Kevin Payne

GTM Engineer at LawVu | Building Revenue Systems For Impact Startups | A16z, YC & Techstars Portfolio

From the intersection of AI, Startups, and Web3. The future of tech belongs to impact driven creators and operators.

In 2020, I was a full-time contributor for publications with 200+ bylines in HubSpot, Crunchbase, Blavity and major tech publications. In 2025, I joined a Series A/B SaaS company as a GTM Engineer building AI-powered revenue systems.

Most operators choose one path: stay employed OR go solo. I'm proving you can do both without burnout. Build a portfolio career and diversify your sources of income one small bet at a time.

How I can help...

FOR CREATORS: If you're building a personal brand or content business, my frameworks show you how to learn in public (Learn > Create > Share) and monetize your expertise through the 5C model. Join 23K+ creators who follow my systems for scalable content and portfolio income.

FOR OPERATORS: If you're at a Series A/B company wanting to build portfolio income alongside your full-time employment, I show you how to prototype revenue systems in your operator role, document what works, then package that knowledge into content and coaching offers.

My Approach: I don't consult from the sidelines. I prototype AI systems in my operator role, document what works, then teach operators and implement for founders. Learn as an operator, share as a creator.

Current Focus: Building portfolio career through the 5C model:

- Clone
- Content
- Courses
- Community
- Conferences

Learning in Public: Learn in operator role > Create content documenting what works > Share with operators and founders. Get paid to learn, get paid to share.

Three Core Interests:

1. The Operator Stack: Leverage AI systems for sustainable growth
2. Portfolio Income: Small bets optimized for social impact
3. The Five-Pillars: Integrated life philosophy

Meta-Advantage: Teaching AI workforce implementation while using AI workforce to scale personal brand… authentic proof-of-concept.

Join 1K+ creators and founders getting their minds renewed. No fluff, just Growth Guides that merge biblical wisdom with proven AI systems.

Subscribe at https://substack.com/@kevintpayne or follow @kevintpayne.

Founder

Building a portfolio of digital real estate. Everyone’s familiar with real estate investments. It’s as simple as buying a house or land to rent or sell for profit. 

Digital real estate works the same way. Every domain name, every website and every blog you see online is internet property. They represent digital real estate you can buy and sell just like houses, apartments and lots.

I specialize in writing and speaking about solopreneurship, artificial intelligence, and minimalism. My mission is to document my journey and impart wisdom pertaining to wealth and health.

Building AI agents backward? 

Starting with tools, copying prompts, and then wondering why it all sounds like garbage?

The real issue isn't downstream... it's upstream.

Discover the game-changing framework here:

Your AI agents are mirrors.

They reflect your clarity of thought, your decision-making frameworks, and your values... whether you've articulated them or not.

Feed them confusion, and you get confident noise at scale.

I call this the Confident Idiot Problem.

AI tools are incredible at sounding certain. They deliver mediocre ideas with Fortune 500 conviction.

If you don't have your own convictions locked in, you mistake that confidence for quality.

The fix isn't better prompts.
The fix is clearer thinking.

Before I write a single prompt, I articulate:
→ What I've learned through direct experience
→ What I believe that peers would disagree with
→ What I refuse to do, even for money

Opinions vs. Convictions:

- **Opinion:** "AI will transform business."
- **Conviction:** "I only build AI that augments human judgment. Autonomous AI without oversight creates fragile systems."

One is a position you hold.
The other is a position that holds you.

The Conviction Stack has three layers:

1. **Identity** - Who am I?
2. **Framework** - How do I think?
3. **Output** - What does quality look like?

Most operators only provide AI with Layer 3, similar to asking someone to paint your house without specifying the color.

Here's the Conviction Audit:

- What have you learned the hard way? (Earned beliefs)
- What do you believe that peers would disagree with?
- What would you refuse to do, even for money?
- What frameworks do you use repeatedly?

Document everything.

Compile this into an Operating Philosophy.

~2,000 words that capture:

Who you are
How you think
What quality looks like
What you won't do

This becomes the master prompt for every AI system you build.


**Old approach:**
- Copy templates → Generic results

**New approach:**
- Load Operating Philosophy → AI uses your mindset for solutions

Same tools, but conviction transforms outcomes.

AI is your ultimate leverage tool, magnifying whatever you pour into it.

