To Scale or Not to Scale

To Scale or Not to Scale

Hello,

It’s time to share a not-so-secret secret with the 27 people who subscribe to this newsletter: I’m trying to get back in shape. The caveats? First, “back in shape” is relative—I want to be able to run six miles without feeling like I’m dying. Second, it’s not really a secret.

But this process has brought an interesting question to the surface: How do we scale?

Getting in shape is essentially about training your body to do more. For me, that means running farther and faster. For weightlifters, it might mean lifting heavier or completing more reps. No matter the activity, the underlying principle is the same: scaling is about progress.

Fun fact: I’m certified in endurance training by the USTFCCA (US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaching Association). One of the core principles of training is balancing volume (how much you do) and intensity (how hard you do it). When one goes up, the other must come down. This balance is crucial to sustainable progress. You can push both at the same time, but it comes with risks—high highs and low lows.

Volume vs. Intensity

In fitness, volume might seem simple: it’s the total miles run, right? But scaling volume isn’t just about running more. If my goal is to run six miles a day (about 48 minutes of running), but I can currently only handle 20 minutes, I need to scale my body’s readiness for that output.

Here’s how that might look:

• Run 20 minutes per day.

• Add 2–3 weightlifting sessions (30–45 minutes each).

• Stretch 10–15 minutes daily.

• Cross-train 1–1.5 hours per week for extra endurance.

Why all this extra work? Because I need to build the capacity for my desired output before I’m physically ready to sustain it.

Now let’s talk intensity. If my current easy pace is 9:30/mile, but my goal is to comfortably run six miles at 8:00/mile, I need to spend time running at or faster than 8:00/mile to condition my body for that level of effort.

Scaling Isn’t Simple

What started as a straightforward goal—running six miles daily—now seems a bit more complicated. That’s because scaling requires more than just doing the thing you want to do. To run more, I also have to work out more, stretch more, eat healthier, etc.. I have to scale the operations around running to make it sustainable.

This isn’t a new concept in business. Let’s say you have an idea to positively impact the world. To scale that impact, you have to scale the operations supporting it—logistics, processes, and systems.

Now let’s see how this principle has played out in the world of The Hero’s Journal:

The Hero’s Journal

Last time, we talked about rules and shipping. Now let’s dive into the part you’ve been waiting for: why did we quit our jobs?

After selling out of our first batch of journals, we had a three-month gap with no inventory. During this time, I coached a high school cross-country team (go Jags!) and continued working at the health startup Nick and I both worked for.

We made a few tweaks to the journal—added a cool sword design and upgraded the box it came in. Things were good.

In late October, we opened pre-orders for the new batch. Over 5–6 weeks, we sold 900 journals out of the 2,000 we’d ordered. Exciting, right? Except we were terrified. It had taken us weeks to ship 277 journals the first time—now we had 900 orders to fulfill… during the holidays!

To prepare, we upgraded our system:

• Set up an account with FedEx.

• Got one-rate packaging.

• Scheduled daily pickups.

The catch? We had to be home at noon every day for FedEx pickups—not exactly convenient. Luckily, we had unlimited PTO and took three weeks off during the holidays to handle fulfillment.

Here’s the thing: while we’d set out to create a journal that helps people tell better stories about their lives, all our time was spent working (at our jobs) and shipping. There was no time to improve products or develop new ideas.

So, we made a big decision. After those three intense weeks, Nick and I both put in our notice.

Atypical Life

Scaling Trey’s business is a different story. Unlike The Hero’s Journal, Trey doesn’t want to quit his “day job” as a professional athlete. Instead, his goal is to build scale within the constraints of his current responsibilities—balancing basketball, family, and business.

This means identifying outputs that can be repeated and refined over time. For Trey, one of the most scalable outputs has been his newsletter. Over the past nine months, he’s consistently improved his writing, which has allowed him to write more. Similarly, he’s grown as a coach, which has helped him coach across more formats and platforms.

The beauty of the newsletter is its direct connection to the audience. Unlike social media, where algorithms dictate reach, an email list gives you a reliable, unfiltered line to communicate with your followers. Sure, there are deliverability challenges, but the connection is intentional—you’re speaking to people who chose to hear from you.

Social media, on the other hand, can be fickle. Viral content often outperforms educational or thoughtful pieces, meaning your message can get lost in the race for eyeballs. Platforms reward what keeps users scrolling, not necessarily what builds lasting value. As a result, scaling an audience on social media often requires balancing content that grows numbers with content that reinforces your brand’s message.

This is where Trey’s strategy shines. His focus isn’t just on growing his audience but on deepening his connection with them. Through his newsletter and free PDFs, he’s building a community that aligns with the Atypical mindset—a life of intentionality, growth, and purpose.

By keeping his efforts focused on a few high-leverage outputs, Trey is scaling both the quality and quantity of what he can offer. At the same time, we’re working on scaling the operational side of the business to ensure it supports this growth without compromising what makes it special.

Scaling isn’t just about doing more; it’s about doing the right things more often. In Trey’s case, that means staying true to the mission while creating systems that support long-term sustainability.

(And yes, this last part is for Trey: operational scale is coming!)

Reading

While I didn’t do much reading this week, I listened to an episode of The Diary of a CEO featuring Reid Hoffman, and it was fantastic. Hoffman is a co-founder of LinkedIn and a venture capitalist with deep insights into the startup world, and this episode focused on the concept of “blitz scaling.”

Blitz scaling is essentially the opposite of slow, methodical scaling. It’s about prioritizing speed over efficiency, grabbing as much market share as possible before competitors can catch up. The idea is that when a business is in its infancy, the assumption is that it’s presumed dead. To survive, you need to create momentum—even if it means taking on significant risks.

It’s a fascinating concept that aligns with this week’s theme of scaling. While fitness and startups might approach scaling differently, they both require understanding when to push hard and when to pull back.

If that sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend giving the episode a listen: Reid Hoffman on The Diary of a CEO.

Coffee

Coffee this month as I have mentioned a few times has been really fun, new coffees from all over the world every day have been really cool. 

Today, I am going to talk about my favorite coffee mugs. They come from a cool company called East Fork out of Asheville NC. I have one mug from them. I love holding it, looking at it, and most importantly drinking out of it. 

They are pricey, but they are amazing. 

To me, coffee is not only a drink, but it is a daily ritual. Little things like a favorite mug can make it feel very special. 

Oh and I use a scale to weigh the beans. That was for the scale motif… gotta fit it in every section. 

Conclusion

My life has been changing a lot lately—exciting news coming soon—but for now, I want to wish everyone happy holidays.

Hopefully, these ramblings bring you some value. Writing this newsletter feels like a workout for my brain, and I’m glad to share it with all of you.

Here’s to progress, scaling, and keeping the main thing, the main thing.

Too-da-loo,
Kyle