Advice for CEOs

This article was previously published on the All Business section of the Forbes website on September 20, 2013. Michael Evans is a regular contributor offering small business advice to All Business followers. For more great small business articles visit AllBusiness.com, AllBusiness Experts and subscribe to Newport's blog.

A familiar saying asserts that "it’s lonely at the top." If asked to relate this adage to business leaders, most people might think first of CEO's of Fortune 500-type companies. These executives sit atop far-flung operations and large, remote organizations, with hundreds or even thousands of employees they never meet face-to-face. They face intense pressure to maintain quarterly earnings growth and unstinting public and press scrutiny.

In the first part of this article, I discussed the reality that creating and building a business to scale is not an easy feat. As an entrepreneur you're not alone. Most will make the same types of mistakes.

For many entrepreneurs, getting back on the path to success is as simple as looking hard in the mirror.

As the recovery picks up speed, hundreds of thousands of America’s middle market companies appear poised for a new era of opportunity and growth. Gone are the days when declines in revenues and margins, excess capacity, anxious employees and restless investors were the general rule. Capital for expansion is on the rise. Credit is flowing again to private equity firms, armed with nearly $1 trillion to invest in growth companies, sufficient to fuel three and one half years of deal activity.