Fuel it with clarity → Watch your returns skyrocket.
Feed it confusion → Scale up a symphony of confident noise.

Dive into the full Conviction Audit framework here:

https://lnkd.in/g2GfRFqC

Urban night market with neon signs; a man stares at a holographic, digitized reflection displaying neural network visuals and code.

AI operators think in workflows, not words.

Stop tweaking prompts. Start designing systems.

Months of optimization led me to the breakthrough strategy of focusing on workflow design.

Here's how it reshaped the game:

Marginal gains. Infinite loops. Shaky outcomes.

Then it hit me: the flaw wasn’t in my prompts... it was in the architecture.

The Prompt Engineering Dilemma:

Solitary prompts are delicate. They shine in trials but crumble quietly in real-world use.

Context changes. Edge cases appear. The model confidently produces garbage.

You can't solve architectural problems through prompt engineering.

The Prompt Architecture Shift

Stop asking: "How do I improve this prompt?"

Start by asking: "How do I design a system for graceful prompt failures?"

This involves:

Decomposition

Break a complex task into simpler ones. Each prompt handles one function, and together they accomplish what a single prompt can't.

Validation Layers

The output of every prompt gets checked before the next step:

- Does this look right?
- Does it match the expected format?
- Does it contain the required elements?

Failures get caught. Reruns happen automatically. Bad outputs never propagate downstream.

Context Management

What information does this prompt actually need?

- Not everything.
- Not the whole document.
- Just the relevant context for this specific task.

Smaller context windows. More focused instructions. Better outputs.

Fallback Paths:

What's the plan for model errors?

Human help. New prompts. Quick recovery.

Our design handles setbacks. Failures are expected.

Prompt engineering refines; prompt architecture shapes the vision.

The other makes entire workflows reliably excellent.

The operators who win at AI aren't better at writing prompts; they're better at designing systems where prompts are just one component.

What's one workflow you've built that chains multiple AI calls together?

No alternative text description for this image

Silence is my secret weapon for productivity as I navigate the chaos of a portfolio career.

No calls, no content... just stillness.

Discover why this daily practice sets the stage for success.

I used to wake up and immediately check Slack.
Then email.
Then LinkedIn notifications.

By 7 am, my brain was already reactive... responding to everyone else's priorities.

None of my own.

The challenge of crafting a varied career: there's an endless list to tackle.

- Employment commitments
- Newsletter outlines
- Research projects
- Creative concepts

Without clear priorities, you chase after the loudest demand. 

The urgent takes precedence, while crucial tasks fade into the background.

So I flipped the order.

Now, the first 30 minutes of my day belong to silence.

Phone stays face down.
Do Not Disturb stays on.

The chaos can wait.
It always can.

What happens in stillness:

- You remember why you're building this.
- You reconnect with purpose before productivity.
- You create space between stimulus and response.

The notifications don't disappear; they just lose their power over you.

Here's the tactical version:

- Phone charges outside the bedroom
- First 30 min: prayer, reading, journaling
- No screens until stillness is complete
- Only then does the world get access

Simple. Not easy. Worth it.

The irony of building with AI and automation:

The more systems you create, the more noise you generate.

More notifications. More dashboards. More metrics.

Stillness is the counterbalance. It keeps the machines from running you.

I've noticed a pattern with burned-out operators:

- They're never alone with their thoughts.
- Every gap is filled with podcasts, scrolling, content consumption.

The mind never rests. The soul never recalibrates.

Breakdown becomes inevitable.

Portfolio careers demand more from you. More output. More context switching. More plates spinning.

But they also demand more stillness. More clarity on what matters. More space to hear what the noise drowns out.

If your mornings start with other people's emergencies, you've already lost the day.

Take back the first 30 minutes. Let the chaos orbit, but protect your center.

That's where purpose lives.

Calm man meditating cross-legged on floating platform, glowing "PURPOSE" orb at chest, muted apps and notifications hovering around him.

"Move fast and break things."

This advice works for startups.

It destroys enterprise GTM teams.

Don't learn this the hard way deploying AI with 50+ stakeholders.

Here's what actually works:

Startup reality:
→ Founder can mandate adoption
→ 5 stakeholders to align
→ Pivot takes a meeting
→ Failed experiment = learning

Enterprise reality:
→ 50+ stakeholders across departments
→ 90-day security review before touching data
→ Failed experiment = 12 months distrust

In startups, breaking things costs a weekend.

