I used to run sled dogs in Alaska, and my boss and mentor up there had this sign above the front door to his log home. It read:
“It takes a long time to grow old friends.”
The older I get, the more I understand what that means.
I’ve been to CaboPress 5 times. That’s a long time in “internet” years.
Through the event I’ve developed friendships, business collaborations, and even deepened the relationship with my business partner Thomas (who I only see in person about 3 times per year).
Time compounds relationships. It’s not linear in my experience.
The Mastermind behind the Mastermind
Chris Lema is the mastermind behind the CaboPress Mastermind Retreat.
Chris is a brilliant strategist, mentor and business coach. In fact at my first CaboPress, he gave Thomas and I one piece of advice that saved our company LifterLMS.
But Chris has a strength that is bigger than being a rockstar strategic adviser.
Chris’s meta skill is environment design.
You see great business leaders like Steve Jobs are praised for their vision and strategy, but there is often a meta skill above all that…
Steve Jobs designed an environment at Apple that attracted the most talented people. He created the space for high performance team relationships to develop and product innovations to flourish.
Chris Lema designs environments.
That means he designs experiences like no other.
That means he designs the opportunity for strategic relationships to form.
That means he makes the space for innovation to develop.
And he mixes in some of his own strategic advice into the conversations.
He also sets up CaboPress to be fun and stress relieving which is like the cherry on top.
In addition to environment design, Chris is a storyteller. And he helps others tell better stories.
But what you’re reading here is not just about my story or Chris’s story.
It’s also about your story.
So let me tell you a story…
If you look up on top of the mountain and you see your business future…
Your future is bright.
Your business is making good money.
Your company culture is solid.
The sales and marketing are working.
Your customers are happy.
And your stress levels are lower.
But …
There’s a river between you and the mountain.
You’ve tried to cross it before.
Others tried to take you across before. You spent money on the coaching, the mastermind, the conference, the growth hack.
It didn’t work.
And you can’t get that money back.
I’m up on that mountain right now, and I’ve got good news.
I’m coming down to tell you about it.
There’s a bridge around the corner. You couldn’t see it before, but now you can.
When you cross that bridge, the path to your bright business future is on the other side.
It’s still a climb. I’m not sugar-coating it.
There is hard work to be done.
There are tough decisions you will have to make.
There will be doubt and setbacks.
There is no easy button.
But there is a bridge.
It’s called CaboPress. Chris Lema built it.
I’ve returned and benefited from this bridge 5 times.
It’s that good.
Crossing the bridge 5 times
You’re reading 2019. Here’s what I found across the bridge on my 4 other journeys:
