Hey Reader,
You're reading Behind the Curtain: what 7- and 8-figure owners are learning inside eComFuel, and my thoughts on building a rich life alongside your business.
Advice from the Old Man in the Room
This summer, I got to speak to 100 young founders at an Art of Mondays event. It was an incredible week of talks, meals, and sports in the French countryside.
Except I had to re-write my talk.
Usually I'm the one trying to convince founders to slow down and build a life outside of business.
But this group had that dialed.
Despite having legit businesses, this 20-something group traveled a ton and prioritized lifestyle.
So the talk mission changed to: how do you keep living richly + running a business long term?
Here's what the old founder there (yours truly) told them:
Level Up Your Money Game
If you don't understand your finances deeply, you're going to struggle to make great long-term decisions.
Get competent with your books and financial statements. Boring. Super important.
Raise Your Prices
It's likely what you're most scared of doing. And what can help you the most. Nothing has more leverage in your business.
Build a Strike Team, Not an Army
Employee head count doesn't equal impact. And AI is making scaling with small teams easier than ever.
Hiring is Hard. Do it Anyway.
A few key fleshbots (ie, humans) are still clutch for growing and stepping away stress-free. Finding the right ones is hard. It's worth figuring out how.
Invest Outside Your Business
Reinvest everything for 2-3 years then start pulling some money out. Keeps you operating smartly + gets you diversified.
Play Your Own Game
It's easy to think people in X industry or with Y sized teams are killing it.
The full stories sometimes take 10+ years to play out. Trust your gut and play to your strengths.
Coast Intentionally
To quote my friend Bill D'Alessandro, you can only coast downhill. Coasting is when many of my best adventures have happened.
But make sure you know when you're going to get back to building.
Stop Moving Your Financial Goalposts
This is so difficult. Even being aware of the trap it's hard to avoid. My advice: give yourself one doubling of your "enough" number. After that, shift from working for freedom to building for love.
If your'e a late 20s/early 30s entrepreneur, I'd strongly suggest checking out Art of Mondays.
Incredible people and killer events.
๐ฌ Inside eComFuel This Week
Hot discussions from inside our private community for store owners:
- I Froze My Amazon Ad Spend. And Sales Went... Up?!
- When Your Financial Reality Outgrows Your Reference Group.
- We're Breaking Ground on Another 10,000sf Warehouse.
Run a 7- or 8-figure store? Learn about membership.
๐ฅ Forge What Matters - Missing my Friends
I missed my friends in early September.
No hangouts, bike rides, or shared meals. Just the normal routine of life, kids' school, working on the business, repeat.
I love my family. They're my number one priority, hands down. But life is noticeably less rich when I'm not hanging out with friends.
It was especially tough because the few things I did try to organize flamed out.
Everyone was busy, and I didn't give people enough lead time. Nothing personal, but it still doesn't feel great.
I put the ego aside and kept trying, and this week is looking up. Boys sauna night. A shared meal tomorrow. Five good buddies coming over for breakfast.
It's easy to let the friendship bucket go dry. Don't. Fight to keep it full. It's important.
Picture is from a bike ride with a life-long friend. Killer ride Jesse, thank you!
โ Where I Ramble Between Newsletters
๐๏ธ Catch My Weekly Podcast: Longer form takes on building an incredible eCom business and amazing life.
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