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

Most people only focus on the wins. 
 
But in 2016 I lost everything. 
 
Financially wiped out when I walked away from a business partnership. 
 
But I wasn't done with business. 
 
Even though I interviewed at a few other places to work, each time it didn't feel right. 
 
It wasn't ego this time. 
 
Something in my bones told me to give business another go. 
 
With the support of my family, I accepted the terms to buy the used bakery equipment from my business partners and start again. 
 
I only had 2 weeks to pull it off if it was going to work... 
 
That's: 
 
- start a company 
- find bakery space 
- fit it out and open a cafe 
- handle legal, finance, banking, branding 
- move all the bakery equipment across town 
- and maintain the dozen or so wholesale clients we'd built up during that time. 
 
Crazy when I think about it today... 
 
I've always admired people who have started with nothing and built a life for themselves and here I was doing the same thing. 
 
It's incredible what you can do when your back is against the wall. 
 
But in saying that, none of it was a solo effort. 
 
Along the way, I've had incredible support from friends and family. 
 
Not to mention the wonderful team who've contributed to building each part of the vision. 
 
I rarely step back and admire it but I'm proud when I do. 
 
- 140 employees 
- Loads of wonderful clients 
- And some of the best sourdough and pastries around 
 
It's been a wild ride! 
 
Hugely grateful for every bit of it. 
 
My mates who lifted all the bakery equipment out of the basement and drove it across town. 
 
Those first few clients who walked in the door on day one. And every single one since. 
 
Our amazing team and all our families who back us. 
 
And a long list of wonderful suppliers, advisors and partners. 
 
Thank you all!

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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

Porridge Sourdough.

Tasty as hell. Amazing crust. Chewy and juicy in the middle.

It was just an experiment but I reckon this one has a place on the daily line up?

Yes / No?

No one noticed, but we went 'dark' for the last two years.

Here's why:

We had a great brand. But there was no profit. 

We were doing all this work only to slip backwards financially...

It was so frustrating.

So we hit pause and stated madly fixing things inside the business instead of trying to grow it. 

The result?

Revenue flatlined.

But every other metric improved. 

It scared the crap out of me at first because we've always chased growth. 

But it was often the wrong type of growth. It ended up adding complexity to the business that weighed us down. 

At the time, more clients meant:

- More space
- More people
- More deliveries
- More equipment
- More accounts to chase up
- More labour to produce orders

Topline looked great, client growth was solid, but profit evaporated. 

But after focusing on fixing the business from the inside out, everything started to align. 

We were all of a sudden selling the right things, to the right people, at the right price. 

And we had the right people, working on the right things. 

It has completely transformed the business, the opportunities ahead, and the lives of the people who helped pull off the transformation. 

I look forward to sharing loads more insights as I reflect on the journey. 

I share practical tips for navigating the messy middle bit of business growth in weekly newsletter called Fix Before You Grow. Click the link in my bio to take a look.

I hope to see you there.

No alternative text description for this image

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.

I’ve had weeks recently where my calendar owned me.

Back-to-back meetings.
Lunch as an afterthought.
Late to the gym or not at all.
Zero time to actually think.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

If you’re in a leadership role and your week leaves no time for thinking, you’re not leading. You’re reacting.

So, here's my plan to get it back on tack:

Block 2 x 60-minute “no meeting, no calls” slots in the calendar weekly. 

Use them for one thing only: deep work on the 1–3 priorities that define your year.

Thinking is part of the job description.

If your schedule doesn’t reflect that, you’re playing an operational role with a leadership title.

Running a test bake in my home oven on our new bake at home croissant.

This one spent months in the freezer with things stacked on it. I wasn't sure how it would go. 

But, it was a freaken lovely result.

Would you bake this at home?

You scroll past plenty of weird advice for entrepreneurs on the internet. 
 
It's confusing AF to know what things work and what's complete garbage. 
 
