Chief Rebel

At Chief Rebel, we help founders build businesses worth owning, and if they choose, worth selling. Our mission is to equip 100,000 business owners with the systems, support, and strategy to lead on their own terms.

Founder

Optima Mergers & Acquisitions

Market Director, Partner

SMU Business Leadership Center

I have the privilege of teaching MBA students about small business mergers and acquisitions.

Guest Lecturer

Acquisition Lab

Acquisition Advisor

Perch

Executive Board

Chief Executive Officer

BizScout

Zero to multi six figure ARR in four months.

Head of Supply

Apple

Senior Global Supply Manager

Generational Equity, LLC

M&A Advisor

AlixPartners

Vice President

Southwest Airlines

Engineer & Operations Supervisor

Most founders chase profit, but at some point, that’s not enough.

The business works… as long as the founder keeps grinding.

But what’s it really worth if you want to step away?

That’s the moment most owners realize their company isn’t built to last without them.

And that can mean a lower valuation, fewer options, and a tough conversation with themselves.

I work with founders to change that.

At Chief Rebel, I help business owners create companies that are valuable, with or without them.

Cleaning up operations.
Raising the valuation.
Building a business that gives leverage, whether you want to sell or keep growing.

Real numbers:
-  M&A advisor for founders at the nation's #1 brokerage for deals up to $25M
- 100s guided on buy-side, with millions in successful acquisitions
- Multiple companies founded, purchased, turned around, and exited (including a 150-agent real estate platform, very painfully)
- Built an M&A startup to six-figure ARR in four months as COO
- Led high-stakes deals and business performance improvement with Apple, PE firms, and Fortune 500s
- Repaired aircraft and managed frontline ops at Southwest Airlines

What I do now:
Help founders build companies that buyers line up for, and that owners actually love running.

How I can help:
- Get my free weekly newsletter
- DM me for a 60s expert teardown of your business

And when I’m not working with founders, you’ll find me rock climbing, writing, or hanging out with my family.

73 agents.
That's how many "disappeared" between the marketing materials and reality.

190 became 117, and it nearly killed everything.

When I saw the CIM number and cross-referenced it with the Texas Real Estate Commission website, everything matched. But internally, they didn't even have a system to track how many agents were actually producing.

The excuse? "If we give you that information, we'll tip off the team that we're selling and everyone will panic."

This is backwards thinking that destroys deals.

Have the conversation with your team ahead of time. Bring them along the journey. You might discover succession options you never knew existed.

Every piece of data in your CIM should live in an organized data room with supporting documentation. Revenue per agent, performance metrics, commission structures. All of it.

If you can't explain how you performance manage your people, how you track productivity, or how you determine compensation, you don't have a business. You have a hobby.

Clean up your data 3-5 years before you plan to sell. Not 3-5 months.

Buyers want transparency, not surprises.

Every question they ask in due diligence should have a clear, documented answer ready to go.

Your ability to provide instant, accurate data builds confidence.
Your inability to do so destroys trust.

Is your data room ready for scrutiny?

Kinza Azmat

The Exit Gal. Helping 7-8 figure founders maximize their valuation. Follow for posts on business and leadership. [3x CEO, Exited Founder, SMU lecturer, author & speaker.]

They fired Steve Jobs.
Then begged him to come back.
Here's what you can learn from business’ greatest comeback stories.

In 1985, Jobs was 30 and already a legend. 

But inside Apple, trouble was brewing:
⇢ The Macintosh wasn't hitting sales
⇢ Jobs was brilliant but volatile
⇢ The Board brought in a new leader

The founder who built Apple was forced out.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 (𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟱-𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟲)

Jobs left humiliated but never stopped:

At NeXT:
⇢ Pursued computing perfection; too $$$
⇢ The software was revolutionary though
⇢ This "failure" later became macOS

At Pixar:
⇢ Bought Lucasfilm graphics group for $5M
⇢ Saw computers as storytelling tools
⇢ Then...Toy Story! The first computer-animated feature film. A massive hit.

These years transformed Jobs:
⇢ NeXT taught him vision needs market fit
⇢ Pixar showed the power of TEAM
⇢ Both taught patience and discipline

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 (𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟲+)

Apple was losing $1B/yr & nearly bankrupt.

