1888 – Business Growth Strategies with Quantum Evolution’s Mariana Lacombe

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0:59with us right now it's mariana lacombe mariana you are the founder and ceo of quantum evolution you're found on the web at evolve with quantum.com mariana thank you so much for joining us thank you so much i'm really excited to be here and having this conversation with you and your audience as well yes well i'm eager to hear your kind of your impact in the world who you serve what you do i'm intrigued. Yes, absolutely. So I work alongside CEO founders to help them truly maximize their profits so that they can grow their net worth. I'm very focused on helping founders become truly wealthy with their business because very early in my career, I found that leaders tend to focus on everyone else but themselves.

1:45However, the more they grow personally, the more they can serve others. So I've been focusing on truly translating business growth into net worth. And that has been my biggest mission in the past decade, I would say, Josh. Tell me more about that, like what that means, what that looks like for a founder. Absolutely. Well, so when business owners, they grow their business, it's very normal for them to put everything they've got to give their all to make the business grow. They are going to grow a team, they're going to invest in systems, and I've seen too many business owners scaling to multiple seven figures without growing their personal net worth simultaneously because they want to make sure that the business works.

2:33The big problem with that is that there is a point where they have to make a decision between their sanity, their health even, and the business. I've seen too many business owners burning out so quickly because there is this lack of balance between what they're giving to the business and what they're receiving instead. And all of that happens for multiple reasons. I recently, for example, worked with a business owner who was making more than a million dollars already per year. And I assessed his business deeply, and I assessed his financials. And then I realized that he gave raises to everyone in his team.

3:08He hired the best company to grow the system. He did everything for the business. But when I asked him how much money he was making personally, nothing had really changed since the beginning of his business. He was still paying himself the bare minimum just to cover his basic expenses. His lifestyle wasn't changing at all and he was so upset and worse, he was upset with himself because he didn't know why nothing was really improving in his life personally. So there were many business decisions that he was making that were actually the right decisions but at the end of the day he wasn't really perceiving any personal gains with the growth of the business.

3:48So I see a lot of businesses, business owners having multi-million dollar businesses, but not necessarily becoming millionaires themselves. And years ago, Josh, I heard someone say that if you want to make a change in the world, becoming a millionaire is taking a moral stand for your cause. Because ultimately, the more wealth you have, the more you're going to be able actually to truly impact the people and help people out. So I became a business owner advocate, let's say, or my clients call me usually their ghost CEO, where I am alongside them now, seeing what they're doing that is actually sabotaging their personal growth and wealth and how they can grow the business while also getting the business to work for them.

4:33So it's a complex process, I would say, because there's a lot of business strategy, absolutely, and also a lot of psychology behind it. Well, yeah, there's a lot of psychology, I would imagine, going on. I think about where my brain typically is, right? And I want to, it's almost like maybe a badge of honor that I'm so disciplined that I'm taking so little from my company and I'm doubling down and, you know, investing in my people, investing in my customers, you know, that sort of thing. And so it's like, I wonder if some of it just has to do with, you know, this psychological like prize where we're supposed to continue to put off our own needs.

5:19And that's the mark of a successful founder entrepreneur. But in reality, there's costs to that. Everything has a cost. Yes. Yes. i absolutely agree with that you see you can already identify in you some of that pattern right away oh i know yeah and it does become a badge of honor because actually it does make us feel good but you don't want to be a martyr you don't want to be a martyr giving everything to everyone and then at the end of the day you know not receiving what you truly deserve and um what I found is that we do this all consciously and subconsciously without even realizing what we are actually doing.

6:02And it is my commitment to realize or to understand and assess those blind spots that can show up in business decisions, but it can also show up in personal decisions. I just made the decision, this decision specifically, when I realized that when I was 30, when I turned 30, I started very young. I started my career when I was 15 years old, worked so much I worked so hard and I made a massive impact I used to manage more than 3 ,000 people and it made me feel so good but when I was 30 I my doctor told me that if I didn't stop I would have a heart attack and back then I was extremely fit you know I would say if you look at Mariana you would be like oh Mariana is the peak performer Mariana I would exercise every day my bank account was beautiful I had more than a million dollars in my bank account alone by the age of 30 and there's my doctor say you're going to have a heart attack I had to stop working for three months and that is when I realized that there must be a better way of being a leader of showing up with energy and enthusiasm without costing me something that means so much to me than it was my health but for many people it's their finances or their sanity or their relationships How many business owners actually end up losing their relationships because they give their all to the business and then there's nothing left for their personal lives?

