The information to Win in Business, the information to Win in Life, all wrapped up in one winning, weekly email. Winformation Weekly.

My 14 years’ experience of growing a business from £0-£100m as well as the life that goes with it.

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Simon Says

Winformation This Week...

I remember back in the day when we first launched our business, every Friday we would go to the pub closest to our small office to destress before going home.

We would chat about the week we just had, but we would spend almost that entire hour talking about the growth of the business.

“I’ll be happy when we get to 10 employees”

“I’ll be happy when we land that client next year”

It was endless. Very ambitious young people, totally unaware they were wishing away the best years of their lives. And despite having had an amazing week growing their own business, going home pretty flat.

I’m convinced being born with “burning ambition” is a blessing AND a curse.

This quote sums it up so well.

“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.” Naval Ravikant.

But there is another way...

Below in today’s One Idea to Win in Life I tell you everything I've learned in harnessing your ambition but maintaining happiness on the way...not least the pillow test?! All revealed below.

One Idea to Win in Business

Something to reclaim your time

The Simple Weekly Routine That Gives You Hundreds of Hours Back

Most Founders don’t have their time sucked up by huge, exciting tasks. It’s never trips up and down the country to win the first huge client or interviewing 10 exciting people to make the first hire.

It’s because you’ve left the house to get some work done away from the chaos and your laptop wouldn’t connect to Starbucks wifi for 45 minutes. Or you spent Tuesday copying and pasting everything from excel into google sheets.

Another 5 minutes here, another 15 minutes here. Before you know if Friday, the week feels full but not much has progressed.

I get it, it happens to me, all the time. Whether it’s distraction or working hard on “productive” tasks that could be picked up by others, now is as good as time as any to spot the time leaks and plug the holes.

Here’s how

Run a weekly reality time check - I have 1 hour on my last working day of the week (usually Friday, but you know school holidays and all that), and use that to review the week just gone and plan the next. 10-15 looking back, 45-50 planning forward.

In the review section, write down everything you remember working on. Do not judge it yet. Just list it. Then circle the tasks that directly grew the business. Sales. Strategy. Hiring. Decision making.

This exercise is uncomfortable because it shows you where your time actually went, not where you thought it went. You need to do this for at least 4 weeks before everything starts to make sense.

The invisible repeaters - Now look for tasks that show up every week. Inbox clearing. Updating spreadsheets. Fixing small issues. Jumping in to help when someone hesitates. These are the silent time thieves. They feel useful. They are also teaching the business to depend on you. If a task repeats weekly and does not require your judgement, it is a leak.

Plug one leak - Do not try to fix everything at once. That creates more work. Choose one leak and remove it properly. You can delegate it. Automate it or just stop doing it entirely.

To be honest, if delegating I would focus on 2 a month only. The first week you are teaching someone else the tasks (employee, AI, VA or supplier) and the second week you want to be checking it’s running smoothly without your input.

Aim for 2-3 time leak plugs a month and watch your life change.

Founders do not run out of time. We give it away in small pieces. Protecting your time is not about working less it’s about spending more time on driving the business forward!

One Idea to Win in Life

Something to harness ambition

Ambition & Happiness: The Pillow Test Explained

The sentence “I’ll be happy when” is the most dangerous sentence anyone seeking to improve their business or life can make. I’ve been at this for 15 years now.

In that time I’ve grown my business from £0 to £100m in revenue.

And I can tell you, up until probably the last 2 years or so, I’ve spent more time miserable than happy.

Ironically, the last 2 years have probably been the hardest professionally of all 15, but I've been the happiest.

What changed 2 years ago? Well, I started doing the 4 things below.

Be aware that happiness is the progress not the outcome - now, this might sound pretty hippy, but it’s true. It just took me 12-13 years to work it out. It takes some mind training. It’s not about dumbing down your ambition, but converting your burning desire for growth into a daily appreciation of the steps you are taking towards your dream life or business.

Big goals, broken down - if you set a big 5-year vision for your life, and work to large annual goals to achieve that vision. These are very long periods of your life to simply defer happiness.

And, if like me, when you get close to achieving your vision and goals, you stop and reset bigger ones...by definition, if you assign happiness to something (in theory) you never “tick off” this is a dangerous place to be.

Try and convert as many of your goals into daily habits or mini weekly targets as possible. This really helps with taking daily satisfaction (and happiness) that you are moving forward.

The “Pillow Test” - No, this isn’t a test to see how comfy your bed is. For me, I can find happiness and actually sleep at night (which, if you are a highly ambitious individual can be a problem!) if I am further forward on my goals when I lay my head on the pillow at night than when I lifted off the pillow the previous morning.

As soon as your head hits that thing, think “where and how am I further ahead” – it will help curb that burning ambition (blessing and a curse don’t forget) and prep for you for the next day.

“3 Good things” - I’ve heard so many others talking about gratitude journaling for years. I always thought (for some reason) it wouldn’t work for me.

So, instead I spent many years fairly miserable, despite huge growth and massive wins. Always waiting to be happy and grateful when the “next” thing was achieved.

I didn’t go as far as actually journaling, but I downloaded an app “3 Good Things” such a simple, “light version” way of being grateful for the day and what you have. I promise this is a straight up recommendation from me personally, I don’t push anyone’s apps or products in this newsletter at all.

Don’t let ambition ruin your happiness, as Ive seen it happen to many people. Use it for the gift it is.

Do you suffer with this? Hit reply and let me know!

Win or Wonder?

Ask Me a Question…

No matter where you are on this mad journey. Starting out, scaling up, or somewhere in the messy middle feel free to ask me anything.

Business, life or mindset, I read and reply to every question. The best ones will get featured in future editions of Winformation, with your permission of course!

To ask, just hit “reply”, type your question and send. That’s it. No forms. No fuss.

Until next week! 

Let’s win, together!