Kill Your Momentum in One Easy Step

A team can’t outgrow its leader. Your growth determines your team’s growth. And one of the biggest areas of growth? Decision-making.

Type 1 vs. Type 2 Decisions (Clarity & Ownership)

Not all decisions are the same. Some are like walking through a one-way door—once you step through, there’s no going back. Others? They’re two-way doors—if you don’t like what you see, just step back out.

  • Type 1 decisions are big, high-stakes, and hard to undo. These set the foundation for your business, relationships, and life. Think: “Will you marry me?” Once you’re in, you’re in.
  • Type 2 decisions are flexible, lower-risk, and should be made quickly. They let you experiment, adjust, and learn. Think: “Should we test a new marketing strategy?” If it flops, no big deal—you pivot.

The problem? Too many people treat every decision like a Type 1, and it grinds everything to a halt.

The Core Value Killer

When I confuse Type 2 decisions for Type 1, I kill momentum and violate every one of my core values.

  • Fear-Based Culture (Attitude Violation) – If every decision feels like life or death, people stop taking initiative.
  • Decision Paralysis (Action Violation) – Overanalyzing and hesitation lead to missed opportunities.
  • Overloading Leadership (Accountability Violation) – Leaders get buried in decisions others should handle.
  • Lost Speed & Missed Opportunities (Improvement Violation) – Business thrives on speed, but delays cost progress.
  • Wasted Energy & Time (Service Violation) – Teams spin their wheels in endless debates instead of moving forward.

The Opportunity Tree

Life is like a tree full of opportunities. Every decision takes you further down a branch. Some branches split in multiple directions, giving you room to move, adjust, and grow. Others? They end, forcing you to either stay put or cut them off entirely.

Type 1 decisions are those branches you can’t retreat from—once you go out, there’s no coming back. They shape the structure of your life, your business, and your relationships.

Type 2 decisions, though, are branches that let you explore. If you don’t like where they lead, you can back up and take a different path.

The biggest mistake? Treating every decision like a trunk or an irreversible branch. Growth doesn’t come from standing still—it comes from taking steps, learning, and adjusting along the way.

So, next time you’re at a crossroads, ask yourself: Is this a Type 1 or Type 2 decision? Because knowing the difference is what keeps your tree growing strong.

Focus on the Prize, Not the Shiny Stuff

There’s real truth in Dan Martell’s words: “Most companies die of indigestion not starvation.” It’s not a lack of opportunity that sinks us—it’s the endless chase after every flashy distraction. And that’s exactly what God is telling us through Proverbs 24.

Grow in Wisdom, Build Your Strength

Proverbs 24:5 reminds us, “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.” God isn’t urging you to add clutter to your life. Instead, He’s challenging you to set your sights on something far greater: wisdom. Not the quick fix or trending fad, but the deep, unshakeable knowledge that builds true strength. When you grow in wisdom, you discover that the prize is found in the journey of self-discovery.

Measure Your Progress Against Life’s Tests

Proverbs 24:10 declares, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Life will test you—it’s inevitable. When adversity strikes, ask yourself: do you crumble, or do you measure your resolve and rise? The true measure of strength isn’t found in ease but in how you handle the storm.

Repeat: Rise Again, Every Time

Proverbs 24:16 tells us, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” Seven isn’t just a number—it’s a reminder of perfection in persistence. Fall, learn, rise, and repeat. This cycle isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s proof of your relentless spirit. Every time you get back up, you’re growing into the person you’re meant to be.

As you navigate your journey in business, relationships, and your personal walk with God. Every fall is a lesson, and every rise is a testament to your resilience.

Stay focused. Don’t chase every shiny distraction. Grow in wisdom and knowledge, measure your strength in adversity, and rise again—because if you’re determined to get up, you will grow.

Remember… You are the prize.

Replacements – Getting the Right People on the Team

Proverbs 19:27
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.”

Getting the right people on the team isn’t just important—it’s vital. In business, the difference between growth and chaos often comes down to the people you surround yourself with. I wish I could tell you we’ve always nailed it at SignMaster, that we’ve mastered the art of hiring rockstars who perfectly fit their roles… but that would be a lie.

Here’s how our journey unfolded.

Nice to Meet You. You’re Hired.

