How to Lead With Value
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Making Money by NOT Chasing It
Ever feel like the harder you chase success, the further it runs away?
Like a mirage in the entrepreneurial desert?
It’s a paradox as old as business itself: The more you focus on solving problems for others, the more your own problems seem to take care of themselves.
And I’m not talking about some fluffy, feel-good law of attraction nonsense.
This is the practical reality of how value creation works.
The Art of the Invisible Handshake
Think about it.
Every time you create something genuinely useful — a product, a service, a piece of content that resonates — you’re essentially entering into an invisible handshake with the world.
You’re saying, “Here’s something that makes your life a little better, a little easier, a little more interesting.”
And the world, in its own way, responds.
It might be with money, it might be with recognition, it might be with opportunities you never could have predicted.
It’s like planting a tree.
You don’t yank on the sapling every day, demanding it grow taller.
You nurture it, provide the right conditions, and trust in the natural process of growth.
The tree doesn’t just provide you with fruit; it cleans the air, offers shade, and becomes a habitat for other life.
The value it creates far exceeds the initial effort.
The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma (and How to Break It)
The problem is, our brains are wired for immediate gratification.
We want to see results now.
But real value creation takes time, patience, and an almost obsessive focus on the needs of others.
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle, the vanity metrics, the endless chase for more leads, more sales, more followers.
But the most successful entrepreneurs I know have a different mindset.
They’re not chasing money.
They’re chasing impact.
They’re playing the long game, building businesses that solve real problems and leave the world a little better than they found it.
And guess what?
The money usually follows.
Problem-Solution Fit: The Holy Grail of Entrepreneurship
You’ve probably heard of “product-market fit.”
But what about problem-solution fit?
This is the idea that before you even think about building a product or launching a service, you need to have a crystal-clear understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve.
Think of it like a lock and key.
The problem is the lock, and your solution is the key.
The better the fit, the more value you create.
It sounds simple, but most entrepreneurs get it wrong.
They start with a solution (an app, a gadget, a course) and then try to find a problem to fit it.
This is backwards.
The Art of Problem Excavation
To find problems worth solving, you need to become a master problem excavator.
This means talking to potential customers, observing their behavior, and digging deep to understand their pain points, frustrations, and unfulfilled desires.
It’s not just about asking them what they want; it’s about uncovering the underlying needs they might not even be aware of.
Once you’ve identified a problem that’s both painful and pervasive (meaning it affects a large enough group of people), you can start designing a solution that truly resonates.
This is where the magic happens.
The Value Creation Flywheel
Value creation isn’t a one-and-done deal.
It’s a flywheel.
When you solve a problem for someone, you don’t just get paid once.
You build trust, loyalty, and a reputation for delivering results.
This leads to more customers, more testimonials, more referrals, and more opportunities to create even more value.
The flywheel starts spinning faster, and your impact multiplies.
It’s the ultimate compounding effect.
10x Thinking and the Art of Unreasonable Ambition
Okay, so you’re ready to build your value creation machine.
You understand the importance of problem-solution fit, and you’re starting to see the power of the flywheel effect.
But to truly break through the noise and create lasting impact, you need to think bigger, bolder, and more audaciously.
You need to embrace 10x thinking.
What is 10x Thinking?
10x thinking is a mindset that challenges you to aim not for incremental improvement, but for exponential leaps.
It’s about asking yourself, “How can I make this 10 times better? How can I solve this problem in a way that’s 10 times more effective, more efficient, more impactful?”
It’s not about being unrealistic or delusional. It’s about setting unreasonable ambitions and then working backwards to figure out how to make them a reality.
It’s about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and refusing to settle for mediocrity.
The Power of Unreasonable Ambition
When you set unreasonable ambitions, you force yourself to think differently.
You break free from the constraints of conventional thinking and start exploring new possibilities.
You challenge assumptions, question the status quo, and look for solutions that others haven’t even considered.
This kind of thinking is what leads to breakthrough innovations, disruptive businesses, and lasting impact.
Think about some of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time: Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos.
They all started with unreasonable ambitions and then found a way to make them happen.
Practical Tools for 10x Thinking
10x thinking isn’t just a mindset; it’s a process.
Here are a few tools and frameworks you can use to cultivate 10x thinking in your own entrepreneurial journey:
The Moonshot Framework: Developed by Google X, this framework guides you through the process of identifying audacious goals, breaking them down into actionable steps, and mobilizing resources to achieve them.
The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal): Coined by Jim Collins in his book “Built to Last,” a BHAG is a long-term, ambitious goal that inspires and motivates a team to achieve extraordinary results.
The First Principles Approach: This method, favored by Elon Musk, involves breaking down problems into their fundamental elements and then reasoning up from there to find innovative solutions.
Embracing the Paradox
The paradox of entrepreneurship is that the more you focus on solving problems for others, the more your own problems seem to solve themselves.
But the ultimate paradox is that the more you focus on creating value that outlasts you, the more fulfilling your own life becomes.
When you shift your focus from short-term gains to long-term impact, you tap into a deeper sense of purpose and meaning.
You realize that your work is not just about making money or achieving personal success; it’s about making a difference in the world.
And that’s the most valuable reward of all.
Scott