I have been under colossal pressure.
Originally sent exclusively to The Letter subscribers on April 27th. Want to be the first to get my personal newsletter in your inbox every Monday at 7am? Subscribe for free here.
I’ll be honest with you.
I have the “how about f—k off” days.
I do have moments of quiet contemplation. More so than ever recently.
I have been under colossal pressure of late. I feel that by telling you, it helps people realise that no matter the size of your empire - big or small, you can still feel it.
I hope these honest musings from my collection of thoughts help.
I rewatched my interview with billionaire John Caudwell. (Billionaire interviews are quite the eye-opener, check it out on my YouTube channel.)
We dived into his struggles building his mega behemoth and the good stuff too!
John had things that lost money, things that made money, and for sure, he had trade-offs.
One of my trade-offs is this: I have a little dream where I’d like to take my family in an all-singing, all-dancing camper van, or a soft-top convertible, around Europe on a mega adventure for a 10-day-plus holiday.
I just can’t let myself do it.
Why? Because I’d also like to go with a calm mind.
I just haven’t had a calm or excited mind for so long.
I’ve been in the trenches, dealing with all sorts.
Running a £50m business is serious work. Before I know it, 50 will become 60, then 70, then boom, 100 million.
With every pound that number grows, so does the responsibility and the trade-offs.
Few ever know.
I know that business is tough. It’s full of constraints.
I also know that quitting is silly.
At the end of the day - “Happiness is just a little bit boring”.
The marathon does end.
Runners say miles 24, 25, and 26 are the hardest.
The closer you get to the finish, the more the pain amplifies. Quitting the race is easy. Finishing is hard. So few reach the medals of success in business.
The strangest thing for me is I can make my life so easy, so quickly.
I could just be a landlord and make YouTube videos. Write and speak at events. I could sell everything in a fire sale and still have some millions
Freedom could be mine. My ego will not allow it. My responsibility to my team will not allow it.
So instead, I choose to make over 2 million sausage rolls a year, produce thousands of gallons of ice cream, welcome millions of guests to our parks, and meet a £1.7m payroll each month.
Why?
Well, why not see who you can become? And why not you?
I’ll leave you with this from 1920s poet Edgar Guest.
I was sent this on Instagram about entrepreneurs:
Don’t Quit:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low but the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many failures turn about
When we might have won had we stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
You can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
To your continued success,
James
