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 assetTopicsSteve 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) grandchildrenBusiness 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 relationshipsBusiness Lifecycle Stages1. Zero to One: Idea to launch, testing business theory2. One to Five: Initial growth, organizational development, market validation3. Five to Five Hundred: Scaling, competing effectively, significant market presenceWork-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 focusLearning and Growth – Recommends compressing learning through relationships, reading, and podcasts – Suggests putting new knowledge into immediate application – Emphasizes deep personal formation work alongside skill acquisitionOrganizational 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 valuesNext Steps – Listeners to check out CornerstoneCo.com for more information on Steve’s work and Cornerstone Plus offering