EmergeOne | Fractional CFO services

EmergeOne is a leading consultancy providing fractional CFO support to venture backed tech startups from seed to Series B.

We help founders get the most out of their capital, streamline financials, and manage investor relations so they can focus on scaling. Examples of our support:

- Strategic Finance Execution and Oversight over finance operations
- Financial Planning and Analysis
- Board reporting, Investor relations and management
- Capital Raising, Fundraising Support, Due Diligence and Data room management
- Capital Management and Structuring
- Capital Allocation
- Financial modelling, forecasting, scenario planning, KPIs, metrics and reporting

Our clients are some of the fastest growing startups backed by funds like Hoxton Ventures, Stride, Playfair, Octopus, Outlier Ventures, Founders Factory and more.

Fractional CFO

Blue Ridge Partners

I've worked with DeepTech (mainly) founders for over 5 years, building the business and financial muscle behind their technology!

After exiting the angel group I cofounded, I found that I just couldn't stay away from startups, but I knew I didn't want to be a founder again...
So I started consulting for founders and quickly found that the business and finance stuff I knew so well was actually really hard for them. From deep in the weeds of building project management to creating and maintaining financial models to creating pitches for complex tech, I thoroughly enjoyed the nights-and-weekends work of supporting founders.

When my family moved from the US to the UK in 2022, I transitioned my "hobby" from nights-and-weekends into a real job, and now, I help founders make sense of their strategy, business, and finances full time!

DeepTech Fractional CFO and Venture Builder

Octiocor

Leading finance and product teams for AI image analysis start up spun out of Cambridge University.
Building product management function and larger company operations to translate academic research into commercial-grade technology
Projecting complex cash needs to inform hiring employees, onboarding contractors, fundraising, and completing grant applications.
Pitching with CEO to potential venture and angel investors for seed round fundraising.
Working with accountants to ensure all regulatory filings (e.g. VAT, R&D, etc) are accurate and timely to maximize cash in the bank.

Fractional CFO / COO

MCA funding company

Provided financial and operational leadership as fractional CFO of fast growing Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) funder.
Advised strategic changes to adapt to quickly changing economic conditions in high risk business lending environment.
Created detailed financial models to inform internal decision making and communicate business / economics to potential outside investors.
Created cash management systems to better understand cash inflows and outflows and better manage ongoing operations.
Led push for a data-first culture using analytics to make better decisions.
Informed strategy by identifying previously-unseen opportunities using existing data.
Guided and built full analytical stack, from data stores through visualizations.

Capital One

Intrapreneurially built and ran analytics function inside ~$80M Identity Services business unit from scratch.
Directly managed 4 analysts and influenced the work of 6 data scientists, 7 data engineers / analysts, and multiple tech teams; officially and unofficially mentored numerous team members.
Built and managed credit governance process for $10M's in marginal enterprise value from over 20 credit decisions. 
Product Manager for AI / ML team, influencing internal and external stakeholders on strategy by demonstrating value generated by and potential value from new products.
Represented Digital Identity analytics group in monthly VP+ Authentication Council Working Group; created and presented numerous data-centric VP+ presentations on strategy, value-added, enterprise partnership needs, etc.
Created and maintained data sets and visualizations sourcing data from across the enterprise, including customer, fraud, behavioral analytics, credit card transaction, click-stream / UI data, etc.
Worked extensively with product managers, fraud analysts, and tech teams to understand needs and deliver solutions.

Analytics Lead: CIO Tech Excellence award 2019 (top 3 of over 1,800 tech teams) 
Analytics Lead: Circle of Excellence award 2021 (top 2 of over 1,000 product teams)

Senior Analytics Lead - Digital Identity

University of Virginia

Taught entrepreneurial topics as adjunct faculty at UVA's School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Lecturer for New Product Development and Entrepreneurial Finance courses, creating numerous adaptations and improvement to course curricula.