In enterprise, breaking things costs:

→ Trust with sales leadership
→ Budget for future initiatives
→ Political capital with executives
→ 6-12 months rebuilding credibility

The stakes are different.

The playbook must be too.

Enterprise Constraint #1: Security Review

Startup: "Let's try this tool today!"

Enterprise: "Every tool needs 90-day security review before touching production data."

Solution: Start with cloud-based tools that have existing enterprise compliance (SOC2, GDPR).

Enterprise Constraint #2: Stakeholder Alignment

Startup: CEO says go, team goes.

Enterprise: Sales, Marketing, RevOps, IT, Legal, Finance must align.

Solution: Build coalition before deployment.

Sell different value to each stakeholder.
Adoption follows buy-in.

Enterprise Constraint #3: Behavior Change

Startup: Small team, fast adoption.

Enterprise: 50+ people with established workflows.

Solution: Pilot with 5-10 users first.

Prove value → Document wins → Expand slowly.

Don't mandate AI. Earn it through results.

The Enterprise AI Playbook:

Week 1-4: Stakeholder mapping + buy-in
Month 2-3: Security review + pilot design
Month 4-6: Small pilot + edge case discovery
Month 7-9: Documented wins + expanded rollout
Month 10-12: Full deployment + optimization
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

What actually works in enterprise:

Stage gates, not timelines
Stakeholder buy-in, not mandates
Documented processes, not tribal knowledge
Human-in-the-loop, not full automation
Proven pilots, not big bang launches

Boring? Yes.
Effective? Absolutely.

Reframe the goal:

❌ "Deploy AI as fast as possible"
✅ "Build organizational capability that compounds"

The company that deploys AI in 18 months with full adoption beats the one that deploys in 3 months with 20% usage.

Speed of deployment ≠ speed of value.

The enterprise truth:

Technology is 20% of AI adoption.
Behavior change is 80%.

You're not racing competitors.

You're building systems that compound for the next decade.

Move deliberately. Build coalitions. Earn trust.

That's how enterprise AI actually works.

The hardest season of my career became the foundation for everything after.

Here's what I learned building toward a portfolio career:

A few years ago, everything shifted.

The traditional path felt uncertain.

Instead of panic, I chose differently:

→ Rebuild intentionally
→ Stack skills strategically
→ Document everything

Here's what worked:

Lesson 1: Time is your most valuable asset.

Amanda Goetz talks about ruthless prioritization.
I mapped my week in 30-minute blocks.

The result:

60% of my time → 10% of outcomes.
Clarity changed everything.

Lesson 2: Your skills compound.

Myron Golden teaches that wealth follows value creation.

Instead of chasing any opportunity, I doubled down:

→ GTM systems
→ AI automation
→ Content creation

Three skills. Top 25% in each.
That combination is rare.

Lesson 3: Build in public.

Every problem I solved → documented.
Every framework I developed → shared.

This did two things:

Built credibility
Attracted opportunities I couldn't manufacture

SODOTO: Solve Own problems, Document, share. Others pay you to solve Theirs.

Lesson 4: Portfolio beats all-in.

One income stream = single point of failure.
I stopped chasing one big break.

Started building multiple smaller ones:

→ W2 stability
→ Content leverage

Different risks. Compounding together.

Lesson 5: Faith over fear.

The hardest part wasn't tactics.

It was mindset.

Trusting that disciplined action over time produces results.
Even when you can't see them yet.

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance." — Proverbs 21:5

The key word: diligent.

Not frantic.
Not desperate.
Not scattered.

Diligent.

Consistent effort. Clear direction. Patient execution.
That's what builds foundations that last.

If you're in a season of transition:

The foundation you build during difficulty becomes the platform you launch from later.

Don't waste the struggle.

What season are you in right now?

I built a Second Brain in Notion that powers all 5 pillars of my life from one system.

Most knowledge systems fail because they're built for storage, not action.

Here's how I built mine differently:

Why most Second Brains fail:

→ Too complex to maintain
→ Capture everything, use nothing
→ No connection to output
→ System becomes a burden, not leverage

Information isn't valuable.
Information connected to action is valuable.

I rebuilt my system around this.

The SODOTO Framework:

Solve Own Problems
Document the solution
Teach Others

Every note I capture must pass the SODOTO test:

"Can I use this to solve a problem, document it, and teach it?"

