One idea to Build your Business, one idea to Scale your life. Every Wednesday.

Welcome to Winformation Weekly. My 13 years’ experience of growing a business from £0-£100m, and the life that goes with it. All wrapped up, in one winning weekly email.

Simon Says

Winformation This Week…

If you can start to see short-term failure as part of the journey to one day winning big, then honestly, how can you lose in the long term? I saw a great example of this with the SpaceX team’s test flights.

A few weeks ago, we all watched in amazement as SpaceX pulled off a successful test flight, their rocket taking off and then re-docking itself on the stand. But with my entrepreneurial brain in full swing, I was more intrigued by their failed test in 2023, where the rocket took off and exploded mid-air. That massive (and no doubt expensive) “failure” was met with cheers and whoops from the SpaceX team. I couldn’t wrap my head around it at first.

Then it hit me: Elon and his team have built a culture where failure is viewed as a vital part of the process. Out of 414 test flights, only two have failed. To them, failure isn’t a setback, it’s a chance to learn something new. Knowing what doesn’t work is often just as important, if not more so, than the successes. We dive into how to harness failure effectively in the Business Section this week.

Now, on to something a little closer to home.

So many people in my space seem to brag online about how “optimised” their life is, how in control they are. Honestly, fair play if that’s you. But it’s not me. Trying to juggle interviews, client visits, sick kids, nativity plays, and dentist appointments? I’ll be honest, it’s way too much.

We’ve grown a business to over £100m with a team of 100 people, and I still struggle massively.

Enter the Impact-Effort Blueprint, one of my go-to productivity tools. I break it down in the Life Section today and, as a bonus, I’ve added the high-res PDF to the Victory Vault this week.

It’s available to download, totally free, exclusively for Winformation Weekly subscribers.

Business

How to Harness the Power of Failure

As discussed above…if it’s good enough for Elon..! Honestly, I really wish I had the perspective of “trial and big error” 13 years ago when I started in this game. I was playing not to lose for many years. Here’s what I’ve learned in how to harness the power of failure.

1. Budget for the learning. Just like a retail outlet or shop will set a budget for loss of profit due to shoplifting, it is important you put aside money for mistakes. This is no different to any investment. You will see a return on it when you attempt things you might not have normally tried.

2. Adapt and adjust. Those who win in business are not those who never make mistakes. It’s about learning from them and putting corrective measures in place, as well as taking a challenge and turning it into an opportunity for development.

3. Encourage transparency. Avoid creating a culture that stigmatises a mistake. This can make people afraid of failure and more likely to conceal any perceived error they have made. Instead, encourage and reward transparency.

4. Make new mistakes. Touch the stove once, that’s an opportunity to learn. Touch it twice, then that’s on you. Spend time and effort in making new mistakes and trying to keep the score down on the number of times you make them!

5. Reflect and review. Often with business there is the need to constantly look forward. Remember to also reflect on what you have done, whether it be every month or quarter. Take that time to look at what went well and what did not and think about what can be learned from and improved from those mistakes.

Life

How to Use the Impact-Effort Blueprint

If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know I’m really not a fan of the to-do list. All tasks take time, but they don’t all have the same value. I really believe a good 15 minutes planning can save you hours, and to help categorise your tasks when you plan. Here’s how to use the Impact-Effort Matrix. Don’t forget to the high-res download is now available in the Victory Vault.

No matter how you like to organise your tasks or manage your time, it’s key to know the value of each one action point before you dive into planning. The Impact-Effort Blueprint maps tasks on a simple two-axis graph: impact (how much it pushes you towards your goals) and effort (how much time or energy it sucks up). From there, you end up with four clear quadrants.

1. Quick Wins (High Impact, Low Effort). These are your golden tickets - tasks that yield big results with minimal effort. Prioritise these first. Think of activities like sending a quick email to close a deal or implementing a small improvement to your website that boosts conversions.

2. Major Projects (High Impact, High Effort). These are worth your time but require planning. Break them into smaller, manageable chunks. For example, creating a marketing campaign or developing a new product.

3. Fill-Ins (Low Impact, Low Effort). These tasks are harmless but not essential. Save them for when you have downtime or want to clear your head. Think of responding to non-urgent emails or scheduling social media posts.

4. Time Wasters (Low Impact, High Effort). The name says it all - ditch or delegate these. These could include attending unproductive meetings or spending too much time on activities that don’t drive results.

Grab your free download of this in the Victory Vault below!

Until next week! 

Let’s win, together!