Podcast interview with Steve Graves on business leadership, entrepreneurship, and work-life integration. He's offered our audience a free copy of his new book Flourishing! Key Takeaways - Steve Graves is a multi-faceted leader: author, CEO coach, business owner, and ministry supporter - Emphasizes the importance of objective business evaluation, understanding business lifecycle stages, and creating a "composite scorecard" for life - Advocates for compressed learning through relationships, reading, and application to accelerate growth - Stresses the value of developing a strong organizational culture as a key business asset Topics Steve Graves' Background and Current Roles - Author with a weekly blog on faith, leadership, and strategy - Coaches CEOs, business owners, and entrepreneurs across industries for 3-4 decades - Owns multiple companies acquired over the years - Maintains involvement with global ministry nonprofits annually - Family man: married with 3 adult children and 5 (soon 6) grandchildren Business Evaluation and Investment Criteria - Looks for natural "tailwinds" in the business (e.g., customers, offering, finances, people, product/service) - Emphasizes the importance of a viable financial model and economic formula - Considers the leader's suitability for the business's current and next stage - Objectifies investment decisions beyond personal relationships Business Lifecycle Stages 1. Zero to One: Idea to launch, testing business theory 2. One to Five: Initial growth, organizational development, market validation 3. Five to Five Hundred: Scaling, competing effectively, significant market presence Work-Life Integration - Rejects "work-life balance" in favor of a "composite scorecard of life" - Stresses the importance of performing well across all life roles (e.g., spouse, parent, professional) - Advocates for identifying God-given assignments vs. mere opportunities - Emphasizes the need to say "no," "not now," or "not yet" to maintain focus Learning and Growth - Recommends compressing learning through relationships, reading, and podcasts - Suggests putting new knowledge into immediate application - Emphasizes deep personal formation work alongside skill acquisition Organizational Culture - Views strong culture as a critical business asset (e.g., Chick-fil-A) - Stresses the importance of defining and living out organizational values - Encourages leaders to regularly evaluate if the company truly operates by its stated values Next Steps - Listeners to check out CornerstoneCo.com for more information on Steve's work and Cornerstone Plus offering