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`0:31:00`

it doesn't feel like a real thing to me. It feels like a concept. Meanwhile, the dry cleaner down the street, I can drop off my shirt, I get it cleaned, they bring it up, I pick it up from the person who owns the place. This is her living. This is what they do. There…

`0:31:45`

But I just prefer smaller businesses. Our customers are small business owners, and I don't care about enterprise customers. I don't want them. I like small, medium-sized businesses. They're more like me. I understand who they are. I understand what they do. I like that kind of stuff. — So, a business that can…

`0:32:31`

Sandwich place, subs, Italian joint, whatever. You go in, and they're open as long as they have bread. And they just sell out, and they're closed. That's it. They're done. — They're not making... — They could sell more. — That's anti-optimization. Yeah. — Yeah. They could, I'm sure, get more sacks of…

`0:33:17`

It is the quality, too, but they could get more quality bread also. Okay, so where do you stop? Like, where does this end? Well, we could stay open till 6:30. I mean, 7:00, probably. We could do 7:30. Someone's still at the door, we could do 8:00. You could see how…

`0:34:06`

I can understand the appeal there for a while, but I also think there's something very just simply beautiful about enough. Now, I don't own that business. They might wish they had a lot more revenue and sold a lot more sandwiches. So, I also want to recognize the fact that I'm looking at…

`0:34:55`

— Is it important? — I feel fortunate. — Is the time important to you? If I could tell you, "Okay, you can make the same exact amount of money that you made in 27 years, but you made it in 15, and you're done," you'd take the 27? — Right. I would take the 27. — Because... — The money…

`0:35:41`

that sustain over a long period of time, that allow us to enjoy our craft and our work over a long period of time, and we are in control of that as much as we can be. The market can change. Anything can happen at any time. But I can control my costs, I can control my…

`0:36:26`

but I can reverse engineer that I bet it's a badass, killer company, too, because that's how I look at things, by the way. I look at the products, not the companies. I look at the products and go, "Oh, that's a great product. I bet that's a great company." Or, "This product…

`0:37:12`

There's been different variations of it, but they're always improving on a theme. It's roughly the same thing every iteration, but slightly better. It comes in a big box, very easy to assemble. It's a big machine, but it's very easy to assemble. The display is black and white LCD, not even…

`0:37:59`

A paper clip and a Concept2 Rower, hard to improve on both of those things. I have deep admiration for that kind of thing. I still wouldn't want to trade my company for theirs, because I don't know anything about what they do. I know what I do. But I can still respect and admire…

`0:38:46`

Just figure out today, and figure out tomorrow, and figure out tomorrow. I've always been mystified by people who think they can figure out the next three years today, but they're afraid of figuring out tomorrow, tomorrow. I need to plan the next three years, so I can do that. I can plan, what, 900…

`0:39:34`

What does it do? It knows where it wants to go, roughly, and it runs, and it scurries, and it stops and it looks around, and then it scurries some more, and it stops, and it looks around, and it scurries some more. It doesn't need to get exactly where it wants to go. It knows…

`0:40:21`

and most of them take just much less than that. But six weeks is the most we're willing to think ahead, and then day to day, the six weeks is like where the squirrel is headed, so it's not super clearly defined. It's generally defined, and then we figure it out as we go…

`0:41:10`

So, I don't know what's going to happen five Mondays from now, but well, today's Thursday, so let's just take Friday. Five Fridays from now or tomorrow, I probably have a better idea of what might happen tomorrow than I do five Fridays from now. So, I'll worry about those when I…

`0:41:56`

They're like, "You seem to have something good going right now. What does success look like — Oh. — five years from now?" So, you hate the question I'm going to ask you. — Yeah. — I'm going to ask what your answer is, and I'm going to tell you what my answer to that question is…

`0:42:43`

So, yeah, I'm with you, which is like this. — I feel... — This is the answer, basically. — I've read all your books. I've listened to almost all your episodes. We've shared a bunch of meals together. — Yeah. — And I never even knew that you just did the day thing, too, because I was like…

`0:43:30`

— Yes. — and I want to make a great product. — Yes. — And so my answer to that question is just like "This." — "This." — Like, five years from now, I just want to be making more podcasts. I know I'm going to be — Yes. — reading books forever. — Yeah. — That's the only unbroken habit I've ever had…

`0:44:18`

because I've examined the things I've come into enjoying doing. He says, "You don't find your passions, they find you." And I've always believed that. And I didn't know that, but I've always believed it, but I didn't really know that I believed it. When he said it, I'm…

`0:45:05`

— No, it's not that I don't believe you. — Maybe we do this until 80, right? — Hopefully. — And I hope you do, too, because you're damn good at it, right? But who knows? And it's okay. It's okay. This is why the whole idea of a five-year plan, it's kind of…

`0:45:52`

and pull in all these people and set up all these contingencies, and you make the big decision, and it goes sour, it goes south, whatever. Maybe it works out, but maybe it doesn't. And then it's so hard to make those calls. It's so hard to deal with the ramifications of those things…