You’re not broken. You’re growing.

‍This episode is for every leader who feels like they’re the only one struggling to scale. The sleepless nights. The team tension. The never-ending whack-a-mole of problems. It’s not just you—it’s the natural result of success. In this conversation, Kirk introduces the Business Growth Lifecycle Model, a simple but powerful tool to name what’s really happening inside your business and guide your team through it.

Listeners will:
- Learn how to map their company’s stage of growth (Level I, II, or III)—and what that means for strategy, structure, and leadership.
- Recognize that the chaos and pressure they’re feeling is normal—and predictable.
- Discover how the best leaders use this model to align their teams, avoid misdiagnosing problems, and move from reactive firefighting to intentional scale.
- Hear why reaching Level III—a professionally managed, still-entrepreneurial, investor-attractive business—is rare, and what it takes to get there.

Growth doesn’t feel like winning. It feels like breaking. But if you can name what’s happening, you can lead through it.

Episode Breakdown:
(0:00) Intro
(0:03:03) Introducing Today’s Resource
(0:09:18) Normalizing the Messy Middle
(0:18:21) The Road to Becoming a Level III Company
(0:29:28) Scattered Focus, Scattered Results
(0:37:53) Getting People and Process Management Right
(0:59:28) Systems and Processes That Slow You Down
(1:02:03) The Gap: Revenue vs. Cost vs. Emotional Toll
(1:09:23) Why Only 10% of Companies Get This Right
(1:13:44) Loyalty vs. Leadership Coaching Analogy
(1:20:46) Final Takeaways & Free Resource
(1:23:31) Outro

Resources & Mentions:
- ⁠Kirk Dando’s Website⁠ – Inquire about executive coaching, speaking, angel investing, and/or advisory board involvements
- Business Growth Lifecycle PDF - free resource from Kirk Dando for leaders who feel like they’re the only one struggling to scale
- Colin Powell’s “Essence of Leadership” Talk“
- Necessary Endings” by Henry Cloud
‍
Learn how to lead through the messy middle without losing your mind—or your business. Subscribe for bi-weekly episodes on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.