Tides, Turns & Truths

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There’s a Warren Buffett quote I keep thinking about lately:

It’s a line that’s hitting a bit different right now—across ecomm, SaaS, tech, agencies, my bank account, all of it. Feels like the tide went out, and a lot of people are suddenly realizing: oh, shit, I’m fully buck naked right now.

When your business (or your portfolio) is growing fast, you don’t think about the stuff under the hood. You’re too busy sprinting—launching new stuff, hiring, chasing the next milestone. You assume the back-end is “good enough.” That ops will catch up later. That you’ll fix it once you have time.

But now growth has slowed. Or at least, it’s not as easy as it used to be. And when things get quiet, you start noticing all the cracks that were always there.

At Mugsy, we’ve spent the last few months peeling back layers. And it’s been eye-opening. Some systems we thought were solid? Total house of cards. Some things we were spending money on? No ROI. Stuff we probably should’ve fixed a year ago, but didn’t, because we were too busy moving fast.

This moment sucks in some ways. It’s not as exciting. It’s not as shiny. But it’s also… necessary? Helpful? Maybe even good?

Because this is when you actually become a better operator.
This is when you stop reacting and start rebuilding.
This is when you fix holes (not just use bubble gum & duct tape), clean up your data (nobody better than my boys over at Saras), tighten margins, and put real structure in place.

I’ve started thinking of this moment as the Boring Era of business.
The part where you stop chasing shiny objects and start doing the stuff that actually matters.
It’s not flashy. It doesn’t go viral. But it makes your business stronger.

And when the next growth wave hits—you’re ready. You’re not just hanging on, you’re flying.

IRL update:
I sold out my first improv show last week. Packed house. Totally surreal. Who knew live events were easier than ecomm? Will be announcing show #2 soon if you missed out on tix.