week 131: letting go verus giving up
hard to do
thank you to over 11,000 of you who tune in weekly and share this with your friends and family. it means the world to me to have you along for the ride as we build a zero-to-10-million-dollar business (we recently crossed $6m) and beyond.
i also love adding a personal note at the end of these, and i’m so grateful for the space you give me to do that without judgment.
you have to take ownership.
for your decisions.
for your indecisions.
i had to learn that the hard way.
building a business pretty much means getting blamed for everything that goes wrong.
in some ways, it ties directly to your identity. you judge yourself based on how well you do—or don’t.
the magic is know and reflect on what’s going on.
a few examples:
when building terminus, i had to let go of my title as CMO. half the company reported to me directly or indirectly as a cofounder, and then suddenly, i became a chief evangelist… with no one reporting to me. at first, that felt like a loss. but in reality, it was the best thing that could’ve happened. it led me to write books, speak on stages, record 1,000 podcast episodes, and help the business grow 10x faster than if i had stayed in an operator role.
when building gtm partners, i spent 4 years running payroll—focusing more on keeping money in the bank than building a long-term business. but once we made the shift to becoming a true teaching and advisory company, everything changed. we started thriving. we became happier. more excited. more fulfilled than in all four years combined.
in short, letting go is not the same as giving up.
letting go is knowing you’re focusing on something more important.
giving up is letting something or someone have power over you.
once you understand the difference, it changes everything.
on a personal note, that’s exactly where i am right now—raising a teenager.
every day, i ask myself…
should i give access to the phone or take it away?
should i force a decision or let him come to his own conclusion?
should i jump in to help or let him struggle a little?
in short, should i let go?
some days, it feels like i’m giving up—like our kids are running the show. but then i remind myself… no. no. no.
i’m not giving up on my kids.
i’m letting go of the things that don’t matter in the long run so i can focus on what does.
leader point: in business and in life, know what to let go of—and never give up.
love,
sangram