomes urgent.

Revenue is growing. Customers are buying. The team looks busy and productive.

At this stage, most founders believe operations are “good enough.”
Not broken. Just informal.

That assumption is costly.

Growth hides inefficiency. Revenue masks chaos.
By the time operational issues become visible, the cost is already embedded in the business.

This is the leadership blind spot.
The longer you wait to hire a COO, the more expensive the delay becomes.

When Growth Outpaces Structure

As companies scale, complexity compounds.

  • More people create more handoffs and more room for misalignment. 
  • Decisions lose context as they move across teams. 
  • Execution slows quietly, not because people are lazy, but because clarity cannot keep up with speed.

Without a COO, ownership blurs and decisions drift upward. 

The CEO becomes the default problem solver.
Strategic thinking is replaced by operational firefighting.
Momentum feels real, but fragile.

These costs rarely show up as a single failure. They accumulate over time.

  • Missed deadlines and stalled initiatives reduce growth velocity. 
  • Duplicated work increases payroll costs without increasing output. 
  • High performers burn out or leave, taking institutional knowledge with them.

A COO Is a Multiplier, Not a Fix

This is where many leaders misjudge timing.

They wait until operations feel broken. By then, the damage is already done.

Strong COOs are not hired to clean up chaos.They are hired to prevent chaos from becoming expensive.

Early operational leadership installs clarity, decision ownership, and execution rhythms before informal processes collapse.

Companies that hire a COO at the right stage replace heroics with systems.

Decisions move faster because they are clearer. Teams stay aligned under pressure.Growth becomes repeatable instead of risky.

Waiting feels responsible. In reality, it is one of the most expensive leadership delays a scaling company can make.

The Bottom Line

Hiring a COO too late does not just slow growth. It quietly taxes it.

The most effective CEOs do not wait for operations to break. They design for scale before growth exposes the cracks.

If you want to learn how experienced operators build structures that protect momentum and remove bottlenecks before they appear, learn from those who have already done it.

Join the COO Alliance and gain access to proven frameworks, peer insights, and leadership development designed for COOs and second in commands who drive execution at scale.

Structure Before Speed: The Growth Paradox Most Leaders Learn Too Late

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Speed feels like progress.
Fast decisions. Fast hires. Fast execution.

In the early stages of a company, speed is often the advantage that keeps it alive.
Fewer people. Fewer layers. Direct communication.
Momentum carries the business forward.

But the very thing that fuels early growth is also what eventually limits it.

This is the growth paradox:
the faster a company grows, the more structure it needs, yet the harder leaders resist putting it in place.

Why Speed Stops Working as You Scale

As companies grow, complexity compounds.

More people means more handoffs.
More decisions mean more context loss.
More initiatives mean more competition for attention.

Without structure, speed turns into noise. Teams move quickly, but not consistently. Leaders spend more time clarifying decisions than making new ones. Execution becomes reactive instead of intentional.

The company doesn’t slow down because people aren’t working hard.
 It slows down because alignment can’t keep up with velocity.

Structure Is Not Bureaucracy

This is where many leaders get it wrong.

Structure is often confused with rigidity, control, or red tape. In reality, structure is what allows speed to exist at scale.

Structure defines:

  • Who owns which decisions

  • How priorities are set and protected

  • How information flows without constant escalation

  • How execution stays consistent as pressure increases

Without these elements, speed relies on individual heroics. And heroics do not scale.

The Hidden Cost of Prioritizing Speed Too Long

When structure lags behind growth, subtle issues start to surface:

  • Decisions wait on the CEO instead of happening in the business

  • Teams execute quickly but in different directions

  • Meetings multiply because clarity doesn’t stick

  • Leaders feel busy, yet progress feels fragile

Eventually, speed becomes exhausting instead of empowering.

What once felt like agility starts to feel like chaos.

Why COOs Push for Structure Earlier Than CEOs Want It

COOs live where strategy meets reality.

They see execution break down before it shows up in results. Missed handoffs. Unclear ownership. Priorities that shift faster than teams can absorb them.

That’s why strong COOs advocate for structure before the pain becomes obvious.

Not to slow the business down, but to protect its ability to move fast without breaking.

Structure creates the conditions where:

  • Teams can decide without permission

  • Priorities hold under pressure

  • Leaders stop firefighting and start leading

  • Speed becomes repeatable, not risky

Structure Is What Preserves Momentum

The most scalable organizations are not the fastest movers in every moment. They are the ones that can maintain momentum without constant oversight.

They invest in:

  • Clear operating rhythms

  • Decision frameworks that reduce friction

  • Leadership behaviors that reinforce focus

  • Systems that allow execution to happen without the CEO in every room

This is what allows speed to compound instead of collapse.

The Bottom Line

Growth doesn’t fail because leaders move too slowly.
It fails because speed outpaces structure.

Structure before speed is not a constraint. It’s a multiplier.

If your company feels fast but fragile, the solution isn’t pushing harder. It’s building the execution foundation that allows speed to scale with confidence.

Learn how experienced COOs design the structure that sustains growth, sharpens execution, and removes bottlenecks before they appear.

