Life
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - We had a leaky funnel. So I did nothing. - July 24, 2026 🚀
My usual move is ship fast and fix it later. But Luna had a leaky funnel — only 5% of downloads started a trial — so for once I stopped for two months, thought it through, and made Luna freemium.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - I found the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids of business - July 17, 2026 🚀
My daughter got a toy Dyson for her second birthday and I assumed some Amazon private-label seller was printing money. I was completely wrong. The company is Casdon — a 79-year-old, 3-generation family business that doesn't create demand, it just shrinks it.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - I love a good deadline - July 9, 2026 🚀
I love a good deadline — the self-imposed, line-in-the-sand, this-is-shipping-whether-I-like-it-or-not kind. My deadline system, why it beats perfectionism, and the Super Age app that pegged my biological age at 26.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - 🇺🇸 Gratitude for America. - July 3, 2026 🚀
Given we’re celebrating 250 years of America this week, I thought it’d be fun to take a break from business and write about something I’m genuinely grateful for.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Starting a business? Make sure you do this first. - June 26, 2026 🚀
I chat with a lot of young people (18-24 years old) that want to start their first business (and judging by my inbox, a lot of you read this newsletter 👋).
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Don't mess it up - June 19, 2026 🚀
One of my favorite business strategies is: Don’t mess it up.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - The Trough of Sorrow - June 12, 2026 🚀
Every entrepreneur eventually finds themselves in what Paul Graham calls The Trough of Sorrow.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - The Enchanted Forest - June 5, 2026 🚀
Someone should go build this business. (And cut me in for 5% 😉)
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - I love being the dumb beginner - May 28, 2026 🚀
Being a beginner is an absolute blast. No expectations. No massive performance goals. No pretending you have it all figured out. Just pure: “Alright… let’s see what happens.”
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Steal this playbook - May 21, 2026 🚀
I love a good playbook. It makes this messy world of startups and business feel a little less chaotic.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Blowing the first impression - May 8, 2026 🚀
If my work week was a movie, the title would be: Nailing the First Impression (I Hope).
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - I've got nothing - May 1, 2026 🚀
Well… this has been my notebook for the last 30 minutes. A whole lot of… nothing.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - The Infinite Game - April 24, 2026 🚀
If you’re a founder, here’s your friendly reminder: You’re playing an infinite game.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Shoes to GPUs. The ultimate pivot? - April 17, 2026 🚀
We've all heard the term "pivot."
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - I've been a coward - April 10, 2026 🚀
I've been a coward. There. I said it. For the last few months I've been playing a very fun game called 'Why We Definitely Shouldn't Market Luna Yet.'
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - A Love Letter to Useless Side Projects - April 3, 2026 🚀
I think going all-in on one thing is borderline magic.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - History for happiness - March 27, 2026 🚀
History is undefeated. I meet with a lot of founders and lately there’s a theme:
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - What's the limiting factor? - March 13, 2026 🚀
For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1 — one thought, one interesting find, and one image from my life.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - How the hell did I get here? - February 19, 2026 🚀
Have you ever started a business…and then woken up 2 years later like: How the hell did I get here?”
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - What it takes for a YES - February 13, 2026 🚀
I've been saying a word that historically made me sweat a little.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Enjoying the journey (and accidentally becoming patient) - February 6, 2026 🚀
For most of my life as a founder, my operating system was simple: Move. Faster.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Double black diamond businesses - January 23, 2026 🚀
This has been my 13in screen for the last few weeks. Just terminals. Just building.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - What am I up to this year? - January 9, 2026 🚀
Like many of you who read this silly little newsletter, I use the last week of the year to reflect, zoom out, and get clear on how I actually want to spend my time in the year ahead (as opposed to how my calendar thinks I want to spend it).
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Last newsletter of the year! - December 19, 2025 🚀
I got calendar aggressive. Like… no longer a polite suggestion. More of a hostile takeover.
