Why are you in this game of business?
Why have you voluntarily signed up for this tough world when you know VERY well how uncomfortable it gets?
I believe the answer is undeniable.
To impress the future version of you.
It’s not for your clients, your competitors, your peers, or your family. What you REALLY want is for the future version of you TO BE PROUD of the struggle you went through.
“Right now, future you is watching. They're taking notes on every choice you make and everything you do. Five years from now, when you meet them, will their first words be 'thank you so much' or 'what the hell were you thinking?'”
In today’s newsletter, I’m going to give you a different way of thinking so that it becomes easier to win. If you can train your brain to make better decisions moment to moment, we will win on the bigger scale. And today, I’ll give you a compass to make decisions.
We’ll cover:
What to do to win & How to do it
Why most people don’t win
Who do you need to become & When to start
This will be EXTREMELY simple. But not easy.
If you do start following this though, you’ll become a deadly version of you who’ll start finding success beyond your imagination. And of course, you’ll start making serious money!
What To Do To Win & How To Do It
“Invert, always Invert” - Charlie Munger
Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s advisor, talked a lot about this principle of inversion.
Our brains are wired to find PROBLEMS, and not SOLUTIONS. We can leverage this power to figure out what NOT TO DO. And then we just invert them to figure out WHAT TO DO.
So if I ask you: Think of the least successful version of yourself - what would that person do to guarantee failure?
How about:
I never work out
I don’t show up everyday
I don’t know exactly what I offer
I just pitch, pitch, pitch when I’m on sales calls
I never follow up, and never take clients seriously
….
Complete this list.
I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with more. And while you do, notice how remarkably easy it is to come up with these “how to guarantee I fail” answers. It’s SO POWERFUL!
Helpful tip: Think of what you judge other people for. The tone-deaf prospecting messages you get in your DMs, the confusing copy on a website, the rambling speech at a networking event, the missed deadlines, the disappointing deliverables, the many times you have seen what someone else is doing and thought, “Seriously?!”
Now Flip the Script: That’s Your Strategy
This is where it gets fun.
Your “What to do” is basically just flipping these into opposites. For our list:
I never workout → I workout consistently
I don’t show up everyday → I show up everyday
I don’t know exactly what I offer → I have a clear positioning/offer
I just pitch, pitch, pitch when I’m on sales calls → I am warm and charismatic on calls
I never follow up and never take clients seriously → I go the extra mile to ensure my clients succeed
….
If you do all of these, how could you NOT succeed and make money?
(I told you it’s going to be simple.)
Now you have the “WHAT”. So, the question becomes, “HOW do you do these things?”.
Break the “What” into stupid-simple actions to get the “How”
If you don’t know “How” to do something, it’s almost ALWAYS because you haven’t broken it down into micro action items that you need to do.
For example, let’s pick one from our list: “I am warm and charismatic on calls”
If I tell you nothing else and I ask you to do this, you’ll be paralyzed. You’ll look at me like a scared child who’s been put on the spot by their school teacher. But the story is very different if I break it down into clear, actionable steps you need to take.
If I say:
When you get on the call, smile and ask them about their week
Then take control of the call and say, “Here’s what we’ll talk about today.”
Then tell them, “With/without me, all I want is to help you solve your problems.”
Then ask them, “Sounds fair?”
Then ….
Now, can you do this? I bet you can!
Once you convert ALL the items from your list above into action steps, you’ll know EXACTLY HOW you’ll win. If you can’t figure out these action steps, ask ChatGPT. And if you still aren’t sure, it’s time to invest in a mentor or coach (I might know someone 😉) who will give you the answers!
Okay, so now we know WHAT to do to win & HOW to do it. Let’s move on to the next piece.
2 Biggest Reasons Why Most People Don't Win
Reason 1: You treat business building like a hobby
I see this with SO MANY consultants who stay stuck.
They know exactly what to do (post on LinkedIn, send DMs, get on calls), but they're waiting for it to feel easy before they start doing it. Or to have the perfect plan to do it.
