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.

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

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

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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?


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

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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.


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

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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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The higher you climb, the lonelier it gets.

I learned this from 25 years of chasing the top.

It's odd though. The higher you get, the less people you can talk to about it. 

Can't vent to your team about the pressure.

Can't ask your boss the "dumb" questions ('cause you don't have one).

And you definitely can't admit when you're figuring it out as you go.

So I started writing.

Not corporate memos. Not LinkedIn humble brags.

Real talk about what it's actually like to lead.

The messy product launches.

The budget fights that keep you up at night.

The people decisions that haunt you.

The wins that nobody sees coming.

Look, I know how this sounds.

Another exec with a newsletter.

But if you're tired of feeling like you're the only one struggling with this stuff, I write about it every week in my newsletter.

No BS. Just truth.

Link in the comments if you're interested.

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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Congrats to all who made the Forbes list. 

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

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.

I used to think talking about anything besides work was a waste of time.

As a founder, my life was the business.

Every minute counted.

So when team members wanted to chat about their weekend, their kids, their hobbies?

I'd nod politely and steer us back to the agenda.

I thought I was being efficient.

I was actually building walls.

Because my team had lives outside work.

Just because I had no other interests didn't mean they didn't.

The shift happened when I started asking questions. Actually listening to the answers.

Turns out, people open up when you take genuine interest in them.

The trust runs deeper. The feedback gets more honest. The work gets better.
And they stop leaving.

Relationships aren't built in conference rooms.

They're built in the margins.

The random detours in meetings that are completely off topic.

The walk to the parking lot.

The random Slack message about their kid's soccer game.

That's where teams become more than just people who work together.

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

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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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After 10+ years building 15+ award-winning brands, and fueling 8-figure exits, I realized I was playing too small..

I craved a bigger impact.

So I launched Brain Apes to serve visionary founders and execs who want real traction and more influence, without endless trial and error.

What we do:

→ We blend real-world business development and social media expertise, no “copy/paste” course nonsense here.

→ We live in the trenches, delivering presence, strategy, and results that speak for themselves:

🥇 Scaled an org to 200+ employees
🥇 Got a franchise acquired for 8 figures
🥇 Built 37 award-winning brands in 2024
🥇 Added 1M+ followers to clients in 2024 alone
🥇 Fundraised $300K+ in wellness tech pre-seed
🥇 Built a portfolio of award-winning cannabis brands
🥇 Elevated 20+ coaches to 4-5-figure offers that sell
🥇 Managed and monetized 6, 7 and 8-figure audiences
🥇 Helped a local biz win 85+ awards (most in the state)
🥇 Scaled multiple retail & service-based businesses to 7/8+ figures and win awards 

What clients say:

“Working with you in 2024 was so helpful for account growth for my co-founder and me. In total, we added over 40,000 followers and generated millions of impressions. It also helped us raise funds for Prescribe Life—we’re over halfway through our $500K pre-seed raise. You and your team were awesome!”
– Oli J., Co-Founder of Prescribe Health

“Thanks to the offer stack you helped me build, I’ve been closing $20K offers. Also, I can’t believe how quickly you grew my LinkedIn: 0 to 8K in just a few months! You seriously delivered.”
– XK, Founder & Master Coach

“One of THE BEST decisions for my business and life! It’s only been seven days and my LinkedIn is exploding: at least 10X reach, more high-quality interactions, and tons more calls booked for my publishing services!”
– Ben Gioa, Founder of Leadership Awake LLC

Our formula:

1. Nail your positioning and offer
2. Boost content performance
3. Go on offense and get attention

You could spend 120+ hours a week to figure it all out…

Or let us handle everything for you.

(Our Strategy + Your Expertise) x Our Team = Audience Growth & Revenue.

→ We don’t work with everyone.
→ We always have a waitlist.
→ We’re not cheap, but we deliver on our promises (and then some).

Ready for massive results and unstoppable growth?

Book a free executive strategy call with me. 
I’ll give you clarity, no punches pulled.. 

And if we’re a good fit, we’ll craft an offer to work together.

Ready to see what’s possible for your brand in the next 90 days?

Claim your spot here:
brainapes.com/strategy

Jordan Murphy 🧠🦍

Stop Solving Non-Existent Problems

Are you stuck solving problems that don’t even exist? 🚫

Many entrepreneurs get paralyzed by potential fulfillment issues long before they make their first sale.

Here's why that's a mistake and how I broke free from it:

↓

Worried about how to fulfill orders you don’t even have yet?

The truth is you'll have more resources when it comes time to fulfill.

→ It’s a common trap for new entrepreneurs because you can’t solve problems you don’t have yet.

→ They fixate on potential issues instead of securing their first customer.

↓

Focus on making your first sale before anything else.

• Create an offer so irresistible people can’t say no.
• Forget about fulfillment til you have clients.
• Your first priority is to get a "YES."

I see this all the time.

I recently helped a client shift their focus from fear to sales.

→ They were worried about being overwhelmed by too many clients.

→ Yet, they hadn’t made a sale yet.

→ We reoriented their strategy to close deals first, solve issues later.

Pro tip: Focus on solving problems for free and then let them know you have services if they'd like your continued support. You need proof and traction to scale faster.

↓

Here’s the simple truth:

Sell first, learn from it, and then refine.

• Each sale provides invaluable insights.
• You’ll understand what clients truly value.
• And you’ll see which parts of your offer can be streamlined.

So, what’s the actionable step today?

1. Create an offer that feels like a no-brainer.
2. Get out there and start selling it aggressively.
3. Learn and iterate based on real customer interactions.

↓

When I started Brain Apes, I focused solely on getting those first clients.

→ I didn’t worry about scaling or fulfillment.

→ I poured all my energy into making irresistible offers.

→ The result? A business that took off faster than I could have imagined.

Remember, no sales = no business.

• Don’t let the fear of future problems paralyze you.
• Your goal's to make people feel crazy for saying no.
• Once you’re overwhelmed with orders, you start optimizing.

