The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received

Welcome back to The Small Business Mentor!

A quick message before we jump in:

• If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the Small Business Mentor Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts

• If you’re reading this online, subscribe HERE and join thousands of business owners and professionals receiving these emails every week.

I’m on a call with my coach, Gil. He’s a pretty smart dude and has a way of shifting how you view the world.

We’re talking about my transition out of day to day management of the company I’ve been building for 17 years and I’m wondering, what am I going to do all day?

Why did I decide to create a self managing company in the first place?

So I ask half jokingly, “What do I want to be when I grow up?”

Gil replies, “That’s not the question. The question is: Who are you?”

I stop talking (for once) and just think. I don’t have an answer.

I’m not sure I have an answer still months later but I know who I am not.

What this question helped me realize is that I shouldn’t try to figure out what it would be best to do or to optimize my efforts.

No Tim Ferris stuff. No trying to be a billionaire or leveling up or whatever it is an objective 3rd party would say is the best next move.

The key is to figure out who I am. Writing a newsletter and doing a small business podcast is not the best move.

I could certainly go do something more high leverage like raise a private equity fund or focus on growing my core company to an IPO, etc.

Both those options will produce far better returns than this newsletter ever will.

But that’s not me. I’ve already made money. I have an awesome growing company. I’m just not the right person to optimize it.

I like thinking and teaching and coaching. So I’m going to focus there.

Of course it’s a privilege to focus on who I am rather than what will produce optimal returns.

My goal is to help you create a company that can help create the freedom for you to ask the same question: who are you?

Keep growing,

Alan

P.S.

P.P.S.

• If you’re reading this online, subscribe and join thousands of execs, business owners, and working professionals receiving these emails every week.
  
  

• Listen to the Small Business Mentor Podcast on Apple or Spotify.
  
  

• Be sure to follow me on X/Twitter and LinkedIn for my most up to date content.