How to Crush 2025: Lessons from Building $100M+ Companies
Building a successful business is no small feat. Over the past 13 years, I’ve founded multiple companies, three of which have surpassed $100M+ valuations since 2020. Along the way, I’ve learned invaluable lessons—some through success, others through failure. If you’re looking to dominate 2025, here’s my no-BS advice to help you scale your business, optimize your operations, and achieve extraordinary results.
1. Set Fewer Goals, Do Less Long-Term Planning
One of the most counterintuitive lessons I’ve learned is that less is more when it comes to planning. While long-term goals are important, obsessing over the minutiae of how you’ll achieve them is often a waste of time. Why? Because the future is unpredictable. The plans you make today will likely be irrelevant in a year due to changing market conditions, new competitors, or unforeseen challenges.
Instead of creating elaborate 5-year plans, I’ve shifted my focus to 12-week cycles. Every quarter, we identify one or two key objectives and allocate all available resources to achieving them. Beyond that, we might have a couple of annual targets, but we don’t overcommit. This approach allows us to stay agile and adapt to new opportunities or challenges as they arise.
For example, in 2020, we had to pivot multiple times due to the pandemic. If we had stuck to a rigid long-term plan, we would have missed out on critical opportunities. By focusing on shorter-term goals, we were able to adapt quickly and come out stronger.
2. Growth Isn’t Linear
Many entrepreneurs expect growth to follow a neat, upward trajectory. In reality, growth is messy. You’ll experience periods of stagnation, followed by breakthroughs, followed by more stagnation. This pattern is normal, and it’s important to embrace it rather than get discouraged.
When you zoom in on your growth curve, you’ll see that it’s not a straight line. Instead, it’s a series of plateaus and spikes. For example, you might flatline for a few months while you figure out a new strategy, then experience a sudden surge in revenue as that strategy pays off. The key is to stay consistent during the plateaus and double down during the spikes.
3. Prioritize Ruthlessly
One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is trying to do too much at once. When you spread your resources thin, you end up making incremental progress on multiple fronts instead of meaningful progress on one. That’s why ruthless prioritization is critical.
Here’s how I approach prioritization:
Identify the biggest domino: What’s the one task that, if completed, would make everything else easier or unnecessary?
Focus all resources on that task: Instead of delegating tasks across your team, concentrate everyone’s efforts on solving the most critical problem.
Move on to the next domino: Once the first task is complete, shift your focus to the next most important task.
For example, if you run a digital marketing agency, your biggest domino might be building a strong brand. By investing in your brand, you can solve multiple problems at once, such as lead generation, client retention, and employee morale.
4. Leverage is the Strongest Force in Business
Leverage is what separates good businesses from great ones. It’s the ability to amplify your efforts so that you achieve more with less. There are several ways to create leverage in your business:
Technology: Automate repetitive tasks to free up your team’s time.
People: Hire top talent who can deliver 10x the results of an average employee.
Capital: Use other people’s money (OPM) to fund growth initiatives.
Systems: Build scalable processes that allow you to grow without adding overhead.
For example, one of our portfolio companies was struggling to scale because they were manually onboarding new clients. By implementing an automated onboarding system, they were able to handle 10x the volume without hiring additional staff.
5. Understand Supply vs. Demand Constraints
Every business faces constraints, but not all constraints are created equal. Some businesses are supply-constrained, meaning they struggle to deliver their product or service due to limited resources (e.g., a cleaning company that can’t find enough staff). Others are demand-constrained, meaning they struggle to attract enough customers (e.g., an e-commerce store with low traffic).
To determine whether your business is supply- or demand-constrained, ask yourself:
Supply-constrained: Do we have more customers than we can serve?
Demand-constrained: Do we have the capacity to serve more customers but struggle to attract them?
Once you’ve identified your constraint, tailor your strategy accordingly. For supply-constrained businesses, focus on hiring, training, and retention. For demand-constrained businesses, invest in marketing, sales, and customer acquisition.
6. Talent is Everything
Your business is only as good as the people who run it. That’s why hiring and retaining top talent should be one of your top priorities. The best employees don’t just execute tasks—they think strategically, solve problems, and drive growth.
Here’s how to build a world-class team:
Hire for attitude, train for skill: Look for candidates who are hungry, humble, and smart. You can teach them the technical skills they need, but you can’t teach them to care.
Align incentives: Make sure your team’s goals are aligned with the company’s goals. For example, offer performance-based bonuses or equity stakes.
Invest in development: Provide ongoing training and mentorship to help your team grow.
For example, one of our portfolio companies was struggling to retain top performers. By implementing a profit-sharing program, we were able to increase employee satisfaction and reduce turnover.