They'll spend 2 hours creating the guaranteed-to-go-viral LinkedIn post, then wait 3 days before posting again. They'll send 5 DMs, get 2 responses, and think "this isn't working."
What’s happening here is: You’re not treating this like a career-defining opportunity. You're treating it like a side project you'll get to when you feel like it.
If it’s a “nice-to-have” or “I’m mostly happy with what I have”, then you’ll just take the easier way out. And you won’t stick it out. This is why most people fail.
Ask yourself: "What happens if I don't change?"
In 6 months... still having the same conversations about "getting serious"
In 12 months... watching others pass you by while you're still "figuring it out"
In 3 years... explaining to people why your "consulting business" never took off
In 5 years... working for someone else, wondering what could have been
Write this down. Make it as real as possible. And come back to it when you feel yourself slipping in the comfort zone.
This is why you wanted to change. And you need to remind yourself of that.
Reason 2: You're stuck in Opportunity-Hopping Hell
If you keep going, there’s only one more reason you’ll fail.
Look at this graph:
Most ambitious people who don’t win follow the same story:
Uninformed optimism: “Hey! This X thing interesting! I’m going to dive in”
Informed pessimism: “Oh! It’s harder than I thought”
Valley of despair: “Why the hell am I even trying this? Maybe I should try that Y thing”
New Start: They give up X to start Y
For example:
Consultant A hires a LinkedIn coach who promises that they’ll generate leads through LinkedIn. The coach shows 10 other people who got the same results. Now A starts creating content. First week is easy, he’s motivated. Second week, it gets harder. Ideas stop flowing. And the leads aren’t there. Somehow, he pushes through. Third week, he’s just had enough. He fires his coach saying this isn’t working. And he hires another coach who says “I’ll get you leads with cold outreach”. And the cycle starts again….
If you want to WIN, you need to STICK IT OUT through the valley of despair.
In the above story, both content and cold outreach work. You just need to play for time until you cross the valley of despair. Then you WILL move on to “Informed Optimism” and then finally “Success”!
In everything you do, you MUST play the long game. The #1 reason why entrepreneurs fail is that they quit. So do whatever you can to stay in the game long enough to find success.
So, now you know WHAT to do, HOW to do, and Why most people fail. Now the final piece.
Who You Need To Become & When To Start
Identity Is Just Consistent Action Over Time
How do you "become" someone?
Identity is how we describe what people repeatedly DO. A “fit” person is someone who exercises consistently and eats consciously. A “smart” person is someone who studies about their interests and proactively solves problems.
So to “become” a winner, all you need to do is DO THE ACTIONS that’ll help you win!
When you focus on actions, you fundamentally rewire your brain. Every action becomes a small proof that you are the person you want to become. Until one day, you’ll wake up to realize the gap is gone!
Okay, final question: WHEN do we start taking action then?
Start When You're Busiest (Not When It's Convenient)
Think about it: “Do you want long lasting wins or just timely quick wins?”
Of course, we want the long lasting wins. So, we’ll have to take action EVEN WHEN WE ARE BUSY, right? Otherwise, we’ll only win when we aren’t busy.
But if we can figure out how to take action when we’re busy, then it’ll be a cakewalk when things get easier, right? So, if right now you feel busy, it’s THE BEST TIME to start!
And how do you start when you’re busy?
Simple:
Just go to your list
Figure out the ONE thing that moves the needle
And take action
The moment you start doing this is the moment you start winning.
(because you’re making Future You proud)
This is why my business, my newsletter, and my mission is called the “Essentialist CEO”. For experts like us, time is always of the crunch. And we need this strategic ability to find precision in finding the thing that moves the needle.
Once you master this skill, winning is EASY.
You figure out the what, break it down into hows (which I’ll give you if you need), and you keep doing it consistently without getting distracted.
I guarantee, you’ll be unrecognizable in 6 months.
So don’t waste any more time. I’ve given you the complete blueprint to win. Get started with step 1.
And if you need accountability + mentorship + a tribe of fellow experts, reply to this email and reach out to me!
Let’s make the FUTURE YOU proud.
In love & growth,
Kasey