↓

So stop solving problems that don’t exist.

• Focus on making those first crucial sales.
• Use early customer feedback to refine your offer.
• And then, build a scalable system based on real, not hypothetical, issues.

Because you can’t steer a parked car.

1. Start selling.
2. Learn from each experience.
3. Let your customers guide your refinement process.

Embrace the chaos of early sales - it’s where the real growth happens.

Need help making more sales or getting more leads?

You need more volume.. guaranteed.

Learn how we can put that volume on autopilot for you.

Hit my profile and book a call.

(get yours while it’s still free)

シ


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P.S. 💬 What’s your offer?

He Built the Momentum Before Anyone Got On

A man built a wooden swing in his backyard.

Seats 4 people. Wraps around a pool. Suspended by rope.

But here's the part most people miss:

Before anyone gets on, he spins it. Over and over. Coiling the rope upward.

Building tension. Storing energy. Creating momentum.

Then everyone loads on. Gets in their seats.

And when they release it, the swing descends as it uncoils.

Spinning faster and faster.

The fun part only works because of what he did first.

This is how you actually build something.

Everyone sees the spin. The speed. The results.

They see the team celebrating. The customers flooding in. The revenue growing.

They see the momentum.

But they don't see the coiling.

They don't see the months you spent building the product before anyone cared.

They don't see the systems you put in place before you had a team to run them.

They don't see the audience you built before you had something to sell.

They don't see you spinning the rope, alone, building the momentum before anyone got on.

Most founders want the results without the setup.

They want the swing to spin without doing the coiling.

They want momentum without building it first.

They want the team, the customers, the growth, but they skip the part where you're alone in the backyard winding the rope.

And then they wonder why nothing takes off.

Here's what that guy understands:

The descent is automatic. The coiling takes effort.

Once the system is built, once the momentum is there, the results feel effortless.

People get on. The swing spins. Everyone has a great time.

But that only happens because someone did the work first.

The best businesses I know were built this way.

The founder spent months, sometimes years, coiling.

Building the product. Testing the market. Refining the message. Creating the systems.

Alone. Unglamorous. Invisible.

And then, when the momentum was ready, they let people on.

And it looked effortless.

It looked like an overnight success.

It looked like they just got lucky.

But the momentum was built long before anyone was watching.

So here's the question:

Are you trying to spin without coiling?

Are you expecting momentum without building it first?

Are you waiting for people to get on before you've done the work to create the ride?

Because the swing only spins if you wind it up first.

The business only scales, the audience only grows if you build the foundation.

The team only thrives if you create the systems.

You have to build the momentum before anyone gets on.

What's one thing you're building right now that no one sees yet?

📹 justinflom
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シ

He Let Go Mid-Air and Trusted the Timing

A guy sends it off a massive ramp.

Goes up. Flips his bike mid-air. Lets it go.

The bike flips faster than he's flipping.

He's front-flipping through the air. The bike's doing its own thing.

Then he catches the handlebars. Perfectly.

Pulls the bike back into control. Whips it into another front flip.

Lands it.

The bike flipped twice. He flipped once. Perfect timing.

He let go mid-air and trusted the timing.

This is the hardest thing for leaders to learn.

Letting go.

Not at the comfortable moment. Not when everything's stable.

Mid-air. When you're already committed. When it feels like the worst possible time.

But sometimes that's exactly when you have to let go.

Most leaders hold on too tight.

They try to control everything. Micromanage every detail. Keep their hands on the handlebars at all times.

And they wonder why they can't pull off the bigger moves.

Because some tricks require release.

Some outcomes only happen when you let go and trust the timing.

Here's what that guy on the bike understands:

You can't flip the bike twice while holding on the whole time.

To land the trick, you have to let go.

Not recklessly. Not without preparation.

But at the exact right moment, you release control.

And you trust that the timing will bring it back together.

The best leaders I know have learned this.

They let go of decisions their team can make.

They let go of control over processes that don't need their hands on them.

They let go of micromanaging outcomes and trust the people they hired.

Not because they don't care. Because they know the trick requires it.

You can't scale while holding onto everything.
You can't grow while controlling every detail.
You can't pull off the bigger moves while gripping the handlebars.

But here's the part most people miss:

Letting go isn't the same as giving up.

That guy didn't just throw the bike away and hope for the best.

He let go with timing.

He knew when to release. He knew when to catch. He knew the rhythm.

And that's what made it work.

Strategic release requires:

Knowing what to let go of.
Knowing when to let go.

Trusting the timing of when it comes back together.

And then catching it at exactly the right moment.

Most founders fail at one of these:

They let go of the wrong things.
They let go at the wrong time.

They don't trust the timing and try to grab back too early.

Or they let go and never catch it again.

But the ones who master it? They scale.

They pull off moves no one else can.
They land tricks that look impossible.

Because they learned to let go mid-air and trust the timing.

So here's the question:

What are you holding onto that you need to let go of?

What would become possible if you released control and trusted the timing?

What's one thing you let go of that felt terrifying but ended up working?

📹 rwilly
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シ

He Wasn't Playing Pool. He Was Playing Him.

Two guys playing pool.

One guy takes his shot. Sinks a ball.

While the other guy watches the ball go in, he grabs another ball with his mouth. Pops it in the pocket.

Fake chalks his cue with another ball. Slides another into a pocket.

Walks around. Lines up the eight ball. Game winner.

Sinks it.

Game over.

The other guy never saw it coming.

He wasn't playing pool. He was playing him.

This is what happens when you don't realize what game you're actually in.

You think you're competing on skill.

They're competing on something else entirely.

And by the time you figure it out, the game's already over.

I see this in business all the time.

You're focused on building the best product.

Your competitor's focused on controlling distribution.

You're optimizing features.

They're locking up partnerships.

You're playing product. They're playing access.

And they win before you realize you were in different games.

Or:

You're competing on price.
They're competing on brand.

You're racing to the bottom trying to be cheaper.
They're building a moat where price doesn't matter.

You're playing pool. They're playing you.