Apple bought NeXT for $400M, bringing Jobs back. 

This time was different.

His Five Key Moves:
1️⃣ Simplified product lines to just 4
2️⃣ Secured $150M from Microsoft
3️⃣ Outsourced mfg & moved to direct sales
4️⃣ Repositioned Apple as a premium brand
5️⃣ Launched game-changers: iMac, iPod…

👉 In 12 months Apple went from a $1B loss to a $309M profit, grew 113,000% over the next decade, and became the most valuable company in the world.

The real lessons from Jobs’ comeback are simple but powerful:

1️⃣ Cut to win
 ↳ Jobs cut 15+ Apple products down to 4. 
 ↳ Growth came from clarity, not clutter.

2️⃣ Bet with purpose
 ↳ NeXT flopped, but its software won.
 ↳ Pixar thrived after years of debt.
 ↳ Failed experiments make breakthroughs.

3️⃣ Build before you scale
 ↳ Jobs got $150M (Microsoft) to stabilize.
 ↳ Shaky foundation minimizes success.

4️⃣ Sell the value, not the parts
 ↳ Jobs positioned Apple as premium.
 ↳ People paid for impact, not sum of parts.

These aren’t just Apple’s lessons. 
They’re moves any leader can practice.

Which of these plays have you tried?

🔁 Share to inspire comeback mindset.
Follow Kinza Azmat for lessons like this.

A few years ago, I ran a 200-person company.
And I blew it.

I thought hustle and talent were all we needed.
I thought if we hired the best and pushed hard, the results would follow.

I was wrong.

Because great teams aren’t built on hustle.
They’re built on what leaders protect.

We had incredible people.
We had relentless drive.
But the environment was toxic — and excellence can’t survive in that.

⛔ I learned this the hard way through
7 silent team killers:

↳Unchecked Egos: One toxic personality can poison an entire culture

↳Chronic Pressure: Growth needs pressure and support

↳Politics Over Performance: When gossip drives decisions, trust dies

↳Fear of Failure: Innovation stops where blame begins

↳Invisible Efforts: Unrecognized work never lasts

↳Hidden Emotions: People don’t quit companies. They quit environments.

↳Burnout Culture: Sales people either burnt out or lazy

✅ When I finally stopped reacting and started leading, here’s what worked:

↳Active Listening: Catch issues early, act decisively

↳Setting Standards: Your daily actions set the cultural code

↳Mental Space: Create room for thinking, not just doing

↳Recognition: Celebrate progress, not just results

↳Fair Play: Kill favoritism before it kills motivation

↳Psychological Safety: Great ideas only survive in safe spaces

I learned that my real job wasn’t driving results.

It was protecting the environment where results could thrive.

That’s real leadership.

Repost to share this with a leader who needs the reminder.

Follow Kinza Azmat for more battle-tested leadership insights.

Everyone chases the spotlight moments.
But true leadership?

It's built in the shadows most ignore.

10 "small" habits that separate exceptional leaders:

1. They amplify others' wins
→ Recognition compounds trust
→ Great ideas need champions

2. They master the basics
→ On time. Every time.
→ Small promises kept build massive credibility

3. They listen before leading
→ Last to speak = first to understand
→ Questions unlock better solutions

4. They show up fully
→ Camera on, mind present
→ Energy transfers, even virtually

5. They close communication loops
→ Quick response > perfect response
→ Silence breeds uncertainty

6. They manage energy
→ Calm beats chaos
→ Your mood sets the room's temperature

7. They lead with service
→ "How can I help?" opens doors
→ Support empowers, control limits

8. They own their mistakes
→ No excuses. Just action.
→ Trust follows transparency

9. They maintain standards
→ Excellence is a private choice
→ Character shows when no one's watching

10. They respect the process
→ "Take your time" beats burnout
→ Sustainable pace wins the race

The truth is that leadership isn't a position.
It's a pattern of tiny choices that compound daily.

Which habit makes the biggest difference day to day?

♻️ Share if these habits reminded you: greatness lives in the details.
Follow me, Kinza Azmat, for battle-tested insights on leading teams.