Lecturer

CAV Angels

Operationalized, managed, and grew UVA-oriented angel investment network.
Performed in depth due diligence on companies and write comprehensive memos on investibility of startups. 
Negotiated deal terms, execute investments, and lead ongoing efforts to provide support to portfolio companies in business development, hiring, additional fundraising, etc.
Formed and executed strategy for creating educational material for first-time angel investors.
Created and ran program to train and manage over twenty student fellows and interns responsible for augmenting due diligence efforts.
Built data-centric platform to manage deal pipeline, due diligence data, and member input; created roadmap to expand platform to scale to other universities and angel groups with the goal of using ML to automate portions of deal process.

Co-Founder, President

S&P Global

Leader on implementation team of newly launched product: semi-custom business intelligence software for regional and community banks. 
Co-created operational model and scrum set up allowing product to scale from 5 to 42 customers in under two years.
Advised C-suite customers / stakeholders on product adoption and usage as a technical project manager.
Advised management on reorganization of ~20 person implementation team.
Mentored and instructed tech colleagues in the nuances of the banking and finance industries.
Created custom and semi-custom ETL's and presentations to integrate disparate data silos into a single source of truth.

Manager / BI Implementation Consultant and Engineer

FI Consulting

Built multiple custom software systems in Freddie Mac's Multifamily division as technology and data engineer.
Owned deal management system organizing and analyzing data for over $20b in deals each year.
Interfaced with executive-level clients on application requirements, functionality, and enhancements.
Designed, developed, implemented, and maintained custom IT and reporting solutions.
Actively involved in SDLC, including system specification and design, programming, testing, documenting, user-training, deploying, and post-implementation activities.
Managed junior colleagues through multiple enhancement projects.

Technology and Data Consultant

Foxhall Capital Management

Member of Investment Committee managing over $750 million in quantitative investment strategies
Proactively identified and researched quantitative investment ideas using back testing and data mining techniques on large historical price datasets; presented findings to Investment Committee
Implemented quantitative investment strategies requiring monthly rebalancing of over 5,000 separately managed accounts and daily monitoring of global stock, bond, and commodity index prices

Portfolio Manager

I partner with world class researchers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs to turn their DeepTech technology into highly scalable startups.
From pre-formation to scaling, I come along side founders to augment their efforts, teach new skills, and establish rigor and structure.
Through fractional and project-based work, I have enabled my pre-Series A clients to raise over $30m combined through equity, debt, and grant funding.

David Sade, CFA

Humble is a human-first knowledge platform for founders and operators.

It gives you clear, practical answers to real business questions in seconds.
No AI-generated fluff. No gurus. No recycled advice.

You ask a question.
You get a direct answer, backed by receipts from vetted founders, operators, and experts.
You can see the source, go deeper if you want, or get access human behind the insight.

Humble is built for:
• Founders and builders in motion
• Small teams making real decisions
• Accelerators, funds, and communities that need trusted answers at scale

Human experience. AI speed.
Clarity when it actually matters.

—

Strategic Partner at Loud Solutions:

Loud embeds inside scaling companies to fix people ops before things go wrong.

I assess Teams of 20+, with rapid growth and big ambitions for their fit to Loud. For the best, I get them access to the rare knowledge that saves them from huge mistakes to unlock massive growth.

Not being able to manage growth at this stage can be fatal, and fixing it later is impossible.

Evolve. Now. 
You can’t afford to f*ck this up.

Charlie Lass

You hired adults.
Stop managing them like children.
Trust your Team!

Some leaders still think oversight creates better work.

It doesn’t.
It creates performance anxiety.

When people know they’re being watched, they don’t show you reality.
They show you what won’t get them in trouble.

- Progress reports get polished.
- Risks get softened.
- Bad news arrives late, if at all.

From the outside, it looks like control.
Inside the team, it feels like caution.

⚠️ And caution is expensive.

You don’t see what’s actually slowing things down.

You don’t hear where decisions are getting stuck.

You don’t learn which processes are quietly failing.

👉 Trust changes the behaviour completely.

When people feel trusted, they stop managing impressions, and they start managing outcomes.

It shows up like this:
1. They flag problems earlier.

2. They take responsibility instead of covering themselves.

3. They tell you the truth because they’re not bracing for impact.

This is why surveillance never shows you what’s working.
It only shows you what’s you want to see.

