“See, in life, the person with the most intention wins.” – Dan Sullivan, Founder of Strategic Coach
Sustained success in the entrepreneurial world is not a “job”, it is not a “career”; it is a calling—a whole way of living. The entrepreneurial path is seldom predictable; it is marked by adversity, challenges, triumphs, and moments of bright light—clarity. This book, Intention: Unlocking the Lifeforce Inside High Performing Entrepreneurs, seeks to illuminate key challenges and reveal essential truths that entrepreneurs encounter throughout their journeys. These revelations—rapid feedback-- are not merely lessons but compass points to guide entrepreneurs toward purpose, impact, and ultimate fulfillment.
As Nassim Nicholas Taleb observed in his groundbreaking work Skin in the Game, true learning only occurs when one experiences the consequences of their actions. Skin in the game for EOMs means that rapid feedback is impactful, right? Entrepreneurs, more than anyone, operate in environments where their decisions carry direct and often substantial consequences to them, their legacy, their enterprises, their families, and their communities. With both the potential for upside gains, and crucially, skin in the game, we don’t just forgo opportunities when we fail—we experience real losses. Not merely “missed gains,” but tangible losses, including loss of capital, reputation, hopes, and dreams. It is here that the practice of intentionality begins to shape not merely businesses, but the individuals at the helm.
The highest mission in life is to become uniquely ourselves, continually refining and sharpening our focus on who we are, what we contribute, and how we live. Being at our best is good for us, sure, but it’s also good for everyone around us. For entrepreneurs, this often involves chipping away at accumulated mental and emotional barriers—what we might refer to as “scar tissue"—to rediscover the authentic callings of our consciousness and, if we are lucky, to find our "Unique Ability”®, a term coined by our friend Dan Sullivan. Our "Self" is not fixed; just the opposite, it is plastic, perpetually evolving, shaped and reshaped by every experience we ever have, every win, every failure, every learning, every love and every loss, every environment we experience, every person we meet, and (maybe most of all) every book we read. As Carol Dweck’s work on Mindset demonstrates, a growth mindset allows for this continuous evolution, reinforcing the idea that we are an infinite work in progress.
The muscle of intention—a deliberate focus on purposeful action—has the power to shift perspectives, increase empathy, and inspire transformational outcomes. Entrepreneurial Owner-Managers (EOMs) represent a highly neurodiverse group. Neurodiversity, as defined by Judy Singer, embraces variations in human brain function, including conditions such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, viewing them as natural and valuable rather than as deficits. Entrepreneurs like Richard Branson (dyslexia) and Daymond John (ADHD) have used their neurodiverse traits as strengths. Branson credits his dyslexia for helping him think creatively, while John attributes his ADHD to his high-energy approach to problem-solving. Research, such as a 2018 study in Small Business Economics, suggests that certain neurodiverse traits—creativity, hyperfocus, and risk tolerance—are often overrepresented in entrepreneurial populations, making these differences entrepreneurial "superpower."
Intention is creating an imagined state of being for something you wish to achieve as if you had already attained it—truly feeling as if you have already gained what you desired. Expectation of how that outcome will be accomplished is a detriment to success. Resolution to issues frequently come in completely unexpected ways.
If you are a seasoned, successful Entrepreneur Owner-Manager, then acting on what you learn from reading the essays in this book will positively change your life. While this book was written for owner-managers, its insights also apply to expert advisors to owner-managers; you live this every day with your clients. If on the other hand, you are a “corporate executive”, this book was not created for you. If you are an “investor” this book is not for you. If you are a nascent or soon to be entrepreneur, you will almost certainly encounter insights that are worth returning to as your journey unfolds, but it wasn’t created for you. Nor was it written for the academic community.
The readers who will find immediate… even life changing guidance here, are seasoned successful owner-managers and their professional expert advisors helping them to succeed and thrive as their entrepreneurial journey approaches its crowning achievement.
Entrepreneurs are the most powerful pro-social, and pro-economic force on the planet. As agents of change, they drive innovation, economic growth, and societal transformation. Their ventures often reveal opportunities invisible to others and catalyze systemic shifts. This book of essays collects insights and reflections derived from decades of conversations with high-performing entrepreneurs. It is designed not to provide business strategies or growth hacks, but to help unlock the individual potential of entrepreneurs, enabling them to achieve fulfillment and ultimately experience their personal freedom.
© 2025 Bigelow LLC. All rights reserved.