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🌄  Death-Ground Strategy in Business

Yeah, so that title is violent - but the concept behind Robert Greene's 33 Strategies of War is actually pretty solid, and it's the focus of our Baking it Down Podcast this week.

You see - when there's a mountain behind an army blocking their only way of retreat, and their only option is to "do or die," they'll fight 3x harder to win.

Why? Because failure isn't an option. And when you can't afford to lose, you'll do just about anything to win. The same could apply to your business goals. If you had to sell 10 custom orders - because not selling them meant you were on the streets tomorrow, what would you do to make it happen?? I'd wager you'd do an awful lot to ensure you had a roof over your head.

🤔  "but Heather, I'm not a violent person."

Me either. Think of it this way...

If I paid you $1,000,000 to teach a cookie class, what would you do to make it happen?
Well, you better believe I'll be knocking on every door from here to Timbucktu to fill a seat, come heck or high water.

👣 Warning - this newsletter may cause some feet injuries because I might step on a few toes. But I have good reason. 👣  

🛌 But oftentimes in our businesses, we put a pillow fort behind us ready to catch us and all of our glorious excuses. 

• 🛌  I couldn't teach the class because the only venue I reached out to didn't reply.
• 🛌 I couldn't sell watercolor cookies because the one time I tried to learn it, it didn't look very good.
• 🛌 I didn't sign up for The Cookie College because I'm too busy to take a class. 
• 🛌 I can't post Reels, I don't know how to find trending music.

Those excuses look comfy, don't they? Definitely not a mountain behind your back forcing your hand of excuses and making you "do or die" try, I'd say.

They say spending 100 hours practicing something will allow you to be considered "very good" at that thing. One hundred hours sounds like an insanely long amount of time (unless you're scrolling on TikTok, then I think it translates to about 1.5 earth hours). 

But lemme break this down for you:

• 10 Minutes a Day for 600 Days = 100 Hours
• 20 Minutes a Day for 300 Days = 100 Hours
• 30 Minutes a Day for 200 Days = 100 Hours
• 40 Minutes a Day for 150 Days = 100 Hours
• 50 Minutes a Day for 120 Days = 100 Hours
• 60 Minutes a Day for 100 Days = 100 Hours 

If you sleep the recommended 8 hours a day, spend another 8 hours a day working, that leaves you eight hours to spend how you want to. Can you take one of those hours and allocate it to a new decorating skill? Planning a cookie class? Taking a Cookie College course?

You're not on a Death-Ground strategy and the only person who stands to lose here is you. I don't care. I mean, don't get me wrong - I love you, your ideas, and your business. But if you don't reach your goals - I don't care. You care. It's your life. It's your future. Not mine. 

So act like you're on a Death-Ground to reach your goals. Or at least acknowledge that your pillow fort has the finest Egyptian-sourced cotton you could spend your 10-minutes a day finding.

🌄 Find your mountain and put it behind you, then fight like heck for your future.