The Power of Thinking Big

Let it open the world of possibility.

October 24, 2023

Last week, I posted the story of Chris Hoffman to my Instagram. You can see Chris’ full story on his tweet here (click the picture)

I know that picture cuts off the whole thing, but let me give you a quick recap:

Chris was a mediocre college student who joined the Marines and deployed to Afghanistan. He left the Marines, got an MBA (not at a T20 school, mind you) and then he and his brother bought their dad’s HVAC, plumbing, and electrical service business that was doing about $10 million in revenue. Six years later, they 10xed revenue and pumped the profits into commercial real estate, buying a roofing company, and various investments. They went from a total enterprise value of <$3 million (2016) to >$200 million (2023) during this period.

Now, I posted his story because I thought, “Hot dang, this guy CRUSHED IT. I want to show other veterans they can do the same.”

While many people saw that Chris and his brother dreamed big and executed, many people in the comments wanted to just downplay the story:

This post today isn’t about Chris. I don’t know him but am glad for his success.

This post is about what can happen when you let yourself be open to the possibility of thinking big.

The Power of Luck

Let’s be real. Chris had some luck in his court.

He probably grew up seeing his dad run this business, was able to go to college after high school, and buy a very healthy business that I am sure he got at a great price. That was all lucky.

Sometimes we just have to recognize that some people are dealt a great hand and some people are dealt a shitty set of cards and that’s how it goes. That’s life.

But it’s how you play the cards that matters.

Chris and his brother could have easily just kept this business as is. On a $10 million home services business, I expect that were making $2-3 million per year in profit. That’s a pretty awesome year by anyone’s standards.

But they thought bigger. They wanted to scale so they reinvested the money into the business, built a team, and now have a $100 million enterprise.

They thought big and executed.

Yes, they had luck on their side. But they also created their own luck.

They could have NOT bought their dad’s business. But they did.

They could have pocketed all the profits and led a very comfortable life. But they didn’t.

I guarantee if you look at your own life right now, there is something where you could accept the status quo, or do something to think and act big and make your own luck.

Let Yourself Dream Big

Ok, enough about Chris. Let’s talk about you.

Somewhere in you, there is a dream. Maybe it’s having a big beach house. Or a ranch in Montana. Or being able to spend time making art.

Whatever it is, I know it is there.

You really only have two choices:

Act towards that dream

Or

Don’t

It really is that simple.

Bu here is the really tough part about it. The brutal truth that is a giant pill to swallow:

It will be freaking hard.

But if you let yourself dream big, the path to possibility can start to form itself.

Mark

The Veteran Professional

P.S. I am currently reading Genghis Kahan and the Making of the Modern World. For any of you who like reading about history and military campaigns, I think you will like this.

You can find HERE on Amazon (affiliate link).

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