- Life
Ben's 1x1x1 - The least best qualified humans - December 12, 2025 🚀
I heard this quote the other day about how rare it is to find two things in life: quality businesses and quality people.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - When inspiration strikes, act on it. - December 5, 2025 🚀
I don’t know about you, but I get these bizarre pockets throughout the year where my output goes straight into video-game cheat code mode.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - The Egg Empire That Trades Like a Tech Stock - November 21, 2025 🚀
Let me confess something up front: I've been deep in an egg rabbit hole. Yes, that's a real sentence.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Going Pro - November 14, 2025 🚀
It's a fun time in the world of entrepreneurship. Mainly because you can build, research, and test faster than I can get through a season of the Silo (10/10, put it on your “avoid my responsibilities” list).
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Just Say “YES” - November 6, 2025 🚀
Man… I’ve been on a losing streak lately. One of those “universe keeps kicking me in the shins” kind of weeks
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Be the Barnacle 🐋 - October 31, 2025 🚀
I've been obsessed with platform tailwinds after coming across a few Shopify apps that have had loads of organic success.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Japan’s Great Business Sale 🇯🇵 - October 24, 2025 🚀
Japan has a record number of small businesses for sale right now.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Find your growth mindset peeps - October 17, 2025 🚀
I spent the week in Mexico with a few gents who geek out on business as hard as I do.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Is swallowing words of frustration and pretending to be calm a superpower? - October 10, 2025 🚀
Building a business in health, AI, and fast-moving tech? Yeah, I really went for the "extra spicy" difficulty level.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Pistachio Farms 🌳 - October 2, 2025 🚀
Ever get curious about how much an employee really does? Easy solution: just hijack their job for a week.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Steal My Morning Pep-Talks - September 26, 2025 🚀
At the very top, I write a little message to myself. A mini pep-talk.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Deal fell through - September 19, 2025 🚀
It takes a lot of alignment and magic to get an M&A deal to close. Over the last 2 months, I pushed really hard to purchase a business in the agriculture sector.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - How to get recommended by ChatGPT - September 12, 2025 🚀
I talk to 6+ companies a week about growth, marketing, and how to stop feeling like their sales pipeline is a tumbleweed blowing through town.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - The Milk Man - September 5, 2025 🚀
I've got a random thought for you all today. We have a 1-year-old. Which means we are buying A LOT of milk.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - Rapid Traffic - August 29, 2025 🚀
The whole point: before I pour time and money into building a thing, I want to know if anyone on planet Earth actually wants it.
LifeBelly to Belly- Ben's 1x1x1 - August 22, 2025 🚀
We live in a world where “connecting” means staring into a 2-inch Zoom box while pretending you don’t look at yourself the whole time.
LifeThe Deal Team Assembleth - Ben's 1x1x1 - August 8, 2025 🚀
After selling WeHero and The Impact Job, I did the logical next thing: I jumped to the other side of the table. The buyer's table.
LifeOperational Excellence - Ben's 1x1x1 - July 25, 2025 🚀
At Pono, one of our core values is Operational Excellence, which sounds like something you'd find on a corporate mug, but I swear it actually means something around here.
LifeI Launched a Print Newspaper in 2025. On Purpose. - Ben's 1x1x1 - July 18, 2025 🚀
Yup. Real ink. Real paper. Real people holding it in their hands.
LifeMy favorite part of building a business - Ben's 1x1x1 - July 11, 2025 🚀
There's a lot that goes into building a business. Ideas, product-market fit, funding, growth… yada yada yada. But my favorite part?
LifeThe Ultimate Startup - Ben's 1x1x1 - July 4, 2025 🚀
Sometimes I think about how the founding of America was basically a startup.
- Life
The last 5% - Ben's 1x1x1 - June 27, 2025 🚀
I always forget how brutal the last 5% of a project is. It's like the boss level you didn't train for.
LifeOld School All The Way - Ben's 1x1x1 - June 13, 2025 🚀
I think it’s so easy to let AI take over… well, everything. It’s kind of like the first time I discovered Bitchin’ Sauce.
