The Hard Work No One Wants to Do

Welcome to my newsletter. Each month, I share things that I've been thinking about.

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with one simple truth:

The people who succeed are the ones who keep going long after everyone else has quit.

It doesn’t matter what it is: building a business, growing an audience, launching a podcast...Every time I talk to entrepreneurs, marketers, and creators, I hear the same story. The winners aren’t necessarily the most talented or the most connected. They’re the ones who refuse to stop.

The problem? Most people don’t actually give themselves a real chance to succeed. They think they’re putting in the work. They think they’re iterating. But they haven’t even scratched the surface of what’s required.

1. Reps Matter More Than You Think

Back when we started Wistia , we were figuring everything out on the fly. Product, marketing, hiring, you name it, we had no clue what we were doing. What we did have was time and persistence. We put in reps.

Early on, we’d launch a feature and think: “Great, now everyone will understand how amazing this is!”

They didn’t.

So we’d try a new way to explain it. Then another. And another. Eventually, we’d land on something that clicked. But it wasn’t because we were geniuses. It was because we gave ourselves enough at-bats to finally hit something solid.

Most people quit before they get to that point. They try something once or twice, don’t see instant results, and assume it’s not working. But the truth is, they just haven’t put in enough reps yet.

2. Consistency Beats Motivation

Motivation is a great spark, but it’s a terrible strategy.

Ever been to the gym in January? It’s packed. By March, half the people are gone. Why? Because motivation fades. The people still there aren’t running on motivation—they’ve built a system that keeps them going.

Building a business (or anything worth doing) works the same way.

At Wistia, we’ve learned this the hard way. Some of our best work, the stuff that really moved the needle, didn’t feel revolutionary when we started. It felt repetitive. Creating content, iterating on product messaging, refining the way we tell our story over and over and over again.

It wasn’t about one big breakthrough. It was about stacking up small improvements until, one day, it looked like a breakthrough from the outside.

3. Think in Decades, Not Days

When you’re in the thick of building something, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. You’re watching the numbers, tracking every little uptick or dip, trying to optimize. But the reality? The biggest wins come from compounding effort over years.

I was recently talking with Scott D. Clary , who hosts the Success Story podcast, and he put it bluntly:

“Find a way, when you’re starting something, to commit 10 years to it.”

At first, that number might sound extreme. A decade?! But the more you think about it, the more it starts to click.

If you’re only willing to commit a few months or a year, you’ll make different choices. You’ll chase quick wins. You’ll optimize for short-term spikes instead of long-term growth. You’ll quit too soon.

But if you’re thinking in decades, you’ll approach things differently. You’ll prioritize the foundation. You’ll make decisions that take longer to pay off but ultimately lead to something much bigger.

That’s what we did with Wistia. It took us four years to hit the same revenue number we could have made in an instant by taking an early deal with HBO. But those four years were what allowed us to build something sustainable, something we actually wanted to run for the long haul.

And here’s the thing we don’t always talk about: it’s a lot easier to commit 10 years to something if you actually love doing it.

So if you’re going to go all-in, make sure it’s on something you’re excited to wake up and work on, because that’s the only way you’ll stick with it long enough to see the real payoff.

The Hard Work No One Wants to Do

Every year I run a business, the more I believe this:

Everyone wants to be ripped, but no one wants to lift heavy weights.

Everyone wants a breakthrough, but no one wants to put in five years of unsexy, repetitive work to get there.

Everyone wants to be the next big thing, but no one wants to stick with something long enough for the compounding effort to actually kick in.

There’s no hack for this. No shortcut. No magic formula.

If you keep showing up, putting in reps, and staying in the game, you give yourself a shot at something big.

If you keep learning, iterating, and committing to the long haul, you’re already ahead of 90% of people.

It’s not sexy. It won’t make you go viral overnight. But it’s the surest path to success.