What I’ve Learned from Jim Collins

Throughout my career, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to spend time with some of the best business minds in the world. During my time operating within World 50—the world’s premier, invitation-only community for senior executives from leading global companies—I had the privilege of sitting across the table from legendary thinkers, CEOs, and authors whose ideas have shaped entire industries.

One of the most impactful of them all—for me personally and for the work I’m doing now—was Jim Collins.

For those unfamiliar, Jim is a researcher, teacher, and author of some of the most influential business books of our time: Good to Great, Built to Last, and Great by Choice. He’s spent his life studying what makes great companies tick—and more importantly, what allows them to endure.

He’s not a consultant. He doesn’t chase trends. He’s a disciplined thinker, guided by one central question: What separates great companies from good ones, and why do some endure while others fail?

Not only did I attend multiple workshops and sessions with Jim through my work at World 50, but I was fortunate enough to spend one-on-one time with him. We talked about life, business, family, purpose, and how the principles in his research could apply not just to Fortune 500 companies—but to small, growing, values-driven businesses like ours.

At the time, we were still operating a single crêperie—For Crêpe Sake—and I shared my vision for what it might become. Jim didn’t talk down to me because we were small. He leaned in. And that’s the power of his work: it’s just as applicable whether you’re leading General Electric, a small Crêperie, or a pasta shop with a heart for community.

Built to Flip vs. Built to Last

One of Jim’s core themes from Built to Last is the difference between companies that are designed for long-term impact and those designed to sell fast.

“The problem with Built to Flip is that it can erode the very foundations of what it takes to build something great” he writes.

Built to Flip businesses are built for short-term gains—focused on valuation and exit, not vision and endurance. They chase the next round of funding, the next buyer, the next shiny opportunity.

That’s not us.

From the beginning, Gina and I have chosen to self-fund our growth. Not because it’s easier—but because it gives us the ability to stay true to our values. We’ve intentionally said no to institutional capital because our goal isn’t to scale quickly—it’s to build something meaningful. Something that lasts.

That’s also why profitability matters so much.

As I shared in a recent post, profit isn’t about greed. It’s about freedom. It’s about control. It’s about sustainability. It’s what allows us to grow without losing ourselves.

If we ever do take outside investment, it will be with individuals who are values-aligned, long-term in thinking, and committed to building something enduring—not flipping something shiny.

Preserve the Core, Stimulate Progress

Another idea from Built to Last that we hold close is the principle of “Preserve the core, stimulate progress.”

The best companies, Jim found, aren’t static. They change. They evolve. They innovate constantly. But they do so without compromising their core purpose and values.

For The 601 Group, our core is this:To bring people together through immersive food experiences—moments that connect, inspire, and stay with you.

Around that, everything is flexible.

Menus can change. Layouts can evolve. Technology can be upgraded. But our purpose? That doesn’t move.

We’ve seen this firsthand—how preserving that core while evolving the details has allowed us to create unique concepts like The Local Epicurean East Lansing. It’s why we added visible pasta production to the center of the store. It’s why we design our cooking classes to feel like memory-making experiences, not just transactions.

That balance—of holding tightly and evolving wisely—is one of the hardest things to get right. But it’s essential.

Clock Building, Not Time Telling

In Good to Great, Jim introduced the idea of “clock building, not time telling.”

Time tellers are charismatic leaders who build success around their own energy and vision. But once they’re gone, the business struggles. Clock builders, on the other hand, create systems and cultures that last—businesses that run without depending on a single personality.

That’s what we’re trying to do.

We don’t want our business to depend on us being in every room. We’re building systems, training leaders, writing playbooks. We want to empower our team, not make them rely on us.

Because if The 601 Group only works when Gina and I are physically in the business, behind the counter, or at the bar—then we haven’t really built something that endures.

The 20-Mile March

In Great by Choice, Jim introduces the idea of the 20-Mile March—a metaphor about disciplined progress. It’s based on the idea that great companies don’t sprint when times are good and freeze when times are hard. They set clear performance markers and hit them consistently, regardless of external conditions.

We’ve embraced that idea.

We’re not rushing to open ten stores in ten cities. We’re growing deliberately.

Some years, that means a new location. Other years, it might mean improving what we already have. But we’re committed to moving forward—always.

Because greatness isn’t built in explosive moments.

It’s built through disciplined, values-driven progress over time.

What this Means for The 601 Group

Jim Collins’s work continues to shape how we think, operate, and lead. His research provides a roadmap for any business—big or small—that wants to do more than make money. It’s for anyone who wants to make a lasting mark.

As we continue to build The 601 Group, I keep coming back to something he told me personally, during one of our one-on-one conversations,“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is a matter of conscious choice and discipline.”

That’s what we’re aiming for. Not just size. Not just growth.

But greatness with discipline.

A business that endures.

A business that matters.

— Mike