Almost Daily Thoughts
June 8 – Brick by brick
In the early 2000s, LEGO almost fell apart. Too many distractions, too far from what made it great. So they went back to the brick — the system, the simplicity, the idea that anything can be built, one piece at a time. That’s what real businesses are too. Not flashy launches or constant reinvention, but solid foundations and parts that actually fit. Building, in business or life, isn’t about speed. It’s about clarity, connection, and patience. One block is nothing. But stacked right — it becomes everything.
June 5 – Clarity, patience and time
Sometimes the edge isn’t knowing where to act —
it’s knowing where not to. Every move has a cost. Energy, focus, reputation.
The wise don’t spread wide — they move narrow and deep. It’s not about doing more.
It’s about doing right, and letting the rest pass. The real builders don’t rush. They wait. They refine. They repeat. Because greatness doesn’t always look like motion. Sometimes, it’s just clarity, patience, and time.
June 4 – 7Eleven or 24/7?
7-Eleven didn’t invent convenience.
They just made it relentlessly accessible. Late hours. Right location. Essentials only — but always available. They understood that the world doesn’t move in 9-to-5 blocks. So they didn’t, either. It wasn’t glamour. It wasn’t innovation in the flashy sense. It was consistency, presence, and timing. Great businesses aren’t always about changing behavior. Sometimes, they’re about quietly fitting into it better than anyone else.
June 3 – Or simply better?
Not every idea needs to be new. Sometimes it just needs to be done differently. Or simply better. Coffee had been sold for centuries before Starbucks. No one was waiting for another café. But Howard Schultz didn’t sell coffee — he sold the space around it. A moment. A mood. An atmosphere. Same product. New lens. And it changed everything. There’s a lesson there. Innovation isn’t always invention — it’s often intention. Taking something familiar and raising the standard. Slowing it down. Sharpening the edges. Caring more than the last person did. That’s how you separate. Not by shouting louder but by doing something so quietly excellent, it can’t be ignored.
June 1 – Coffee vision
Some days feel heavier than others. Momentum stalls. Doubt creeps in. The path forward blurs. But stories like Howard Schultz’s put things in perspective. The man who turned Starbucks from a small Seattle coffee shop into a global brand — rejected by investors over 200 times. The vision wasn’t broken — just ahead of its time. He kept going. Quietly. Relentlessly. That’s what building often is. Not loud. Not glamorous. Just showing up — refining, adjusting, continuing. Progress doesn’t always look like motion. Sometimes it’s simply the refusal to stop.
May 31 – On Patagonia
Still thinking about Patagonia. Not just the gear — the way they built it. Most brands lose themselves chasing growth. Patagonia doubled down on values. They chose repair over replace. Less over more. Purpose over profit. And somehow… it worked. They weren’t trying to please everyone — just staying honest. And people felt it. Bought into the clarity as much as the product. Maybe that’s the real moat: Not hype. Not capital. But conviction. Patagonia didn’t scale by shouting. It scaled by standing still — in what mattered.
May 29 – Not your basic Blacksmith
Finished Let My People Go Surfing today. Yvon Chouinard started as a climber and blacksmith — not a businessman. And yet he built Patagonia. A brand grounded in values, not growth. Functional gear, built to last. A company that told customers to buy less. What stuck with me was how little he compromised. He didn’t scale by chasing trends — he scaled by staying true. That line keeps echoing: "You climb to the top of the mountain to see, not to be seen." Quiet conviction. That’s what I want to build with.
May 28 – Not just candies
I read today about Buffett’s early investment in See’s Candies — and it stuck with me. In 1972, he and Charlie bought it for $25 million.
At the time, Buffett still leaned toward buying things cheap. But See’s wasn’t that cheap — at least not on paper. What changed everything was how it behaved over time. Strong brand. Loyal customers. Pricing power that didn’t come from scale — but from affection. People didn’t just buy See’s. They gifted it. Trusted it. Loved it. Buffett called it a “dream business.” Not because it was the biggest. But because it endured. Steady returns. Minimal capital needs. Built-in customer devotion. It made me realize — the best businesses aren’t necessarily the loudest or the fastest-growing. They’re the ones people come back to. Year after year. And more importantly, it showed Buffett the value of quality. Of paying a fair price for a great business, not just hunting for discounts. It’s not always about buying low. Sometimes it’s about seeing clearly.
May 27 – Slowly growing
There’s a strange kind of beauty in things that grow slowly. Like trees stretching their roots deep underground, unseen but steady. In a world that glorifies speed and instant success, it’s easy to forget that lasting work takes time. Every detail matters, even the ones no one ever notices. Sometimes progress feels invisible — and that’s okay. Because what you build quietly today is the foundation for everything that comes next. The real challenge isn’t the finish line, but the patience to keep moving forward when no one is watching. That’s where true craftsmanship lives — in the commitment to keep going, day after day.
May 26 – Trust the process
Sometimes I wonder why we’re so obsessed with results — the big launches, the applause, the headlines. But real creation lives in the spaces between those moments. In the hours no one counts. In the small decisions no one notices. In the quiet commitment to do it right, even when it’s hard. There’s no shortcut here. No fast track to mastery. It’s about showing up. Over and over. Trusting the process more than the praise. Building not just for today — but for what lasts. Maybe that’s where true value hides: in the patient work no one sees, but everything depends on.
May 25 – The Greatness of Michael Jordan
Tonight, I’ve been thinking about what drives greatness. Michael Jordan wasn’t just talented — he was obsessed. Not with fame, but with the grind, the countless hours nobody saw. I read once that after missing a game-winning shot, he’d practice relentlessly late into the night. Failure wasn’t a setback; it was fuel. There’s something powerful in that refusal to settle, that hunger to keep improving when the world’s eyes are elsewhere. It’s easy to celebrate the highlight reels, but the real work happens in silence. Maybe that’s where champions are truly made — not on the court in front of thousands, but in the quiet moments when no one’s watching.
May 24 – Something about Steve Jobs
Spent the evening reflecting on what it really means to care about your work. I remembered reading about Steve Jobs insisting that the inside of the original Macintosh be just as beautiful as the outside — even though no one would ever see it. That kind of dedication is something else. It’s not for applause or recognition. It’s for the pride you hold in your craft. It makes me think about how often shortcuts are taken just because no one will notice the details. But those details matter. They are the work. Perfection isn’t just about what the world sees. It’s about what you refuse to compromise on — especially when no one’s watching. Maybe that’s the quiet heart of creation. There’s something humbling — and inspiring — about that.