For years I had this idea in my head that success would feel like something. A finish line. A breath out. A moment of “okay, I made it.”
Most founders carry around a version of this. We imagine the win is going to land like a wave.
I’m writing this to you from my studio in Perth because the two guests who kicked off Season 3 showed me the wave never comes.
The two episodes below are your starting point. Both will make you stop, sit down, and reconsider something you thought you had a handle on.
I sat across from Paul. He has built and sold businesses. Finished an Ironman two hours ahead of his target. Coaches founders all over Perth.
I asked him if he had ever let himself celebrate a victory.
He told me no. Too dangerous.
A week later I sat across from Hamish. He has built tech companies on two continents. Seven businesses to his name. Shareholder, founder, advisor.
I asked him if he was truly happy.
He told me success is a moving target. That every time he hits a goal, he forgets about it in a second.
Here’s what I’m sitting with.
The wave never comes.
Both of these men have achieved great things. Neither of them has stopped to feel it. I see it in me too.
So the homework I’m giving myself, and you, is small.
Write down the last three wins you genuinely had. Then ask yourself which one you actually let yourself feel.
If the list is short, that is the work.
One will make you question how you run your business. The other will make you question why. Paul first.
EPISODE 133: Paul Claessen
With Paul Claessen, Founder of Paul Claessen Consulting, business advisor and former IT recruitment operator
Paul grew an IT recruitment business to over 100 contractors in nine months by ignoring every industry habit and hand-delivering pay cheques so he could walk the floor of his clients. He now advises business owners full time. There is no shortcut, he says. Just the work.
What you’ll take away:
- The $300k a year minimum that he reckons every founder should benchmark themselves against, and what it means if you’re not earning it
- The 12 things every founder must be a damn expert at (six on how you run the business, six on how you sell)
- Why he finished an Ironman two hours faster than his target and the first thing he thought as his foot hit the line was ‘I could’ve shaved another 45 minutes off’
EPISODE 134: Hamish Tedeschi
With Hamish Tedeschi, Founder and CEO of Mechanical Rock, backer of seven businesses
Hamish has built tech companies on two continents and is a shareholder in seven businesses. Last year nearly broke him. He didn’t see a way out. He came in to tell me how he found one.
What you’ll take away:
- Why he believes employees secretly job hunting is a form of deceit (and why he’s copped grief for saying it out loud)
- The zero inbox rule he won’t go to bed without, and what it costs his cash flow
- The one moment he watched a former employee leave to start his own thing, and instead of feeling threatened, invested in the business
P.S.
If you’re sitting with the homework above and realising your brand might be in your way, talk to me.
I keep a handful of free Brand Discovery sessions aside each month, just for TRBLC listeners. One hour. We look at where your brand is actually landing and what’s holding it back.
