I took 48 hours off, and came back with a $100K idea

Hey there,

I want to start this newsletter by being honest.

When you received last week’s issue, I wasn’t at my desk.
I wasn’t reviewing metrics or planning a launch.
I was at the beach, barefoot in the sand, and laughing with friends.

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And I’ll be real with you—many colleagues wouldn’t even think of it.

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I have worked with many founders who thought success meant being on all the time.
That the more they showed up, the more their business would grow.
That they had to be available for everything and everyone.
If they weren’t “present,” things would fall apart.

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But here’s what I’ve learned: that belief was doing more harm than good.

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It didn’t make me a better founder—it made me exhausted.
And it definitely didn’t build the kind of life I was actually working so hard for.

Here’s the truth most founders don’t want to hear:

If you haven’t made the decision to take time off, you won’t have it.

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Time won’t magically appear. Free time is a lie.
You have to create it. You have to protect it.

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And not just for rest. For clarity. For energy. For your life outside the spreadsheet.

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This isn’t just theory.
After years of coaching founders, and from my own experience, I’ve seen this over and over.

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I was the guy always asking for extra days off.
Why? Because we were working 50 out of the 52 weeks every year.

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So when I managed to get just 4 extra days, it felt massive.
That’s 40% more time if you’re only taking 10 days off a year.
And those extra days? They changed everything.

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They gave me space to think, space to breathe, and—most importantly—space to come back sharper.

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And that’s why I call it what it truly is:
A productivity hack.

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Over the years, I’ve worked with founders scaling into 8- and 9-figure territory.
The ones who grow faster? They’re not grinding nonstop.
They’ve shifted their mindset.

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They’ve stopped living to work and started building a great life around their business.

And if you think it’s just about time management or fancy leadership frameworks… you’re missing the point.

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Most founders don’t take time off because they haven’t even considered it possible.
They’ve accepted the story that being a founder means being always on.

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But here’s the irony—
As founders, we create companies out of thin air.
We turn vision into reality.
So why not create a life that works for you, too?

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Let me give you an extreme example.

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A few years ago, I did a Vipassana retreat in Jakarta, Indonesia—10 full days of silence, meditating for 11 hours a day (they call it meditation prison)... No talking, no eye contact, no technology. And in my case, no food either. I decided to do a water fast alongside it—just 4 liters of water a day, nothing else.

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It was intense. 110 hours of meditation. No external stimulation. No distraction. Just deep internal work.
And here’s the wild part: not eating for 10 days? Totally possible. Most people carry enough body fat to survive 30, even 60 days without food. (Not that I’m recommending it without preparation or medical advice.)

But here’s something even more intense—go seven days without sleep, and you die. Literally.

That’s how vital rest is to your body and brain. That’s how non-negotiable sleep is.

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And yet, so many founders will skip sleep, skip breaks, skip life, thinking it's making them more productive.

But what they're really doing is running on fumes, tanking their decision-making, creativity, and long-term capacity.

Just like fasting unlocked a healing state in my body, rest unlocks a healing and regenerative state in your business mind.

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Sleep and time off aren't luxuries. They’re the base of the performance pyramid. First comes rest, then comes nutrition, then comes hustle.

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So next time you’re tempted to work through the weekend or skip your vacation, ask yourself:
Would you tell a teammate to work 100 hours without sleeping?
Then why would you do it to yourself?

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Taking time off isn’t a risk to your growth.
It’s the smartest growth strategy you’re not using enough.

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You didn’t become a founder to build a cage.

You became a founder to build freedom.

But freedom doesn’t happen by default—it happens by design.

If you keep filling your calendar with things that matter to everyone else, you’ll never have space to think, create, or lead at the level you’re capable of.

You don’t need more grind.

You need a better system. One that protects your energy as aggressively as it protects your revenue.

Because if you burn out, nothing scales.

And if you don’t change it, no one will change it for you.

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Remember: Your calendar is not going to create free time for you. You have to claim it.

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And if you don’t do it proactively, it will get filled—by emails, meetings, fire drills, and noise.

I’ve coached founders to block out visionary time months in advance.
Because once the month starts, your agenda is already hijacked.
Plan first—and let the rest revolve around your time, not the other way around.

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If you're building a great company but also want a great life, let’s talk.

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My 1:1 Tailored Scaling Blueprint Calls are currently sold out—but the waitlist is open.
Secure your spot and get a roadmap to scale in a way that actually works for you, not against you.

Join the waitlist

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Or just hit reply if you’re stuck and need a reset. I’ll make sure you get the support you need.

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Best,

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