Kelly Granat

Companies who treat their consumers well, whether that's a B2B enterprise, a B2C enterprise, when you talk to customers, and we do this all the time as part of our research, you hear how they are treated and it is different. There's someone for them to pick up the phone and call. Their needs are being met.

Companies who treat their consumers well, whether that's a B2B enterprise, a B2C enterprise, when you talk to customers, and we do this all the time as part of our research, you hear how they are treated and it is different. There's someone for them to pick up the phone and call. Their needs are being met.

They don't feel like they're being aggressively raised, like their price is not being used as a weapon against them. They're being serviced. It's just different. There's again back to accountability and sort of a level of operating standard that is the expectation of how things are done. I think the other thing is there's a

They don't feel like they're being aggressively raised, like their price is not being used as a weapon against them. They're being serviced. It's just different. There's again back to accountability and sort of a level of operating standard that is the expectation of how things are done. I think the other thing is there's a

long-term orientation that I think some companies lose their way around, particularly when you have a lot of turnover and the amount, back to people, when you have a lot of turnover, incentives get set, whether that's tied to a stock price or the metrics that drive compensation and people's incentives are not aligned, right? And that doesn't promote long-term strategic thinking or orientation.

long-term orientation that I think some companies lose their way around, particularly when you have a lot of turnover and the amount, back to people, when you have a lot of turnover, incentives get set, whether that's tied to a stock price or the metrics that drive compensation and people's incentives are not aligned, right? And that doesn't promote long-term strategic thinking or orientation.

That filters down to the culture. So now people are cutting corners. They're trying to make numbers, make budget. That's a very different way to live as a company than it is around. We may miss a quarter, but this is the right investment to make. Right. And so companies that I think do a good job of balancing short and long term one and two are able to communicate to the market, you know,

That filters down to the culture. So now people are cutting corners. They're trying to make numbers, make budget. That's a very different way to live as a company than it is around. We may miss a quarter, but this is the right investment to make. Right. And so companies that I think do a good job of balancing short and long term one and two are able to communicate to the market, you know,

a consistent level of execution, right? We joke a lot internally that, and I say this a lot to management teams, every time you open your mouth to report your quarter, your stock's up or down 20%. What that tells me is you are not doing a good job communicating your business. You don't have good visibility around your business because you are surprising the market every time you speak.

a consistent level of execution, right? We joke a lot internally that, and I say this a lot to management teams, every time you open your mouth to report your quarter, your stock's up or down 20%. What that tells me is you are not doing a good job communicating your business. You don't have good visibility around your business because you are surprising the market every time you speak.

Good and bad. That's not like multiple enhancing for your company over time, right? And so that comes from the internals of how a business is run. What are the incentives? What are the metrics? What's the culture? What's the retention? All of these things, I think, are such important glue that distinguish the better executors from the poor executors.

Good and bad. That's not like multiple enhancing for your company over time, right? And so that comes from the internals of how a business is run. What are the incentives? What are the metrics? What's the culture? What's the retention? All of these things, I think, are such important glue that distinguish the better executors from the poor executors.

I think of it like from the perspective of like trade-offs in a budget meeting, right? And so in the era of zero interest rates and the market, the public markets for years rewarding growth at any cost, I think the disciplines inside of a lot of companies really went away and everyone was just motivated to find new ways to grow regardless of the cost.

I think of it like from the perspective of like trade-offs in a budget meeting, right? And so in the era of zero interest rates and the market, the public markets for years rewarding growth at any cost, I think the disciplines inside of a lot of companies really went away and everyone was just motivated to find new ways to grow regardless of the cost.

And what is clear in today's era, and you have seen this from a lot of the big platform companies, particularly in the Internet space, there is just a new religion around cost where when you sit in a budget meeting or even an engineering meeting and you are putting forth two or three initiatives that you want to get funded, you are being asked how to fund them. from your budget, right?

And what is clear in today's era, and you have seen this from a lot of the big platform companies, particularly in the Internet space, there is just a new religion around cost where when you sit in a budget meeting or even an engineering meeting and you are putting forth two or three initiatives that you want to get funded, you are being asked how to fund them. from your budget, right?

Which is just a very different orientation of this is not an open pie that is limitless in terms of dollars that can flow to you. And if you want to do something, you have to like, you know, it's like a Sophie's Choice, right? It's like...

Which is just a very different orientation of this is not an open pie that is limitless in terms of dollars that can flow to you. And if you want to do something, you have to like, you know, it's like a Sophie's Choice, right? It's like...

one of the things that you've already been approved for needs to be sacrificed because then you're going to feel the pain and it's going to really pressure the decision-making around solving for the best thing or the best two things. Right. Or if you want more resources on a project, like convince me why, right. That,

one of the things that you've already been approved for needs to be sacrificed because then you're going to feel the pain and it's going to really pressure the decision-making around solving for the best thing or the best two things. Right. Or if you want more resources on a project, like convince me why, right. That,