Last week, I spoke with a restaurant owner working 110 hours a week.
His business was complex. Multiple locations. Different concepts. Staff turnover.
The kinds of problems that keep entrepreneurs up at night.
But here's what stood out to me:
He didn't have five different problems. He had one problem viewed through five different lenses.
This is what I've discovered after decades of building and scaling companies:
Business isn't mysterious. It follows universal laws, just like physics.
When you understand these laws, every business problem becomes solvable through a simple six-phase framework.
The Million-Dollar Mistake Most Entrepreneurs Make
Most entrepreneurs treat symptoms instead of root causes.
They see declining sales and immediately think:
"I need better marketing"
"I need to work harder"
"I need to hire more people"
But here's what I learned building Quest Nutrition into a billion-dollar company:
Every business problem can be solved through a simple six-phase framework.
I call it the Physics of Progress.
Let me show you exactly how it works...
Phase 1: Problem Analysis
Most entrepreneurs fail because they can't identify their true problem.
Here's the key: Keep asking "why" until you hit ground truth – something that can only be validated through testing.
Let's take a real example:
Sales are down.
Why? Conversion rate dropped
Why? Value proposition isn't clear
Why? We don't understand our customer
Why? We never documented our buyer persona
WHY? We rushed to market without proper research
Now we've hit ground truth. Something we can test.
Phase 2: Hypothesis Formation
Once you understand the real problem, form a testable hypothesis using this exact formula:
"The most effective way to [GOAL] is to [ACTION]."
Bad hypothesis: "We need better marketing"
Good hypothesis: "The most effective way to increase customer retention to 80% by Q4 is to implement a structured onboarding program."
See the difference?
One is hope. The other is science.
Phase 3: Outcome Prediction
This is where most entrepreneurs trick themselves.
They look at results and say "that's roughly what I expected."
Don't fall for this trap.
Before you test anything, document exactly:
- What metrics will change
- By how much
- In what timeframe
- What's an acceptable rate of progress
Phase 4: Solution Testing
Remember this rule: Test one variable at a time.
The world is complex enough without adding confusion.
Document everything:
- What exactly are you changing?
- What's your control group?
- What data are you tracking?
- How long will you run the test?
Don't rush your tests with multiple variables. You'll only break your prediction engine and make it impossible to know what actually worked.
Phase 5: Data Analysis
Here's the paradox that trips everyone up:
Data is objective. Interpretation is subjective.
You can use data to tell any story. Your job is finding the story with the highest predictive validity.
Ask yourself:
- Am I interpreting this data to look good?
- Or to actually improve my business?
- What's the most likely explanation for these results?
Phase 6: Start Over, But Smarter
This is where the magic happens.
Every cycle makes you smarter.
Every failure feeds your prediction engine.
Every test improves your accuracy.
But only if you're brutally honest about what worked and what didn't.
As Ray Dalio says, "Pain plus reflection equals progress."
Put This To Action
Now it’s your turn.
Don’t just read this, nod your head, and think “I’ll do this later.”
Put the Physics of Progress to work for you right now.
- Take your biggest business problem
- Run the "why chain" until you hit ground truth
- Form a specific hypothesis using the formula above
- Document your exact predicted outcomes
- Design a single-variable test
- Reply to this email with your analysis. I'll review it personally.
The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
Stop treating business like a mystery. Start treating it like physics.
Stop guessing. Start testing.
Stop hoping. Start measuring.
Struggling to get your business off the ground?
In Zero to Founder, I'll teach you the exact system I wish I had when I was starting out - before I built Quest Nutrition, before the billion-dollar exit, when I was just trying to figure out my first steps.
You'll learn:
- How to validate your business idea without wasting time and money
- The framework for getting your first paying customers
- My proven system for going from idea to profitable business
No theory. No fluff. Just the practical steps I learned from starting multiple companies from scratch.
Take it from someone who started from zero three separate times. You don't need another course filled with scaling advice you're not ready for. You need a step-by-step system to get started.
Stop overthinking. Start building.