Noemi Kis✨

Founder, CEO

Serial Entrepreneur / AI enthusiast / TEDx speaker

Hey there! 👋

I'm obsessed with helping non-techie founders like you build lean, profitable businesses (think team of 5 or less) using AI, smart automations, and social media that actually converts.

I built my seven-figure business with a small team and grew to 145K followers on LinkedIn plus 5K newsletter subscribers. Not by accident, but by figuring out what actually works.

Tomorrow's successful founders won't be grinding 80-hour weeks. They'll be the ones who learn to build with AI, automate the boring stuff, and find their people in the right corners of the internet.

That's what I share in my weekly newsletter "Entrepreneurial Mindset" - mindset, AI stuff, automation hacks, and the strategies that are working right now (not the stuff everyone else is talking about).

Join here: www.noemikis.com/newsletter

Brands & sponsorship inquiries: hello@noemikis.com

AquaQuote is a global digital marketplace for buying and selling industrial water treatment products in the aftermarket space.  Brands have an opportunity to digitize their catalog and offer their products to a wider audience, while end users can easily find and purchase products via a self-service dashboard.  We focus on fast and excellent customer service and sourcing products from the best suppliers with the shortest lead times. 

The fastest way to kill your career:

Act like you already know everything.

Top performers don’t do that.

They treat every interaction like a chance to level up.

They’re not afraid to be wrong, they WANT to be wrong.

Because every mistake is a shortcut to growth.

Here's what that actually looks like:

1/ Ask better questions:

→ Replace "I know" with "tell me more"
→ Collect perspectives like they're currency
→ Make every conversation a learning opportunity

2/ Document your failures:

→ Write what you thought vs. what was true
→ Review it monthly to spot your patterns
→ Turn mistakes into a personal playbook

3/ Seek uncomfortable feedback:

→ Ask someone: "What could I do better?"
→ Shut up, listen, and don't get defensive
→ Apply at least one piece within 48 hours

The people who rise fastest aren't the smartest in the room.

They're the ones humble enough to realize they're never done learning.

So if you're building something right now, ask yourself:

When's the last time you changed your mind about something important?

Because staying the same is comfortable.

But growth requires you to be wrong first.

And then be humble enough to learn how to get it right.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network! ♻️ 

And follow Noemi Kis✨ for daily growth tips!

Microbusiness Ideas / AI enthusiast / TEDx speaker

If they can't afford your value,

It’s not your job to give them a discount.

And I'm not talking about business.

I'm talking about life.

For years, I made myself smaller so others would feel comfortable.

→ Dimmed my wins so friends wouldn't feel bad
→ Downplayed my boundaries so people would stay
→ Apologized for taking up space

I thought that's what good people did.

Make everyone else feel okay, even if it cost me.

But after being burned multiple times by this mindset, here's what I've learned:

The right people don't need you to shrink.

They don't ask you to:

→ Be less ambitious so they feel better
→ Lower your standards so they can keep up
→ Discount your worth so they can afford you

Because real relationships aren't built on you being less.

They're built on mutual respect.

And to be honest, this shift changed everything for me.

I stopped explaining my choices.
I stopped justifying my boundaries.
I stopped making myself "easier" to love.

Because I realized:

If someone can't meet you where you are, that's information.

It's not your job to:

→ Convince them you're worth it
→ Prove your value over and over
→ Make yourself "affordable" emotionally

The people who belong in your life will rise to meet you.

They won't ask you to dim your light.

They'll bring sunglasses.

So if you're someone who's been shrinking...

Here's your permission to stop:

You don't owe anyone a smaller version of yourself.

Not your family.
Not your friends.
Not your partner.

Your only job is to be fully you.

And let the right people find you there.

The most underrated skill I’ve learned? 

Observing without judging.

Most of us walk through life with instant opinions about everything.

Someone's business model. Their choices. Their timeline.

We see 5% of the picture and form 100% of our conclusion.

I used to be the same until a mentor said to me:

“Judgment closes doors. Observation opens them.”

When you judge, you decide:

→ This is right or wrong
→ This will or won't work
→ They should or shouldn't do that

When you observe, you notice:

→ What's actually happening
→ What patterns are emerging
→ What you might be missing

There's a massive difference.

Judgment feels certain. Observation stays curious.

And to be honest, our need to judge comes from fear.

→ Fear of being wrong
→ Fear of looking naive
→ Fear of not having an opinion

We think strong opinions make us look smart.

But some of the smartest people I know are ones who say "I don't know yet" and mean it.

They watch longer.
They ask more questions.
They change their minds when new information comes in.

