Hi Friends,
Here is your end-of-the-week insight into what I see going on in the business world, what I’m thinking about, and what I’m learning about. Forward anything that you feel inspired to share. If this was forwarded to you and you found value, subscribe here for a weekly edition!
This year started off with a bang! I had three distinct conversations with professionals at different stages/levels about the same thing: stamina. As is the case with a new year, people spend a significant amount of time contemplating their past choices and their future.
Often, these are around health, diet, or relationships, but for at least these three individuals it was about their relationship with work. One of the conversations was easy. It was a founder whose vision is taking longer to achieve. She still wholeheartedly believes, but many around them do not. This came down to a discussion about whether they needed to do something else.
She does not. Her current situation is such that she can continue to work and fund the project for an indefinite period of time (strong personal finances, low burn). She also is still very passionate about her vision and her product. Unfortunately for her, there were some members on her team that were no longer as excited. She and her team are spending a lot of time talking without a lot of doing. I told her that she needs to have a frank conversation with them, that she is not changing her mind about her direction, and that if they cannot get on board, they need to leave.
The second conversation was with an account executive who is grossly underpaid but has options that fully vest in a year. While this conversation started off as a stamina conversation, it quickly turned into a math one. What do I mean by that? Well, I asked them if they had done the math to really understand what those options were worth. They had not.
This individual is likely leaving $150K–$250K a year on the table. So, he needs to believe that the options will be worth exponentially (well, that’s what I would need) more than that to stick around IF it is purely a financial decision. We did not have time to get into whether it is or not. Often though, if you remove emotion, many of the big decisions are nothing more than math problems.
The final conversation was with a fresh salesperson who HATES being a salesperson. When I asked them, “How much longer can you do this job?” They answered, “Forever, the money is good.”
Oh, to be young again! We got into a deep discussion to uncover whether they truly hated being a salesperson or if they were just feeling that way right now. Well, it turns out that they really HATE being a salesperson (it happens).
I advised them to start thinking about what they want to do and what it will take to get there. I also left them with this great piece of advice I got from Chris Rock (he didn’t say it to me directly, but I saw him say it on TV): “They say life is short…not if you make the wrong decisions.”
Here is to a 2025 filled with the right ones!
I cannot remember what I look like without a beard. Weird? Bloated? Old? Anyway, I imagine my wife and son would have the same reaction as these babies did when their dads shaved. They would feel BEARDfished:
Tomorrow, the NFL playoffs start. To celebrate (yes, I celebrate), I am sharing this awesome video on how footballs are prepared for games. That’s right—footballs are prepared. As some of you know, my son plays QB. I have spent a lot of time brushing footballs (I have been around 13-year-olds enough to know that sentence could have gone off the rails) but have never taken the prep work to the level in this video. I need to step up my game.
Potpourri (shoutout to Jeopardy!) is a category that covers a variety of topics.
It’s a new year, and maybe you are planning on shopping smarter this year. If that’s the case, check out what the cents portion of the price of items means at Costco. I have not verified the veracity of the pic below, but my years in retail tell me that it makes sense!
Editor’s note: “Having” (not “heaving”) a trial run. But I don’t edit for Costco. Yet.
“The soul that is within me no man can degrade.” – Frederick Douglass
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Let me know what you think about this week’s edition of Fuentes Fridays. Which section was your favorite? How can I make this better? Shoot me a message on LinkedIn @willfuentes.
Until next week!
Thanks,