Trying to absorb it all often distracts you from just building your business. 
 
For the record, I didn't: 
 
- Join the 4 am club 
- Recite affirmations 
- Meditate daily for hours 
- Delete my friends and go dark 
- Get sunlight in my eyes the minute I woke 
 
And I still built a business that employs 140 really great people looking after thousands of wonderful clients. 
 
Honestly, it's better to spend each day doing things that actually move the needle.
 
You know: 
 
- Eat well, sleep 7hrs, move 
- Write out your goals & values 
- Plan your day in line with them 
- Look for ways to delight your customers 
- Seek honest feedback & improve yourself 
 
By no means am I the pinnacle of success. 
 
And at the end of the day - each to their own. 
 
But be careful about subscribing to things that don't suit you, or don't suit the chapter you're in right now. 

Everyone's path is so different so don't copy others. Instead, try match the effort they put in at the start of their journey (not once they'ye 'made it')
 
The world needs more unique operators. 

Not copycats.

Forge your own path.

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.

Work Life balance and business growth don't mix.
 
Each time I've started a business I knew I had to pause on other things and go all in. 
 
It helped me launch faster and grow quickly.
 
By taking work home you find great solutions that set you up for the next day. 
 
It generates momentum. 
 
It's not easy, and you do risk burnout if you try to sustain the rediculous pace for more than a year. 
 
But it's worth it IMO. 

The key is to surround yourself with people who push you to continue, not ask you to detach.

Our Beef and Pepperberry Pie baking in a home oven. 

Not only is it freaken delicious, it picked up a Gold Medal at last year's Sydney Royal Fine Foods Show!

And even though we're not that into entering awards, we're super proud of it.

Especially because it's built for baking at home. 

- Buttery short crust pastry base
- Flakey puff pastry top
- And filled with chunks of local Claystone beef

Keep it in the freezer and bake it from frozen when you want a simple dinner. 

Ready in 40 mins.

Failure and success: It's not one or the other in business... They go hand in hand. Here's what I learned after looking at some of my epic fails and big wins: 
 
Every entrepreneur has a trail of failures behind them. 
 
What separates people who get ahead isn't that they've never failed, but that they learned from their failures and used them as stepping stones to success. 
 
I know you've read that line a hundred times before. 
 
But its been simplified to the point where it even sounds easy. 
 
The reality is, I struggled with it. 
 
I kept making the same mistakes in different ways. 
 
Because in business, each stage or growth presents the same problem differently which can make it harder to diagnose.
 
There's one thing that helped me - Getting an outside perspective. 
 
Whether it's a: 
 
- Coach 
- Mentor or a
- Friend in business 
 
Set some time aside to explore your failures and wins with them to find patterns. 

Each time I've done this, it helped find common threads to be aware of next time.
 
Hopefully this tiny habit helps you get more wins than fails.

I visited a really large food manufacturer last week.

One guy kept saying: “Where to play and how to win.”

For them, winning was all about cost. Cheapest product. Highest efficiency. Competitors scratching their heads.

But here’s the thing: figuring out how to win is the same inside any business. Except... it’s not only about cost.

Swipe through the carousel – I broke down:

- Why small businesses lose trying to play big-company games
- Where you actually have an advantage
- How to pick your lane and win

If you’re serious about winning, this one’s for you.

Where to play and how to win

There’s a quiet trap founders fall into. 

We build a business... then feel weird about paying ourselves a proper salary.

Talking about it gets complex. Especially when there are non-working business partners, different levels of responsibilities, or family are involved.

Even as a sole owner, I waited way too long to look at a proper salary. 

After chatting with a few people about it recelntly, hee's where we landed on the topic:

Stop mixing salary and profit together.

Part 1: Your salary.
Pay yourself market rate for the role you’re doing. Not what feels comfortable. Not what you need. But what it would cost to replace you with a competent operator.

