Codie A. Sanchez

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

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

Founder

We help free minds and build bank accounts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Example:

You can, for the next 40 years:

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

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

OR

You can learn how to buy a business and:

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

Ownership is not for everyone.

But it could be for you.

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

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

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

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Arfan Iftikhar

A hard truth I've learned in business.

It's always who not how.

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

These aren't problems. They're levers.

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

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

Solve that and you solve everything.

↓ ↓ ↓

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

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

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

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

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

My coworker got the promotion over me.

Numerically worse at the work. Great at politics.

I brought in deals. Fixed messes. Hit all goals

He was 10x better than me at managing up.

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

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

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

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

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

Corporate optimizes for compliance. Owners optimize for competence.

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

Take the risk in 2026.

↓↓↓

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And lastly, there are 2 types of people:

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

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

↓↓↓↓

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

Come to my business buying masterclass tomorrow. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’m 39.

27 lessons I wish I learned in my 20s: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ramota Oladejo

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

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

One of the most common DMs I get is:

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

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

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

You need to define 5 components:

1. Your Ideal Owner Experience

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

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

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

2. Your Zone of Genius

Think of this as the intersection between:

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

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

Don’t be most people.

3. Business Size

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

But we’re not playing the billionaire game here.

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

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

Less competition, more opportunity, fewer headaches.

4. Profit

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

Your acquisition MUST be an income stream that can cover:

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

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

The SOWS Test

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

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

The more boxes it checks, the better.

The BRIT Test

Then I check to see if it’s BRIT:

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

5. Industry

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

Think restaurants or hotels...

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

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

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

↓↓↓

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

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

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

6 other traits of rich people no one tells you:

1. Rich people want you to sell them something.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Story from my dad today.

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

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

My father has never bounced a check.

But he remembers this…

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

He could just picture the guys’ faces.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

↓↓↓↓

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

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

Nish Thakker

If you have had:

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

GOOD.

Chips on shoulders > easy roads.

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

Because doing hard things, makes hard things easier.

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

↓ ↓ ↓

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

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

You aren’t here to be liked.

You’re here to be respected.

Don’t be easy. Be hard.

Be righteous in what you do and believe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unicorns vs Donkeys

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

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

The truth every business owner knows but hates to face:

Donkeys are common.

Unicorns are rare.

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

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

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

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

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

Processes are your secret weapon.

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

Money loves speed. Poverty loves waiting.

How I like to start my week.

The 1 in 60 Rule:

↓ ↓ ↓

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

This Routine Will Change Your Life

How to never fail with a business:

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

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

↓ ↓ ↓

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

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

3. The greatest muscle you can build is urgency.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The greatest muscle you can build is urgency.

Shrink your timelines...

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

When you say next month, push for 2 weeks.

When you say next week, push for 24 hours.

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

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

↓ ↓ ↓

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

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

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

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

The #1 killer of businesses is bad cashflow.

15 other harsh business truths for you:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

↓↓↓↓

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

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

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

Steven Yeh, EIT

🔻 Running a stagnating business sucks.

Every successful founder had that season:

↓ Staring at the same P&L every month
↓ Fixing 1 problem to uncover 2 more
↓ Working thru nights and weekends
↓ Seeing your best people leave
↓ Falling behind competitors
↓ Losing motivation

Then you start wondering: "Am I in the right business?"

If you're in this season right now, we need to talk.

👋 Hi, I'm Lian.

For 12+ years, I led growth initiatives in businesses
from 8-ppl startups to global 150-ppl companies.

I helped dozens of founders push through growth ceilings,
and add $52M+ in revenue and 24M+ users (in aggregate).

But I also was tired of hearing founders complain about:

↓ Paying $6,000 to a coach to be "more motivated".
↓ Spending $12,000 on a consultant to hear basic advice.
↓ Wasting $18,000 on a marketing agency to get a few leads.

... while their real bottleneck had nothing to do with it.

In my experience, every growth problem traces back
to ONE bottleneck at a time. Fix it, and growth follows.

But you need to find, prioritize, and execute on the right one.

Therefore, I created:

🔹 Reclaim Growth - Your Growth Partner with Guaranteed ROI.
→ We help founders break through plateaus when nothing else works.

It's like having an integrated growth executive,
without paying $300k/yr for that level of expertise.