Here's the thing about meta-games:

They're invisible until it's too late.

You don't see the moves because you're watching the wrong thing.

You're focused on the ball going in the pocket.

You're not watching what's happening while you're distracted.

And that's exactly when they make their move.

The best competitors understand this.

They know the stated game isn't always the real game.

They know that while you're focused on one dimension, they can win on another.

They know that misdirection is a strategy.

And they use it.

So here's the question:

What game do you think you're playing?

And are you sure your competitors are playing the same one?

Because if you're optimizing for the wrong game, you've already lost.

If you're focused on product while they're focused on distribution, you lose.

If you're focused on features while they're focused on network effects, you lose.

If you're focused on price while they're focused on brand, you lose.

Not because you're bad at your game. Because you're playing the wrong one.

The smartest move?

Step back and ask: what game is actually being played here?

Not the obvious one. Not the one everyone says they're playing.

The real one.

The one where balls are being pocketed while you're watching somewhere else.

The one where the game's over before you realize it started.

And if you're the one being played:

Pay attention to what's happening when you're distracted.

Question what looks smooth and confident.

Ask yourself: are they playing pool, or playing me?

Because the game you think you're in might not be the game you're actually losing.

What's one time you realized too late that someone was playing a different game than you?

📹 thepointerbrothers
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シ

Your struggle isn’t the problem. Your perspective is.

Life isn’t happening to you.. it’s happening for you.

Shift your mindset and the obstacle becomes a breakthrough.

I’ve seen it over and over again.. two founders facing the exact same challenge:
↳ No audience
↳ No traction
↳ No leads

One panics. Gets stuck in doubt. They start questioning their offer, their skills, their potential.
↳The other? They reframe. Every setback is a setup.

One views failure as proof they’re not good enough.
↳The other sees it as proof they’re growing.

One person lets rejection crush them.
↳The other sees it as redirection.

One waits for the perfect moment.
↳The other takes messy action.

Mindset's not just your perspective, it's your competitive advantage
↳The question isn’t “Why me?” but “What’s next?”

Same problem. Different mindset. Different outcome.

↓

Five Ways to Shift Your Perspective and Get Unstuck:

1. Stop overanalyzing the problem. Focus on one small action forward.

2. Detach from emotion. The issue isn’t personal, it’s a puzzle to solve.

3. Challenge your assumptions. What if the obstacle is actually an advantage?

4. Think like an outsider. If you were advising someone else, what would you tell them?

5. Reframe failure. It’s not a dead end, it’s data. Adjust and move forward.

The difference between those who succeed and those who stay stuck isn’t intelligence, talent, or luck. It’s how they interpret and respond to challenges.

Some keep staring at the problem.

Others start building the solution.

If your challenge's LinkedIn growth.
And making an ROI from it..

I know we can fix that together,

And build a killer LinkedIn marketing machine.

Head to my profile and book a call.

Let’s win together 🥇

シ

📹 sports.tjchina

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💬 Which shift (1-5) hits for you?

He Never Had the Lead. He Never Lost His Composure.

Two guys. Head to head. Pop all the balloons first.

Multiple obstacles. Different tools. Pure competition.

The guy on the right has the lead the entire time.

Faster. Ahead. Winning.

The guy on the left? Behind. The whole way.

But he never panics. Stays focused. Never loses his composure.

And at the very end, he wins.

This is what separates the leaders who last from the ones who burn out.

Not speed. Not being ahead. Not having the early lead.

Composure.

The ability to stay calm when you're behind.

The ability to execute when the pressure's on.

The ability to keep moving forward when everyone else is ahead of you.

Most founders panic when they're not winning.

They see a competitor raise more. They panic and overspend.

They see someone else launch first. They panic and rush their product.

They see slower growth than expected. They panic and pivot too early.

The panic costs them more than being behind ever did.

Here's what that guy on the left understood:
Being behind doesn't mean you're losing.

It just means you're behind. Right now.

And right now doesn't determine the outcome.

Your composure does.

Your ability to stay focused on your process while everyone else is focused on the scoreboard.

Your ability to execute your strategy even when it looks like it's not working yet.

The best leaders I know have been behind more times than they've been ahead.

They've watched competitors get more attention.

They've seen others hit milestones first.

They've had quarters where the numbers didn't look good.

But they never lost their composure.

They didn't panic. They didn't abandon their strategy. They didn't let being behind change how they showed up.

They stayed calm. They stayed focused. They kept executing.

And more often than not, they won.

Not because they were faster.

Because they were steadier.

Composure is a competitive advantage.

When everyone else is reacting, you're responding.

When everyone else is panicking, you're executing.

When everyone else is watching the scoreboard, you're focused on the next balloon.

That's how you win.

Not by being ahead the whole time.

By staying composed when you're not.

So here's the question:

Where are you behind right now?

And are you panicking, or are you staying composed?

Are you abandoning your strategy because someone else is ahead, or are you trusting your process?

Because the lead doesn't matter if you lose your composure.

And composure always has a chance to win.

When's a time you were behind but stayed composed and it paid off?

📹 howridiculous
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シ

I'm pissed no one showed me this sooner.

Last month, a client was burning 11+ hours a week on demo calls.

Same pitch. Same slides. Different prospects.

By call 12? His energy was dead. His close rate was dropping. And he was ready to hire two more sales reps just to keep up.

I told him: "We're not scaling your exhaustion. We're replacing the repetition."

Here's what we did:

Built an automation that turns presentations into AI-narrated videos.

Gamma creates the slides → Synthesia adds an AI avatar → ElevenLabs clones his voice.

Zero filming. Zero editing. Just polished video content that sounds and looks like him.

The result?

→ 11+ hours back in his week
→ Prospects watching on their own time
→ Higher engagement (they pause, rewatch, come to calls already sold)
→ Close rate went up because he's only talking to qualified leads

He's not exhausted. He's not repeating himself. And he's closing more deals.

Here's the thing..

Most software is a minivan.