That is what true intelligence looks like in action.

So if you catch yourself rushing to judgment today...

Pause.

Watch for 10 more seconds.
Ask one more question.
Consider what you might be missing.

Because the world reveals itself to those who observe.

Not to those who already decided what they're looking at.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network! ♻️ 

And follow Noemi Kis✨ for daily growth tips!

My biggest fear used to be failing.

Now it's dying with my best work still inside me.

I spent most of my 20s procrastinating and “playing it safe.”

I had ideas I didn't launch.
Projects I didn't start.
Things I wanted to say but kept quiet.

I was always waiting for:

→ More experience
→ Better timing
→ Proof it would work

Then 10 years ago, something happened that changed everything.

I was sitting in an airport with my dad, waiting for our flight home.

And I just... broke down.

My dad looked at me with concern: "Are you okay?"

And that's when it all came out.

"I don't want to go back," I said through tears. "I have nothing to go back for."

The truth was:

I'd been sitting on a business idea for 2 years.
I had a plan written out in a notebook I kept hidden.
I knew exactly what I wanted to build.

But I was too scared to start.

→ What if I failed?
→ What if people thought I was naive?
→ What if I wasted money and embarrassed myself?

So I stayed in a job I hated, telling myself I'd start "when I was ready."

My dad didn't say much that day.

But later, on the plane, I asked myself one question:
"What's the worst that could happen if I tried?"

I listed everything:

Losing money. Looking stupid. Failing publicly.

Then I asked: "And what's the worst that happens if I don't?"

I couldn't answer. Because I already knew.

I'd spend the rest of my life wondering "what if."

That airport conversation became my wake-up call.

6 months later, I gave myself an ultimatum: When my contract ended, I would never get another job.

I had 6 months to build something of my own.

And here's what I realized: The things I was afraid of were all temporary.

→ Failing? You recover.
→ Looking stupid? People forget.
→ Losing money? You earn it back.

But dying with your best work still inside you 
That's permanent.

In 100 years, no one will remember if I failed.
But I would've known if I never tried.

So I stopped waiting for permission, confidence, or the "right time."

I started building.

10 years later, I've failed more times than I can count.

But I've never cried in an airport again, paralyzed by my own fear.

Because I finally understood:

In 100 years, everyone you know will be gone.

So go do the thing you're afraid of.

Because one day you'll run out of time to try.

One of the hardest truth to accept:

You can't grow new leaves while holding onto dead ones.

But we try anyway.

We hold onto the job that stopped fulfilling us years ago.

The relationship that's been over in every way except officially.

The version of ourselves we've outgrown but can't seem to let go of.

And we wonder why nothing new is growing.

I came across this quote in a book the other day and it stuck with me.

Because trees are perhaps the best teachers of letting go.

Every fall, they shed everything they spent months building.

They stand there, bare and exposed, through the coldest months of the year.

And they don't panic about whether they'll grow again.

They just trust the process.

We've lost that trust somewhere along the way.

We think holding on means we're strong. That letting go means we've failed.

So we grip tighter to things that are already gone.

And then we're surprised when nothing new can take root.

But here’s something I’ve learnt over the years:

Letting go isn't loss. It's just preparation.

You can't build the next chapter while you're still clinging to the last one.
You can't become who you're meant to be while holding onto who you were.

So if you're in a season right now where everything feels like it's falling apart...

Maybe it's not falling apart.
Maybe it's just falling away.

Making room for what's trying to grow next.

Let go of the dead leaves.

Because better days don't come by holding onto what's dead.

They come when you finally let go.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network!♻️ 

And follow Noemi Kis✨ for daily growth tips!

The only person who can save you?

The version of yourself who's had enough.

Here's what I’ve seen most people do when they're stuck:

→ Wait for the right moment 
→ Hope for better conditions 
→ Pray someone notices their struggle

And nothing changes.

Because change doesn't come from hope. It comes from hitting your limit.

That moment when you look at your life and think: "I'm done living like this."

Not tomorrow. Not next month. Not when things settle down. Right now.

That's the version of yourself that saves you.

The one who's tired of:

→ The same excuses 
→ The same patterns 
→ The same results

And decides to do something different.

I was in a similar position 10 years ago. Here’s exactly how I flipped my life around:

1. Audit your daily patterns

Write down everything you do for 3 days.

Then ask: "Is this moving me forward or keeping me stuck?"

Most people are shocked by how much time they waste waiting for change instead of creating it.

2. Identify your non-negotiables

Pick 3 things you'll do every day, no matter what.

→ One for your body 
→ One for your skill 
→ One for your goals 

Make them so small you can't fail. Then do them until they're automatic.