Part 2: Profit
Profit is the return on risk you took + ownership.
It's what you have access to after you take a real salary, consider reinvestment decisions, and leave a sensible buffer.

When you blur these two together, everyone gets confused.

Partners get spicy with eachother, you get resentful and the business gets messy.

If you want to build a serious company, you need serious clarity around roles, responsibilities, pay, what 'good' looks like, growth/reinvestment, among loads of other things. 

My point is, separate the discussions about pay and profit and decide on a policy moving forward. Don't leave it to assumptions and feelings.

If your business feels messy, it’s usually not because you’re dumb.
(even though it can feel that way sometimes)

It’s because the truth is too hard to see quickly.

Here’s what I should’ve done earlier:

- Confront reality fast (no sugar-coating)
- Simplify the data (one page, one dashboard, one truth)
- Act early instead of waiting for “the perfect plan” to launch

Your team can't own what they can't see.
Similarly, if your leadership team doesn’t share one truth... you don’t have alignment. You have opinions.

Those opinions might be fine if they're connected to the work they do and the business is small, but as you grow, you need access to data. 

In my business as we grew, there was no single source of truth. 

Finance was stuck in XERO.
HR in Deputy
Customer data somewhere else

Not to mention the infinite spreadsheets and docs...

The first thing we had to do was to pull all the data together to find the truth. 

Then pick out the bits that were important to us so we could align and get on with fixing things. 

Not sure if you can relate, but I wish I started that process earlier!

Most founders don’t fail because of their product.

They fail because they try to build everything alone.

This one’s for the founders grinding it out solo - thinking working harder is the answer.

It’s not.

Swipe through if you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying it all on your own.

Building solo feels noble Its actually reckless

The biggest bottleneck in my business wasn't the market, or the team, or our timing. It was me.

Every time Three Mills hit a ceiling, it was because I hadn't grown fast enough into the role the business needed me in.

Across 5 locations and 130-odd people, here's what I've worked out: your job as a founder isn't fixed. It changes every time the business does. 

And if you're still doing the same job you were doing two years ago, you're probably already the problem.

It goes something like this...

Phase 1: Everyone does everything. Fine.

Phase 2: Team grows and you need to lead skilled people. Different skills entirely.

Phase 3: You need to get out of the way. (Easily the hardest one...)

Most of us get stuck between phases. Doing too much of the old job, not enough of the new one and the fix isn't complicated, its just a bit uncomfortable.

If this resonates, ask yourself: what does the business need from me right now that I'm not delivering?

Then go learn that thing fast (or recruit for it). 

Love to know your thoughts?

If your company falls over when one person’s on holiday, you don’t have a team. You’ve built a shrine.


Too many businesses are built around a hero.


The rainmaker.

The genius founder.

The “only one who really knows how it all works.”


Looks impressive from the outside.

Feels powerful on the inside.


But it’s also weak, fragile, and one crisis away from breaking.


As entrepreneurs, you want to push through that phase as quickly as possible, making yourself redundant at every stage as you hand things over.


The ones that don't, say things like: I wish the team would “take ownership” or “demonstrate autonomy”...


Meanwhile they design systems where:


Decisions bottleneck through one inbox.

Information lives in one person’s head.

Clients only trust one name.


I don't claim to have the solution here in this Linkedin post, but I do know exactly what I'm trying to build.


And it isn't a shrine.


We need more antifragile businesses.

It's tempting to relax a bit once your business is out of the start-up phase. 

And after years of working your face off to build something from scratch, who can blame you? 

But complacency can destroy things. 

If it's about getting your time back, delegate things instead. 

If it's about enjoying yourself, find someone who's hungry to grow your business for you.

Because even if you deserve a break.

Even if you don't have competitors chasing you. 

Things that are hard to build can be shattered easily. 

And the bottom line is, instead of taking your foot off the gas at the first sign of success.
 
It's best to use that time to double down on what's working and leap further ahead after years of grinding.

There's real power in saying 'I don't know'. 
 
