Codie A. Sanchez

Investing millions in Main St businesses & teaching you how to own the rest | HoldCo, VC fund, Founder

On a mission to create financially free and free-thinking humans.I founded a advisory and investment company called Contrarian Thinking that helps owners buy and scale businesses.Our newsletter has over 1M+ weekly readers, here → contrarianthinking.biz/liOur community has taught 9,000+ members biz buying, biz growing, and doing deals. We value experience over degrees.Betting on yourself over building someone else's dream.Main Street over Wall Street.My mission is less suits, more boots. Meaning: we the people holding the power… and the purse strings.🔗Join 1M+ others who get our free newsletter: contrarianthinking.biz/li🔗YouTube: @CodieSanchezCT🔗Instagram: @codiesanchez🔗Twitter: @Codie_Sanchez🔗Weekly business-buying newsletter Main Street Minute: contrarianthinking.biz/minute-li

Founder

We help free minds and build bank accounts.

Investing millions in Main St businesses & teaching you how to own the rest | HoldCo, VC, Founder | NYT best-selling author

My husband said five words to me that made my worldview flip on never missing a chance to see a loved one: “Measure in times, not years.”

We were debating whether to go home and see our family for Thanksgiving and my husband said...

If your parents are 65, it’s not 20 or 30 years you might have with them, it’s maybe 20 or 30 visits you get with them.

One in four Americans don’t live in the same hometown as their family. How would you change your decisions if you’d only get to see your loved ones for 20 or 30 more days?

You’d change everything to be with them, wouldn’t you? Same if it was six months. And yet when those days are separated by years we let them slide through our fingers.

Next time don’t count the years, remember the days… and treasure them.

3 harsh truths I've been thinking about a lot lately...

1. Most successful people I've met aren't that smart. They move fast, they take risk, they work a lot. That's it.

2. The world is run by C students & failed employees. You can't underestimate yourself.

3. Managing what you choose to sell, do and focus on is more important than how hard you work or how smart you are.

Example:

You can, for the next 40 years:

- Climb up the corporate ladder
- Grind for a mission you don't believe in
- Spend 50hrs/wk+ away from your family

All for a 401k and a white picket fence at the end to show for it.

OR

You can learn how to buy a business and:

- Own a cashflowing biz in your community
- Touch your work with your own two hands
- Disconnect your money from your time
- Spend more time on the things that matter
- Become one of the few... an Owner.

Ownership is not for everyone.

But it could be for you.

I don’t blame you if you're nervous to take the first step on your own.

If that’s you, I’m hosting an event that's just what you need to start acting on business-buying…

Get details & sign-up here → https://lnkd.in/g3V6NrTZ

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Arfan Iftikhar

A hard truth I've learned in business.

It's always who not how.

1. There's only so much time in the day.
2. There's always going to be someone smarter and better than you.

These aren't problems. They're levers.

Every time you struggle with an issue, don't try to figure out how to solve it. Instead, ask yourself what type of person could solve it for you.

You don’t have a HOW problem, you have a WHO problem.

Solve that and you solve everything.

↓ ↓ ↓

This is a strategy I think of as “stealing someone’s 10,000 hours.”

And I’m letting you take my 10,000 hours for free at my Main Street Millionaire Live Event…

I’ve bought & sold 20+ small businesses. I’ve failed a couple, scaled several, and I’m sharing a condensed version of how to buy a biz over 3 days. 

It’ll be beginner-friendly and perfect if you're still in your 9-5.

Save your spot here today → https://lnkd.in/g7mjjqYQ

My coworker got the promotion over me.

Numerically worse at the work. Great at politics.

I brought in deals. Fixed messes. Hit all goals

He was 10x better than me at managing up.

He got the title. I got “keep doing what you’re doing.”

It took 10+ years for me to click that most companies reward politics, not performance.

So I left. Started buying boring businesses and building my own thing.

Now I make many times what my old bosses did. No corporate games.

The best operators don’t usually climb the ladder. They are the ladder everyone else climbs.

Corporate optimizes for compliance. Owners optimize for competence.

If you’re elite at the work but trash at politics, don't give up, I was just like you.

Take the risk in 2026.

↓↓↓

If you want to learn how to buy a business in 2026 and become an owner, I’m doing this 3-day virtual workshop for you: https://lnkd.in/dYP5dr-T

21 tips to be the first gen wealth builder in your family:

1. The Law of Two Hours: 2 hours of dedicated work is worth more than most people’s 8 hours.

2. How to never fail with a business: Start as a side project. Keep your job. Use your salary to fund. Quit when you have enough cashflow.

3. It's not about time. It's about the F word. Focus. You don’t need 24 hours a day to build a business.

4. Think about your salary like a Silicon Valley investor. Treat every single dollar you give to your side business like an investor would.