We spot bottlenecks, build strategies,
and guide execution to help you scale faster.

Cause here's the reality:

- More information
- More motivation
- More labor

Won't fix a broken model.

If none of the other things worked for you,
and you're still reading, I hope you see why.

So if you're curious to see whether
your model is holding you back,
we have a few things to offer:

🔹 Get a Free 60-Minute Bottleneck Analysis

→ We'll analyze your business, pinpoint your biggest growth constraint,
and show you how to approach fixing it. No strings attached.

Since it's free, we only take 10 calls a month.

🔹 Apply to work with us as your Growth Partner

→ We spot bottlenecks, build strategies,
and guide execution to help you break through. 

To protect the quality, we only work with
a small number of founders at a time.

If any of that sounds interesting to you,
click the links in my Featured section ⤵

See what founders say about us:

💬 "The perfect blend of strategic insight and practical implementation..."
- James K., Founder at Njin AI

💬 "If you want a clear, comprehensive view of your business..."
- Tatiana T., Founder at TSCH Agency

💬 "Simple system for scaling businesses. Highly recommend!"
- Sergio A., CEO at Led Lights Direct

Lian Turc

99% of AI-first businesses you see are doomed.
 
Not because AI is a bubble (it isn't).
 
But because founders built them around
what current models can't do (yet).
 
When the model gets better, your "core feature" becomes a free checkbox.
 
Here's the difference I'm seeing:
 
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝟭: 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁
 
• The value is the output
• The core is prompt engineering
• The customer can get it in ChatGPT in 30 sec

(yes, maybe not today, but wait for 6-12 months)
 
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝟮: 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺
 
• The value is the system + outcome
• The core is data, workflow, and integrations
• Each model upgrades make your product better

Want to build software that gets better with every model?
 
1️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 
↳ Treat LLMs like a replaceable component, not your core product.
 
2️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀
↳ Collect and store custom user data that improves the model's outcomes.

3️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲
↳ Focus on the process, user experience, and outcomes.
 
If your customers leave the day ChatGPT ships something new…
 
You don't have a product.

You have a temporary interface.
 
𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲.

P.S. Are you building a prompt wrapper or a system?

Let me know in the comments (be honest)👇

♻️ Repost to help founders in your network.
➕ Follow for more business growth content.

Growth Partner For Founders from $500k to $10M. We spot bottlenecks, build strategies, and guide execution to help you break through. Learn more ⤵

Most founders haven’t heard of this paradox.

But it’s changing the way businesses use AI.

In economics, it normally works like this:

🕹️ New tech makes something more efficient
↓
💰 You get the same results using less of it
↓
📉 So total usage should go down

→ Take LED bulbs.

They’re ~10x more efficient, but:

• We don’t buy 10x more of them
• We don’t leave the lights on 10x longer

We just pay less to light up our homes.

👉 But some things behave differently.

When total usage goes up instead,
we call it the 𝗝𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅.

🤖 As AI gets cheaper and faster,
we generate and build more than ever:

• More text written
• More apps created
• More media generated

Not just a little bit more, but A LOT!

On 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 alone, usage jumped:

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺: ~500 million tokens in Jan 2025
𝗧𝗼: ~7 trillion tokens in Nov 2025

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝟭𝟰× 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟭 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀.

Here’s what it means to you as a founder:

1/ Get your seniors using AI. Their output will spike.

2/ Get your juniors using AI. They’ll do better work.

3/ Don’t just replace people with AI.
Replace those who refuse to leverage it.

AI isn’t ready to replace people yet.

But it’s ready to 10x their output.

P.S. Are you doing more with AI or less?

♻️ Repost to help founders in your network.
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When was the last time you couldn't help yourself

but tell others about something you love?

Like you literally wouldn't shut up about it:

Even after you ranted for a whiiiile?
Even after everyone was asking you?
Even after they swore they'd check it out?

Think about it. What was it?

A new song?
Or an old book?
A YouTube video?

But does it even matter?

One thing is certain: it was awesome.

You were blown away.
You were excited.
You were in it.

But one thing I can tell you for sure:

It was something non-trivial.

Unexpected.

(unless you were living under a rock for a while,
and just found out people invented the Internet...)

That feeling you had is what you
want 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 to experience.

(and share with everyone they know)

Wouldn't that be awesome?!