If no → don't capture.
If yes → capture + connect.

My Notion Structure:

1. Inbox → Everything starts here
2. Projects → Active work 
3. Areas → Ongoing responsibilities (5 Pillars)
4. Resources → Reference material
5. Archive → Completed/inactive

Based on PARA, adapted for portfolio career.

I organize around 5 Life Pillars:

→ Faith (spiritual growth, social impact)
→ Fitness (health, longevity, energy)
→ Family (marriage, kids, homeschooling)
→ Finance (operator + creator)
→ Freedom (location independence, systems)

Every note connects to a pillar.

My Capture Workflow:

• Podcast insight → SuperWhisper → Notion inbox
• Article highlight → Readwise → Notion database
• Meeting note → Quick capture → Tag project
• Content idea → Voice memo → Inbox for processing

Capture is fast. Processing happens weekly.

Weekly Processing (30 min):

1. Empty inbox completely
2. Connect notes to projects/areas
3. Identify SODOTO opportunities
4. Create content ideas from learning
5. Archive what's not actionable

No note lives in inbox longer than 7 days.

Backlog = system failure.

The key: Connect to Output

Every learning connects to:

→ Blog post idea
→ Newsletter topic
→ Tweet thread
→ Consulting framework
→ Work project

I don't just capture.

I capture → process → connect → create.

The Second Brain feeds the Content Engine.

The Stack:

• Notion → Second Brain home
• Readwise Reader → Article/book highlights
• SuperWhisper → Voice to text
• Claude → Processing + connections

Total cost: ~$30/month

ROI: Entire portfolio career runs on this system.

The principle:

Don't build a Second Brain for storage.

Build it for action.

Every capture → connects to a pillar
Every note → passes SODOTO test
Every week → processing clears inbox
Every learning → becomes content

Information + action = leverage.

Start there.

Most AI transformations fail in the first 90 days.

Not because of bad tools.
Not because of bad timing.

Because teams skip Stage 1.

I built a 3-stage framework that changes everything:

The popular narrative:

"We need AI agents!"
"We need automation platforms!"
"We need the latest tech!"

The reality I keep seeing:

Teams are layering new tools onto broken systems.

You can't AI your way out of bad processes.
You can only accelerate them.

The GTM Stack Maturity Framework:

→ Stage 1: Optimize current stack (Foundation)
→ Stage 2: Layer agentic workflows (Intelligence)
→ Stage 3: Integrate automated workflows (Scale)

Each stage unlocked by completion + stakeholder buy-in.

Not calendar.

Stage 1: Optimize Your Current Stack

Before you add AI, ask:

• Is CRM adoption at 90%+?
• Is data quality above 85%?
• Are processes documented?
• Does each tool have measurable ROI?

If you can't answer "yes" to 80%+ of these...

You're not ready for AI.

Stage 2: Agentic Workflows

Start with internal, non-customer-facing tasks:

• Lead Research Agent (enrich leads with intel)
• Meeting Prep Agent (brief reps in 2 min vs 20)
• Competitive Intel Agent (monitor landscape)

Cloud-based = faster security approval.

The hidden value of Stage 2:

You're not just testing AI.

You're building a living wiki of edge cases:

"Research agent struggles with subsidiaries"
"Reps want briefs in Slack, not dashboards"
"Deals over $100K need human review"

This is your change management gold.

Stage 3: Automated Workflows

Now you connect everything:

Trigger: High-intent visitor identified

→ Enrich with data tools
→ Call Lead Research Agent
→ Create CRM lead
→ Route to correct rep
→ Notify via Slack
→ If >$100K, trigger human review

Zero manual work.

The principle that changes everything:

"Automation amplifies what's broken."

Broken process + automation = dysfunction at scale.

Optimized process + automation = compounding returns.

Automation is an amplifier, not a fixer.

Fix first. Automate second.

Technology is 20% of AI adoption.

Behavior change is 80%.

Don't sell "AI transformation."

Sell:

→ Sales: "Clean CRM = accurate forecasting"
→ RevOps: "Documented processes = less firefighting"
→ Executives: "System compounds over time"

Adoption follows trust.

Don't chase tools. Build systems.
Don't skip stages. Earn progression.
Don't optimize for speed. Optimize for compounding.

You're not racing to deploy AI first.

