Alex Krieger

I partner with CEOs and senior executives to design personalized longevity strategies that unlock peak performance and sustained vitality. Through cutting-edge protocols, precision health optimization, and evidence-based interventions, I help high-performers achieve a biological age 15 years younger than their chronological age.

My approach combines advanced diagnostics, tailored nutrition and fitness programming, stress resilience techniques, and regenerative therapies to ensure leaders maintain their competitive edge while extending their healthspan. 

The result: executives who lead with enhanced mental clarity, physical strength, and sustained energy. Not just for years, but for decades to come.

Specializing in discrete, time-efficient solutions that integrate seamlessly into demanding schedules, I enable transformational health outcomes without compromising professional commitments.

Founder / Longevity Architect

Mozza

I invest in and advise early-stage startups.
This is my portfolio:
- Blok
- Nurra Health
- OpenHealth Technologies
- Kursinsel
- Notch
- Formel Skin
- Mister Balcony
- ThinkImmo
- CrossLend

Angel & Advisor

Interim Head of Growth

FORMEL Skin

FORMEL Skin is backed by Singular, Heal Capital, Cherry Ventures and Heartcore Capital. Recent series A funding of €30m. A HealthTech start-up offering customised, high-quality, medical treatments online.

VP of Product

nuture

I always had a passion for healthy nutrition. I was invited to kitchen town, a food accelerator and developed two products and brought them to market.

1. nuture

- Goal: Build the perfect portable meal with organic paleo ingredients
- Started working on nuture as a side project in 2016 because of my own pain as a commuter
- Implemented results of more than 676 scientific studies
- Became a certified nutritional coach with Precision Nutrition
- Sourced and tested more than 100 ingredients world wide
- Build a formula with 25 ingredients that contain all 26 essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids
- Combined and calculated >2000 data points to make the formula perfect
- Tested and launched nuture with > 200 people

2. munchy

Goal: Develop a sugar free cereal for everyone who loves cereals but has dietary restrictions and/or wants to eat healthier

- Developed a new formula for sugar free cereals with erythrit, inulin and stevia
- Tested with over 1000 participants and got 5 star ratings
- Bootstrapped to 1000+ subscribers with 40+ 5 star reviews from customers
- Terminated because of increased prices and supply shortage due to Covid

Founder

volders GmbH

✓ Assumed leadership of engineering department and successfully orchestrated complete tech stack refactoring, resulting in 10x improvement in development velocity
✓ Drove revenue growth w. marketing of over 300% through strategic initiatives and service optimization
✓ Grew a platform serving 3+ million customers while maintaining exceptional customer satisfaction (4.9/5.0 rating)

Volders is an innovative online service that allows users to conveniently cancel, organize and access their personal contracts (such as phone, energy or gym memberships) anytime from anywhere. Be in the know about all of your contracts’ remaining terms and how much you are paying for them. volders automatically reminds you about upcoming deadlines and informs you if there’s a better deal for you to be made.

Chief Product Officer (CPO)

smava GmbH

✓ Pioneered the first credit-to-go service and established strategic partnership with mobile.de, resulting in significant sales volume expansion
✓ Built and led the company's first growth team, driving continuous improvement in conversion rates
✓ Played key role in securing €65M Series C funding by generating over €600M in additional sales volume

Smava is Germany’s leading loan portal makes personal loans transparent, fair, and affordable for consumers. Based on digital processes, smava provides a market overview of 70 loan offers from 25 banks, ranging in value from €1,000 to €120,000. In 2017, the volume of loans originated through smava was c. $1.5 billion, with a total of more than $3 billion since inception. As one of the largest Fintech businesses in Germany, smava employs 300 staff with 36 nationalities under the direction of an experienced management team with strong backgrounds in finance and technology.

Growth Lead

CrossLend

✓ Led comprehensive business validation and market analysis, successfully driving strategic pivot from B2C to B2B model
✓ Optimized conversion rates across landing pages and registration funnels, achieving 30% improvement in user acquisition
✓ Spearheaded product discovery initiatives in collaboration with Head of Product, defining core product strategy and market fit

Crosslend aims to unlock capital stuck on banks’ balance sheets, giving both private clients and SMEs across Europe better access to financing, helping promote economic growth within the EU and taking a significant step towards establishing a Capital Markets Union.

