The recent election reminded me of something fundamental about choice—not just in politics, but in life and business. Too often, we feel trapped by limited, binary options, each requiring some level of compromise, neither feeling completely true to who we would like to be. Most of the time, though, we don’t have to accept these compromises. Instead, we can choose to create a path that truly aligns with our values and vision.

Rejecting the Illusion of Binary Choices

For all the talk about forks in the road between a (preordained) good choice and a (preordained) bad one, I have never actually seen one.

Choices often look like clear, binary options: this path or that one, right or wrong, “success” or “failure.” Society often reinforces this either/or thinking, implying that one option is “better” while the other is a loss. But in reality, we aren’t limited to preset paths laid out before us. We all have the power to create options that don’t yet exist, options that fully align with what we want to achieve.

Embrace the Power of Creation Over Compromise

Founders and leaders know that true innovation isn’t about selecting from what’s currently available. It’s about envisioning what could be. For example, when building my business, I don’t restrict myself to current norms or what others suggest. Instead, I envision what feels most authentic and then work to bring that vision to life.

The act of creation allows us to bypass compromise altogether. Rather than choosing between two unsatisfactory paths, we can create a new option that serves us fully, eliminating the need to “make do” with less.

Steps to Start Creating Your Own Path

1. Recognize Limitations in Binary Thinking: When you feel boxed in, pause and question whether there’s another way (and what it might look like).

2. Envision Your Ideal Outcome: Clearly visualize what you want—imagine a path that doesn’t yet exist but could fully support your values and goals.

3. Commit to Creation: Open yourself to the possibility that this new path is achievable. By aligning your actions with your ideal vision, you can bring it into reality.

4. Take Action: Talk about your new reality. See if others are interested. Create with them, one small step at a time.

In any area of life, from business to personal decisions, choosing to create with the new rather than compromise with the old sets a powerful precedent.

More and more you will find yourself creating what is right for you rather than accepting the status quo.

As the year comes to a close, let go of limited options and focus on the new paths you can create. In doing so, you’ll build a business (and a life) that truly reflects who you are and what you’re here to achieve.

At this time of year, many founders and CEOs are understandably swamped. Recently, a founder I reached out to responded with, “I’m crazy busy right now; let’s talk at the beginning of 2025.” This response struck a familiar chord. Many leaders use similar words to describe their current experience, without realizing that the words they use are more than descriptors.

The words you use actually create your reality. When you say, “I’m crazy busy,” you’re not just explaining your situation—you’re creating a world that is crazy busy, and a set of rules that govern that world.

What if there’s another way?

The Overachiever’s Redline: Is This Sustainable?

In the corporate world, and especially with founders and other overachievers, there’s often an unspoken belief that being busy—right up to the edge of burnout—is the hallmark of achievement. One client put it this way: If the redline of your “engine” is 12,000 RPM, you should be pushing 11,999 as often as you can. But what if you’re pushing to do the wrong things? What’s the quality of our decisions when we’re always operating at this extreme? Is it sustainable to push this hard every single day?

For leaders in particular, the productivity mindset is dangerous. Operating at “redline” levels too often can lead to poor decision-making, burnout, and having to do a lot of things over again.

Not very productive.

The Irony of Productivity: How “Crazy Busy” Can Block Success

It may feel like a badge of honor to be as productive as possible, but ironically, this approach can actually repel the very abundance you’re trying to create. When you make yourself “crazy busy,” you’re filling your day with tasks, checking every box, and chasing every lead—yet you may not be focusing on what truly matters (and your people might not be, either). Productivity isn’t about how much you do; it’s about choosing to do the right things.

Instead of filling your day, step back and ask: What’s the one thing I really need to do today? Often, by focusing on the essential, you unlock the potential for greater impact in much less time.

