Three Game-Changing Strategies to Transform Your Business
Starting a business can be challenging, but it can also be an incredibly rewarding experience. When we founded Kindred Technology Group 10 years ago, we started with just $75 and a dream of being our own bosses. However, we quickly learned that we needed more than just a dream—and maybe a bit more than $75, but not much more.
Throughout this journey, several key strategies have helped us achieve our goal of helping people. Here are three of them that transformed our business:
1. Don’t Do It for the Money
Someone once told me, “Just focus on the work, and the money will come.” While that’s not entirely true, the sentiment is. When money becomes your sole focus, it can distract you and even make you resent why you started your business in the first place. Don’t misunderstand—charge for your services and keep an eye on the bottom line. But if you start seeing clients only as dollar signs, it’s time to reassess your approach. Whenever I focused too much on money, my creativity waned, and the quality of our service declined. As the Bible says, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Money itself isn’t bad, but making it your primary focus is. If money is the only reason you’re starting a business, I suggest you do one simple thing: Write down in one sentence how your business will help people. If you can’t do that, money might be clouding your vision—or you may need to rethink your business model.
2. Find a Mentor
When I say find a mentor, I don’t mean a formal process where you interview candidates and review resumes. Our mentor was someone we met at a networking event. He had a business model and vision we admired, and he was successful. Most importantly, he was willing to share his knowledge and listen to our ideas. We’d call him whenever we had a new business idea or were considering a new revenue stream. He was honest with us and wasn’t afraid to tell us when something seemed off or too ambitious.
3. Hire People Smarter Than You
This lesson took me a while to embrace, and I wish I’d adopted it earlier. Initially, I did everything—meeting clients, developing websites, designing graphics—and I quickly burned out. One night, while editing a CSS file, I asked myself, “Why am I doing this? Isn’t there someone smarter than me who can handle this?” The answer was a resounding “Yes.” From that moment, I decided to hire people who were more knowledgeable than I was and not fear losing control of my business. In fact, that’s when our business began to truly grow. Seven years later, we have a global team of experts working around the clock. I may not know the intricacies of Ruby on Rails, but I have team members who can write top-notch code while you sleep.
So, no mention of technology or cool apps here, though those are important. These three lessons were pivotal in transforming our business for the better.
Music To Deep Work To
Music is a big part of my productivity and maintaining high energy. I use it to motivate me and keep my focus. I find that hand-picking a playlist helps me stay on task and improves my creativity. So I made a list of music that makes my top list of "sounds to work to." Most of the music on this list is instrumentals since it's proven that lyrics can be distracting. So without further ado:
Elevation Through Music (Bonus Track) by 40 Winks
I just got hip to 40 Winks about four months ago, but I wish I had known about them earlier. If you don't know, 40 Winks is an instrumental hip hop group made up of two producers — Padmo’ and Weedy — from Antwerp, Belgium. Their beats are almost hypnotic and great for repetitive tasks. This track is pretty smooth but they have several others, like Outside the Box, Planet Anvers, and The Day Breaks, that you might want to check out.
Beautiful Lovely by The Deadbeats
I don’t really have a ton on this group, but their beats are outstanding. I've completed several projects just on their music alone. You Never Know is also a nice track, it has a little Jill Scott sample that can be a little distracting, but the beat gets a productivity thumbs up.
Silver by Bonobo
Bonobo (aka Simon Green)is a British musician, producer, and DJ based in Los Angeles. I use his music for high stimulus when I need to get motivated or face a deadline. The horns on this track and soulful drums instantly pick up the pace and get those juices flowing. Bonobo has a new album, so I expect most tracks to have that productivity feel to them.
It Ain't Hard to Tell by Nas
Ok, I said mostly instrumental, but Nas is something I usually start the set with, and as a former DJ, I can't exclude it. This track is just the motivator and gets me in the right state of mind- it tells me “It's time to get to work". The Jackson sample and Nas' lyrical assault are enough to get you up for any task if you want a nice instrumental of this, checkout Will Sessions' version.
O Heaven (instrumental) by Blu & Exile
This track has a little vocal in the hook, but the beat is so soothing and focused. I usually use this one when I'm working on something that I don't need to be too creative but need to stay focused. It just has a heavenly feel good vibe. Not big on Blu and Exile, but the beats are on point.
Forever by DJ Babu
This has to be one of my favorites for getting work done. It has the lovely Hall & Oates sample from Sarah, but the beat is so uplifting that it is hard not to feel good listening to this. This is one I play in almost every deep work session. Not crazy about DJ Babu's other tracks, but with this one, he hit a home run.
Fly Me to the Moon by Dibia$e
I love this track, it has some vocals, but the repetition helps with the creativity. Dibia$e is a hip hop producer from Watts, Los Angeles, California, and his beats are fantastic and a must in any productivity playlist. "Soon" is another track that has found its way into my playlist.
This is just a beginning list, but I would love to hear what music helps your productivity.
If you are interested in my entire playlist is available her.e