But it seems scary to say in business. 

My experience with admitting it has always led to better outcomes. 

It shows:
 
1. Honesty - It's the foundation of trust and credibility. 
 
2. Curiosity - Admitting that you don't know something ignites curiosity, a driving force for innovation and problem-solving. 
 
3. Collaboration - Sharing your knowledge gap invites others to contribute and allows teams to work together towards common goals. 

I'm not saying you should 'know your sh*t' as a professional... 

But there's lots of places where simply saying '𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩' unlocks better outcomes. 
 
Leaders should embrace the power of it more.
 
It will open doors you never even knew existed.

Company values aren't wall decals. 
 
You're meant to bring them to life. 
 
One way to do that is through rich stories. 
 
Finding those moments that happen throughout the year that embody the core value entirely and wrap it up nicely in something others can relate to. 
 
One of the best ones I can share is around our core value: 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. 
 
On it's own, it's a pretty ambiguous word. 
 
And for that reason, it can be interpreted differently by every member of the team. 
 
So instead of letting people think that it's giving free stuff away to their mates, we use stories to describe why the word generosity is important to us. 
 
Last year a regular customer at one of our stores broke their favourite coffee cup. 
 
It had a pretty significant sentimental value to them. 
 
So, a few members of our team went home that night and searched the internet to find the exact same one which was no longer available in stores.
 
They ordered it and when it arrived, presented a beautifully made coffee in it to our regular customer the next time they came in. 
 
It blew them away! 
 
It doesn't just sum up the word generosity, it touches most of our core values in one go. 
 
But you can see how stories bring core values to life in a way that wall decals never could. 
 
That's the power of using them inside your business.

At A Better Jones, I help startups, small businesses, and solopreneurs accelerate their growth. 

A Better Jones

If I could only give one piece of advice to entrepreneurs struggling to grow…

It would be this:
 
Less. But better.
 
That’s the shift that changed everything for me.
 
Last year, after 6 years of trying to do everything...
 
→ I hit multiple 6-figures
→ I started scaling toward 7
→ I felt more joy, more momentum, and more clarity than ever before
→ And I finally started building a business that felt like mine
 
But let me be clear:
 
That didn’t happen because I added more.
 
It happened because I cut.
 
I spent my first 6 years doing all the things:
 
• Showing up on every platform
• Offering 5 different services
• Starting new projects every few months
• Trying to scale before I had a strong foundation
• Always feeling behind, scattered, and overwhelmed
 
Sound familiar?
 
Here’s what changed:
 
→ One Ideal Client
→ One Offer Ecosystem
→ One Core Platform
→ One Clear Message
 
That’s it.
 
And it worked.
 
Because growth doesn’t come from volume.
 
It comes from alignment and focus.
 
Less. But better.
 
💬 DM me ‘MILLION’ if you’re ready to get clear, cut the noise, and finally scale with a business that feels as good as it grows.

Kasey Jones 🏔

I help consultants end referral reliance and reach systematic, predictable $30k+ months via differentiated positioning & leverage, instead of headcount & time | 31k+ News Subs | Mix of Jocko Willink & Mr. Rogers

I used to scope projects based on what the client told me.
 
30 days in, I'd realize they had no idea what was actually wrong.
 
They weren't lying. They're symptom aware, not problem aware.
 
And I'd end up in a lose-lose-lose situation every time.
 
Until I stopped trusting their self-diagnosis and started leading with discovery.
 
👉 Swipe through to see the 3 traps—and how to avoid them

Carousel - 3 mistakes I made when I started working with c

I used to find sales calls really draining.
 
Even once I got clear on my offer, the calls were still harder than they needed to be.
 
Because even when YOU'RE clear, if your prospect isn't — you're doing double the work.
 
So I built 7 emails that go out between...
 
"Call booked" and "Call happens."
 
Now my prospects show up already knowing:
 
→ Who I am
→ How I think
→ And Why I'm different.
 