3. Eliminate one drain

Find the biggest energy drain in your life right now.

The toxic relationship. 
The time-wasting habit. 
The commitment that serves nothing.

Cut it. Not gradually. Not "when the time is right." This week.

4. Create proof

Do one thing today that proves you're serious.

Send the email you've been avoiding. 
Post the content you're scared to share. 
Make the call that terrifies you.

Most of the successful people I know have figured this out:

You need to stop looking around for someone to save you.

The hero you're waiting for is the version of you that's done making excuses.

Wake them up.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network! ♻️

And follow Noemi Kis✨ for daily growth tips!

Every idea has three audiences.

And only one of them ends up successful.

When you start building something, you'll notice three groups form around you.

1. The critics show up first.

They'll point out every flaw, every risk, every reason it won't work.

"That's been done before."
"The timing isn't right."
"You should really think this through."

They sound experienced. They sound smart.
But they're not building anything themselves.

2. Then come the talkers.

They love your idea. They're genuinely excited about it.

"This is great, we should collaborate."
"I've been thinking about something similar."
"Let me know how it goes."

And they mean it in the moment. But weeks pass. Months pass. And nothing actually happens.

3. The doers are different.

They're the smallest group, but they're the ones who matter. They don't just cheer you on from the sidelines. They actually move.

→ They test what you're building
→ They give you honest feedback
→ They share it without being asked

And here's what I've learned:

You can't convert critics into doers.
You can't turn talkers into builders.

The energy you spend trying to convince skeptics or waiting for "interested" people to follow through is energy wasted.

The only strategy that works is finding the doers early and building with them.

Because critics will always find something to criticize. Talkers will always have another conversation.

But doers help you win.

They become your first customers, your biggest advocates, your real supporters.

So if you're building something right now, pay attention to who's actually doing something with what you're creating.

Not who's watching.
Not who's talking about watching.
Who's doing.

That's your real audience.

And honestly, that's the only audience that matters.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network!♻️ 

And follow Noemi Kis✨ for daily growth tips!

You've spent 3 months planning.

Successful people spent 20 minutes building.

Action creates clarity. Planning creates comfort.

They research. They plan. They wait for the "right time."

→ The book that's been "planned" for 3 years
→ The perfect website no customer has seen
→ The post waiting to feel "ready enough"

It feels like progress. But it's just procrastination.

And there’s something I’ve learnt after 15 yrs in business:

Thinking about doing something for 20 hours teaches you nothing.

Doing it for 20 minutes teaches you everything.

Because action creates clarity.

→ You learn what actually works
→ You see what people really want
→ You discover the problems you can’t see

The overthinking phase feels safe. No one can criticize what doesn't exist yet.

But safety isn't the goal. Progress is. And progress only happens when you move.

Here's what 20 minutes with Gamma can actually do:

→ Turn that business idea into a pitch deck
→ Transform that blog post into a visual story
→ Create that client proposal you've been "getting to" for 2 weeks

Because the people who win aren't the ones with the best plans.

They're the ones that started before they felt ready.

So if you've been stuck in the planning phase...

What would happen if you gave yourself 20 minutes?

Just 20 minutes to start the thing you've been overthinking.

Not to finish it. Not to perfect it. Just to begin.

Because the gap between thinking and doing?

That's where dreams go to die.

Close the gap.

Try Gamma. Give yourself 20 minutes.

Watch how it’s done: https://lnkd.in/gSWbh-vx

See what you can build when you stop planning and start doing.

Brand partnership • Microbusiness Ideas / AI enthusiast / TEDx speaker

You're asking for directions from people who are lost themselves.

And wondering why you keep ending up in the same place.

Here's the pattern most people fall into:

→ They want to start a business, so they ask their 9-5 friends

→ They want to scale, so they ask people stuck at $100K

→ They want freedom, so they ask the burned-out "successful" ones

The advice sounds good. It feels safe. But it's coming from someone who's never been where you're trying to go.

They'll tell you to:

→ "Get a steady job first"
→ "Wait until you're more experienced"
→ "Don't take that risk"

Because it's all they know.

I made the same mistake for years and stayed stuck in a job I hated.

That’s when I learned the truth about advice:

– Most people give advice based on their fears, not your potential
– Good intentions don't equal good guidance
– The loudest voices are often from people who never tried


You can't get to $1M by asking someone who's never made it past $100K.

You can't build freedom by listening to people who work 80-hour weeks.

You can't create something new by following people stuck in the old.

So before you take anyone's advice, ask yourself:

Have they actually done what I'm trying to do?

