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I still remember one of the portfolio companies I worked with during my time at Heartland Ventures, a B2B SaaS company serving the construction industry. It was led by three great founders with an open, honest relationship and strong mutual trust. They had all the makings of a winning team.
When they went out to raise a new round of capital, the feedback from investors was consistent. Everyone liked the team. They liked the market. They even liked the vision. But what they wanted to see were proof points. Evidence of consistent execution.
After three pivots and modest traction on their new product, investors feared another shift in direction. They weren’t questioning intelligence or effort. They were questioning whether the team could execute with discipline and focus.
The market didn’t need more passion or more ideas. It needed proof of steady, confident execution.
Inside the company, the energy was undeniable, but it was scattered. Everyone was moving fast, but doing the same things over and over again—working harder, not smarter. Decisions were made on the fly, without consistency around a common goal or clear objective.
From the outside, it looked like a team in motion. From the inside, it was a team in reaction.
I remember sitting in a board meeting thinking, this team needs to slow down to speed up. What I meant was they needed to step back and build rhythm, not just momentum. Slowing down wasn’t about reducing effort; it was about redirecting it. They needed to create the structure to prioritize the right work, not just more work.
Incremental growth comes from working harder. Exponential growth comes from working smarter and building a healthier, more aligned team.
After the fundraising round fell short, the founders made a decision to pause and re-center. They trimmed non-core projects and narrowed their focus to serve their ideal customer more deeply.
They began implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Through that process, they defined their core values and clarified their core focus. Out of that clarity emerged a Big Hairy Audacious Goal that united the team. That goal became their rallying cry.
Now, every meeting, project, and decision connected back to where they were headed and why it mattered. The leadership team began to think strategically, not reactively. Prioritization became the filter for every discussion.
As an investor, I could feel the shift. The business was moving from speed to precision, from activity to progress.
Two years later, the company went back out to raise capital. This time, everything felt different.
The founders hadn’t changed their product or their market. What they changed was how they led. The business had a rhythm. The team spoke the same language. Each leader could clearly articulate where the company was going, how they would get there, and how success was measured.
Their focus showed up in the numbers, the narrative, and the confidence with which they presented. The same investors who once hesitated now leaned in quickly. The company closed the round, and Heartland participated again. Over that two-year period, enterprise value grew by more than 50 percent.
Nothing magical happened. What changed was prioritization. EOS gave the founders the structure and tools to bring their vision down to the ground and execute with wisdom and grace, not brute force.
As an investor, I’ve seen how EOS helps create the conditions that investors look for in high-quality businesses—alignment, accountability, and consistent execution.
Prioritization builds confidence. Investors don’t just fund ideas. They fund leaders who can consistently execute on what matters most. EOS builds that muscle through focus and rhythm.
Focus creates value. When companies stop chasing adjacent opportunities and start going deeper into their true niche, the results compound.
Transferability drives multiples. A business that can run without the founder in every decision is more valuable. EOS helps leaders build that independence long before a deal is on the table.
EOS doesn’t just make a business run better. It makes it more investable.
If you are a founder preparing for your next chapter, whether that means raising capital, planning succession, or simply building a stronger, healthier company, take a moment to step back.
Look at what your investors, customers, and team really see. They aren’t looking for perfection. They are looking for proof that you can execute with focus and consistency.
The structure, discipline, and shared language that EOS brings do more than simplify operations. They make your business stronger, your leadership team healthier, and your next chapter more attainable.
If you are ready to prepare your business for what’s next, book a conversation with Mark Accomando to learn how EOS can help you simplify execution, focus your team, and grow the value of what you’ve built.
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