Lead Product Marketing Manager

konversionsKRAFT (Web Arts AG)

✓ Led interdisciplinary product teams, driving growth across multiple clients and projects
✓ Spearheaded concept development and successful relaunch of Deutsche Telekom Cloud
✓ Designed and implemented UX strategies for Telefonica O2 and their subsidiary brand blau.de
✓ Achieved over 100% conversion rate improvement for Germany's largest direct insurance
✓ Delivered comprehensive optimization services including:
- Strategic website relaunches
- In-depth UX audits
- Data-driven A/B testing programs
- Persona development workshops
- User behavior analysis and research

With an estimated 15 bn € revenue in charge for optimization and over 40 consultants, Web Arts is on of the leading conversion optimization service providers worldwide. Operating under the brand of "konversionsKRAFT", the company works for major german and international brands, most of them Top 100 retailers, financial, travel and internet industry. Web Arts' founder and CEO André Morys is known as an international keynote speaker and is regarded as on of the Top 10 international influencers in the topic of conversion optimization.

Senior Conversion Consultant

Want to live longer, feel sharper, and perform at your peak for decades? 

I’m here to guide you, sharing science-backed strategies to extend your healthspan. 

Without chasing fads or disrupting your busy life.

Here’s what you’ll discover through my content:

✅ Simple ways to boost your energy, focus, and resilience, tailored to your demanding schedule
✅ Evidence-based habits to optimize your healthspan, so you thrive well into the future
✅ Practical tips to integrate longevity practices, whether you’re traveling or leading high-stakes projects
✅ Inspiration to extend your productive years while feeling vibrant every day

No extreme biohacking or quick fixes here. Just straightforward, sustainable habits designed for your unique biology.

Here’s what others like you have achieved through applying my content:

"I went from afternoon slumps to all-day energy and sharper focus in just weeks." — Fabian L., Entrepreneur

"These strategies added hours to my day and made me feel years younger." — Thomas D., Psychologist

"The routines I adopted gave me more energy and clarity to crush it daily." — Robert S., Public Speaker & CEO

Ready to redefine aging and unlock your best self? Follow me for daily tips, insights, and inspiration to optimize your health and live a longer, fuller life.

Let’s make longevity your edge! 

Connect with me for the latest on longevity and peak performance optimization.

Alex K.

I know people who spend $30,000 on stem cell therapy. 

Did you know your body can do this for free? I'm doing it right now!

You're looking at an ice bath photo.

But I'm not talking about cold exposure today.

I'm talking about something FAR more powerful for regeneration.

Something that costs $0.

Let me explain.

I know people that pay $30,000 for stem cell injections. 

It's even available in Europe.

But in 2014, Dr. Valter Longo at USC discovered something remarkable:

Your body already knows how to regenerate stem cells.

You just have to give it the right signal.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹? 

Prolonged fasting.

Here's the science:

- When you fast for 3-5 days, your IGF-1 plummets. 
- This inhibits PKA, an enzyme that normally keeps stem cells dormant.
- With PKA suppressed, your stem cells wake up.
- They start regenerating.
- Old, damaged immune cells get cleared out.
- New ones take their place.

The data is compelling:
→ Stem cells increase approximately 6-fold 
→ Biological age reduced by 2.5 years (after 3 cycles) 
→ Immune system literally rebuilds itself

The magic happens AFTER the 72-hour mark. 

That's when your body completes the metabolic switch.

And when you start eating again? 

That's when stem cells EXPLODE with proliferation.

Fasting might be the most underrated regeneration tool you have.

And it's completely free.

I'm on day 3 right now and will be finished by Saturday :)

Do you want to try this instead of spending $30,000 on stem cell therapy?

I have created a 5-day fasting guide with special electrolytes, pre- and refeeding cycles, etc.

This is also the guide I use for my clients.

Write a comment and I'll send you the guide via DM.

Longevity Architect for CEOs | Perform, Feel & Look 15 years younger | Ex-Tech Executive | Angel Investor

You are tired. You know that you need to improve your sleep.

But most sleep advice is garbage. Here's what works.

The problem isn't that you don't value sleep.

It's that you haven't made it your identity.

Here's my mindset shift that changed everything:

I stopped being "someone who sleeps when possible."

I became a professional sleeper!

And my performance exploded.

The Protocol:

→ Schedule sleep like your most critical meeting
No "just this once." 
It's a sacred time.

→ Set TWO alarms (not for waking up)
9 PM: Wind-down begins 
10 PM: Lights out
That hour is non-negotiable transition time.

