I already have a business I don’t need ideas..I need something else…

I hear this all the time. Founders who ship, who have customers, who wake up to real invoices and real problems not startup fantasyland. Over the last 3+ years of writing this newsletter I’ve watched a few of you do the impossible: turn something small into something prolific. I spoke to two founders in the past month one at $15M ARR, one at $9.2M ARR and their question was the same: How do we scale without diluting the thing that made us great?

You don’t need another silver-bullet tactic. You need one solid scaling strategy you can actually execute this quarter before the end of the year.

So here it is unsexy, obvious, and massively underused:

Scale by productizing your best customer ritual

Most founders try to scale product features, marketing channels, or org charts. That’s noise. The real lever is the repeatable ritual your top customers do the sequence of actions they take that creates recurring value and excuses them to come back, upgrade, and refer others.

Think of a ritual as a small, repeatable transaction that combines utility + habit + status. It’s not a feature. It’s a compact human workflow you can own, measure, and replicate.

Why this works (Fast)er

• Predictable economics. Rituals create repeat usage => recurring revenue => predictable LTV.

• Network multiplier. Rituals that confer status (invite-only dinners, curated reports, private Office Hours) turn customers into evangelists.

• Defensible repeatability. You can productize a ritual with playbooks, staffing templates, and automation which is far harder for competitors to copy than a feature list.

How to do it this week a 5-step playbook (do this now)

1. Find the ritual. Interview your top 10 customers (by LTV or influence). Ask: What single repeat interaction do you or your team do with our product that makes you nod and say “this is worth it”? Document the steps.

2. Map the friction. Take that ritual and map every pain point (time, approvals, tools). Your job is to remove friction, not invent a new feature.

3. Standardize it. Build a 1-page SOP that a junior hire or contractor can run. If your ritual requires a human, hire/contract the cheapest competent person to own that loop.

4. Price the ritual. Carve the ritual into a discrete offering: subscription, retainer, or a “Concierge + Outcomes” add-on. Make the math obvious to procurement people: $X → saves Y hours → saves Z dollars.

5. Instrument and amplify. Ship it to 5 customers. Track retention, NPS, upgrade rate. Turn the best cases into short social proof (1–2 sentences + metrics). Sell to similar customers as a plug-and-play outcome.

Tactical examples (not theoretical)

• SaaS (B2B, ~$2–10k MRR): Your top customers log in weekly to run a 15-minute report and then ping Slack for decisions. Productize: a weekly “Decision Deck” sent automatically + 30-minute monthly review call (billed). Result: your churn drops and expansions accelerate.

• Marketplace / Services ($200–2k transactions): Customers value curation more than choice. Productize the curation into a monthly “Handpicked Drops” subscription with white-glove onboarding. Result: higher frequency + referral lift.

• Productized Agency ($5–50k retainer): Stop selling hours. Build a ritual “Monthly Growth Sprint”: 48-hour deliverable, 7-day review, one optimization. Make it a named product with a repeatable cadence. Result: predictable retention and scalable staffing.

Common failure modes (My Favs…)

• You make it too bespoke. Fix: codify before you scale. If a human does it, capture the exact scripts and decision trees.

• You price it like spaghetti. Fix: anchor with outcomes, not inputs. “This removes X risk / saves Y hours per month.”

• You treat it as marketing. Fix: instrument real ROI for the customer in month 1.

Focus on the outcome, not the playback. True in business as it is in life.

Sony’s first product was a rice cooker. It wasn’t a huge success, but it taught the company lessons in electronics and manufacturing. Early failures teach more than early wins. So if your products v1 sucks. Think about Sony. What would have happened if they gave up?

Kill Company Meetings and Emails , 2 Days a Week

Here’s a simple, brutal idea: ban all emails and written updates for 2 days each week. Only real conversations count calls, in-person meetings, or live video.

Why it works:

• BS doesn’t stick. When people have to explain themselves verbally, fluff dies instantly.

• Decisions move faster. You cut the endless “reply-all” ping-pong.

• Culture scales naturally. Teams start solving problems instead of drafting them.

Here’s a gift from me to you straight from the open library.

A short book, written in 1916, that every consultant, founder, and strategist should read at least once: Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman by Robert R. Updegraff

It’s barely 70 odd pages, but it’s a masterclass in clear thinking, positioning, and persuasion long before “personal branding” or “growth marketing” existed.

Why It Still Hits in 2025

“Obvious Adams” follows a young ad man who rises through the ranks not by being flashy, but by seeing what others overlook the obvious truths that actually move people.

When you strip away jargon, ego, and over complication, what’s left is clarity.
And clarity converts.

More than a century later, this lesson hasn’t changed:

In consulting, I often tell clients the same thing Adams did things they already know but forgot to act on. They pay for clarity, not complexity.

Most professionals hide behind buzzwords because they’re afraid of being too simple.
But the paradox is: the simpler your insight, the more valuable it becomes.