5. Hope is not a strategy. “Pray like it’s up to God, but work like it’s up to me.”

6. You don't need more time, you need a deadline.

7. Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Money loves speed. Poverty loves waiting.

8. Small & consistent beats big & sporadic. Long hours at a desk is counterproductive.

9. If you want to make more money, be more useful to people who have more money.

10. It is very hard to change the world when you are broke. So don't apologize for chasing money.

11. Nobody cares about your life...They think about you for one second and then think about themselves again. So you might as well do what you want.

12. You must be just dumb enough to believe in yourself, just smart enough to execute.

13. If you say you will do a thing, then actually do the thing. 90% do not do this.

14. No one is coming to save you. You want a better life, go build it.

15. You must learn to be disliked or you’ll find yourself stuck in a prison of other people's desires.

16. Tasting freedom can make you unemployable. Get that initial momentum, and watch your life start to change.

17. You are paid exactly as much as the problems you solve are worth. Bigger problems = bigger $$$

18. Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to fill the available time. Just because you quit your job doesn't mean you'll magically have all of these hours.

19. If you're not currently doing whatever that thing is inside of you, you're not going to do it after you quit your job.

20. Startups are for masochists. If you want that life, I commend you. If you want a slightly less rocky path to ownership, buy a business instead of starting one.

And lastly, there are 2 types of people:

Those who build wealth through ownership. and those who work to make others wealthy.

The dividing line isn’t talent or luck. It’s action.

↓↓↓↓

P.S. If you have yet to take action in 2026 but are interested in becoming an owner...

Come to my business buying masterclass tomorrow. 

It's free. 90 minutes long. And walks you through how to find the right business for you.

Find all the details here: https://lnkd.in/g3V6NrTZ

I sometimes pinch myself. I don't deserve this life.

Knew nothing about finance.
Public schools.
Parents who worked nonstop.
Party school for undergrad.

But my family taught me about hard work, God, responsibility, and never quitting.

It makes no sense, except for the grace of God. Grateful.

I’m 39.

27 lessons I wish I learned in my 20s: 

1. As soon as you hit your 30s, you’ll understand... Your 20s actually suck. If you feel like it sucks right now, guess what? It’s supposed to. It gets better.

2. Your first job is like the DMV. Awful. Everyone’s mad. Nothing works. But the key is.. You are not supposed to stay there.

3. It is very hard to change the world when you are broke. So don't apologize for chasing money.

4. Meet everyone. Say yes to everything. You narrow the field later.

5. Do it all. Because you’ll die eventually and life will make you slow down. But up until then, eat the world.

6. You are not everyone’s cup of tea, that’s a good thing.

7. The most lucrative things you can do in your 20s: 1) learn how to invest, 2) apprentice in PE, real estate, or venture.

8. If they’re not interesting when you’re sober, don’t drink until they become it.

9. Never buy to impress. Being wealthy > looking wealthy… even when that first big-kid check hits your bank account.

10. The most important question you can ask yourself often: Does this bring joy?

11. Do favors, don’t take them. There’s often a hidden price.

12. If I was in my 20s, I’d try to work for one type of company… One where they reward outcomes not hours. Winning > running really hard for a really long time.

13. Seed is only as good as its soil. Where you live during your 20s matters. Take some time away from your hometown.

14. If you feel cynical about the world… I don’t blame you. But always remember the number one superpower for your generation is HOPE.

15. If you’re prone to loneliness and isolation.. do NOT work a remote job. A small team with sleepless nights and shared goals is a powerful thing.

16. Touch grass. A walk outside will be better for your brain than anything you find on your phone.

17. Burnout doesn’t come from working too hard. Burnout comes from working too hard, on things that don’t light you up.

18. Learn how to save now, but understand that saving isn’t what makes you rich.

19. If you want to make more money, be more useful to people who have more money.

20. You must learn to be disliked or you will find yourself stuck in a prison of other people's beliefs.

21. Most successful people I've met aren't that smart. They move fast, they take risk, they work a lot. That's it.

22. If old you doesn’t make you cringe, you haven’t grown enough.

23. Do something hard every day. Then watch that “something” evolve as you become stronger and stronger.

24. If you haven’t done it, you just have an opinion.

25. Marrying well is the biggest life hack of all. Marrying poorly is a costly path to misery. Choose wisely.

26. Working smarter not harder is a beautiful lie. You will not know how to work smart until you've worked very hard for an irrationally long time.

27. Take notes from old people… Waking up early, being married, reading books, going to bed at 10pm, and drinking less is actually amazing.

Ramota Oladejo

There’s no such thing as the right or wrong business.

There’s only the business that’s right or wrong for you.

One of the most common DMs I get is:

"Should I buy a laundromat, car wash, or storage units?"

But that's totally the wrong question to begin with...because everyone has different goals.

That’s why I created the Contrarian Deal Clarity Framework to help first time owners buy a biz.

