What if the secret to achieving more wasn't pushing harder, but setting better limits?

In this episode of Profit Insights, Alex Franklin draws on the letters of Seneca the Stoic to explore a principle that is almost 2,000 years old.

Natural desires have boundaries. Unnatural ones, driven by comparison and the opinions of others, do not. And it is the boundless pursuit of the latter that quietly drains our focus, our relationships, and our effectiveness.

Building on the Pareto and Parkinson framework from the previous episode, Alex examines what it means to set fixed destinations rather than self-limiting beliefs, why saying no is one of the highest-leverage skills available to any business leader, and how the mental clarity that comes from defined limits creates space for deeper presence, better decisions, and more meaningful achievement.

Read the full column:

penpole.co.uk/post/the-ancient-art-of-setting-limits-a-stoic-approach-to-modern-achievement

Work with Alex: penpole.co.uk | ithacacybersecurity.com

References and Further Reading

Seneca, L. A. (2016). Letters from a Stoic (R. M. Gummere, Trans.). Letter XVI: On Philosophy, the Guide of Life. Dover Publications. (Original work written ca. 65 CE)
Seneca, L. A. (2016). Letters from a Stoic (R. M. Gummere, Trans.). Letter XXXV: On the Friendship of Kindred Minds. Dover Publications. (Original work written ca. 65 CE)
Koch, R. (2022). The 80/20 Principle: Achieving More with Less. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Ferris, T. (2007). The 4-Hour Work Week. Penguin.

Read all Profit Insights: https://www.ithacacybersecurity.com/insights/

Work with Alex: alex@ithacacybersecurity.com

penpole.co.uk | ithacacybersecurity.com

Time is our most precious and finite resource, yet most of us squander it without realising. In this episode, Alex Franklin applies two powerful principles in tandem, Pareto's Law and Parkinson's Law, to show how focusing on the right 20% of your effort, with the right deadlines, can unlock dramatically better results in both business and life.

Read the full article: ithacacybersecurity.com/how-to-achieve-more-with-less

Work with Alex: ithacacybersecurity.com | penpole.co.uk

References and Further Reading

Galloway, S. (2024). The Algebra of Wealth. Penguin.
Davies, W. H. (1911). Leisure. In Songs of Joy and Others. A. C. Fifield.
Ferris, T. (2007). The 4-Hour Work Week. Penguin.
Parkinson, C. N. (1955). Parkinson's Law. The Economist.
Koch, R. (2022). The 80/20 Principle: Achieving More with Less. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Isaacson, W. (2023). Elon Musk. Simon & Schuster.

Read all Profit Insights: https://www.ithacacybersecurity.com/insights/

Work with Alex: alex@ithacacybersecurity.com

penpole.co.uk | ithacacybersecurity.com

In this episode, Alex Franklin applies Moore's Law to the modern threat landscape and makes the case that cyber security is not an IT issue, it's a valuation issue.

If you're preparing for investment or exit, this episode is essential listening.

Read all Profit Insights: https://www.ithacacybersecurity.com/insights/

Work with Alex: alex@ithacacybersecurity.com

penpole.co.uk | ithacacybersecurity.com

Is the success of the world's greatest investors down to brilliance, or were they simply in the right place at the right time?

In this inaugural episode of Profit Insights, Alex Franklin examines one of the most uncomfortable questions in business: the role luck plays in investment decisions. Drawing on the work of NYU's Aswath Damodaran, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, and BCG founder Bruce Henderson's Growth Share Matrix, Alex makes the case that fortune and strategy are not opposites and that understanding their relationship can make you a materially better investor.

You'll come away with a clear framework for identifying the kind of high-growth, market-leading opportunities that generate outsized returns and a more honest account of why the most successful CEOs often point to luck when asked to explain their success.

In this episode:

• Why overconfidence, not genius, may be the defining trait of successful CEOs
• The Matthew Effect and how compounding advantage explains the careers of Gates, Jobs, and Schmidt
• The Growth Share Matrix: BCG's tool for separating Stars from Cash Cows, Question Marks, and Dogs
• Why positioning both by fortune and by design is the premier factor in determining return on capital
  
  

Read the full column: https://www.ithacacybersecurity.com/serendipity-or-strategy-bcgs-growth-share-matrix/

Work with Alex: penpole.co.uk | ithacacybersecurity.com

Read all Profit Insights: https://www.ithacacybersecurity.com/insights/

Work with Alex: alex@ithacacybersecurity.com

penpole.co.uk | ithacacybersecurity.com