➕If you’re busy, this is worth sitting with.

More check-ins won’t buy you clarity.
Clear expectations and trust will.

- Set the direction.
- Define the bar.
- Then get out of the way long enough to see what’s real.

That’s not hands-off leadership.
That’s how you actually learn what’s going on.

-
♻️: Repost to remind.
➕: Follow Charlie Lass.

Founder @ Humble | Strategic Partner @ Loud | Follow for Self Improvement, Growth Strategy & Being A Better Human | Entrepreneurship Coach

No alternative text description for this image

If you can’t treat people well, experience means nothing. 
Probably less than nothing. 

Leadership isn’t what you know.
It’s how people feel after being around you.

I’ve watched CEOs with decades of “experience” do the basics badly:

- They speak down to someone because they’re stressed.
- They “joke” at someone’s expense in a meeting.
- They ignore a message for days, then demand urgency from everyone else.
- They only show warmth when they want something.

And then they wonder why people are quitting.

👉 Treating people well sounds soft.
- It’s not.
- It’s discipline.
- It’s restraint.
- It’s choosing respect when your ego wants control.

Here’s what it looks like when it’s real:

1. You’re consistent
Not lovely on Monday and lethal on Thursday.
People shouldn’t need to check your mood before they speak.

2. You’re clear, not cutting
Direct feedback.
No humiliation.
No sarcasm dressed up as “high standards”.

3. You give credit properly
You name the person.
You name the work.
You don’t hoard wins like they’re oxygen.

4. You don’t punish honesty
If someone raises a problem and you bite their head off,
you didn’t fix the issue.
You trained people to shut up.

5. You respect time
You show up.
You end on time.
You don’t make people wait because you think your calendar matters more.

6. You apologise fast
No speech.
No spin.
Just: “That was out of line. I’m sorry.”

7. You treat everyone like they matter
Not just the loud ones.
Not just the useful ones.
Not just the people who agree with you.

The reality is that:
- People will forgive mistakes.
They don’t forgive disrespect.

And the cost isn’t just feelings.

It’s performance.
It’s loyalty.
It’s reputation.
It’s the best people quietly deciding they’re done.

If you’re a CEO or an aspiring leader, what’s one bad behaviour you’ll drop this week? 

-
♻️: Repost to remind. 
➕: Follow Charlie Lass

The people who earn the most respect?
They’re terrifyingly good.
And somehow… still kind.

Not “nice” in a performative way.
Kind in a quiet, steady, adult way.

They don’t need to prove they’re the smartest person in the room.
Because everyone already knows.

👏 I’ve worked with founders like this.
Operators like this.
Speakers like this.

The ones who can see the problem in 30 seconds… and still take the time to bring the room with them.

- They ask questions before they give answers.
- They explain without making you feel stupid.
- They correct you without turning it into shame.

And they share credit like it costs them nothing.

That’s not softness. That’s control & talent. 

📌 Real skill doesn’t need an audience.
And real confidence doesn’t need a victim.

I spoke with a Founder yesterday about a CEO we both know. 
He said: 
"I would never work with that guy again. Ever."
"I don't care how successful he is. He's got the biggest ego in the world and makes people feel like sh1t."

Yikes.

👍 Here’s why humility works (in teams, in leadership, in life) and ego turns people off forever. 

When someone makes others feel small, the room gets quiet.
Contact shame. Fear. Anger.

- People stop offering ideas.
- They stop raising risks.
- They stop flagging the thing that will later become a disaster.

You still get “yes”.
You still get “all good”.
You still get progress updates.

But you lose the truth about what is actually going on. 

Humility keeps the truth flowing, and the truth is where the money is.

👉 The best leaders I’ve seen do a few simple things daily:

1. They treat questions like a gift
If someone asks, they don’t sigh. They don’t smirk. They answer.
A team that can ask “dumb questions” always moves faster than a team that’s scared.

2. They coach in private, praise in public
Public shame is lazy leadership.
If you want performance, protect dignity.

3. They make it good to disagree
Not by saying “prove me wrong” once in a meeting.
By not punishing people the first time they do.

