Do you often find yourself wondering, "I have no idea how this client found me" or repeating the same mistakes (ex., accepting clients that are cheap super hard to work with)?
In today's episode, Maggie reveals why successful service business owners think like scientists—and how mastering the art of looking back can transform your random wins into predictable, scalable success.
Discover the critical CEO skill that separates thriving businesses from those stuck in cycles of feast or famine, and learn exactly how to become a student of your own business patterns.
What You'll Learn
✨ Why "I don't know how that happened" is sabotaging your growth and keeping you stuck in random results
✨ The simple habit that transforms struggling service businesses into predictable success machines
✨ How to track back every client win to understand what's actually working in your business
✨ The difference between short-term and long-term business reviews (and why you need both)
✨ Real client examples of discovering hidden patterns that led to breakthrough growth
✨ The basketball analogy that explains why business gets easier as you develop these skills
Key Insights
🎯 "The thing about business is that it's simple. A lot of common sense, a bit of math... if you allow yourself to develop basic business skills, it's very easy to understand business."
🎯 When you attribute good things to luck and bad things to outside forces, you become helpless
🎯 Looking back gives you the confidence to know you're in charge of creating results as CEO
🎯 Every sales conversation, project, and client interaction is data you can learn from
What to Review in Your Business
Short-Term Reviews:
- Every sales conversation (win or loss)
- Individual projects and deliverables
- Client complaints and feedback
- Monthly marketing performance
- Social media engagement patterns
Long-Term Reviews:
- Quarterly business performance
- Annual financial and operational analysis
- Year-over-year comparisons
- Seasonal patterns and trends
- Outlier events (both positive and negative)
Your Challenge
Take Action Today: Choose ONE recent business event (a new client, lost sale, completed project, or client interaction) and spend 10 minutes analyzing:
- What worked well that you can repeat?
- What could be improved for next time?
- What patterns do you notice?
Share your insights—Maggie reads every response!
Tools Mentioned
📊 DREAM-PLAN-DO Journal: Includes monthly evaluation section for ongoing business review
🎯 Strategic Planning Events: Annual business reviews to identify patterns and plan growth
Connect with Maggie
🌐 Website: https://stairwaytoleadership.com
📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-perotin-business-and-leadership-coach/
📱 Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-perotin-business-and-leadership-coach/
About the Diamond Effect Podcast
Join business and leadership coach Maggie Perotin every Monday for "Maggie's Moment" (quick actionable insights) and Fridays for strategic deep-dives. Transform your service business into a sellable asset while creating the life and impact you truly want.
New episodes drop every Monday and Friday wherever you listen to po
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