Raise Your Ceiling or Stay Stuck

Running a business often feels like solving the same problems on repeat.

One week it’s cash flow.

Next week it’s staffing.

Then it’s customers drying up.

Different day, same grind.

The work feels urgent AF but if you zoom out, you realise it’s all the same problem.

The Missing Story

In every business I started before Three Mills, I kept getting stuck.

The reason?

My vision was too small.

Vision isn’t just a target. It's the storytelling engine of your business.

It’s the narrative that takes people out of the weeds and into a bigger future.

Without that story, your team just shows up for tasks.

With it, they show up to build something that matters.

Small Vision = Small Story

When your vision is small, the story shrinks too.

You’re the only character. Everyone else is just hired help.

No wonder you feel trapped. No wonder it feels like a cage.

It was right here that I felt burnout creep in. I was working harder than ever, but going nowhere.

70+ hours a week hustling in reverse...

Hardly the good life I set out to acheive.

The Shift

When your vision expands, your story expands too.

Suddenly there’s room for more characters; Your team. Your customers. New partners. A larger community.

That bigger story pulls talent in. It gives meaning to the grind. And it forces you to stop patching holes and start building the ship properly so you don't sink.

As you start thinking long-term, you stop fixing symptoms and start building repeatable systems.

Because it's bigger, you have no choice but to bring in better people to help which unlocks mental capacity for you and drives the business forward.

But the problem is, not many operators take the time to dream BIG anymore. It’s like the world forces you to be unreasonably realistic these days to the point of sustainable underachievement. 

F that! (at least sometimes). 

Give yourself a moment to run wild and think big. This world certainly needs it.

Here’s a simple practice for this week:

1) Get above it — literally.

Put on your walking shoes and climb a hill. Look out over your city or the landscape. Remind yourself your business is just one speck in something much bigger. That perspective forces you to think differently.

2) Sketch the big picture.

Grab a blank page and draw the 10-25 year version of your business if everything went right. Don’t censor yourself. This isn’t about “realistic.” It’s about giving your brain permission to escape the hamster wheel for a moment.

I give you permission to dream BIG!

3) Speak it into the room.

At your next team huddle, share a vision that feels slightly uncomfortable in size.

Notice who leans forward and gets excited. Who follows up with you afterwards. Those are your future builders.

Here’s the truth I faced:

Staying stuck in the day-to-day is optional. Expanding your vision is a choice.

That big vision becomes the story that carries you (and everyone around you) forward.

So... Raise the ceiling. Tell your story. And start living it.

I hope this resonates.