IAM2890 – Why Avoiding Business Investments Can Become an Expensive Decision
Special Episode by Gresham Harkless Jr.
The Trap of False Financial Discipline
A pervasive roadblock for high-performing builders is letting the fear of spending money mask severe structural caps on growth. Trying to save money can quietly become one of the most expensive decisions an executive makes, especially when avoiding strategic capital placement means delaying the vital knowledge, accountability, and professional support that your enterprise needs to scale. In this episode, pulling high-leverage insights from wellness coach and founder Melissa on episode 83 of the I AM CEO podcast, we break down why avoiding business investments can become an expensive mistake—and how shifting out of a solo mindset can help others grow.
The Human Pillar: Upgrading the Capacity of the Builder
True execution within the Human Pillar proves that organizational expansion requires a business to become capable of something its current version simply cannot deliver. Because an enterprise is ultimately a direct reflection of its leader, moving to the next tier of scale means the CEO must intentionally level up.
While self-directed research through video platforms and digital content holds baseline value, doing everything alone creates severe limitations. Retaining top-tier coaching or advisor support compresses your learning curve by immediately pinpointing operational blind spots, challenging toxic routines, and introducing the strict accountability required to execute at a high altitude.
Dismantling Isolation and Compressing Time
The core takeaway for any CEO is to evaluate investments not merely by their immediate upfront cost, but by the compounding cost of remaining operationally stuck over the next twelve months. Operating in isolation completely distorts corporate decision-making, trapping leadership inside unverified assumptions for months without any critical external pushback.
This isn't a regulatory license to impulsively purchase every generic training program available; rather, it is a strategic mandate to honestly audit whether your spending hesitation is genuine financial discipline or simply fear wearing a protective mask. Ask yourself this defining question: “What specific professional support have you delayed because of the price tag, and what has that delay already cost your organization in raw time, confidence, and market velocity?”. Standing on the shoulders of giants and leaning into outside expertise is the ultimate lever required to force your business to rise and dominate its market lane.
Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2889-why-returning-to-your-values-clarifies-strategy/
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Transcription:
Gresham Harkless 00:00
Trying to save money can quietly become one of the most expensive decisions in a business, especially when avoiding investments also means delaying the knowledge, accountability and support that would ultimately help you grow.
If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm gresh and for over a decade I've had the honor and the privilege of Learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners. And just like you on how to build after recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose, even when you feel the journey should be a straight and linear path. What I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share. Drawn from thousands of of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the IM C O podcast.
Gresham Harkless 01:33
Trying to save money can quietly become one of the most expensive decisions in a business, especially when avoiding investments also means delaying the knowledge, accountability and support that would ultimately help you grow. That's what really stood out to me in episode number 83 of the I Am CEO Podcast with Melissa, the founder of the Honest Way. Now, Melissa is a certified weight loss nutritionist wellness coach who basically helps women move beyond the unrealistic expectations of the diet industry through mindset shifts in practical systems. Melissa has shared something that I think a lot of business owners and builders definitely try to or somewhat struggle with is that she was afraid to invest in her business for a long time. She would take the profit as her paycheck, but she didn't invest in a top quality coach. In reflecting upon this during our conversation, she believes that getting the right support earlier could have changed the speed and scale of her actual growth. And that's the nugget I want to spend some time with. Builders say often and over and over again that they want to grow. But growth usually requires becoming capable of something the current version of the business cannot do. Frankly, on a deeper level, a lot of times it means you have to become something else than you are. What you are and who you are has served you to a point, and the business is a reflection of that. So a lot of times the leader, the CEO, the entrepreneur, the business owner, the builder, whatever title you want to give yourself is that person that needs to level up. Now, the reality is that this leveling up may require expertise, accountability, a better system, a stronger team member, or someone who can see the gaps you don't know are actually there. So as an individual, as a leader, that is leveling up. It allows the business to also have that opportunity to do that too. Melissa said that you don't know what you don't know. That's simple. But it explains explains why doing everything alone can be so limiting. Think about it. Things you might have done yourself. You research, you watch videos, you go to YouTube University, Google College, you listen to podcasts, you experiment. All of that has value. And don't get me wrong, but sometimes the right coach or advisor compresses the learning by identifying what matters, challenging the pattern, and holding you accountable to execute. Keep in mind that I say often is that you can see further standing on the shoulders of giants. And often we need to lean into the expertise and knowledge of those that have either done it or at least have some different perspective that can allow us to see further so that we can reach the level we want to reach. This really resonates and connects with the human pillar. Investing in the business often means investing in the growth of the builder. Let's just talk about a few things, including the importance of community, especially for online entrepreneurs. That matters because isolation can distort decision making. You spend months inside your own assumptions without anyone actually pushing back. And here's something I would spend a little bit more time on and think a little bit more deeply on. Don't evaluate an investment only by what it costs a day. Consider what staying stuck may cost you over the next year.
Think about being able to 2x your business right now and think about not 2xing your business and what that looks like. Of course you have to make a decision on whether this is the right move or this is the right decision. But at the end of the day, you have to have a little bit more of an investment mindset and understanding that the seeds that you're planting can bloom a lot sooner if they're planted today. Now that definitely, definitely, definitely does not mean buying every program or hiring help impulsively. It actually means being honest about where whether fear is disguising itself as a financial discipline and here's a question worth thinking about. What support have you delayed because of the price? And what has the delay already cost you in time, confidence or growth? Because sometimes commitment follows the investment and sometimes the investment is what forces the business to rise to the next level. If you've been trying to figure out everything alone, this conversation with Melissa is definitely one worth revisiting. It's the African proverb, if you want to go far, you go together. If you want to go fast, you go by yourself. I always butcher that quote. I'm the king of butchering quotes. But at the end of the day, you have to understand that in order to get to the level that often we want to get to, it requires us to be beyond ourselves and to lean on others and to co create and collaborate and do all those things to get further along.
