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Welcome to Business Bourbon and Cigars, the podcast for ambitious leaders who want a backstage pass to the top. Every episode, we're going to sit down with ultra successful industry leaders who have a proven track record and a deep understanding of how to grow a business. And we're going to learn the secrets and strategies that took them to the top. On this show, you'll gain access to exclusive insights and resources that'll give you what you need to achieve your most audacious goals. And of course, we may even sip on some fine bourbon and light up one of our favorite cigars while we chat. My name is Scott Joseph. I'm your host and this is Business Bourbon and Cigars. Most leaders have blind spots somewhere, flaws. Whether it's in their thinking, their decision making, maybe their strategy. And these can be hidden in one or more of their teams. Whether it's sales, marketing, finance, operations. It. This is a huge problem for them because blind spots quietly drain millions from their business. And you know the worst part? You probably have them right now, but you can't see them. That's why they're called blind spots. So I want you to ask yourself and I want you to be brutally honest with the answers. You know, what are you missing that's silently holding you back? In this episode, I'm going to show you how to uncover the hidden weaknesses in your leadership, operations and strategy. And then I'm going to show you, probably more importantly than all of it, how to take immediate action to fix it. So by the end of this episode, you'll have a clear framework to spot blind spots before they cost you time, money, and opportunities. I'm Scott Joseph, and through my work building multiple companies and the relationships that I have with elite leaders in our Me plus Ultra mastermind group, I've seen firsthand how one small blind spot can multiply into a multi million dollar problem. These aren't theories that I'm going to be sharing with you. These are real world strategies that drive results. So here's what we're going to cover today. I want you to fully understand why blind spots exist. You know, how they sabotage your growth. Second, you know, there are three types of blind spots that are critical for every leader to identify. And then finally, third, I'm going to give you the actionable steps to uncover and fix them immediately. This episode hits home for me because of the time, you know, when I was running J and L marketing, and I've said this before on another episode, I always thought our strength was our sales team. You know, it was big it was aggressive, was closing deals left and right. But here's the blind spot. I wasn't looking at what really created client results and more importantly, why clients were loyal to us. It wasn't sales. It was our data, strategy, client support. I had a blind spot in my leadership. I assumed what worked for me in the past or what I valued, you know, was automatically the best path for our future growth. I could not have been more wrong. It slowed down a huge pivot we were making, and it really frustrated me and everyone on our team. So now we fast forward, you know, where. I elevated Jamil Zabaneh to CEO and I leaned into the areas that truly delivered retention and ROI. We grew over 300% and three years. The money wasn't in what I assumed. It was in the things I couldn't see until I acknowledged my blind spots. This is exactly what I want you to do today. Uncover the areas that you're blind to before they silently steal your growth. So the bottom line is this. You know, blind spots exist because we can't see ourselves clearly. You know, they hide in our decision making, emotional responses, you know, and, you know, maybe your assumptions about your own team. So I want you to ask three people. They got to be people you trust, and you got to make sure they are brutally honest with you when they answer not kissing your ass. And I want you to write these three questions down. You know, one, what's the one thing I consistently miss? The second one, where do I create friction without realizing? And then third, where am I overconfident? So why are you asking these three questions? Well, when you ask, what do I consistently miss, right, it reveals the blind spots. You're not simp. You're just simply not aware of. You know, it's the stuff that slips under your radar. Well, that could be critical decisions, maybe overlooked opportunities, maybe persistent inefficiencies. These could be costing you millions of dollars. And if not millions, thousands. When you ask, you know, where do I create friction without realizing it? You're going to uncover behavioral blind spots. You know, how your leadership style, communication or decision making, how they're unintentionally causing resistance or slowing progress in your team. When you ask, you know, where am I overconfident? This is going to expose assumptions and biases that you might have. You know, overconfidence can lead to poor decisions, missed opportunities, maybe even investments in the wrong areas. And most leaders don't realize it until it's too late. So here's the thing. You have to ask the questions to people who will give you the truth. And more importantly, you have to listen without defending yourself. The goal isn't to justify your actions. It's to uncover the truth that you can't see, you know, on your own. These three questions you know are a simple yet incredibly powerful way to start uncovering the