Friday, October 30, 2026
One client had 123 customers. Eight of them delivered 42% of total revenue. Here's the A-B-C-D grading system that tells you which customers actually 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.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Referrals just became small business owners' #1 source of new customers — up from 65% to 83% in a single year. Here's the Dream 100 system that turns word of mouth into a repeatable growth engine.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Roughly one in four founders report loneliness and isolation running their business. Here's what a coach actually does differently, and why the first session is rarely about strategy.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
NZ small business sales rose 8.6 percent this quarter, but growth ranged from 2.9 to 16.3 percent by industry. Here's the three-number check that tells you whether your growth is actually yours.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Only 30 percent of business change efforts fully succeed. Here's the three-part diagnosis, borrowed from strategy academic Richard Rumelt, most owners skip before fixing anything.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Close to six in ten of this year's US holiday shoppers are already buying, in October or year-round. Here are three sales moves to make this week before Black Friday arrives.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
77.6 percent of US consumers used AI to help with a purchase decision in the past six months. Here are three moves that make your small business visible when customers ask AI about you.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
54 percent of US business owners have no real plan, and only 11 percent have anything detailed. Here's the one-afternoon exercise that gives your business a sharper three-year direction than any spreadsheet.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Before you spend another dollar on ads, staff or software, find the one step that limits your growth. Here is a one-hour spend-gate test you can run this week.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
ActionCOACH began in Brisbane, Australia. What does its story tell US owners about where good growth ideas come from, and how to test an outside idea in your own business?
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
SME owner confidence is climbing, but for most, revenue isn't following. Here's why time isn't your real constraint, and the three-step framework that finds the one that is.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
49% of business owners question monthly whether running the business is worth it, a US survey found. Here's what changes when someone else is asking that question with you.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Nearly half of NZ SME owners are planning Christmas trading changes, MYOB research found, and most of it is a discount. Here's how to build memory before you build the offer.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
46% of New Zealand business owners aren't paying themselves, Xero research found. Here's the Profit First fix that changes the order money moves through your business, not the hours you work.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
The share of businesses reporting serious dead stock has doubled since 2024, new research found. Here's why rising revenue can still mean tightening cash, and the three numbers that catch it early.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
42% of business owners named efficiency their top 2026 priority, a US survey found. Here's Michalowicz's Clockwork system for building a business that doesn't need you in every decision.