You’re more than just 10%
There’s something Andy Ayim said during the Commonwealth Startup Fellowship programme that’s stayed with me ever since:
10x, not 10%.
It’s one of those deceptively simple ideas that seems like just a clever line at first - but the more I sit with it, the more it unpicks everything.
Because the real question it asks is this: are you aiming big enough?
Are you putting your time, your brain, your belief into the stuff that could actually transform things - or are you chipping away at the edges hoping to feel in control?
It applies to founders, obviously.
Are you building something that could 10x your impact, your reach, your learning - or are you rearranging your Notion dashboard again?
Are you spending your day trying to optimise a cold outreach message… when the real move is to get in the room where the warm intros happen?
But it also applies to life.
Are you choosing the thing that brings you 10x more joy - or just reaching for whatever’s easy?
Because I know what I do when I’m tired, overwhelmed, or low on belief.
I scroll. I clean out my inbox. I watch the same TV show for the third time
It feels like rest, but it rarely leaves me feeling any better.
When what I could be doing is:
Taking the long walk that always clears my head
Messaging that one friend who makes me feel 10x more like myself
Going to my reformer pilates class
Journalling, dancing, cooking something slow - whatever reconnects me to me
Those things don’t take much more effort — but they offer so much more return.
That’s the real meaning of 10x:
Doing more of what fills you up, not just what fills your time.
Choosing the thing that actually shifts your mood, your relationships, your perspective - even if it takes a tiny bit more intention.
So this week’s question isn’t “how can I go bigger?”
It’s: where am I putting my energy into small returns, when there’s something right there that would bring me so much more?
In your day. In your relationships. In how you rest, how you recharge, how you show up.
What’s your version of a 10x choice?
Founder cheat sheet
Here’s how to find your 10x - and have the nerve to actually go for it:
Ask a better question
Not “what should I do?” or “what’s realistic?”
Try: what would be 10x more joyful, impactful, energising than what I’m doing now?
Notice the tinkering
Are you tweaking your website font again? Rewriting the same email for the third time? Those are probably 10% moves. Doesn’t mean don’t do them - just don’t let them be your whole day.
Follow the butterflies
That nervous-excited feeling? That’s often where the 10x lives. Send the pitch. Apply for the thing. Start the messy draft.
Subtract to multiply
Sometimes, getting to 10x means taking something out - not cramming more in. What are you doing out of habit that’s stealing time from what really matters?