Growth Insights for CEOs

From Recovery to Recession: A CEO’s Guide to Thriving Through Economic Shifts
When markets shift—and they always do—the winners are those who don’t wait to react. They move first, and fast. No matter which of the four cycles you’re currently experiencing, one constant remains true: waiting for things to be more favorable is a bad strategy. Additionally, doing nothing is not an option. Companies that anticipate, plan, and act in alignment with their current business phase can maintain resilience, capture opportunities, and outperform competitors who simply “wait it out.”
Recent Posts

Sales Terraformance: A Scientific Approach to Sales Growth
Fri, Mar 28, 2025 — Most companies deploy a sales “force.” Too often, this means a bunch of people do things with good intentions, but their combined efforts do not meet company growth expectations. Most CEOs and Founders would like a better salesforce but struggle with how to impact the “art and science” of sales improvement. At Chief Outsiders, we believe more science can help uncover and develop the insights, strategies, and execution required to achieve breakthrough performance.

What Marketing and Sales Executives Can Learn from Each Other
Fri, Mar 28, 2025 — In too many organizations, marketing and sales operate in silos—sometimes friendly, sometimes not. But in today’s fast-moving business landscape, the best-performing companies know that the relationship between all revenue functions – typically the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Chief Sales Officer (CSO) - is not just important. It’s mission-critical.

Leveraging AI: Is Your Company Future-Ready? | A Roadmap of Eight Essential AI Steps for Success
Mon, Mar 24, 2025 — A BCGX study reveals just 6% of companies have trained 25%+ of their workforce on Gen AI tools, yet 100% will require upskilling within two years. With Accenture projecting AI will augment 40% of work hours and McKinsey forecasting 70% automation of business activities by 2030, the urgency for strategic AI adoption has never been greater.
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A Different Perspective on Marginal Cost Pricing
Fri, Mar 7, 2025 — I pulled up behind a Prius at a red light. A sticker on its left rear bumper, in type too small to read unless you were within a car length or two, said: “Sorry for driving so close in front of you.” A different point of view on the tailgaters that clearly bug that vehicle owner!

The AI Revolution: Why SaaS Companies Must Adapt or Become Obsolete
Fri, Mar 7, 2025 — In 2025, AI agents are revolutionizing the SaaS industry, transforming traditional cloud-based applications into dynamic, self-optimizing platforms. For business leaders, this trend represents a seismic shift from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to FOBO (Fear of Becoming Obsolete), with the rapid pace of AI adoption and its transformative potential driving noticeable shifts in strategy.

Unlocking Business Growth: The Power of USP, Value Proposition, and Positioning
Wed, Jan 15, 2025 — As a CEO, you understand that growth depends on effectively communicating the value of your products and services to your customers. However, our language and strategies to convey that value can often get muddled. That’s where understanding key concepts like Unique Selling Proposition (USP), Value Proposition, and Positioning becomes crucial to driving brand differentiation and customer loyalty. In this post, I’ll break down the differences between these terms and explain how they contribute to the growth of your business.

Nate’s Erroneous Thinking (but probably not yours)
Tue, Nov 26, 2024 — Let’s suppose that each of us is recognized at work for thinking clearly, correctly, maybe even insightfully. That is no guarantee that our significant others will recognize that quality in us at home. No, in our personal lives, our thoughts may be regarded by those who love us as Erroneous Thinking.

Shifting from a Founder-Led Business
Wed, Oct 30, 2024 — I recently sat down with Scott Alexander from Jairus Marketing for another insightful discussion about a topic that resonates deeply with both of us: shifting from a founder-led business to more sustainable business models. This is especially relevant for early-stage companies, particularly those in the healthcare sector where the CEO is vital as both the visionary and primary salesperson.

Winning the Budgeting Game in Healthcare Marketing, Part Two
Thu, Oct 24, 2024 — In the first part of this blog, my conversation with Scott Alexander from Jairus Marketing touched on some critical topics in budgeting for healthcare marketing, especially the need to re-think the planning process through a data-driven lens. In part two, we will talk about strategic investments and calculating ROI, while providing some actionable steps you can take to change your budgeting mindset and practice.