The 5Ms Movement: Materials
A bold vision is useless without the materials to bring it to life. If mindset is your engine, then materials are your fuel, your tires, and your navigation system. They’re what transform ideas into action and keep your business from stalling out on the side of the road.
From Whiteboards to Workflow: Building with the Right Materials
When I first started transforming our accounting firm from a traditional tax shop into a high-profit advisory model, I thought I could muscle my way through on grit and a few Excel templates. I was wrong. I had the mindset. I had the mission. But I didn't have the materials.
I was running everything through a whiteboard in my office and a tangled web of disconnected tools. Our processes lived in my head. My team was constantly asking, “Where’s the link for that?” or “What do we send next?” And the more we grew, the more cracks showed.
Eventually, I had to stop and ask: What are the real tools this business needs to thrive? That question changed everything.
What Counts as “Materials”?
The word “materials” might sound like it only applies to construction or manufacturing with equipment, lumber, bolts and vehicles - but in leadership, materials mean everything required to turn your strategy into reality. That includes:
Systems and workflows
SOPs and training resources
Project management and client engagement tools
Hiring and onboarding assets
Templates, decks, emails, checklists - anything repeatable and scalable
These aren’t just “nice to have.” They’re foundational. If your materials are weak or missing, your business will stall even if your vision is strong. And most importantly - you don’t need more stuff. You need the right stuff, built intentionally to support how your team operates and how your clients experience your value.
The Website That Broke Our Sales Process
At one point, I invested in a fancy new website to “elevate our brand.” It looked great. But it wasn’t built with our customer journey in mind. Prospects were getting lost, forms weren’t firing correctly, and our onboarding materials didn’t align with our messaging. Our sales process actually slowed down. It was like a person with a pretty face, but no talents.
I realized I had bought a shiny new brick… but forgot the blueprint. I hadn’t mapped the journey. I hadn’t thought about how our materials connected to our method. I was solving the wrong problem.
So, I started rebuilding our materials like I used to prep my SWAT gear - intentionally, step-by-step, with everything mapped out so the mission could run clean.
We documented our offer. We designed proposal templates that spoke directly to our ideal client. We created onboarding checklists that anyone on our team could use. Suddenly, the chaos eased and confidence returned.
Self-Check: The Materials Scorecard
Where do your materials stand today? Score yourself in each area from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong) in each area:
We have documented systems for repeatable processes
We use tools that make work easier, not harder
Our materials support our team in doing their best work
Our brand experience is consistent across all touchpoints
We can delegate confidently because we’ve built resources to support it
If your score is under 15, you’re likely relying too much on memory, hustle, or “winging it.” And that’s not scalable.
Don’t Just Collect Tools, Build a Toolkit
It’s easy to confuse materials with a bunch of disconnected tech. I’ve seen firms with a dozen tools and zero traction. Remember: your materials are only useful if they serve your mission.
Before you buy another tool, ask:
Does this reduce friction for my team or clients?
Does this support a process we’re already committed to?
Does this help us tell a clearer story?
Every piece of material should move your business forward. If it doesn’t, it’s clutter.
The Deeper Why
When you build the right materials, you’re not just streamlining operations, you’re showing your team that you care about their clarity. You’re creating systems that reduce stress, boost confidence, and eliminate the “guesswork tax.”
And when your team knows what to do, when to do it, and how to do it well - they win. And so does your business.
My Materials Moment of Clarity
Looking back, the moment our firm really started to scale wasn’t when we hired a rockstar salesperson or landed a huge client. It was when we became serious about our systems. When we stopped relying on memory and started building intentionally. When we turned chaos into clarity - one piece of material at a time.
That’s the power of materials. They give structure to your vision. They’re how you lead when you’re not in the room. They’re how you scale. You can’t build a business on Post-it notes and heroic memory. And you don’t need more hustle - you need the right materials.
So let me ask you: Are you running on chaos, or are you running on the 5Ms? If you’re tired of duct-taping your operations together, the 5Ms will change everything. Start your journey with us today: https://go.csbizcon.com/sign-up
