Last year my tiny bakery crossed $11 million in annual revenue
But 7 years ago, I was a day away from filing for bankruptcy.
Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned to help you build your business.
Three things I look for in a business.
1. Recurring purchase - People buy it daily (not once a year)
2. Scaleable - There's enormous potential to grow the company
3. Diversified revenue - You can sell the same product wholesale and retail
Make the business model your niche.
I lost $600k in business in 2016.
Since then I’ve built an $11 million company from scratch.
Here are 5 common mistakes you must avoid as an entrepreneur.
Good marketing can set a new trend.
Maybe not globally.
But you don't need global domination.
Set local trends and cash in on becoming a local innovator.
A simple hack for learning more from business books:
Google an online book summary first.
It helps you understand the key concepts so you're not hearing them for the first time in the book.
It means you're ready to absorb more details about a topic.
You don’t need a mentor in business.
The best stuff is sitting on the internet for free.
Here are 10 golden lessons from brilliant business leaders:
(a must read for entrepreneurs building in 2023)
Corporate hierarchy is broken.
Old school tree diagrams. Top-down communication structures.
They can be pretty dreadful right?
I've been questioning if they're still relevant when building companies today.
I don't claim to have the answer but...
10 terms you must understand to succeed as an entrepreneur:
- ROI
- Profit
- Equity
- Assets
- Systems
- Revenue
- Strategy
- Leverage
- Liabilities
- Expenses
When you understand the game, you understand how to win.
Most entrepreneurs fail because they pick a dying industry.
Here are 7 global megatrends and how you can take advantage of them:
(find the best opportunities)
In 2016 I was broke & facing bankruptcy
In 2023 I own a 130-person company doing $11 million a year.
Here's one thing I learned about mindset:
'The story you tell yourself becomes your reality.'
It's worth taking a moment to write a compelling one.
It's likely to come true.
Last year my tiny bakery hit $11,000,000 in annual revenue.
Our secret?
Magnetic marketing.
Steal our 10 step process to build a million-dollar marketing engine here:
🧵
If you want to build consistency as an entrepreneur
- Remove complexity
- Document systems
- Outline a strategy.
When you optimise for success, it comes naturally.
In 2020 my tiny bakery had zero people on an email database.
In 2023 I have 11,000 readers and a 57% open rate.
Last year it pulled in over $1 million.
Direct email marketing should be the weapon of choice for all established businesses.
My boutique bakery business just crossed $11 million ARR.
Our secret?
Ignoring terrible business advice.
Here’re 5 lies you’re told
(and how to use an audience to your advantage instead):
I just interviewed a guy who sold his company for $750 million.
I asked him for his best advice on building a great business.
Here’s what he told me:
Focus
Before his business took off he was running it and juggling a few other projects.
One day someone said, “you really
Today's my 40th birthday.
I've spent the last 15 of them building 5 different million-dollar businesses.
Here're 40 golden insights I've learned about entrepreneurship that I try to live by:
(a must read for entrepreneurs in 2023)
Naval Ravikant once said:
“if you don't own a piece of a business, you don't have a path towards financial freedom”
Here are 5 low-risk companies you can start in your 20s (without much capital):
People who tell you that competition in business is healthy normally haven't built a business before.
Your goal is to pioneer new frontiers with less competition.
Own a market of one.
Naval Ravikant
“Play long-term games with long-term people.”
I used to struggle with this concept.
I was in a hurry to succeed.
But it’s not about going slowly, it’s about working on the right things for a long time.
I avoided posting content for 10 years.
But today, I crossed 360 consecutive days.
Here’re 6 psychological barriers holding you back from publishing daily:
Last month I caught employees stealing from my business.
Most people would get angry and fire their staff.
But these moments are an opportunity for growth.
Here’re 4 ways you can turn theft into an advantage:
My bakery business now does $252,000 per week.
But 7 years ago I couldn’t find a single client.
Here’re 10 topics I learned to accelerate the sales process:
I’m the Founder of a 140 person company.
A year ago I decided to start sharing my journey online.
It’s been brutal to find time for content, but I’ve managed to post daily for 525 days now.
