In 2021 I....

It started in 2021…

I was on top of the world.

I was in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

As we were descending, all I saw was wilderness.

Untouched glory.

Me and my best friend (Drew) landed on a Sunday in Kenai, Alaska, to a cold chill as the fog was settling into the night.

Prime weather for the fishing trip of a lifetime.

I’d worked so hard to be able to take a trip like this.

The following five days preceded the unbelievable experiences I’ll never forget…

• Heli-fishing to remote locations, catching trophy rainbow trout.

• Hooked into a silver salmon with a mama bear and her cub fishing on the other side of the river.

• Getting charged by a bear (different bear 😀).

• 5-star food at dinner.

• Bald eagles flying overhead, cigar in mouth fighting 35-inch steelhead.

• Campfire and hot coco riverside.

• Better than it all… I caught more fish than Drew (we’re competitive) 😆 

Glorious. Absolutely glorious.

Then…

Within two weeks, I was at the lowest point.

I was sitting in the chair of torture-the dentist's chair, waiting for the hygenist to come in to do her worst.

My phone starts to ping with text messages….

“Dude, did you see you’re on the list?”

Another text with a screenshot of the “list.”

“Chris, did you see this…???”

My business got on the radar of none other than the United States Government— the FTC.

I felt sick.

As soon as I was done being tortured, I called my COO.

“Hey, did we get a letter from the FTC?”

“Yeah, man.”

Knots in my stomach.

The FTC sent out a “warning letter” to a thousand companies, and one of my companies was on that list, saying essentially, “Hey, you might be out of compliance.”

Long story short…

- We turned off ads.
- Hired the best FTC attorney representation.
- I went to a really bad place.
- I was tired and worn out, and then this mountain of a problem.

There was so much going on underneath the surface of my soul that I subconsciously knew I couldn’t carry this burden, nor did I want to.

Yet, we had a huge team and tremendous responsibility.

There are SO MANY THINGS I would do differently if I could go back.

There’s more to this story I’m not ready to share just yet.

I needed more wisdom. This is part of my purpose now: to share wisdom from my experiences.

What follows is that…

This past weekend, I spoke at an event on “Building a Healthy, Sustainable and Enjoyable Business.”

Here are 3 of the 10 lessons I shared…

Lesson #1: Health and Success Starts Internally

A healthy business is rooted in a healthy human.

• Healthy is building from the inside out, not outside in.

• MANY gurus are miserable (stressed, anxious, depressed…), so don’t wish you had their life.

• Know that you ARE worthy, loved, and valuable.

• Do the internal work to heal past trauma and challenges.

• How you define success is critical: building what you love IS the win.

 If you want longevity, do what you love and play your game.

Lesson #2: Stop Seeking External Validation

Sustainability and enjoyment don’t prioritize external voices.

• When we don’t love ourselves, we seek external validation, what we often call “success.”

• Building from the need for external validation lacks internal intent and purpose and is something that doesn’t work long-term.

• Building for external validation is neither sustainable nor enjoyable.

Lesson #3: Focus on Systems Not Goals

• Sustainability comes from consistent long-term execution that doesn’t need motivation.

• Goals are great, but systems are better.

• Systems remove disparity from A to B.

• Create your North Star - “What do I see?” and “Where am I going?”

• Build systems to get there.

• Detached from where you aren’t yet

If I would have known these lessons in my heart, I believe I could have made better decisions.

My goal is for you to learn from my mistakes and take better steps.

Chris

P.S. I have a few openings for coaching sessions this month. Want help growing your business and figuring out your “compass?”. Book a private, 60-minute session with me to get your custom growth plan and next steps - 1:1 with me. 🔥