4. They stay curious when they’re right
They don’t use being right as a weapon.
They use it as a starting point.

If you want to spot real professionalism, watch what someone does with their competence and how humble they are. 

Do they lift the room?
Or do they use the room to feel taller?

Which type are you surrounded by right now?

Whichever it is, stay humble.

-
🖼️: Deep Connection.
♻️: Repost to remind.
➕: Follow Charlie Lass.

When great talent walks away silently, 
that’s not about them.
It’s a BIG leadership problem.

Great people don’t quit loudly.

They don’t rage-post.
They don’t threaten.
They don’t make a scene.

They just… leave.

They know their worth and they move on. 👋

Most CEOs with 30+ people miss this.

By the time you notice a resignation, the decision was made months ago.
When meetings stopped feeling useful.
When feedback gets “noted” instead of acted on.
When the same issues came up again. 
And again.
And again.

⚠️ The scary bit?

Your best people don’t fight for attention.
They don’t campaign for promotions.
They don’t play politics to survive.

They assume you’ll see the work.
They assume you’ll notice the pattern.
They assume leadership is paying attention.

Until they realise it isn’t.

So they do the adult thing.
- They protect their headspace.
- They stop pushing uphill.
- They quietly make plans.

And from the outside, everything still looks fine.

Headcount steady.
Roadmap intact.
No drama.

🤦‍♂️ Right up until it isn’t.

This is why “people problems” are never sudden.
- They’re slow leaks.
- Ignored signals.
- Deferred conversations.

If you’re a CEO trying to keep people issues “off your plate,” here’s the uncomfortable truth:

📌 People don’t need more perks.
They need PROOF.

Proof that good judgment gets rewarded.
Proof that bad behaviour doesn’t get a pass.
Proof that you notice who’s carrying the weight.

Because when great talent walks away silently, that’s not a retention issue.

That’s a leadership signal. And a BAD one.

And it’s usually the last one you’ll get before it costs you far more than time.

You can’t afford to make these mistakes.

-
♻️: Repost to remind.
➕: Follow Charlie Lass.

Nothing will wear you down faster
than worrying about everything, 
all the time, as if it’s ALL yours to fix.

There is a LOT going on.
- Real issues.
- Real uncertainty.
- Things that matter, and deserve care.

Ignoring them isn’t strength.
Prioritizing isn't selfish.
And pretending they don’t affect you isn’t honesty.

👉 But neither is letting them consume every quiet moment because madness lies down that road. 

As someone who has been through a breakdown and burnout, I know that right now, so much is pulling at your attention.
- News cycles.
- Other people’s urgency.
- Worrying about the future.
- Problems arriving before they’re fully formed.

Your mind keeps trying to be helpful. It's designed to help keep you safe.
It scans for threats and looks for control where there isn’t much to be found.

That's OK> That’s not weakness.
That’s being human.

💤 Calm doesn’t come from shutting the world out completely.

It comes from choosing how close you let it in. Here's how to navigate when so much causes you stress and uncertainty:

1. You can care deeply
Without thinking about everything at once.

2. You can stay informed
Without being constantly inflamed.
There are things designed to make you angry.

3. You can acknowledge what’s hard
and still protect the part of you that needs steadiness.

4. Focus is an act of care.
- For your work.
- For the people who rely on you.
- For your own nervous system.

So when things feel stressful, return to what’s in front of you.
- The next conversation.
- The next decision.
- The next small action that actually helps.

📌 Stay calm where you can.
Stay focused on what matters to you.

That’s how you stay useful, present, and human.

-
♻️: Repost to inspire.
➕: Follow Charlie Lass.

Authenticity became rare.
That’s why it stands out.
Being yourself became rebellious.

⚠️ Most people are constantly performing.

But it exhausts those that aren’t because the real flex isn’t confidence.
It’s not a “personal brand”
It’s being calm when everyone else is cosplaying success.

Being yourself is inconvenient and doesn’t always fit in everywhere.

It doesn’t always get applause.
It doesn’t always scale fast.
And it definitely doesn’t win every room.

