Disappointment at not being better.

Originally sent exclusively to The Letter subscribers on June 23rd. Want to be the first to get my personal newsletter in your inbox every Monday at 7am? Subscribe for free here.

Hi gang,

This weekend, I took a walk around Marsh Farm (one of my companies).

I saw some friendly weeds sprouting up to say hello, some paint that’s fallen out of love with the wood it was laid on, no name badges on our team members, the wrong music playing in certain areas, and three messy crowd barriers that looked as if they'd been on a night out and hadn’t made it home.

I refer to these as challenges; broken windows, in a sense, which presented themselves in abundance on this walk around.

I’ve mentioned these friendly weeds - or broken windows - in previous letters.

We must be better, I mumbled to myself.

A small broken window can lead to big problems, but you might leave it for another day, nothing happens immediately, you just might let a whistle of wind in or some speckles of rain.

Whistle too long and it gets annoying, this tune leads to broken roofs.

Speckles of rain you can live with for a few days, just enough time to damage the electrics.

That's right chump, before you know it - your cheque book is presented with a day out, a day out called "full refurb".

Prevention is cheaper than the cure.

A friendly weed, if not plucked, risks developing into a nasty habit that slips standards further and further.

The key is to catch things early and obsess over the small details - it’s often the little things that prevent bigger issues.

Uniforms, for example, embody a great philosophy about attention to detail.

That’s why armies obsess over meticulous shoe buffing and bed-making inspections.

Will this help win against the enemy? At first glance, probably not.

But look deeper, and you’ll see it’s a date with your future destiny - shaping habits and creating systems to support them when you need to spring into action.

Remember when teachers at school insisted your tie should be at waist length? Does it matter? Yes, because it sets a standard.

Consistent rules help us avoid leaning into convenience and bad habits.

Making your bed each morning sets you up for the day.

I’ve been pondering how to coach my team on how small actions lead to big results, and how to enforce better habits.

We work better at a tidy desk. I must find more time to walk the site and coach my teams to improve. I get so frustrated with myself.

Therein lies the problem: me.

I’m so busy pouring my energy into all our web of companies.

I could make excuses or accept the sloppiness, but I think of Tim Cook - who does more than me and I never see an Apple Store that’s not up to standard.

No excuses, I told myself. Don’t be bitter, be better.

Next thought: I’m not yet hitting Apple’s numbers and margins - and again, that’s me leaning into excuses.

I need a better system for management to follow, and I must carve out time to run mystery shops.

This will highlight to the team how these small letdowns can seriously undermine our business.

I’m the person responsible for pulling off big projects, raising funds for ambitious hairy goals, creating new attractions, and setting direction.

But today, I noticed some issues on the shop floor that told me our standards aren’t where they should be.

That’s why wandering the shop floor can be so powerful - spotting friendly weeds early before 'sloopy' gets comfortable.

Once he’s in, it’s like trying to get rid of a relative at Christmas.

Now I face an awkward conversation with myself: what to do about these friendly weeds, chipped paint, and slipping standards? How did I let this happen?

Ultimately, it comes down to resourcefulness - most people think it’s about resources. It’s not.

It’s about excellent systems and creating a culture.

Never forget: it’s not the lack of resources that stops you achieving your goals; it’s the lack of resourcefulness.

And finally, a big thank you to everyone who reads and supports my content. Thanks to your loyalty, I can now confirm I have a Netflix contract, I can't tell you how proud I am of myself.

It’s £9.99 a month for two years. I no longer need to share my niece’s password.

I no longer feel like a cheapskate, the independence it's given me, it's like riding a bike without stabilisers.

In case your taste buds have been tickled on mystery shops and the power they have, I recently bought a company that does mystery shopping.

If you’d like to find out how effective they are and how they can help tackle friendly weeds, drop me a DM on Instagram. (We may even consider a freebie for your business if it’s the right fit.)

To your continued success,

James

PS. Business Masterclass is back in 3 weeks! Don’t miss out and grab your ticket here!