You need to define 5 components:

1. Your Ideal Owner Experience

Saying “I want to leave my 9-5” is too wishy-washy.

To trade in your W2 form, your vision board needs to be specific on three things:

- Personal goals (do you want more family time or grind for yourself)
- Income goals (replace your $75k salary or build an empire)
- Business goals (be a hands-on operator or absentee owner)

2. Your Zone of Genius

Think of this as the intersection between:

- Passion (what you love)
- Skills & Experience (what you’re good at)
- Network (who you know)

Most people ignore this and buy businesses they eventually hate running.

Don’t be most people.

3. Business Size

It’s easy to fantasize about buying a Fortune 500 company.

But we’re not playing the billionaire game here.

As a first-time time buyer, look for micro acquisitions:

- <$1M cost
- $50K-$200K profits
- 1-3X multiples

Less competition, more opportunity, fewer headaches.

4. Profit

Remember...you’re not just buying a business for the sake of it.

Your acquisition MUST be an income stream that can cover:

1. Debt service
2. Operator salary (if relevant)
3. Growth/working capital
4. Your earnings

Use these two tests to evaluate if a deal is worth looking at:

The SOWS Test

Before I buy anything, I ask if the business is:

- Stale - Does the owner still use fax machines
- Old - Is it 5+ years old with repeat customers
- Weak - Does competition suck at marketing
- Simple - Can an 8-year-old could understand it

The more boxes it checks, the better.

The BRIT Test

Then I check to see if it’s BRIT:

- Buy - Must be a cashflow, not cash-suck businesses
- Resist - Recession-proof
- Increase - Can I raise prices (most owners undercharge by 30%)
- Tech - Can I add simple technology to improve it?

5. Industry

There are certain industries you should avoid for your first biz.

Think restaurants or hotels...

On the flip side, these are my favorite businesses for first-time buyers:

- Digital Businesses (build once, sell forever)
- Home Services (roof repair / lawn care)
- Professional Services (e.g CPAs)
- Real Estate Enhanced (laundromats/car washes)

Once you get clear on your Deal Box, you stop wasting time on deals that don’t fit your criteria and get closer to buying the biz that FEELs right.

↓↓↓

Want to go even deeper than this post did?...

Next week, I'm running a Masterclass breaking down exactly how to buy the perfect business for YOU. 

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/g3V6NrTZ

6 other traits of rich people no one tells you:

1. Rich people want you to sell them something.

2. Something 99% of rich people have in common: they own. Most often, they own businesses & real estate.

3. Most people complain about taxes, then pay them. Rich people study taxes then outsmart them.

4. In my experience, almost all successful people are competitive. More competitive you are, more likely you are to succeed.

5. Most rich people I know don't care about their title at all. Business owner > visionary, industry disrupter, startup CEO

6. You'll learn the most from asking rich people this question: "When did you almost lose it all? What did you learn?"

💥 For more like this, feel free to follow me → Codie A. Sanchez

Story from my dad today.

If you’re a business owner, it may hit you as deeply as it hit me...

He said, you know you’ve met another builder or doer when they’ve felt that flinch at the second Friday of the month.

My father has never bounced a check.

But he remembers this…

It was payday, his business was owed money, and they couldn’t bridge the gap between the two in time.

He could just picture the guys’ faces.

Those last two workers, who had done more than anyone else, stayed later than anyone else…

And they were about to be punished for that by not getting paid.

So he called up his banker, told him he needed a line of credit, and pulled out $100,000 give or take to make sure that every single one of their checks cleared.

At the time, my dad had a business partner who was a different type of guy.

He was the sort to make excuses, pay himself first, and not particularly care if everyone else’s checks cleared as long as he got his.

That partner has since had many businesses fail - and many more employees go without a paycheck.

And my dad has never in all these years had a business fail, or lost anyone a dime.

He often attributes his business success to the fact that he would never let his hardest working guys go hungry...

People will always be your biggest struggle and your greatest gift in business. Treat ‘em right.

↓↓↓↓

P.S. I’m hosting a free masterclass next week covering 4 practical growth levers that help maintain healthy cash flow and predictable payroll.

Sign up here (for free): https://lnkd.in/gSfvX_AF

Nish Thakker

If you have had:

• a terrible boss
• workplace ptsd
• a bankruptcy
• a huge failure

GOOD.

Chips on shoulders > easy roads.

The more you do hard things, the more you'll get what you want.

Because doing hard things, makes hard things easier.

If you're doing it right, the failure that leveled you last year, won't even register this year.

↓ ↓ ↓

If you're ready to seek out your next hard thing, let's buy a business this year ;)

Here's a list of 130 boring biz's I'd start with → https://lnkd.in/eGpHZtx3

You aren’t here to be liked.

You’re here to be respected.

Don’t be easy. Be hard.

Be righteous in what you do and believe.

