Behind the Beard | February 9, 2022

Something I'm Reading:

 “The Systems Mindset” by Sam Carpenter. It’s a great book about how everything we have in life is a result of a process, a system. When we work to fix those systems, the results change. This is a follow-up to his business book, “Work the System” which is also great.

Something I Teach:

Most people hire from the bottom up - meaning, they hire the smallest, admin roles first, later they add higher level people, eventually executives, and maybe someday they hire a CEO to run it.  BUT... what if we turned this upside down and instead hire from the Top-Down. Hire the CEO first, and have them build the business?  I’m not saying it’s easy to find that person, but if you do - it’s a game changer. Put some thought into that today: are you building your business from the bottom-up or the top-down... and why? Could you build a different way to get the results you want faster?

Something I Photographed:

Each week I share a photo I snapped in the previous week. Sometimes serious. Sometimes random and funny. Maybe a selfie once in a while. Just because.

Meet my parents! Was honored to have my parents visiting us in Maui for the past month!  Who do I look more like - my mom or my dad?

Something I'm Excited About:

I’m renting a boat with Ryan Murdock tomorrow! Gonna go cruise around Maui’s coast, looking for whales and dolphins!  I’ll be sure to send a picture for next week’s BTB :)

Something I Can Answer:

Each week, I'll be answering one question from someone on my BehindTheBeard textletter! Want your question answered? Submit it by simply replying to this text!

Question: “Do you have tips for balancing being content with desire to grow/scale your business or portfolio?”

Being content means being ok with where you are at. Being ambitious means desiring to grow. Both are virtues, so how can we balance this? Aren’t they contradictions?

I don’t think so. I think it’s entirely possible to be happy with how far you’ve come, but still want to grow more. I am happy with my relationship with my wife, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want it to improve. I am happy with the cash in my bank account, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see it increase. Being content doesn’t mean the rejection of growth. It also doesn’t mean you’ve attained perfection. It means having an attitude of gratitude no matter where we find ourselves. It’s an issue of the heart, not the mind.

I’m reminded of what the old Christian saint, Paul, said, ”I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  That’s definitely something I’d love to be able to say in my own life (though, admit, most of the time I don’t). But taking moments to appreciate how far you’ve come, and then building on that, is a great foundation.

Check out the book, “The Gap and the Gain” by Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy for more on this concept.

Your Friend,

P.S. Have a question you want answered by me? Reply to this text with your question - I pick one to answer each week in Behind the Beard and do my best to reply to others directly via text.