I think many people should leave corporate life!

To step into fractional work…

Because when you step outside the system, three things happen fast:

-You Remember Who You Are

I loved corporate life, this isn’t a bash, I spent more than two decades there

But in a 9–5, you rent your expertise inside someone else’s framework (pun intended)

Outside it, your knowledge gets forged:

In friction

In fire

In uncertainty

You meet yourself again

Decisive

Confident

Independent

And that independence? Priceless!

- You Learn to Trust What You Know

Outside the system, validation only comes from the people you help

“Your last post really hit home”

That’s nice

But soon, you’ll need to sell what you know and not hide behind content

You’ll doubt yourself

Then you’ll keep going anyway

That’s the test You pass it simply by not quitting

-You Move Without Permission

At first, you’ll crave the nod, the “go ahead” the reassurance

But no one’s coming

When you stop waiting, you start leading

You’ll over-deliver

Over-prepare

Get your clients over the line - yourself

That’s how you build the muscle of self-trust

Every move without permission = growth

Here's the rub….

Trust your experience

It’s more than enough

You’ll scale it faster than you think

Fractional isn’t for everyone

But if you’ve felt it - it’s overdue

So make the jump

Worst case, you return sharper

Best case, you never look back

Three types of businesses I tend not to work with:

Family businesses…

Lifestyle businesses

Basket cases!

The toughest of them all?

Family businesses I’ve been there - sitting in boardrooms with Mom, Dad, Son, and Daughter all pulling in different directions

Once was enough

Here’s the paradox:

Family businesses can be incredible wealth creators… but they can also be powder kegs

Why they succeed:

-Long-term focus, not beholden to quarterly demands

-Deep-rooted culture, values are lived, not just written

-Loyalty and commitment - the family is all-in

-Faster decisions, less bureaucracy

-Low turnover and strong customer relationships

But the flip side:

-Family dynamics derail logic

-Growth often stalls after the founding generation

-Loyalty trumps competence

-'Succession' is a minefield

-Outside expertise is resisted

As the saying goes:

The first generation creates wealth

The second builds on it

The third squanders it!

That’s why I choose not to work with them

The risk/reward rarely makes sense

But let’s be honest: family businesses aren’t going away

They power much of the global economy

Some of the world’s most iconic companies started this way

So, what do you think?

Do the strengths outweigh the challenges?

Or are the red flags too big to ignore?

Pic Credit: Succession best TV since the Soprano's

Most people in business get this wrong…

They think building a profitable business is about:

• Selling a commodity

• Pricing above your costs

• Living off what's left

It isn’t…

What it takes is being strategic and:

Creating unique value – not being a commodity

With a unique personality – so clients know exactly what you stand for

That points to a unique offer – tailored to the real outcomes they want

With a unique client experience – because delivery is where trust compounds

And a unique brand look and feel – so you don’t disappear in a sea of sameness

While knowing your ideal customers – and the ones you should say no to

And solving their problems in your content – before you’ve ever met them

That's how you scale sales…

That’s how you expand margins…

That’s how you build profitability

That’s how you create value

And it sure as hell doesn’t happen overnight

I’ve seen too many great businesses stall because they tried to sell, not lead

It happens with clarity, discipline, and leadership

Did you ever own a BlackBerry?

I didn’t!

But after nearly two decades at Motorola

I had a front-row seat to the mobile revolution , I saw firsthand how quickly giants can rise… and fall

If you want to sharpen your business instincts, there’s nothing more valuable than studying those stories of disruption

And sometimes, the best case studies don’t come from books…

They come to life on screen

A great example? 🎬 The new BlackBerry movie on Netflix

It’s a fascinating dive into the story of Research in Motion (RIMM), the company behind the device that once defined business, communication, and corporate dominance

But here’s why every business leader should watch it:

-Innovation vs. Complacency – BlackBerry changed the world, but lost their edge (and yes, Motorola had a hand in that story)

-Market Dominance Is Temporary – The top is never permanent, no matter how secure it feels

-Adapt or Die – The brutal reality of disruption in tech… and in business everywhere

If you’re not learning from stories like this, you’re missing the point

Because in 25 years, people will look back at today’s giants: Apple, Meta & NVIDIA the same

The same way we now view RIMM

The question is:

👉 Will your company still be standing tall?

👉 Or will it be a cautionary tale?

If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch BlackBerry on Netflix

Trust me, it’s not just nostalgia

It’s a masterclass

Norway saved, The UK spent!

Same North Sea, two very different outcomes

Norway’s Oil Fund is now worth $1.7 trillion

Built from oil revenues, invested entirely abroad, it’s the gold standard for turning a finite resource into future wealth

They kept it simple:

• No domestic investments (to avoid overheating their own economy)

• Full transparency

• A spending cap linked to long-term returns

The result?

Norway has only invested about $500bn of oil money since the 1990s…

and turned it into $1.7 trillion through disciplined investing

Meanwhile in the UK…

North Sea oil has generated hundreds of billions in revenue, but mostly flowed straight into day-to-day budgets

And was spent!

We’ve benefited in the short term, but built no lasting national fund

Shame….

Imagine if even a small slice had been invested for future generations, what that might be worth today

It would likely be one of the largest sovereign wealth funds on the globe

But Norway didn’t just strike oil

They struck discipline, foresight, and patience and compounded it into the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund

Different choices...

Different legacy...

Did we waste those £, some might say we did…?

Pic Credit :Quartr

How Interactive Brokers Made “Boring” a Superpower

Most companies face a choice: chase hypergrowth or protect profitability

Doing both usually means compromising on both

Then there’s Interactive Brokers (IBKR)

I opened an account 25 years ago when I first arrived in the U.S.—and still have it today

For years, IBKR has been one of the most quietly disciplined growth stories in finance

Its success is hiding in plain sight, across two charts

📈 The Explosion — Total Accounts

Relentless, compounding growth:

From just over 200 K accounts in 2012 to 4 M+ today — a 26% CAGR

Normally, this is where the story turns

Growth like this is expensive, fueled by heavy marketing that crushes profitability

But not here!

💼 The Discipline — Operating Margin

While accounts surged, IBKR’s operating margin rose

For the past three years, it’s held between 70–80% — almost unheard of at this scale

How do you deliver venture-style growth with blue-chip profitability?

You don’t build a brokerage

You build an efficiency engine

The IBKR Playbook:

🔹 Ruthless Automation - from trade execution to onboarding

🔹 Global Scale, Local Efficiency - 150+ markets, minimal marketing

🔹 Culture of Frugality - cost discipline that compounds margin

This isn’t growth at all costs

It’s growth because of costs

They scaled because profitability was built in from day one

In a market that celebrates speed, Interactive Brokers proves the real edge isn’t how fast you grow

It’s how efficiently you compound

That’s not just performance

It’s a masterclass in structural advantage!

Stay tuned for more of Rob’s best posts and insights