Don’t be less for other people.
Don’t let them bend you or break you.
Don’t be a doormat walked upon.

Be a f*cking pointed nail… they’ll remember you.

If you’re bringing this energy into 2026, feel free to repost this.

And if the way you want to do it is by trading in your 9-5 for financial freedom without starting from scratch? Come to my Main Street Millionaire Live next month. 

All you need is determination & desire…. and 72 hours of your time.

You’re invited, just reserve your spot here → https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

This is the hiring framework most small business owners never figure out:

Unicorns vs Donkeys

Unicorns = A players, high performers, self starters... aka, the person you WANT to hire for every role at your company.

Donkeys = B and C players, lacking initiative, unmotivated, task-oriented.

The truth every business owner knows but hates to face:

Donkeys are common.

Unicorns are rare.

Unfortunately, MOST people are donkeys. And as a smaller-level business, it's very hard to build the profit needed to attract unicorns.

So you're left with 2 options. You can either:

1. Build a business that can actively search for unicorns.

2. Build processes so good that donkeys can win the race.

Many problems in your business are a WHO problem. But you'd be surprised that solving the HOW often enables the people you have now to succeed.

Processes are your secret weapon.

Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done.

Money loves speed. Poverty loves waiting.

How I like to start my week.

The 1 in 60 Rule:

↓ ↓ ↓

Feel free to follow me Codie A. Sanchez if you found this useful.

This Routine Will Change Your Life

How to never fail with a business:

- Start as a side project
- Keep your job
- Use your salary to fund
- Don't use debt
- Quit & go all in ONLY when enough cashflow

15 years of biz & life lessons in <500 words:

↓ ↓ ↓

1. Marrying well is the biggest life hack of all.

2. Be the type of person who reaches out to others... when you don't need something.

3. The greatest muscle you can build is urgency.

4. Most successful people move with this mindset: Entitled to nothing, willing to earn everything.

5. Pray like it's up to God. Work like it's up to you.

6. You don't need more time, you need a deadline.

7. The success you are looking for is waiting for you in the work you are currently avoiding.

8. Biographies of billionaires teach you more than self-help books.

9. Your lack of focus will kill you before your competitors ever get a chance.

10. Winning isn't an accident, it's earned.

11. Underrated superpower: Just dumb enough to believe in yourself, just smart enough to execute.

12. Complexity makes you seem smart. Simplicity makes you money.

13. Surround yourself with owners, the conversation is just different.

14. The more you learn about money, the more you realize most of us play with Legos while the really rich play chess.

15. Beginners do too much. Pros do only what's needed.

16. Underperformers want ease. Midperformers want credit. Winners want pressure.

17. Your most expensive mistake will be a "who," not a "what."

18. If you've survived this far, the odds are actually are in your favor.

19. The formula is: keep going after it gets hard.

If you liked this post and you're NOT signed up for my newsletter... you're seriously missing out. Get it here → https://lnkd.in/ggN9g-BX

The greatest muscle you can build is urgency.

Shrink your timelines...

When you say next quarter, push for next 60 days.

When you say next month, push for 2 weeks.

When you say next week, push for 24 hours.

Not everything will get done on the new timeline, but you'll build a habit that will make you more successful than other people.

Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Everything changes.

↓ ↓ ↓

If you want to push forward serious financial goals in 2026, you should look into this…

It’s live event on what I think is the single greatest skill you could learn this year to change your financial future forever.

It’s called a 3 day live event called Main Street Millionaire where we’re going deep on exactly how to find, buy, run, and scale a profitable small business.

If this sounds remotely interesting, save your spot here → https://lnkd.in/gf6hPHdF

The #1 killer of businesses is bad cashflow.

15 other harsh business truths for you:

1. The greatest muscle you can build is urgency. Bureaucracy is business poison.

2. Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done. Everything changes.

3. Never sacrifice reputation in the name of business. You can always start another company. You can never create a new reputation.

4. Long-term games and long-term people compound. Resist shiny objects.

5. Hire smart people, pay them well, set them up for success... Then leave them the hell alone.

6. “There’s nothing worse than being sick, fat, tired and trying to run your business.” - Dana White

7. The highest ROI investment founders & owners can make is in themselves. Health shapes mindset. Mindset shapes action.

8. You're better off learning negotiation than financial modeling. Business is less spreadsheets than words.

9. The best business of all time has only you, a computer, and the send button.

10. Every additional employee increases complexity. Hiring is a last resort.

11. The best advice comes from those just a couple steps ahead of you. These people still vividly remember the problems you're facing today.

12. Sell painkillers, not vitamins. There's more money in needs than wants.

13. No discounts. Compete on value, not price. Any biz with $$$ can enter your market and bleed you out. Differentiate beyond commodity.

