Summary:

In this episode of #70secondCEO, Carl Gould shares insights from a decades-long study showing a major shift in what drives business value. Back in 1974, 95% of value came from tangible assets. Today, it’s the opposite—72% of value now comes from intangibles like brand equity, intellectual property, and mission. Carl highlights how companies like TOMS thrive not just on product quality but on brand promise and purpose. The takeaway? Don’t just polish your product—build a brand people believe in. That’s what makes your business truly valuable.

Read the full transcript:

Hi Everyone, Carl Gould here your #70secondCEO, just over a minute of investment per day for a lifetime of results.

There was a study done in 1974 by the Sloan school of business and they said, “What drives value in a business? And 95% of what drove value 40 and 50 years ago, was the TANGIBLES of the business, its physical assets. Well let's fast forward to today. A follow up on those 10,000 companies and the second part of the study showed that 72% of what drives value in business is its INTANGIBLES. Its intellectual property, its brand equity, its brand promise. Toms shoes- is it the shoes? Or is it the fact that that company goes out and for every pair of shoe you buy, they buy a second pair and they give it to an underprivileged child somewhere else in the world. Which one do you think it is? So stop falling in love with your product or service. Yes, you want your product to be impeccable. You want your service delivery to be outstanding. No question about it. Logistically, we want those things to run well. Understand though, people will pay more, they will pay more for the other aspects of working with you.

Like and follow this podcast so you can learn more, my name is Carl Gould and this has been your #70secondCEO.

Summary:

In this episode of #70secondCEO, Carl Gould breaks down the often overlooked “NO systems”—the internal operations that keep your business running behind the scenes. These include everything from email and payroll to HR and accounting—critical functions that don’t directly generate revenue but support the systems that do. Carl also emphasizes the importance of building and developing the right team: people who align with your company, fit their roles, and are trained for future growth. A well-aligned team supercharges both your YES and NO systems. If they’re not performing, it may be a leadership issue—your systems, your responsibility.

Read full transcript:

Hi Everyone, Carl Gould here your #70secondCEO, just over a minute of investment per day for a lifetime of results.

Then we have the NO systems. The NO systems are “No, this is not what we get paid for.” These are all the support systems that helps the technical aspects of your business run. So, your email systems, security, benefits, you know, paying all the bills, accounting, payroll, those sorts of things, HR functions, anything that supports the Yes systems is a NO system. And think of it this way. It's all the work you would have to do today if there were no customers. What would still have to be done? That is a NO system.

Third part of this quadrant is your TEAM. They have to be right for the company, right for the job, and trained and prepared for the future needs of the business. An aligned team will help you be more efficient with your Yes systems and your No systems. So think about your team for a second. If they're not right for the company or right for the job or trained and prepared for the future of the business, in the beginning, it's not their fault. It's YOURS. You haven't given them the resources or the time or the nurturing or the technical training that they need to do their job well. Take your internal clients, your customers, or sorry, your employees and work on your systems.

Like and follow this podcast so you can learn more, my name is Carl Gould and this has been your #70secondCEO.

Summary:

In this episode of #70secondCEO, Carl Gould introduces the third core function of your business—Systems—with a focus on what he calls “YES systems.” These are the processes that fulfill your promises to clients: the services you deliver, the products you sell, the experience you create. Whether you run a hotel, retail store, or law firm, YES systems are what you get paid to do. Carl explains why this part of your business must run with clockwork precision and why consistency, predictability, and tactical execution are the keys to success.

Read full transcript:

Hi Everyone, Carl Gould here your #70secondCEO, just over a minute of investment per day for a lifetime of results.

Third function of the business is your SYSTEMS. Remember, we have YES systems and we have NO systems. The YES systems are:

• YES, we have clients and we have to fulfill the orders; and

• YES, this is what we get paid to do

So if you're a physical therapy practice, this is when you do physical therapy. If you're a hotel, this is when you have somebody check in and they lodge and they patronize your facility. If you're a retail store, this is when you're actually selling them something. If you're an attorney, you're arguing the case. You get the picture. This is what you get paid for and this is when you do client fulfillment. That's a certain type of person, a highly tactical, compliant, process driven person that runs this part of the organization and is very systematic. Very predictable, and very, very consistent. You should be able to throw away all of your clocks in the building because if I walk in and I look at your YES systems, based on what they're doing, I should be able to tell time of day, day of the week, day of the month, quarter of the year. I should be able to tell by their actions.

Like and follow this podcast so you can learn more, my name is Carl Gould and this has been your #70secondCEO.