Over 30 years of business insight in one place.
I've been a business owner for over 30 years. I was a remote CEO starting in 1993. I've been a coach helping other owners learn from my mistakes since 1995. Since 2006 I've been posting, writing, making videos and tools for my clients. In my semi-retirement I'm putting all that stuff here in a (mostly) organized fashion for free.
Goals & Vision, People
3 Words I hate: Culture, Values, Attitude
November 15, 2023
Why? Because they make a manager's job harder. These are not magic words that you can sprinkle over your company to get amazing results - despite what some consultants will try to tell sell you. These are words that if…
Company View, Organizational Design, Output Thinking
What Is An Output?
October 28, 2023
It's why you hire people. PLUS a Big Announcement. My book, Output Thinking is now available for Pre-order Special. If you pre-order before Dec 5 and email a copy of the receipt to John@CEOBootCamp.com I'll send you a PDF copy…
People
In Praise of Tacit Knowledge
October 18, 2023
Here's something I bet you didn't know if you speak English. There's something every speaker of English knows but most don't know they know. It's the reason you can say "my big, fat, Greek wedding" but saying "my Greek, fat,…
Organizational Design
There Are Only 7 Reasons to Spend Money
October 3, 2023
They all fall into 7 Buckets. We've discussed HERE that the purpose of a system is to produce an output. And we talked HERE about documenting the systems that produce those outputs so they are repeatable & scalable. Those outputs…
CEO Skills
Do You Know the 4 Levels of Time?
September 12, 2023
You May Be Thinking About Time Wrong. When people think about time they usually think about what they're doing with their time. The best way to think about it is to think about why you're doing what you're doing. The…
CEO Skills
There are no Systems for Culture
September 4, 2023
It's an art not a science. The Science and The Art of Business. I write about systems in business. How you take an input, apply a transformation to it and produce an output. It's the outputs what make a company…
CEO Skills
Don't Let "culture" be a Copout
August 20, 2023
How to Describe Company Culture so it's Useful. I could have written him off as a poor cultural fit and let him go, but I knew if I could fix the issues, it would be better for the company.~David Dodson…
People
How to Get Better at Delegating
August 2, 2023
Subsystems are the Key. Imagine you want to delegate dinner. You have someone with all the skills needed. What do you tell them to do? You could say any of these things: Make me something delicious and have it ready…
Protection
This C.A.F.E Is Not a Place to Sit
July 21, 2023
It's a part of systemizing your company. What is C.A.F.E? In a previous post the picture has a bucket called C.A.F.E. and I've been asked to explain what it is. Someone even asked if it's clickbait. I didn't mean it…
Marketing & Sales
Do Bad Systems Make You Lie to Customers?
July 9, 2023
Blame Dysfunctional Systems. I've gotten a lot of new subscribers recently so I'll do a quick introduction. First WELCOME. I help business owners systemize their companies in three ways: This newsletter, it's free. Subscribe if you haven't already. I post…
Personal
John Seiffer Speaker Reel
July 7, 2023
John Seiffer speaks to Business Owners and CEOs in keynotes and breakout groups.
CEO Skills
Tame the Email Monster with Output Thinking
June 24, 2023
It's not really a monster. It's several monsters! Email overwhelm is one of the most common complaints I hear from clients. They find it hard to give away the work of answering emails despite the fact that email keeps them…
CEO Skills
What is a Systemized Company?
June 10, 2023
How to Remove Yourself from the day-to-day Routine. We've talked before that the point of a system is to produce an output. I want to expand that and say that systems make creating outputs repeatable and scalable. Repeatable means outputs…
CEO Skills
How to Go On Vacation
June 1, 2023
Don't Forget the Sunscreen. It's the season when lots of people take vacations. So I thought I'd share a bit about how to do it when you're a business owner. Why? The first question (always – about almost anything) to…
Organizational Design
There are 3 Kinds of SOPs
May 12, 2023
Each Requires a Different Type of Documentation. WELCOME! There's been an influx of new subscribers recently so I'll start with a short intro of who I am and what this is about. I've been a business owner for over 40…
Growth & Plans
Build From The Bottom Up
April 27, 2023
Don't Fall for Entrepreneur P0rn. It's exciting to dream of being a billionaire or disrupting an industry. But to accomplish anything you've got to wake up and get to work. Here's what growing a company looks like. You sell something…
CEO Skills
Progress Report
April 20, 2023
One of My Clients is Moving Really Fast. People grow at their own pace. Usually the constraints are internal not external. As a coach I've developed some tools and techniques to help but I can't do it for anyone. But…
People
High Output Management
April 14, 2023
Andrew Lynch hosted me on his podcast to talk about this book by Andy Grove. Andrew Lynch was kind enough to invite me on his podcast, The Rereadables, to discuss the book High Output Management by Andy Grove. Grove was…
Marketing & Sales
How to Design Your Sales Process
March 24, 2023
Nothing happens till you sell something. Sales is the process through which somebody who could be a customer becomes a customer. Let's unpack that. I'll capitalize the relevant words in parts of that definition. Sales is a PROCESS … That…
CEO Mindset, Organizational Design
7 Buckets
March 19, 2023
There are only seven reasons to spend money or have someone work in your company. It's the lens I see a company thru when I'm helping a client grow their company, make more money and have a better life. I…
People
The Most Important Part of a Dashboard
March 14, 2023
It's not the numbers - it's what's in your head. Most SMBs Don't Need a Dashboard - but they are cool. Here's how to use one if you need to. Dashboards Track Output. When you realize your company is an…