Built for teams of 47 people. Loaded with features you'll never touch. Requires three tutorials just to do one thing.

Meanwhile, you're a solo founder who needs a deck out by 9 AM.

You don't need all this. You just need to move fast.

Gamma is the single-seater.

No extra seats. No wasted space. No compromise.

Just you, the machine, and the road.

Most people think it's just an AI presentation tool.

And yeah, it makes beautiful decks.

But it's actually a machine that takes your messy thoughts and turns them into polished output in whatever format you need.

Presentation. Document. Website. Carousel. Whatever.

You stop worrying about fonts and spacing. You focus on your message. It handles the rest.

Legit impressed with the product, so I read into their founder - Grant Lee - and it made perfect sense. And now I'm more impressed.

He spent years drowning in slide decks as a consultant. PowerPoint sucked and nobody was building the alternative.

In 2020, he and 2 co-founders started building from a two-bedroom apartment.

4 years later:

→ 50 million users
→ $50M ARR
→ Profitable since early 2024
→ Built with just 30 people

30 people. Props bro 👊

That's the single-seater energy.

When you're running that lean, you can't afford bloat.

You build exactly what people need because you're close enough to feel it.

↓

Btw want the exact resources we used to build this workflow?

Comment "VIDEO" and I'll send the drive link.

📹 adamsevani
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シ

We are all in a unique position to help someone.

Are you using your skills to help others?

↓

Everyone has a unique blend of skills and experience.

And if you want to really make a difference...

→ You need to stop doubting yourself.

Here's how to create unwavering confidence:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽? 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲.

Like when I was juggling a full-time job while building Brain Apes.

Doubts were there, but my focus on my unique skills and resources led to a successful launch and a mid 6-figure run rate within 2 months.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Being anywhere but right here, right now is disempowering.

The only place in time that you can think, act and feel in alignment with ultimate potential is right now.

So I love breathing techniques and smiling to get present, remember that and feel gratitude.

(Shoutout the 4-7-8)

It clears the noise, sharpens focus, and brings out the best in me.

It's not just mindfulness, it’s strategic mind renewal.

𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲.

Balance your goals, manage your expectations:

• Set macro goals for the big picture
• Break them into micro-steps
• Get directionally aligned
• Keep showing up

Small steps lead to giant leaps.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱-𝗼𝗻.

I did when I left my 9-5.

Playing small does not serve you, nor the world.

It's scary, but your potential is on the other side of fear.

Remember, great risks often lead to even greater rewards.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆.

Each challenge is a chance to practice presence.

Embrace your struggles as opportunities to grow stronger.

My journey is a testament to this transformative mindset.

Everything you want is on the other side of failure.

Fail fast, learn faster.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁.

They have the power to change lives.

My mission? To help you leverage them.

I've done it, and so can you.

Stop doubting, start doing.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁.

Through action, presence, and strategic goal setting.

Let's build that confidence together.

シ

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💬What’s your top skill?

The Wheel Moves. He Stays Centered.

A guy built a custom one-wheel vehicle.

Monster truck-sized tire. Cockpit in the middle.

The wheel rolls and spins in every direction.

But the cockpit? On a rotational axis.

As long as he stays engaged, he stays oriented. Stable. Facing forward.

The moment he disengages the clutch, he spins with it.

This is what leadership looks like.

The market moves. Your competitors move. Your team moves.

Everything around you is constantly spinning.

Your job isn't to control the wheel.

Your job is to stay centered while it moves.

And that requires staying engaged.

Most leaders try to stop the wheel from spinning.

→ They react to every market shift.
→ They panic at every competitor move.
→ They let every setback throw them off balance.

And they wonder why they're always dizzy.

And that emotion is a waste of energy..

The wheel is going to move. That's what wheels do.

Fighting it doesn't help. Resisting it doesn't stop it.

The only thing you can control is your center.

But you have to stay engaged to stay centered.

The moment you disengage, you spin with everything else.

How you stay engaged and centered:

Presence.

Being here. Right now.

Not in the story about what's spinning around you.

Not in the drama of what might happen or what just happened.

Just here. Centered. Present. Engaged.

I practice this with something simple: smiling.

Not because everything's perfect.

Because I choose to rest in the smile.

As often as I can remember, I smile.

A real one. A grounded one.

The kind that says: whatever is, is.

Without the undesired, distracting emotional drama.

That smile is my engagement. My anchor. My center.

The wheel is always moving.

There will always be something to react to.

But you don't have to go with it.

You can let the wheel spin and stay exactly where you are.

Centered. Present. Smiling. Engaged.

Not because you're ignoring reality.

Because you're not adding unnecessary drama to it.

The best leaders stay centered.

The market crashes. They stay centered.

The competitor launches. They stay centered.

The deal falls through. They stay centered.

Not because nothing bothers them.

Because they've practiced staying present enough that they don't get pulled into the spin.

They stay engaged. They don't disengage and spin with the chaos.

This is a practice.

You notice when you're getting pulled into the spin.

You come back to your breath. You come back to the present moment.

You smile. You rest in that smile. You stay engaged with your center.

The wheel moves. You stay centered. But only if you stay engaged.

What's one practice that helps you stay centered when everything's spinning?

📹 millybampainti
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シ

TRUST YOUR TEAM

I've burned teams to the ground, accidentally setting them up for failure.

Hiring the right people is key, but once they’re in?

It’s even more crucial to empower and trust them.

But micromanagement?

That’s a recipe for stagnation.

Trust and autonomy, on the other hand, fuel creativity and performance.

When your team feels valued and in control of their roles, they grow.. and so does the business.

That builds a culture that thrives on engagement, innovation, and retention.

Here’s how to build an empowered, self-driven culture:

1. Hire with Intention
Seek not just skills but alignment with your values and mission.

2. Trust Your People
Give them ownership over their work, and avoid over-managing.

3. Encourage Autonomy
Empower decision-making and provide the tools they need to succeed.

4. Invest in Leadership
Develop leaders who know how to nurture and elevate their teams.

5. Foster Open Communication
Create a space where ideas and feedback flow freely.

6. Celebrate Wins
Recognize achievements, big or small, to motivate and retain top talent.

7. Promote Balance
Help your team balance work with life, it pays back in loyalty and performance.

8. Equip Teams with Resources for Growth
Provide access to training, mentorship, and development programs to support continuous learning.