Not talked about it. Not theorized about it. Actually done it.

Because the best directions come from people who've already made the journey.

Everyone else is just guessing.

And you don't build your dreams on someone else's guesses.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network! ♻️ 

And follow Noemi Kis✨ for daily growth tips!

I used to have a goal to hit $10M revenue.

Then I deleted it.

For years, that number lived in my business plan, my pitch decks, my annual reviews.

The number that would finally prove:

→ I'd made it
→ I was a real CEO
→ I belonged in the rooms I was in

But here's what nobody tells you about chasing revenue targets:

The goalpost keeps moving.

Hit $1M? Now you need $5M.
Hit $5M? Now you need $10M.
Hit $10M? Now you need to be a unicorn.

It never ends. And to be honest, I was exhausted.

I was making decisions I didn't believe in, all for a number that someone else decided mattered.

In 2021, I sat down and asked myself a different question:

"What do I actually want my life to look like?"

Not my revenue. Not my team size.

My actual life.

The answer was simple:

→ Wake up without anxiety
→ Take weekends completely off
→ Fund new projects without outside money
→ Never miss my family’s important events
→ Build things I'm proud of, not things that scale

And surprisingly, none of that required $10M.

It required less, really good margins, and a business model I loved.

So I deleted the revenue goal.

And I replaced it with this:

– Does this decision give me more freedom or less?
– Does this opportunity energize me or drain me?
– Will I regret saying yes to this in 6 months?

Today, I don’t make $10M but I have:

→ Profit margins that fund my passion projects
→ A small team that I can trust fully
→ Time to think, create, and actually live

So if you're killing yourself for a number that someone else told you matters...

Ask yourself: What am I actually building toward?

Because maybe the goal isn't bigger.
Maybe the goal is better.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network! ♻️ 

And follow Noemi Kis✨ for daily growth tips!

Most people spend 3 hours making presentations that no one remembers.

I spend 5 minutes.

Because I automated the boring part.

Here's the thing about getting ahead in your career:

It's not about working harder. It's about creating unfair advantages.

And I found the best one:

You’re drowning in post-meeting work. Every Zoom call meant hours of:

→ Transcribing key points
→ Creating presentation decks
→ Formatting everything perfectly
→ Sending follow-ups that proved I was "on it"

Then I discovered the highest-leverage automation:

I connected two simple tools with Zapier:

Zapier - the automation platform that connects everything
Gamma - creates beautiful presentations instantly
Zoom - where all my important conversations are stored

Here's why this combination is genius:

The best insights already exist.

- Your brilliant strategy discussion.
- Your client's feedback.
- Your team's decisions.

All trapped in meeting recordings.

But when you connect where data lives to where it needs to be, magic happens.

Now after every important call:

→ Zapier automatically detects my Zoom recording
→ Sends it to Gamma
→ Gamma analyzes the entire conversation
→ Creates a professional deck with key insights

5 minutes. Zero manual work.

What this actually means for your career:

- You can present complex things simply
- You follow up after every meeting
- You show up like an executive leader

While everyone else is still formatting slides, you're already thinking three moves ahead.

That's how you create opportunities.

You can find it at https://lnkd.in/g_AgBGhA

#zapierpartner #gammapartner

Most startup advice is for 22-year-olds who can code.

I'm 40. I run a 7 fig business serving clients like SpaceX and P&G.  

In a tiny niche for water filtration.

5 hours a week. 3 people. 

Let me show you how a microbusiness works:

Let’s take a traditional business: A pet store

Profitable one-person niches for pets:

→ Travel kits for RV pets ($7K/month)
→ Anxiety gear for rescue dogs ($6K/month)
→ Joint supplements for senior bulldogs ($10K/month)
→ Booking systems for mobile dog groomers ($3K/month)

Each one can be built by non-technical founders using AI tools.

Go so specific that customers think "this was made FOR ME."

Here’s are the options:

→ Freelancer: Income ceiling = hours
→ SaaS & startups: Fast growth, scale, exit.
→ Corporate: Security dependent on the job market.
→ Small business: Employees, overhead, broad market.

This is how I define a microbusiness:

- One person or small team
- $50K-$1M annual revenue
- 10-40 hours/week
- Uses AI + no-code tools
- You specialize

Just a profitable business you own.

This works today but didn’t 5 years ago, because you can:

- Run a business on $100/mo tools
- Build with no code AI and automate
- Find customers in online niche groups

I spent 20 hours documenting 5,000 of these ideas.

Filtered for: profitable, one-person, solvable with AI, serving customers who actually pay.