Which is why most people fake it.

👉 But take a moment and think about this:
Authenticity isn’t loud.
It’s consistent.

If you want to spot the difference between real people and polished noise, do this:

1.	Watch who changes depending on who’s in the room.
Same values, same tone, same standards? Or shape-shifting for approval?

2.	Notice who talks about outcomes vs image.
Real operators talk about the work.
Performers talk about how it looks.

3.	Pay attention to how people treat those with nothing to offer them.
Humility shows up when there’s no upside.

4.	Listen for borrowed language.
Buzzwords, recycled opinions, trendy outrage.
Original thinking sounds quieter. And simpler.

5.	Call the BS without becoming it.
You don’t need to expose people publicly.
Just don’t reward behaviour you wouldn’t respect in private.

📌 Being yourself isn’t about self-expression.
It’s about self-respect.

Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself.
It’s not needing to prove who you are.

The people worth trusting don’t need a highlight reel.
They show up the same on a good day and a bad one.

Be humble. That’s the flex.

-
♻️: Repost to inspire.
➕: Follow Charlie Lass

You’re never too important to be nice.
The second someone thinks they are,
It’s the beginning of the end.

I’ve worked with amazing founders, executives, operators, from all industries; People with REAL leverage.

Not LinkedIn leverage.
Actual leverage.

Huge budget. Massive hiring power. The ability to make or break someone’s year with a sentence.

What I’ve noticed isn’t subtle. It’s OBVIOUS, but so many think it doesn’t apply to them when it always, always does.

⚠️ The second they start believing their role matters more than the people around them, their results collapse.

You can spot the behaviour changes:
- They listen less.
- They interrupt more.
- They are always late. 
- They expect without explaining.

They’re assholes. 

Kindness disappears first.
Judgement second.
The Team third.

👉 Being kind doesn’t slow serious people down.
It keeps them sharp and the Team elite.

It allows you to see what’s actually happening, not just what fits your narrative.

It keeps feedback flowing instead of being filtered.

It makes people tell you the truth before it’s too late.

The best leaders I know aren’t KIND all the time.
- They’re direct.
- They’re demanding.
- They’re clear.

But they never confuse status with entitlement.

They understand something basic that a lot of ambitious people forget.

📌 You don’t lose authority by treating people well.
You lose it when people stop wanting to do their best around you.

Importance is fragile.
Respect is earned daily.

Kindness isn’t a personality trait.
It’s a leadership choice you make when no one’s forcing you to.

Especially then.

So which are you choosing today?

-
♻️: Repost to remind.
➕: Follow Charlie Lass.

People don’t burn out from work.
They burn out from feeling invisible.
And yes, that's a leadership problem.

We've all watched leaders throw perks at morale.
Free lunches. New tools. Big “culture” decks.

Meanwhile the best people quietly check out.
Sigh.

Because nobody seems to notice they’re carrying the place.

👉  Most leaders miss one big thing:
Appreciation is not “being nice”.
It’s a performance management system.

When people feel seen, they do three things automatically:
- They speak up sooner.
- They care about outcomes, not tasks.
- They stop looking for the exit.

That’s why the best teams move faster.

Not because they have more talent.
Because they have less emotional drag.

And the simplest way to build it is also the most ignored.

🙄 Make people feel appreciated.
Not in a generic “great job team” way but in a SPECIFIC, human way.

Try this for the next two weeks:

1. Name the impact, not the effort
“Staying late” is nothing.
“Because of you, that client stayed” lands.

2. Credit them in rooms they’re not in
That’s how trust spreads.
And politics dies.

3. Ask for their thinking before you need their help
People don’t want to be used.
They want to be valued.

4. Protect their time like it’s yours
Nothing says “I respect you” like removing noise.

5. Notice the quiet ones
The loud ones will remind you they exist.
The best ones often won’t.

📌 If you want better retention, better ideas, and fewer fires:

Stop managing tasks.
Start noticing humans.

Who on your team has been solid for months, and hasn’t been properly appreciated?

