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- My Egyptian Nightmare
My Egyptian Nightmare
It was pretty bad...
Yes King,
Landed in Egypt.
Plan was to visit the Pyramids.
Check out the historical sites.
Grab some flavoursome Middle Eastern food.
But here’s where my nightmare started.
When I was checking out places to stay at.
I looked around and found a place that seemed too good to be true.
9.2/10 star rating.
From the moment I bore witness to this place.
My guard was up.
For starters.
The lift looked about 60 years old and needed a guy to operate it with you.
I checked in at midnight.
5 guys all circled round talking and said “we’re changing shifts, can you wait for 5 minutes?”
Cool.
Now, I’m shown to my room and it was a dump.
I thought to complain at that moment but in true Stoic fashion thought to embrace it.
Fast forward 9 hours.
I woke up to my lip and left eye being completely swollen.
And a throbbing headache to sweeten the ambiance.
As any lad would, I took to ChatGPT and got my diagnosis.
Supposedly bed bugs or an airborne bacteria.
Vile.
I proceeded to the reception and said I wanted to check out and get a refund.
Instantly, I checked into a hotel double the price, 2 minutes around the corner.
Lessons:
Trust your gut.
Pay cheap, pay twice.
First impressions matter… a lot.
These lessons should be almost followed at all times.
This story isn’t just about a bad hotel experience.
It’s a metaphor for something I’ve seen far too many times in business.
When you try to shortcut the process or ignore your gut…
You’re asking for trouble.
I was reminded of this lesson while listening to Hugh Robinson on the Grappling Growth Podcast.
Hugh shared how he grew his agency to $50-60k months.
But eventually found himself burned out.
His business was growing.
But he was sacrificing his health, relationships, and personal well-being in the process.
Hugh came to a realization…
He needed to focus on more than just business growth.
He needed balance.
He embraced the "core four" —health, wealth, self, and relationships— to build a business that works for him.
Not the other way around.
In many ways, I learned the same thing during my nightmare in Egypt.
Trying to go cheap…
Or sacrificing key aspects of your life for business growth…
Always costs you more in the end.
So, if you’re feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or like your business is running you instead of the other way around.
Hugh’s insights could help.
And learn how to start building a business that supports the life you want.
Signing out,
Joe
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