9. Encourage Creative Problem-Solving
Let employees tackle challenges their way, giving them room to bring fresh ideas and solutions to the table.

10. Check In Regularly
Make time for honest, two-way feedback, showing your team you’re invested in their growth and open to improving your own leadership.

Building trust isn’t about blind, hands-off management.

It’s about being intentional in how you empower and support each team member.

Please slow down and be there with your team.

Don't have a media team yet?
Wanna work with me and mine?

Let's build the brand your reputation deserves.

📅 Grab a free strategy call with me
Click: Book an appointment (atop this post)

シ

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💬 Which (1-10) is the most important to you?

Share it below!

You're not losing, you're learning.

(If you're an ROI thinker.)

Here are 10 key shifts to adopt this mindset:

↓

1. Embrace failure as a powerful tool.
Failure isn't a setback; it's a step forward.

• Iterate and refine your approach
• Extract all value from every situation
• Develop clarity through systematic question flows

↳ Failure is the ultimate teacher.

2. Bet on yourself.
As an ROI thinker, I bet on my abilities.

• My first high-ticket coaching sale was $9k
• Reinvested in my business with a key hire
• Freed up my time to focus on strengths

↳ This bet transformed my business.

3. Reinvest strategically.
ROI thinkers know where to put their money.

• Invest in resources that unlock more time
• Look for investments with compounding returns
• Focus on building exceptional products and services

↳ Strategic reinvestment fuels growth.

4. Hypothesize and test.
Approach challenges with a scientific mindset.

• Test, learn, and iterate
• Develop hypotheses based on data
• Build action plans around these hypotheses

↳ This methodical approach ensures progress.

5. See the silver lining.
Every setback is a hidden opportunity.

• Reframe failures to find their value
• Use setbacks as learning experiences
• Maintain a positive, growth-oriented mindset

↳ Optimism fuels innovation.

6. Place calculated bets.
ROI thinkers take calculated risks.

• Make informed decisions based on data
• Assess the potential upside of every investment
• Embrace the possibility of failure as part of the journey

↳ Calculated risks lead to high rewards.

7. Think beyond the dollar ROI.
ROI isn't just about money.

• Focus on long-term benefits
• Evaluate the holistic return on any investment
• Consider the impact on time, skills, and resources

↳ Broaden your perspective on returns.

8. Lean into your skills.
Trust in your abilities to generate income.

• Use your skills to create opportunities
• Continuously develop and refine your talents
• Leverage your strengths to maximize returns

↳ Skills are the foundation of ROI thinking.

9. Build exceptional products.
Quality attracts investment.

• Focus on creating high-value offerings
• Deliver exceptional results consistently
• Ensure your products solve real problems

↳ High-quality products drive ROI.

10. Systematize clarity.
Clear processes lead to better outcomes.

• Use structured question flows for clarity
• Streamline your decision-making process
• Develop systematic approaches to problem-solving

↳ Systems enhance efficiency and results.

↓

You're not losing, you're learning:

➠ Adopt the ROI mindset
➠ Make smart bets on your resourcefulness
➠ Transform setbacks into setups for success

↓

Business is fun when you play it like a game.

But losing sucks.

If you’re sick of losing.

I’ve got the done-for-you solution to grow your brand and grow your business.

But spots are limited.

Book a strategy call and let’s jam.

シ

♻️ Be kind. Smash that repost button.
💬 Which key shift (1-10) hits for you?

They Both Asked If the Other Was Okay First

A guy flying down the sidewalk in a drift cart.

A car pulls out of a garage. No warning.

Smash. Direct hit.

He gets up quick. She gets out of the car.

And they both immediately ask if the other is okay.

No blame. No anger. No "what were you thinking?"

Just genuine concern for each other.

They both asked if the other was okay first.

This is what great culture looks like.

Not in the polished moments. Not in the all-hands meetings.

In the crashes.

When something goes wrong. When there's impact. When blame would be easy.

That's when you see what's real.

Most teams don't operate like this.

Something breaks. Someone made a mistake. There's a collision.

And the first instinct is: whose fault is this?

Who do we blame? Who dropped the ball? Who's responsible?

And that instinct kills trust faster than the mistake ever could.

Here's what those two people understood:

The crash already happened.

Blame doesn't undo it. Anger doesn't fix it.

The only thing that matters in that moment is: are you okay?

The best teams I know operate this way.

A launch fails. A client churns. A hire doesn't work out. A strategy falls apart.

And the first question isn't "who screwed up?"

It's "are you okay?"

Not because accountability doesn't matter.

Because people matter more.

And when people know you care about them first, they'll own the mistake second.

But when blame comes first?

People hide mistakes. They cover their tracks. They point fingers before anyone can point at them.

And your culture becomes about not getting caught instead of actually solving problems.

Here's the difference:

Blame-first cultures ask: Whose fault is this?

Care-first cultures ask: Are you okay? What do you need? How do we fix this together?

One creates fear. One creates trust.

And trust is what lets you move fast.

Because when people know that mistakes won't be met with blame, they take smart risks.

They try new things. They move quickly. They innovate.

They know that if they crash, the first question will be "are you okay?" not "why did you do that?"

That's psychological safety. That's how you build something real.

So here's the question:

When something goes wrong on your team, what's the first question you ask?

Is it "whose fault is this?" or "are you okay?"

Because how you respond in the crash reveals everything about your culture.

The collision's going to happen.

Things will go wrong. Mistakes will be made. There will be impact.

The question is: do your people feel safe enough to get up, dust themselves off, and keep going?

Or are they bracing for blame?

Build the kind of culture where the first question is always: are you okay?

The accountability can come later.

The care has to come first.

