Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Which jobs should a US small business hand to AI first? Published US data, a five-check test and a 30-day plan to pick one job, track one number and keep the decisions that matter.
You've got the customer who emails at 9pm, haggles on every invoice, and takes three follow-ups to pay. And you've got the one who orders on time, pays on time, and never once asks for a discount. You treat them almost exactly the same — same response time, same effort, same place on your list. If you can't say in thirty seconds which of your customers actually carries the business, you're not alone, and it's costing you more than you think.
Fairness feels like good business. It isn't the same thing as good strategy. I worked with a client who had 123 customers on the books. When we actually ran the numbers, eight of them — just 6.5% of the customer list — had delivered $266,240 of a total $630,220 in revenue, better than four dollars in every ten. The other 115 customers, treated with exactly the same time, discounts and priority as those eight, were splitting the rest. Nobody had planned it that way. It had simply never been measured.
This runs on the same logic Vilfredo Pareto noticed in income distribution over a century ago: a small share of inputs usually drives most of the result. Applied to your customer list, it looks like this.
"Kevin is a master of his craft... He is a powerhouse presenter and facilitator who brings an explosive blend of energy and expertise to every room he steps into. Participants don't just sit and listen; they leave buzzing with breakthrough ideas and simplified, highly effective growth strategies. Most importantly, Kevin leaves people profoundly inspired, fully equipped, and fiercely motivated to drive their businesses forward. He is the standard-setter!"
— Darilyn Kane, Coaching and Advisory Lead, The Icehouse
Here's the real obstacle: grading your customers means admitting a few of them probably shouldn't stay customers at all, and that's an uncomfortable conversation to have with yourself, let alone with them. Most owners know this exercise exists. Almost none run it, because without someone holding them to it, I'll do it next quarter always wins. That's the part coaching actually solves, not the maths, which takes an afternoon, but the follow-through on what the maths tells you to do next.
This isn't for you if you'd rather keep every customer happy than build a profitable business. It's for you if you're ready to find out, honestly, which eight customers are actually carrying yours.
If you've never graded your customer list, that's usually the first number we run together.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Most strategic plans die quietly by March — not from a bad plan, but from no system to keep it alive. Here's the 90-minute review that fixes it.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Nearly half of buyers already ask AI platforms to recommend a business like yours. Here's how to make sure you're the one they mention.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Most SME owners discount before the buyer even objects — and call it good negotiating. Here's the sequence that stops you giving margin away for free.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Your Q4 plan will likely be forgotten by February unless something forces it back into view every week. Here's the 15-minute ritual that keeps it alive.
Friday, September 25, 2026
The smartest owners often have the biggest blind spots, because nobody around them dares to point them out. Here's how to find yours before they cost you.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Growth is supposed to make winning customers cheaper. For most SMEs it does the opposite. Here's the audit that catches it before it erodes your margin.
Friday, September 25, 2026
97% of entrepreneurs grew through a new partnership this year — but half can't see what's actually happening inside it. Here's the 3-step Partner Visibility Audit that closes the gap.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Most SME strategy fails not from bad ideas but from changing course before the last one had a chance to work. Here's the 90-day commitment framework that fixes it.
Friday, September 25, 2026
85% of marketers feel confident about ROI — only 32% actually measure it. Here's the simple source-tracking system that tells you which marketing really works.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Existing customers are 60-70% more likely to buy again, yet most SME sales teams never ask the second question. Here's the add-on framework that fixes it.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Most SME owners plan Q4 revenue without planning the capacity to deliver it. Here's the one-hour Capacity Reality Check that catches the gap before October does.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Waiting to hire a coach until you're "big enough" doesn't save money — it delays the point where the advice starts compounding. Here's the payback framework.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Fewer than 0.5% of businesses ever reach $10M. Here's why growth stalls again at $5-10M, and the infrastructure audit that breaks through the second plateau.
Friday, September 25, 2026
FMCG value grew 3.4% in 2025 — but innovation volume fell 5.8%, propped up entirely by price. Here's the three-question test to run before your next product launch, so growth is real, not just repriced.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Most SME owners build next year's budget before locking next year's strategy — then wonder why the numbers don't add up. Here's the sequence that fixes it before Q4 planning starts.