The Optimized Entrepreneur

Optimizing Entrepreneurs so they can do more

Category: Entrepreneurship

  • It Has to Get Worse Before It Gets Better (Here’s Why)

    It Has to Get Worse Before It Gets Better (Here’s Why)

    2–3 minutes

    Toward the end of the year, my mind keeps coming back to the same idea (especially around the time we all reflect on the past year and look out to the incoming year). Why does real change so often wait until things get worse? Not a little uncomfortable. Not mildly annoying. Worse in a way that finally pushes us to move.

    I see this pattern everywhere. In work, in health, in relationships. Mild discomfort rarely leads to action. We put up with it. We complain about it. We tell ourselves it is fine. But we don’t change. Change begins when staying the same feels harder than moving forward.

    There is a name for this idea. It is called the Activation Energy Principle. It comes from science, but it fits human behavior well. Activation energy is the amount of force needed to start movement. Below that level, nothing happens. Even if something feels uncomfortable, we stay put. Only when the pressure crosses a certain point does change begin.

    That explains why people stay in jobs they don’t enjoy or habits they know aren’t good for them. It isn’t great, but it isn’t bad enough. The discomfort stays below the line where action feels necessary.

    This is where many people get confused. Discomfort is not danger. Discomfort is information. Think about working out. When your muscles are sore, you don’t think something is wrong. You know your body is adapting. Growth usually feels worse before it feels better.

    The mistake is panicking when things feel harder. We assume we failed. We think we made the wrong choice. But what if things getting worse is actually a sign that change has started?

    “Change begins when staying the same feels harder than moving forward.”

    Here is where the idea gets interesting. What if we didn’t wait for life to push us past that line? What if we chose hard things on purpose? Not silly struggles. Not making life harder just to suffer. Real challenges that help us grow.

    Comfort can trick us. It tells us we are done growing. It says this is good enough. Stay here. That voice sounds calm, but it slowly holds us back. The biggest changes often come when someone chooses to stretch before they are forced to. The workout you do even when you feel fine. The conversation you avoid because it feels awkward. The goal that scares you because it shows your limits. Those choices matter.

    We are built to grow stronger under pressure. Without it, we slowly lose our edge.

    So here is the invitation. Take an honest look at your life right now. Ask yourself if you are just uncomfortable enough to stay the same. Not falling apart. Not truly growing. Just getting by.

    What would it look like for real change to begin? Not later. Not when things break. Now.

    Sometimes things have to get worse to force change. That is true. But the faster path is choosing growth before pain makes the decision for you. Sometimes the sky is not falling. Sometimes you are standing right where growth begins.

    GabrielCruzPerez
  • How to Identify Your Ideal Client Avatar (So Your Marketing Finally Converts)

    How to Identify Your Ideal Client Avatar (So Your Marketing Finally Converts)

    3–5 minutes

    If you’ve ever stared at your phone wondering what to post, what to say, or who you’re even talking to… it’s not because you’re “bad at marketing.”

    It’s usually because you’re trying to be everything to everybody.

    There’s a quote I heard years ago: “If you want to please everybody, sell ice cream.” Even that probably doesn’t work anymore. The point is simple: the wider you cast your message, the less it lands.

    And when your message doesn’t land, everything gets harder:

    • Your posts get ignored
    • Your engagement drops
    • You attract wrong-fit clients
    • You waste time, energy, and sometimes ad spend
    • You feel constant uncertainty

    That uncertainty is the real pain. Not “I need better content.” Not “I need a new funnel.” It’s the daily stress of not knowing who you’re speaking to.

    The green hat test: why clarity removes stress instantly

    Picture walking into a networking event with 100 people. You don’t know where to start, who to talk to, or how to introduce yourself.

    Now imagine your job is only to talk to people wearing a green hat.

    You walk in, see three green hats immediately, and ignore the other 97 people.