You're building capability that compounds for the next decade.

Follow for more.

There are only 4 ways to multiply your operational capacity.

Master all four, and you'll outpace competitors who only use one.

I call them the Four Powers.

Here's how they work together:

Power 1: AUTOMATE

Use AI to handle repetitive work.

Every task you automate is a task you never do again.

But automation alone isn't enough. It just makes you faster at what you already do.

The leverage comes from combining it with the other three.

Power 2: BUILD

Create custom tools without coding.

No-code platforms, AI builders, templates.

Build it once, use it forever.

The best operators don't just use tools—they create tools that fit their exact workflow.

Power 3: CREATE

Generate professional content across media.

Written, visual, video.

Content that teaches, attracts, and converts—without requiring your constant presence.

Your ideas, multiplied.

Power 4: CONNECT

Communicate clearly and build audience at scale.

Relationships are still the foundation. But technology lets you maintain more of them.

Authentic connection. Systematic reach.

The compound effect:

AUTOMATE frees time → More time to BUILD
BUILD creates tools → Better tools to CREATE
CREATE builds audience → Larger audience to CONNECT
CONNECT drives opportunities → More work to AUTOMATE

Each power amplifies the others.

The mistake most make:

They master ONE power and ignore the rest.

→ Great at automation but no audience
→ Great at content but drowning in ops
→ Great at networking but manually doing everything

The leverage comes from the combination.

How to assess yourself:

AUTOMATE: How many hours/week do I save?
BUILD: How many custom tools have I created?
CREATE: How much content am I producing?
CONNECT: How many relationships am I maintaining?

Score 1-10 on each. Find your weakest power.

The progression:

Start with AUTOMATE (free up time)
Then BUILD (create your toolkit)
Then CREATE (build your audience)
Then CONNECT (convert to relationships)

This sequence compounds faster than random skill-building.

Your turn:

Score yourself 1-10 on each power.

Which is your weakest?

That's where to focus next.

What's your lowest score?

I build brands that redefine how we experience food.

As Founder & CEO of Three Mills Bakery, I’ve spent over a decade turning a small Canberra bakery into one of Australia’s most respected challenger food brands known for its world-class sourdough, pastries, and bake-at-home range that’s changing how people eat at home.

After nearly two decades in the food business, my obsession is with what happens behind the scenes: the systems, supply chains, and storytelling that separate lasting food brands from the ones that fade. I believe the future of food will be built by founders who master all three: craft, tech, and culture.

Through Fix Before You Scale (my weekly newsletter), I share what I’ve learned with operators trying to grow without losing their soul. 

And through upcoming ventures, I’m building an ecosystem designed to back the next generation of challenger food brands.

My mission is simple:

To help ambitious founders build better food businesses. Ones that nourish people, reward craft, and respect the planet.

As for LinkedIn, I share the behind-the-scenes journey along the way. 

Thanks for reading.

Jarrod Deaton

Yesterday I got asked how we grew to 130 people. Here's the quick answer: 
 
The food industry is known for being challenging to find people. 
 
The good ones rarely stay in the industry long enough to coach the next generation. 
 
We knew we had our work cut out for us if we were going to attract all the talent and keep growing. 
 
So we built a magnet. 
 
A business that attracted people to it instead of always chasing. 
 
It all starts with a big problem. 
 
In our case, no one wanted to service our area with good bread and pastries. Certainly not in the wholesale space. 
 
So we focused on: 
 
𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧 
 
Something world class that people couldn't help but talk about and share with others. 
 
When you nail it, it becomes your best marketing weapon for finding clients and employees to join the cause. 
 
 
𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 
 
Wrap a good product nicely and it's like giving it a superpower. 
 
I'm not just talking physically wrap them. 
 
I'm saying: 
 
- How you make people feel 
- Your online customer experience 
- The time you take to solve problems 
- Your outreach strategies to gain clients 
 
Everything customers see, smell, touch, taste and hear needs to represent you. 
 
And when it does, people you never thought would join you come knocking. 
 
Next is... 
 
𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 
 
Everyone goes on about it in the corporate world. 
 
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀. 
 
You can have all the ping pong tables and perks imaginable but still have crappy culture. 
 
So find interesting problems to solve, start working on them, and talk to other people about it. 
 
The right people hear about it and come and find you to help. 
 