Reimagining Success: Abundance, Ease, and Joy

When I coach leaders, I emphasize creating abundance, ease, and joy—but it’s important to understand the order of these priorities. It’s not about achieving abundance first and then allowing ourselves to experience ease and joy. Instead, it’s about seeing joy as an inherent part of life. As a founder, for example, you created your business as an expression of purpose, meaning, and yes, joy. This joy can bring a sense of ease, which then opens the path to true abundance.

Does this seem too idealistic? It’s not. It’s actually the fast way to any goal. Once you allow yourself to work from a place of joy and ease, you’ll realize that abundance flows naturally from there, and that the important things just come to you rather than being effortful.

Creating Abundance From a New Perspective

If this resonates, fantastic. If it feels like a stretch, let’s talk. My challenge to you is simple: see the joy that already exists in your life and work, see why you started this work in the first place, and let that be your foundation. From there, let ease emerge, and watch how abundance begins to flow in ways that once seemed impossible.

By breaking free from the cycle of “crazy busy,” you’re not just creating more space in your day—you’re creating a life and business where abundance, ease, and joy are the foundations of sustainable success.

Recently, I was talking with a client who was navigating significant changes in his leadership team. Just months after selling the company to a larger firm, he realized that some senior team members no longer aligned with the culture he wanted to create. This realization, however, came with an understandable struggle and hesitation.

I asked him what he knew he needed to do first. The answer was clear, and he took that initial step. Surprisingly, this difficult decision brought a wave of unanticipated relief from his team—they had been wanting him to make this change for some time. His team’s response underscored their own alignment with his vision and reinforced what needed to come next.

Is Struggle Necessary in Leadership?

As leaders, we often convince ourselves that we need to have all the answers before we take action. We assume that if we’re not constantly wrestling with decisions and plans, we’re not working hard enough. This mindset can lead to unnecessary stress, burnout, and even compromised decision-making.

Too often, leaders are addicted to the notion that leadership has to be challenging. We may feel that we need to earn our compensation or equity by making things hard, that ease is somehow antithetical to good leadership.

As my client learned in real time, though, some of the best leadership moves come from letting go of that mindset.

What if Leadership Could Be Simple?

When my client took the initial step he knew he needed to, it became obvious what he needed to do next, and then the next steps revealed themselves in turn. The entire process became less daunting and more natural. In fact, he laughed that it could be so simple.

This experience highlighted a powerful truth: sometimes the clearest path emerges only when we allow leadership to be easy.

What if, instead of planning for every potential outcome, we trusted the process to reveal the next step after we take the first one? Could this shift in mindset make us better leaders?

Releasing the Need for Struggle

This isn’t to say that leadership doesn’t come with challenges; of course, it does. But it’s the addiction to struggle—the belief that things must be hard—that hinders us. The more we allow leadership to be straightforward and approach each decision with clarity, the more effectively we can lead our teams and align with our vision.

Embrace Ease and Let the Results Speak

The question is: Are you willing to challenge your addiction to struggle? Are you open to allowing leadership to be simple and trusting that better outcomes may follow?

Can it really be true that you that less struggle can lead to better results?

Whether you resonate with this or you still struggle to let go of the belief that leadership has to be hard, I encourage you to reach out, comment, or share your thoughts. Let’s start a conversation around the possibility that leadership might just be easier than we think.

At my recent event, “The Other Side of the Exit: Is There Happiness Beyond the Deal?” Greg Head shared his perspective on what software founders face when building and exiting businesses. As someone who has spent decades in the software industry, Greg spoke candidly about the changing dynamics of entrepreneurship and the real choices founders can make beyond the push for rapid growth and large exits.

Rethinking Venture Capital

Greg started by addressing one of the biggest myths in the startup world: that venture capital (VC) is a must for success. “The myth of modern software is you need funding to do it,” Greg said. He pointed out that many founders believe funding is the only way to grow, but in reality, there are many alternatives that allow for growth without losing control. Greg has worked with numerous founders who have built and exited companies without massive funding, but their stories are less visible because they don’t fit the traditional narrative.

