I made a HUGE mistake (my 100 days of pain ahead)

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I have made a HUGE mistake.

After skipping too many workouts due to a hectic travel schedule, I got fed up with my excuses and decided I needed to kick my ass into shape with a hard challenge.

The challenge? Every day I'll complete my "founder fitness 100s" challenge. This consists of:

• 100 reps each of squats, push-ups, and sit-ups (in addition to any other workout you do that day)

• PLUS 100 efforts to grow my business

For the next 100 days straight.

The first part is straightforward: throughout the day, complete 100 reps of squats, push-ups, and sit-ups. It doesn't have to be all at once, and you can change up the movements (toe touches one day, full sit-ups another, lunges vs. squats, etc.).

My preference is doing them first thing in the morning: 4 sets of 25 reps of each movement. Safe to say I'm feeling it lol.

Honestly though, the energy you get from working out first thing in the morning is a great dopamine hit. Plus, there's something to the philosophy that doing hard physical exercise in the morning calibrates your day (I already did my hardest thing, so the rest of the day will be easier in perspective).

Now… I'm going to be honest here… the second part has been… less consistent.

My first day? I started firing out follow-up emails to old clients like I'm that friend from high school who joined an MLM: "heeeeyyyy budddyy long time no chat!"

The result? 5 emails = 3 booked meetings with clients thinking about selling their business. Great.

Then I got busy, so I calibrated what counted towards the 100 efforts:

• Outreach/follow-up email/message/cold call: 5 efforts

• Posting on social media: 10 efforts

• Commenting/engaging on other people's posts: 1 effort

• Posting a long-form video: 20 efforts

Continue with this mix until you reach 100 total efforts. Essentially, a sliding scale to ensure I'm consistently focused on ways to grow my business every day. Instead of my "got some motivation to make cold calls like Jordan Belfort" sporadic efforts that have driven my marketing in the past. If you're an entrepreneur, I know this is true for you too.

Feel free to create your own scorecard for what counts as an "effort." You might be tempted to start making enough cold calls to put a timeshare sales force to shame—but that's probably not sustainable if you're currently doing zero calls a week.

Oh, and this is all on top of the push-ups, squats, and sit-ups (I am a real jerk to myself, I know).

As with fitness, the best way to grow your business is pretty boring—being disciplined by doing what works, every. single. day.

Anyways, I'm calling this the Founder Fitness 100 Challenge—100 days of consistent growth in both business and fitness. Think of it like Hard 75, but there are more days and there isn't an obligation to tell every person in your social circle you're doing it.

Clock starts on Monday the 13th of October. Let’s go.

Reply to this email with ‘I’m in’

P.S. happy turkey weekend to my Canadian friends 🦃

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idea of the week 💡

Credit: Idea Browser

• problem: Small cemeteries operate with paper records from the 1800s. Plot maps remain hand-drawn, burial records sit in filing cabinets, and locating graves means searching through decades of yellowed paperwork. Cemetery managers waste hours hunting down information while families wait.

• idea: AgentKit - Cemetery management software that transforms paper-based systems into searchable databases with digital plot maps, automated record-keeping, and family-friendly search tools. The MVP features a web dashboard where managers upload photos of paper records that convert to searchable text through OCR, plus digital plot mapping with GPS coordinates and family tree connections.

• how it makes money: Pricing ranges from $30–$200 monthly based on cemetery size, plus setup fees for data migration. Target small cemetery managers through cemetery association networks, monument company partnerships, and SEO for terms like "cemetery management software" and "digitize burial records." The market is expected to reach $320M by 2033.

• why it might succeed: The cemetery information management software market is growing at 9.6% CAGR, driven by urgent need for digital transformation and regulatory pressure. Begin with 3–5 local cemeteries to learn workflows before regional expansion. After establishing the record digitization layer, expand into monument ordering, maintenance scheduling, and genealogy tourism tools.

• why it might fail: Moderate complexity with industry-specific integrations requires 6-month MVP timeline. Small cemeteries may resist change or lack budgets for digital transformation. Competition from established cemetery management software providers entering the small cemetery market.

friday fitness

try out these work-outs this weekend

at-home workout:

Complete this intensity-building circuit 3 times:

• 20 squat jumps (explosive power)

• 12 pike push-ups (shoulders and core)

• 30-second bicycle crunches

• 15 alternating jump lunges

Challenge: After completing all rounds, hold a plank for maximum time (aim for 2+ minutes)

gym workout:

• 4x6 barbell back squats at 80% of your max

• 3x10 pull-ups or lat pulldowns

• 4x12 dumbbell shoulder press

• Finisher: 5 rounds of 15 box jumps + 10 dumbbell thrusters

outdoor workout:

Complete at your local park:

• 20-minute progressive run (start easy, increase to hard effort by minute 15)

• Find stairs or hill: 8 sets of sprint intervals with walking recovery

• At open space: 4 rounds of 20 air squats + 15 push-ups + 10 burpees

• Final challenge: 100-meter walking lunge (yes, the entire distance)h

tweet of the week

small business growth hack = gaslight home owners into agreeing to your quote 🤣

video of the week

How to buy a business is $0 down - fact or fiction? In this short video I break down the real truth of this concept that is very much hyped by small business acquisition influencers:

my plugs

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