Ben Lee 🌊

I built a $20,000,000+ agency in 5 years. And worked with clients like Google & Tony Robbins. But let me tell you a secret… I've made countless mistakes along the way. If I could go back, here are 5 things I‘d do differently: 1. Laser focus on the main business. I started other ventures while running my agency. Just to end up losing money and time. Don't get distracted by side hustles and shiny opportunities. 2. Niche down Most agencies go through a “generalist” phase at the start. But as people say, “the riches are in the niches” So instead of: "We create custom solutions for all companies" Niche down: "We create mobile apps for healthcare companies" 3. Hire the right CFO from day 1 Find an ex-banker/CFA who wants to work with you. Create an "investible" or "sellable" business. Even if you don't want to sell, you want to have the option. 4. Build more onshore capabilities Offshore resources are tempting. But it can cost you more in the long run. Hiring onshore also gives you more opportunities in the financial and government sectors. 5. Invest in a good Product Manager A dedicated Product Manager would have fast-tracked my agency's success. Hope you got value from this post! Follow @yobenlee to learn all the lessons from my 14 years in business.

The only problem was the inventor over promised and under delivered… Within 3 months, his entire manufacturing situation in China broke down.

We were so caught up on the growth side that it didn’t even occur to us that the product itself was a giant blackbox.

@HeyJamesKnight 100% agree.

You can be allergic to your environment. You can be allergic to your job. You can be allergic to your family members. You can be allergic to your lover. The first step is diagnosing the problem. Then making the change to living allergy free.

Are you interested in hearing more stories of how I’ve bootstrapped two 8-figure companies? Drop me a comment below.

Another option: bootstrap your business. Selling services, for example, requires little to no upfront capital.

What’s it like having 20 bosses…

Stop wasting hours watching your favorite YouTube creators talk about their go-to no-code tools to use. Design: @figma Website: @framer CRM: @hubspot Automation: @zapier Scheduling: @hypefury Testimonials: @testimonialto Team Workspace: @NotionHQ Time to build.

@matt_gray_ 100% agree. Let’s play in Costa Rica

I recently started playing Padel tennis. It’s the best sport ever. It's an electrifying mix of Tennis, Squash, and Racquetball. Mark my words, Padel will be the fastest-growing sport in the world over the next 20 years. Here's why:

The dark side of hustle culture. I used to be a complete workaholic. Hustling 24/7. Not taking breaks. This led me to burnout, 2 autoimmune conditions and I had to step away from my agency. Since we were young, we've been conditioned to believe that we're only successful if we have millions $$ in assets. As a result, entrepreneurs only value their self-worth based on their net worth. Most founders believe that increasing profits will make them happier. They believe closing a 6-figure contract is more important than taking a vacation. They prioritize achieving Inbox Zero over driving their kids to school. But more money doesn't mean more success. And it doesn't mean more happiness. Society makes you believe that the perpetual hamster wheel is healthy for you and it will make you rich. When in reality, it only leads to burnout and more financial insecurity. I stepped away from my agency in 2020 after my burnout led to 2 autoimmune conditions. I saw my peers trending in the wrong direction. Most agency owners I know have never taken a real vacation. Ever. The more successful an agency is, the more you have to work. It’s time for agency owners to accept that running a lifestyle business is acceptable. That they don't have to scale every year. Once they do, their mind, body, and spirit will be in a much happier place. Founders who practice healthy work/life balance have a more successful and happier life. I'm hopeful that the future will continue to show us how we've been operating for too long with misaligned incentives. And why it's time for a change. I can't wait to meet this next wave of agency owners who have put the hustle culture BS to rest. - @YoBenLee

I've sent 1,000s of cold emails. Made millions $$ in sales and got replies from a few billionaires. 6 quick tips to 10x your response rate: 1. Focus on getting a reply first. Cold email is like dating. Don’t go in too strong or you’ll scare the other person away. 2. Be different. Corky, controversial, funny, and weird are all good things to practice in cold email writing. 3. Focus on the other reader. What value are you going to provide them? Why should they reply? Too many marketers focus on themselves and their pitch. People are quite selfish so make it about them. 4. Test different avatars. Try sending outbound from your partner, your sales rep, and even your CFO. Try to target prospects based on similar interests or values as the avatar. Think of it as matchmaking. 5. Keep it short. Nobody wants to read an essay about how great your agency is and how you’ve won so many awards. 6. Always deliver value. A video demo, Loom, blog post, eBook, article. Make sure each correspondence has “value” and isn’t the typical “now let's get on a call” type email. Follow @YoBenLee for more business content!