What’s stopping you isn’t the idea: It’s this:

→ Which niche should I pick?
→ I can't code" (Claude/Cursor/Replit can)
→ I'm already working 50 hours
→ Sounds too good to be true (Fair - that's why I'm showing you my actual business)

You solve a problem so specific that clients gladly pay 10x for someone who finally understands.

That's why I am launching a newsletter:

Every week you’ll get:

→ One ready-to-launch microbusiness (built with Cursor/Zapier)
→ The exact customer niches to target
→ Week 1 execution plan (DM scripts, landing page copy)

Not a course. Not "learn to code."

Just: here's the idea, the AI template setup, here's who to sell: now go.

Want the 5,000 profitable niches right now? It’s free when you join my newsletter.  

Get it here: https://lnkd.in/g4BK_8n9

This is how you build career insurance and freedom.

Share this to your network ♻️

P.S. Comment "niche" below, or repost and I'll DM you a bonus, the entire database inside a custom GPT. (have to be connected)

Last week, it took me 3 hours to screen 231 resumes.

Today it took 30 seconds per resume.

Most founders I know are drowning in resumes.

So I built a Zapier Agent that evaluates resumes instantly from my browser.

I tested it on a pile of resumes yesterday.

The agent caught things I would've missed:
- A developer with the exact stack we use (buried on page 2)
- Red flags in employment gaps I glossed over
- Pattern matching across similar successful hires

But here's my favorite part:

It doesn't just say yes or no.

It explains WHY.

"Strong candidate - has 3 years in our exact tech stack, shows progression in responsibilities, and their side project demonstrates self-learning."

Or:

"Pass - lacks hands-on experience despite certifications, no evidence of building real products."

This is NOT about replacing human judgment.

It's about getting to human judgment faster.

This is how modern founders should hire.

Not by reading 200 generic resumes.

But by building agents that instantly surface the right people.

Curious to try it out? Try Zapier agents here: https://lnkd.in/gQwBEtTy

#ZapierPartner

Ryan Rouse

MALK Organics

President

Self Employed

Growth Advisor

HighKey 

Chief Executive Officer (acquired)

Board Member

Chief Marketing & Ecommerce Officer

Tasseo Consumer Ecosystem

Operating Partner

Serenity Kids

Head of Growth

Factor_

Co-Founder (Acquired by Hello Fresh)

Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Merrill Lynch

Vice President of Sales

Growth advisor to consumer businesses with a focus on every line of the P&L | Previously, Co-Founder at Factor Meals (acquired), CEO at Highkey

Growth-minded CPG leader with deep experience across finance, brand building, and operational leadership.

After more than a decade in finance—culminating in an eight-year tenure at Merrill Lynch—I co-founded Factor_, a ready-to-eat meal delivery company that went on to be acquired by HelloFresh for $277M in 2020.

I joined HighKey Snacks as Chief Marketing Officer and later CEO, guiding the low-sugar snack brand through rapid expansion and an acquisition in 2024.

I'm currently the President of MALK Organics, a fast-growing, near nine-figure brand redefining the plant-based milk category with its commitment to clean, organic ingredients and uncompromising quality.

And I write a newsletter about what it really takes to grow—your company, your mindset, your tolerance for chaos:
​
​• The unfiltered truth about building a brand
• Why “strategy” isn’t always strategic
• What to do when everything feels on fire
• Mindset shifts that keep you sane(ish)​
• Founder mistakes, market moves, and lessons I’m still learning​
​
​Part playbook, part perspective shift.
For anyone trying to grow something—and keep their head on straight.

Sign up using the link here (or below my profile pic above): https://ryanrouse.me/

Vice President | Partner

Data driven investors in early stage consumer brands. 

We've normalized something insane.

Two people typing at each other for 35 minutes.

Typing gives us time to be clever. To craft the perfect comeback. To sound right while being wrong.

Talking forces us to be human.

No edit button. No screenshots for later. No audience watching you perform.

Just two people working it out in real time.

The friction you feel before picking up the phone and calling?

That's your ego protecting itself.

It knows the keyboard is safer.

But relationships aren't built in safety.

They're built in the messy, unedited moments when you actually hear someone's voice.

Next time you're about to send that long message?

Pick up the phone instead.

You'll be shocked how fast "enemies" become teammates when you remove the screen between you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

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https://ryanrouse.me/

Never Been on a Forbes List | President at MALK Organics | Daddy at Rouse House | Previously: Co-Founder & CMO at Factor_, CEO at Highkey

No alternative text description for this image

The startup world worships charisma.

Big personalities. Bold promises. Slick pitches.

But I've watched too many charismatic founders flame out.

