What Are You Really Building?
We were having a straightforward conversation when he leaned in and said,
“I live in a community with doctors and lawyers. Do you know the difference between them and me? They have to go to work to make money—I don’t. I can sit on my couch and make all the money I need.”
He wasn’t bragging. He was making a case for why his line of work was worth considering. Unlimited income. Unlimited time. Total flexibility.
I appreciated the clarity. But I couldn’t help but think: Is that the full picture of success?
Redefining Success
I don’t begrudge anyone for making money. I love the idea of success and accomplishment. And I agree—time is one of the most valuable commodities we have. He wasn’t wrong there.
But I also challenge the idea that money or time are the only markers of success.
I believe that true success is impact. More specifically, positive impact: on a community, on employees, and on the brand that’s represented through our work.
On Paper, It’s a Win. But What Else?
A huge draw to entrepreneurship is freedom. The freedom to set your own schedule, make your own decisions about expenses, and choose your own team. You write the goals. You decide what’s next. And you build exactly what that looks like.
On paper, it reads like success. In the bank, it might look like success. But if we measure success by impact, how is that being evaluated?
To understand your business’s true impact, you have to pay attention to more than just deposits.
What’s the public opinion of your brand or store?
What would your current or former employees say about working for you?
How do you answer those questions—and how are they measured?
A Real-World Case
I once ruffled some feathers by telling a CEO that her business could be making more profit than it was.
She paused and looked at me—eyebrows slightly raised, eyes narrowing just a bit. It wasn’t anger, exactly. It was more like doubt. As if she wasn’t sure I fully understood how her business worked.
Then she asked,
“Do you mean more sales? Or more profit?”
Her tone was polite, but the subtext was clear.
I answered,
“Both.”
The data told a clear story. There were customer complaints, employee frustrations, and major opportunities being missed. The root causes? Gaps in clarity, consistency, and care.
Frustration came from confusion.
Inefficiency came from inconsistency.
Dissatisfaction and hurt came from feeling uncared for.
Of course, I didn’t just deliver critique. I offered solutions. But this leader had likely never been told that her already profitable business was leaving even more on the table. Or perhaps she had, and she’d accepted those losses as part of the cost of doing things her way.
When One Voice Owns the Narrative
One of the biggest issues? How she received information.
Outside of the profit reports, her understanding of the business came almost entirely from one person—a long-tenured senior executive. He was her only direct report and her sole lens into operations.
He explained customer complaints. He framed every personnel issue. He justified all delays and decisions.
There were no checks. No secondary sources. No feedback loops.
The result? The CEO had time and profit—but little clarity.
The rest—the culture, the customer experience, the missed revenue—was invisible.
She couldn’t answer direct questions about customer satisfaction. She didn’t know how her former employees described the company. She had no idea how her profits compared to others in her market.
She knew she was making money, and that her schedule was free. But all of that was dependent on one executive. Everything else was left unmeasured.
Look Closer at the Flow of Information
If you’re a business owner or CEO, I challenge you to look at the flow of information in your organization.
If time is passing and the narrative stays the same—even as results go up or down—it’s worth asking whether you’re truly analyzing the patterns or simply explaining them away.
“Sometimes, you're just sitting in the eye of the hurricane. The numbers look good, but your team is in the storm.”
Business does move in seasons. The J curve is real. Peaks and valleys are part of growth. But moments of profit or calm can be misleading, especially when they’re used to silence concerns or justify inaction.
Sometimes, you’re just sitting in the eye of the hurricane.
The numbers look good. The schedule feels manageable. On paper, everything seems fine. But swirling just beyond that moment of relief are the realities your team is living:
Turnover and burnout
Customer frustration
Conflicting priorities
Redundant processes and missed handoffs
Gaps that everyone feels, but no one’s naming
And if you’re only listening to one voice, one narrative that filters or protects you from the harder truths, you may never know the storm exists. But your team does. They’re in it every day.
Leaders often shield themselves from that discomfort by leaning on familiar phrases:
“That’s just a byproduct of the market right now.”
“It’s the nature of the business.”
“Everyone is feeling the same thing.”
Those may contain some truth. But when they become your default lens, they stop being insight and start becoming insulation. A moment of calm doesn’t mean your foundation is strong. It just means you’re temporarily shielded from what others are carrying.
Let’s Talk About What You’re Building
If you're ready to measure more than money, and lead with clarity, consistency, and care, let’s talk.
Freedom is valuable.
But impact is lasting.
Make sure your time is building something that matters.