    That’s what it feels like when you’re crystal clear on your ideal client avatar. The overwhelm drops. The uncertainty disappears. You stop chasing everyone and start connecting with the right people.

    Why specificity creates connection (and precision drives results)

    A generic message is forgettable.

    If you stand up and say, “I help people,” nobody feels pulled to talk to you. It’s too broad to be meaningful.

    But if you say, “I help single fathers who are struggling as small business owners stay consistent with fitness,” someone in that room will think: Holy cow. That’s me.

    Or in real estate: “I help veterans use a VA loan to buy a condo.”
    Or in beauty: “I specialize in curly hair for women.”

    That’s what specificity does. It creates a moment of recognition.

    “When everyone is your audience, no one is your audience.”

    The fear that keeps people generic: “What if I miss out?”

    Here’s the fear: If you pick one person, you might miss someone else.

    “What if I don’t get the buyer who isn’t a veteran?”
    “What if I don’t get the condo buyer who isn’t in my niche?”
    “What if I’m leaving money on the table?”

    The harsh truth: when you widen your message to try to capture everyone, you usually convert almost no one.

    “When everyone is your audience, no one is your audience.”

    The math that makes this real

    Let’s compare two pools of potential clients.

    Pool A: 500 random people (mixed bag)
    If you convert at a typical 2%, that’s:
    500 × 0.02 = 10 clients

    Pool B: 50 ideal people (hyper-specific)
    If you convert at 50% because you’re speaking their exact language:
    50 × 0.50 = 25 clients

    You reduced your pool by 90%… and got more than double the clients.

    And if you go even further—if your message is so dialed in that you convert 75% of that ideal pool:
    50 × 0.75 = 38 clients

    You don’t need a bigger audience. You need the right audience.

    The “one person” filter

    Here’s the filter to use for the next 60 days:
    If I had to choose one person to speak to, who would get the best results from my work?

    Another powerful angle comes from the idea that you’re often best positioned to serve who you were five years ago. You remember the pain. You understand the obstacles. You know what would have helped.

    There are people right now who are struggling with what you already know how to solve. Your job is to identify them clearly.

    Skip demographics. Go deeper.

    This is where most people get it wrong. They list demographics and call it a day:
    Age. Gender. Income. Location.

    That’s surface-level.

    The deeper work is this:

    • What’s their biggest want? (Not the surface want—the deeper desire behind it.)
    • What’s their biggest struggle? (The specific roadblock keeping them stuck.)
    • What’s their core frustration? (What makes them feel defeated or exhausted?)
    • What are they trying to solve daily? (The problem consuming their thoughts.)
    • Who is your message not for?

    When you nail this, your content becomes obvious. You don’t post “tips.” You speak directly to what they’re feeling right now.

    Your final output: the simple framework

    Fill in this:

    • My ideal client is __.
    • They want __.
    • They’re stuck because __.
    • They’re tired of __.
    • They wish they could __.

    Then turn it into one sentence:
    I help __ who struggle with __ so they can __.

    That’s the foundation. And until you have it, few things will be heard.

    This blog was inspired by module #1 of a 3-part course centered around finding and communicating with your ideal avatar. This course can be found in our free coaching community at https://bit.ly/RealtorGrowthLab

    GabrielCruzPerez's avatar

    GabrielCruzPerez

  • The Flat Part of the Graph: Why Your Breakthrough Needs This Season

    The Flat Part of the Graph: Why Your Breakthrough Needs This Season

    2–3 minutes

    The idea of the overnight success is a myth that refuses to die. We see someone suddenly explode onto the scene and assume everything happened in a moment. Yet behind every fast rise is a long stretch of effort that most people never notice. It is the flat part of the graph that makes the spike possible.

    Think of the classic hockey stick chart. The line stays perfectly flat for a long time. Nothing about it feels inspiring. Nothing about it looks like progress. Then suddenly, the curve tilts upward and shoots toward the sky. It appears dramatic and instant. But the truth is that the dramatic moment depends entirely on the slow one.

