Allison Maslan, CEO of Pinnacle Global Network, was recently named one of the “Top 10 Women
Entrepreneurs to Watch” by Forbes Magazine. She is the Wall Street Journal Best
Selling Author of Scale or Fail, which is endorsed by Daymond John and Barbara Corcoran of
Shark Tank. Allison has built 10 successful companies over the last 40 years.
For the past 15 years, she and her team of business mentors have helped over 150,000
Founders scale their businesses, fast-track their success, and create a more meaningful life
through her company, Pinnacle Global Network, one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private
Companies.
Allison has shared the stage with noted business leaders such as Richard Branson and Magic
Johnson; and has been featured in Inc., Success, Fortune, Fast Company, and Forbes Magazines,
is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine and a featured expert on ABC, CBS, NBC,
CNN, and Fox across the US. She is also the host and producer of The SCALEit Method Podcast
and the Women Who Own It Podcast brought to you by WBENC.
Company: Pinnacle Global Network
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company
Allison Maslan: I’m Allison Maslan, CEO and founder of Pinnacle Global Network, where we mentor CEOs worldwide and help them grow and scale their businesses while creating a more freedom-filled life. We focus on guiding our clients in building team-managed companies that can thrive without their constant involvement. We help them develop a scalable model that can multiply their growth, impact, and profits. Many business owners are stuck working 60 to 80 hours a week, and we help them step out of the day-to-day operations and shift their focus to future strategic growth, building powerful relationships, and becoming the visionary their company needs. This approach accelerates business growth because the owners are no longer the bottleneck, and they develop a passionate team excited about carrying the vision forward. It’s life-changing. Pinnacle Global Network has been my mission for the last 16 years. We’ve built a team of over 40 CEO mentors, all of whom have run very successful companies. Together, we share our wisdom and our proprietary SCALEit method to make the journey smoother for our clients than if they were doing it alone.
What were the most significant challenges you faced during the scaling process, and how did you overcome them?
Allison Maslan: The challenges of scaling come in phases, and each new level presents new obstacles — or, as we like to say, “new level, new devil.” Early on, when I was scaling my full-service marketing and ad agency in San Diego, I grew the business quickly, but I didn’t know how to be a visionary leader. I was still very much the worker bee, involved in every aspect of the business. We had big corporate clients, and while we were making good money, I was a control freak. I thought I needed my hands on everything, and as a result, I was standing in the way of the company’s growth. I burned the candle at both ends, staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. creating ad campaigns. It was exhausting, and I felt trapped in my own success.
That stress led to a breaking point when I had a car accident — a wake-up call that the way I was running my business wasn’t sustainable. I realized I needed to learn how larger companies scale, how they implement systems and processes to build team-managed companies so the CEO can step away, focus on the future, and forge powerful relationships to move the company forward. That experience drove me to build nine more companies that didn’t rely on me for growth, and it’s also why I’m passionate about sharing the SCALEit method through Pinnacle Global Network. I see so many business owners stuck in this trap, but it doesn’t have to be that way. By scaling effectively, CEOs can break through growth ceilings, take those big leaps, and reclaim their lives to spend time with loved ones, while also taking care of their health and relationships.
How did you ensure that your company culture remained intact as your business expanded?
Allison Maslan: When you’re building a company, your first five to seven team members will set the foundation for your culture. If you really invest in them, they’ll pass that energy and commitment onto the next group of hires, and then those will do the same for the next wave. Culture isn’t about ping-pong parties and pizza—it’s about connection, passion, and appreciation. It’s about everyone getting behind the vision and fully committing to making it a reality.
At Pinnacle Global Network, we’ve always emphasized bringing the team together regularly. Our mentor team has met every Wednesday for two hours for years to stay connected, discuss challenges, share ideas, and brainstorm together. These meetings have built such a strong sense of trust, respect, and friendship among the team. That bond keeps everyone committed to the company’s vision and success as we grow. It’s about fostering relationships that drive the company forward, no matter how much we scale.
What strategies did you employ to maintain quality and customer satisfaction while scaling rapidly?
Allison Maslan: Quality and the customer experience are of prime importance to us. To maintain this as we scale, we built out a step-by-step customer journey, and it’s something that helps our clients immensely. When a customer says “yes” to working with us, we know exactly what will happen from day one all the way up to day 60 and so on. The customer is along a path, and we want to ensure they are having the most incredible experience at each point along the way. It’s important that you have a system around your customer journey and that you don’t just wing it. We also check in with our clients regularly to make sure that we are serving them in the highest capacity possible.
Can you share a specific turning point that was crucial for your business’s successful scaling?
Allison Maslan: A crucial turning point for our business’s successful scaling came when we began building what I call the “four superpowers”—our leadership team. As a business owner, you can’t have your hands in every area of the business if you want to scale effectively. But for you to confidently let go, you need a superpower—someone whose strength is leading that part of your company.
So, we identified leaders who excel in specific areas: one for marketing, one for sales, one for operations, and one for product or service delivery. When you have these geniuses, whose superpower is that quadrant of your business, you can sleep at night knowing they’re fully committed to knocking it out of the park.
For us, building that superpower team was the real game-changer. These are strong, visionary leaders who shared my vision and gave me the confidence to step back. That’s when everything shifted. And it’s also something we help our clients do at Pinnacle Global Network—building a strong leadership team so they can create a team-managed company that thrives without them.
How did you manage the financial aspects of scaling, particularly in securing funding and maintaining cash flow?
Allison Maslan: Maintaining cash flow involves more than just bringing in money; it’s also a strategic approach to managing your finances. This means balancing the cash coming in and out of your business creatively. You must carefully manage the cash flow timing, ensuring payroll schedules align with the dates of significant invoices due.
Finding innovative ways to ensure that money flows into your company when you need it is crucial. Having access to cash when you don’t necessarily need it is equally important. This way, if a new opportunity arises, you can take advantage of it rather than having to turn it down. Additionally, it’s vital to be clear about the profitability metrics you want to maintain as you grow. Remember, it’s not just about the top line; it’s equally important to focus on the bottom line.