14. A happy customer is the most powerful marketing. Prioritize reviews. Humans are social animals.

15. If no one thinks you’re crazy, you’re too late. If everyone thinks your idea is good? Even worse. Outsized returns lie in non-conformism.

↓↓↓↓

P.S. I'm running a free masterclass for business owners (next week).

What we'll cover? 4 growth levers to increase cash flow in your biz. 

Grab your spot here (for free): https://lnkd.in/gSfvX_AF

Steven Yeh, EIT

Over the past two decades I’ve led 3 multi-million dollar companies. Including Quest Nutrition which sold for a billion dollars. 

In 2010, I hit rock bottom. 

I was the Chief Marketing Officer at a tech company just named the 42nd fastest-growing in North America.

We were making money and winning awards, but I hadn’t taken a day off — except for Christmas — in six and a half years. I was miserable.

So, I walked away from my high-paying job. Gave back my equity.

I went to my partners and quit. But it turned out that they were miserable too. 

We started Quest Nutrition fueled by a desire to solve meaningful problems. Not just make money. We asked ourselves a different question:

“What would we do and love every day, even if we were failing?”

That question changed everything. 

In just a few years, Quest grew from zero to a billion-dollar valuation. Inc. Magazine named us the 2nd fastest growing company in North America.

With the sale of Quest, I could have retired to my own private island. But I’d be bored by that in a week. 

So, I started Impact Theory, a media company using storytelling to empower people to realize their full potential.

As CEO, my mission is to help people across the globe adopt the mindset they need to achieve all their goals.

My results:

→ $1B sale of Quest Nutrition
→ 4M+ YouTube subscribers
→ 500M+ content views
→ 17,932+ Impact Theory University students
→ 100K+ email subscribers

Want to learn how I did all of this? Check out my website: tombilyeu.com

Tom Bilyeu

I spent 6 months perfecting this one AI prompt for market research. It'll save you $10K in research fees and weeks of wasted time.

[BEGIN PROMPT]

I'm building [product] for [audience] to solve [problem].

Please analyze:

MARKET SIZE AND GROWTH
- Assess current market size and potential for growth
- Evaluate key trends indicating increasing or declining demand
- Provide evidence from search volumes, surveys, industry data
- Include supporting evidence from Reddit, Amazon, and forums

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
- Identify primary competitors with strengths and weaknesses
- Highlight clear opportunities to differentiate meaningfully
- Assess how sustainable my competitive advantage will be
- Show what makes my solution truly different and better

PRICING AND MARGINS
- Suggest realistic pricing strategies and benchmarks
- Analyze customer willingness to pay based on real data
- Evaluate potential for recurring or expanded revenue
- Find opportunities for complimentary products or upsells

OPERATIONAL FEASIBILITY
- Outline key resources needed to launch successfully
- Evaluate unique operational challenges for this business
- Identify opportunities or limitations in scaling efficiently
- Assess talent, technology, and supplier requirements

MARKETING STRATEGY
- Identify most effective channels for my target market
- Evaluate typical customer acquisition costs vs. lifetime value
- Highlight tactics that will resonate with this audience
- Provide specific marketing approaches with proof they work

RISKS AND REGULATIONS
- Outline significant market, operational, and regulatory risks
- Identify potential barriers to entry or execution
- Assess competitive threats and potential market shifts
- Highlight any intellectual property or legal concerns

LONG-TERM POTENTIAL
- Analyze whether this idea has longevity beyond trends
- Suggest realistic growth paths and potential expansions
- Identify possible pivot options if needed
- Evaluate long-term competitive landscape

VALIDATION APPROACH
- Recommend concrete next steps for testing this idea
- Identify early warning signs that would indicate problems
- Suggest minimum viable test approach before full investment
- Outline key metrics that would indicate success
- Provide a clear conclusion on overall viability with specific next steps.

[END PROMPT]

The secret isn't the prompt itself.

It's how you use it:

1. NEVER one-shot this. I upload documents with detailed context first.

2. NEVER settle for the first draft.

3. ALWAYS update my documentation rather than trust AI memory.

The only difference between exceptional results and mediocre ones is how well you direct it.

But you need to know which questions to ask and how to interpret the answers.

Come to my free AI masterclass and I'll show you how to leverage AI to start your business FAST - even if you're not a "techie": https://lnkd.in/g38q_WpV

CEO at Impact Theory | Co-Founded & Sold Quest Nutrition For $1B | Helping 7-figure founders scale to 8-figures & beyond

If I had to start over tomorrow with nothing but a laptop and ChatGPT, here’s how I would build a multi-million dollar business in 90 days.

I'd create a 5-person AI department that works 24/7.

Let me introduce you to the team…

THE RESEARCHER

Upload a 50-75 page document explaining my vision and business model.

Ask:
"What problems are people complaining about in [industry] forums where existing solutions are failing them? Show me Reddit threads, Amazon reviews, and Google Trends data."