And too many quiet operators build empires.

Here's what I learned:

Charisma opens doors. Character keeps them open.

Charisma raises the round. Character delivers the returns.

The market rewards charisma in the short term. But it pays character in the long run.

Use your charisma to sell the vision.
Use your character to build the business.

I'm curious: Think about the best leader you've ever worked with.

Were they the most charismatic person in the room, or did they have something deeper that made you follow them?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The more polished your corporate language, the less your employees believe a word you say.

Early in my startup career, I'd craft these perfect all-hands emails. 

"We're excited to announce strategic realignment initiatives that will optimize our organizational effectiveness."

Translation: We're laying people off.

My team saw right through it.

And it created distrust and disengagement.

So I changed my approach.

Instead of "pursuing growth opportunities," I started saying "we're trying something new and honestly, we're not sure if it'll work."

Instead of "navigating headwinds," I said "this quarter sucked and here's why."

It was uncomfortable at first.

But the team started asking real questions instead of nodding politely.

And they started to trust me more when things got hard because they knew I wouldn't sugarcoat it.

I remember the first time I told my team "I don't have a good answer for that yet" in a meeting. 

Someone was brave enough to say "thank you for not making something up."

People don't want perfect messaging from their leaders.

They want honest communication about what's really happening and how it affects them.

Even if you don't know. 

Your team can handle the truth. 

What they can't handle is being treated like they're too naive to see through corporate BS. 

Every euphemism you use is a withdrawal from the trust bank.

And that account doesn't have overdraft protection.

There's no finish line where suddenly you feel like you made it.

No magic number that makes the doubt disappear.

No age where you finally stop comparing yourself to the 28-year-old who just raised $50M.

We're all out here pretending we're on schedule while secretly terrified we're falling behind.

The woman who sold at 32 thinks he peaked too early.

The guy grinding at 50 thinks she started too late.

The kid raising millions thinks he's a fraud.

None of us know what we're doing.

We're just making different mistakes at different speeds.

Your career isn't late.

It's not early either.

It's just yours.

And the only way to lose is to stop showing up because you think you missed some imaginary deadline.

Keep building.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The biggest sales job you'll ever make isn't to your customers.

It's to yourself.

Because it's the stories in your head determine the stories you tell the world.

If you're telling yourself you're an imposter, that's exactly what you'll project in every meeting.

If you're telling yourself you're not a "numbers person," guess what? You won't be.

If you're telling yourself you need one more certification, one more mentor, one more anything before you're ready...

You're right. You'll never be ready.

Because readiness isn't something you acquire.

It's something you decide.

The most successful people I know aren't the ones with the best credentials or the smoothest pitch.

They're the ones who changed their internal narrative first.

From "I'm figuring it out" to "I know my shit."
From "I hope this works" to "Watch me make this work."
From "I'm not that type of person" to "I'm becoming that type of person right now."

Your business can only grow as fast as your self-concept allows.

Change the story. Change everything.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

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Every morning at 5:30 AM, my alarm goes off.

And I have a choice.

Hit snooze and skip my workout, or get up and move.

That's the first battle of the day.

Success isn't some climactic moment where everything falls into place.

It's winning thousands of these small fights. Day after day.

The decision to kill a product you spent 18 months developing because it clearly doesn't work. 

The discipline to skip the third glass of wine at dinner so you can think more clearly in tomorrow's meeting.

The courage to fire someone who's good but not great.

There is no one final battle.

No last job.

No riding off into the sunset.

These micro battles never stop.

And the moment you accept that?

The pressure to "arrive" disappears.

You stop waiting for some future version of success.

You start finding it in the discipline of showing up when it's hard.

In choosing the right move over the easy one.

In winning today's battles so you're ready for tomorrow's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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What if choosing not to be offended was the most powerful decision you could make today?

Most leaders don't realize they're handing control of their day to people who don't matter.

I've spent 15+ years in executive roles. Built teams. Navigated acquisitions. Raised 3 kids.

Many years ago, someone's criticism would completely derail me.

I'd stew on it for hours.  

But that person? Living their life. Completely unbothered.

The only person suffering was me.

It made me recognize that offense is a choice.

Not a reflex. A choice.

Now when someone tries to push my buttons, I pause and choose whether or not to engage. And how to engage if I choose to. 

I'm protecting what matters: me.

Your reaction gives other people control over your day.

Your non-reaction or calm reaction gives you back your power.

So here's my question:

Who are you letting live in your head that doesn't deserve to be there?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Being late to every meeting isn't a personality quirk. 

It's a character flaw. 

And it's costing you more than you think. 