--- 
 
Obviously there's more to it than that. 
 
But it's about building a business that attracts people so you're not always chasing. 
 
Make your brand, products and culture magnetic.

undefined undefined

Curious Founders NL

I share stories and tips from growing my business to 140 people in an email every Sunday.

You might like to join 1677 other business owners already reading it.

Here's where to find it:

www.jarroddeaton.com.au

three-mills-bakery

Founder & CEO, Three Mills Bakery | Building the next generation of food brands through craft, tech & culture | Writer of Fix Before You Scale

I baked these in my home oven on the weekend. 

They're a new version of our bake-at-home croissants.

Stored frozen. 

Ready to bake in one hour instead of doing them overnight.

You just gently egg-wash the top. 

And bake for 15 minutes. 

Pretty spectacular results in the home oven.

My house smelled so damn good.

I used to be afraid of sucking at things. 
 
Always practicing in private before revealing a skillset in public. 

But the problem is, when you keep it a secret, you miss out on rich feedback that can help you level up faster. 

Most people genuinely want to help you succeed.
 
The key is to switch to a student mindset, and not an expert.

Being prepared to suck at something first and make tiny rapid improvements using loads of feedback. 

That type of vulnerability has helped me so much in my career. 

Not to mention the accountability it's added to my life as an entrepreneur.

Apart from the occasional idiot who laughs at you from behind the screen, it's been all upside.

I'd encourage you to put yourself out there, openly try new things and be prepared to ask for help along the way.

This is the reason I exercise as much as I can. 

The more I work out, the more of these I can eat!

It's that simple.

Here's how growth can make a business better:

For years I watched other food businesses grow and sacrifice quality to achieve scale. 

Not wanting to fall into the same trap we started asking how growth could make us better.
 
- Better product 
- Better team culture 
- Better customer experience 
 
Instead of the alternative where all joy is lost and money is the only objective.
 
I've always felt that there's an opportunity to do the opposite. 
 
It's more of a feeling of responsibility. 
 
The bigger you grow, the more resources you have to do good with. 
 
Things like: 
 
- attracting better talent 
- hearing more customer feedback 
- utilising access to excellent equipment 
 
And that last one -optimising industrial equipment has changed the game for us. 

When you select the right piece, it not only makes the product better and increases efficiency, it removes unnecessary load on the team's body.

It's especially important in an industry like ours where you're lifting 25kg bags of flour and dough all day. 
 
This is our Rheon stress-free divider from Japan. 
 
It helps us cut precise dough weights without lifting the 20kg tubs or over-handling the dough. 
 
It means less load on the team and less impact on the dough which drives up our quality. 

Indirectly, a piece of equipment like this then improves culture by making the day better. 

And a better culture attracts better people. 
 
You start to realise that focusing on quality and team culture as you scale a business is always the best route. 

What are your thoughts?

I spent years behind the coffee machine. 
 
I miss the action and daily connections. 
 
These days I'm in the office for hours. 
 
-Meeting 
-Planning 
-Deciding 
-Documenting 
 
Sometimes I think it's such a shift away from the idea of building a hospitality business. 
 
But it's about empowering, training and trusting others to do it in your absence. 
 
It's also something I've seen other food entrepreneurs struggle with. 
 
"Getting off the tools" so to speak. 
 
Office work and corporate life are something we're all probably trying to avoid by staying in this world in the first place! 
 
Thought work 
People work 
Strategy 
Culture 
 
Are often things that are put on the 'To-Do' list as you prioritise opening the store and serving customers. 
 
But there's a responsibility for owners to change their role as the company grows. 
 
Even though it'd be great to get back on the machine and pump out some coffees, I know it'd take my focus away from other important things that need doing. 
 
Things the rest of the team are expecting will get done at a high level so they can do their best work.

We had a fierce competitor land on our doorstep a few years back who threatened to gobble up a huge part of our business.

They were:

- Bigger
- Well funded
- Aggressive on sales
- Undercutting us on price

They were relentless.

Our strategy?

𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

So here's what we did:

- Increased consistency
- Extended our contact hours
- Rapidly fixed problems for clients
- Treated people like our best mates and bent over backwards to help them.

The result?

We only lost 3 clients over 12 months.

And two of them came back within the first 30 days due to crappy service.

We used it again this year to grow instead of retaining clients and it worked just as well.