7:26So that's a gigantic problem for sure. And it shows up in different areas. Yeah. Well, Mariana, let's give some action items. Let's help our listeners, especially someone who's been listening like, okay, all right, yeah, yeah. People are like, okay, I feel called out. Yeah. that's interesting yeah so people are like okay okay well so um number one thing i definitely wanted you guys to notice is how are you feeling at the end of the day if you're feeling going to bed feeling recharged or feeling that your inner battery is filled up you go to bed and you feel that there is energy even while you're sleeping you're good to go but if you're feeling very drained, if by the end of the day you're feeling drained, you're feeling like withdrawing, you're feeling like not wanting to connect with people, you just want to be in silence, right?

8:22Then we have to assess what's been draining your energy during the day. So just start to notice this, if it is when you're using your money, or you're making financial decisions, or you're dealing with people, or you're addressing clients' problems, or when you're looking at the numbers, or when you're implementing systems, people have different energy drains, let's say. And why am I talking about energy because you want to feel that there is vitality in you so that you can create something. A business owner without creative energy will always hit a ceiling. And that's the second thing. I wanted you guys to take a look at your business growth and see if you hit any type of ceilings.

9:01I've seen some ceilings. You know, Josh, there is the 100K ceiling, the 300K ceiling, the$1 million ceiling, and then the$3 million ceiling. Like, you know, people hit that ceiling and immediately bounce back to old patterns. So see the numbers and see what story the numbers are telling you, if there is any plateau or any ceiling going on. And lastly, that you guys always assess your numbers and see what the numbers are truly telling you. Look at your pay, look at your take home, look at your bank accounts. Is your network growing or is it the same? What are you gaining out of your business? So these will be the three things that I would say that someone needs to assess to see if there are some blind spots sabotaging your financial growth.

9:51Yeah. So I would imagine, again, within our organizations, there's typically some work that likely needs to be done. How might that work look? Yes. Well, so a couple of things. One of the things I teach my clients is what I call the profitability multiplier method. So what does this mean? We look at what is specifically is draining profits in the company. So if there are decisions about expenses that are unnecessary, if there are actions in the company that are not necessarily aligned with what the company really wants at the end of the year, or even if there is a lot of money being left on the table.

10:32For example, I've worked with hundreds of clients before, and I've asked them when was the last time they actually increased their prices, even if it's just for 5 % or 10%, whatever. And most of them hasn't increased actually their prices for years. And the reasons are many, right? They believe they're going to lose their clients. They believe that people are not going to be able to afford it, or they're actually even satisfied with how much they're charging. right let's say if they're satisfied but that 10 increase is immediate profits right it goes straight to their bucket because actually the expenses will be exactly the same that is one way the other way is for example if you're offering different types of services or products for the same client and again everything else that you offer to a client usually is profit because there's no cost of acquisition.

11:26So I would say taking a look at even the business model and seeing if there is any final tweak that you can do to combine all of the strategies together to increase profitability. But these are the two most common ones, I would say, Josh. You know, not increasing prices, even if it's just a little bit consistently or offering more services and products to the same client. So you don't rely on only acquisition of new clients. A lot of business owners believe that they can only grow their business by acquiring new clients. And that is a grind, right? It's a marketing grind when you can grow from within.

12:08And that is one of the things that I teach. Yeah. So let's talk just a bit about that then. How do you work? Well, so there are two different ways and it really depends on who is the ideal client. Let's say if I'm working with someone who is already in the seven-figure level and the goal is to double, triple net worth personally. So I work with them as their ghost CEO. What does that mean? We have weekly meetings and I assess the whole business with this person. This person has access to me at any time. So what do I do? I can see financials, numbers, or I can assess their psychology or even their subconscious mind to see what is really getting in the way.

12:51So it's a very holistic approach to that. But when I do that, because I know that for every business owner like you or anyone listening to this, you have to make decisions fast. You can't wait two weeks to talk to your coach to make a decision that's sitting on your desk right away. So that is one of the things that I do for people. But the most important thing is to make sure that they are making the best decisions that are aligned with their vision, with what they truly believe that's best for them and also best for the business. So your website is evolvewithquantum.com. You've got a good blog here and you've got a masterclass here.

