Hey hey, good morning, Happy Monday.

Every so-often, I like to take a second and look back on everything that got me to the point that I’m at now.

Before The Founders Club, CROSSNET, or BODY were even a thing (or a thought).

There was a time not long ago when my Notes app was stuffed with billion-dollar ideas.

No joke, and I feel like every founder does this, right? We romanticize the idea phase.

You get that jolt of energy. Your brain lights up. You start telling yourself the story of what this could be if you just had the time. But here’s what I’ve learned after launching CROSSNET, building a second brand, and sitting in rooms with some of the most dialed-in operators in the game:

Your ideas don’t matter if you don’t build.

And most founders don’t have an ideas problem–they have an execution problem.

Let’s talk about it.

The Dopamine Trap of “Good Ideas”

Ideas feel good. You get that hit of dopamine, a little “what if…” scenario, and suddenly you’re pulling up domain names, imagining your first Instagram post, or texting your business partner with some wild plan.

And don’t get me wrong–vision matters. Creativity is one of the best parts of this game.

But creativity without follow-through is basically just business fantasy.

We’ve all met that guy who’s been “working on a startup” for two years, but hasn’t shipped a single product. Or the founder who pivots every three months chasing trends, but never sticks long enough to see results.

That used to be me.

Back before CROSSNET was real–just four guys in a tiny apartment–I used to think the idea was 90% of the game. That once I landed on the right concept, everything would fall into place.

But what I’ve learned (and what most 8- and 9-figure founders will tell you) is this:

Success is less about what you build and more about how relentlessly you execute.

Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Time or Team?

Speaking of ideas, you probably got that ONE killer idea sitting on your to-do list—maybe it’s an AI feature to handle customer inquiries, an automation plugin to streamline operations, or even a custom internal tool to keep your team moving faster. You know exactly what you want, but your team is already stretched thin or you don't even have a dev team, and the idea stays stuck as just… an idea.

Here’s the deal:

I reached out to Ed Escobar, one of our first Miami Founders Club members, about his company, Sidetool, as it takes that “someday” idea off your plate and turns it into reality—fast. Think about how many ideas you have in your head that have just been sitting there for weeks or months, Sidestool solves this.

So here’s how you can actually check off some of these ideas this week:

1) Ed and his team will scope out the idea and how affordable they can make it

2) They will build a FREE prototype so you can see your idea in action immediately—no strings attached.

3) Zero cost, zero risk. If you love what you see (they’ve crushed it for Founders Club, so I’m sure you will, they’ll talk next steps.

Stop waiting. Start building.

Book your free scope and prototype session directly with Sidetool today or hit up Ed at [email protected]

CROSSNET Wasn’t an Original Idea. It was an obsession.

Let me be completely honest here: the concept for CROSSNET? Not mind-blowingly original.

It’s four-way volleyball. Simple.

The real reason it worked?

We obsessed over executing it better than anyone else could. We figured out manufacturing overseas. We built a Shopify store when we had no idea how to run one. We shipped orders out of a garage. We handled customer support ourselves. We pitched retailers. We got turned down. We pitched again. We filmed content. We stayed up all night responding to customers.

We weren’t smarter. We weren’t more creative. We just kept going.

And that’s the thing most people don’t realize.

Your execution muscle is 100x more important than your idea muscle.

Ideas are cheap. Execution is expensive–emotionally, mentally, physically.

But that’s where the winners are made.

Why Most Founders Hide in Ideation

I’ve seen this pattern play out over and over again–both in myself and in other founders.

We use idea-generation as a safety net.

Because as long as it’s just an idea, we can’t fail. Nobody can critique it. We don’t have to put it in the real world and risk getting humbled.

Execution forces accountability.

It exposes your gaps. It shows you whether the market actually wants what you’re selling. It requires resources, discipline, and time management. Ideas are safe. Execution is vulnerable.

But if you want to build something that actually matters?

You have to choose vulnerable.

Signs That You’re Stuck in the “Idea Trap”

If you’re not sure whether you’re actually executing or just thinking about executing, here are a few signs you might be stuck:

• You’re always brainstorming but never launching.

• You start projects, but abandon them as soon as they get hard.

• You chase new opportunities instead of optimizing existing ones.

• You spend more time learning than doing.

• You constantly tell yourself: “Once I have X, then I’ll start.”
  

I’ve been guilty of every one of these. At one point, I had a list of 14 product ideas and was actively dabbling in 3 of them. Guess how many of those shipped?

Zero.

Until I killed my distractions and chose one path–and then pounded the pavement on it every day–nothing changed.

How to Build, Not Brainstorm

So how do you shift from being an idea hoarder to an execution machine?

Here’s what’s worked for me:

Limit your options.

Too many options = paralysis.

Pick one idea and commit to shipping something real in 7 days. Not a pitch deck. Not a moodboard. A real product, page, or post.

Constraints create focus.

Make Shipping a Daily Habit

I don’t care what it is–email a manufacturer, post your first piece of content, set up your website, cold DM a prospect.

Do one thing every day that pushes the business forward.

Momentum > motivation.

Build Before You Brand

You don’t need a logo. You don’t need a tagline. You don’t need a slick Instagram grid.

You need sales. You need customers. You need feedback.

Make the money, then make it pretty.

Stay in the Game Long Enough to Get Lucky

This one is big.

People look at CROSSNET now and assume we got lucky.

They don’t see the years of grind before any big break, they don’t see the nights we almost gave up, they don’t see the mistakes we had to survive to get here.

You don’t get lucky if you don’t stay in the game.

Ideas won’t keep you in the game.

Execution will.

Ideas Aren’t Rare, Executors Are

The world is full of people with great ideas.

Hell, some of them are probably better than yours.

But 99% of them will never put in the reps. Never send the pitch. Never press “launch.”

They’ll die with a Notes app full of brilliance and nothing to show for it.

You?

You’ve got the chance to be different.

If you’re building something right now, keep pushing. If you’re stuck at the whiteboard stage, choose one and start. If you’ve been “almost ready” for a while–this is your sign.

You don’t need more time. You don’t need more ideas. You need more action.

Let’s build something.

To your success,

Chris