GrowthWays Partners

04/23/2026

Most Founders Don't Fail From Lack of Ambition

They fail because no one helped them define where not to grow.

04/21/2026

There's a talent crisis hiding in plain sight in the natural products industry — and most companies aren't talking about it honestly.

It's not a pipeline problem. It's a comp plan problem.

Here's what's happened: over the past decade, strategic acquirers have rolled up dozens of entrepreneurial brands. And every time a scrappy, commission-driven sales culture gets absorbed into a corporate structure, something quietly breaks.

Variable comp goes away. Salaries go up slightly. And your best commercial people — the ones who were killing it because they could control their own earnings — start looking for the exit.

I saw this firsthand during my years running Ganeden and advising companies on both sides of M&A deals. The talent doesn't just leave the company. It often leaves the industry.

What gets left behind? Teams that are comfortable, not hungry. Comp structures built for cost control, not revenue growth.

The Guardrailing framework I built is partly about this — knowing where NOT to grow matters, but so does building the commercial engine that gets you there.

More on this all week. If any of this sounds familiar, let's talk. 👇

📅 15 minutes, no agenda, just a real conversation: https://calendly.com/growthways/15-minute-discovery-call

04/10/2026

Amazing evening at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco listening to Jim Collin’s talk about his amazing new book What To Make of a Life

09/30/2025

Howdy all-

I've been talking about this for a long time and am finally getting around to posting it. It's the free meditation program I created to help busy executives (and everyone else) find a little peace in their day. This video was created more than a year ago, so please forgive the quality and don't let the un-synced audio distract you in the first video.

https://www.growthways.com/meditate-like-a-boss

I hope you enjoy the course, and let me know your thoughts about the content.

I wish you all a peaceful week.

Mike

03/25/2025

🚀 I’m excited to share my latest article published in Home Business Magazine: "Why Startups Are Failing Faster Than Ever—And How to Avoid the Common Pitfalls." In this piece, I delve into the alarming trends causing startups to stumble and collapse at unprecedented rates. I outline the common pitfalls entrepreneurs often encounter from insufficient market research to poor financial management. Most importantly, I provide actionable strategies to navigate these challenges and build a resilient business. Let’s empower the next generation of innovators to succeed! 🌟

https://homebusinessmag.com/blog/business-startup-blog/why-startups-failing-how-avoid-common-pitfalls/

Why Startups Are Failing Faster Than Ever—And How to Avoid the Common Pitfalls

07/29/2024

It's live - SIGN UP for Meditate Like a Boss and learn how a few minutes per day can change your life.

https://tinyurl.com/Growthways

07/22/2024

What an exciting day! The print copies of my book, Guardrailing, have arrived. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all who helped make this goal a reality. You can buy the book now in paperback and eBook/Kindle versions at https://tinyurl.com/Guardrailing