Insights

Ideas worth building on.

Ideas, observations and practical thinking on building stronger businesses, making better decisions and creating organisations that rely less on everything living in the founder’s head.

Published
45 articles since 2023
03 · Archive

The full archive.

Every earlier article, newest first, back to the very first.

Showing 12 of 38 earlier articles

  1. 3 min read

    Entrepreneurs work 24/7 so they don’t have to work 9-5

    I was at a party recently, chatting with another entrepreneur, and she said “We work 24/7 so we don’t have to work 9-5.” Boom.…

  2. 4 min read

    PURPOSE PART 4: Your Purpose

    Purpose isn’t a slogan—it’s fuel. From Shetty’s dharma-driven clarity, to Sinek’s Golden Circle, to Burcham’s gateways of Problem, Passion, Pain, and Planet—true purpose is discovered, reframed, and lived. At Compadres, we help leaders not only find it, but turn it into action.

  3. 6 min read

    PURPOSE PART 3: The Four Gateways

    Purpose isn’t something you stumble across in a book or TED Talk — it’s unearthed through clarity, courage, and lived experience. In this piece, I share four gateways that consistently reveal purpose for entrepreneurs and leaders: the problem you can’t stop solving, the hidden potential…

  4. 3 min read

    PURPOSE PART 2: The Second Mountain

    Purpose is not fixed. As we grow, the star that once guided us begins to shift. For many in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, this shift marks the “second mountain” — a climb that’s less about ego and achievement, and more about contribution, service, and…

  5. 4 min read

    PURPOSE PART 1: What is Purpose?

    Most leaders chase goals. Few stop to ask what those goals are built on. Purpose, principles, and values aren’t buzzwords — they’re the architecture of a life worth living. In this piece, I share the framework I use to map my own life, and how…

  6. 2 min read

    The Best Leaders Think Like Farmers

    I grew up a farm boy. Long before boardrooms and business frameworks, I learned life’s toughest lessons from soil, stock, and seasons.

  7. 2 min read

    Bottlenecks

    93% of Founders feel overwhelmed. If everything still runs through you, you’re not flying, you’re stalling. It's a hobby, not a business.

  8. 3 min read

    10 habits killing your growth  

    From a Founder who’s been guilty of every single one of these, 10x… I built Compadres to help ambitious founders avoid the same traps.

  9. 5 min read

    The J CURVE of life

    Humans are wired for progress. We love evolution. New things. However, we love comfort just as much. We are massive contradictions.

  10. 5 min read

    The End of Big? Sharp Beating Scale. 

    Pictured: Sir John Hegarty The question isn’t “How big can you get?”….. It’s “How essential can you become?” On opening day at the 2025…

  11. 3 min read

    The Heart on the Plate: Shaun Christie-David and the Radical Power of Food

    Photo: Shaun Christie-David Some people open restaurants to serve meals. Shaun Christie-David opens them to serve humanity. Good Food Innovator of the Year, Not…

  12. 3 min read

    The Magic Stuff Still Matters

    Source: Tom Toro, via The New Yorker, via the Doug Shapiro Article “All Is Not Lost for Traditional Media: New Moats and New Opportunities…”…

Thinking is useful. Seeing your own business clearly is better.