Join the COO Alliance and build the operating discipline that turns speed into lasting scale

Processes Don’t Kill Culture. They Sustain It

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Leaders often blame processes when culture starts to feel rigid or impersonal.

Many assume that structure slows people down, limits creativity, or turns the organization into a machine. To preserve culture, they avoid formalizing how work gets done.

That decision usually creates the opposite result.

When organizations operate without clear processes, culture erodes quietly. Inconsistency increases. Confusion spreads. Burnout follows. What feels like a cultural issue almost always starts as an operating one.

Culture Doesn’t Survive on Intent

Most leaders hold strong values. They want transparency, ownership, accountability, and trust. But values without process rely on interpretation, and interpretation varies.

One manager enforces standards.
Another lets them slide.

One team communicates clearly.
Another improvises.

Over time, culture stops being shared and becomes situational.

Culture is not what leaders say they believe. Culture shows up in what people experience repeatedly through decisions, priorities, and daily execution.

Process Turns Values Into Behavior

Process simply defines how work actually happens.

It clarifies:

  • How priorities get set and protected

  • How decisions get made

  • How feedback flows

  • How teams escalate and resolve problems

When these mechanisms stay clear, values become observable. Accountability feels fair instead of personal. Transparency feels normal instead of risky. Ownership becomes expected rather than heroic.

Without process, culture depends on personalities. Personalities do not scale.

Why Culture Drifts Without Process

In low-process environments, people fill gaps on their own.

They guess what matters.
They invent rules.
They protect themselves from uncertainty.

That behavior leads to politics, rework, and quiet frustration. High performers carry more than their share. Standards vary by manager. Trust erodes, not because people fail, but because the system lacks clarity.

What looks like a culture problem is usually an operating problem in disguise.

Strong Cultures Run on Clear Operating Systems

Healthy cultures do not feel loose. They feel predictable.

People know what good looks like.
They understand how decisions happen.
They trust what occurs when something goes wrong.
They know what the organization expects and what they can expect in return.

Process provides that stability. It removes ambiguity so people focus on contribution instead of navigation. Creativity does not disappear in structured environments. It thrives because teams stop wasting energy on confusion.

The Bottom Line

Without process, culture depends on memory, goodwill, and heroic effort.
With process, culture becomes reliable, fair, and scalable.

If culture feels fragile, the answer is rarely fewer processes.
It’s clearer operating standards that reflect what the organization actually values and expects from its leaders.

That level of consistency doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s built when leaders are trained to operate with clarity, discipline, and shared execution habits.

Develop leaders who know how to reinforce culture through process, not undermine it. Learn how leadership behavior, operating rhythm, and accountability systems work together inside Invest In Your Leaders.

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Meetings Suck: Turning One Of The Most Loathed Elements Of Business Into One Of The Most Valuable

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We all know that meetings suck, right?

You hear it all the time. It’s the one thing that almost everyone in business can agree on.

Except it’s not actually true… 

Meetings don’t suck.

We just suck at running meetings.   

When done right, meetings not only work, they make people and companies better.

In Meetings Suck, world renowned business expert and growth guru Cameron Herold teaches you how to use focused, time effective meetings to help you and your company soar.

This book shows you immediately actionable, step-by-step systems that ensure that you and everyone in your organization improves your meetings, right away.

In the process, you’ll turn meetings that suck into meetings that work. 

In life, we always hear about people who’ve made huge decisions from their gut – without data.Today, I want you to make a decision, not only from your gut, but also from some data.  A decision that is only $12 per employee but will be priceless for your business.

Right now, your gut is telling you something is wrong with your company’s meetings.  You KNOW everyone complains about meetings.

People HATE going to them, they HATE running them, and they really have NO idea which meetings are truly necessary but they hold meetings simply because they think that is what they SHOULD do.

Even some of the smartest CEOs in the world complain about meetings – Elon Musk publicly told employees at Tesla & SpaceX to walk out of meetings if they weren’t being run properly.

I sent Elon a message saying that wasn’t going to fix anything – the key is to fix the root of the problem – NOT continue to ignore why meetings suck.

A Meeting is – Any phone call, video call or occasion where 2 or more people meet to discuss or work-through office topics.

Most employees on average spend 1-2 hours per day in meetings.

And likely, none of those employees – front-line staff or leaders – have had any training on how to attend meetings or participate in them, LET ALONE How to RUN THEM.

Consider this…

If the Average employee spends just 1 Hour per day in meetings – that’s 1/8th of their time.

If the Average employee earns $50,000 per year.

And they’re spending 1/8th of their time in meetings, that means you’re paying $6,250 dollars per year for just ONE employee to attend meetings.

The reality is, employees spend 1/8th of their time – and 1/8th of your company’s payroll – doing something they have literally NO idea how to do.

The Reality is…

95% of employees are booking & leading meetings – and they have NEVER been trained on how to run them.

95% of employees have had NO training on how to show up and participate in the meetings they attend daily.

And 95% of employees and companies have no idea what meetings are even necessary to hold.

Meetings CAN be hugely effective – IF you know how to run them

Meetings don’t SUCK, we just SUCK at running meetings. 

