Two weeks ago I flew my son Andrew and myself all the way to a lake in the woods of Maine to spend a week rolling around on the ground with a bunch of grown men.
My good friend Jocko and his crew at Origin run a Jiu Jitsu immersion camp out there every summer.
Even though I’m still nursing an injury there was no way I was missing it.
I share this with you because some of the best conversations I’ve ever had happened on the edge of a mat, sweaty and out of breath, with guys who just spent the last six minutes trying to take my head off.
You learn a lot about a man when you roll with him. And you learn a lot about yourself.
HERE ARE THE THREE LESSONS I BROUGHT BACK FROM MAINE:
- Small Improvements Compound
When you’re at a camp like this you drill the same move over and over and over again until your body knows it without your brain getting involved.
Every rep you get maybe 1% better at defending it and 1% better at hitting it.
Nobody claps for 1%.
But stack a few hundred of those reps and the guy who used to walk right through you suddenly can’t get past your guard.
Companies compound the exact same way.
Nobody’s business goes from ordinary to exceptional off one big move.
It happens when you improve conversion, retention, gross margin, sales productivity, hiring quality, and cycle time all at the same time, a little every week…
…and one day you look up and you’re running a completely different company.
- You Need Both Offense And Defense
There’s a guy at every camp who only knows how to attack. He’s exciting to watch right up until somebody he can’t bully catches him in something he never learned to defend.
Then there’s the guy who only knows how to defend. He’s hard to submit, and he never wins a single round.
Businesses are the same.
A company obsessed only with growth gets fragile.
A company obsessed only with protection stops growing.
The great ones build both at the same time.
Offense is your product, your sales, your distribution, your acquisitions.
Defense is your cash reserves, your compliance, your security, your customer retention, your competitive moat.
If you’re all gas right now, ask yourself what happens the first time somebody catches you.
- Don’t Mistake Intensity For Effectiveness.
This one’s the one I’ve been chewing on the most.
The guy moving the fastest and going the hardest on the mat isn’t necessarily winning the roll. Half the time he’s gassing himself out while the calm guy across from him waits for the one opening he needs.
I see the same thing in the beginning with my coaching clients and Scale Syndicate members.
The founder with the fullest calendar isn’t building the best company.
The guy working 80 hours a week isn’t beating the guy working 40.
Wasted effort is still wasted effort no matter how hard you’re breathing.
Results are what matter. On the mat and in business.
If you’re thinking about joining us out in Maine next year, go. It’s worth every penny.
And if you’ve been going as hard as you can in your business and the results still aren’t showing up, I hope these lessons from Maine help you as much as they helped me.
Talk soon,
Bedros Keuilian
P.S. Lesson three is the reason I built Scale Syndicate.
It’s a 12-month mastermind where we get on a call every month and meet up in person every quarter, and I hand you the marketing, sales, and leadership systems that are running inside my companies right now so you stop swinging wild and start hitting what you’re aiming at.
The room is full of heavy hitters and our next call is coming up. I’d love to intro you to the group. No choking required (lol).
Apple here: apply.bedroskeuilian.com/scale-syndicate