Follow Up:
"Find the top 5 urgent problems in growing industries with supporting evidence."

THE STRATEGIST

Ask detailed questions with clear metrics: 
"What specific actions will change which KPIs, by how much, in what timeframe?"

Then demand a specific evaluation of my competitive advantages.

Have it identify operational challenges unique to my business model.

Run every idea through "No BS What Would It Take?" analysis.

Ask it to outline critical risks and early validation red flags.

THE COPYWRITER

Never ask for "good copy", too vague.

Build step by step: outline → headlines → structure → full draft.

Make it create a lead magnet that delivers instant value.

Have it design a complete landing page that anyone can understand in 5 seconds.

THE BUILDER

Make it outline exactly what resources I need to launch.

Have it create detailed SOPs for scaling.

Ask for a complete operational risk analysis.

Make it identify regulatory concerns specific to my industry.

Demand concrete, practical next steps at the end of every prompt.

THE MARKETER

Have it create 10-15 high-value social posts per week.

Make it analyze my audience and identify the best platforms.

Force it to create content that stops people from scrolling.

Have it iterate on posts until they hit the right emotional triggers.

Make it test 10 ideas in the time it used to take to test one.

But here's the catch.

These tools amplify execution speed, not thinking quality.

Most founders I meet obsess over which AI tools to use BEFORE validating if their business idea is actually worth building.

They create perfect websites for products no one wants.
They write flawless email sequences for non-existent customers.
They design beautiful pitch decks for businesses with fatal flaws.

The tools aren't the bottleneck.
Your business hypothesis is.

AI without direction is worthless.
AI with mediocre direction gets mediocre results.
AI with elite direction builds empires.

The difference between the entrepreneur who fails and the one who builds an empire isn't access to AI.

It's how they direct it.

Tuesday, 3:47pm. My Director of Marketing asked if she could spend $300 on Facebook ads.
That's when I knew we were screwed.

I see this with almost every $5M-$15M founder I work with: 

CFOs who can't read a P&L.
VPs who mistake activity for results.
Directors who need you to make every hard decision.

The reality is your team didn't get worse. It’s just that the game got harder.

But instead of upgrading, you became their safety net.

Here's how to fix it. 

Step 1: Log Every Decision 

For one week, write down every decision that requires your input. Time stamp it. Note who brought it to you.

Step 2: The Three Categories 

Sort each decision into:

Strategic (only you should decide)
Operational (your team should decide)
Trivial (shouldn't reach you at all)

Step 3: The Painful Truth 

If more than 30% are operational or trivial, your team can't scale.

Quest grew 57,000% in three years because I learned this early:
You can't solve your way to scale.

Most operational decisions should never reach you.

If they do, it means:
Your team lacks decision-making frameworks
They're scared to be wrong
You've trained them to ask instead of act

The fix isn't more training.
It's better systems.

Give your team decision-making authority with clear boundaries.

"You can spend up to $10K without approval."
"You can hire anyone who scores 8+ on our assessment."
"You can kill any project that doesn't hit 70% of target by month 2."

Decisions get made faster.
Your team gets stronger.
You get your life back.

Every decision you make that someone else could make is stealing time from the decisions only you can make.

Those are the million-dollar decisions.
The strategic moves that actually scale companies.

But you'll never get to them if you're stuck approving $300 in Facebook ads.

Your team either becomes your competitive advantage or your biggest bottleneck.

Start the decision audit today. You might be shocked by what you find.

How do you upgrade from founder-dependent to truly scalable?

The companies that break $25M don't figure this out by trial and error. They have proven frameworks for building leadership teams that actually lead.

I'm walking through this exact system in my upcoming workshop.

The same approach that took Quest from founder-dependent to $1B without me solving every problem.

Sign up for the workshop here: https://lnkd.in/gD27XhmF

I have extreme concerns about the US economy in 2026.

As a PSA for founders:

I would advise you all to be looking very closely at what a protective strategy is going to look like.

No one sees the future clearly, not me, not anybody. 

However, there are macroeconomic forces that I think it would be unwise to ignore.

I think 2026 is going to be rocky. 

I encourage you guys to plan accordingly, in terms of how much money you set aside for the unknown and the things that could go wrong.

I would also look at your treasury strategy. 

What does that look like? 
What things are you going to be responsive to?

I would pay extreme attention to inflation. 

I think inflation is going to potentially get way out of control this year.

Ironically, I think the government is both going to be forced to lower interest rates, which is wild, as the Yield curve is going insane and going up. 

I think that the government is actually going to lower rates. 

So brace yourselves for some fiscal madness in 26.

Just be thoughtful. 

I'm happy to talk more about it if anybody has questions along those lines. 

I try not to tell people what to do with their money. (this is not financial advice)

There's just way too much uncertainty. 

But I will sound the alarm and say:

I grow increasingly concerned about the macroeconomic forces that are at play right now.

