When we started Chenmark, every dollar we paid ourselves was a dollar we couldn't put toward another acquisition. We learned to be frugal. Sometimes a little too frugal. Over the years, our thinking has changed. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

How do you make sure you’re ready when your opportunity comes? From the Patriots' bench to a game-winning touchdown, @EftonChism reminds us that preparation matters long before anyone is watching. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts… #chasebetter

A simple recipe for career failure: Rule Seven: Do not set the standard. Have a bad attitude and let it be known that most things are not your job. If someone asks you to do something that was not listed on your job application, tell them as much. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

A simple recipe for career failure: Rule Six: Identify problems, do not solve them. Do not take initiative. When the moment comes and someone on the team needs you to step up, consider a long lunch. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

A simple recipe for career failure: Rule Five: Blame everyone but yourself. Blame the market. Blame the weather. Blame the crew, the previous owner, Jupiter being in retrograde, or whoever you conceivably can. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

A simple recipe for career failure: Rule Four: If you get knocked down, stay down. Work will present bountiful opportunities to get discouraged and give up. Take them! Relish the comfort of your couch, not the discomfort of the journey. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

A simple recipe for career failure: Rule Three: Refuse to learn. Do not seek to learn from those around you. Do not read books, listen to podcasts, speak with current or former CEOs, or do anything else that could be construed as Chasing Better. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

A simple recipe for career failure: Rule Two: Do not work hard. In a new environment, remember you are making a first impression. Disappoint early and often. Be last in and first out. Take on the smallest workload on the team. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

A simple recipe for career failure: Rule One: Be unreliable. Say you will have the report on Monday and send it on Wednesday. If you are behind schedule, don't mention it. Tell people you will meet them at 7 a.m. and show up at 8 a.m. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

A simple recipe for career failure: Be unreliable. Don’t work hard. Refuse to learn. Stay down when knocked over. Blame everyone else. Identify problems without solving them. Let someone else set the standard. Pretty foolproof. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

Stress is inevitable. The interesting question is what you think stress means. “This is crushing me.” or “This is difficult because I’m doing something demanding.” Same sensation. Very different frame. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

We have been pretty transparent about the building blocks of Chenmark. It’s not rocket surgery. Unfortunately, that’s not where the magic happens. The magic happens in the mistakes, the surprises, the lucky breaks, and the unfortunate turns. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

AI can: • Catch typos • Organize ideas • Improve structure • Speed up writing All useful. But there’s a trap... The tool should help you express what you think... ...not replace the part where you actually think. More in Weekly Thoughts: chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

A useful formula for starting something new: 50% scared 50% excited The fear makes you prepare. The excitement keeps you moving. Too much of either can cause problems. The combination can be powerful. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

High cost. Low value. Questionable incentives. We didn’t love the traditional SMB managed-service model, so we spent years building an alternative. Meet ChenTech. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

We hate typos. Mostly because we tend to notice them approximately 11 seconds after hitting Send. But they’re also a useful reminder: quality rarely happens by accident. Good work is usually the product of good process. This week’s Weekly Thoughts: chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

We are very good at measuring profit, growth, leverage, IRR, and MOIC. We are less skilled at measuring the value of cold water waiting on a record-hot day. Maybe that is because customer service rarely arrives in a fancy reporting package. More at: chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

Money matters. It can tell us whether a business is working. But it cannot fully capture the relationships, responsibility, challenge, and fulfillment that come with building something meaningful. More in Weekly Thoughts: chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

These days, there’s a lot of noise out there in the world of SMB. Constant self-promotion. Focus on deals, deals, deals. Pressure to raise capital, the more the better. A nagging implication that we are never going “fast enough”. More at : chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…

Roughly 42% of searchers never acquire a company. Of those who do, approximately 26% ultimately lose money. Those aren’t reasons not to search. They are reasons to make the decision with clear eyes, honest motivations, and a healthy dose of humility. chenmark.com/weekly-thoughts…