June 17th, 2022, was the last day I darkened the proverbial door of my business, which I spent years, blood, sweat, and tears building.

I remember it was 10 am on a Friday, and I was sitting on a Zoom about the transition with the leadership team to the new CEO.

I was at the end of myself. I’d never experienced burnout to this level.

At the time, I didn’t know that I wouldn’t be back and that we’d end up closing those businesses and getting sued by the FTC.

What did I know? I couldn’t continue doing what I was doing…

The inexaustible pace.
The constant need for “more.”
Keeping my identity dependent on success.

Things didn’t turn out how I thought they would. I thought I COULD keep going at a crazy pace with no negative consequences. Boy, was I wrong.

Growth is good. Don’t get me wrong, I love growth. Growth should be a product of a disciplined approach.

In our entrepreneurial landscape, we strive for growth and scale. If you’re not growing like crazy, something must be wrong with YOU!

Boo on that.

Nobody talks about the negative consequences of growth. Or rather the means to growth.

Growth at any cost is not good growth.

When my identity was tied to success, money, and newer highs, I quickly lost sight of myself and what was important. Now that I think about it, I don’t know who I was. Maybe that’ll be another email. That’s a deep topic 😁 

Here are a few consequences of unhealthy growth:

Burnout. 😫 

Imagine hopping to the gym, jumping on the treadmill, and never stopping. Not only do you not stop, it speeds up.

What will happen?

You’ll collapse. This is what I and many people do in their business.

Going fast could have utility. Fast should be seasonal, not normal. Of course, for some businesses and industries, this could be different.

Here’s the thing: when your identity is tied to the business's ups and downs, it’s very difficult to go backward.

If burnout is required to grow or sustain your current speed, that won’t work. You’re not at the right level and prioritizing the business over your health.

Instead, what needs to happen is to look at what level you can operate at without burning out and then put in the right processes and people to help you grow.

So let’s say you’re at $100,000 a month, but you’re overwhelmed, stressed out of your mind, and feel fragile.

Boo, we might need to turn down to $70,000 a month and figure out what needs to be changed, adjusted, or added to the business so that $100 a month FEELS good.

There is ZERO shame in adjusting your business's volume down while you put the right structure in place.

After two major burnouts, heed my wisdom. 😅 

Misaligned compromises. 😭 

When your business accelerates, you’ll find yourself with many responsibilities. For me, it was a team of 150 people with a lease payment of 20,000 square feet—thousands in SAAS contracts.

I created the speed in the business like a freight train rushing down the track. It was hard to stop that. It was hard to say no to things I should have said no to.

Looking back, I should have said no to more than I said yes to, but how?

Don’t force growth from a lack of identity. It will put you in a spot where you’ll compromise.

It could be:

your ethics
your time
your boundaries
your values
your vision
your mission

If you must compromise any or all of these to grow your business, stop and reassess what you’re doing and why.

Major losses.

Dude. I lost a lot as a consequence of fast growth.

I lost:

partnerships
momentum
businesses
employees
real estate
cash

Also, my pride. But that was good. lol

When growing a business, don’t only consider the upside (you know, yachts, mansions, private jets, etc.). Consider the downside as well.

It’s not about what ya make. It’s about what ya keep.

Reactive Chaos.

The consequences of forced growth create a state of reactive business. That’s a dangerous business. It isn’t suitable for anyone involved.

Proactive businesses don’t prioritize growth. They prioritize disciplined processes. Then, growth happens.

Growth = validation. At least, that’s how we perceive it. That’s why we glorify it—so we can point to it and say, “Look at me. Aren’t I so amazing?!”

Discipline? eew.
Processes? 🤮 
Slow growth? How dare you!

Being proactive vs. reactive is where absolute goodness comes from, which comes from a disciplined approach.

Do this: value steady growth based on sound fundamentals, and your chances of not losing are exponentially higher.

My goal is to entice you not to force growth, scale, and more because you feel like you have to.

Rather, I want you to take a disciplined approach to grow with wind in your sails. ⛵️ 

Forced growth is like trying to paddle a rowboat across the Atlantic. 🚣 

Do you want to be a sailboat or a rowboat?

That’s it for this week!

In your corner,

Chris

#1. If you’re ready to scale your business, apply here, and let’s chat (this goes directly to me).

#2 Do you follow me on Instagram? We’re posting good content there every day.