→ Replace scrolling with reading 30 minutes before bed. 
Your mind needs decompression, not dopamine hits.

→ Create a sleep sanctuary 
Blackout curtains Cool temp (65-68°F / 18-21 Celsius) 
Complete darkness 
White noise if needed

→ Cut caffeine at noon 
Not because you can't fall asleep. 
Because your DEEP sleep gets destroyed.

My results after 90 days:
- Sharper decision-making in high-pressure moments 
- Better emotional regulation with my team 
- Consistent energy from 6 AM to 6 PM 
- HRV improved by 23 points

Sleep isn't recovery.

It's your performance and longevity enhancer.

The best CEOs and executives I know treat it that way.

What's stopping you from becoming a professional sleeper?

Hey friends 👋 I spent the past few weeks soaking up some sun.

Back in Berlin (winter) and also on LinkedIn now 😊

Ryan Rouse

MALK Organics

President

Self Employed

Growth Advisor

HighKey 

Chief Executive Officer (acquired)

Board Member

Chief Marketing & Ecommerce Officer

Tasseo Consumer Ecosystem

Operating Partner

Serenity Kids

Head of Growth

Factor_

Co-Founder (Acquired by Hello Fresh)

Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Merrill Lynch

Vice President of Sales

Growth advisor to consumer businesses with a focus on every line of the P&L | Previously, Co-Founder at Factor Meals (acquired), CEO at Highkey

Growth-minded CPG leader with deep experience across finance, brand building, and operational leadership.

After more than a decade in finance—culminating in an eight-year tenure at Merrill Lynch—I co-founded Factor_, a ready-to-eat meal delivery company that went on to be acquired by HelloFresh for $277M in 2020.

I joined HighKey Snacks as Chief Marketing Officer and later CEO, guiding the low-sugar snack brand through rapid expansion and an acquisition in 2024.

I'm currently the President of MALK Organics, a fast-growing, near nine-figure brand redefining the plant-based milk category with its commitment to clean, organic ingredients and uncompromising quality.

And I write a newsletter about what it really takes to grow—your company, your mindset, your tolerance for chaos:
​
​• The unfiltered truth about building a brand
• Why “strategy” isn’t always strategic
• What to do when everything feels on fire
• Mindset shifts that keep you sane(ish)​
• Founder mistakes, market moves, and lessons I’m still learning​
​
​Part playbook, part perspective shift.
For anyone trying to grow something—and keep their head on straight.

Sign up using the link here (or below my profile pic above): https://ryanrouse.me/

Vice President | Partner

Data driven investors in early stage consumer brands. 

We've normalized something insane.

Two people typing at each other for 35 minutes.

Typing gives us time to be clever. To craft the perfect comeback. To sound right while being wrong.

Talking forces us to be human.

No edit button. No screenshots for later. No audience watching you perform.

Just two people working it out in real time.

The friction you feel before picking up the phone and calling?

That's your ego protecting itself.

It knows the keyboard is safer.

But relationships aren't built in safety.

They're built in the messy, unedited moments when you actually hear someone's voice.

Next time you're about to send that long message?

Pick up the phone instead.

You'll be shocked how fast "enemies" become teammates when you remove the screen between you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Never Been on a Forbes List | President at MALK Organics | Daddy at Rouse House | Previously: Co-Founder & CMO at Factor_, CEO at Highkey

No alternative text description for this image

The startup world worships charisma.

Big personalities. Bold promises. Slick pitches.

But I've watched too many charismatic founders flame out.

And too many quiet operators build empires.

Here's what I learned:

Charisma opens doors. Character keeps them open.

Charisma raises the round. Character delivers the returns.

The market rewards charisma in the short term. But it pays character in the long run.

Use your charisma to sell the vision.
Use your character to build the business.

I'm curious: Think about the best leader you've ever worked with.

Were they the most charismatic person in the room, or did they have something deeper that made you follow them?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The more polished your corporate language, the less your employees believe a word you say.

Early in my startup career, I'd craft these perfect all-hands emails. 

"We're excited to announce strategic realignment initiatives that will optimize our organizational effectiveness."

Translation: We're laying people off.

My team saw right through it.

And it created distrust and disengagement.

So I changed my approach.

Instead of "pursuing growth opportunities," I started saying "we're trying something new and honestly, we're not sure if it'll work."

