Reasons to Measure Business Processes for Growth

I lost $2.3M because I was drowning in metrics. Most entrepreneurs (including my former self) fall into one of two dangerous traps when it comes to measuring business performance. Let me share what I discovered after the expensive way... Trap #1: The "Gut-Feel" Brigade These are the entrepreneurs running their entire operation on intuition. "I know my business," they say. "I can feel when things are working," they insist. I get it. But here's the truth: You can't improve what you don't measure. Trap #2: The "Data Hoarders" Then there's the opposite extreme (this was me): • 47 different KPIs • Multiple dashboards • Daily metric reviews • Endless spreadsheets What did I get? → Analysis paralysis → Decision freezes → Constant strategy shifts → Bleeding cash like a hemophiliac in a tub of razors Here's what changed everything for me: The One Metric That Matters (OMTM) Framework Instead of tracking everything or nothing, identify the ONE metric that's currently blocking your growth. Examples from my consulting work: • E-commerce client stuck at $2M/year OMTM: Cart abandonment rate Result: Added $3M in profit • Services business launching in new geo OMTM: New meetings booked Result: $1M in new business in 8 months The magic happens because: 1. Clear focus 2. Aligned teams 3. Faster decisions 4. Better results How to Find Your OMTM: 1. Identify your current #1 business goal 2. List all metrics that influence it 3. Ask: "If I could only improve ONE of these, which would have the biggest impact?" That's your OMTM. But remember: It's not static. Your OMTM will change.  Focus on your One Metric That Matters. Everything else is just noise. P.S. - if you want to know how to scale without voodoo and gurus, I write and make videos about using the scientific method in business.

Just asked a room of 100 CEOs: 'Who's growing over 30% annually?' 47 hands went up. 'Who's sleeping well at night?' 3 hands stayed up. Here's what those 3 CEOs know... - Rapid growth can mask fatal problems until it's too late. - In the last month alone, I've seen "successful" companies: - Miss cash flow projections by 60% - Lose key executives without warning - Watch margins evaporate while revenue soars - Struggle with mounting customer complaints Warning: Your company is headed for a wall if: 🚩 Growth Traps: - You're hitting targets but bleeding margins - Your best people are doing the wrong work - Customer complaints are rising with revenue - Cash flow can't keep up with growth The Real Cost of Unmanaged Growth: - Culture dilution - Process breakdown - Quality compromise - Team burnout Critical Questions Every Scaling CEO Must Answer: Are You Growing or Just Getting Bigger? ✓ Can your current team structure support 2X growth? ✓ Do your systems scale automatically? ✓ Is your cash flow growing with your revenue? Are You Building or Breaking? - High performer turnover increasing? - Core clients getting less attention? - Middle management struggling? Smart Growth Strategy: - Build infrastructure ahead of growth - Create systems that scale automatically - Develop leaders before you need them - Protect margins while pursuing revenue Remember: Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, cash is reality. Honest question: Would you choose 30% profitable growth or 100% growth with razor-thin margins? #BusinessStrategy #ScalingUp #ExecutiveLeadership

I have helped more than 160 companies crush revenue goals and in many cases, create record-breaking performance. Often, these companies won the biggest deals in their history, with my help. What differentiates great companies from middle or low-performing companies is “Metric tracking” In business, the data isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet,  It’s the backbone of your decision-making, training, and process optimization. Yet, many companies fall into the trap of ignoring it, or simply not paying enough attention to it. Or they have excuses - and I’ve heard them all. No “Metric tracking” leads to: Inefficiencies Frustration at the lack of growth  Stagnation in revenue,  Lack of desired results Not really knowing what to do or improve. Having to push people to “do more” The best companies in the world are data-driven. Because, 1. Without data, key decisions are made too late: If you’re not tracking critical metrics consistently,  You won’t see when things go off-track Until it’s already costing you revenue, profit, or efficiency. 2. Without data, progress is invisible: How do you measure improvement or recognize negative trends? If you don’t have benchmarks to compare against? Just measuring revenue or attainment of “the number” is not enough. That rarely works over time and only matters when you are growing and winning. "The longer you go without making sure you're on the right track, the faster you can be on the wrong track and get a bad outcome." 3. Infrequent data reviews = lazy leadership. Some businesses look at data annually, quarterly, or even monthly. The longer you wait, The faster small inefficiencies can snowball into significant problems. At my former company, we tracked all stage gates of the sales process DAILY.  We also looked at weekly, monthly, and quarterly. Then year over year. That’s what using data is all about. After 3 years of doing this, we had REAL data that helped us look into every phase and ask a simple question: How do we get 5% better? Let’s face it, there isn’t anything in your business that you can’t make 5% better when you have laser focus. Great companies don’t just review their data weekly, They analyze it daily. At my former company, data wasn’t optional. it was mandatory. Every action we repeated and every process we refined was tracked and recorded. That data allowed us to pivot quickly,  It determined what we trained on each week. It helped us to make important decisions, such as pricing and offers It helped us to OPTIMIZE each phase of both sales and marketing. If you’re not looking at your data consistently, You’re leading your company blindly.  Even doing a disservice to your company The question isn’t, “Do I have data?” The question is, “Am I using data to its full potential?” How often do you track data at your company?

“What gets measured gets managed.” It’s one of those quotes we’ve all heard. Simple. Familiar. But in leadership, familiarity can be dangerous— because we often skip past ideas we think we understand. This one deserves a closer look. Measurement isn’t just about numbers. It’s about clarity. It’s how we define reality inside a business. It gives us language to evaluate progress, spot patterns, and make better decisions. And when something important isn’t being measured, it tends to drift. Expectations become fuzzy. Accountability fades. Energy scatters. High-performing teams operate differently. They’re clear on what matters most— and they measure it consistently. Not in a bureaucratic way, but in a purposeful way. When everyone knows what success looks like, it becomes easier to align, adapt, and accelerate. Leaders sometimes resist measurement because they worry it’ll create pressure. But the truth is, most teams are already under pressure— just without the clarity to navigate it. The right metrics don’t create pressure. They relieve it, because they focus people’s attention and allow them to succeed on purpose. If you lead a team, a simple question can change everything: What are we measuring? And more importantly: Is it the right stuff? You’ll never manage what you haven’t clearly defined. So if you want to grow, improve, or evolve—start by measuring what matters. The clarity will do the heavy lifting. Want more leadership insights like this? Sign up for my weekly newsletter ✉️ www.markodonnell.me