The 3 Realizations I Had While Climbing A Mountain In Boulder
The answers come when you aren't looking for them.
Yesterday, the fam and I took an amazing hike in Boulder.
It felt great to be out in the sunshine and watch the kiddos run around in nature. The Little Dude is a pro rock climber, and The Sweet Girl continues to be the weirdest little human I've ever met.
During the walk, I felt like I gained more clarity on my direction.
It’s Monday, so I’m not overthinking this one. Just gonna shoot from the hip.
LFG. 🔥
Nothing Clears the Head Like the Mountains
Yesterday was the first warm day in what feels like months. Jules read me a funny meme that said something like:
“You don’t think seasonal depression is real until you see the sun for the first time in months and it feels like you just popped a molly.”
I've never done Molly (I did way better drugs), but I can definitely relate. This winter has been COOOOOLD in Colorado, and yesterday the sun was truly giving us life.
By the end of the hike, Jules and I were carrying both kiddos, and it felt good to be sweaty and tired.
Here’s a quick snapshot of our hike.
The Realizations I Had
1. I need to continue improving my leadership: Now that I don’t have a big team like I did with Stodzy, I need to embrace and get better at roles I haven’t needed to fill before. For instance, project management continues to be a challenge. The reality is that I don’t have the same infrastructure. There are pros and cons to being a big company just as there are pros and cons to being small. Now that I'm starting over, I must embrace wearing different hats.
As the owner, I must be better at the details.
For example, one customer had an error on his website. Last week we worked hard to ensure the functionality was perfect for an event he had this weekend, but when the event came, there was a reCAPTCHA error I didn't know about.
This really bothered me. It's probably an easy fix, but when the customer needed his product to work, it failed. Worse, this error could've been prevented if I'd been proactive in breaking and rigorously testing the site before pushing it live.
Things happen, but I could’ve prevented this with just 30 minutes of beta testing.
These little things really add up. I need to do better.
2. Quantum Leads is definitely my future: I know how to build an agency, but this time around, I have much more experience. I know which mistakes to avoid and what to prioritize.
More importantly, I know how to differentiate myself from every other boring marketing agency. There's such a low barrier to entry for entrepreneurship now, and the market is filled with hacks and low-skill workers who revert work to the mean.
I'm reminded of Jeff Bezos’ final letter as an Amazon employee. He writes about how being "different" fundamentally defies nature because all nature attempts to revert systems of energy to the mean.
Being different is an act of defiance, but it's exactly what separates life (or success) from the systems around it. The new products, services, directories, and IP I'll build will turn Quantum into a services and tech hybrid, making it more valuable and positioning me for a bigger exit.
3. I’m on the right path: Sometimes it's weird to put myself out there so openly through this newsletter because in business, you never want to seem like a loser. The truth is, I've had so much uncertainty over the past year. I've second-guessed myself constantly.
It FINALLY feels like I know what I'm doing and have a clear vision. I love health and wellness, lead generation, building companies, and sharing my journey with you.
I'm on the right path. Sure, the road ahead can feel cloudy sometimes, but I finally have faith and trust in my future and my decisions. It’s a good feeling.
Okay, So What’s Next?
Keep working, one day at a time.
In my view, many people quit because they expect a big payoff or a moment when it feels like they've "made it." I've made a lot of money and can point to a lot of success stories in my career thus far, and it never once felt like I reached a moment of achievement or victory.
There are no trophies in entrepreneurship. There's no victory parade. There’s only the next day and the day after that. We’re playing an infinite game, and the purpose of an infinite game is to keep playing.
We create problems when we set expectations around success or winning. There is no winning. There’s no score. There’s only the daily process of improvement and evaluating your growth.
Entrepreneurship is the ultimate self-development course.
Driving home from the hike, I thought a lot about how this journey is all about self-improvement. The journey itself is the whole point.
Love you guys. Talk to you tomorrow.
Tim
Learn How To Create Multiple Streams Of Income
Join the TimStodz Incubator.
As a member, you'll get access to:
A vibrant community of like-minded entrepreneurs and creators.
One-on-one access to me for personalized guidance.
Exclusive courses on topics like building directories, getting clients, and scaling income streams.
Behind-the-scenes insights into my business journey, including how I’m building my portfolio to $10M a year.
VIP access to live lessons, tools, and strategies I’ve used to create real results.
All of this is hosted on Substack, keeping everything simple, streamlined, and effective.
Start building your future today. Click here to join the Incubator before the price goes up!
Project management is not talked about enough in entrepreneurship in my opinion. As a former project manager, I'm partial to project management tools that make life and the client communication easy. I use Basecamp and it helps me organize my projects and to-do's. Also, I'm in the process of putting together SOP's for everything I do.