For years, our hiring process could be summed up in one line: “Nice to meet you. You’re hired.” No formal process. No detailed job descriptions. Nothing. We were a small, scrappy team, and I convinced myself we didn’t need a structured approach.

Most of our hires came from personal connections—friends of friends or folks from my local church. I didn’t have specific roles in mind; I just needed help. And so I hired people.

Thank God, most of them were high-character individuals who genuinely wanted to contribute. But looking back, it’s clear how risky that approach was. High character isn’t the same as high competence. And good people don’t always fit well in every role.

We Agree. You’re Hired.

As SignMaster grew, I realized we needed a better system. I picked up the book “Traction” by Gino Wickman, and it hit me: getting the right people on the team wasn’t enough. You also had to get them in the right seat.

We formed a hiring committee made up of our existing team members. We crafted a list of interview questions and decided we’d all interview each candidate, then take a vote. If everyone agreed… You’re hired.

Sounds democratic, right? But man, it was a disaster. Our batting average plummeted. In fact, I think it was even worse than the “Nice to meet you” method. Why? I’ve got a theory. By then, we were pulling from a bigger pool of applicants. And the larger the pool, the harder it is to find a keeper. It’s like fishing in deeper waters—the odds of reeling in a prize catch go down.

Culture, Process, Time. You’re Hired.

We’ve come a long way since then. We’ve upped our game, and our “batting average” has definitely improved. Here’s how:

Culture.
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. That’s not just a cliché; it’s the truth. We’ve become laser-focused on our core values, and we don’t compromise. We use Culture Index personality profiles for every potential hire, and our interview questions are designed to filter out anyone who won’t thrive in our culture.

Process.
We’ve learned that personality assessments are just one piece of the puzzle. One of our team leads—someone with a natural talent for discernment—crafted a series of interview questions that, when paired with the personality profile, have become our secret weapon. The process is rigorous, but it works.

Time.
You’ve heard the saying: “Hire slow, fire fast.” This is the third pillar of our approach. We take our time. We never rush to fill a role, no matter how desperate the need feels. And if someone needs to be let go, I take full responsibility—it means I failed in the hiring process.

Parallels to Life

Here’s the thing: This isn’t just about business. This is about life. We’re all CEOs of our own lives, whether we realize it or not. I have to run the “Tommy Trucks” business every day, and just like in SignMaster, my success hinges on the people I allow on my team.

In my personal life, I have friends, mentors, family members, and acquaintances who influence my decisions and my growth. Some lift me up, while others might pull me off course. If I’m not intentional about who I let in, I can end up surrounded by the wrong influences.

Just like in business… “Hire slow and fire fast.”

Who are you letting on your team? Who’s got influence in your life?

Maybe it’s time to make some replacements.

The Price of Everything (And the Cost of Some Things)

At SignMaster, we’re evaluating our pricing structure, and I’ve been reading Confessions of the Pricing Man. It’s a fascinating deep dive into how pricing affects everything—business, psychology, even human behavior. Highly recommend it.

But during my scripture reading today, I came across something that put price in a whole different light:

Proverbs 17:23
A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

And it got me thinking—

  • What was the amount of the gift?
  • What was the judgment being perverted?

I’ve probably watched too many gangster movies, so my mind immediately went to bribery and extortion. But maybe it’s much smaller than that—more subtle, more personal.

How many times have I made the wrong decision because it benefited me?

Not every price is measured in dollars. Sometimes it’s measured in integrity. Convenience. Compromise.

Some things should never have a price tag.

A Better Way

A Better Way

There is always a BETTER WAY. Ask anyone at Sign Master, and they will tell you that I am deeply committed to Continuous Improvement. It’s one of our core values, and I preach it to our team almost every day. I truly believe that there is a better version of every process, every product, and everything – including myself and every other person on the planet. I also believe that moving toward that “better version” is both noble and honorable.

But, there is a problem with a mindset of improvement. It often turns curiosity into criticism. When improvement becomes critical, it stops being fun. People stop learning and growing and become burdened with an “it’s never enough” and “I can’t do anything right” attitude.

And herein lies the problem of continuous improvement. How do you tell someone “there is a better way” without telling them “you are doing it wrong”? This is not an easy thing to do. In the last verse of 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says, “…and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” And in chapter 13, he gives us the answer.