What's one time someone checked on you first instead of blaming you, and how did that change things?

📹 barragegarage
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シ

He Was So Focused on Perfect, He Lost Everything Else

A guy laying tile. Big piece. Precision matters.

He lines up the edge. Keeps it tight. Lays it down slowly.

So focused on getting it perfect.

Loses his balance. Front flips over the tile. Lands on his head.

He was so focused on perfect, he lost everything else.

This is every founder who's ever perfected themselves into failure.

Obsessing over the product while the market moves on.

Perfecting features while customers churn.

Optimizing the pitch deck while running out of runway.

Getting the tile perfect while falling on your head.

I see this constantly:

The founder who won't launch until it's "ready."

Six months of polish. Every edge perfect. Every detail dialed in.

Meanwhile, their competitor shipped three months ago with a worse product and already has traction.

Perfect tile. Landed on their head.

Or the leader who:

Perfects the org chart while culture collapses.

Optimizes processes while top performers quit.

Refines the strategy while execution stalls.

So focused on the details, they didn't notice they were falling.

Reality about perfectionism:

It's not about standards. It's about fear.

Fear of shipping before it's ready.
Fear of being judged for something imperfect.
Fear of the market rejecting what you built.

So you keep perfecting. Keep optimizing. Keep adjusting the edge.

And you don't notice you're losing your balance until you're already upside down.

The best founders I know ship imperfect things.

Not because they don't care about quality.

Because they know that balance matters more than perfection.

They know that a good product in the market beats a perfect product in development.

They know that momentum matters more than polish.

They keep their balance while they lay the tile.

Because here's what that guy learned:

The tile doesn't matter if you're on your head.
The edge doesn't matter if you can't stand up.
The precision doesn't matter if you lose everything else trying to achieve it.

Fundamentals first. Always.

So here's the question:

What are you perfecting right now while losing your balance?

What detail are you obsessing over while the fundamentals slip?

What tile are you laying so carefully that you don't notice you're about to fall?

Because perfect doesn't matter if you're on your head.

Ship it. Adjust it. Improve it.

But don't fall over trying to make it perfect.

The market doesn't reward perfect. It rewards present.

And you can't be present if you're face-down on the floor hahah

What's one thing you perfected that didn't matter because you lost sight of what did?

📹 lejulio228
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シ

He Knew the Path Before He Got Fancy

A guy on a dirt bike rolls in fast. On a wheelie.

Pulls a U-ey. Still in the wheelie.

Goes off-road into a drainage ditch beside a steep staircase.

Stuntin on the seat. Still in the wheelie. Going uphill. On a narrow track.

Climbs to the top. Non-stop wheelie.

See, he knew the path before he got fancy.

This is the difference between reckless and impressive.

Most people try to get fancy before they know the path.

They add complexity before they've mastered the basics.

They innovate before they've nailed the fundamentals.

And they crash.

That guy on the bike? He didn't just wing it.

He knew the drainage ditch. He knew the climb. He knew the narrow track.

He'd done the path enough times to know exactly where he was going.

And only then did he add the fancy stuff.

The standing on the seat. The sustained wheelie. The style.

Because he could. Because the path was already mastered.

Most founders do this backward.

They try to differentiate before they understand the market.

They try to innovate before they've nailed the core product.

They try to scale before they've proven the fundamentals.

And they wonder why it falls apart.

Progression is the key:

You can't get fancy until you know the path.

You can't add style until you've mastered the substance.

You can't stand on the seat until you've proven you can hold the wheelie.

Fundamentals first. Always.

The best companies I know followed this sequence:

They mastered the basics. They understood their market. They nailed their core offering.

They did the boring work of getting really, really good at the fundamentals.

And then, once the path was clear, they got fancy.

They innovated. They differentiated. They added the style that made them stand out.

But the style was built on a foundation of mastery.

Not the other way around.

Because here's what happens when you get fancy too early:

You lose the wheelie.

You crash in the ditch.

You don't make it up the hill.

The fancy stuff only works when the fundamentals are locked in.

So here's the question:

Are you trying to get fancy before you know the path?

Are you adding complexity before you've mastered the basics?

Are you standing on the seat before you've proven you can hold the wheelie?

Because the path comes first.

Master it. Know it. Own it.

Then get fancy.

What's one fundamental you mastered before you added the fancy stuff?

📹 juan_felizzola_wb
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シ

He Thought It Was Flat. It Wasn't.

A guy walking. Hands in his pockets. Confident.

Sees what looks like chalk street art. A brick staircase drawn on the walkway.

Steps right onto it.

His foot plummets. Drops straight down. Gravity pulls him to the bottom.

Gets up immediately. "I'm fine. Just embarrassed. I thought it was chalk."

He thought it was flat. It wasn't.

This is every founder who's ever skipped validation.

The market looks flat. The opportunity looks obvious. The path looks clear.

So you step.

And your foot hits air.

I see this constantly:

The founder who assumes product-market fit without talking to customers.

The exec who hires based on the resume without checking references.

The leader who enters a market because it looks good from a distance.

They thought it was flat. It wasn't.

Here's the thing about assumptions:

They look real until you test them.

That chalk art looked convincing. From where he was standing, it made sense.

But he didn't check. He just stepped.

And the moment his weight committed, reality corrected him.

The cost of not validating:

You don't just lose time. You lose momentum.
You don't just waste money. You lose credibility.
You don't just make a mistake. You fall in front of everyone watching.

And then you have to get up and explain why you didn't check first.

The best founders I know validate everything.

They don't assume the market wants it. They ask.
They don't assume the hire is great. They check.
They don't assume the partnership will work. They test small first.

They tap the ground before they step.

Not because they're scared. Because they're smart.

Because they know that what looks flat from a distance might have real depth.

Validation isn't about being cautious. It's about being accurate.

Talk to 10 customers before you build the product.

Do a trial project before you commit to the partnership.

Check references before you make the offer.

Test the market before you go all in.

Tap the ground. Make sure it's actually flat.