There's literally no downside to over-servicing your clients by building a culture around long-term customer delight.

If your company is struggling to retain clients or hasn't seen enough growth over the past 2 years, I'd love to understand more.

Drop me a DM sometime.

Maybe I can help.

As you get more successful, you don’t lose capability. 
You lose curiosity.

You get better at protecting what works...
and worse at testing what might work next.

That’s how good businesses slowly give up their edge — not overnight, but quietly.

This carousel breaks down why it happens, what curiosity debt really costs,
and how to design a business that can run reliably and still explore.

If any of this feels familiar, take a minute and read the slides.

Keeping your edge as your grow

After recruiting over 1000 people, here's one insight that's transformed how we hire going forward:

When we started, we would recruit for tasks. Jobs that needed to be done. 

This sounds obvious, but the result is everyone reported to a handful of highly organised leaders. 

They were expected to think strategically, align teams, and ensure that everyone was working on the right thing at the right standard. 

It can get overwhelming for those people to wear so many different hats and lead big teams.

Instead, we flipped our approach. 

We stopped recruiting for frontline roles and started recruiting leaders.

We gave them the freedom to select their own team and align on what needed to be done.

At that point, everything clicked up a gear. 

- We started to distribute the leadership responsibility. 

- Our best people got to focus on their core strength instead of being spread thin

- And we noticed that those new A players started to recruit other A players. 

I can't say if we should have done this earlier or not. We often didn't have the cash for high-level roles back then. 

But I do know that we'll always be looking to recruit the team leader first from here on. 

What are your thoughts on recruiting key roles first or later?

If your margin is thin, your standards are about to get thin too.

When there's no cash left over, you have no choice but to make tough calls that crush your standards. 

No cash for training, repairing, recruiting, marketing. being generous. 

It's a crappy game from there. 

The fix is simple, 

Increase your margin

Often you've just got to start the journey before setting a goal. 
 
Here's what I mean: 
 
This afternoon I missed the gym because I was held back at work. 
 
Instead, I decided to walk up a gnarly part of a nearby hill I'm used to running around. 
 
Halfway up I noticed that the sun would be setting any minute and thought it's be cool to see it from the top. 
 
So I pushed hard and caught it just before it dipped over the horizon. 
 
(freaken beautiful) 
 
But my point is, I didn't set out to catch the sunset. 
 
The goal became clearer after I started. 
 
In the beginning, I just started walking. 
 
And this same thing applies to nearly any goal worth pursuing. 
 
1. Start moving in the general direction 
2. Goals and milestones become clearer. 
3. Lock in on a goal 
4. Adjust your direction, movements and speed to get there. 
 
Get after it!

“We’re scaling” is often code for we haven’t fixed the business model. 

In a world where revenue gets more attention than profit, most entrepreneurs are still chasing the applause (revenue) instead of the proof (profit). 

Unless that was just me up until a few years ago...?

Growth doesn’t fix margins. It hides them until it kills you.

(hindsight's a wonderful thing)

Most founders only tell the story after they’ve won.

I’d rather share mine before the ending gets too shiny.

We were losing $40K cash a week and I thought selling more would fix it.

It didn’t.

If you’re in the messy middle, this one’s for you.

Swipe through these lessons would’ve saved me years.

ieK89pvfI

When I started my bakery, I was done being a “small business.”

I wanted to build something bigger. 

Something that could thrive without me doing it all.

But somewhere between 30 and 40 employees, I hit a wall.

I was still solving every problem.

Still the one everyone came to.

What changed everything wasn’t working harder... it was finding the right person to take the reins operationally and empowering them to lead.

If you’ve been stuck in the grind, wondering how to scale without burning out, this one’s for you.

Swipe through to see how one hire changed everything.

One hire multiplied our growth overnight

Busy doesn’t mean effective.

Stacked calendars look productive, but they’re a dreadful way to operate.

Lunch gets skipped. The gym gets pushed.

And the worst part? There’s no time left to think.

Thinking isn’t a perk. It’s the job.

If this sounds familiar, read the carousel.

Carving out time to think. Here's what happens.

Not many people share the tough times in business... It's always the postcard moments and winning photos.

I completely understand what drives it. 

All the normal mindsets are at play:

- No one wants to back a losing horse.
- It's not good for business.
- Weakness is a flaw.

Not to mention the whole 'fake it 'til you make it' approach that most entrepreneurs subscribe to in the early days.