The call becomes the easy part.

I broke down the entire Booked-to-Bought Sequence in a recent newsletter — every email, what to include, and why it works. Link is in the comments.

XOXO,
Kasey

[Carousel] What I wish I knew before I started taking sale

You don’t need to be louder.
 
You need to be less filtered.
 
Because here’s the truth:
 
Your content isn’t falling flat because you’re bad at writing. It’s falling flat because you’re trying to be liked.
 
And here’s how that shows up:
 
1️⃣ You edit the bold thing you actually wanted to say.
 
You write the spicy thing first.
 
Then you water it down to sound “professional.”
 
And suddenly, your truth becomes just another “value post.”
 
→ Magnetic brands don’t soften the edge.
 
They own it.
 
2️⃣ You post what you think you should say—not what you need to say.
 
You sound smart.
 
You’re “on brand.”
 
But it’s missing the part that actually moves people.
 
→ Likability blends in.
 
Magnetism stands out.
 
3️⃣ You keep trying to resonate with everyone.
 
So you play it safe.
 
You shrink your voice.
 
You become forgettable.
 
→ If no one’s pushing back, no one’s leaning in either.
 
The shift is simple (but uncomfortable):
 
Stop posting for approval. Start speaking from self-trust.
 
👉 DM me Toast and I’ll send you access to the Toast & Roast Library — real audits of real brands, showing what’s working, what’s not, and how to shift from “likable” to magnetic as hell.

Here's what those 6 months looked like:
 
• Great engagement on LinkedIn. 
• Thoughtful comments. 
• People telling me they loved my work.
 
BUT zero clients.
 
I was trying to appeal to everyone. Being "professional."
 
Making sure I didn't sound too niche or alienate anyone.
 
Then I wrote ONE post that was different.
 
It was about a 9-figure CEO who reached out because everyone else's websites looked the same—super polished, perfectly branded, saying all the right things.
 
"I don't want that," he said. "I don't want to look like everybody else."
 
So I wrote a post that leaned into everything that made me different.
 
→ My unconventional background. 
→ My opinionated approach. 
→ The stuff I'd been hiding to look "professional."
 
That single post brought in three qualified leads and $15,000 within two weeks.
 
One of those leads? Six figures over the next two years.
 
The difference? POSITIONING.
 
In my newsletter, I break down:
 
→ Why referrals dry up when you're positioned broadly (and the trap that keeps you there) 
→ The upmarket fear that's actually keeping you stuck at lower rates 
→ The 4-question Positioning Precision Framework 
→ Why narrow positioning creates MORE opportunities, not fewer
 
The consultant known for ONE thing gets hired by dream clients at premium prices.
 
The consultant known for everything competes for on price for whatever they can get.
 
Stop hiding what makes you different. It's exactly what premium clients are looking for.

XOXO,
Kasey

I used to bend over backwards to be likable.
 
→ Say the “right” thing. 
→ Keep it polished. 
→ Be agreeable.
 
Don’t ruffle feathers.
 
And guess what?
 
• I was liked. 
• I was safe. 
• I was forgettable.
 
Because likability isn’t the same as magnetism.
 
Magnetism doesn’t ask to be liked. It asks to be true.
 
Magnetism has an edge.
 
It’s specific.
 
It tells the truth even when it’s inconvenient.
 
It repels the wrong people—so it can attract the right ones deeply.
 
And that’s the difference:
 
🖤 Likability is about fitting in.
🖤 Magnetism is about standing the fck out.*
 
The moment I stopped trying to be liked?
 
→ My voice got stronger.
→ My brand got bolder.
→ My people got louder.
 
So if you’re stuck in the loop of “sounding right”…
 
Maybe it’s time to sound real.
 
✨ What would shift if you stopped chasing likability and started trusting your magnetism?

I used to work so hard to be likable.
 