Bad leaders give answers. Good leaders ask questions. Great leaders refuse to solve problems their team can solve.

Early on, my team would come to me with every decision.

"Should we do A or B?" 
"What do you think about this approach?" 
"How should I handle this situation?"

I'd answer. Every time.
I thought I was being helpful.

I was actually creating dependent minions..

Then I implemented The Socratic Redirection…

When someone asks you a question they should be able to solve, straight up don't answer it.

Instead, ask yourself: "Why am I the right person to answer this?"

If the answer is "I'm not," redirect them:

Step 1: Make them state the goal "What are we trying to accomplish here?"

Step 2: Identify the obstacle "What's blocking you from getting there?"

Step 3: Force them to propose a solution "What do you think we should do?"

This does two things:
First, it trains them to think before they ask.
Second, it shows them they already know the answer.

Most of the time, they do.

They just wanted permission or validation.

When I started doing this I got my time back. The team started making decisions faster. They stopped waiting for me to solve problems.

If you’ve got an org full of people who just want to be told what to do, stop giving answers and start asking questions.

Your team will thank you by thinking like owners instead of acting like minions.

Want the complete system for building a team that thinks and executes at championship level? I'm hosting a live workshop for founders who are done micromanaging.

Register here: https://buff.ly/Q3AqgcQ

Your A-players are updating their LinkedIn profiles. It’s not about the money. I see this destroy companies every week.

High performers join excited. They see potential. They're ready to grind.

Then they meet the team.

The sales rep who hasn't hit quota in 8 months but has great "potential."

The marketing manager who runs campaigns with no measurable results but works "really hard."

The operations director who creates busywork instead of solving problems but has been there "since the beginning."

Your A-players look around and think: "If this is what excellence looks like here, I'm in the wrong place."

So they leave. And you're left wondering why you can't retain top talent.

The answer is simple: You don't have a meritocracy. You have a participation trophy culture.

Here's how to build a true meritocracy: a system where outcomes matter more than effort, seniority, or intentions:

1. Make Performance Impossible to Hide

Every role gets 3-5 KPIs that everyone can see. No ambiguity. No interpretation.

The scoreboard tells the truth when feelings lie.

2. Reward Results, Not Effort

Hard work without results isn't good enough. Period.

Stop promoting people because they "try really hard." Start promoting people because they deliver outcomes.

3. Make Feedback Your Weapon

Real-time, honest evaluations. No surprises at review time.

Great performers crave feedback. Mediocre performers fear it.

4. Celebrate Winners Publicly

When someone crushes their numbers, make it visible. Promotions and bonuses tied directly to measurable outcomes.

Show your team exactly what success earns.

5. Let Consequences Have Teeth

A meritocracy only works if there are consequences for failure.

Enforce performance standards. No exceptions. No excuses.

Mediocrity tolerated is meritocracy destroyed.

6. Design Culture That Repels the Wrong People

Be clear: "This isn't a family. It's a championship team."

Your culture should make underperformers uncomfortable and high performers excited.

Your job is fairness, not comfort.

Stop protecting feelings and start protecting standards.

Every day you tolerate mediocrity, you're telling your best people their excellence doesn't matter.

Ready to build a team where performance actually matters? Learn how to create the meritocracy that attracts and keeps elite talent: https://buff.ly/rKA2MWy

After 1,000+ interviews, I stopped rejecting candidates.


Now I design tests that make them reject themselves.

Most $5M-$15M founders hire for who people could become.

I hire for who they already are.

99% of people don't change.

If you bet your company on potential, you'll lose.

Here's what my ‘Disqualify to Hire’ process looks like in practice.

We've had our Social Community Manager role open for over a year.

After the initial interview, candidates get a technical assessment.

They must pull clips and write copy from one of my most controversial livestreams.

Half drop out immediately.

"This isn't aligned with my values."
"I can't put my name on this content."
"This could hurt my personal brand."

Perfect. Those responses tell me everything I need to know.

They can't handle the actual job we need done.

Most founders hire the person who interviews well.

Then spend 6 months trying to "develop" them into the role.

The result? Mediocre performance and wasted time.

I make the wrong people fire themselves.

Before they waste our time.
Before they damage our culture.
Before they become an $80K mistake.

The candidates who stay? They prove they can do the real work. Not some sanitized version of it.

The actual, messy, controversial work that drives results.

One wrong hire at $10M revenue costs you 6 months of momentum.

Six months of training someone who will never perform.
Six months of their teammates compensating for weak performance.
Six months of opportunity cost while your competition moves ahead.

Your hiring standards determine your revenue ceiling.

Most founders know they need better people.

They just don't know how to systematically identify who to keep, who to develop, and who to replace.

They don't have a framework for making these decisions before it's too late.

The companies that break $25M don't wing it.