Success isn’t a mystery. It’s math.
After advising 750+ entrepreneurs, the pattern’s clear:

These 5 formulas always work.
Do these daily and watch your life change.

1. Boring > Brilliant
→ The founders who win aren’t chasing dopamine
→ They’re repeating what works, every damn day

2. Cash > Confidence
→ You can’t mindset your way out of a cash crunch
→ Know your numbers or die slowly

3. Quitting ≠ Failing
→ Strategic exits save founders
→ Walking away isn’t weakness. Delusion is.

4. Control = Chaos
→ If you’re still the bottleneck, you don’t have a business
→ Autonomy is the only path to freedom

5. Vulnerability = Power
→ The strongest leaders own their mess
→ It’s not oversharing. It’s leadership.

You don’t need more motivation.
You need to follow these formulas.

Which one are you avoiding?
👇 Drop your blind spot below.

Follow Kinza Azmat to learn more about building exit-ready companies.

If you're micromanaging,
you didn't hire a A-players…you hired order-takers.

Real leaders don’t hover.

They set the target,
then get the heck out of the way.

I learned this the hard way.
When I hired my first ops lead, I kept jumping in.

Re-wording emails. Tweaking systems. Explaining things I’d already explained.

I thought I was being helpful.
But really, I was just slowing her down and signaling I didn’t trust her.

She finally told me:

"I’ve got this. But I need space to actually do the job."
That was my wake-up call.

So we set up a system:

→ Weekly check-ins with a tight agenda
→ Dashboards showing leading and lagging indicators
→ Clear swim lanes
→ A rule: no Slack messages unless it’s blocking the business

Now I get what I need: visibility!
without choking the process.

Micromanagement isn’t control.
It’s a lack of trust disguised as “standards.”

The biggest momentum-killer?

A manager who won’t stop meddling:
→ Constant status pings
→ “Fixing” work that was already fine
→ Blocking decisions instead of clearing the path

You're not leading if you're clutching the wheel like it’s a lifeline.
Want to build a team that actually scales?

Do this instead:

Set the outcome.
↳ Make the goal, timeline, and quality bar non-negotiable.

Let them solve it.
↳ People do their best work when they own how it gets done.

Be a net. Not a shadow.
↳ Back them up. Don’t breathe down their necks.

Make failure survivable.
↳ Growth > perfection. Every time.

Reward initiative.
↳ Don’t just praise results, praise people who take the wheel.

Trust isn’t a perk. It’s the whole dang job.
If you don’t trust them to deliver,
why’d you hire them in the first place?

So ask yourself…
Are you building leaders, or babysitting grown adults?

—
🔔 Follow Kinza Azmat for more leadership insights
♻️ Share for more awareness.

I don’t care if you clock in at 9 am.
I care that you deliver what we agreed on.

I work with people I trust.
People who own their outcomes, solve problems, and hold themselves to a high standard.

That means:
❌ No permission needed to unplug
❌ No hiding that you have a life outside work
❌ No apology required for picking up your kids

We’re not just building companies. We’re building trust.

If you want to lead a team that consistently delivers, start here:

1/ Hire for street smarts and book smarts
↳ The combo matters. One without the other leaves blind spots.

2/ Define the finish line — scope and time
↳ Clarity beats motivation every time.

3/ Work like hell to push through roadblocks
↳ If they’re stuck, you own the unblock.

4/ Give trust, but don’t abdicate
↳ Step back, but stay present.

Trust accelerates performance.
Control slows it down.

The best teams happen when leaders:
↳set the bar
↳clear the way
↳let people run

♻️ Repost to raise the standard for leadership.
🔔 Follow Kinza Azmat for daily strategies on building companies, leading teams, and winning at the highest level.

Fired from his own companies.
And still ended up richest alive.

Elon Musk turned 2 devastating exits into a $200B empire.

Love him or hate him, here’s his journey and the hidden blueprint you can use:

1/The Zip2 Chapter (1995, Age 24)

⇢ Started w/$15K, showered at the YMCA
⇢ Built one of the first digital map services
⇢ Landed deals with major newspapers
⇢ Investors pushed him out...inexperience

➡️ Compaq acquired Z2 for $307M. 
Musk’s cut was a cool $22M.