Instead of "navigating headwinds," I said "this quarter sucked and here's why."

It was uncomfortable at first.

But the team started asking real questions instead of nodding politely.

And they started to trust me more when things got hard because they knew I wouldn't sugarcoat it.

I remember the first time I told my team "I don't have a good answer for that yet" in a meeting. 

Someone was brave enough to say "thank you for not making something up."

People don't want perfect messaging from their leaders.

They want honest communication about what's really happening and how it affects them.

Even if you don't know. 

Your team can handle the truth. 

What they can't handle is being treated like they're too naive to see through corporate BS. 

Every euphemism you use is a withdrawal from the trust bank.

And that account doesn't have overdraft protection.

There's no finish line where suddenly you feel like you made it.

No magic number that makes the doubt disappear.

No age where you finally stop comparing yourself to the 28-year-old who just raised $50M.

We're all out here pretending we're on schedule while secretly terrified we're falling behind.

The woman who sold at 32 thinks he peaked too early.

The guy grinding at 50 thinks she started too late.

The kid raising millions thinks he's a fraud.

None of us know what we're doing.

We're just making different mistakes at different speeds.

Your career isn't late.

It's not early either.

It's just yours.

And the only way to lose is to stop showing up because you think you missed some imaginary deadline.

Keep building.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The biggest sales job you'll ever make isn't to your customers.

It's to yourself.

Because it's the stories in your head determine the stories you tell the world.

If you're telling yourself you're an imposter, that's exactly what you'll project in every meeting.

If you're telling yourself you're not a "numbers person," guess what? You won't be.

If you're telling yourself you need one more certification, one more mentor, one more anything before you're ready...

You're right. You'll never be ready.

Because readiness isn't something you acquire.

It's something you decide.

The most successful people I know aren't the ones with the best credentials or the smoothest pitch.

They're the ones who changed their internal narrative first.

From "I'm figuring it out" to "I know my shit."
From "I hope this works" to "Watch me make this work."
From "I'm not that type of person" to "I'm becoming that type of person right now."

Your business can only grow as fast as your self-concept allows.

Change the story. Change everything.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Every morning at 5:30 AM, my alarm goes off.

And I have a choice.

Hit snooze and skip my workout, or get up and move.

That's the first battle of the day.

Success isn't some climactic moment where everything falls into place.

It's winning thousands of these small fights. Day after day.

The decision to kill a product you spent 18 months developing because it clearly doesn't work. 

The discipline to skip the third glass of wine at dinner so you can think more clearly in tomorrow's meeting.

The courage to fire someone who's good but not great.

There is no one final battle.

No last job.

No riding off into the sunset.

These micro battles never stop.

And the moment you accept that?

The pressure to "arrive" disappears.

You stop waiting for some future version of success.

You start finding it in the discipline of showing up when it's hard.

In choosing the right move over the easy one.

In winning today's battles so you're ready for tomorrow's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

What if choosing not to be offended was the most powerful decision you could make today?

Most leaders don't realize they're handing control of their day to people who don't matter.

I've spent 15+ years in executive roles. Built teams. Navigated acquisitions. Raised 3 kids.

Many years ago, someone's criticism would completely derail me.

I'd stew on it for hours.  

But that person? Living their life. Completely unbothered.

The only person suffering was me.

It made me recognize that offense is a choice.

Not a reflex. A choice.

Now when someone tries to push my buttons, I pause and choose whether or not to engage. And how to engage if I choose to. 

I'm protecting what matters: me.

Your reaction gives other people control over your day.

Your non-reaction or calm reaction gives you back your power.

So here's my question:

Who are you letting live in your head that doesn't deserve to be there?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Being late to every meeting isn't a personality quirk. 

It's a character flaw. 

And it's costing you more than you think. 

It's like your friend who couldn't handle their alcohol and had to be baby sat every night. At first everyone's like "Oh, that's just Jeff/Julie."'

But you know what happened over time? Less and less people hung out with Jeff and Julie. 

Same goes here. 

Every time you're late to a meeting, you're showing showing people you can't be trusted with the small things.

Trust with the small things leads to trust with the big ones.

The opportunities that require trust:
- Leading a team
- Managing a budget
- Representing the company
- Taking on a big project

None of those happen if people don't trust you with the basics.

And being on time is the most basic thing there is.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

I've watched good companies crumble from the inside out.

Not because of market conditions or bad products.

Because they let weak leadership linger.