“VC funders are selling you their drug,” Greg noted. Founders often think they need to raise capital to succeed, but they don’t fully understand what it means to invite investors in and give up control of key decisions.

The Hidden Majority of Founders

Greg emphasized that the majority of founders are building solid businesses without the need for large amounts of funding. This “hidden majority” may not make headlines, but they are running businesses that are both profitable and fulfilling. “There are so many ways to do it,” Greg said. “You can grow fast, grow slow, be profitable or not. There’s no one-size-fits-all.”

His message was that founders don’t have to follow the same path as others in their industry. Whether they choose to bootstrap or raise money, what matters is finding the right approach for their specific business and goals. And the big secret is they often end up with more money in their pocket post-exit than they those who get VC funding.

The Cost of Control

Greg warned that founders who take on outside funding often don’t realize the extent to which they will lose control of their companies. “When you raise money, you’re inviting people into your house to tell you what to do,” he said. Investors can quickly become the primary focus, taking attention away from customers or employees.

This loss of control is especially clear when founders are preparing to exit their businesses. I shared the story of a client who felt completely overwhelmed by last-minute demands during the sale of his company. Greg explained that this is a common experience for founders who have outside investors. “That’s normal. Selling a company is one of the most stressful things a founder can do,” he said.

Bootstrapping as an Alternative

One of Greg’s central points was that bootstrapping is a viable and often preferable option for many founders. While bootstrapping comes with its own set of challenges, it allows founders to maintain control over their companies and grow at a sustainable pace. “Bootstrapping is hard, but so is raising money,” Greg said. “It’s just a different kind of hard.”

He also noted that the software industry has evolved in recent years. With the costs of building software decreasing significantly, founders have more opportunities to grow successful businesses without the need for external investment. This shift has given founders more control and more options than in the past.

Of course there is more external money than ever before as well, which means that the promises that investors make have become more and more extravagant.

Building for the Long Term

Greg encouraged founders to think beyond quick exits and to consider the long-term benefits of building sustainable companies. He noted that many founders feel pressured to sell because that’s what outside investors expect, but he urged founders to consider running their companies for the long term if it brings them personal fulfillment.

“What if you could keep running your company in a way that’s healthy and sustainable, without the pressure to sell it for $50 million or $100 million?” Greg asked. Many founders, he said, enjoy the process of building and running their businesses and shouldn’t feel forced to exit unless it aligns with their personal goals.

Opportunities in Niche Markets

Greg also highlighted the opportunities available in niche markets. He explained that 50% of software companies in North America now focus on vertical markets like real estate or healthcare. These businesses may not grow as fast as others, but they are often more sustainable and profitable in the long run.

“You no longer have to be one of the top three players in a huge category to succeed,” Greg said. “You can build a $5 million annual recurring revenue business in a niche and sell it for $25 million. That’s life-changing for most founders.”

The Unicorn Myth

Greg challenged the notion that every founder should aim to build a billion-dollar company. “Unicorns get all the headlines,” Greg said, “but 99% of VC-funded companies never come close to that.” He pointed out that most exits for tech founders fall in the $25 to $75 million range, far below the billion-dollar valuations often celebrated in the media.

“A lot of those billion-dollar companies leave the founder with far less wealth than they would have made selling a smaller company for $50 million,” Greg explained. His advice: focus on building something sustainable and meaningful, rather than chasing unicorn status.

Conclusion: Founders Have Options

Greg underscored a crucial message for founders: there is no one right way to build a company. Whether you choose to bootstrap or raise funds, whether you grow fast or slow, the key is to know your options and make decisions that align with your values and goals.

“Building a business is hard, but you can choose your own path,” Greg said. His insights remind founders that the ultimate goal isn’t just about scaling or selling—it’s about building something that works for them.

Does this resonate? If you are in the software world, feel free to reach out to me for an introduction to Greg or others in the space. And if you are a founder looking to connect to other founders, we’re building something there as well. Reach out to learn more.