It's like your friend who couldn't handle their alcohol and had to be baby sat every night. At first everyone's like "Oh, that's just Jeff/Julie."'

But you know what happened over time? Less and less people hung out with Jeff and Julie. 

Same goes here. 

Every time you're late to a meeting, you're showing showing people you can't be trusted with the small things.

Trust with the small things leads to trust with the big ones.

The opportunities that require trust:
- Leading a team
- Managing a budget
- Representing the company
- Taking on a big project

None of those happen if people don't trust you with the basics.

And being on time is the most basic thing there is.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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I've watched good companies crumble from the inside out.

Not because of market conditions or bad products.

Because they let weak leadership linger.

Your team sees it before you do.

And every day you wait, they lose a little more belief.

Not just in that one leader.

In you. In the vision. In whether any of it matters.

The damage compounds faster than you think.

And by the time it's obvious to you, half your best people are already mentally checked out.

So when you know someone isn't cutting it, act.

Yes, transitions are messy.

Yes, there will be short-term pain.

But nothing restores faith in a team faster than watching leadership actually lead.

I've never been the smartest person in the room.

But I have been the most dangerous.

Not because I know more.

Because I know less.

My first few months at MALK, I was like a broken record.

"What's the reason for that?"
"Who decided this?"
"What happens if we skip it?"

I've done the same thing at business I get involved with. 

Turns out, most companies run on autopilot.

Someone built a process years ago because they needed something fast.
It stuck.

Not because it was good.

Because it was there.

Your processes aren't best practices.

They're fossils.

Fresh eyes see the waste you've gone blind to.
Here's what works:

Hire people with fresh eyes. 

Give them permission to be annoying.

Let them question everything.

Document every "why?"

Most answers will be "I don't know" or "that's just how it's done."

That's your gold mine.

Each "I don't know" is money left on the table.

Each "that's how we've always done it" is a process begging to be killed.

What process exists at your company only because "that's how it's always been done"?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The cost of handing out fancy titles too soon is real. 

Early on at Factor_, we couldn't afford top talent.

So we did what a lot of founders do.

We gave people VP and Director titles to make up for the salary gap.

Seemed smart at the time.

They got the prestige. We saved cash.

But a title doesn't teach someone how to do the job.

It doesn't give them the reps. The pattern recognition. The instincts that come from years on the job.

And when you realize someone isn't ready for the role they're in, you've got a real problem.

Because now you can't just adjust their responsibilities.

You have to demote them or move them out.

Which is brutal for everyone involved.

The title that was supposed to solve a problem becomes the problem.

Looking back now, I wish I'd been straight with people about where they actually were.

Not where I needed them to be.

Give them a role they can handle today. 

Let them earn the next one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Everyone's building a personal brand. But personal credibility should be the goal. 

I see it every day.

People obsessing over their LinkedIn banner design while their actual work speaks nothing.

Crafting the perfect thought leader bio while delivering mediocre results.

Posting motivational quotes they don't live by.

Here's what they don't get:

Personal brand is what you tell people you are.
Personal credibility is what you prove you are.

One is manufactured. The other is earned.

You can buy a personal brand. Hire a ghostwriter. Use AI to pump out content. Get those vanity metrics up.

But credibility?

That comes from one place: Doing.

Delivering on promises when nobody's watching.
Admitting when you're wrong instead of doubling down.
Sharing real failures, not just humble brags disguised as lessons.

The most credible people I know barely think about their "brand."

They're too busy actually building things. Solving problems. Creating value.

Their reputation spreads through whisper networks, not viral posts.

Want to stand out in 2025?

Stop polishing your image.
Start delivering results.

Because at the end of the day, your personal brand is just marketing.

Your personal credibility is your actual product.

And people can smell the difference from a mile away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Being a 6/10 across many functions will serve you more than being a 10/10 in one.

But you typically have to get to a 9/10 in one area to earn the opportunity to oversee the others. 

The hard part for most people is being comfortable going from a 9/10 in something down to a 6/10 in order to create time to go from a 2/10 to a 6/10 in the others.

They can’t let go of being best in class at the one thing. 

Which limits their ability to to lead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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You survived the launch. You got early traction.

So why does year three feel harder than year one?

Because in year one, you'd work 24/7 and love it.

The adrenaline was real. Every win felt like validation.

You didn't need sleep. You didn't need breaks.

You had rocket fuel in your veins.

But years 2-5...

The adrenaline runs out.

And when it does, the grinding reality sets in.

34.4% of founders experience burnout.

Not in year one when you're supposed to be struggling.

In years 2-5, when you're supposed to have it figured out.

