🚀 Why 10x Growth Is Easier (And Smarter) Than 2x
And how to stop overworking for underwhelming results
If you’re still chasing 2x growth, you’re not thinking big—you’re thinking busy.
And it’s silently killing your business.
Here’s the paradox:
10x growth is easier than 2x.
Not because it’s less ambitious.
But because it forces you to subtract everything that’s not essential.
2x requires you to do more.
10x demands that you do less—but better.
Most CEOs make the mistake of scaling noise instead of signal.
That’s why they burn out scaling the wrong game.
🔬 The Psychology Behind 10x Growth
Exponential focus starts where average effort stops
Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan nailed it:
“10x growth requires letting go of 80% of what you’re currently doing.”
Most entrepreneurs think they have a productivity problem.
But what they really have is an identity problem.
They can’t let go of low-leverage tasks because they’re still attached to the person who needed them.
Science backs it up:
Research from the University of Virginia (Adams et al., Nature, 2021) shows our default mode is addition under pressure.
We try to solve complexity by adding more complexity.
But the real breakthroughs?
They come from subtraction.
Less clutter. Fewer obligations. No distractions.
🎯 How to Apply the 10x Growth Strategy
1. Run the “2x vs 10x Inventory”
List every recurring task, meeting, or responsibility on your plate. Then ask:
- Would I keep this if I was playing for 10x?
- Is this task aligned with my unique ability—or just legacy baggage?
👉 Want to dive deeper? Read: Stop Paying the Ignorance Tax—A CEO’s Guide to Growth
2. Use the Museum Curator Rule
World-class curators obsess over what to leave out, not what to include.
Steve Jobs saved Apple by cutting 70% of their product line.
He made space for the iMac, iPod, and iPhone.
What would your business look like if you treated it like an art exhibit?
What gets the white-glove treatment?
What needs to be trashed?
3. Apply the 10x Constraint Filter
Ask yourself:
- If I had to 10x this outcome with half the time and resources…
→ What would I stop immediately?
→ What one move would make everything else irrelevant?
This is how you escape the grind loop and build leverage instead.
⚡️ Quick Challenge: The 10x Elimination Drill
Take 15 minutes:
- Write down your top 3 business goals.
- Ask: “What does this look like 10x bigger?”
- Then list the 5 tasks, meetings, or beliefs you’d need to eliminate to make room.
Bonus: Share this with your leadership team.
You’ll quickly see your org chart is built for 2x, not 10x.
📚 Billionaire Proof: Bezos, Musk, Munger
Jeff Bezos:
“We don’t do a lot of things. We do a few things, and we do them well.”
Elon Musk:
Operates from first principles—he subtracts assumptions before scaling.
Charlie Munger:
“Invert. Always invert. Ask: What would guarantee failure? Then stop doing that.”
These titans didn’t 10x by hustling harder.
They did it by simplifying the rules of the game.
🧠 Final Question:
What would your calendar look like if it only included 10x activities?
Be honest.
Your old life won’t fit inside your next breakthrough.
📌 Tool of the Week: “10x vs 2x Clarity Map”
Use Whimsical or Figma to split your activities into two columns:
- Maintain (2x)
- Multiply (10x)
Shift everything into one column.
Then ruthlessly delete half of the 2x column.
Let clarity kill complexity.
📩 Call to Action
What’s one thing you’d delete today if you were truly committed to 10x?
Reply and let me know.
Or better—forward this to the founder still drowning in 2x complexity.
They’ll thank you later.
Next week: The success habit secretly capping your growth (and how to break it).
Let’s go further,
Dan