Who Did Say That’s Impossible?

I was at the gym last week between sets, scrolling LinkedIn on my phone while catching my breath, when I saw a post from a founder I'd talked to a couple months back. I don't even remember what the post was about. But seeing his name triggered the memory of our conversation, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I went to the treadmill, started running, and let my mind wander. Because when you're running and there's nothing to do but think, sometimes you arrive at conclusions you didn't expect.

I've been working on something lately that's turned into an unexpected time machine. A timeline document — every major moment in 20 years of running my agency. Financial records, old P&Ls, my personal spreadsheets and calculations, status newsletters I sent to the team, recorded company meetups, our Confluence knowledge base. It's monotonous work, honestly. Digging through old emails (most didn't survive server migrations), sifting through documents I haven't touched in years. But every time I hit an artifact — a photo, a message, a spreadsheet — the memories flood back. Not facts. Emotions. The joy of wins. The bitterness of losses.

Everyone wants talented people on their team. But here's what nobody tells you: talent without responsibility is a liability, not an asset. I learned this the hard way. Multiple times. And it cost me years of stress, team dysfunction, and opportunities I'll never get back.