About Podcast
Welcome back to our Growth Strategies Masterclass! Our first two episodes featured how to vet and validate ideas for growing your business. Now it’s time to develop a strategic plan around those ideas that made the cut.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level and achieve breakthrough growth? If you’re feeling like strategic growth planning is just too “corporate” and is something that only large enterprises do, then think again. In this next class, John Kamp, a seasoned strategist, project manager, and Lean Six Sigma consultant talks about the X-matrix and how you can use this tool to revolutionize your approach to growth and scale your business.
With a keen focus on linking strategy with execution, John’s insights are invaluable for both small business owners and executives seeking the business infrastructure required for repeatable, profitable, and scalable growth. His practical approach and 40+ years of experience make him a trusted authority in the strategic growth planning process known as Hoshin Kanri.
In this episode, John explains how to:
- Implement the Hoshin Kanri strategic planning process based on your growth ideas,
- Use the X-matrix as a simple yet highly effective tool for defining, linking, and aligning long-term strategic goals with tactical projects for achieving those goals, and
- Develop action plans and continuous check-in points to ensure your strategic growth goals are met.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a seasoned corporate executive with years of experience in operations, finance, and strategy as he provides a blueprint for small business growth.
Uncover the art of crafting innovative and effective growth strategies that can revolutionize your business’s operations and lead to profits you didn’t think were possible!
- Strategic Alignment through Hoshin Kanri: Learn how organizations use Hoshin Kanri to align long-term strategic goals with short-term actions across all levels of leadership.
- Using the X-Matrix for Clarity and Accountability: Understand how the X-matrix visually connects objectives, annual goals, improvement priorities, and metrics in a single page to promote focus and ownership.
- Building Consensus with Leadership Teams: Explore techniques like “catch ball” and “intense fellowship” to resolve conflicting priorities and align executive teams on shared strategic objectives.
- Tracking Progress with Bowler Charts: Discover how Bowler charts serve as a visual follow-up tool to monitor progress, assign responsibility, and maintain momentum toward goals.
- Bringing Strategy to Life with Business Infrastructure: See how tools like the X-matrix and Bowler chart support broader business infrastructure by linking people, processes, and tools to drive sustainable growth.
Special Guest: John Kamp, CEO – The Business Kamp
Location: San Francisco, CA USA
Air Date: April 22, 2025
Website:
- The Business Kamp: the website home to John’s business where you can learn more about him and his Lean Six Sigma, Agile, Scrum, and Project Management training and consulting services.
Book:
- The Hoshin Success Compass – Set Your Priorities Straight with the Strategic Alignment Process of the World’s Best Companies: a book by Matthew Cross where you can learn more about the Hoshin Kanri process and its flagship tool, the X-Matrix.
Template:
- X-Matrix – a free downloadable template.
Software:
- Amplon.io: a Hoshin Kanri AI-assisted software “…with an interactive X matrix and integrated project and performance management.”
Articles:
- The Ultimate Hoshin Kanri X Matrix Guide: an article by Amplon.io that describes and illustrates how the X-Matrix aligns goals, projects, and KPIs, simplifying strategy deployment into a clear, visual framework.
- Producer & Host: Alicia Butler Pierre
- Audio Editor: Olanrewaju Adeyemo
- Sound Design: Sabor! Music Enterprises
- Video Editor: Gladys Jimenez
- Production Assistant: Hashim Tale
- Sponsor: Equilibria, Inc.
More About Guest, Emily Thompson:
Emily Thompson is the co-founder and host of Being Boss, a resource, podcast, and community for creative entrepreneurs, and founder and CEO of Almanac Supply Co., a retail brand that makes and curates products that help people connect with nature. For over a decade Emily has worked closely with creatives to help them make money doing work they love, with a focus on building online business models and growing creative businesses.
More About Host, Alicia Butler Pierre:
Alicia Butler Pierre is the Founder & CEO of Equilibria, Inc. Her career in operations began over 20 years ago while working as an engineer in various chemical plants and oil refineries. She invented the Kasennu™ framework for business infrastructure and authored, Behind the Façade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success. It is the world’s first published book on business infrastructure for small businesses. Alicia hosts the weekly Business Infrastructure podcast with a global audience across 53 countries. More About Sponsor, HubSpot:
HubSpot offers a full platform of marketing, sales, customer service, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software — plus the methodology, resources, and support — to help businesses. Their CRM platform is powered by the same database, so everyone in your organization — Marketing, Sales, Service & Operations — is working off the same system of record. This allows for a smoother handoff between teams and results in a more delightful experience for your customers. Learn more. More About Sponsor, ThinkSmart Whiteboard:
Thinksmart Whiteboard is a Windows App that turns your Tablet PC into a shared whiteboard. It allows you to create a whiteboard on your computer screen, then allows other people to write onto your whiteboard, even if they are in another location! Learn more.