Your team sees it before you do.

And every day you wait, they lose a little more belief.

Not just in that one leader.

In you. In the vision. In whether any of it matters.

The damage compounds faster than you think.

And by the time it's obvious to you, half your best people are already mentally checked out.

So when you know someone isn't cutting it, act.

Yes, transitions are messy.

Yes, there will be short-term pain.

But nothing restores faith in a team faster than watching leadership actually lead.

I've never been the smartest person in the room.

But I have been the most dangerous.

Not because I know more.

Because I know less.

My first few months at MALK, I was like a broken record.

"What's the reason for that?"
"Who decided this?"
"What happens if we skip it?"

I've done the same thing at business I get involved with. 

Turns out, most companies run on autopilot.

Someone built a process years ago because they needed something fast.
It stuck.

Not because it was good.

Because it was there.

Your processes aren't best practices.

They're fossils.

Fresh eyes see the waste you've gone blind to.
Here's what works:

Hire people with fresh eyes. 

Give them permission to be annoying.

Let them question everything.

Document every "why?"

Most answers will be "I don't know" or "that's just how it's done."

That's your gold mine.

Each "I don't know" is money left on the table.

Each "that's how we've always done it" is a process begging to be killed.

What process exists at your company only because "that's how it's always been done"?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The cost of handing out fancy titles too soon is real. 

Early on at Factor_, we couldn't afford top talent.

So we did what a lot of founders do.

We gave people VP and Director titles to make up for the salary gap.

Seemed smart at the time.

They got the prestige. We saved cash.

But a title doesn't teach someone how to do the job.

It doesn't give them the reps. The pattern recognition. The instincts that come from years on the job.

And when you realize someone isn't ready for the role they're in, you've got a real problem.

Because now you can't just adjust their responsibilities.

You have to demote them or move them out.

Which is brutal for everyone involved.

The title that was supposed to solve a problem becomes the problem.

Looking back now, I wish I'd been straight with people about where they actually were.

Not where I needed them to be.

Give them a role they can handle today. 

Let them earn the next one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Everyone's building a personal brand. But personal credibility should be the goal. 

I see it every day.

People obsessing over their LinkedIn banner design while their actual work speaks nothing.

Crafting the perfect thought leader bio while delivering mediocre results.

Posting motivational quotes they don't live by.

Here's what they don't get:

Personal brand is what you tell people you are.
Personal credibility is what you prove you are.

One is manufactured. The other is earned.

You can buy a personal brand. Hire a ghostwriter. Use AI to pump out content. Get those vanity metrics up.

But credibility?

That comes from one place: Doing.

Delivering on promises when nobody's watching.
Admitting when you're wrong instead of doubling down.
Sharing real failures, not just humble brags disguised as lessons.

The most credible people I know barely think about their "brand."

They're too busy actually building things. Solving problems. Creating value.

Their reputation spreads through whisper networks, not viral posts.

Want to stand out in 2025?

Stop polishing your image.
Start delivering results.

Because at the end of the day, your personal brand is just marketing.

Your personal credibility is your actual product.

And people can smell the difference from a mile away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Being a 6/10 across many functions will serve you more than being a 10/10 in one.

But you typically have to get to a 9/10 in one area to earn the opportunity to oversee the others. 

The hard part for most people is being comfortable going from a 9/10 in something down to a 6/10 in order to create time to go from a 2/10 to a 6/10 in the others.

They can’t let go of being best in class at the one thing. 

Which limits their ability to to lead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

You survived the launch. You got early traction.

So why does year three feel harder than year one?

Because in year one, you'd work 24/7 and love it.

The adrenaline was real. Every win felt like validation.

You didn't need sleep. You didn't need breaks.

You had rocket fuel in your veins.

But years 2-5...

The adrenaline runs out.

And when it does, the grinding reality sets in.

34.4% of founders experience burnout.

Not in year one when you're supposed to be struggling.

In years 2-5, when you're supposed to have it figured out.

Year one, you're running on pure excitement and fear.

That combination keeps you moving even when you're exhausted.

But years 2-5? That's when the wheels come off.

The excitement fades. The fear becomes background noise.

What's left is just the grind.

No finish line in sight.

Revenue looks healthy. Team is growing.

But you're running on empty.

And you don't realize it's happening.

You think you're just tired. You think it's a rough month.

You tell yourself you'll take a break soon.

But soon never comes.

