9 Rules That Separate Excellent Companies From Average Ones

The Ultimate Competitive Advantage Isn’t What You Think

In this solo episode of Case Studies, Casey breaks down one of the most influential business books he’s ever read: The Excellence Dividend by Tom Peters.

This isn’t about trendy business hacks or flashy leadership quotes. It’s about foundational principles that actually work. The kind that reshape how you build, how you lead, and how you measure success.

Casey walks through 9 powerful ideas that have helped him run better businesses and build stronger teams, from door-to-door sales at Vivint, to investing in category-leading companies today.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

9 Rules of Excellence That Changed How I Operate

1️⃣ Excellence is the ultimate competitive advantage
Forget average. Go all in on world-class. The brands that win, Apple, Porsche, Traeger, they win because they do the little things exceptionally well. They sweat the details. They deliver wow. And customers feel it.

2️⃣ Put people first, always
People aren’t a line item. They are the business. If you want to build a company that scales, take care of your people first. Hire slow. Invest in talent. Build a culture where people love to work, and customers will love the result.

3️⃣ Kindness equals leadership
Heart is not weakness. It's strength. Companies that overlook the soft stuff, trust, empathy, values, often implode. Culture drives outcomes. And kindness scales.

4️⃣ Execution beats strategy
You can have the most brilliant plan in the world. But if you don’t execute, it’s worthless. A mediocre strategy executed with discipline will outperform a perfect plan with weak follow-through.

5️⃣ Obsess over the frontline
The best operators don’t just sit in meetings. They walk the floor. They talk to customers. They listen to the reps. They stay close to where the real work happens. That’s where your next great idea lives.

6️⃣ Design for wow
Design isn’t about making things look pretty. It’s about clarity, impact, and differentiation. Whether it’s your product, your brand, or your customer experience, great design builds trust and drives decisions.

7️⃣ Worship the customer
Businesses exist to serve. Period. If your product doesn’t solve a real problem in a meaningful way, it won’t last. Get obsessed with the customer journey. Every touchpoint should say, “We thought this through for you.”

8️⃣ Train like crazy
Champions don’t rise to the occasion. They fall back on their training. In business, the same is true. If your people aren’t getting better, your company isn’t either. Build a culture of practice, feedback, and continuous improvement.

9️⃣ Excellence is the next five minutes
Not next year. Not next quarter. It’s how you show up today, in the meeting, on the sales call, during that customer interaction. It’s in the details. Over time, those small choices create massive separation.

🎧 Listen to the full breakdown here.

Why This Matters

Excellence isn’t a marketing slogan. It’s a way of operating.

It’s the difference between companies that thrive for a few years, and companies that last for decades.

If you’re building something you care about, this book belongs in your rotation. And this episode will give you a blueprint to start applying it.

P.S. If this resonated, check out our newsletter on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the personal growth playbook Casey revisits every year. Watch it here