The One Thing That’s Preventing Your Business from Leveling Up

(Nick Morrison - Unsplash)

It's been about a month since we quit our day jobs, and we’ve done more deals in one week than we’ve done over the course of the past year.

And it makes me want to throw up.

Let’s Call it Overwhelm
Roughly $1M in new business, down payments that are the size of an annual income, and a shit load of new debt.

It brings me back to my first day of college:

Newfound freedom, classes that I didn't have to attend, and girls living across the hall. What could go wrong?

For starters, I had to do my own laundry and I had no idea how to manage my time. To make matters worse, the first girl I met taught me that I was wearing condoms inside out.

With time (and a lot of my mom’s prayers), I adjusted and became comfortable with my new surroundings.

A few years and a new business later, and the same feelings came rushing back. But this time was different. This time, I knew to embrace them as a symptom of growth.

With that in mind, I now use the following formula to help me keep tabs on our business:

Personal Discomfort → Business Growth → Business Success → Repeat

Putting it to The Test
Let's say that I have a friend with a YouTube channel. Once a week he releases a video on the latest and greatest in dog breeding technology.

After a few weeks of releasing videos, he drops one titled "The Difficulties of Breeding Chihuahua’s with Great Danes."

And he blows up.

Overnight he becomes the leading expert on all things dog breeding. People begin pitching him with TV show offers, book contracts, and lines of cute doggy sweaters.

Although he's flattered, he's overwhelmed.

He sees the value in all these things, but the thought of executing them scares him.

To avoid the discomfort, he starts coming up with reasons “why he shouldn’t” instead of “why he should.” Growth inevitably stops, the business slows, and he lose money.

Strike While the Iron’s Hot
Growth mode is great until we feel like we’re no longer in control. But it’s at this point that we have to remember what got us this far and double down.

Taking a chance is what launched the business, working hard is what made it a success, and spending money helped it grow.

After some success, it’s even more important to take all those things to the next level. If not, you’ll run the risk of letting growth stagnate.

Don’t Go This Far to Just Go This Far
It’s what you signed up for.

When the risks, hard work, and money pan out, it’s damn satisfying. Get a grasp on that and watch your business explode.