Business plans are a waste of time. Life is more dynamic than a business plan suggests. I love the proverb that says, “The work will teach you how to do it.” Learn as you go. Experiment constantly. Be nimble and flexible. Stop overthinking and start acting. I’ve never created a business plan in any of …
Do you feel like people don’t understand the method to your madness? This 1957 Synergy Map from Walt Disney (published in the Wall Street Journey in 1958) shows the complexity of the Disney operations. Look how the various parts work in harmony to create a sustainable growth engine. 60+ years later, the machine is still …
Why create artificial timelines on your entrepreneurial journey? If you want a life of continual growth and fulfillment – here’s a good place to start: Give yourself some time to get to where you want to go. When I was in college, I created a rough timeline for myself…. My 20’s and 30’s would be …
It was the summer of 2009. I was turned down for a promotion with my peers in my first job after college. I was devastated. I lost motivation. I counted down the minutes until I could leave each day. It was miserable. I knew I didn’t want to work for someone else. I wanted to …
My mother and sister died in a plane crash when I was in high school. Afterward, a close friend gave me a book called “Thoughts from the Pattaya Orphanage”. It’s full of quotes and photos of the orphans. I think only a few thousand copies were ever sold – to raise money to hire a …
The last few months have been tough, especially concerning our emotional and mental health. We’re social creatures. We need human interaction. From personal conversations I realize the human cost to what we’re all dealing with. Now more than ever, we should: – Cut each other some slack. – Reach out to each other a little …
We did a full-day quarterly planning session with two of our companies over the last week. I was worried we weren’t ready to process everything going on in the business. I was worried we were still just putting out fires; that we wouldn’t be able to see the big picture or create a clear go-forward …
I’m going to be more deliberate about the specifics of getting “back to normal” after all of this. I hope I have a better perspective and appreciation for the good things in my life. – Saying ‘NO’ to more things that take me away from home and my family. Permanent change. – Being more creative …
Cash flow, cash reserves, and profitability have never been as important as they are today. Our society has been enamored by venture-backed companies that focus almost exclusively on revenue growth. That means some businesses are being exposed like never before. Even though everyone knew the good times couldn’t go on forever, many business owners still …
Building a business requires constant experimentation. Now is a time for taking small bets (thanks Josh Steimle), even during this uncertainty. I’m using the next few weeks and months to do little experiments across our companies; the same strategy we’ve used to build our businesses from the beginning. When something works, we do more of …
Everything good in my life, both professionally and personally, has come in collaboration with partners. I’ve spent my entire life learning to be a good partner, and proving out a unique partnership model.
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