-
🖼️: Mike Leber
♻️: Repost to remind
➕: Follow Charlie Lass for more.

Real luxury isn’t money.
It’s peace.
And very few people have it.

Luxury is not the watch.
Not the car.
Not the “busy” calendar

👉 It’s having control of your day:

- Waking up without an alarm.

- Having control of your day.

- Moments of stillness and quiet.

I spent years collecting the wrong trophies.

- The title that impressed strangers.

- The stuff that looked like “I made it.”

- The schedule so full it proved I was “important.”

⚠️ Then burnout did what burnout always does.

It made the trade obvious. And payment was due.

Because the real luxuries in life are simple:

Time.
Health.
A quiet mind.
Slow mornings.
Rest without guilt.
A good night’s sleep.
Calm, “boring” days.
Meaningful conversations.
Home-cooked meals.
People you love.
People who love you back.

📌 The people I admire most aren’t the ones with the most expensive things.

- They’re the ones who can sit still.
- Say no without feeling guilty.
- Turn their phone off.
- Be fully present with someone they care about.

They own their attention.

And that, honestly, is the real flex.

If you’re building a life you don’t need to escape from, you’re already winning.

-
♻️: Repost to remind 
➕: Follow Charlie Lass

Founder @ Humble | Strategic Partner @ Loud | Follow for Self Improvement, Growth Strategy & Being A Better Human

Starting over isn’t starting from nothing.
It’s starting from experience.

“Starting over” gets framed as failure.
As regression.
As proof you messed it all up.

It isn’t.

It’s what happens when you finally stop lying to yourself.

I’ve started over more than once.
Different businesses.
Different countries.
Different roles.
Different versions of me.

Each time, it looked messy from the outside.
Each time, it felt messy on the inside.

But none of it was wasted.

Because today I know who I am. 

You don’t lose the judgement you earned.
You don’t lose the scars.
You don’t lose the pattern recognition that only comes from getting it wrong.

You lose the ego.
And honestly, that’s usually the problem.
(It’s why my company is called Humble!)

Starting over with experience means:
– You ask better questions
– You move slower at the right moments
– You spot bad deals, bad partners, bad ideas earlier
– You stop confusing momentum with progress

It’s quieter the second time.
More deliberate.
Less performative.

And yes, it can bruise your pride.

But pride is expensive.
Experience compounds.

If you’re standing at the edge of something ending, or something new beginning, here’s what actually helps:

1.	Write down what you now know that you didn’t last time, and what resources you have you didn’t before.
Be confident.

2.	Decide what you will no longer tolerate, even if it costs you speed

3.	Strip it back. Fewer goals. Fewer people. Fewer distractions. Set a timeframe. 
A few months maybe.

4.	Start small on purpose. Confidence comes from traction, not announcements

You’re not late.
You’re not broken.
You’re not “back at square one”.

You’re starting again with the cheat codes.

And that usually makes for a much better story.

How can I help you today? 

-
♻️: Repost to inspire someone.
👉: Follow Charlie Lass for more.

You can train almost anyone to do a job.
But you can’t train them to care.
They only care if it’s worth it.

And if no one on your team cares,
that’s not a “people problem”.

That’s you.

People don’t disengage because they’re lazy.
They disengage because the environment tells them
their effort doesn’t matter.

Bad leaders love the phrase
“they just don’t care enough”.

🙄 Yawn. Of course they don’t.

-You hired them in a rush.
-Onboarded them badly.
-Dropped them into chaos.
-Then hovered, corrected, second-guessed, or disappeared.

⁉️ Why would anyone care in that setup?

Care isn’t something you demand.
It’s something you earn.

Good hiring looks boring from the outside.
- It’s slow.
- It’s deliberate.
- It’s opinionated.

You’re not hiring robots.
You’re inviting someone into how you think.

And onboarding isn’t paperwork.
It’s the moment people decide whether this place is serious.

If you get those two things right, your job as a leader gets easier fast.

📌 Hire people you trust.
Be clear about what “good” looks like.
Give them context, not control.
Then get out of the way.

If you can’t hire well, and you can’t onboard properly,
you’re not “moving fast”.