2/ The PayPal Story (1999, Age 28)

⇢ Invested $$$ into X.com, an online bank
⇢ Product was messy, leadership conflicts
⇢ Board fired his on his honeymoon!
⇢ Merged with Confinity --> PayPal

➡️ eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5B. 
Musk earned $176M.

3/ The SpaceX Gamble (2002, Age 31)

⇢ Invested $100M to start rocket company
⇢ First 3 launches failed, nearly bankrupt
⇢ Borrowed money for rent to pay staff

➡️ The 4th launch succeeded.
NASA awarded a $1.6B contract

4/ The Tesla Takeover (2004, Age 33)

⇢ Musk led the Series A with $6.5M
⇢ Became chairman and "stepped in"
⇢ Days from collapse, funding arrived. 

➡️ Model S proved electric > luxury gas. 
Tesla became an icon.

👉🏼Here are the 4 lessons that matter:

1/ Ship before you shine
⇢  Zip2 wasn’t polished, but partnerships created credibility.

➡️ Chase one big anchor customer that validates you.

2/ Control is capital + timing
⇢ At Tesla, he earned control by writing the biggest check when no one would.

➡️ Step in when others step back out.

3/ Failure buys expertise
⇢ SpaceX’s failed rockets trained the team on how to think. 

➡️ Use failures to build a competitive edge.

4/ Ownership can be bought, not born
⇢ Elon bought in to Tesla and earned the right to steer.

➡️ Look for messy companies where your money or skills can flip the trajectory.

Musk’s real story isn’t about genius.

It’s about betting on yourself, surviving near-bankruptcy, and turning those moments into leverage.

What setback became your breakthrough?

🔄 Share this if persistence > perfection.
👤 Follow Kinza for more deep dives.

The day I exited my company, I felt defeated.
Here's the truth about life after an exit: 

Your identity disappears overnight:
-> "Kinza the CEO" → "Kinza the...?”
-> business that defined no longer belongs.
-> operator to outsider in a single signature

Your calendar goes blank:
-> The calls, fires, constant decisions...gone
-> The silence is deafening.
-> Purpose evaporates.

And the hardest part: 
-> You realize you tied your worth to $$$
-> When worth is gone, you want gone too

Here's what saved me:
-> I stopped pretending the exit was all champagne. 

I started telling the messy truth:
-> The moments no one claps for
-> The hollowness of "success"
-> The pain of “failure”

That honesty rebuilt me. 
Not as "the CEO of X." 
As me.

The lesson? 
When you exit, you finally see the reality.
That you are not your company.

But you gain:
-> Perspective
-> Time
-> The chance to build your next chapter intentionally

Your company isn't your identity. 
It's just a chapter. 

The real question is: 
who are you when that chapter closes?

♻️ Click repost for founders in your network
➕ Follow Kinza Azmat for more like this.

Hiring isn't just a skill.
It's a superpower that can make or break your company.

Here's the raw truth:
I know within 5 minutes if you're the right fit.

By the time we meet, your resume's old news.
I've already vetted your skills and experience.

What I'm watching for runs deeper:
→ Do you make things happen?
→ Can you evolve with us?
→ Will you raise our collective game?

I've ignored my gut too many times.
The last time taught me everything.

Her resume...picture perfect!
Fortune 500 logos. Executive experience.
Everything looked flawless on paper.

But something felt off.
→ Responses too polished
→ Questions lacking curiosity
→ Energy that felt programmed, not passionate

I ignored the red flags. Big mistake.

What followed was a slow-motion train wreck:
→ Toxic impact on team spirit
→ Pushed back on every suggestion
→ Brought the whole team's energy down

The expensive lesson?
Culture fit isn't just a buzzword.

→ Skills can be taught
→ Attitude is hardwired
→ One wrong hire can poison the well

Today, I don't hire for roles.
I hire for the team we're building.

Because great teams aren't built on resumes.
They're built on humans who bring their whole selves to work.

That's the difference maker.
That's what I look for in those first 5 minutes.

Drop your best hiring tip in the comments.

