I started out scaling my own agency, and there were a lot of trials and tribulations doing that. I grew it fast, which was awesome, but I took on more than I probably should have. We had a team of 18, and then I got convinced to take on another role as head of growth at a software company at the same time. I don't know why I did that. It was a very stressful time, but I learned an enormous amount about growth, marketing, sales motions, systems, all of it. I did both of those things for close to two years, and burnout was imminent.

So I stopped working with the software company and went back to just the agency, but so much of me had changed. When I sat with it, the thing I actually loved wasn't the IDS meetings or the ten minute stand-ups or figuring out what to split test for one client. It was getting on calls with people who were lost, who didn't know how to set up a funnel or connect with an audience, asking them questions, and using my experience to see the matrix for them. These days I run Amplify Strategy, where we build full funnel systems for course creators and coaches, and mentoring is where I get to do the part I love on its own.

Because people get stuck in their own heads. One of the most powerful things a founder can do is speak to the market, and there are a hundred ways to dance around that. Run ad campaigns, run split tests, analyze heat maps, calculate how well you're resonating. Most people are looking at all of those things rather than just talking. Why don't I send an email to John Smith and say, John, I'm wondering how you feel about this? Getting on the phone with someone is so much more insightful than testing a headline or a CTA or whether to run a VSL or plain text.

There's so much fluff out there that when people are trying to get started they're thinking about too many things at once. It boils down to first principles. Reduce it to simple terms. Can you speak to someone? Then speak to them. And you don't have to be selling to get someone's opinion. That's where I see most founders trip, they've been heads-down on product development without ever speaking to the market to find out whether the product is even the right fit.

People love to feel heard and important, so don't lead with a pitch. Selling and pitching isn't always the best way in. Instead, create a content series or a podcast and reach out to 50 people with a goal of getting 20 of them on calls. Tell them, I saw your profile on LinkedIn, you seem like you're in this area, I'm creating some content and I'd love to feature you. Now you're inviting them on because they have something valuable to offer you. Record the conversation, give them the content, make them feel important, and use the questions you asked as your actual data points.

The beauty of it is you've already warmed that person up to your possible product without ever pitching it. Later you can go back and say, on that call you were describing all these problems in the industry, I've actually been building something for exactly that, would you be interested in testing it? Now they're warm, and those become your first customers. I have a mentee I'm working with right now, and this is exactly what we worked through. You sacrifice speed of sale by warming people up longer, but more than anything it takes a plan. Say, I'm going to do calls two or three hours a day for a month. If you don't have money to scrape together for an ad campaign, calls are a great way through.

It's a constant struggle. I go through fits and starts with my motivation to actually work and be productive, and the thing I know to be true about myself is that I need a routine. Without one I drift. So I lean on habit, and one book has done more for that than anything else. It's The Greatest Salesman in the World by OG Mandino. It's thin, easy to digest, the story of a man who sells in a marketplace and what he has to do to succeed instead of withering like everyone else at the time.

The whole thing is a testament to habit forming. It gives you ten scrolls, and you read one scroll every day for 30 days, then move to the next scroll for the next 30 days, out loud, morning, afternoon, and evening. I pick it up various times a week in my morning routine. If you're a founder who often feels stuck and is looking for clarity and a routine, that's the one I recommend.