The "So What?" Mindset

`0:23:13`

that could lead to more growth, more revenue, more whatever, more whatever, and my answer is "So what?" I'm very comfortable with where we are. We've got a great business, high margins, very predictable. We make new stuff all the time. We enjoy ourselves. We have a great time. Like, I don't want to f* that up. I think people f* it up all the time. You get to the right size, and for whatever reason, you can't be content there. And you push a little bit too much, too hard, and you lost what was great about what you were doing. And so, this whole thing about there's money on the table, and maybe there is, and maybe there isn't, maybe there's a way to optimize, maybe there isn't. It doesn't interest me, so it's "so what" to that. I don't really care. — Tell me if this observation that I have about you is correct.

`0:23:59`

— Yeah. — You seem to have this inherent natural revulsion against optimization. — Yeah, I don't like optimization. — Okay. — Actually, okay, here's the consistency thing. It's all about context. I don't like optimization around numbers. We can make 5 million on this. Well, it'd be amazing if we could make 5.1 if we did X, Y, Z. I don't care about the X, Y, Z to make 5.1, but I am interested in optimizing a product to make it better. That, to me, is a worthwhile optimization. It's better for me because I use it. It's better for our customers because they use it. That's fun, but squeezing out an extra 100 grand off 5 million or something, is just not fun. It's boring. Not fun, boring.

`0:24:46`

Actually, beyond not fun boring. I don't even know what would be beyond that, but I'm not interested in that at all. I'd rather spend the money making the thing I make better. That is the thing I'm here for, not to squeeze an extra 100 grand out of something or an extra million out of something. I don't care. It doesn't matter. There's a point where you're doing well enough where it shouldn't matter anymore. Now, that might make me a bad CEO. Maybe someone else would come into my business and double the business overnight. That might be totally true, and I'm willing to accept that that's the case. My answer would be, so what? I don't care. — I don't even think you think of yourself as a... And there goes the "so what" again. — You asked for it. — No, I don't think you can help yourself. I don't think you think of yourself as a CEO. I don't. I don't actually even like the term, frankly. — Okay. — Like, executive officer?