Actionable Insights from Rory Diamond on how he grew K9s For Warriors 35x its Size
Have something worth scaling, validate, be intentional, and be brave.
Last week, the Fearless Journeys community held a group coaching session with one of our Featured Innovators, Rory Diamond.
For the past 8 years, Rory was the CEO of K9s For Warriors, the organization that equips and trains service members with a service dog. There are thousands of men and women in our armed forces coming back home from the battlefield with physical and emotional scars. Often times they experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But there’s something about having a service dog, most of which are rescues themselves, that can help alleviate those emotions.
Rory became CEO of the K9s For Warriors in 2014. However, before that, he was serving as an attorney with a law firm in Jacksonville, Florida. The national headquarters for K9s For Warriors was nearby in Ponte Vedra Beach. Rory took them on as a pro bono client. He became so committed to helping them that when their CEO was stepping down, the organization asked Rory if he would consider being their next CEO.
“It took me about a half a second to say yes,” said Rory. That’s what he told me when I interviewed him in 2017 for Episode 33 of the Agents of Innovation podcast.
When Rory took over the organization, it had 12 staff at their one and only location in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Today, the organization has 225 members of the team. Their revenue is 35 times what it was in 2014. They have a total of 6 campuses (in 3 states: Florida, Texas, and Arizona). Perhaps more importantly, they have equipped and trained 850 members of our armed services with a service dog to help them recover and cope with PTSD.
The week prior to our group coaching session with Rory, he officially stepped down from his role as CEO, after 8 years. That was partially due to his duties serving as an elected official on the Jacksonville City Council, as well as his most recent new role as a JAG Officer, dual commissioned with the Florida National Guard and the U.S. Army.
While members of the Fearless Journeys community got access to the live session with Rory, with the opportunity to interact with him and ask him questions, I will share with you some of the Actionable Insights that Rory left us with about growing and scaling an organization:
You have to have something WORTH scaling.
You should VALIDATE before scaling. In other words: test small, before going big.
Ask the question: Is what you are doing REPLICABLE?
CASH: You need it if you are going to grow.
NEVER borrow
Cash-on-hand allows you more freedom to experiment
Raise money before you move forward with expansion.
Do your RESEARCH. Is the area of work you are doing needed? Or is there area you are looking to expand already well-served by another entity?
If you are going to expand into a new geographical area, go there, get to know the place, talk to the local officials, the chamber of commerce. MAKE FRIENDS.
Be prepared to HUSTLE.
If you open new locations, INVEST TIME WITH TEAM MEMBERS at new locations. You have to be sure you are able to EXPORT THE CULTURE.
As you grow, be INTENTIONAL about your CORPORATE CULTURE.
“Growth has killed more CEOs than heart attacks.”
Fear of Growth — of remaining comfortable where you are — is boring. If you are able to meet the criteria above, “BE BRAVE and go for it.”
The lessons from Rory tell us that if we are considering growing our organization, we have to START WITH WHY. As he said, you have to have “something worth scaling.” You should test things small — by trial and error — before going too far down a certain path. What works? What doesn’t?
And you have to meet a market need.
As you grow, you must be intentional. Do your research, hire the right new members of the team, strategize, and be in a position to make the best decisions.
It’s not easy. You’re going to have to work hard and hustle hard.
You shouldn’t attempt to grow or scale without considering all the things above.
But, too many CEOs, especially of nonprofits, get comfortable in their positions. They are do-gooders and often become content with just raising enough money to meet their annual budgets and stay in their positions.
Rory says that’s boring. He encourages us to be brave — this is what makes him FEARLESS. If you are doing something worthy of scale, you should grow it.
In Rory’s case, there was a waiting list 4 years long of service members suffering with PTSD in need of a dog to help them cope.
He had a WHY — saving lives.
He had a MARKET — demand was high.
Today, that waiting list is at only 8 or 9 months. Still a long time for those suffering with emotional scars. But just enough demand for the growth of K9s For Warriors to both meet a market need and not grow too far beyond their own means.
Rory could be comfortable with people like me lauding his success. For him, though, he said, he grew the organization where he wanted to get it to, meeting a need for the service members he wanted to help, and elevating a broader public discussion about the proper treatment our warriors need when returning home from the battlefield.
He’s not content. He has now joined the military himself, employing his legal skills as a JAG Officer. When he joined our Fearless Journeys live session last Thursday evening, he was doing so while out on assignment with the Florida National Guard.
His actions are inspiring. And the cool thing is: Rory is a Featured Innovator in the Fearless Journeys community. We have 50+ people like him who have made their way in the world and are willing to take time to help you chart your course.
This afternoon at 1:00pm ET, Mike Howerton of Ramsey Solutions will be joining us to talk about the concepts from Dave Ramsey’s book, EntreLeadership.
On December 13, author & CEO Steve Cesari will be joining us to go over the concepts of his book, Clarity. Steve’s company is responsible for so many innovative products, including the George Foreman grill, as just one example. Learn how he balances his family, faith, friends, finances, and fitness to be a successful entrepreneur.
Fearless Journeys gives our members opportunities to connect and learn from innovators like Rory, Mike, Steve, and so many others. If you are not yet a member, check out our annual and monthly membership options, and join today!