You’re wasting their time.
And yours.

People care when:
• the standards are real
• the bar is clear
• decisions make sense
• effort isn’t punished

👉 That’s good culture.
Not slogans.
Not perks.
Not motivation talks.
Not free f**king pizza. 

If you want people to care,
build something worth caring about.

Everything else is noise.

-
♻️ : Repost to remind.
➕ : Follow Charlie Lass.

Founder @ Humble | Strategic Partner @ Loud | Follow for Self Improvement, Strategy & Being A Better Human

Is your network helping you grow?
Or keeping you from thinking bigger?
Over time it will define your success.

If you look at the people in your circle and don’t feel inspired, you don’t have a useful circle.

You have a cage.

And before anyone gets defensive, this isn’t about cutting people off or “outgrowing” friends like some hustle cliché.

It’s about noticing what gets normalised around you.

⚠️ The people you spend the most time with shape:
• what feels possible
• what feels risky
• what feels “too much”
• and what you quietly stop reaching for

If everyone around you is comfortable staying where they are, comfort becomes the ceiling.

I’ve seen this kill ambition faster than failure ever could. 

👉 Someone I used to know was incredibly smart, but incredibly comfortable. 
His career flatlined. 
He's frustrated and bitter.
His missed opportunities are blamed on others.

Here are a few signs your circle might be holding you back 👇

1️⃣ No one challenges your thinking
If every idea gets a nod and a “sounds good mate”, you’re not being supported. 
You’re being padded.

2️⃣ Conversations never go past the surface
If it’s always gossip, nostalgia, or complaining about the same stuff… there’s no forward motion there.

3️⃣ You don’t admire or aspire to how anyone lives
Not their work. Not their mindset. Not their courage. That matters more than people admit.

4️⃣ Your goals get laughed off or politely ignored
The right room makes big goals feel possible. 
The wrong one makes you shrink them mid-sentence.

5️⃣ Comfort is praised more than growth
“Why rock the boat?”
“Why stress yourself?”
That voice adds up over time.

6️⃣ No one opens doors or introduces ideas
Strong circles create momentum. 
Weak ones just consume time.

7️⃣ You’re always the one giving advice
If you’re never learning, you’re stagnating. Period.

8️⃣ You feel drained after spending time together
Energy is information. Pay attention to it.

This isn’t about having a bigger network.

It’s about having a braver one. 

One that challenges you.
One that makes you slightly uncomfortable.
One that expands what you think you’re capable of. 🚀

Your circle should make you grow.
Not keep you safe.

Which one of these hit a little too close to home?

-
♻️ Repost to remind.
➕ Follow Charlie Lass.

The happiest people I know work to live.
They don’t live to work.
And while it sounds simple…

It isn’t.
At all.

Most people aren’t lazy.
They’re tired.

Not because they don’t care about their work.
But because work became the point of absolutely everything.

Calendars filled first.
Life squeezed in around the meetings.
No control over their time.

📌 Being busy is not the same as being productive. 

What the happiest people actually do is different. It’s why I live the way I do.

Treat work as a tool, not an identity.
Useful. Important. Not sacred.

- Protect energy like adults.
- OWN your time.
- Know exhaustion isn’t a badge of honour, it’s a warning light.

Really happy people measure success in flexibility, not income.
Can I walk away at 3pm if it matters?
Can I be present when someone needs me?
Can I work where l want to?

They design their work around life.
Not the other way round.

This isn’t about doing less.
It’s about doing the right things, on purpose.

👉 Good work can be meaningful.
Ambition can be healthy.
But when work becomes the only place you feel valuable, everything else starts to erode quietly.

The goal isn’t to escape work.
It’s to stop sacrificing your life to it.

If you’re serious building a life you want, ask yourself this honestly:
Is your work supporting the life you want…
or slowly replacing it?

-
♻️: Repost to inspire.
➕: Follow Charlie Lass.

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The Battle

David Sade, CFA

Charlie Lass

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taplio

The Battle

David Sade, CFA

Charlie Lass

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);}Charlie Lass's LinkedIn Performance

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