→ Say the right thing. 
→ Sound smart but not “too much.” 
→ Keep it polished. 
→ Keep it safe.
 
And guess what?
 
It worked. But only sort of.
 
People kind of liked me.
 
Thought I was “easy to work with.”
 
Didn’t mind being around me.
 
But it wasn’t the real me.
 
And wearing the mask, day in and day out, was EXHAUSTING.
 
And lonely.
 
But here’s the truth no one says out loud:
 
Likability will build you a brand. But it won’t be
 
Here’s what I wish someone told me:
 
1️⃣ Likable people blend in. Magnetic people stand out.
 
Being likable makes you agreeable.
 
Being magnetic makes you unforgettable.
 
2️⃣ The more magnetic you become, the more you’ll repel.
 
That’s not failure—it’s filtering.
 
You’re not here for everyone.
 
You’re here for the right ones.
 
3️⃣ Likability is often self-abandonment in disguise.
 
It’s not your voice.
 
It’s your voice, edited for approval.
 
4️⃣ People will call you “too much.”
 
And that’s the version of you they actually remember.
 
The version that moves people.
 
5️⃣ Magnetism isn’t a marketing tactic. It’s self-trust.
 
It’s the clarity that comes when you stop performing
 
and start owning your truth—fully.
 
So if your brand feels muted…
 
If your content feels safe but stale…
 
If your voice feels “off” even though the strategy is “right”...
 
Here’s the real diagnosis:
 
You’re not too quiet. You’re too likable.
 
👉 Want to know if your brand is magnetic—or just… likable?
 
Comment “Toast” and I’ll send you access to the Toast & Roast Library — a collection of brand tools to help you audit what’s working, what’s falling flat, and how to build authority that actually pulls people in.

Common mistakes consultants make with scoping—and why it leads to burnout, resentment, or awkward money conversations.
 
Every consultant learns this eventually:
 
You scope the project based on what the client tells you. 

30 days in, you realize they had no idea what was actually wrong.
 
They weren't lying. They're symptom aware, not problem aware.
 
They know something hurts. They don't know why.
 
Here's what I learned:
 
1. Their diagnosis is almost always incomplete. They tell you about the symptom. You scope a solution for that symptom. But the symptom isn't the problem.
   
2. You'll end up in a lose-lose-lose situation. Either you do extra work for free and burn out. Or you accept mediocre results and damage your reputation. Or you ask for more money and create an awkward conversation that often kills the relationship.
   
3. The fix isn't working harder—it's diagnosing before you deliver. When you do the discovery work, you control the scope. No more surprises. No more resentment.
 
The consultants who avoid this trap aren't smarter. 
They just stopped trusting the client's self-diagnosis.

I grew up believing I was always doing something wrong.
 
That no matter how hard I tried, I was falling short.
 
For years, that belief drove me.
 
Made me push harder, work longer, never stop.
 
But it also made me sabotage everything I built.
 
→ I'd hit a goal and immediately discount it. 
→ I'd get close to a breakthrough and pull back. 
→ I'd set a target and procrastinate — because if I never really tried, I couldn't really fail.
 
The only reason anything changed is because I stopped trying to out-hustle the problem and started doing the work of actually changing who I was operating as.
 
That's not a one-time fix. It's a practice. 

And I still catch old patterns sneaking back in when I'm stressed, tired, or scared.
 
Does any part of this story sound familiar to you?

The worst advice I ever received about keeping clients:
 
"Just deliver great work."
 
I followed that advice for years.
 
And I kept losing clients anyway.
 
Here's what nobody tells you:
 
Great work is table stakes. Your clients expect it. That's why they hired you.
 
I used to deliver the project, then sit and wait.
 
→ Maybe they'd come back. 
→ Maybe they'd ghost. 
→ Maybe they'd refer me somewhere else.
 
But I was always reactive. Always waiting for them to decide what happened next.
 
That's not running a business. 
That's being an employee with extra paperwork.
 