Hobbies That Secretly Open Doors to High Society

If you want to move into rooms where capital, creativity, and curiosity collide stop chasing “networking events” and start curating your leisure portfolio.

The ultra-wealthy don’t network the way entrepreneurs think they do.
They build shared rituals golf rounds, sailing lessons, or dinner clubs where connection compounds naturally over time.

You don’t need millions to enter these spaces. You just need to use your time like an investor.Below are three tiers of hobbies that create accidental access each one doubles as a skill builder and a networking platform.

Tier 1: Low Cost Access Points

The goal here isn’t status it’s surface area. These are small, thoughtful habits that introduce you to ambitious people who think long-term.

Chess (Offline)
Offline chess clubs have exploded post-The Queen’s Gambit. You’ll find founders, data analysts, and AI nerds competing over strategy, not clout.
Purpose: Build patience and pattern recognition the same skills that make strong investors.

Jazz Nights & Vinyl Collecting
Jazz clubs and record lounges are underrated social circles where art, culture, and entrepreneurship overlap.
Advice: Start by attending local jam nights or hosting a vinyl listening session with a theme like “Music That Built Cities.”

Journaling with Fountain Pens / Stationery Culture
This might sound niche, but analog journaling communities are growing fast among designers and creatives.
Purpose: It slows your thinking, sharpens your writing, and often attracts thoughtful people who value craftsmanship.

Learn a Foreign Language (French, Italian, Mandarin)
Languages open up global access. You’ll meet travelers, founders, and investors who play long games across markets.
Advice: Join conversation circles or host “language brunches” — low cost, high value.

Museum or Art Volunteering
You’re not just volunteering; you’re entering the backdoor of culture. Boards, curators, and donors all gather here.
Purpose: Build credibility and proximity through contribution, not transaction.

Tier 2: Mid-Tier Social Investments

These are more structured hobbies with light financial or time commitments scalable and high trust environments.

Cooking Niche Cuisines
Mastering sushi, regional Italian, or farm-to-table dining attracts investors and creators who see food as storytelling.
Advice: Document your journey on social recipes and table photos spark natural community growth.

Golf or Padel
Golf remains timeless, but padel is the rising Gen Z power sport especially across Europe, South Asia & Latin America.
Purpose: Both sports offer consistent face time with decision makers. Play is the new meeting.

Interior Design & Antique Hunting
Vintage markets and design workshops bring together boutique hoteliers, architects, and collectors.
Purpose: Learn to spot value visually, financially, and socially. Flip a few finds for fun (and cash flow).

Tier 3: Luxury ++

These are the shared rituals of the ultra-wealthy but they’re learnable. You’re not flexing money; you’re learning the codes of a global network.

Tennis (Club Level)
Join a local club or find consistent hitting partners. The magic isn’t in the sport it’s in post-match coffee chats.
Purpose: Build relationships through consistency and shared effort.

Horseback Riding / Polo Lessons
Equestrian culture is equal parts discipline, mindfulness, and legacy. Many founders use it to recalibrate their focus.
Advice: Even a few riding lessons connect you to a surprisingly tight-knit (and generous) community.

Sailing or Yachting
Learning navigation, crewing, or racing is like an MBA in teamwork.
Purpose: You’ll find founders and financiers who use the ocean as their boardroom. Start small local marinas often offer beginner programs.

Art Collecting & Gallery Culture
Art fairs and gallery nights are where capital and creativity shake hands.
Advice: Start with affordable emerging artists or photography; even small purchases make you part of the conversation.

Watch Collecting
Luxury watches are the new social currency and the community is full of founders and investors.
Purpose: It’s about appreciation for precision, not price. Go to meetups (like RedBar) to learn the culture before buying.

Philanthropy & Impact Projects
Join a youth board, volunteer for an NGO, or build a micro-charity around something you believe in.
Purpose: This is how you meet aligned capital. Generosity is the most underrated growth hack.

Not in a Global City? Build Your Own Platform

If you’re not in a top-20 city build your own “club.” Really its that simple….

Start small:

• Host a monthly brunch, film night, or tennis meetup.

• Curate people who are building, creating, or just thinking differently.

• Document it. Communities that share stories grow fast.

When people can’t find culture, they create it and that’s the ultimate power move. Dubai built in an entire country around other peoples shared clubs, hobbies, cultures and likes.

Time is your most valuable asset so treat it like equity.

Don’t chase “access.”
Design shared experiences where value and friendship overlap.

Because in the end, the best way to meet extraordinary people…
is to become one.

"Don't stop when you're tired. Stop when you're done,"

I think about this often. My mentor says this to me every time we speak without fail. Great reminder.

Bonus! Thought of the week

Ask and you shall find out. Don’t ask and you shall continue to do dumb things that add no value.

Contrarian Take: 

Get your 8 hours in. If you don’t, others will find ways to use those hours you don’t use.