Paul simply called it CHARITY. I’ve heard it defined in many ways; love with feet, love in action, grace on wheels, brotherly love, and even the love of God.

Biblical charity ends criticism and opens the door to a better way.

The more I strive for excellence and envision what might be, the more apparent the widening gap between myself and perfection becomes. I am so thankful that God’s grace has paved the way and bridged that gap for all mankind.

Keep pressing toward the mark.
-T

Lunch Circus

I was having lunch yesterday with my wife, my oldest daughter Taylor and her “circus of littles”. We were all having a blast — making fart noises, food was everywhere, and Kohen blew the most epic snot bubble of all time. Despite my secret plan to get kicked out of Chicken Salad Chick, we didn’t even get the attention of a manager.😉 But, Oh my! What a lunch!

Midway through lunch, things had calmed down a bit, I leaned over and asked Taylor… “How are you doing?” (I know when lunch is over, I go back to work but the circus goes with her… and stays with her 24-7) Her response was simple, full of grace and wisdom. “I’m good. It will only be like this for a couple of years, and I can do anything for a little while.”

I could go on and on about perspective, gratitude, faith, perseverance, adversity, etc… but I won’t. Let me leave you with this.

You can do anything for a little while.

Double Down

REWARDS. In virtually every area of life, from personal satisfaction to financial success, the top 1% reap disproportionate rewards. So, the critical question is: can you become part of that top 1%? The answer is a resounding YES.

Consider your abilities on a scale of 1 to 10. The goal is to excel in a specific area where you can become a “10.”

You possess a talent or skill that naturally places you between a 6 and 7 on this scale.

Discipline+Desire+Training+Time can elevate you by an additional 3 to 4 points.

If you invest your time and energy into an area where you’re only a 3, the highest you can aim for is being “above average.” However, if you concentrate that same level of commitment on an area where you’re already a 7, you could become WORLD CLASS.

Move into the top 1%. Find your focus and get to work.

Hint: Your passion often aligns with your talents. It’s unlikely that God would give you one without the other.

Bright Clouds

…so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain…
Zechariah 10:1 KJB

This appears to be wrong. We all know, it’s not the bright clouds that bring the rain but the dark ones. Right? Well, it all depends on your perspective. When you’re on the ground looking up, the rain clouds look dark because they’re full of water and block the sun. However, from heaven looking down, they actually appear bright white, as they reflect the sun’s light.

So, is the verse wrong? Not at all. We can hop on a plane and go look at the bright clouds. But I bet the people who translated the King James Bible in the 1600’s were scratching their heads. They could have changed the wording to read “dark clouds” or replaced it with some other word to fit their perspective. Had they done so, we would have lost a piece of THE TRUTH.

When confronted with things outside our normal viewpoint, we have three options: change it, leave it, or believe it. Be fully persuaded in your own mind and act accordingly, but don’t expect others to see it from your unique perspective. By definition, they can’t.

Keep pressing toward the mark!
-T

Origins

Every fiber of my being is all about growing, fixing things, and actually doing something. Our culture agrees, and our language is littered with cliches around the same idea.

Talk is cheap.
Actions speak louder than words.
Put your money where your mouth is.
Deeds, not words.
Less talk, more action.
Practice what you preach.
Don’t talk about it, be about it.
All hat, no cattle.
Put up or shut up.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
All bark and no bite.
Talk the talk, walk the walk.

It is so cool how our “American English” was built around the Holy Bible. I’ve not found a cliche yet that does not have its roots in the scripture. Today’s cliches are brought to you by Proverbs 14:23. 😉

“In all labour there is profit: But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.”

Ignorable?

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Steve Martin

“What is your secret to success?” Steve Martin’s reply, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” Of course that is not what the reporter wanted to hear. He was trying to uncover the “secret sauce” and the “magic” behind Seve Martin’s tidal wave of success.

His reply was timeless and true. Bottom line, there is no secret sauce and the only magic is the magic of compounding. Steve Martin spent 15 years honing his craft and building his audience before he was noticed, and by then he was so good he could not be ignored!

Use the law of compounding to your advantage. Do something today that moves you in the right direction. Your future self will thank you!

PS – If you’re searching for a good place to start, you can find helpful tips from the smartest man who ever lived in the book of Proverbs.

Keep pressing toward the mark!
-T

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