(That included me)

But fast-forward two decades and I've always learned more during the rough patches that the good bits.

The hardest moments in business taught me more about myself, my business and the people around me. 

And you don't just magically learn things without going through the crappy bits, yet the business world still doesn't value talking about them openly.

When I shared our bumpy journey in front of a few hundred distillers, brewer and bakers at a recent event, a remarkable thing happened. 

It opened the door for so many amazing conversations and new connections. By opening up, others did too. 

Since the event, I've received loads of emails and DMs from really incredible people. 

Easily one of the best things I've ever done. 

But, you don't need to speak in front of hundreds of people to make the same thing happen.

You can start small, group coffee meets with other business people. A nice dinner with a dozen like-minded folks in industry. It's always worht it.

Business can be a lonely game. But that's also a choice.

Here's how our team changed as we grew: 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 (𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗨𝗽): 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 
 
Everyone is doing anything and everything to growth the business, handle challenges and find a way to deliver on the work. 
 
It's important that the people on the team can jump into any role. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝘄𝗼: 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 
 
You need an extra layer of management so you start to pull in a few more high level team members to share the load and gain greater leverage. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲: 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 
 
At this point hyper specific people become very important for doing the work that needs to be done. 
 
You shift from generalists to a team of specialists. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 
 
You begin to invest in other people who can unlock growth. 
 
Up to this point there's only room for one or two people looking externally and everyone else is looking internally at things to be done. 
 
Intrapreneurs are like entrepreneurs who want to find new things that can help the business grow, diversify, vertically integrate and create new opportunities. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 
 
I'm not there yet so I'll keep you posted... 
 
--- 
 
Each one has been linked to the team size and the revenue. 
 
It's different for each business and how it's structured but based on a few conversations with other entrepreneurs, every business seems to go through these phases in some form.

You know those big faceless companies that grow nicely but sacrifice product quality and culture along the way? 

I'm trying to avoid that as I grow.
 
Instead, we're growing something that unlocks greater potential for good and impacts the world positively. 
 
(permission to kick me in the shin if I get off track) 
 
I love the idea that a business can get better with age. 
 
You move from the selfish days of bootstrapping and pure survival, to a place where you can flourish and contribute to leaving this world better than we found it. 
 
I believe businesses can be a platform to do so much good. 
 
Not only for the people who engage with it, but the communities around it, and the people who contribute to it. I doubt it's easy to manage or maintain at scale but I'm all in.
 
And there are some key reasons why I like trying: 
 
𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 - Many hands make light work. 
 
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 - Solve something bigger than our own. 
 
𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 - Nudging the world in the right direction means having a bigger reach. 
 
There's plenty more. 
 
But for many business owners, growth scares the pants off them. 
 
It means: 
 
- More people to deal with 
- Greater complexity 
- Bigger problems 
- More risk 
 
And I get it...But for me, just the reward of flexibility and freedom that comes with having more people to help carry the load is enough of a reason to grow a little. 
 
Whatever your business goals are, my hope is that by sharing some insights with you along the way we can grow together and learn from each other. 
 
If you're reading this, I appreciate you. 
 
Thanks for being here. 
 
--- 
 
Drop me a comment if you're heading in the same direction and building something bigger.

Most founders try to be better.

Faster. Cheaper. Louder.

That’s a race to nowhere.

The best brands don’t compete. They create. 

They name the problem. They try to own the language.

If your customers can swap you for a similar option, you’re not building a brand. You’re building a commodity with a logo.

This is a reminder (to self) to stop competing and start creating new categories with less competition. 

Love to know if this resonates?!

We spend so much of our time at work trying to get on the same page as each other. 

Meetings, slack, email, presentations, offsites, briefings all geared towards making sure a few people understand what good looks like, align on how to get there, and deciding what happens when you don't. 

When you think about it, that's pretty silly.

No action required here. Just an observation that we're pretty inefficient communicators. 

Makes sense why a company vision needs to be so clear and so messaging simple. 

If you do that, everyone gets on with it sooner. 

Thoughts?

taplio

The Battle

Kevin Payne

Jarrod Deaton

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreKevin Payne's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJarrod Deaton's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Kevin Payne

Jarrod Deaton

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);}Kevin Payne's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJarrod Deaton's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreKevin Payne's LinkedIn Performance