The consultants who keep clients for months (or years) aren't necessarily doing better work.
 
They're designing the journey before the first deliverable lands.
 
The shift that changed everything:
 
Stop waiting to be told what's next. 

Start mapping the entire path forward—so you're the obvious choice for all of it.
 
You didn't start your business to be reactive. 
You started it to be in control.

Polished brands don’t build trust. Aligned ones do.
 
If you’re doing all the right things…
 
→ Posting consistently 
→ Saying “the right” words 
→ Following the strategy
 
But people still aren’t buying?
 
You’ve got a trust leak.
 
Not in your character.
 
In your clarity.
 
Here’s how to know:
 
1️⃣ You keep rewriting your messaging
 
It always sounds good—but never quite right. You’re chasing resonance and rewriting for dopamine.
 
2️⃣ Your content gets engagement—but no leads
 
Likes. Comments. Crickets in the DMs. That’s a brand problem, not an algorithm one.
 
3️⃣ You’re attracting interest—but not from the right people
 
You’re being seen—but not understood. Your signal’s fuzzy, so the wrong people are saying yes.
 
4️⃣ You’ve built a voice that sounds smart… but not like you
 
You’re filtering your power. Watering it down to be more “professional.” It’s costing you your magnetism.
 
5️⃣ You’re calling it a visibility problem—but it’s not
 
Visibility without clarity is just noise. You don’t need to be seen more—you need to be seen truly.
 
6️⃣ You’re hiding behind what’s worked before
 
Old positioning. Old messaging. Old strategies. And wondering why they don’t feel good anymore.
 
If any of this hit?
 
You don’t need a full rebrand.

You don’t need a prettier logo.
 
You need to run a f*cking audit.

XOXO,

Kasey

I'd get close to something I wanted — then find a way to blow it up. 

Every. Single. Time. 

Until I realized what was actually happening.
 
I grew up believing I was always doing something wrong.
 
That no matter how hard I tried, I was falling short.
 
In some ways, it drove me. Made me relentless.
 
But in a lot more ways?
 
It created a level of perfectionism that led to constant self-sabotage.
 
→ I'd get close to something I wanted and find a way to undermine it. 
→ I'd achieve something meaningful and immediately discount it. 
→ I'd set a goal and procrastinate — because if I never really tried, I couldn't really fail.
 
The only reason I've gotten to where I am is because I've done the work of actually reprogramming my operating system.
 
Not just setting goals. 
Not just making plans.
 
And here's the thing — the work is never done.
 
→ I still catch myself listening to my inner critic instead of my inner coach. 
→ I still find old patterns sneaking back when I'm stressed or scared.
 
This isn't a destination. 
It's a practice.
 
I wrote about this in a recent newsletter — including an exercise I do with every client that's one of the most powerful tools I've found for rewriting your programming.

💡 If any of these 5 signs hit close to home, that newsletter will help. 

Link is in the comments.

Some of you are running a business that’s burning you out without you even realizing it.
 
• You're functioning. 
• You're delivering.
• You're "Doing fine."
 
But underneath?
 
You're anxious, exhausted, and lowkey resentful.
 
And you don’t know why.
 
Here’s your burnout gut check:
 
→ You’re booked out, but underpaid
→ You dread sales calls because you don’t know what you’re selling
→ You secretly hope prospects don’t say yes
→ You’re changing your offer every other week
→ You haven’t had a real weekend off in 2 months
 
Sound familiar?
 
Here’s the truth:
 
A misaligned business model will quietly destroy your energy, your confidence, and your ability to grow.
 
It’s not about working fewer hours.
 
It’s about building smarter foundations:
 
→ 1 High-Converting Offer
→ 1 Repeatable Sales Process
→ 1 Aligned Lead Source
 
That’s what we build inside The Essentialist CEO Collective.
 
Not just a business that pays the bills.
 
A business that pays you back.
 