LifeI Respect The Endurance - Ben's 1x1x1 - June 6, 2025 🚀
I respect the endurance. Recently I've talked to a few founders who spent years in the startup desert. No product-market fit, no salary, no exit in sight. Just vibes and ramen.
LifeWhat if we did it differently? - Ben's 1x1x1 - May 30, 2025 🚀
What if we did it differently? That's the question that keeps popping up in my head lately. Not "how do we scale faster?" Not "how do we raise a round?"
LifePlaying The Long Game - Ben's 1x1x1 - May 23, 2025 🚀
My wife works for Workday. If you don't know Workday, it's a giant publicly traded company that does HR, payroll, and finance software for companies that actually read their employee handbooks.
LifeI need your help - Ben's 1x1x1 - May 16, 2025 🚀
Alright everyone. This one's a little different than my usual Friday email. I want your feedback on a new project I've been diving deep into called Luna.
LifeMy momentum hack - Ben's 1x1x1 - May 9, 2025 🚀
Every now and then, life hands you a “boss level” challenge. Big workload. Big problems. Big dreams. Big uh-oh. When that happens, I try to go full beast mode.
LifeThis Idea Might Suck (Here’s How to Tell) - Ben's 1x1x1 - May 2, 2025 🚀
“When do you throw in the towel?” Honestly… this is the question that haunts every founder more than their bank balance.
LifeThe Creative Act - Ben's 1x1x1 - April 25, 2025 🚀
I don't paint. I don't write poetry. I believe that my form of art is really building businesses. Most of the businesses (especially the brands) are really just an extension of myself.
LifeBrands Are Moats - Ben's 1x1x1 - April 18, 2025 🚀
With the barriers to entry basically crumbling in most industries (like, your cousin Todd with a WiFi signal can prompt build a website and suddenly become a "tech bro”) you need to invest in moats.
LifeI hate pulling trains uphill - Ben's 1x1x1 - April 11, 2025 🚀
Why building in a shrinking market feels like dragging a locomotive uphill, and how picking the right TAM changes everything.
LifeThe View from 10,000 Feet - Ben's 1x1x1 - April 4, 2025 🚀
Here's a weird phenomenon: when I'm running my own business, every decision feels like diffusing a bomb blindfolded.
LifePersonal Opinion Alert: Being a Solo Founder Sucks - Ben's 1x1x1 - March 14, 2025 🚀
I’d trade all of that in a heartbeat to build cool stuff with cool people I love spending time with.
LifeMarketing is just... hard - Ben's 1x1x1 - March 7, 2025 🚀
I share this all to say: if marketing feels like you’re just setting cash on fire while whispering “please work” into the void, congrats, you’re normal.
LifeWho's your hype man? - Ben's 1x1x1 - February 28, 2025 🚀
This dude, Mufasa, is not just fired up for Friday. He's got the greatest hype man of all time backing him up. And that got me thinking… Everyone needs a hype man.
LifeThe Oldest Company In The World - Ben's 1x1x1 - February 21, 2025 🚀
We're talking thousands of years old. Like... companies that were around before your ancestors figured out how to boil water.
LifeA High Bias for Action - Ben's 1x1x1 - February 14, 2025 🚀
There are a lot of great traits to look for in the people you surround yourself with, but the standout for me recently is a high bias for action.
LifeMy 100th email! - Ben's 1x1x1 - February 6, 2025 🚀
If this is your first email, don't worry, you're only 99 behind. I thought a lot about what to write today.
LifeMy AI Bummer Post - Ben's 1x1x1 - January 31, 2025 🚀
AI is moving so fast it feels like I'm watching an avalanche, and my brain won't stop spinning.
LifeBison, lots of land, and thousands of changes - Ben's 1x1x1 - January 17, 2025 🚀
Every week I send a 1x1x1: one thought, one find, and one image from my life.
LifeThe #1 tool in my bathroom 🚽 - Ben's 1x1x1 - January 10, 2025 🚀
Alright, I'm kicking humility to the curb today. My wife and I crushed our 2024 goals!
