Five keys to building companies that deliver – Geir Larsen shares his most important lessons about entrepreneurship
How many companies are started each year with high expectations, only to go under within the first two years? The statistics are brutal: about half of all start-ups do not survive. But why do some entrepreneurs succeed in building company after company that not only survives—but really delivers and grows?
In the latest episode of We Love Salespeople, Geir Larsen, Sales Expansion Specialist at Adviser Partner and experienced business leader who has built and sold several successful companies, shares his most valuable insights. With experience ranging from physical production to the solar cell industry, Geir has learned what it really takes to build a company that delivers.
In the conversation, Geir shares five crucial keys to building companies that deliver.
Here are 3 of the insights you don't want to miss:
1. Motivation is not enough – you need desire
Many people talk about motivation when it comes to starting and running a business. But Geir explains that motivation is only the beginning. What really determines whether you will get through the tough times—and they will come—is something deeper.
"You have to ask yourself, am I motivated to do this? Yes, but that's not enough. You have to take it up a notch to succeed, and that's where willingness comes in," says Geir.
And desire leads to lust. "I indulged in lust for many years and really tried to feel it, do I feel lust? Do I feel it in my stomach? Is it there? Then the willingness and discipline come automatically in some way."
Desire is the secret ingredient. It keeps you testing, adjusting, and improving—even when the going gets tough. Building a company requires "a crazy amount of work," as Geir puts it, and without desire in your gut, it becomes an impossible task. Want to hear more about how Geir uses passion and discipline in his own training and in his business? Listen to the entire episode to get the concrete tools.
2. Two sides of the same coin – strategy AND operational excellence
One of Geir's most valuable frameworks for building successful companies is to think of the business as two sides of the same coin: the strategic side and the operational side.
The strategic side is about the business model, value proposition, market position, and how you differentiate yourself from your competitors. This is where you lay the foundation for what you are going to sell and to whom.
The operational side involves the sales process, delivery, and follow-up. Here, you set the right KPIs, build a structure for how the work should be performed, and ensure that the company actually delivers the value you have promised.
Many companies excel in one area but fall short in another. They may have a brilliant business idea but lack a clear sales process. Or they may have a well-functioning operational machine but have not built a sufficiently strong value proposition. Both sides must work together. In this episode, Geir shares concrete examples from his own companies about how he balanced these two sides—and what happened when he didn't.
3. Measure the right things – KPIs that make you smarter
"What do you want to see that will make you smarter?" That is the essence of how to choose the right KPIs, according to both Geir and Jonas. Many companies measure too much – or too little – or simply the wrong things.
Geir gives a powerful example from his time in the solar cell industry, where he worked in installation: "We had copies where we measured incorrectly. Not because we wanted to be counterproductive and catch someone out, but because we wanted to understand what we could do better."
By measuring where errors occurred in the production process, the team was able to increase from 20 installations per week to 30—an increase that had a direct impact on profitability. KPIs should not be used to point fingers, but to become smarter and understand where efforts need to be focused.
This reasoning ties directly into Adviser Partner's Way of Sales methodology, where clear follow-up and accurate statistics form the basis for building a high-performing sales culture. In this section, Geir and Jonas also discuss other examples of critical KPIs from various industries – from customer churn in telecoms to quality measurement in service companies.
This is just a fraction of the knowledge Geir Larsen shares. Would you like to hear the entire conversation, get more concrete examples, and dive deeper into how to build a sustainable business model, choose the right value proposition, and create a sales process that drives the company forward?
Do you and your sales team want the tools to implement these strategies and reach new levels? Adviser Partner helps you build a sales culture that performs. Get in touch to learn more about our proven methodology.