Here’s why I decided to build online (and why you should too):
Ultimate leverage in
Naval Ravikant once said:
"If you don't own a piece of a business, you don't have a path towards financial freedom.”
But most people never take the first step.
Here’re 5 low-risk ways to kick start your portfolio in 2023:
I’ve started 5 different million-dollar businesses from scratch over the last 15 years.
And I’m looking to start a few more in the future.
Here’re 10 business models I’m exploring right now that you might like to cash in on too:
🧵👇
I own an $11,000,000/year bakery business
I have 130 employees and I only work 20 hours per week.
Here’re 5 habits that’ve helped me build a successful biz (without burning out):
Most entrepreneurs think banks are the only way to get loans.
The reality?
They’re often the worst place to look.
Here’re 10 ways I’ve funded my business growth to $13m annual revenue.
The company I launched now does over $13,000,000 per year.
But my friends and family said it was a terrible idea.
The wrong feedback can be costly.
So here’re 5 tips to make sure you don’t miss million-dollar opportunities:
This year my bakery business will grow to $16,000,000 in annual revenue.
But we only started growing fast once we fixed our foundations.
Here’re the 10 key pillars to help you build a successful business:
7 years ago, I used a $20,000 credit card to launch a bakery business.
It now makes $14,000,000 every year.
Most people fail at the start of their entrepreneurial journey.
Here’re 10 practical tips to make sure you’re not one of them:
2. Ignoring Cash Flow
Don't be fancy at the start.
Besides, starting in a basement or a garage is a cool story later anyway.
There's plenty of time for offices and website upgrades later.
Use every cent on things that build revenue in the beginning.
1. Failing to Plan
It still blows my mind how many entrepreneurs don't plan.
And once they launch, everything changes and they decide to just wing it.
A solid business plan is the foundation of your entrepreneurial journey.
7 years ago I used a $20,000 credit card to launch a bakery business.
It now makes $11,000,000 every year.
Here’re 10 practical tips to help you start and scale a small business successfully:
Competition can be brutal in business.
To build my company to $11 million we had to think differently.
Here’re 10 tactical ways to crush your competitors and get ahead of the game.
2) Start Low Risk
Most people get into debt fast by buying equipment and fancy offices.
I leased an abandoned cafe space for 1 year and used some second-hand equipment to get started.
Start scrappy to build profit fast.
Then upgrade later using cash flow.
Ray Dalio
"I learned that if you work hard & creatively, you can have just about anything you want, but not everything you want.”
“Maturity is the ability to reject good alternatives in order to pursue even better ones."
There couldn’t be a better way to say JUST FOCUS!
Most people focus on the entrepreneurial ‘overnight success story’.
But the real lessons come from studying their journey:
- Failures
- Lessons
- Mistakes
Here’re 10 incredible entrepreneur’s awesome insights from their tough path to the top:
Stop waiting to find your passion.
You find it on the journey towards mastering something
1. Start something you might enjoy
2. Work your butt off with mastery in mind
3. As you get good, your enjoyment increases
4. Then one day you realise you're passionate
Mastery > Passion
Sam Altman
"Most of the great companies almost died at some point. Founders who win are those who relentlessly persist."
Don’t give up. Even when you fail, find a way to iterate.
When you keep iterating, you eventually succeed.
Most companies suck at onboarding employees.
The result?
You lose your best staff.
Here’s my epic process for onboarding that’s helped me grow my team to 130 happy employees.
If you want to be a millionaire, you don't need to build the next Amazon or Apple.
I’ve built 5 million-dollar businesses over the last 2 decades using the same process.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how you can too:
6) Build a Brand (not a business)
Almost anyone can build a business.
But the real value is being the first thing people think of when they’re asked about your niche.
The secret to building a brand is:
- Be premium
- Over service
- Be consistent
Brands beat businesses.
Not getting good sleep screws your productivity.
Here're 3 ways to improve it:
- Exercise daily
- Don't over-eat at dinner
- Have a wind-down routine
- Sleep and wake at the same time
- Stop drinking water 2 hrs before bedtime
Do this for 30 days and watch the transformation.
3. Overestimating Market Demand
Research your target market thoroughly and drop your ego for a moment.
