From my desk

How You Get From $0 → $75M+

I wanted to fly ever since I first watched Top Gun.

The roar of the engines, the freedom, the control – it all hit something deep in me. After high school, I even looked into Embry-Riddle, the Harvard of aviation schools, but the tuition grounded that dream fast.

Two decades later, I decided it was time. On my 35th birthday, I passed my FAA check ride and became a licensed pilot.

Learning to fly may teach you more about life than a four-year college degree ever could:

• It teaches decisive action under pressure
• It develops clear, direct communication
• It shows you how to plan, but adapt
• It builds real-world problem-solving
• It instills earned confidence

Oddly enough, it teaches you a lot about business too.

Here’s the truth about the “Business Growth Altitudes” that are holding your business back:

What’s Your Altitude Zone?

With my pilot license, I can fly something like a Cessna 172:

But a Boeing 737? Not a chance.

Or an SR-71 Blackbird? Looks fun… But absolutely not.

It’s all flying. But that’s about as far as the similarities go between these aircrafts.

It’s the altitude that makes the difference. The horizon shifts. The air thins. The same instincts that got you off the ground can stall you mid-flight at 50,000 feet.

The systems, methods, and instruments differ greatly between altitude zones.

A plane built for one zone will never reach another.

Just like a business built for one revenue stage will never reach the next – without upgrading its systems, methods, and instruments.

What looks right at $1 million looks completely wrong at $10 million.

Every altitude of business requires a different kind of flying.

As a pilot, I might be zooming around in a Cessna. But as an entrepreneur, I’ve been in the cockpit of billion-dollar businesses.

Here’s what I’ve learned…

The Business Altitude Ceilings

After navigating each of these stages of business, I’ve found the following to be true:

Ground Level – The Hustle Ceiling ($0–$1M)

You’ve built the plane. You’ve validated lift, thrust, and direction (offer, customer, ROI). Now it’s time to ask the real question: are you ready to get this baby in the air?

What’s holding you back:

• Everything depends on you.
• No leverage.
• No structure.
• No clear customer economics.

What gets you to the next zone:

Simplify and clarify. Build one repeatable offer that delivers consistent ROI. Focus only on what drives sales and cash flow.

Low Altitude – The Startup Zone ($1–$8M)

At this zone, air is dense and feedback is fast. Pilots fly by landmarks, weather, and the horizon. You’re steering via intuition and sight.

What’s holding you back:

• Manual control. All decisions flow through you.
• Time, fulfillment, and margin are maxed out. Quality depends on you.
• Instincts work here, but they won’t at higher altitudes.

What gets you to the next zone:

Systemize what works. Hire your first key operator. Build repeatable processes. Create consistent pricing, communication, and service standards.

Mid Altitude – The Scaling Zone ($8–$15M)

Here, the air thins. You shift from visual flying (VFR) to instrument flying (IFR). Systems replace instincts.

What’s holding you back:

• Your manual processes break under scale.
• Pressure builds if systems aren’t strong.
• Leadership gaps start to strain.

What gets you to the next zone:

Build and trust your instruments – financial controls, operational cadence, leadership structure, and data-driven decisions.

High Altitude – The Enterprise Zone ($15–$75M)

Requires pressurized cabins. Every system must be precisely calibrated; margins for error shrink. But as long as the right systems are in place? You can reach cruising altitude.

What’s holding you back:

• You’ve outgrown entrepreneurial leadership.
• But haven’t built enterprise-level executives.
• Culture and capital management are under strain.

What gets you to the next zone:

Hire executives who’ve scaled what you’re scaling, install an executive operating rhythm, and align incentives with outcomes.

Stratosphere – The Legacy Zone ($75M+)

Only advanced jets operate here. The environment is extreme, and margin for error is near zero.

What’s holding you back:

• Relying on the same engines that got you here.
• Complacency and outdated systems.
• Innovation and leadership succession are now critical.

What keeps you climbing:

Lean on automation, data, and innovation. Strategy and flawless execution sustain lift. This is where you build legacy, not just revenue.

The Keller Rule

There’s one rule that’s true across these growth zones.

It’s this: Every ceiling in business is a people problem disguised as a process problem.

Solve for leadership first, then process, then profit.