It’s Thursday people!!!

To the tens of thousands of you guys who read this every week, seriously thank you for sticking with me and hanging onto every word.

I just signed a life changing Docusign about 15 minutes ago and have some MASSIVE news that I can reveal to the world in a few weeks time. If you’ve been following me on social you might be picking up some hints, but lets just say I’ll finally have the mental headspace to be 100% all in on some projects I really care about.

As I sip my morning matcha (with this $35 honey I got swindled for at the farmers market), I’ve been holding onto a quote that my partner said almost a year back that has just really stuck with me.

When you’re trying to build something that is life changing you need your team distraction free and 100% focused on the mission. I’m the first to admit I love going on vacation, watching sports, and enjoying my weekend but when I’m on and working I’m ALL in on building the one thing we are trying to do. Not a million side projects, distractions, investments. My team can rely on me because the business is top of mind 100% of the time.

It just has to be that way.

I have big goals. My wife and I are both aligned that it would be incredible to sell both The Founders Club & the pilates studio by we are in our late thirties and be set. It doesn’t mean we wouldn’t work again, but we’d have the financial freedom to pick our new version of stress, and most importantly spend time building a life of meaning and memories with our children.

Its just become increasingly obviously you have to be building with people who are all in. No exceptions. No excuses. Otherwise you’re just holding yourself back and will never reach your true potential. And you’re only cheating yourself by not getting there.

If the first few paragraphs have resonated with you so far, buckle up you are going to love this newsletter. I’m going to turn back time and start with a time when I felt underestimated. When I just wanted to look my highschool friends in the face and say fuck you for doubting me. I made it.

Every founder I know has felt underestimated at some point. That’s what fueled us. We were the “you’re too young,” “you’re too ambitious,” “you’re too risky” kids. We carried that chip on our shoulder like a badge of honor.

It drove us. It made us. But no one talks about what happens when that narrative flips. When you start to win, the world stops doubting you, and starts ignoring you. When you’re not underestimated anymore, you’re just overlooked.

And it feels worse.

The Identity Crisis of the High Achiever

Early on, being doubted gives you purpose. You have something to prove. You’ve got fire. I always remember one of my childhood bestfriends (who is certainly not reading this) always used to say I was never going to get into my dream college or become a filmmaker.

He was right about one thing, I definitely wasn’t cut out for the film world. But I used that doubt for fuel for years. Hell, ten years out of college I still subconsciously do.

Chances are, you’ll outwork anyone because you like being the underdog. But what happens when the room shifts? You walk in and no one’s questioning you. They’re probably not even watching.

You’ve become expected. It’s subtle, but it stings. You no longer get the energy of the challenge. The applause of the win just is not there anymore.

You’re just in the game. Quietly. Consistently. And for someone who’s built an identity around proving people wrong, that feels like death.

Success Gets Lonely, Not Because You’re Alone

But because fewer people see you. You’re not the hungry one anymore. You’re the “he’s already crushing it” guy, and that feels different. You’re the “she’s killing it” placeholder at dinner parties.

Nobody’s asking you real questions or holding you to a higher level. They assume you’re good, but maybe you’re not. Maybe you’re stuck in a loop or questioning your next chapter. If you’re finding yourself at this point, you need someone to challenge you again. This is what no one warns you about when you finally start “making it.”

Your fire fades because the friction disappears and to be honest I felt like this from 2020-2022 when CROSSNET was in its peak. Things were going very well, but I didn’t have anybody I could truly rely on and be honest with that I trusted when things got tough and damn did they.

To be honest, we here it all the time at The Founders Club. The narrative of “You can only grow as fast as the rooms you’re in” is so damn true.

Most founders hit a ceiling not because of a bad product, because of the market, or because of execution. They hit a ceiling because they don’t feel that push anymore and thats why that saying exists “If you’re the biggest fish in the room you’re in the wrong room.”

When you’re early-stage, everyone’s got advice. Everyone’s got doubt. Everyone’s got feedback.

When you’re mid-stage, and you’ve got traction, people start leaving you alone. You become a “success story” they use in podcasts, not someone they actually push, and that’s dangerous.

Because it’s in the tension, the:  “why are you doing it that way?” The “what’s actually keeping you small?” The “who do you really need to become?”

That’s where the most significant periods of growth happen.

Portless Makes it Happen

As my days at CROSSNET wind down, there are only a handful of companies that actually made a difference to our success. Once you actually have product market fit, I’ve realized I end up spending most my time trying not to get distracted by the bells and whistles and shiny object syndrome.

The one company that actually made a difference is Portless and continues to for so many of my friends.

Crazy enough, Black Friday is around the corner and if you’re in ecom, you already know what that means:

• Cash flow crunches
• Pressure to stock up
• Margin math that makes your head spin

Portless helps brands flip this entire dynamic on its head.

Here’s a real life situation for you and how Portless has helped me for the past two years.

I’m sold out of inventory in the USA. My customers are complaining and the Meta ads are ripping. I don’t want to shut off the ads. I can only take so many complaints and know its going to take 30-45 days for the inventory to arrive, then customs, then the warehouse team to unload it and then finally ship to the customer.

Portless cuts out ALL of this time and has saved me so much margin, storage costs, and all of our backorders.

Simply load up your inventory from your manufacturer and send it to one of Portless’ international warehouses. If you’re manufacturing in China you can LTL it to their Chinese warehouses and then they will ship it directly to your customer via air. The customer now gets the order in 5-7 days, you keep running profitable Meta ads, and you avoid a 60 day backorder!

Less capital tied up. Better margins. More flexibility. And their onboarding is white-glove.

Book time with their team right here if you want to see what that could look like for you. I promise its worth 5 minutes of your time. Absolute game changer.

Final Thoughts

The first half of your career is fueled by proving people wrong. The second half is about proving yourself right. But you don’t get there alone. You get there in a room where people see your blindspots, the story you’re stuck in, and call you higher. And most importantly you understand your why.

This is not calling you out, it’s calling you up. You can be so much more than you are right now. Get after it.

Ps. I’m not really supposed to be promoting it anymore since we only have like 15 tickets left, but if you are planning on coming to Founders Forum in NYC on September 19th, you need to buy a ticket today. You can get one of the last ones here.

Hope this one hit for you! Always just an email away. Would love to hear from you.

All the love in the world,

Chris