No rules.
Or a minute of rebellion.
We live in a society.
Surrounded by other people.
Most of humanity probably lives in some form of organized civilization.
The foundation of any society, even the most primitive, is the presence of rules and laws.
Written, unwritten—it doesn’t really matter:
- Approach the alpha’s mate, and you might lose your head.
- Skip paying taxes, and you end up in jail.
Rules and laws shape how society functions and evolves.
Whether they’re fair or serve a few elites doesn’t matter to the rules themselves.
They just exist.
Without them, it’s chaos—pure anarchy.
These rules follow us from childhood:
- Put on your socks,
- Say thank you,
- No dessert before real food, and so on.
Every society, every culture has its own set of rules, traditions, and norms.
What’s normal in one place may seem outrageous in another.
Humanity has come a long way.
Religion, as an institution, played a major role in establishing universal values and rules.
Tech revolutions and access to knowledge helped spread these moral rules beyond communities and nations to the whole of humankind.
Many things we accept as unchanging truths, almost like dogmas, and follow them without question.
Here’s the kicker.
The very rules meant to organize life can sometimes play tricks on us.
Think about it. The Universe operates only by physical laws.
Nothing else.
Rules are a human invention.
The Universe couldn’t care less about them.
Some rules align with the laws of the Universe, others try to defy them (which usually doesn’t end well).
Rules become our default: do what the majority does—that’s the “right” way.
Overall, it’s a big win for civilization.
But in entrepreneurship, mindlessly following the crowd hides an brutal truth.
There are no rules.
There are laws (like those of the Universe), but no rules.
You set your own rules.
You take the risks.
Whether you succeed or fail.
What you’re willing to bet.
Yes, you can:
- Tell the “gurus” who say it won’t work to shove it and prove them wrong,
- Shamelessly copy someone’s successful business model,
- Be an innovator and do what’s no one has ever done,
- Follow every tip on making a million in three days,
- Improve an existing solution,
- Or do absolutely nothing.
No, you don’t need permission.
You’ve already accepted responsibility.
Including the legal kind.
It’s your call.
How your team operates, if you even need one, and in what form.
Today, so much can be automated or delegated to AI.
You decide.
How to nurture and grow your customer relationships.
You.
Create the value, the delivery chain, the services, the products, and the combinations.
Don’t be afraid to make your own rules.
Don’t get hung up when people say it won’t work or that it’s forbidden.
In the end, innovation is exactly about doing what’s never been done before.
Of course, as always, there’s a “but.”
Universal human morals.
Don’t steal, don’t harm, and so on.
Though many corporations forget this in their profit-driven frenzy.
In my view, corporations have moved beyond entrepreneurship.
They’re monsters.
Logic.
Do crap work, get crap results.
Treat people poorly, get treated poorly.
There are proven strategies, grounded in psychology, technology, etc.
It’s wise to consider and apply them—but always within your context, your goals, your business stage.
What works for corporations doesn’t always fit solopreneurs.
The world we live in.
This world runs on money.
Trying to turn it into a land of “rainbow unicorns” might be a noble idea, but it’s far from realistic.
It’ll be thousands of years before that might become a possibility.
But hey, no rules—so go for it!
But that’s not all!
Follow your passion, your questions, your curiosity.
Don’t like where you are, what you’re doing, how you’re living?
Change it!
Ready to endure a lack of income, recognition, and growth, believing only in yourself and your work?
Go for it!
Okay with breaking “the rules,” hearing that it won’t work, that it’s impossible?
Do it!
And finally, I want to share one of the most important laws of the Universe.
It works everywhere, always, and without exceptions.
I remind myself of it often.
This law was perfectly expressed by the great writer Charles Dickens:
Never say never.
Think about it.
———
If you want to know more about other mess-ups and lessons on my entrepreneurial journey — subscribe to Eugene’s Stories.
See you soon!
- Eugene
And one more thing.
Today, I was just floored!
Some pissed-off, overgrown monster actually tried to lecture me about how I’m “breaking the rules” when I kill them. Seriously, what the hell?
Apparently, I’m taking out too many of them, and they weren’t ready for me to be so ruthless.
Uh-huh. Like I needed your permission.
He’s gonna tell me how I’m supposed to wipe out you assholes?
Didn’t complain for long, though. Hahaha.
And really, who ever said there are rules for exterminating hellspawn?
The only thing that matters is the result — how many of you freaks are dead.
Not whether I sent you back to hell “by the book” or not.
Stay out of my way, you creeps. I’ve got a purpose—to figure out who I am.
And I’m purging the Earth of your filth along the way.
From Nyx Thorne’s Journal
- Eugene
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Hi, I’m Eugene.
Over the past 20+ years, I’ve grown an international agency from one-person freelance to a multimillion-dollar business. I’ve led teams, scaled systems, burned out, rebuilt, and learned (the hard way) what it really takes to run a business that doesn’t consume your life.
I help them make sense of complexity, design simple systems, and create the kind of business they actually want to run.
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