blind spots that are quietly costing your your business a small fortune. You know the thing with blind spots? They're not just in your head. They live in your processes, your systems, in your daily operations. Inefficiencies, misaligned priorities, maybe outdated procedures. They silently drain revenue. They frustrate your team. They limit your growth. And most leaders don't notice these, you know, because these problems, most of the time they feel normal. They're embedded in how the business is always run. You know, when you hear someone say, you know, this is the way we've always done it, rest assured you're losing your ass somewhere right now. You're juggling every decision, putting out fires and and trying to grow your business on your own. Every day feels like a grind. And no matter how hard you push, the breakthrough you've been chasing seems like it's just out of reach. You don't have the right perspective, or maybe the network to see the opportunities waiting for you. The Business bourbon and Cigars Leadership Retreat is your chance to change that. Imagine being in a room with entrepreneurs who have already overcome the challenges you're facing. Leaders who have scaled, innovated and found the clarity you're searching for. Through our Mastermind style sessions, you're going to gain actionable strategies and the opportunity to connect with active Me plus Ultra members. These aren't just networking contacts. They are entrepreneurs who think strategically, spot opportunity quickly, and can provide insights that accelerate your growth. This experience allows you to see firsthand how high level leaders solve problems, create momentum and unlock opportunities. So you can leave the retreat not just with a plan, but with a network that expands your possibilities faster than you ever thought possible. The first five people to apply@meplusultra.com BBC50 is going to receive 50% off their ticket. Don't wait. Secure your spot now and step into a space where real business breakthroughs happen. So here's what I want you to do. Audit your business in these three critical areas. I want you to look for places where money's escaping without notice. You know, are there discounts, refunds or processes that are eating into your margin? Are clients slipping away due to poor onboarding? Or maybe follow up? This is important because revenue leaks are invisible drains you can't fix what you don't measure. Catching even one leak can, you know, unlock thousands, tens of thousands, maybe millions of dollars, depending on the size of your company. My advice would be to review the past 6 to 12 months of financials. Identify patterns of lost revenue or maybe reoccurring mistakes. Track them, root cause them, and make sure you assign accountability to someone or one of your teams to solve them. Identify the bottlenecks that are slowing you down or your execution, you know, are decisions too long, you know, are approval stuck in someone's inbox? Are certain processes over complicated or duplicated bottlenecks create delays that, you know, they start compounding over time. They always end up costing opportunities in revenue the fastest. Growth isn't just about new ideas. It's about speed of execution. You have to document and map out your core processes from start to finish. You know, ask your team where work gets stuck, you know, time each step to see what's slowing progress and redesign it for efficiency. I can remember when we first started, we hired our vice president of operations man, this is over 20 years ago. And he started mapping out all our processes and literally had a stopwatch. He was timing activities not to hold people accountable. That wasn't what he was doing at that moment in time. What he was doing is he needed to know how long it took to to accomplish certain tasks. So when he started mapping out, you know, processes and seeing where things could happen, he needed to know what someone's actual capacity was to get the work done in a high quality manner. So don't be afraid to do those things. It's not being about Big Brother, it's actually helping your team. Sometimes we give them more than they can handle, but the only way you have clean, efficient processes is you need to know where the bottlenecks are, how long, you know, tasks actually take. That's the only way you're going to get the right process down. Then finally, you have to make sure your team's actions match your vision. Are people focusing on the wrong priorities? Are initiatives moving in different directions? Are the metrics that you track actually driving the results you want? Misalignment. It wastes energy, creates friction, and it ensures that your vision never fully materializes. Even small disconnects will cost you a small fortune when compounded across your business. So make sure you review each department or team against your company goals. You have to ask, is what they're doing right now helping us achieve our vision? And then you immediately adjust responsibilities, you know, your KPIs or whatever communications needed because you got to make sure all that's lined up. The things that feel normal in your business are often the exact places where money, time, and opportunities are slipping away. This audit forces you to shine a light on those blind spots so you can act now before they continue silently draining value. The silent killers of growth, they usually live in your strategy. You know, whether it's opportunities you're missing or maybe projects that you're spending time on that don't actually move the needle. You know, most leaders, they're so focused on execution that they never step back to ask, are we doing the right things at the right time? And this is so important because strategy blind spots waste resources, energy, and time. You know, they prevent you from seeing the bigger picture and realizing breakthrough growth. When you ignore strategy blind spots, it means you could be working hard but not working smart, right? Leaving all kinds of money on the table without even knowing it. When you think about it, what I'm really asking you to do in this episode is to work on your business. You know, at least invest more time on it instead of always in it. So I want you to do this for me. Review your strategy in three areas. I want you to look for potential opportunities. You know, what should you be doing that you're not doing? These are the gaps where growth, revenue, or market advantage is slipping past you. Make a list of all the opportunities that you've ignored in the last six to 12 months. New products, markets, partnerships, maybe processes, and evaluate which could have had the biggest impact. Schedule one action to pursue the highest value opportunity immediately next. What are you doing? That doesn't matter here. We want to find the waste in your strategy. Time, energy, and money spent on low impact work. That's another silent drain. It distracts from your true priorities. Or what should be your true priorities, you know, so how do you do this? Audit your current initiatives. Ask, if this stopped today, you know, would it harm our business? Would it harm our customers? If the answer is no, or only at a minimum, pause, delegate, or kill it. Are you the type that makes decisions based on your gut or data? You know, I asked that question because this leads us to the third strategy area that I want you to review. What are you assuming about the market, your clients, maybe even your team? That might be wrong? Misguided assumptions that can send your business in the wrong directions for months or even years. Write down your core assumptions, then test them against data and client feedback, maybe market research. I want you to identify one assumption that's likely holding you back and then create A plan to validate or pivot the strategy. Blind spots. They're not obvious. They hide in the things you're ignoring and the things you think are important but aren't. By uncovering them, you free up resources and you can focus on what actually matters and create space for real breakthroughs. Here's the bottom line. A strategy without self examination is a growth limiting trap. Take the time to audit, question and adjust your strategic choices. Here's the thing. You know, blind spots are only dangerous if you ignore them. Once you identify them, you gotta document them. Write down your blind spots you know, why do they exist? How are they impacting your business? Then you have to delegate or correct. I say delegate and elevate, right? Assign someone to monitor areas where you can't personally oversee. Track the results that matter. A lot of us just think we need to track everything. The ones that matter Most. Set measurable KPIs so you can ensure blind spots. Stop draining resources. Set this up as something that happens weekly. Even 30 minutes of reflection or, you know, assessment will save you a small fortune over time. I want you to write this down. Your business grows in direct proportion to the blind spots that you eliminate. Blind spots are unavoidable. We all have them. But invisible losses don't have to be. Leadership, operations and strategy all have hidden weaknesses. You want to identify them, act on them. Then watch the transformations to your top and your bottom lines. Here's your challenge. I want you to pick one area today. Whether it's leadership, operations or strategy. Identify one blind spot and take one immediate action to correct it. And if you're serious about scaling your business and pushing your leadership, operations and strategy to the next level, you do not want to miss the next Business Bourbon and Cigars Leadership Retreat. It's an opportunity to join a select group of entrepreneurs and executives. You know, it's an exclusive experience. There isn't anything you're going through, maybe struggling with, you know, or trying to achieve that multiple people in this group haven't already solved. Take the shortcut. Leverage their mentorship. I've got a special offer for you today. The first five people who are either watching or listening to this episode and reach out are going to receive 50% off their ticket to attend the next retreat. Do not miss this. Visit me+Ultra.com backslash bbc50 or click the link in the show notes to claim your 50% discount code and secure your spot at the Business Bourbon and Cigars Leadership Retreat. Do it now. Cheers everyone. Thank you so much for listening to Business Bourbon and Cigars. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with other business owners and friends. And if you haven't already, make sure you subscribe to the show on YouTube and your favorite podcast player. My goal is to bring you conversations each week that challenge you and give you a no nonsense approach to growing your business. Make sure to join me next week week on Business Bourbon and Cigars and for more information on our latest episodes, masterminds and events, head to Business bourboncigarspodcast. Com. Again, that's Business bourboncigarspodcast. Com.