Investing $15 per employee – to help ensure the $50,000 a year you spend on them is an obvious and easy choice.

This could be the most impactful $15 you’ll ever spend and will save the company’s money, time and resources instantly.

Buying a copy of Meetings Suck for 100% of your employees and having them read it this month will have a huge impact on your company’s success.

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Free PR: How To Get Chased By The Press Without Hiring A PR Firm

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Public relations has always been an essential part of doing business which is probably why you’re shelling out big money to an outside PR firm. But the truth is that you don’t need them. You already have all the necessary tools in-house to do as good a job as the so-called experts. 

Cameron Herold and Adrian Salamunovic have taught thousands of company execs how to exploit free media coverage and ditch these expensive, often ineffective outsiders. 

Cameron & Adrian have also built in-house PR teams, spent decades learning how to generate Free PR and how to leverage public relations to complement their sales and marketing strategy. 

In Free PR, you’ll learn how the media world operates while you gain invaluable insider knowledge and actionable advice on how to: 

  • Build your own in-house PR team
  • Provide effective interviews
  • Score great media coverage for free with just a few easy steps 

Landing public relations coverage for yourself and your company is a powerful tool to help elevate your personal brand. PR is easier to generate than marketing, PR is easier to leverage than marketing and PR is more cost effective than marketing. In other words, Public Relations is more critical than ever in growing your brand and your business. 

You’ve got more passion, commitment, a larger stake, and a deeper understanding of your business than any outside PR firm could ever have. So stop wasting money and take the reins yourself.  Learn the secrets to landing TONS of Free PR for your company.

What they’re saying:

“I think PR is the core for promoting any business. Public relations acquires customers! That’s what’s cool about this book.”

– Kevin O’Leary,  Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank

“The ultimate guidebook for those looking to get press, grow their brand, and get in front of the masses. Free PR is the roadmap you’ve been looking for.”

– Peter Shankman, Founder, Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

“Adrian and Cameron will show you the secrets of getting massive exposure for your business. This book is packed with actionable insights from two guys that actually know how to to do it.”

– Dan Martell,  Serial Entrepreneur & Investor (Intercom.io, Unbounce)

“I told Cameron to write the book on generating free PR. I’m excited to see that he’s finally sharing his secrets with the world. This is a must read for any entrepreneurial company and marketing team.”

– Verne Harnish, Founder of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and author of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)

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Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future

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Many corporations have slick, flashy mission statements that ultimately do little to motivate employees and less to impress customers, investors, and partners. 

But there is a way to share your excitement for the future of your company in a clear, compelling, and powerful way and entrepreneur and business growth expert Cameron Herold can show you how. 

Vivid Vision is a revolutionary tool that will help owners, CEOs, and senior managers create inspirational, detailed, and actionable three-year mission statements for their companies. In this easy-to-follow guide, Herold walks organization leaders through the simple steps to creating their own Vivid Vision, from brainstorming to sharing the ideas to using the document to drive progress in the years to come. 

By focusing on mapping out how you see your company looking and feeling in every category of business, without getting bogged down by data and numbers or how it will happen, Vivid Vision creates a holistic road map to success that will get all of your teammates passionate about the big picture. 

Your company is your dream, one that you want to share with your staff, clients, and stakeholders. Vivid Vision is the tool you need to make that dream a reality.

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The Miracle Morning for
Entrepreneurs: Elevate Your SELF to
Elevate Your BUSINESS

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READY FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACCELERATED SUCCESS IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.

READY FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACCELERATED SUCCESS IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

Hal Elrod’sThe Miracle Morning has helped redefine the mornings and the lives of millions of readers since 2012. Since then, careers have been launched, goals have been met, and dreams have been realized, all through the power of the Miracle Morning’s six Life S.A.V.E.R.S.

THESE SIX DAILY PRACTICES WILL FUEL YOUR EFFORTS TO CREATE AND SUSTAIN POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE.

Now The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs brings you these principles in a whole new light—alongside the Entrepreneurial Elevation Principles and the Entrepreneur’s Elevation Skills. These are essential skills that you need to create a successful business and personal life. Cameron Herold— Bestselling Author and a widely-respected expert on entrepreneurial mindset—brings his wisdom and insight to you using Hal Elrod’s powerful Miracle Morning framework.

DEVELOP A VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS, AND BECOME THE INFLUENTIAL AND INSPIRING LEADER YOU WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE.

The principles and skills you’ll find in this book will help you to channel your passion and achieve balance in a remarkable new way. – Learn why mornings matter more than you think – Learn how to master your own self-leadership and accelerate your personal development – Learn how to manage your energy—physical, mental, and emotional – Learn how to implement Hal Elrod’s invaluable Life S.A.V.E.R.S. in your daily routine – And much more… You’re already an entrepreneur. Now discover how to take your success to the next level by first taking yourself to the next level. The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs is your roadmap to masterfully building an empire with a powerful vision, utilizing your areas of personal genius, with the right team at your side.

Start giving your business and your life the very best opportunities for success, right now.

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Double Double: How To Double Your Revenue And Profit In 3 Years Or Less​

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A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.