Wolf&Grayson EditorialFinding new ways to create business growth remains challenging for companies that get stuck in day-to-day operations. With over 30 years of experience helping generate more than a billion dollars in revenue, business strategy expert Scott Boulas believes owners need to step back and reimagine their approach. His straightforward methods have helped numerous small and mid-sized businesses break through plateaus by thinking differently about their value proposition.
Breaking Free from Operational Tunnel Vision
Many business owners struggle to see beyond immediate operations. “These entrepreneurs, founders, and people who maybe inherited a company that their grandfather built 50 years ago get really busy reacting to the tactical day-to-day of the business,” Scott explains. The problem, as he sees it, is that companies rarely question why things are done certain ways or explore alternative approaches.
This narrow focus creates a common business trap. “There’s an old saying: I spend far too much time working in my business to ever work on my business,” Scott notes. Without deliberately making time to think strategically, companies follow established patterns that may limit growth potential. Scott recommends scheduled retreats away from daily demands – quarterly, biannually, or at least annually. “No emails, no phones. Let’s create strategy for our business. Let’s create contingency plans. Let’s reinvent,” he advises. These dedicated sessions provide the space needed for fresh perspectives.
Expanding Your Service Ecosystem
Scott’s first strategy focuses on looking beyond core offerings. “Get outside of your core delivery and brainstorm a list of every complementary and supplementary service close to what you’re doing,” he suggests. The goal? Finding opportunities with “incremental expense while you’ve already got a customer – just a little more service, a lot more value, a lot more revenue.” He offers practical examples, like a window cleaning company that could examine window seals while already on ladders. “Could you caulk those windows and weatherproof the seals? It’s only incrementally more time, could be the same labor, same ladder, much more value,” Scott explains.
Another compelling example is Scissors and Scotch, which transformed standard barbershops into men’s clubs with monthly subscriptions. “They decided to reinvent the barbershop business,” Scott shares. “Every month you get a haircut and a top-shelf cocktail.” The company expanded by adding pool tables, pinball machines, scuba certification classes, and golf trips – turning single transactions into ongoing relationships.
Reimagining Your Offer Structure
Scott’s second strategy involves rethinking how you package and present services. “Think about your offer,” he emphasizes. Rather than simply selling individual services, consider subscription models, tiered offerings, or bundled packages. Scott points to several approaches: “Cross-sells – I’m going to sell you this and, by the way, while you’re buying that you should buy this too.” He also highlights upselling, down-selling, and service tiers (bronze, silver, gold). The fundamental shift is moving from transactional thinking to relationship-building: “How do you take a one-time customer and what’s the lifetime value of a customer?”
Fear significantly impacts buying decisions, particularly high-value purchases. “That fear of making a decision that makes things worse or doesn’t get me whole with the investment is by far the biggest fear major decision makers have,” Scott explains. To address this, Scott recommends implementing the JOLT approach: “Judge the indecision. Offer your one strong recommendation. Limit options. Take out risk.” The “take out risk” element proves especially powerful. “It could be a money-back guarantee, a 60-day pilot, pay us for implementation only at our cost and then we’ll visit what the value is at a later date,” Scott suggests. By understanding and addressing these fears directly, businesses can remove barriers to purchase.
Scott believes these principles remain valuable even during uncertain times. “The right time to really consider your business alternatives is in challenging times,” he advises. “The absolute necessity to think about and reinvent and strategize about your business when things are tough” separates thriving companies from those merely surviving.
Connect with Scott J Boulas on LinkedIn to learn how he helps businesses unlock growth potential.
