Skip to main content

The Dual Games of Business Success: Checkers and Chess

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of Spencer Uncensored. This is episode 80, a milestone in our journey of uncovering unshakable secrets that help business owners boost their momentum and build mastery. My name is Spencer Combs, and I firmly believe that professional development always follows personal development. After all, businesses don’t grow; people do. That’s why we’re here tonight, answering the question: What does it take to move your business and life forward?
​
In this episode, we dive into the heart of the Unshakable Framework, which is essentially two frameworks in one. We have the momentum side, which encompasses the Drift to Drive framework—how to get people to take action, tap into the four factors of drive, and consistently move forward. On the other side, we have mastery. Previously, I called it maintenance, but it's really about mastery—building systems, creating processes, and ensuring consistency over time. You need both momentum and mastery to achieve long-term success.
​The Dual Games: Checkers and Chess

Think of your business journey as playing two simultaneous games: checkers and chess. In the startup phase, you're playing checkers—focusing on cash flow, sales, and pushing for consistent revenue. This is crucial because without a steady cash flow, your business won't survive.

However, you also need to play chess—the long game. This involves strategic planning, content creation, and building programs that will pay off in the future. For example, I recently lined up a speaking engagement for a manager's meeting at a chain of trampoline parks and a real estate event next fall. These are chess moves, setting up long-term success.

But remember, you can't neglect the checkers game. You still need to make phone calls, close sales, and keep the revenue flowing. It's a balance between immediate needs and future goals. Many business owners struggle because they try to play chess without first mastering checkers, thinking they’re above the foundational tasks. But you can't skip steps.
The Good-Fast-Cheap TriangleHere's a concept that has stuck with me since 2004: Good, Fast, Cheap—you can only have two at the expense of the third.
  • Good and Fast won't be Cheap.
  • Fast and Cheap won't be Good.
  • Good and Cheap won't be Fast.

Apply this to your business strategy. Focus on what you can realistically achieve and prioritize accordingly.

Updates and Upcoming Events
  1. Unshakable Weekend Event: From August 23-25 in Columbia, South Carolina, this event is designed to take you away from your daily life and focus on your goals. We'll dive deep into the momentum factors, create breakthrough experiences, and map out plans for both mindset and mechanics. Early bird pricing is available, so visit spencercombs.com/uwe for more details.
  2. Momentum and Mastery Book: Progress is underway, and I'm aiming to have the Kindle version ready by early August. Those who pre-order will get the eBook free. Keep an eye on spencercombs.com for updates.
  3. Web Classes: Make sure you're registered for our upcoming web classes at spencercombs.com. We’ve got some great content lined up to help you accelerate your business growth.

Final Thoughts:
You need to master both checkers and chess to succeed in business. Focus on immediate sales and cash flow while strategically planning for the future. Remember, big problems only happen to little people—those who haven't yet developed the emotional mastery to handle larger challenges.

If you're not already on my daily text list, text your name to 904-299-1877 to receive daily nuggets of wisdom five days a week.

That’s all for tonight. I hope this episode of Spencer Uncensored was insightful and actionable. Have a fantastic day and keep moving forward!

About Spencer Combs:

Spencer Combs is a business leader and author of Momentum and Mastery: The Business Leader's Guide to Fastrack Unshakeable Profit, Productivity, and Purpose. With a passion for helping others transform their challenges into opportunities, Spencer offers unique insights through his events, coaching programs, and daily text messages.


Take the Next Step:


Connect with Spencer: www.spencercombs.com/social 


Contact Us: info@spencercombs.com 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Here's what others like you are reading:

The Firewall

  The world is a machine. A vast, efficient, relentless machine focused on two things: speed and automation. If your job, your skill, or your output can be described by a predictable set of instructions, the machine will eventually learn to do it faster, cheaper, and without complaint. This is not a threat. It is a reality. It is the new baseline. So, where do you stand? Are you building your house on sand, relying on tasks that are easily copied? Or are you building a firewall? The firewall is the part of you the machine cannot touch. It's the unique combination of judgment, empathy, creativity, and the courage to make a non-obvious choice. This week is a choice. You can perform the necessary, replaceable tasks. Or you can invest in your firewall. The question isn’t about job security. It’s about value creation. What is the one thing you can learn, practice, or build this week that will make you so valuable, no one else can do your job five years from now? It's the dif...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Multiplier

The clock runs. The hour passes. The time is spent. Most of the world gets paid for the passing of that time. It's a comfortable contract. An agreement of safety. Trade one hour of life for an agreed-upon unit of currency. The problem with this contract is that it caps your potential. It rewards presence, not performance. It celebrates effort, not outcome. But the economy of impact is different. No one pays the painter for the hours she spent cleaning the brushes. They pay her for the masterpiece. No one pays the entrepreneur for the hours he spent staring at the ceiling. They pay him for the breakthrough idea. They pay for the result . The moment you accept this truth, your relationship with the clock fundamentally changes. You stop asking, "How long will this take?" You start asking the only question that matters: What can I do with this time that will yield the single greatest result this week? This is the question of leverage. It's the search for the acti...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Hidden Quarter

The calendar says "Holidays." The world outside begins to slow, to pause, to look inward. Presents, parties, reflection. For many, this period is a collective exhale. A shared agreement to take the foot off the gas. To coast. Your competition is doing it. They're already mentally checked out, planning their breaks, anticipating the collective slowdown. And that, precisely, is the point. Because while they are distracted by eggnog and holiday stress, an invisible, unfair quarter opens up. This isn't Q4. This is the Hidden Quarter . This isn't the time to rest on your laurels. It's the time to build your launchpad. This is the moment to install the system, master the process, or build the lever that your distracted competitors won't even think about until mid-January. What is the one high-leverage system or process you can dedicate yourself to installing and mastering in the next 30 days that will guarantee you start January at an undeniable 5x speed? It...
Post a Comment
Read more