The 60/20/20 System To Build & Scale Multiple Businesses

What if the next breakthrough for your business is less strategy and more personality?

That provocative idea kept looping in my head while listening to a busy room of entrepreneurs trade blunt, specific advice about content, brand and execution. The call felt like a modern masterclass: equal parts therapy, product planning and marketing bootcamp. I was struck by how often the answer wasn't a new tool but a decision—to commit, to show up, and to make something obvious and repeatable.

Brand as the center, business as the spokes

One founder described juggling a salon and a direct-to-consumer product line. The advice he received was disarmingly simple: treat the shared brand as the gravitational pull. A 60/20/20 heuristic—mostly brand, some operational focus for each business—became a mental model that actually clarifies where to spend time. I liked that model because it turns overwhelm into a map. It assumes you will pivot responsibilities as people change, but keeps the brand as the long-term asset.

Why that matters

The practical takeaway: if you build a public persona that amplifies both businesses, future exits or transitions are less scary. There are trade-offs—sold founders may have time-limited non-competes—but ownership of your narrative buys leverage. I found that reassuring. It reframes brand-building from vanity to long-term optionality.

Characters beat products when attention is the currency

I genuinely laughed when a car dealer described donning a cheesy plaid suit, wig and gold chain to become a caricature for his showroom. It felt theatrical—but the strategic logic is airtight. Characters scale. They can be animated, merchandised, and show up across TikTok, Instagram and local PR in ways a CEO photo never can.

Local marketing, reimagined

• Use the character to create community events—think fair days or charity stunts that the local press will love.
• Turn everyday goodwill moments into content: a neighborhood car rescue filmed well becomes shareable proof of brand values.

I left that segment thinking: mascots aren’t childish—they’re practical shorthand for trust.

Organic reach is back—if you play the platform game

Every concrete recommendation funneled to two platforms: TikTok and LinkedIn. That pairing felt counterintuitive at first, but when you unpack it, it makes sense. TikTok is the organic reach engine for culture and discovery. LinkedIn is the platform where credibility meets B2B distribution. For a financial planner or an agency owner, a modest investment in episodic content (podcast clips, short LinkedIn videos) creates a flywheel.

Podcast as production system

One advisor was urged to launch a podcast and then turn each recorded conversation into dozens of micro-assets for LinkedIn ads. I loved this because it frames the podcast not as performance theater but as a content factory. Guests with name recognition boost credibility. Clips cut into short-form education hooks that resonate with both clients and recruits.

Bring paid media in-house—but keep creative close

The argument for internalizing paid media was persuasive. Agencies often operate on templates; an in-house media quarterback who collaborates closely with creative can dramatically lower acquisition cost per sale. But there’s a caveat: bring the best talent you can afford. Bad internal hires are worse than a good external partner. I felt a real tension between wanting control and needing expertise—an old leadership dilemma dressed in ad jargon.

Repurpose ruthlessly: one idea, thirty pieces

My favorite tactical line was about the post-creative strategist: take one recorded moment and create dozens of variations—tweets, clips, articles, LinkedIn copy, and paid ads. That’s the math-and-art model: combine disciplined CAC/LTV thinking with an industrial content machine. It’s not sexy, but it works. I admired how practically deliverable that felt.

Where hope meets grind

There was tenderness too: founders admitting fear, past hiring mistakes, and the awkwardness of cold outreach. The room did not offer platitudes. Instead, it offered specific next steps—hire a post-creative strategist, start a podcast, build a cartoon version of your character, claim TikTok yesterday. Those directives felt like a pep talk you could act on tomorrow.

Final thought: the most valuable move is not a new platform or a shiny tool—it's committing to a repeatable content practice that aligns with a clear brand. That commitment is hard, messy and profoundly human; and it’s the one thing that separates a hopeful business from an inevitable one.