Start With the Outcomes That Matter Most

I’ve had the privilege of being part of the Nexstar team for more than a year. As Vice President of Operations, I wanted my first year to be spent learning before leading, so I’ve spent much of my time listening. I’ve visited with members across the network, spent time with our coaches, trainers, Strategic Partners, and support teams, and had countless conversations about what success looks like from a member’s perspective.

Those conversations have reinforced something I believe is fundamental: no two members are working to create the same business. What they do share is a desire to build a better one.

For some, success means opening another location. For others, it’s improving profitability, developing the next generation of leaders, creating capacity for growth, or building a business that provides greater freedom for their family. Every business owner has a different vision of success, so it stands to reason that every path should look a little different, too.

That realization has changed the way I think about the value Nexstar should create for our members. If that’s true, then perhaps we’ve been starting the conversation in the wrong place.

Too often, the conversation begins with, “What should I buy from Nexstar this year?”

I believe it should begin with a different question:

“What outcomes do I want my business to achieve over the next 12 months?”

When the destination is clear, the decisions you make throughout the year become much more intentional. Coaching, training, technology, events, Strategic Partners, and every other resource available through Nexstar stop being individual purchases. Instead, they become coordinated investments, each playing a role in helping you achieve the business outcomes that matter most.

I’ve also come to believe that success isn’t measured by how many Nexstar resources you use. It’s measured by the business outcomes those resources help you achieve.

What surprised me most during my first year wasn’t the depth of expertise across Nexstar. It was realizing how much work members were often doing to connect that expertise together and determine where to turn next.

I don’t believe that should be anyone’s job.

Running a business is challenging enough. Living our “Members First” Guiding Principle means making it easier to identify the outcomes you’re working toward, then aligning the right people, expertise, and resources around helping you achieve them.

That starts by understanding your business. Where are you today? Where do you want to go? What’s working? What’s getting in the way?

When those answers are clear, Nexstar can align the right coaching, training, and support around the outcomes that matter most to you. The objective is simple: you should spend your time bringing your business goals to life, not navigating Nexstar.

As you read this, I hope you’ll spend a few minutes thinking about two simple questions:

1. What are you working to build?
2. What outcomes do you want your business to achieve over the next 12 months?

At our annual Super Meeting, you heard us talk about this year’s theme, Design What’s Next. My hope is that before you think about Nexstar, you think about your business.

Once the answers to those questions are clear, Nexstar becomes more than a collection of resources. We become a partner in helping you intentionally invest in the people, expertise, and capabilities that move your business toward the outcomes you’re working to achieve.

If, a year from now, you’re making more intentional decisions about your business, your goals are guiding the support you receive, and Nexstar is easier to navigate because the right people with the right expertise are aligned around helping you achieve those outcomes, then we’ll know we’re truly living our “Members First” Guiding Principle.

Thank you for welcoming me into this incredible community. I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned during my first year, and I’m excited for what we’ll build together.