Adopting a Positive Sum Mindset to Accelerate Your Business

The best entrepreneurs play positive-sum games.

Here’s how to adopt a positive sum mindset to accelerate your business:

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

A few years ago, I was sitting on the patio with my two partners in our Airbnb business.

We were reviewing financial forecasts and equity schedules when a thought crossed my mind.

I felt a little guilty sharing it with my partners, so I kept it to myself.

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

But out of nowhere, Patrick said exactly what I was thinking:

“I’m getting a really good deal here!”

He was right.

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

A year earlier, Patrick was working construction for a little over $20/hour.

Today he’s working full-time as a partner in our company where he’s earning well over $150k in cash and equity each year. He’s well on the path to building wealth.

But here’s the thing…

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

All three of us were getting a good deal!

It wasn’t just Patrick who felt he was winning.

We all felt we were getting crazy good deals and were happy with our partnership.

And here’s why:

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

None of us would be in the short-term rental business, without the other two.

• Philip manages business logistics
• Patrick handles remodeling
• I finance the deals

The crazy part?

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

Philip and I don’t want to deal with construction projects.

So we have Patrick.

Patrick and I don’t want to worry about business logistics.

So we have Philip.

Patrick and Phillip don’t want to worry about locking up financing.

So they’ve got me!

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

I have the ability to purchase properties with cash.

This makes it easier to:

• Move quickly on deals compared to our competitors
• Purchase distressed properties in situations where banks won’t lend

Thanks to Philip and Patrick's work, I get a return far beyond the market.

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

The sum of our little real estate business is greater than the parts.

Many people view business as a zero-sum game:

“For me to win, someone else has to lose.”

But that’s not how to win at the game of business.

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

The best companies know business is a positive-sum game.

Apple is on a mission to bring the best experience to its customers.

Through this mission:

• Shareholders increase their wealth
• Consumers get to use great products
• Employees get paid well to work on cool problems

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

At @ConvertKit, we’re on a mission to help creators earn a living.

Through this mission…

• I build wealth while working on a problem I care about
• My team builds wealth while they get to do great work
• Creators everywhere get a great product to grow their businesses

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023

It’s easy to think of partnerships as splitting work evenly.

But the best partnerships are where the joint effort is more than the incremental return.

That’s when you’ll be able to achieve exponential growth in your wealth and impact.

— Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) March 17, 2023