What’s one thing in your business you’re tolerating right now that’s costing you more than it’s worth?

I spent years setting goals and making plans that didn’t work.
 
• New Year's resolutions 
• Vision boards 
• Detailed strategies
 
And every single time, I'd end up right back where I started.
 
For the longest time, I thought it was a discipline problem.
 
→ That I just needed to try harder. 
→ Wake up earlier. 
→ Want it MORE.
 
But here's what I finally realized:
 
My subconscious was running on beliefs that were formed when I was 7 years old.
 
Beliefs that said I wasn't good enough.
 
That I was always doing something wrong. That no matter how hard I tried, I was falling short.
 
Those old beliefs don't care about your goals.
 
They run in the background—quietly sabotaging everything you're trying to build.
 
→ Getting close to what you want, then finding a way to undermine it 
→ Achieving something meaningful, then immediately discounting it 
→ Procrastinating on big goals so you can't really fail
 
You can't outwork your old beliefs.
 
You have to rewrite them. One by one.
 
That's the real work.

Drop 'HELL YES' in the comments if you're ready to rewrite your old beliefs this year.

I tried 10+ lead gen strategies UNTIL I figured out I only needed 3.
 
(Spoiler: None of them are lead magnets…)
 
I was doing it ALL:
 
• LinkedIn 5x a day
• Lead magnets
• Networking events
• Podcasts
• Cold outreach
 
You name it, I’ve tried it.
 
I was everywhere. And getting NOWHERE.
 
Then I figured out that I only needed 3 lead sources:
 
• One owned platform (where my clients actually are)
• Strategic partnerships (people who serve my clients before/after me)
• Targeted networking (where my CLIENTS hang out)
 
That's freaking it.
 
→ No lead magnets.
→ No being everywhere.
→ No scattered energy.
 
Master these 3. Let them compound.
 
Everything else is just noise.

Why helping yourself is harder than helping others (even when you do this for a living)
 
I can coach my clients through their limiting beliefs like it's obvious.
 
I can spot their patterns from a mile away.
 
But when it comes to my own stuff? Blind spots everywhere.
 
→ I can see exactly why they're self-sabotaging 
→ I can pinpoint the old beliefs holding them back 
→ I can map out exactly what they need to do differently
 
And yet...
 
I still catch myself doing the same things.
 
Listening to my inner critic instead of my inner coach. 
Letting old patterns sneak back in when I'm stressed or tired or scared.
 
Here's what I've learned:
 
That's not a character flaw. That's being human.
 
The people who are best at helping others are often the worst at doing it for themselves.
 
Which means you have to be intentional about this work in a way most people aren't.
 
You can't just know better. You have to build the systems, the practices, the habits that rewire your brain—even when you can't see your own blind spots.
 
Drop a 🙃 if you're great at helping others but struggle to help yourself.

I followed every bit of ‘discipline’ advice.
 
I woke up earlier. Made more lists. Set bigger goals.
 
I tried:
 
• Stricter routines 
• More accountability 
• Harder deadlines
 
And every single time, I ended up right back where I started.
 
Because here's what I didn't understand:
 
My conscious mind was setting goals.
 
But my subconscious—the part running the show 95% of the time—was operating from beliefs formed decades ago.
 
Beliefs that said I wasn't good enough. That success wasn't for people like me. That I'd probably mess it up anyway.
 
You can't out-discipline a belief problem.
 
→ Your willpower runs out 
→ Your motivation fades 
→ Your old patterns pull you back
 
The only thing that actually worked?
 
Rewriting the beliefs themselves.
 
Not just setting new goals. 
Actually becoming someone new.
 
That's the work most people skip. 
And it's the only work that matters.
 
Drop a 🌟 if you've ever blamed your discipline when the real problem was deeper.

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Jarrod Deaton

A Better Jones

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The Battle

Jarrod Deaton

A Better Jones

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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);}Jarrod Deaton's LinkedIn Performance

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