Year one, you're running on pure excitement and fear.

That combination keeps you moving even when you're exhausted.

But years 2-5? That's when the wheels come off.

The excitement fades. The fear becomes background noise.

What's left is just the grind.

No finish line in sight.

Revenue looks healthy. Team is growing.

But you're running on empty.

And you don't realize it's happening.

You think you're just tired. You think it's a rough month.

You tell yourself you'll take a break soon.

But soon never comes.

Because now you've got:

• A team depending on you
• Investors expecting growth
• Customers needing support
• A reputation to protect

You can't just stop anymore.

The thing about founder burnout is it doesn't announce itself.

It shows up in small ways first.

You start dreading Monday mornings.

Emails sit unread for days.

Decision-making gets harder.

Your patience with your team gets thinner.

Then one day you wake up and realize: You don't remember the last time you felt excited about this.

The data backs this up.

Founders in their middle years report higher rates of anxiety and depression than in year one.

Not because things are going worse.

Because things are going exactly as expected.

And that's somehow harder to handle than the chaos.

If you're in those middle years right now, here's what I'd tell you:

The 24/7 hustle isn't sustainable.

It never was.

Year one, you could get away with it because the adrenaline covered the cost.

But you can't run a marathon on sprint energy.

And building a lasting company is a marathon.

Take the break. Build the boundaries. Protect your mental health.

Not because it's nice to have.

Because your business won't survive if you don't.

I spend my days analyzing consumer behavior, market trends, etc.

But my wife always points out something I completely missed.

Last month, we were arguing about why the kids kept leaving their water bottles everywhere.

I said it was a discipline problem.

She said it was a design problem.

The bottles were too heavy when full. Too awkward to carry. The lids leaked in their backpacks.

So they just... stopped using them.

I had been so focused on the behavior, I missed the product failure.

We do this in our industry. 

Blame "disloyal" customers instead of asking if our packaging is annoying to open or if our product fits in their pantry.

My wife doesn't work in CPG.

She doesn't know (or care) what a P&L is.

But she sees a ton of things I don't.

The tiny annoyances. The small frustrations. The gap between what we promise and what actually works in real life.

Here’s hoping you all have a "Lindsay" involved in the product development process.

Everyone you know doubts themselves.

No matter how successful or confident they appear.

I know ultra successful people who wonder if they can take the next step.

They worry that they might lose it all.

They worry they won't be able to make it back if they do lose it.

Despite their sucess, they have a lot of self doubt.

It’s normal when you're starting out and when you get more successful.

So if you're feeling the weight of your doubt.

Just know that it's normal.

You're not doing something wrong.

Everyone doubts themselves.

Congrats to all who made the Forbes list. 

I did not. Therefore, my headline remains in tact.

You can't be great at everything.

And that's actually the point.

The bell curve is undefeated. Small percentage who are elite. Small percentage who are terrible. Large percentage in the middle.

It applies to everything - career, relationships, fitness, hobbies.

Where it gets interesting is when you stack bell curves on top of one another.

Elite in one area almost always means average or terrible in others.

The math doesn't lie.

Which means you have to pick.

Which areas of life you want to be on the upper end of the curve?

And how far down that curve do you want to go?

All those choices have trade offs. 

Personally, I want to be in the 90th percentile in family, career, and health. 

That's above average, but not elite. 

Being in the 90th percentile in all of them means I can't be in the 98th percentile in any. 

It also means I can't even be in the 60th percentile in other things that aren't on my list. 

Some people choose differently. They go all-in on one thing. Become truly elite.

They accept being below average everywhere else.

Neither approach is wrong.

What's wrong is pretending you can be elite at everything.

The trade-off is real whether you acknowledge it or not.

So pick your bell curves.

And stop lying to yourself about the ones you didn't pick.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The DTC era taught founders a dangerous lesson.

You could skip the hard work of understanding your category.

Build a brand, tell a story, sell direct.

No need to obsess over shelf placement, competitive sets, or how retailers think about your space.

But shoppers still compare you to everything else in the category.

They always have.

Whether your product sits next to competitors on a shelf or shows up alone on your website doesn't matter.

A lot of digitally native brands tried to move into retail and got crushed. 

Because they never did the foundational work.

They didn't know their category cold.

Didn't understand how it's priced, how it's merchandised, how it's managed, how decisions get made.

That knowledge used to be non-negotiable.

Before DTC, founders had no choice but to become category experts first.

It was the only path to market.

Now it's optional.

And that optionality is killing brands.

You can't win in CPG without being obsessed with your category.

Not just your product.

The entire space you're competing in.

That's table stakes.

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