Burning the Boats and Betting on Yourself

Creator Economy, solopreneurship

“When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home.”

– Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Burn The Boats

The expression “Burn the Boats” has been attributed to many great military leaders in history: Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād of the Berbers, Herman Cortes of New Spain, the Trojans in Virgil’s Aeneid, and more.

Regardless of the origin, the meaning remains.

Upon arriving to a new land to conquer, the general would – at great risk of self destruction – order his army to burn their own boats.

Why?

So that they could not flee.

They would either be victorious, or die trying.

“There’s no reason to have a Plan B because it distracts from Plan A.”

– Will Smith

Last month, I quit my job.

In many ways, I had a great gig.

I worked fully remote. I made a six-figure salary. Perhaps most importantly, I was part of a team of smart, driven, high-integrity people.

And yet I still felt lost.

I felt like I wasn’t living up to my potential. That I had more to give.

I felt like I was working on Plan B.

And I was.

I started my career 10 years ago in B2B sales working my way through various sales and marketing roles, and helping build 5 tech startups. Some startups failed and some are still going to this day.

And despite my career “success”, it didn’t feel like success. Because from Day 1, my motivation was never to work at a tech startup forever.

My goal was always to acquire as many skills as possible, as fast as possible.

The longer I stayed, the comfier I got. I received promotions. I completed my work faster. I got better.

And it made the prospect of leaving more and more difficult.

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” – Nicholas Nassim Taleb

I deliberated with friends and family, I wrote in my journal, I tried to explore options that didn’t involve quitting completely (e.g. going part-time)…

But at the end of the day, my heart just wasn’t in it anymore.

So I did it. I quit.

I burned the boats.

(There were other personal factors to me quitting my job that I might write about in the future, if it makes sense to do so.)

I’m sharing this story with you today for two reasons:

1. Wealth Potion will be evolving.

I am extremely bullish on the Creator Economy.

This is why I’ll be focusing 100% on growing ​Wealth Potion​ into a digital media company fully dedicated to helping you grow your wealth, your skills and your business.

In doing so, Wealth Potion will evolve.

I’ll try new things. I’ll double down on things that work. I’ll stop doing things that don’t work.

So don’t be alarmed if Wealth Potion changes over the coming weeks and months.

And I would love your feedback.

I read every email reply I get, and feedback is my most valuable currency right now (even more than Bitcoin). It’ll help me figure out what’s working and what’s not.

Email Me

So I’d love to hear from you – via email, or via DM on any of the Wealth Potion social accounts.

  • What do you like? What do you not like?
  • What made you subscribe to Wealth Potion in the first place?
  • What questions about money and business do you want answered?

The 2nd reason I’m sharing this story is to ask you a question…

2. Do you need to burn the boats?

Burning the boats is not for everyone.

I know many entrepreneurs that started their business as a side hustle, and kept it that way until they were making more money with their side hustle than their salary.

Building a side hustle first is also a method that many “thought leaders” recommend, such as the anonymous sensation @BowTiedBull on X:

I tried this… and it wasn’t for me.

When I’m working on something, I need to be all-in.

When I was employed, my focus was 100% on the startup I was building, even if it wasn’t “mine”.

Maybe it’s because I can’t multi-task.

Maybe it’s because I am empathetic to a fault, putting the team’s needs before my own.

“Team Before Self” was one of our company values. In retrospect, I wonder if this was to retain entrepreneurial employees… Photo taken on my last day visit to the office to return my laptop and work equipment.

In any case, I broke away from what many “thought leaders” recommended.

And so I’m sharing this in case you’re like me. In case you also need to be all-in.

Of course, burning the boats comes with way more risk.

But that desperation to succeed might just be the fuel you need.

And now that I’ve burned my boats, you can follow my journey as I ride into battle with no choice but to win.

Anyways, that’s all for today. I’m excited for what 2024 has in store, and I can’t wait to provide even more value to you all.

To your prosperity,
Wealth Potion

1 thought on “Burning the Boats and Betting on Yourself”

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