    The flat part of the graph is where most of life’s meaningful progress happens. It is where you take steps that feel small and repetitive. It is where you show up without much to show for it. It is where your effort rarely gets noticed or celebrated. And it is where people often feel the strongest urge to quit.

    Yet this stage is essential. The early groundwork is not wasted time. It is the hidden compounding that eventually creates momentum. The small things you do, even when they seem pointless, become the building blocks of your future breakthrough. This is the heart of the Matthew Effect, where small advantages accumulate until they become large ones.

    The only way to reach exponential growth is by staying in the flat part long enough.

    If 2025 felt slow or discouraging, it does not mean you are off track. It may mean you are in the most important season of your growth. The danger is not in going slowly. The danger is in stopping too soon. People often quit in the flat part, unaware of how close they are to the curve shifting upward.

    You cannot predict when your spike will happen. But you can be certain that it will never arrive if you abandon the work that builds it. Staying consistent during the quiet season is what unlocks the exponential season.

    If you are in the flat part right now, stay the course. You are building the conditions for your future breakthrough, even if you cannot see them yet. Keep moving. Keep compounding. Your curve is coming.

    GabrielCruzPerez
  • Build Your Big Why, Mission, and Vision (Before You Touch Your Goals)

    Build Your Big Why, Mission, and Vision (Before You Touch Your Goals)

    2–3 minutes

    Most goal setting begins in the wrong place. We rush to numbers—$100,000, one home a month, “learn more”—and then wonder why the energy fades by February. The problem isn’t motivation. It’s sequence. Goals are step four. The first three steps are Big Why, Mission, and Vision.

    Start with your Big Why (the soil).
    Your Why is the emotional foundation. It’s the reason a setback stings and a win matters. “Family” is a beginning, not a destination. What about family? College tuition for your twins? Retiring your parents? Buying the lake cabin where you host every holiday? The more concrete the picture, the more your brain treats it like a commitment instead of a wish.

    Try this: close your eyes and jump five years forward. Where are you? Who’s with you? What changed about your mornings and evenings? Write what you see, hear, and feel. Then refine it into three sentences: (1) What you experience, (2) who benefits, and (3) the defining moment that proves it matters. If your Why doesn’t move you, it’s not specific enough.

    Define your Mission (the building).
    Mission is why you exist—not a task list. It should be big enough to outlive a single quarterly target. Use this formula:
    “The mission for my life is to [do something I’m passionate about] by [method] using my [unique gift/skill].”
    Maybe it sounds like: “To empower families to find belonging by guiding them home using my calm coaching and systems.” Or: “To help entrepreneurs do more than they thought possible by installing clarity and simple processes.” Notice how a Mission isn’t married to a job title; it travels with you as seasons change.

    Picture your Vision (the impact).
    Vision is your mission in motion—the effect on the world when you’re doing the work. If an orphanage’s Mission is providing safe shelter, the Vision is graduates who become thriving adults, perhaps opening orphanages of their own. Your Vision answers, “Whose life is different because I show up, and how will we know?”

    Now earn your numbers.
    Only after Why→Mission→Vision do we set goals. A teacher whose Vision is 100 confident readers can choose a tutoring goal like “25 students per quarter,” a cadence that ladders directly into the impact. When motivation dips, reconnect to the Why and Vision; numbers make sense again.

    Put it together this week:

    1. Write your Why in vivid detail.
    2. Draft your Mission with the formula.
    3. Describe your Vision in outcomes anyone could observe.
    4. Translate Vision into one measurable goal you can celebrate—then design your plan.

    You don’t need more discipline; you need more clarity. Clarity fuels commitment. When your goals stand on the soil of a compelling Why, housed in a sturdy Mission, and aimed at a living Vision, inaction becomes impossible.

    You don’t need more discipline—you need more clarity. Clarity fuels commitment.

    GabrielCruzPerez