And here is the simple concept that you hear in every Sales 101 seminar: "Generating $100K or $500K in revenue requires the same energy—the only difference is scale." That is why it often helps to start at a large revenue-generating company early in your career, even if you make lower pay, because your trajectory can be fast-tracked due to the revenue-generating potential.

Some might even say it seems a bit unfair if you are making $50M per year for a company that you are only earning $500K; however, you're learning how to run a business while somewhat comfortably working your way to an early retirement, without losing sleep at night as a business owner. You can make a positive impact in life via serving on boards, volunteering for non-profit fundraising, coaching your kid's baseball team, etc. It's not such a bad life.

So let's talk business.

Ascend5's Business Growth Engine©

This is the overarching concept you need to focus on to grow your company's business, and in turn, you will be able to grow your career and salary at a faster rate.  If one aspect of the flywheel is not working, the company might struggle to rapidly grow; therefore, use this as a framework to analyze businesses when in them or vetting them for new job opportunities.

1. Strategy sets the growth direction.
2. Customers fund growth.
3. Operations sustain growth.
4. Finances measure growth.
5. People drive growth.

---

Think Like a CEO

Let's deep dive into these 5 key concepts to focus on when working in organizations, thinking exactly like an executive running a company, no matter what role you have.

1. Strategy & Value Proposition

Key Question: Is this company poised to be the top in its category, surpassing its competitors?

An executive who owns a business would:

• Define its vision and mission.
• Clarify its unique value proposition (UVP).
• Identify market positioning and competitive edge.
• Ensure its business model can scale.

Signs that the company is performing well in this category: Vision/mission are clearly stated on the website, and possibly on a highly visible office wall. The company is trying to position itself as the top in its category in the market.

2. Customer Acquisition & Retention

Key Question: How does this company acquire and keep customers?

An executive who owns a business would:

• Build a customer-centric products & services strategy.
• Develop a marketing funnel that generates leads.
• Design a sales process that converts efficiently with upsell opportunities.
• Implement retention strategies: loyalty programs, personalized experiences.
• Use customer feedback to refine the offer.

Signs that the company is performing well in this category: They have all of the above bulleted points activated and running, and a leader and team that are spearheading all of these efforts. 

3. Operations & Systems

Key Question: Can this company scale without breaking?

An executive who owns a business would:

• Standardize processes (SOPs).
• Introduce automation and technology.
• Manage supply chain and vendors strategically.
• Continuously measure efficiency.

Signs that the company is performing well in this category: There is some sort of repository for SOPs, and overall, the place seems to be running like a well-oiled machine. There is continuous training for these processes. There are KPIs/metrics to monitor performance.

4. Financial Discipline

Key Question: Are the numbers good enough to promote growth?

An executive who owns a business would:

• Track key KPIs: CAC, LTV, churn, gross margin.
• Manage cash flow and budgets.
• Balance profitability with reinvestment.
• Explore funding options (equity, debt, reinvested earnings).

Signs that the company is performing well in this category: There are hirings, talk of healthy profits, people are receiving bonuses, there is high sales growth, etc.  Layoffs are a bad sign. Too much funding and not enough growth can be a bad sign.

5. People & Leadership

Key Question: Does the company have the right teams and culture to execute growth?

An executive who owns a business would:

• Hire and retain top talent.
• Align communication and goals across teams.
• Build a culture of accountability and innovation.
• Develop leaders at every level.
• Reward for surpassing KPIs.

Signs that the company is performing well in this category: Healthy Glassdoor reviews, ample training, high CEO approval ratings, the feeling that your company cares about you, etc.

So remember the Ascend5 Business Growth Flywheel--> Strategy, Customers, Operations, Finances, and People (SCOFP)

In every company you work at from this point on, roll these concepts through your head periodically to ensure that your organization's flywheel is functioning well and has true growth potential.

Fight Club Rule #1 for High Performers in a Capitalist Country: When you grow a company, you grow your career and salary.

The formula is simple: Fuel their success, and they’ll fuel yours. And if not, bring your new track record to a company that will.

And the payoff? Bigger paychecks, better perks, faster promotions, and far more job security than the average bear. Someone generating $500K vs. $50M per year for a company can make the difference between a $100K vs $500K annual salary.