7. Work Hard, But Smart
There’s no substitute for hard work, but it’s important to work smart as well as hard. That means focusing your efforts on high-impact activities and eliminating distractions.
For example, I took zero days off in the first 100 days of this year. While this level of commitment isn’t for everyone, it allowed me to make significant progress on key initiatives. However, I also made sure to optimize my environment for productivity. For example:
Sleep: I prioritize sleep by creating a pitch-black, cold, and quiet sleeping environment.
Work environment: I set up two desks—one for standing and one for sitting—to avoid fatigue.
Fitness: I reduced my workouts to twice a week but made them more intense.
8. Avoid Vanity Metrics
It’s easy to get caught up in vanity metrics like views, followers, or revenue. But these metrics don’t always correlate with real business success. Instead, focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive growth, such as:
Customer acquisition cost (CAC): How much does it cost to acquire a new customer?
Lifetime value (LTV): How much revenue does a customer generate over their lifetime?
Conversion rate: What percentage of leads become paying customers?
For example, we shifted our content strategy back to business-focused topics, which drove better results than broader, more entertaining content. While the latter might generate more views, the former generates more leads and sales.
9. Simplify and Delete
Overcomplication is the enemy of progress. The more complex your business, the harder it is to scale. That’s why simplification should be a core part of your strategy.
Here’s how to simplify your business:
Eliminate unnecessary tasks: Identify tasks that don’t contribute to your goals and eliminate them.
Streamline processes: Look for ways to automate or outsource repetitive tasks.
Focus on your core: Double down on what you do best and eliminate distractions.
For example, we eliminated most meetings and replaced them with daily huddles, which increased productivity and reduced wasted time.
10. Focus on Problems, Not Missed Opportunities
Problems are finite, but missed opportunities are infinite. That’s why it’s important to focus on solving the problems in front of you rather than chasing every shiny new opportunity.
For example, one of our portfolio companies was struggling with low customer retention. Instead of launching a new product, we focused on improving the customer experience, which led to a significant increase in retention and revenue.
11. Branding is Key
Your brand is one of your most valuable assets. It’s what sets you apart from your competitors and builds trust with your customers. That’s why investing in your brand should be a top priority.
For example, New Balance flipped its marketing spend from 70% bottom-funnel to 70% top-funnel, and after 18 months, they saw massive growth. By focusing on brand awareness and storytelling, they were able to attract more customers and increase loyalty.
12. In-Person Experiences Matter
In a world dominated by digital interactions, in-person experiences are becoming increasingly valuable. Customers who engage with your brand in person are more loyal, refer more, and spend more.
For example, we’ve started hosting in-person events for our portfolio companies, which has led to stronger relationships and increased revenue.
13. Data Drives Decisions
If you’re not tracking key metrics, you’re flying blind. Data-driven decision-making is critical for optimizing your business and achieving your goals.
For example, we track metrics like lead cost, close rates, and churn to identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions.
14. Rush is Imaginary
Don’t let arbitrary timelines stress you out. Focus on steady, consistent progress rather than rushing to meet self-imposed deadlines. Success is a marathon, not a sprint.
15. Culture is Everything
Your culture is the foundation of your business. It’s what attracts top talent, drives performance, and sets you apart from your competitors. That’s why building a strong culture should be a top priority.
For example, we’ve implemented a “kind, not nice” culture, where we provide clear, constructive feedback and hold our team to high standards.
16. Pay for Performance
Align incentives with outcomes. Reward your team based on their performance, not just their presence. This approach will unlock discretionary effort and drive better results.
17. Problems and Solutions Have Delays
The problems you’re facing today were created months ago, and the solutions you implement today will take time to bear fruit. Be patient and stick to your plan, even if you don’t see immediate results.
18. Content Strategy: Proof, Promise, Plan
When creating content, follow the three Ps: Proof, Promise, and Plan. Start with proof (why should they trust you?), then make a promise (what will they get?), and finally, outline the plan (how will you deliver?).
19. Platforms Matter
Email was our MVP this year, driving significant engagement and conversions. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube remain perennial champions for traffic and book sales. Don’t overlook the power of Amazon—it drives 15% of our traffic through book sales.
20. Double Down on IRL and AI
In-person experiences (IRL) and artificial intelligence (AI) are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but both are critical. Invest in creating real-world connections while leveraging AI to scale your operations.
Final Thoughts
Success in business comes from focus, discipline, and relentless execution. Set fewer goals, prioritize ruthlessly, and invest in your people and brand. If you found this valuable, share it with other entrepreneurs or your team. And if you haven’t already, check out my books 100M Leads—they’re packed with actionable strategies to grow your business.
Stay awesome, and here’s to crushing 2025!