Don't assume your product or service will be an instant hit.
Instead, back up your gut feeling with real market data.
Alex Hormozi
“The best way to market your business is by doing excellent work and letting your product or service speak for itself.”
It’s so much easier to build something great and let other people share it with the world.
I went from nearly bankrupt to building a $13 million revenue bakery business.
It’s been a wild 7 years.
Here’re the 10 best lessons I’ve learned on how to start and scale a successful business:
1) Work Backward From Customers
I’m not a baker by trade but I used to be in the hospitality game.
I noticed people struggled to find excellent sourdough and pastries so I helped them solve it.
Find people that have problems and then work backward to create solutions.
4. Micromanaging Your Team
I get it, your business is like your child. It's hard to let others have control.
But if you don't empower your team to make decisions & trust their expertise, you're going to max out.
Focus on setting the direction & communicating your expectations.
If you're building a business remember this:
- Systems make it easy
- Strategy makes it clear
- Action makes it happen
- Vision makes it compelling
- Communication makes it stick
When you know the playbook, business gets easier.
5. Scaling Too Quickly
Focusing on rapid growth makes you feel like a hero but it can lead to instability if you're not ready.
In the beginning, prioritize strong foundations over rapid growth.
Speed it up later when you're nailing the basics
(easier said than done)
10) Attract Talent (Don’t find them)
Become the type of company brilliant people want to join and you’ll never have a recruiting problem.
Here’s how:
- Big vision
- Excellent products
- Brilliant leadership
- High performance culture
Do this and the best talent will find you.
In 2016 I sat in bankruptcy meetings after losing my life savings in a failed restaurant.
In 2022 my tiny artisan bakery crossed $11 million in annual revenue.
Here's how you can start a business from scratch and damn near guarantee success.
🧵👇
That's it!
I hope you got some value from this thread.
A massive thank you to those who like and retweet it.
1. Follow me
@JarrodDeaton
for more of these
2. RT the tweet below to share this thread with your audience
Last year my tiny bakery crossed $11 million in annual revenue
But 7 years ago, I was a day away from filing for bankruptcy.
Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned to help you build your business.
Remember, entrepreneurship is a life-long learning experience.
You’ll learn a lot by figuring things out the hard way.
But the best way?
Learn from the mistakes of others so you can leapfrog common setbacks and damn-near guarantee your success.
Just woke up to 10,000 followers!
I rarely celebrate the wins on Twitter because I'm not in it for numbers.
The habit of writing, the opportunity to connect & the chance to help at least one other entrepreneur is what keeps me going.
A massive thank you to each of you!
❤️
Every entrepreneur needs a network.
So when I started growing online last year, I knew I had to build one.
Here’re 23 brilliant creators that’ve helped me win so far (well worth a follow):
8) Leave Cash In
Most small business owners pull cash out for personal use the minute they start making some.
I did too…
But the problem is, growth sucks cash.
And if there’s none left to grow the business you’re screwed.
So keep at least 30% of profits on hand for growth.
5) Leverage To Get Eyeballs
Most people believe good products sell themselves.
We learned that rapid growth means borrowing audiences.
So we incentivised clients to talk about our brand and feature us on their menus.
When other people genuinely promote you, growth explodes.
3) Add Layers
We started with a tiny core product range.
After helping clients we found more problems to solve.
We used the revenue to buy new equipment & hire a skilled team to create products.
Then got aggressive on sales.
Take it a step at a time, add layers, then scale.
This habit almost never fails me in building relationships:
When your instinct is to do less for someone.
Try doing more (way more).
- You feel like a good human
- It spreads joy because it's unusual
- It almost always works in your favour.
Make overservicing your new normal.
4) Build a Culture of Innovation
Most people follow others creating the same old products.
We pushed ourselves to anticipate the future needs of our customers by constantly innovating and exploring new suppliers. & ingredients.
It's super hard for your competitors to keep up.
Justin Welsh
"Learn to sell. Whether it's your product, your vision, or yourself, selling is one of the most critical skills in business."
I never valued selling at the start
But then I realised even good things don’t always sell themselves
You need to tell the world about it
Jim Collins
"When in doubt, don't hire - keep looking."