Because now you've got:

• A team depending on you
• Investors expecting growth
• Customers needing support
• A reputation to protect

You can't just stop anymore.

The thing about founder burnout is it doesn't announce itself.

It shows up in small ways first.

You start dreading Monday mornings.

Emails sit unread for days.

Decision-making gets harder.

Your patience with your team gets thinner.

Then one day you wake up and realize: You don't remember the last time you felt excited about this.

The data backs this up.

Founders in their middle years report higher rates of anxiety and depression than in year one.

Not because things are going worse.

Because things are going exactly as expected.

And that's somehow harder to handle than the chaos.

If you're in those middle years right now, here's what I'd tell you:

The 24/7 hustle isn't sustainable.

It never was.

Year one, you could get away with it because the adrenaline covered the cost.

But you can't run a marathon on sprint energy.

And building a lasting company is a marathon.

Take the break. Build the boundaries. Protect your mental health.

Not because it's nice to have.

Because your business won't survive if you don't.

I spend my days analyzing consumer behavior, market trends, etc.

But my wife always points out something I completely missed.

Last month, we were arguing about why the kids kept leaving their water bottles everywhere.

I said it was a discipline problem.

She said it was a design problem.

The bottles were too heavy when full. Too awkward to carry. The lids leaked in their backpacks.

So they just... stopped using them.

I had been so focused on the behavior, I missed the product failure.

We do this in our industry. 

Blame "disloyal" customers instead of asking if our packaging is annoying to open or if our product fits in their pantry.

My wife doesn't work in CPG.

She doesn't know (or care) what a P&L is.

But she sees a ton of things I don't.

The tiny annoyances. The small frustrations. The gap between what we promise and what actually works in real life.

Here’s hoping you all have a "Lindsay" involved in the product development process.

Everyone you know doubts themselves.

No matter how successful or confident they appear.

I know ultra successful people who wonder if they can take the next step.

They worry that they might lose it all.

They worry they won't be able to make it back if they do lose it.

Despite their sucess, they have a lot of self doubt.

It’s normal when you're starting out and when you get more successful.

So if you're feeling the weight of your doubt.

Just know that it's normal.

You're not doing something wrong.

Everyone doubts themselves.

Congrats to all who made the Forbes list. 

I did not. Therefore, my headline remains in tact.

You can't be great at everything.

And that's actually the point.

The bell curve is undefeated. Small percentage who are elite. Small percentage who are terrible. Large percentage in the middle.

It applies to everything - career, relationships, fitness, hobbies.

Where it gets interesting is when you stack bell curves on top of one another.

Elite in one area almost always means average or terrible in others.

The math doesn't lie.

Which means you have to pick.

Which areas of life you want to be on the upper end of the curve?

And how far down that curve do you want to go?

All those choices have trade offs. 

Personally, I want to be in the 90th percentile in family, career, and health. 

That's above average, but not elite. 

Being in the 90th percentile in all of them means I can't be in the 98th percentile in any. 

It also means I can't even be in the 60th percentile in other things that aren't on my list. 

Some people choose differently. They go all-in on one thing. Become truly elite.

They accept being below average everywhere else.

Neither approach is wrong.

What's wrong is pretending you can be elite at everything.

The trade-off is real whether you acknowledge it or not.

So pick your bell curves.

And stop lying to yourself about the ones you didn't pick.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The DTC era taught founders a dangerous lesson.

You could skip the hard work of understanding your category.

Build a brand, tell a story, sell direct.

No need to obsess over shelf placement, competitive sets, or how retailers think about your space.

But shoppers still compare you to everything else in the category.

They always have.

Whether your product sits next to competitors on a shelf or shows up alone on your website doesn't matter.

A lot of digitally native brands tried to move into retail and got crushed. 

Because they never did the foundational work.

They didn't know their category cold.

Didn't understand how it's priced, how it's merchandised, how it's managed, how decisions get made.

That knowledge used to be non-negotiable.

Before DTC, founders had no choice but to become category experts first.

It was the only path to market.

Now it's optional.

And that optionality is killing brands.

You can't win in CPG without being obsessed with your category.

Not just your product.

The entire space you're competing in.

That's table stakes.

taplio

The Battle

Alex K.

Ryan Rouse

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAlex K.'s LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRyan Rouse's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Alex K.

Ryan Rouse

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alex K.'s LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRyan Rouse's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAlex K.'s LinkedIn Performance