🎯 Building with intention

The Progress Report | January 14, 2025

Imagine turning down $500M because it would dilute the message you set out to tell.

Most (and by most, we mean basically all) of us would call this crazy. But Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin & Hobbes, just calls it his career.

Today’s all about reconnecting with the deep reason you started this journey in the first place.

WEEKLY INSIGHT

Calvin & Hobbes is one of the most iconic American comic strips of all time, and ran weekly from 1985 to ‘95. One day, in spite of the comic’s fame, Watterson walked away. He had “said pretty much everything [he] had come there to say.”

Despite being offered ~$500M to franchise the comic since '95, no new Calvin & Hobbes has ever come out. Watterson felt that it had already run its course. It had fulfilled its purpose.

Purpose isn’t simply motivation—$500M would be able to do that.

Purpose is what carries you through the hard times, tells you which direction is forward, and lets you know when to call it a day. It’s your business’s raison d’être, whether that be as grand as democratizing finance, or as simple as making more people smile.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what your purpose is, but it does matter that you have one.

If you’re struggling to figure out your purpose, we created a worksheet to help you narrow down what’s most important to you.

INTENT TO ACTION

Use a purpose-impact matrix to help you focus on what truly matters. Organize your tasks, projects or business activities into four quadrants:

1. High Purpose, High Impact: Work that aligns deeply with your values and drives significant results. Focus on these.

2. High Purpose, Low Impact: Meaningful work with smaller immediate benefits. Invest your time in these selectively.

3. Low Purpose, High Impact: Tasks critical to growth but less connected to your mission. Delegate wherever possible.

4. Low Purpose, Low Impact: For the most part, distractions. Eliminate or postpone these.

If it helps to visualize, try laying this out on Miro. If you'd rather use a more versatile tool, check out Asana or ClickUp. With automation rules and recurring reviews, you can keep your priorities straight without constant maintenance.

(If you'd like a tutorial on setting this up, let us know.)

By staying true to his purpose, Bill Watterson created something timeless. When you stick to yours, your business becomes more than a venture—it becomes fulfilling.

Next week, we’ll talk about challenging traditional business models to find what suits you.

See you then.