A bigger company is not necessarily a more valuable one if the extra sales come from products and services that are too reliant on you to deliver them.

It’s a fast and easy way for your customers to give you feedback, and it’s predictive of your company’s growth in the future. 

The most valuable companies have a defendable niche selling a few differentiated products and services to many customers. The least valuable businesses sell lots of undifferentiated products and services to a concentrated group of buyers. 

If you offer something that needs you to produce or sell it, consider dropping it from your offerings. Services and products that require you suck up your time and cash and don’t contribute significantly to your business’s value. 

Turn a negative cash flow cycle into a positive one and you boost your business’s value and lessen your stress load. 

Predictable sales from subscriptions or recurring contracts mean less stress in the short term and a more valuable business over the long run. 

Refine your marketing strategy to emphasise the point of differentiation that customers value. Be relentless in highlighting this advantage. 

Consider placing a small order to establish a commercial relationship and diversify the sources of your most-difficult-to-find materials. 

Answer every employee question with “What would you do if you owned the business?” Your goal should be to cultivate employees who think like owners so they can start answering their own questions without coming to you. 

Document your most important processes so your employees can do their work independently.