We are excited to announce that the 40 Strategy Growth Workshop on November 2nd and 3rd is Sold-Out! Thank you to our entire team for making that happen. If you’re interested in attending the next workshop, sign up here for notification. 

Sometimes the greatest limitations in business aren't geographic. They're the ones we create in our own minds.

As I created this week's Strategy for Saturday, I was cruising through East Texas in a bright red hybrid rental car, with another four-plus hours of driving ahead of me.

And I couldn't be happier.

I've always loved traveling across this great country. The people, the cultures, the food, the scenery, and the opportunities seem almost endless.

Last week, I was in Charleston, South Carolina, where we experienced four inches of rain in just two hours, watched a soccer game in a downpour, and finished the trip with Hurricane Isaias moving through the Southeast.

This week, I landed in Dallas, Texas, and made a quick trip north into Oklahoma.

State number 46. Check!

My wife, Sarah, has already visited all 50 states. I'm still chasing her, with North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, and Alaska remaining.

Of course, a trip through Texas wouldn't be complete without some great barbecue. Thursday evening, I enjoyed dinner with a longtime friend and his wife at Hutchins Barbecue in McKinney.

The beef ribs were sold out, but the pork ribs were fantastic. So fantastic, in fact, that I bought another T-shirt.

Sorry, honey. You know my weakness for great barbecue and Hard Rock Cafe shirts.

The next morning, I headed east toward Jackson, Mississippi, for a strategic planning session with The Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce.

As the miles passed, something struck me.

How vast thou art!

Texas is extraordinary. The enormous American and Texas flags flying proudly over businesses, neighborhoods, and towns are hard to miss.

I love that sense of patriotism and pride.

But equally impressive is the sheer diversity of this country.

I had just left the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, home to approximately 8.5 million people. A little farther down the road, I found myself passing through Canton, Texas, with around 5,000 residents.

For perspective, Texas alone has more than 31 million people and covers more territory than metropolitan France.

Meanwhile, back home in rural Oregon, we recently had to stop our vehicle because a herd of elk decided to cross the road.

Different places. Different experiences. Different opportunities.

And that's when I started thinking about business.

How often do we limit our opportunities simply because of where we live, what industry we're in, or what we've always believed?

I call this the scarcity mindset.

I've heard business owners say there aren't enough customers in their market, land is too expensive, or their industry simply doesn't offer the same opportunities it once did.

Maybe that's true in their immediate surroundings.

But what about somewhere else?

I've spent much of my professional career serving businesses across the United States and occasionally internationally. Today, our focus is primarily national.

The lessons I've learned have convinced me that opportunities are rarely limited to our ZIP codes.

The same applies to industries.

At 40 Strategy, we're intentionally industry-agnostic. Some might consider that a disadvantage. I see it as one of our greatest strengths.

Consider two HVAC companies. One operates primarily in commercial markets, outsourcing much of its labor. The other focuses on residential customers with a team of full-time employees.

Same industry. Completely different business models.

Imagine what either could learn from a company in manufacturing, construction, or professional services.

Sometimes your greatest competitive advantage comes from learning something your competitors aren't even looking at.

There's another boundary business owners create, and this one may be the hardest to overcome.

The belief that everything depends on them.

At the 40 Strategy Growth Workshop, one of our featured discussions will focus on helping owners release control, develop rising talent, and create greater freedom.

If we want our businesses to grow beyond our personal capacity, we must give others the opportunity to grow as well.

That's how we create both greater business value and personal freedom.

And speaking of opportunities, I recognize that not everyone attending our workshop will become a client.

That is not the goal.

If someone leaves with a better strategy, a valuable relationship, or an idea that changes their business, we've made a difference.

I believe trust and generosity have a remarkable way of coming back around.

Over the coming days, this journey continues through Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky. I'll enjoy some family time, facilitate strategy sessions, reconnect with friends, watch my daughter play soccer, and catch a Tennessee Titans game.

That's a lot of miles, but it's also a reminder of why I love what I do.

So here's my encouragement this Saturday.

Get outside your normal surroundings. Visit somewhere new. Talk with someone from another industry. Give a talented employee an opportunity to lead.

The world is far bigger than the boundaries we've created for ourselves.

There is opportunity beyond your hometown, beyond your industry, and beyond what you personally can accomplish.

But you'll never discover it if you're unwilling to explore.

Your destination is out there.

Sometimes you just need to get in the car and start driving.

How vast thou art!

The 40 Strategy Growth Workshop™, Phoenix, AZ - Nov 2nd & 3rd 

This year's workshop will have additional experts available to meet with attendees for their one-on-one sessions. Based on the package each attendee selected, they will be able to meet with 2-8 experts. What other workshop offers that kind of access? 

Josh, Jared, Joel, and Jordan Habre are the third generation leading ERHCo Inc., an Oregon-based footwear business founded by their grandparents in the late 1970s. Today, ERHCo operates in the retail, wholesale distribution, and e-commerce channels. Having worked nearly every role in the company, the four brothers now lead it together, bringing different strengths and perspectives to the business. Their story is one of family, entrepreneurship, succession, adaptation, and carrying a proud legacy forward while continually reinventing it.