25% Of Lost Deals Didn’t Need To Happen [Episode 231]

Most CEOs think a sales problem means they need more pipeline, more pressure, or better closers. The harder truth is that too many weak deals stay alive too long, waste selling time, distort the forecast, and quietly widen the leaks in the business. Revenue can still rise while cash timing, margin quality, and confidence in the number get worse underneath it. That is why small gains in win rate, sales cycle speed, and lost deals can create outsized movement in EBITDA, operating cash flow, and how predictable growth feels. Weak deal coaching rarely looks dangerous early. CEOs usually notice the damage only when the money is still missing from the bank.
Growing While Losing $250,000 a Year [Episode 230]

Revenue growth can make a company look stronger while the real economics get worse. More clients, more employees, and more activity can still produce weaker margins, lower profit quality, and mounting EBITDA pressure when pricing, delivery, and client fit are off. What feels like momentum can actually be expensive growth hiding inside the model. By the time leadership fully sees the damage, it is usually already buried in labor cost, underpriced agreements, churn, and the declining value of the business. The real risk is not slower growth. The real risk is building a larger company on economics that were already starting to fail.