They have systems for auditing their entire team.
For identifying the bottlenecks before they kill growth.
For upgrading talent while there's still time to scale.

I'm walking through this exact system in my upcoming workshop. It’s the same approach that helped Quest reach $1B and keeps Impact Theory growing.

You’ll learn how to audit your current team, identify the gaps, and build the leadership structure that actually scales.

Because hiring one person better, is good… but upgrading your entire leadership approach? That's how you break through to 8 figures. 

Register here: https://buff.ly/1WrCZAJ

The fastest way to scale your business? 
Stop investing in it. 

Kill everything that doesn't 3x your money.

Most $3M companies stay $3M forever because they fund mediocrity.

They keep life support on failed experiments because "we've already spent so much."
They bankroll pet projects that feel productive but generate zero revenue.
They avoid killing initiatives because stopping feels like admitting failure.

Scaling Quest to $1B taught me that money has exactly one job… multiply itself.

Every dollar you spend must return $3, $5, or $10.

If it can't prove that path, kill it today.

The 4-Step Framework That Saved Me Millions:

1: The 90-Day Death Sentence 

Every initiative gets 90 days to hit its target metric. No extensions. No "we're so close" excuses. No second chances. Miss the number? Funding dies immediately.

2: The 3x Filter 

Before spending one dollar, ask: "Will this generate 3x returns within 12 months?" If you can't draw a clear path to 3x, don't spend the money. This single question eliminates 80% of stupid decisions.

3: Monday Money Autopsies 

Every Monday, audit last week's spending. Ask: "Did each dollar move us closer to revenue goals?" If no, redirect that budget immediately. Speed kills waste.

4: Zero-Based Quarterly Purge 

Start every quarter with $0 allocated. Force every department to re-justify funding from scratch. Last quarter's budget means nothing if this quarter's results don't justify it.

I’m willing to bet half your current spending is pure waste.

You know it. 
Your team knows it. 
Your dying bank account screams it.

But you keep funding mediocrity because cutting feels like failure.

Your budget isn't an investment strategy.
It's a charity fund for failed experiments.

Time to get ruthless.

The companies that break $10M don't just allocate money well.
They allocate talent ruthlessly.

That's why I'm hosting "The 5 Leadership Mistakes Costing You Millions." 

In this workshop, I'll show you how to stop funding underperformance and start building teams that multiply your investment. Register here: https://buff.ly/b2Y24pH

Most founders stall at $1M. The ones who force their way to $5M without fixing the foundation? They collapse back down.

Every business has predictable revenue ceilings.
And at each ceiling, something breaks.

Here are the 5 revenue ceilings every founder eventually hits:

Ceiling 1: $100K

What breaks: You.

At $100K, you're doing everything. Sales, ops, customer service, product.

You're the bottleneck.

The business can't grow because you can't clone yourself.

What you need to fix: Start documenting processes. Build basic systems. Hire your first contractor or part-time help.

Ceiling 2: $500K

What breaks: Your processes.

At $500K, you have a few people helping. But nothing is documented.

Knowledge lives in people's heads. When someone is out sick, things fall apart.

You're constantly putting out fires because nothing runs without you.

What you need to fix: Build repeatable systems. Create SOPs. Make the business less dependent on any single person, including you.

Ceiling 3: $1M

What breaks: Your team.

At $1M, you need real employees. Not just helpers.

You need people who can manage others. Make decisions. Own outcomes.

But most founders at $1M are still hiring for skills, not judgment.

They hire doers when they need thinkers.

What you need to fix: Hire people who can lead. Delegate outcomes, not tasks. Build a team that can function without you in every meeting.

Ceiling 4: $5M

What breaks: Your leadership.

At $5M, you can't manage everyone anymore.

You need leaders who build leaders. Systems that scale without your involvement.

Most founders at $5M are still operating like they did at $1M.

They're in the weeds. Micromanaging. Redoing work.

What you need to fix: Step out of operations. Focus on vision, culture, and capital allocation. 

Build leaders who don't need you to function.

Ceiling 5: $10M

What breaks: Your business model.

At $10M, what got you here won't get you to $50M.

Your unit economics might not support the next stage of growth.

Your product might need to evolve. Your customer base might need to expand.

What you need to fix: Reevaluate your entire business model. Is it scalable? Defensible? Profitable at scale?

Most founders force their way through these ceilings without fixing what's broken.

They hire more people to cover for bad processes.
They work longer hours to make up for weak leadership.
They raise more capital to mask a broken business model.

And eventually, it all collapses.

Revenue without infrastructure is just expensive chaos.

The people who helped me build a $10M company nearly destroyed my $1B exit because I didn't evolve as a leader fast enough to see when the cracks were forming.

If you're doing $1M+ and you're stuck at one of these ceilings, I'm hosting a free workshop on the leadership gaps that keep you from breaking through. 

Register here: https://lnkd.in/g3xVunch

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