Business Growth Archives | Vistage Research Center Resource for Business Leadership, Coaching, and CEOs Tue, 17 Feb 2026 19:18:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.4 141323424 Game-Changing Leadership: Lessons from Black CEOs Every Executive Can Use /research-center/business-leadership/leadership-lessons-black-ceos/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=leadership-lessons-black-ceos /research-center/business-leadership/leadership-lessons-black-ceos/#respond Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:56:24 +0000 /research-center/?p=48909 High-performing leaders often face a paradox: the same relentless drive that builds a thriving company can quietly weaken the foundation beneath it. For CEOs of small and midsize businesses, the tension between growth and sustainability isn’t theoretical; it’s the daily...

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]]> /research-center/business-leadership/leadership-lessons-black-ceos/feed/ 0 48909 Pessimism Eases; Small Business Confidence Holds [WSJ/Vistage Jan 2026] /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/pessimism-eases-small-business-confidence-holds-wsj-survey/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pessimism-eases-small-business-confidence-holds-wsj-survey /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/pessimism-eases-small-business-confidence-holds-wsj-survey/#respond Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:09:53 +0000 /research-center/?p=48881 As small businesses enter the new year, the tone is measurably less optimistic than it was a year ago. However, confidence has steadily improved since November, driven by positive expectations for business growth. The WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/pessimism-eases-small-business-confidence-holds-wsj-survey/feed/ 0 48881 Year in Review 2025: Our Top 5 Leadership Stories /research-center/business-leadership/20251218-top-leadership-stories-2025/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20251218-top-leadership-stories-2025 /research-center/business-leadership/20251218-top-leadership-stories-2025/#respond Thu, 18 Dec 2025 18:10:27 +0000 /research-center/?p=48747 With 2025 drawing to a close, it’s worth reflecting on the forces that shaped business this year. Tariffs and sweeping shifts in trade policy rippled through supply chains, driving up costs and testing the resilience of small and midsize businesses....

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]]> /research-center/business-leadership/20251218-top-leadership-stories-2025/feed/ 0 48747 Gaco’s Secret Sauce: 16 Leadership Ingredients That Drove Extraordinary Growth /research-center/business-leadership/mission-vision-purpose/20251212-gacos-secret-sauce-leadership-lessons/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20251212-gacos-secret-sauce-leadership-lessons /research-center/business-leadership/mission-vision-purpose/20251212-gacos-secret-sauce-leadership-lessons/#respond Fri, 12 Dec 2025 23:05:50 +0000 /research-center/?p=48731 Why do Vistage members outperform the competition? Because they have the benefit of peers who generously share their experience (good, bad, and ugly) and perspectives with each other every month. Peter Davis, retired chairman and CEO of Gaco Western, was...

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]]> /research-center/business-leadership/mission-vision-purpose/20251212-gacos-secret-sauce-leadership-lessons/feed/ 0 48731 Designing the future: Creating certainty when it’s hard to find /research-center/business-growth-strategy/20250515-designing-future-certainty/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250515-designing-future-certainty /research-center/business-growth-strategy/20250515-designing-future-certainty/#respond Fri, 20 Jun 2025 17:53:55 +0000 /research-center/?p=47376 “The best way to predict the future is to design it.” — Buckminster Fuller In today’s volatile world, uncertainty isn’t the exception — it’s the rule. CEOs who cling to prediction models are gambling on variables they can’t control. In...

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]]> /research-center/business-growth-strategy/20250515-designing-future-certainty/feed/ 0 47376 The framework top CEOs use to scale /research-center/talent-management/20250516-ceo-framework/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250516-ceo-framework /research-center/talent-management/20250516-ceo-framework/#respond Fri, 16 May 2025 14:50:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=47383 Scaling a business doesn’t mean grinding longer hours, putting out fires all day, or spinning your wheels chasing growth. Top-performing CEOs don’t grow through chaos — they scale through clarity, systems and accountability. They rely on one framework: People +...

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]]> /research-center/talent-management/20250516-ceo-framework/feed/ 0 47383 How business owners will adapt to AI /research-center/business-growth-strategy/20250512-business-owners-adapt-ai/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250512-business-owners-adapt-ai /research-center/business-growth-strategy/20250512-business-owners-adapt-ai/#respond Mon, 12 May 2025 17:50:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=47354 Business owners are actively seeking AI solutions that will transform their organizations forever, are easy to implement and free. Our expectations may be a wee bit unrealistic. Over the last several months, artificial intelligence (AI) has transitioned from a theoretical...

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]]> /research-center/business-growth-strategy/20250512-business-owners-adapt-ai/feed/ 0 47354 Top Negotiation Strategies for Strategic Communication Success /research-center/business-growth-strategy/six-successful-strategies-for-negotiation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=six-successful-strategies-for-negotiation /research-center/business-growth-strategy/six-successful-strategies-for-negotiation/#comments Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:39:00 +0000 https://blog.vistage.com/?p=8376 Negotiation is the act of working with one or more stakeholders to find an equitable solution to a situation. The goal of negotiation is to get the best possible advantage while agreeing to concessions that encourage the other party to...

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]]> /research-center/business-growth-strategy/six-successful-strategies-for-negotiation/feed/ 2 8376 Small business confidence settles post-election [WSJ/Vistage Jan 2025] /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250128-small-business-confidence-settles-wsj-survey/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250128-small-business-confidence-settles-wsj-survey /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250128-small-business-confidence-settles-wsj-survey/#respond Tue, 28 Jan 2025 17:02:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=46885 After rising for 4 months, confidence among small businesses has waned slightly in the new year. The WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index declined 5 points in January to 106.9. The survey was conducted before the inauguration; next month’s survey...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250128-small-business-confidence-settles-wsj-survey/feed/ 0 46885 10 Steps to Building Business Strategies & Strategy Development /research-center/business-leadership/strategic-planning/20181105-10-steps-building-best-business-strategies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20181105-10-steps-building-best-business-strategies /research-center/business-leadership/strategic-planning/20181105-10-steps-building-best-business-strategies/#comments Mon, 06 Jan 2025 17:14:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=23348 I have had the honor of helping over 60 Vistage members craft their best business strategies. A couple of years ago, I worked with the management team of a member who was contemplating the company’s growth plan. Based on instincts...

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