I’ve learned:

1. Confidence doesn't protect you from gravity.

2. Assumptions don't change reality.

3. And the market doesn't care that you thought it was chalk.

If it's a hole, you're going in.

So here's the question:

What are you about to step into that you haven't validated?

What looks flat from where you're standing that might not be?

What assumption are you making that could cost you the fall?

Tap the ground first.

Ask the questions. Test the assumptions. Validate before you commit.

Because getting up and saying "I thought it was flat" doesn't undo the fall.

What's one assumption you made that turned out to be a real hole?

📹 coldwar. iio
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シ

Same Swing. 6x the Leverage.

A guy on the tee box. About to drive the golf ball.

But his club is 6x longer than normal.

He swings. Easy. Great form. Minimal effort.

Smashes the ball.

Same swing. 6x the leverage.

This is what most execs don't understand about scale.

They think scaling means working 6x harder.

Hiring 6x more people. Spending 6x more hours. Grinding 6x longer.

But that's not scale. That's just more.

Real scale is leverage.

It's finding the tool, the system, the position that multiplies your output without multiplying your input.

Same swing. Different club.
Same effort. Different result.

Most people are swinging a normal club as hard as they can.

Maxing out their effort. Pushing to the limit. Burning out trying to hit it further.

And they wonder why they're exhausted and the ball's not going much further.

Because they're optimizing effort instead of optimizing leverage.

The best founders I know aren't working harder than everyone else.

They're working with better leverage.

They found the 6x club.

That looks different for everyone:

For some, it's automation that does in minutes what used to take hours.

For some, it's a business model where one sale creates recurring revenue instead of one-time payment.

For some, it's content that reaches millions instead of dozens.

For some, it's a team structure where decisions happen without them.

For some, it's positioning in a market where customers come to you instead of you chasing them.

But whatever it is, it's leverage.

Same swing. Multiplied result.

Here's the difference:

Working harder = swinging the normal club harder (diminishing returns, burnout)

Working smarter = finding the longer club (multiplied returns, sustainability)

Most people are stuck in the first one because they don't even know the second one exists.

So here's the question:

What's your 6x club?

What tool, system, or position could multiply your output without multiplying your effort?

Where are you grinding with a normal club when a longer one exists?

Because the effort isn't the problem.

The leverage is.

You don't need to swing harder.

You need to find the club that turns the same swing into 6x the result.

That's how you scale without burning out.
That's how you grow without grinding.
That's leverage.

What's one area where you found leverage that multiplied your results?

📹 steve.waltman
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シ

The Eyes You See Aren't the Eyes That See

An artist covers her eyes with her hands.

Takes a brush in her mouth.

Draws a face on her hands. Eyes included.

Perfect precision. Incredible detail.

Without seeing.

The eyes you see aren't the eyes that see.

This is what most people don't understand about awareness.

You think you see with your eyes.
You think you perceive with your senses.
You think the face you show the world is the one that's looking.

But it's not.

The eyes you see are the constructed ones.

The persona. The image. The version of yourself you've built for others to perceive.

The polished LinkedIn profile. The confident exterior. The "I've got it all figured out" face.

That's not what's actually seeing.
That's what you want others to see.

What's actually seeing is behind all of that.

The awareness. The consciousness. The part of you that observes your own thoughts.

The part that notices when you're stressed, when you're performing, when you're not being real.

That's what sees.

Not your eyes. Not your thoughts. Not the constructed face.

Your awareness.

Most leaders are so identified with the face they've painted that they forget what's actually looking.

They think they ARE their thoughts.
They think they ARE their persona.
They think they ARE the image they've constructed.

And they lose access to what actually sees clearly.

Because here's the truth:

Your thoughts don't see. They interpret.
Your persona doesn't see. It performs.
Your constructed reality doesn't see. It protects.

What sees is the awareness behind all of that.

The part of you that can observe your thoughts without being them.

The part that can notice your patterns without being controlled by them.

The part that can see clearly because it's not attached to the story.

This is why presence matters.

When you're present, you're not identified with the painted face.

You're not lost in the thoughts, the persona, the constructed reality.

You're the awareness that sees all of it.

And from that place, you see clearly.

You see what's real vs. what's constructed.
You see what matters vs. what's noise.
You see the path forward because you're not blinded by the story you've been telling yourself.

The best leaders I know have this quality.

And that awareness gives them clarity no one else has.

So here's the question:

What face have you painted that you think is the one that sees?

What persona are you so identified with that you've forgotten the awareness behind it?

What constructed reality are you living in that's blocking your actual potential?

Because the eyes you see aren't the eyes that see.

The awareness behind all of it? That's what actually sees.

And the more you connect with that, the clearer everything becomes.

What's one way you practice separating from your thoughts and connecting with awareness?

📹 millybampainti
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シ

He Was Stuck Before He Knew What Was Happening

A guy resting in his chair.

Two guys walk up. Slide a long pole under the armrests. Above his lap.

Wedges him in. He's stuck.

They lift the pole. He goes up with the chair. Flipping upside down. Spinning. No control.

They carry him around. He can't do anything about it.

Finally released. They run away.

He gets up looking for retaliation.

He was stuck before he knew what was happening.

This is what bad leadership feels like.

You're sitting there. Doing your job. Trusting the environment.

And before you realize it, you're trapped.

It happens in a meeting.

You're asked to "help out" on a project.

Then you're "the best person for this."

Then it's "already committed to the client with your name on it."

And suddenly you're stuck.

Wedged into work you didn't agree to. Spinning with responsibilities you never signed up for.

At the mercy of leaders who trapped you before you could say no.

It happens with toxic cultures.

You join excited. The job looks great. The team seems solid.

Then you notice the blame. The gaslighting. The lack of psychological safety.

But by then you're in. You've relocated. You've committed. You've told everyone about the new role.

And you're stuck.

Wedged into a situation you didn't see coming.

It happens with bad partnerships.

The deal looks good on paper. You shake hands. You sign.

Then the terms change. The expectations shift. The reality doesn't match what was sold.