♻️ Share this if you believe in building teams, not just filling roles.
🔔 Follow Kinza Azmat for more insights on leadership and team building.

"I can't run the business. My wife has cancer."
7:23 AM call that changed everything.

Six months earlier, we discussed succession planning.
"I'll get to it eventually," he said.
Eventually became right now.

The rushed exit hurt everywhere. 
But one move saved $1.2M in taxes.

18 months prior, he'd mentioned...
"My ops manager basically runs the place anyway."

I suggested exploring a management buyout.
He never formalized it.

But when crisis hit?
That manager stepped up.

The deal:
-> 60% sale for $2.4M
-> Owner kept 40% for dividends
-> 5-year installment payments
-> Capital gains treatment
-> No earnout risk

$1.2M tax savings compared to traditional sale

Here's what matters:
Succession planning isn't about dying.
It's about having choices when life happens.

I've mapped the exact timelines for 4 succession scenarios that create options when you need them most.

Want to see what happened next? Read more below.

The call came at 7:23 AM. "Kinza, I need to sell. Now. My wife was diagnosed with cancer, and I can't run the business while she's going through treat

Open article: 🏴‍☠️ The succession plan that saved my client $1.2M in taxes (here's how to copy it) by Kinza Azmat • 2 min read

🏴‍☠️ The succession plan that saved my client $1.2M in taxes (here's how to copy it)

Great leaders don't just survive pressure.
They transform it into power.

When markets shake, teams watch the top.
Your stability becomes their strength.
Your clarity cuts through their chaos.

Here are 8 power moves that turn pressure into performance:

1. Master the Noble No
↳ Every yes dilutes your impact
↳ Guard your capacity like it guards your growth

2. Kill Comparison
↳ Other people's playbooks are other people's limits
↳ Elite performers compete with yesterday's version of themselves

3. Build Think Time
↳ Strategy needs silence
↳ The best moves happen in empty calendar blocks

4. Words That Work
↳ Less noise, more impact
↳ Your silence builds authority when your actions speak

5. Amplify Wins
↳ Recognition drives retention
↳ Small victories fuel big momentum

6. Simplify Metrics
↳ If everything's important, nothing is
↳ Track what moves the needle, drop what doesn't

7. Zoom Out
↳ Pressure drops when perspective rises
↳ Today's crisis is tomorrow's case study

8. Guard the Gates
↳ Your health and family fuel your leadership
↳ Protect them like they protect your legacy

Here's the truth about unbreakable leadership:
It's not built in boardrooms.
It's built in daily moments when nobody's watching.

Choose your hard:
- Hard now: Making tough calls that protect your priorities
- Hard later: Watching everything fall apart because you didn't

Which move will you master first?

♻️ Repost to help another leader level up.
👤 Follow Kinza Azmat for battle-tested wins.

8 Small Ways to Be An Unbreakable Leader

Founders don't fail because they run out of money.
They fail because...they run out of themselves.

The real danger isn't market conditions.
It's staying the same when the industry has moved on.

After watching hundreds of founders hit this wall, here's what actually moves you forward:

1. Follow the Friction
↳ The parts of the business you avoid show where the cracks are.
↳ That's often where your next growth leap is hiding.

2. Protect Your Headspace
↳ Stop running only on reaction mode.
↳ Create time to think beyond today's fires.

3. Build a Business That Doesn't Need You Daily
↳ Replace yourself in operational decision-making.
↳ Freedom is built, not stumbled into.

4. Create Your Next Chapter ✨
↳ Don't wait until burnout forces a change.
↳ Lead the shift before you're boxed in.

Your next level isn't about doing more.
It's about leading differently.

Because if the business can't grow without you...
You don't own a business.
You own a job.

💬 Which of these do you need most right now?
♻️ Repost to help another founder push through the wall
👤 Follow Kinza Azmat for more like this.

McKinsey says leaders waste 61% of their  time making decisions.
Here’s what I learned advising leaders of fortune 500 companies:

Nobody has it all figured out.

I've sat in rooms where:
→ CEOs made $50M decisions with incomplete data
→ Founders pivoted entire companies on gut instinct
→ Industry veterans launched products into untested markets

The difference?
They understood that discomfort is the price of growth.

