Episode 61 - David J. Wolff | Run Towards The Fire: Growing and Scaling Your Business in the Midst of Chaos

Are you wondering what it takes to build and scale a business? Are you looking for ways to expand your business? Do you want to build a business that’s scalable and sellable? Do you wonder if it’s possible to combine your passions into a business? Our special guest David Wolff is here to answer these and many other questions about leadership, business growth and scaling a business.

David Wolff is currently the executive director of an organization called Ocean Habitats. They design, build and install artificial reefs under boat docks, and they’ve got thousands of units in the water. As he’s going to share, he’s been able by his own choices to turn his passion and his desire for environmental impact into a business. He has degree was in marine biology and biological oceanography, but his journey to his passion has had many twists and turns. Along the he helped to build a massive real estate enterprise across the country (doing over $10 billion in sales the year he left) where he learned about leadership, entrepreneurship, scaling, buying businesses for growth and many other ways to grow a business.

Listen in as David shares his wisdom and experience on what it takes to build, grow and lead a great business by seeing the opportunities in front of you.

The Impact Leadership Podcast is brought to you by Cardivera, the leadership development eco-system that helps your grow your people, grow your business and grow your life.

Show Notes

Episode highlights…

Turning the 2008-2010 market crash into a growth and expansion opportunity
You must run towards the fire
The importance of finding balance amidst your business success (e.g. personal health, family, relationships)
The environmental impact of artificial reefs and ecosystems created by Ocean Habitats
Finding success along the path of failure
Sometimes you have to survive before you can scale and grow
Finding acquisition opportunities for growth in the midst of economic chaos
To grow you must have some repeatable system
The importance of planning for succession and sale early in the venture
You must learn to focus on what’s important (only 5% of the business) and remove yourself from everything else
What it takes to build a business that’s not dependent on you
The role of the leader as a coach
Leaders must be willing to own and share their own failures in order to help grow others
Leader who only share their successes fail
You don’t have to be successful in one business in order to pursue your passion
If you’re solving a problem for people, the money will follow (including your passion business)
Focus is critical – focus on the key things that move the needle in your business and given your role
Fear is a constant in business and you have to overcome it – if it’s not scary it’s not big enough and you’re wasting your time
Even if you’re going in the wrong direction, you’re still moving – you don’t want to stand still