Lesson Five · 6 of 13

Compression

My notes

Jot things down as you listen

“
It's the same amount of water. You didn't add any more. We compressed it.

Reality check — sales and marketing activities

Tick everything you (or your team, VA or contractors) are currently doing, or that sits on a recent to-do list. Sales and marketing only. Then ask two questions: which of these resulted in a direct, trackable sale — and which are a straight beeline to your new impossible goal?

Instagram posts / reels
TikTok content
YouTube videos
Short-form video repurposing
Podcast (hosting your own)
Podcast guesting / podcast tour
Email newsletter
Email promo sequences
Blogging / SEO content
Paid ads (Meta, Google, YouTube)
Ad creative production
Sales calls / discovery calls
DM outreach and conversations
Cold email outreach
Webinars or live workshops
Low-ticket funnel
High-ticket funnel
Lead magnets and opt-ins
Affiliate or referral program
Influencer or brand collaborations
Joint ventures and partnerships
Live launches
Community management (group, Discord, forum)
Answering comments and DMs
Speaking engagements and events
Writing a book
New offer or product creation
Website updates and redesigns
Branding, logos, visual refresh
Market research and competitor watching
Consuming courses, coaching and content
Analytics, dashboards and reporting

Reflect

Of everything you ticked above, which ones actually resulted in a direct sale that you know of or can track?

Now contrast them with your new impossible goal. Which are a straight beeline to it, and which are satellites you have been justifying?

The zero-sum game. Blank page: what are the only things you need in order to reach the impossible goal? Maximum three.

Where did you hit resistance? Write down every 'but I can't get rid of that' — then test whether it is true.

Key ideas — for reference

Same resources, concentrated, become force. The power is in the concentration.
Scattered across twenty things, your time and energy produce weak results everywhere.
Pareto: 20% of effort produces 80% of results — sometimes 10% produces 90%.
Which means roughly 80% of what you are doing is wasting your time, energy and effort.
Test each activity: is it a straight beeline to the impossible goal, or a satellite you are justifying?
The zero-sum game: blank page, add back only what is essential — maximum three things.
Expect resistance. 'I can't get rid of that' is the sound of the exercise working.
Look for potency and maximum impact, not coverage.