And you're stuck.

Because unwinding it is harder than enduring it.

Here's what that video shows:

The trap happens fast.

One moment you're fine. The next moment you're wedged in.

And by the time you realize what's happening, you've already lost control.

The best way to avoid getting stuck?

See the pole before it slides under the armrests.

That means:

Asking the hard questions before you commit.

Watching how leaders treat people when things go wrong.

Recognizing when a culture lacks psychological safety before you're deep in it.

Seeing the trap before you're wedged in.

Because once you're stuck, your options are limited.

You can endure it and lose yourself.
You can fight it and burn bridges.
You can leave and start over.

None of those are great.

The best option is not getting stuck in the first place.

So here's the question:

Where are you stuck right now that you didn't see coming?

And more importantly: what are you going to do about it?

Because being stuck isn't permanent.

But the longer you stay wedged in, the harder it is to get out.

And if you're a leader:

Are you the one sliding the pole?

Are you creating a culture where people feel stuck, spinning, at your mercy?

Because they'll get out eventually.

And when they do, they won't be looking to come back.

What's one time you realized you were stuck before you knew what was happening? How did you get out?

📹 rizwan_ali_14
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シ

Your title doesn’t define your power.

Your skills do. And when leveraged correctly, they can become your personal goldmine.

I’ve seen it happen time and again: talented people thrive when they step into the right roles or build something uniquely theirs.

The secret? Recognizing that your value is independent of the box others put you in.

Here’s how you can harness your skills to thrive, whether you’re climbing the ladder or building your own:

1. Redefine Your Value

🔹 Your skills are your toolkit. The problem isn’t your talent, it’s the context in which it’s used.

🔹 Align what you love doing with where you can make the biggest impact.

🔹 If the world undervalues you, it’s not a reflection of your worth.. it’s a sign to reposition.

2. Find the Right Fit (or Create It).

🔹 The right environment elevates your performance and energy.

🔹 Can’t find it? Build it.

🔹 When I created Brain Apes, I leaned into my expertise and replaced my 9-5 income within months. Why? Because I built a system where I could thrive.

3. Say Yes to Asymmetry.

🔹 Growth isn’t always balanced, it’s strategic.

🔹 For months, I worked 14+ hour days, stacking my future while holding a full-time job.

🔹 That imbalance led to a thriving business, industry recognition, and new partnerships.

4. Develop a Personal Brand.

🔹 Think no one’s watching? They are. And opportunities go to the visible.

🔹 Showcasing your skills online transforms chance encounters into strategic growth.

🔹 A strong personal brand makes you magnetic to the right roles, clients, top talent and partnerships.

5. Invest in Yourself Relentlessly

🔹 Knowledge is leverage. The more you master, the more valuable you become.

🔹 Courses, mentorship, skill-building it all compounds into new opportunities.

6. Own Your Unique Offer

🔹 The most successful leaders and consultants? They know how to articulate their value.

🔹 Your mix of skills, experience, and perspective is unmatched.

🔹 The better you communicate it, the more unstoppable you become.

7. Action > Overthinking

🔹 Fear and stress aren’t stop signs, they’re pointers.

🔹 They point you back to the present moment, where you’re taking intentional action despite uncertainty.

🔹 Clarity comes from action. Start now.

Here’s the truth: the world needs people like you to step up.

Whether you’re leading from within a company or building something of your own, your skills aren’t just valuable - they’re transformative.

And if you’re serious about making your skills work for you, not against you.. we need to talk.

I help founders and executives build powerful personal brands on LinkedIn. If you’re ready to turn your expertise into influence, impact, and income for your business:

1. Go to my profile
2. Book an appointment

No fluff. No gatekeeping.

Just clarity and a roadmap for your next level.

シ

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Which of these (1-7) hit home for you?

From a Distance, No One Can Tell the Difference

A guy drives around a golf course in a cart.

Eating marshmallows.

Throwing them on the greens as he goes.

From a distance? They look exactly like golf balls.

Golfers walk up. Confused. Looking for their ball.

Over and over.. marshmallow hahaha

From a distance, no one can tell the difference.

This is how perception works in business.

From the outside, people can't tell what's real and what's not.

They see what the context tells them to see.

A marshmallow on a golf course? Must be a golf ball.

A polished pitch deck? Must be a real business.

A confident founder? Must have it all figured out.

But up close, it's often something completely different.

Here's what most people don't understand:

Perception isn't about reality. It's about context.

Put a marshmallow on a golf course, and it's a golf ball.

Put a startup in a co-working space with a logo and a website, and it's a company.

Put a leader on a stage with a microphone, and they're an expert.

The context creates the perception.

And from a distance, no one questions it.

This works both ways.

Sometimes you're the marshmallow pretending to be a golf ball.

Your product isn't fully built, but your marketing looks polished.

Your team is three people, but your website says "we."

Your revenue is inconsistent, but your LinkedIn presence says you're scaling.

And from a distance? It works.

Because people see what the context tells them to see.

But here's the other side:

Sometimes you're the real golf ball that people think is a marshmallow.

You've built something solid, but it doesn't look polished yet.

You've got traction, but you're not loud about it.

You've got the fundamentals, but you haven't mastered the optics.

And from a distance, people dismiss you.

Because the context didn't tell them to take you seriously.

The best leaders understand both.

They know perception matters. They know context shapes reality.

They know that from a distance, people make assumptions based on what things look like, not what they are.

So they're intentional about the context they create.

Not to deceive. Not to fake it.

But to make sure that what they've built is seen the way it deserves to be seen.

Because I’ve learned:

You can have the best product in the world.

But if the context around it says "marshmallow," that's what people will see.

You can be the most capable leader in the room.

But if the context around you says "unproven," that's how you'll be treated.

From a distance, no one can tell the difference.

So the question is: what context are you creating?

And either way, are you being intentional about how people see you from a distance?

Because perception isn't everything. But it's the first thing.

What's one area where perception doesn't match your reality right now?

📹 toodirtydom
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シ

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