Stephen Bartlett

For you to get an A player, it's probably going to cost you 100% of your profit to get that A player. And so you'll have what appears to be an impossible choice. You'll have, do I sacrifice basically 100% of my profit to bring this person in? Or do I work another six hours a day to do the job that this person is doing. Both paths work.

Both are painful and risky because the overworking yourself thing, you can get yourself through that hump, and then now you're at maybe three or four million, and that 20% is 800. You can spend 200. You still have cash flow. You can still live. The downside for the picking the person path is that what if you pick wrong?

Both are painful and risky because the overworking yourself thing, you can get yourself through that hump, and then now you're at maybe three or four million, and that 20% is 800. You can spend 200. You still have cash flow. You can still live. The downside for the picking the person path is that what if you pick wrong?

Both are painful and risky because the overworking yourself thing, you can get yourself through that hump, and then now you're at maybe three or four million, and that 20% is 800. You can spend 200. You still have cash flow. You can still live. The downside for the picking the person path is that what if you pick wrong?

And this, by the way, ladies and gentlemen, is why entrepreneurs get outsized returns is because we take on outside risk. And so this is the job, is that we have to be willing to make impossible choices. And the vast majority of choices for entrepreneurs in the business are impossible choices between two relatively bad scenarios.

And this, by the way, ladies and gentlemen, is why entrepreneurs get outsized returns is because we take on outside risk. And so this is the job, is that we have to be willing to make impossible choices. And the vast majority of choices for entrepreneurs in the business are impossible choices between two relatively bad scenarios.

And this, by the way, ladies and gentlemen, is why entrepreneurs get outsized returns is because we take on outside risk. And so this is the job, is that we have to be willing to make impossible choices. And the vast majority of choices for entrepreneurs in the business are impossible choices between two relatively bad scenarios.

Because the rest of the choices aren't, don't even feel like choices because they're obvious. Of course, we should call leads faster. Of course, we should follow up more. Of course, we should try and onboard faster. Okay, all these things are the obvious ones.

Because the rest of the choices aren't, don't even feel like choices because they're obvious. Of course, we should call leads faster. Of course, we should follow up more. Of course, we should try and onboard faster. Okay, all these things are the obvious ones.

Because the rest of the choices aren't, don't even feel like choices because they're obvious. Of course, we should call leads faster. Of course, we should follow up more. Of course, we should try and onboard faster. Okay, all these things are the obvious ones.

But when you have, man, I'm trying to think of the ones I, I'm not, I'm not, almost all the decisions that you get stuck with, and Elon says this really beautifully. He says, running a business is like staring out to the abyss and chewing glass.

But when you have, man, I'm trying to think of the ones I, I'm not, I'm not, almost all the decisions that you get stuck with, and Elon says this really beautifully. He says, running a business is like staring out to the abyss and chewing glass.

But when you have, man, I'm trying to think of the ones I, I'm not, I'm not, almost all the decisions that you get stuck with, and Elon says this really beautifully. He says, running a business is like staring out to the abyss and chewing glass.

So because the staring out to the abyss component of it is just the fact that this may never work and you're almost facing existential risk at all times to the business. And the eating glass component is that you will, by nature of your role, get funneled the worst problems in the business and the problems that no one else can solve. So it's one, problems that people can't solve.

So because the staring out to the abyss component of it is just the fact that this may never work and you're almost facing existential risk at all times to the business. And the eating glass component is that you will, by nature of your role, get funneled the worst problems in the business and the problems that no one else can solve. So it's one, problems that people can't solve.

So because the staring out to the abyss component of it is just the fact that this may never work and you're almost facing existential risk at all times to the business. And the eating glass component is that you will, by nature of your role, get funneled the worst problems in the business and the problems that no one else can solve. So it's one, problems that people can't solve.

Two, the worst ones. Or that they don't want to solve and they suck. And so you basically become a filter for the worst things. And that's why it feels like a fire every single day in the business because you're the only one who can make the tough call because no one else wants to choose between these two impossible choices. And you're like, why is it so hard?

Two, the worst ones. Or that they don't want to solve and they suck. And so you basically become a filter for the worst things. And that's why it feels like a fire every single day in the business because you're the only one who can make the tough call because no one else wants to choose between these two impossible choices. And you're like, why is it so hard?

Two, the worst ones. Or that they don't want to solve and they suck. And so you basically become a filter for the worst things. And that's why it feels like a fire every single day in the business because you're the only one who can make the tough call because no one else wants to choose between these two impossible choices. And you're like, why is it so hard?

And the thing is, is that it literally never stops being hard. It's that the currency that you pay for and the hardness changes. And so... you know, a lot of people have this envisionment of like the Rocky cut scene of like, it must be hard for business. But I don't think that's where the hardship comes.