LifeOatmeal King 🥣 - Ben's 1x1x1 - December 20, 2024 🚀
We went to visit Bob's Red Mill! Yup - the oatmeal and flour company.
LifeStair stepper businesses 🧱⬆️ - Ben's 1x1x1 - December 6, 2024 🚀
Stair stepper businesses. Just like all of us unique flowers, businesses grow in lots of different patterns.
- Life
Coffee and Inspo - Ben's 1x1x1 - November 22, 2024 🚀
For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1.
- Life
The Anti Salesman - Ben's 1x1x1 - November 15, 2024 🚀
I had 8 sales meetings this week. 50% were belly to belly which I love. But I don't think of them as sales meetings.
LifeYou pushed out to the world 🌎 - Ben's 1x1x1 - November 8, 2024 🚀
This little side project is actually a decent business with a huge following raking in 700,000 visitors a day to the site with an audience of over 1 million people.
LifeSuper human contractors 💪 - Ben's 1x1x1 - November 1, 2024 🚀
I LOVE building teams. It's one of the big reasons I love starting companies.
LifeThe 2nd richest family in the world 💰 - Ben's 1x1x1 - October 25, 2024 🚀
I’m in Bentonville this week meeting with clients, spending time in person with the Pono Ventures team, and riding bikes. Since we’re in the land of Walmart’s HQ, I did a little dive on the Waltons.
LifePurple Cows 🐄 - Ben's 1x1x1 - October 18, 2024 🚀
Purple cows are one of the greatest business/marketing strategies ever. So today I thought I would share 9 of my favorite purple cows.
- Life
I'm making wine - Ben's 1x1x1 - October 11, 2024 🚀
I share this all to say: if marketing feels like you're just setting cash on fire while whispering "please work" into the void, congrats, you're normal.
LifeSolitude, reflection, growth - Ben's 1x1x1 - October 4, 2024 🚀
Last week, I did something a little different—I went on a solo retreat. Yup, just me, myself, and I.
LifeThis simple business is bringing in $6,160 / day 👀 - Ben's 1x1x1 - September 27, 2024 🚀
This simple business has been right under my nose for years quietly bringing in $6,160 / day.
LifeThe man who taught me sales - Ben's 1x1x1 - September 20, 2024 🚀
I was thinking recently about the people who've had the biggest impact on my life. The ones who shaped where I am today. One of those people is Skip Miller.
LifeThe path to a $3.3M property 🏠 - Ben's 1x1x1 - September 13, 2024 🚀
I'd get so fired up by the idea that I'd lose sight of what really matters — the outcomes.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - September 6, 2024 🚀 - How We 4x'd MRR in 8 Months
I love it when you can find little levers in a business that drive meaningful changes. One of our businesses Pono Ventures has been on a growth tear this year creating good (and some bad) results.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - August 30, 2024 🚀 - Sales Trainwreck to Sales Ninja 🥷
5 Sales Hacks: How to Flip the Script, Listen More, and Close Deals Like a Pro
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - August 23, 2024 🚀 - How much does it cost to buy a ski park 🎿
OMG OMG! Our local ski park Mt. Bachelor just went up for sale. This is super interesting to me. I mean, how cool would it be to own your local ski park with the right investor group/partner?!
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - August 16, 2024 🚀 - Embracing Rejection 🛑
Rejection sucks. Or at least it did for me for a long time.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - August 9, 2024 🚀 - Losing mindsets are toxic 💀
Losing mindsets are as toxic as the hot pocket I consumed yesterday. Maybe the olympics are wearing off on me, but I have been obsessed with the idea of winning mindsets recently.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - August 2, 2024 🚀 - Back in the trough
I looked at 38 businesses this week for potential acquisition targets. Many have a business that is dramatically different than the business they set out to start.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - July 26, 2024 🚀 - I looked at 38 businesses this week. My take away.