But you never get there on day one, because:

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗜 doesn’t “explain itself” at first.
→ You iterate and improve until it does.
 
𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 doesn’t “sell itself” at first.
→ You earn the reputation, so it can.
 
𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 doesn’t “run itself” at first.
→ You painfully simplify it until it runs smoothly.
 
That’s the hard, boring part.
 
The tiny improvements.
The awkward first drafts.
The good-enough releases.

(and the customer feedback that hurts)
 
But then one day…
 
Someone uses your thing,
and you can feel it:
 
They like it.
They get it.
They smile.

It solves their problem so well,
they can't help themselves but share it.

They send it to a friend without asking you.
 
Because you finally made something worth talking about.
 
So if you’re not there yet, good.
 
It means you’re still in the part where greatness is made.

Keep building.✊ 
 
P.S. What was the thing you couldn't help but share?
 
Let me know in the comments👇
 
♻️ Repost to help founders in your network.
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90% of new founders bite the same bait:

— "You can't out-sell a broken offer!"
— "Hustle can't save a wrong strategy!"
— "Branding can't save a terrible funnel!"

👆 I call it: "Sell a problem, then sell a solution."

Every influencer wants you to focus on one problem.
(usually the one that they sell a solution to 😅 )

But it doesn't mean this problem is your bottleneck.

New founders get influenced by that all the time:

• They pay $ for a new content system...
→ While their bottleneck is product.

• They pay $$ to repackage their offers...
→ While their bottleneck is operations.

• They pay $$$ to revamp their brand...
→ While their bottleneck is sales.

Heck, even mature founders make these mistakes!

• My client spent $50k+ to optimize their funnel.
→ While their real bottleneck was operations.

🤔 So, how do you avoid that?

• Measurement - get the data
• Benchmarks - find the ideal
• Analytics - know the delta

For example:

If your close rate is 10% and the ideal is 30%,
you've got room to grow. That's the goal.

But if you're already at 30%,
don't buy another sales training.

There's a problem with more ROI.
Find it. Focus on it. Solve it.

If someone sold you a problem,
don't rush to buy their solution.

P.S. Have you ever solved the wrong problem?
(and what was the real one?) 🤔

80% give up on New Year’s resolutions by Jan 10th.

Founders aren't exceptions. We call it "Quitter's Day"...

I’ve seen it even in working with $10M+ businesses:

Most founders have aggressive targets for the year.

But by the end of Q1, they’re already off track.

If you're one of them, keep reading.

This is for you.

So, why is this happening?

1️⃣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀.

The founder sets a revenue target.
But the calendar stays the same.

If your goals never show up in meetings,
dashboards, or team priorities, they don’t exist.

2️⃣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

“Grow 40%” isn’t a strategy.

• What does Marketing need to own?
• What’s Sales accountable for?
• How does Ops support it?

If it’s not mapped by the department,
your team’s just guessing.

3️⃣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀.

The goal is announced in January.

Then silence.

If you’re not reviewing progress every 1-4 weeks,
you'll feel like drifting, not driving.

Every founder I’ve seen miss Q1 had the same issues:

No clean, articulated strategy.
No cross-departmental plan.
No operating calendar.
No cadence to adapt.

Now you're thinking:

"Good, but how do we fix it?"

Here's how:

✅ 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
E.g. “Grow revenue” → “Add $280K/quarter via enterprise deals” (measureable, anchored, specific, time-bound)

✅ 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀
→ Marketing: 50 qualified demos/month
→ Sales: 30% close rate, avg deal $6K
→ CS: Churn below 5%
→ Founder: Hire revenue ops lead by Feb

✅ 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝟭-𝟰 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀
→ Review KPIs, root causes, roadblocks
→ Adjust scope, timeline, or resources
→ Keep the whole org in sync

It's not you failing to hit your goals,
it's the strategy and the system,
that you don't have in place yet.

If it’s not in your business ops,
and not on your personal calendar,
it’ll likely end up on your regrets list.

P.S. Are your 2026 goals scheduled?

👇 Yes / No in the comments. (be honest)

High-level skills change your worldview forever.

Not philosophically. Literally:

Learn how to write, and you'll read differently.
→ Notice peculiar passages. See intentional rhythm. 

Learn how to code, and you'll browse differently.
→ Recognize little bugs and broken CSS styles.

