Reinvention isn't risky. Stagnation is.

Hi fam,

I’ve built over 10 businesses in the past few years.
Most of them in e-commerce.
A few in software.
Some worked.
Most didn’t.
And I wouldn’t change a thing.

Because the truth is—
The businesses that didn’t work taught me more than the ones that did.
Not because they failed.
But because I had to sit with myself and ask:
Why didn’t it work? What do I need to change next time?

It’s maturity.

As founders, we’re told to focus.
And we should.
But focus doesn’t mean doing the same thing over and over, hoping the timing will save you.

Focus means:

• Testing with intention.

• Adapting quickly.

• And staying aligned with your current version—not the one you were 18 months ago.

You don’t need to wait until things are falling apart.
Sometimes the brave thing is to ask yourself:

• Is this still the best version of what I could be building?

• Am I still operating with the same fire I had at the start?

• Or am I scared to make a shift… because it would feel like starting from 0 again?

Let me tell you—
It’s never 0.
Every iteration you’ve lived makes the next one smarter, faster, cleaner.

The discomfort you feel when trying something new isn’t failure.
It’s growth pain.
And growth pain = forward motion.

Here’s what helped me:

1. Check in weekly
   Ask yourself: Is what I’m building still aligned with where I want to go?
   Misalignment happens slowly. Catch it early.

2. Default to action
   You don’t need to “figure it all out” before you move.
   Test. Iterate. Learn. Repeat.

3. Ruthlessly analyse what’s not working
   And be brave enough to pivot.
   No sunk cost is worth your energy.

4. Double down on feedback
   Let your customers, team and even your body guide you.
   Exhaustion is feedback. Resistance is feedback.
   So is excitement.

5. Make failure your mentor
   You’ll never outrun the lessons. You might as well learn fast.

There’s no version of this where it’s linear.
If you feel like you’re starting over—it means you’re evolving.
You’re no longer repeating the same patterns.
You’re levelling up.

And that, to me, is the only definition of real growth.

Keep building,
keep evolving,
and don’t forget—
you’re not starting from scratch,
you’re starting from experience.

Speak next week.

Cheers
Markus