13:31It's free. You mind maybe sharing just a bit about that and who should watch that and what you talk about? Let me just read the title here. It says how any successful business owner can almost immediately step away from all day-to-day frustrations and maximize their financial exit. Sounds like a great, it sounds like a great goal. Exactly. Yeah. So one of my mantras when I'm working with people is that to do more, we do less. So I focus on streamlining everything related to the business. And I also help them streamline their days. Actually, this is actually the gift I wanted to give to all listeners here.

14:11I have a routine that I actually created for my clients and I wanted to share this with you guys that actually has a checklist of daily, weekly, and monthly activities that you have to focus on in order for you to be able to streamline the process. So the masterclass talks about how you can maximize your business exit. Most business owners, they're creating their business so that they can be free from something specific. Usually it's financial freedom and freedom of time, being able to do whatever they want to. The other one is geographical freedom, being able to be anywhere in the world. So if the business relies on them personally, if they are the main asset of the business, no one will be interested in buying your business.

14:58You have to remove yourself and not be the main asset. That's also how they can streamline and grow their own capacity. The masterclass talks about how you can remove yourself or what needs to be necessary for you to be able to maximize the valuation of your company and sell it for premium so that when you're out of your company, you have more financial returns. And then with that money, I'm pretty sure you're going to want to create something else because that's what entrepreneurs do. They're always creating something new. So this masterclass is truly for anyone in any moment of your business that is thinking about selling your company in one year, three years, five years, so be it.

15:40And what needs to happen right now to increase the valuation of that company? Yeah, yeah. So let's say that someone's like, they're following it and they're doing everything that you're telling them to do. And there might be some things that have been long time frustrating. Like maybe they took on a lot of capital investment. They've got some debts. They're just going to take a long time to do that. Or they're doing the work and they're looking and they're like, yep, this is going to take about a year. So they might find themselves just impatient, but yet they're doing the right stuff, right? They're doing what you're advising that they focus on.

16:17Any advice for, you know, someone that's just kind of in the middle of that? They did, you know, that sort of thing. yeah impatience is the number one disempowering emotion let's say that many businesses have but only for me i reframe impatience as the feeling that this is very important i do sometimes i want my clients to be a little bit more impatient so that they have more urgency so that they understand that if something doesn't happen today it will never happen in the future so even if it's going to take you one year, at least you know that now it is going to take you one year. Because if you're not doing something right now, it's going to take you forever.

17:00There's not enough time that will be enough for you to pay off your debt, for you to truly start to see profits coming in, in the form of net worth, right? So because there is this transfer, right? I want to make sure my clients are really growing their assets. So impatience is not necessarily a negative thing. You know, Josh, it's just negative when it's paralyzing. Some people are so impatient that they're like, they don't even know what to do. As long as we're translating that into action, it is a good thing. So I would say everybody now feeling very impatient that you are always taking action.

17:40That's why I like my routine too, because if every day you're taking one action that is actually moving you forward, you're getting closer to the outcome that you want. But if you're not, if you're paralyzed, you're actually moving backwards and you don't want to do that. Yes. Always be moving forward. And, you know, it's again that the sage words of, you know, the ancient Chinese proverb, as they say, is, you know, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now, today. Do it. Yes. Mariana LeCol. I'm sorry. Go ahead, please. I was going to say just the one question when everybody, someone is on the fence, you know, not wanting to jump and get support.

18:23I always ask when now is going to be the right time for you to do this? When now is going to be the right time for you to take action? So it's always now. So yeah, that's also very important. Excellent. Marianne Lacombe, again, your website evolvewithquantum.com. Click on watch the free masterclass, did you say that there was a checklist? It was a... Yes, yes. So the gift I actually wanted to give to everyone, to the listeners, you can always, of course, watch my masterclass as well. It's in my website. But you guys can go to theceoadvisory.co forward slash routine. And there you can download a routine that I created for my clients.

19:06But now you can have access to that as well. It's what I call the seven-figure CEO routine for riches. And my goal is to give you guys a checklist of daily, weekly, and monthly activities that you can do to truly maximize your time to stop working too much in things that are not important. And this is definitely going to be able to help you break the ceiling, the profit ceiling that you're currently So you will see that there will be several different activities that are very focused on business strategy, but also personal strategies like adding activities that will add fun, recovery, rest in your day.

19:44So this checklist is really awesome because now it also helps you make decisions during the day. So if you can go to the CEO advisory.co slash routine, you can download your copy and enjoy it. mariana lucomb again your website evolve with quantum.com mariana thank you so much for this great conversation thank you josh i appreciate it

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