Three rules I've learned from watching them win:

Speed beats certainty
- Your messy action today > Your perfect plan tomorrow

Clarity comes from movement
- You can't think your way to confidence
- You have to act your way there

Embrace the struggle
- That knot in your stomach? 
- It means you're growing

The path forward is simple:
→ Take action before you feel ready
→ Learn faster than your fear grows
→ Accept that everyone else is figuring it out too

That's the game.
Everyone else is playing it.
Your turn.

Agree? 
♻️ Repost to inspire others
🔔 Follow Kinza Azmat to read more about what makes good leaders, great.

🔥 The Daily Checklist That Saved My Company 🔥
From $280K/month expenses -> $30K in 6 months

I lost 60-80% of my revenue in a matter of weeks. The only way out was to cut costs. 

this is the checklist that kept me alive👇🏼

◻ No phone for 30 min (mental clarity)
◻ Meditate or journal for 5 min (small win)
◻ Committ to 1 big thing + 2 tasks per day
◻ ABCDE method (must do things first)
◻ Walk during team calls (defeat stress)
◻ 90/30 min work/rest sprints (proven)
◻ Help someone (build positivity)
◻ Avoid doom scrolling (business > media)
◻ Do not disturb mode (mission-critical)
◻ Move your body and love your family 🐕‍🦺
◻ Keep perspective (tiny wins still matter)
◻ Be honest (lead in spite of difficulty)
◻ Say thank you (especially your allies)
◻ Do it again (eventually things get better)

Pause. Regroup. Move with intention.

Ever force structure to drown out the noise? 

♻️ Share this with someone in the trenches.
🔔 Follow Kinza Azmat for real-world tools.

96% of marketing fails.
Here’s what the 4% got right ⤵️

Gap's campaign just schooled everyone:
→ 50M+ views in 72 hours
→ Organic reposts flooding feeds
→ Comments like "shut up & take my $$$"

Here are 3 things that made it work:

1) Perfect Timing
→ American Eagle's tone-deaf campaign linking denim to "superior genes"
→ Market needed a palate cleanser
→ Gap let the work speak instead of jumping into drama

2) Product Truth
→ No manufactured controversy
→ No desperate attempts at relatability
→ Just exceptional design on diverse bodies

3) Flawless Execution
→ World-class choreography
→ Cinematic production value
→ Every frame worth watching twice

The lesson isn't about jeans.

It's about recognizing industry blind spots and filling them with excellence.

Want to try this yourself?

If you’re a founder, watch for cracks in your market. That's where opportunity lives.

If you’re a marketer, viral isn't random.
It's the result of perfect timing + meticulous execution.

Gap didn't just move product. They rewrote the conversation.

How are you going to time the market and execute in your industry?

♻️ Repost for those making viral look easy.

🎯 Follow Kinza Azmat for moe like this.

Source: Datafloq and Gap

Your brain isn’t broken, your week is.
Here's my blueprint for staying productive without burning out:

7 Systems to Run Your Week Like a CEO

The Weekly Reset 📋
Every Sunday, I:
Clear the calendar of non-essentials
Set 1 clear intention per day
Pre-load key tasks into time blocks

→ Win the week before it begins

Strategic Time Blocking
Deep work gets scheduled first
Meetings fill gaps, not prime time
Create no-interruption zones

→ Protect your time or others will claim it

The Power of 3
Daily Task Triage:
Do it, delegate it, or defer it
Clean next-day list before closing
Only 3 must-dos per day

→ Fewer priorities = faster progress

Energy Management
Mornings = deep work
Afternoons = collaboration
Plan breaks strategically

→ Work with your energy, not against it

Team Rhythm
Weekly Check-ins:
Monday = goals
Wednesday = blockers
Friday = wins

→ Simple systems create clear communication

The real secret?
Overwhelm isn't about volume.
It's about structure.

Systems give your brain room to think, not just react.

💬 Which system do you need most right now?
♻️ Share to help another leader level up
👤 Follow Kinza Azmat for more executive strategies

7 Systems To Run Your Week Like A CEO

I was talking to a founder with a seven-figure exit last week. High D, just like me. 
She said something that stuck: 
“I had to slow down and think about my people. If I kept my pace, I’d burn them into the ground.”