Most small businesses feel pain and then just hire anybody.
It takes discipline and patience to constantly search for A-players without accepting anything else.
Everyone talks about how good owning a business is.
But no one speaks about when it all goes to shit.
Here’re 10 nightmares from building 5 companies from scratch (please avoid these mistakes):
@Codie_Sanchez
@Codie_Sanchez
Awesome breakdown!
I did the same thing with a bakery and grew it to $10mill in the last 6 years.
Started with a $20k credit card.
Did every step you've outlined and have recently negotiated step 7.
Brené Brown
“Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind. Whether you're leading a team or teaching a child, set clear expectations.”
I love Brene’s work because normal business advice is cold and cut-throat.
Strong leadership is delivered with clarity around outcomes and standards.
7) Vision. Mission, Values
Most people think these are just words that big companies put on their walls.
I did too until my company grew and different standards emerged.
Knowing who you are, and who you aren't is the best way to attract top talent and big opportunities.
There’s so much bullshit advice about entrepreneurship online.
If you’re not careful you can waste years listening to the wrong people.
So here’re 10 universal business lessons from superstar entrepreneurs:
(Don’t miss this if you’re building in 2023)
From zero to a $14,000,000 bakery in 7 years.
Here’re the 10 most important character traits that got me here.
(must read for any entrepreneur growing in 2023)
Most people fear failure, but it’s just a stepping stone for success.
The key?
Resilience.
Here’re 10 examples from my journey building a $14 million bakery business.
(a must read if you’re building a business this year):
9) Diversify and De-risk
One revenue stream businesses are a rollercoaster.
We stabilised the ups and downs by adding customers in different market segments.
This meant that when some groups were quiet, others were busy.
It will help you grow consistently.
I just finished 3144 push-ups in 23 days.
I’m not gonna lie. It was a tough challenge. I almost gave up before I started.
But I used the same goal-setting process that’s helped me build my business to 8 figures in revenue.
Here’s how it works:
Warren Buffet
"Never invest in a business you cannot understand."
I used to be attracted by businesses that looked easier or more profitable than mine.
Then I learned I knew nothing about them which made it risky.
Instead, focus on what you can understand.
Competition can be brutal in small business.
To build my company to $11 million ARR we had to think differently.
Here’re 7 tactical ways to crush your competitors and get ahead of the game.
James Clear
"Design your environment to make the actions that matter most as easy as possible."
One of the best pieces of business advice I took from his book.
When you set up your space to make it easy to do the thing that gets results it’s nearly impossible to fail.
365 days ago I started posting content online daily.
No idea what to say
No content system
No apps or tech
No audience
I just showed up daily and posted topics that would have helped me a few years ago on the journey towards building my $11 million business.
But since then...
Business is a lonely game.
But no one tells you that at the start.
There are plenty of people around you but because it's such a massive personal growth journey you end up a different person.
Remember to connect with a new network along the way.
Peter Thiel
This one's a bonus.
"If you are copying these guys, you aren't learning from them."
I used to watch my competitors closely.
But that guarantees you’re always a step behind them.
Instead, focus on being unique & continually improve so they started watching you
I felt a ton of guilt about outgrowing people as my company grew.
You feel like you should tow everyone along with you as you build.
But the reality is, you can't
You must let some people go & find new hires who are excited to keep pace with your growth
Get lean to get fast.
Magnetic company culture is the secret for attracting talented people.
Here's how to build it:
1. Have a huge vision
2. Recruit only A players
3. Promote their growth & development
Create an environment that supports their success & happiness.
Talented people will find you.
If you want endless ideas for what to write on Twitter you probably know that you can just scroll the feeds of other people and use their content as inspiration.
But the hard bit is training your mind to not mindlessly consume their content.
That's just procrastination.
If we've learned anything over the last few years, it's that no job is secure.
In fact, entrepreneurship might just be the safest career path you can take in 2023.
If you want to build momentum, steal this simple 5-minute ritual:
It's called Do Well, Do Better.
At the end of every day write down one thing you did well today that you'll keep doing.
And one thing you want to do better tomorrow.
Simple system > big results.