Learn how to use AI, and it will change everything.
→ You can build an MVP in just a few hours.
→ You do PhD-level research to buy socks.
→ Your virtual copy is your psychologist.
→ You don't read your emails, AI does.
→ You make impossible video clips.

(!) But here's what most people miss.

Knowing that AI can do it for you,
doesn't change how you see the world.

Doing that with AI over and over does.

I'm going to prove it right now.

You know that people use skateboards,
to do tricks, jump off of stairs, ride the rails...

Everybody knows it. We've all seen it.

But when was the last time you walked by a long staircase on the street, and thought it would be nice to jump off it?

Exactly. Never.

But that's what someone good at skateboarding
thinks every time they see the staircase.

Skills change your worldview.

Not just knowledge.

Pick yours.

P.S. What's the skill that has changed your worldview?

Harvard studied 62,000,000 CVs and job postings.

The numbers tell us something wild...

2025 Harvard study analyzing 62 million resumes and job postings across 285,000 U.S. firms (2015–2025).

→ Companies adopting AI stop hiring juniors.
→ Senior roles stay the same.

This isn't just about tech jobs.
It’s any job where juniors used to:

• Clean data
• QA software
• Do initial research
• Draft marketing copy

All of that is now getting offloaded to AI.

But here’s the kicker:

Firms aren’t firing juniors.
They just stop replacing them.

Because juniors are no longer “mission-critical.”

AI handles repetitive, lower-skill tasks
more efficiently and cost-effectively.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿
This is your moment to rethink structure. Now you need specialists who can think, not just do.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿
Don’t panic. But don’t wait. You need to move up the value chain, fast.  Learn how to:

• Own outcomes, not tasks
• Make judgment calls
• Lead small projects

AI is changing the ladder.
The bottom rung is collapsing.

P.S. Founders, are you still hiring juniors?

Most founders overcomplicate growth strategy.

If you're below $1,000,000 a year, do this:

❌ Avoid:

- Testing 50 new ads per week
- Tweaking sales script every call
- Changing your landing page monthly

✅ Instead:

- Clearly map your customer journey
- Start collecting data on every step
- Research industry 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀
- Spot your biggest bottleneck
- Fix it, then do a new one

Focus on this until you get big enough so
you have specific teams and departments,
working on individual parts of the process.

Until then, here's how you can do it:

𝟭/ 𝗠𝗮𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆
↳ List all major steps people take from
their first interaction with your business.

💡 Pro tip: Add steps after the sale, like
activation, retention, referrals, etc.

𝟮/ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽
↳ Gather all metrics in a simple Google Sheet
this will help you understand what's up.

💡 Pro tip: alongside conversion rates,
track the time it takes to pass each stage.

𝟯/ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀
↳ Ask ChatGPT, talk to people, spy on competitors,
read industry reports, listen to podcasts...

Find the data!

You need to know what's considered a good CTR,
good contact rate, good close rate in your space,
for businesses of similar size and services.

𝟰/ 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸
↳ Compare the success of your user journey
with industry 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀. Find the most lagging.

💁‍♂️ Example:
Your contact rate is 40%, the industry average is 60%
while your close rate is 10%, the industry average is 30%.

Your contact rate is 1.5 times smaller than 'average.'
Your close rate is 3 times smaller than the 'average.'

Rank all your bottlenecks like that
and work on what sucks the most.

💡 Pro tip: often times your close rate is bad
because you don't qualify prospects enough.

Keep in mind that each stage affects the next one.

𝟱/ 𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝘁, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲
↳ After you lined up your bottlenecks,
and picked one to fix, analyze the causes,
and dive into tactics all you want.

💁‍♂️ Example:

You figured that your close rate sucks,
so this is your target to solve.

Why tho?

• Google how to increase close rate
• Read a chapter from a book
• Watch a YouTube video
• Ask your mentor
• Figure it out

1. Close the knowledge gap.
2. Come up with the hypothesis.
3. Implement the change and test.

Worked? — Great.
↳ Move to the next problem to solve.

Didn't? — Great.
↳ Lesson learned. Try another way.

This is about as complex as it should be.

P.S. Do you use benchmarks in your strategy?

♻️ Repost to help founders in your network.
➕ Follow for more business growth content.

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The Battle

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