That’s not how most high Ds operate. 
In the DISC framework, D stands for Dominance. We like control and we move fast.
Most entrepreneurs fall into this type because that’s what early survival demands.

But what gets you traction can break your team at scale. And the data backs it up.

According to CEO Coaching International, 65% of top-performing CEOs are high D. 
But 35% are high S—Steady.
They lead with calm, clarity, and consistency.

Steadiness works well in practice too.
-> Satya Nadella led Microsoft from desktop to cloud and AI with that exact style.
-> Mary Barra steered GM through a recall crisis that could’ve wrecked the company.
-> Leaders who adapt to what the company and market need are more successful. 

But what if you aren’t as adaptable? 
1) invest in self-growth and be open to other leadership styles
2) surround yourself with the steady and conscientious second-in-command to bridge the gap

Which has worked for you?

♻️ Repost and tag your ride or die.
📥 Follow Kinza Azmat for posts on building better businesses

I’ve reviewed thousands of business deals. 
Two patterns quietly destroy exit value most: 

Indecision and Dependency.  

One founder lost a $12M deal because 68% of revenue came from a single customer. 

Margins were strong. Growth looked great. 
But every serious buyer came back with the same offer: 100% seller financing. 

Think about it, if you owned the business, would you be the only bank for an unproven buyer? Heck no. 

Another founder lost a $2M opportunity by hesitating on a strategic partnership. It was a co-launch with built-in distribution. 

Low CapEx, reversible, and high upside. 

He spent six weeks chasing “perfect data.” By the time he gave the green light, the partner had moved on. 

Both businesses were valuable. 
Neither was ready to sell. 

Here’s the same framework Jeff Bezos used at Amazon to keep decision-making fast and focused:  

The Two-Door Decision System  
1. Know the door 
• One-way: Irreversible moves. Slow down. Validate. 
• Two-way: Reversible bets. Decide fast. Test and adjust. 

2. Count the cost of delay 
• What disappears while you wait? 
• Is “more data” solving a real problem or masking fear? 
• Are you protecting the business or your ego? 

3. Set real deadlines 
• Two-way: 24 to 48 hours 
• One-way: Pick a date. “When I feel ready” is how deals die 

But even fast decisions won’t save a brittle business. 

If one customer drives >40% of your revenue, you're already looking at a 30 to 40 percent haircut. 

And fixing it takes 18 to 24 months. 

Most founders don’t catch it until buyers start writing terms they’d never accept themselves. 

You don’t get paid for potential. 
You get paid for how transferable and risk-proof your business is today. 

You can find the customer concentration play in this week's newsletter 
👉https://lnkd.in/g-vUSu-2

Most people set goals that feel safe. 
Safe goals kill ambition. 
The 10x Rule flips that.

The old way of thinking says: aim small, be practical.
But small goals don’t light a fire. They bore you into quitting.

That’s where the 10x Rule changes the game.

→ Take your goal and multiply it by 10
→ Raise the standard, not just the target
→ Train your brain to do what 99% of people won't dare...DREAM

Why this rewires results:

Bigger goals create bigger energy
→ 2x won’t wake you up at 5 a.m.
→ 10x makes your current habits look embarrassing
→ You can’t play small and chase something huge

Action matches ambition
→ Modest goals invite modest effort
→ 10x requires reinvention, not repetition
→ You stop asking “what’s realistic” and start asking “what’s required”

You leave the competition behind
→ Most people aim for comfort
→ They’re optimizing for safe wins
→ You’re building a life they can’t even picture

Want proof it works?
Look at every breakout founder, athlete, or creator.
They weren’t chasing “good enough.”
They were chasing “what if.”

Here’s how to start:
Take your #1 goal.
Multiply it by 10.
Write down what kind of person could hit it.
Then become that person.

This is how you leap ahead.
Not by doing more of the same —
But by setting goals so big, they demand a new you.

♻️ Repost if you’re done with “realistic”
🔔 Follow Kinza Azmat for daily insights on growth, mindset, and business.

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