By Someone Who’s Tired of Watching You Fail

Let me be blunt: You’re stuck because you’re either trying to boil the ocean or you’re too busy overthinking. You don’t need more apps, more gurus, or another shiny system—you need a plan you’ll actually follow. Here’s the no-BS, Dan Kennedy-style roadmap to stop spinning your wheels and start growing by 10%.

1. Grab a Damn Notebook

You can’t make progress without a roadmap. Period. Too many people have brilliant ideas and leave them to die in the ether because they’re too lazy to jot them down. Grab a blank page, a whiteboard, or even a blinking cursor. Whatever it takes. Failing to plan is planning to fail—and if you’re too stubborn to take notes, you’re doomed.

Key Takeaway: Start with a blank page and map out your thoughts. No tools required.

2. Stop Aiming for the Moon

Here’s how the gurus screw you: They tell you to aim for “stretch goals” that’ll break you. If you’re just getting started or it’s been years since you’ve hit a big win, forget 20% or 50% growth. Focus on 10%. It’s doable. It’s motivating. It’s sustainable.

Examples:

• Need to lose 40 pounds? Focus on the first 4.
• Need to increase sales by $10,000? Start with $1,000.

The point isn’t to dream small; it’s to build momentum and prove to yourself that you can win.

Key Takeaway: Aim small, miss small. Start with 10%.

3. Define What Success Looks Like

If you don’t know what you’re aiming for, you’ll never hit it. What does 10% better look like? Feel like? Taste like? This isn’t some woo-woo exercise—it’s practical. If you want more money, what does the extra income mean for your life? If you want more time, what are you doing with it?

Examples:

• A paycheck with an extra $10K.
• One extra date night a week with your spouse.
• An hour of peace every day where you’re not putting out fires.

Key Takeaway: Paint a vivid picture of what your 10% improvement means.

4. Get Real About the Numbers

Stop lying to yourself about the effort required. Growth isn’t magic—it’s math. How many calls, meetings, or follow-ups will it actually take to hit your goal? Reverse-engineer the numbers and stop cutting corners.

Examples:

• Need one mega client? That might mean 10 conferences, 300 contacts, and 3,000 emails.
• Want to grow sales by 10%? Break it down into transactions, average order value, or lifetime value.

Key Takeaway: Be brutally honest about the work required to reach your goal.

5. Prioritize the Hard Stuff

Fun work is for later. Growth comes from tackling the formidable tasks first. The gurus want you to “follow your joy”—and that’s why you’re stuck doing the easy stuff while the real work piles up.

Formidable vs. Fun Work:

• Fun work: Playing with your website’s color scheme.
• Formidable work: Cold calls, prospecting, tackling bottlenecks.

Key Takeaway: Do the formidable work first. Dessert comes after you eat your veggies.

6. Identify and Address Bottlenecks

Where do you get stuck? What’s the gritty, uncomfortable work you’re avoiding? THAT’s what’s holding you back. Most people waste years optimizing their strengths while ignoring the bottlenecks choking their growth.

Pro Tip: Focus on the 20% of tasks that’ll give you 80% of your results. Forget about 2% improvements to your strengths.

Key Takeaway: The bottlenecks are where the real growth happens. Get gritty and tackle them head-on.

7. Track Progress Like Your Life Depends on It

Track your data daily, but plan weekly. This isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistency. Keep your KPIs in front of you every day, but don’t let the minutiae derail you. Weekly reviews keep you aligned without bogging you down.

Key Takeaway: Plan weekly, review daily. Track the data that matters.

8. Simplify Without Lowering the Bar

Making things harder doesn’t make them better. What can you automate, defer, or delegate? Use AI if it’ll save time, but don’t get distracted by shiny tools that don’t move the needle. Focus on efficiency that delivers results.

Key Takeaway: Optimize your approach without cutting corners on the essentials.

9. Clear Space for Growth

Growth requires room—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Declutter your workspace, your schedule, and your mind. Stop wasting energy on toxic materialism, endless social media, and pointless distractions.

Examples:

• Remove non-essential apps from your phone.
• Create boundaries for work and personal time.
• Stop wasting time scrolling and start building real relationships.

Key Takeaway: Clear out the noise and focus on what directly supports your goals.

10. Just Start

You’ll never feel ready—so start anyway. Pack your bag, say a prayer, and take the first step. Confidence isn’t a prerequisite; it’s a byproduct of action.

Key Takeaway: Stop overthinking. Start moving. Growth favors action, not perfection.

This isn’t theory. This is what works. Stop overcomplicating, stop chasing moonshots, and focus on doing the work that matters. Your 10% growth is waiting—go claim it.