I looked at 38 businesses this week for potential acquisition targets. Many have a business that is dramatically different than the business they set out to start.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - July 19, 2024 🚀 - Red Ocean Strategy 📕
As entrepreneurs, we all dream of the blue ocean. Not the blue ocean that you can see from your vacation villa in Tahiti (maybe next year Ben). We dream of the blue ocean for business that has few to no competitors.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - July 12, 2024 🚀 - Shots On Goal
My business partner and I have a lot of weaknesses. But amidst our graveyard of weaknesses, I think we have a few strengths. One of our greatest strengths - we take a lot of shots on goal.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - July 5, 2024 🚀 - Inspired To Give
The fact that my cousin is 29 and has this thriving business is not what was inspirational. The inspiration, was that he is 29 and is already aggressively giving back.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - June 21, 2024 🚀 - Legacy businesses
I've been thinking a lot about legacy businesses recently. Basically the business equivalent of a family heirloom that doesn't gather dust.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - June 14, 2024 🚀 - You want how much for this business?!
Getting your dog groomed isn't the only thing that's expensive these days. Businesses are expensive!
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - June 7, 2024 🚀 - My Most Productive 120 Minutes
You lose 36% of your investment in GameStop. "Expected." Then, your dog somehow got into the neighbors yard and ate one of their chickens. "WTF?!" Then you get a flat tire on your way to work. "Classic."
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - May 31, 2024 🚀 - Our Super Power
Our Super Power - Speed In Testing 🐇 This mindset has probably saved us millions of $ in time and money.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - May 24, 2024 🚀 - Fire Fast
Once upon a time, I was terrible at firing. I would drag it out with the hope that the team member would improve, or maybe even quit before it came to a firing decision. This was a massive waste of time and money.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - May 17, 2024 🚀 - How To Hire
This is what matters when it comes to hiring. There are so many things that make up a good hire. I try to keep my hiring methodology simple.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - May 10, 2024 🚀 - Mindset Hurtles 🧠
Shifting my mindset for better performance. Sometimes I feel like a race car driver that's building his car when the race is already 20 laps in. I'm in the wrong mindset in the wrong phase of the race.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - May 3, 2024 🚀 - NO
The hardest thing for me to say - No. I'm a yes man, and lately those yes man habits have been coming at a huge cost.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - April 19, 2024 🚀 - De-risking
I think a lot more about risk than I have in the past. For the bulk of my professional life, I've been "risk-on" (god that was a fun decade) but now I analyze investments, deals, clients, and most importantly, my time, through a new risk filter.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - April 16, 2024 🚀 - This company is going to kill my business
This company is going to kill my business — and why a good competitor is the best thing that can happen to you.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - April 12, 2024 🚀
An investment opportunity came across my desk this week that is much riskier than what I typically consider putting time and money into.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - April 5, 2024 🚀
Finding the one metric that matters. It's easy to get overwhelmed with data. Number of leads, top line revenue, how many beers are left in the office fridge. The list goes on and on.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - March 29, 2024 🚀
Can I give you a check for $50,000 today? Yes please! Sometimes I get attracted to a B2C business but remind myself that B2B businesses are the best for so many reasons. Here is one from a few years ago:
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - March 22, 2024 🚀
As more and more of our friends have kids, our Saint Patrick's Day celebrations have really changed for the better 🍀.
LifeBen's 1x1x1 - March 15, 2024 🚀
For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1. One learning or interesting item from my week. One interesting item/tool of the week. One image from my life. Let's dive in 👇
Life10 Lessons From 100 of the Worlds Best Photographers
Lessons learned from sourcing, interviewing, and representing 100 of the best action and adventure sports photographers in the world through the Soul id 100 Program.
LifeHacking Boredom
A piece for everyone who fears ending life quietly and boring — my cures for hacking boredom even when you feel locked in your patterns.
LifeThis is definitely going to be more “Life Hacks” for this edition 🥑.
More “Life Hacks” from Ben — the morning routine, diet, sauna, exercise, and sleep changes that lifted his energy over 30 days, plus business updates.