Book of the Week by Gabe Salinas
Founder and Owner of Window Ninjas
Have you ever hit a goal and thought to yourself, why did that feel easier than the stuff I grind through every day?
Why is it that the big leaps seem smoother than the small steps?
That is the heartbeat of 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Ben Hardy.
And let me tell you something. This book hit me like a lightning bolt!
I read it three times this week.
Not because I needed to.
Because I could not put it down.
This book takes everything entrepreneurs think they know about growth and flips it on its head.
We spend so much of our lives thinking we should try a little harder, add a little more effort, tweak the same process, and somehow that gets us to the dream.
Wrong.
The real breakthroughs happen when you stop thinking in small upgrades and start thinking in total transformation.
This book is a mindset shift.
And if you apply it, it becomes a life shift.
I know because this book describes my entire journey without ever naming me.
It describes how I built Window Ninjas.
How I became who I am today.
And how I will scale this company to places most people cannot even imagine.
Let me tell you exactly how this book connects to my life and why I am giving it the full 5 Golden Squeegees.
THE MOMENT I REALIZED I HAD TO GO 10X
I will never forget the day it hit me.
I was on one of my first coaching calls with the Thrivetime team.
They asked me questions about my business. Simple stuff at first.
Then they started making recommendations.
And I pushed back.
Not because I was being difficult.
Because that is what entrepreneurs do when someone starts poking at the thing they built with their own sweat.
I thought I had a pretty good handle on things.
I thought the little adjustments I made each week were moving us in the right direction.
But then they hit me with something that changed everything.
They said, Gabe, if you make a change here, it affects this other part of your business.
And when you adjust that part, it affects another part.
And when you change that part, it affects the next one.
Everything touches everything.
Then they broke down how scaling really works.
They talked about systems, processes, SOPs, checklists, delegation, and true leadership.
They explained that every scalable company has one thing in common.
A starting point.
A Ground Zero.
A control center that everything else plugs into.
For us, that was the call center.
At that moment, I could see it.
The whole model.
Not just where it was, but where it could go and what it would take to get it there.
And I realized something very important.
What got me here was not going to get me to the next level.
I was now staring down months, maybe years, of building systems, documenting processes, hiring the right people, creating leaders, and developing an engine that could support not just my business, but dozens of franchise locations.
It clicked.
And once it clicked, we never looked back.
That was the start of my 10x journey.
THE IDENTITY SHIFT DAN TALKS ABOUT
Dan Sullivan says every 10x jump requires a new identity.
You cannot carry your old self into your new future.
That one hit me hard.
Because I had to go from being THE GUY to being THE OWNER and CEO.
Those are two very different people.
THE GUY wakes up, grabs a squeegee, jumps in the truck, helps crews, runs quotes, solves problems, and puts out fires.
THE OWNER builds leaders.
Designs systems.
Understands accounting.
Learns how to scale.
Studies business.
Builds vision.
Builds people.
Puts the right players in the right seats.
Stops trying to control everything.
Starts empowering everyone.
That transition is not easy.
Not because the work is hard.
Because the mindset has to change.
You have to let go of who you were so you can become who you need to be.
And that is what 10x is all about.
WHAT I HAD TO ELIMINATE TO RISE UP
If you are going to grow 10x, you cannot keep doing the same 2x tasks.
I had to stop:
• Helping crews on jobs
• Running quotes
• Trying to be everywhere at once
• Doing work someone else on my team could do
• Wasting time on things that did not move the company forward
• Operating like a technician instead of a CEO
I had to build leaders who could take ownership, take tasks off my plate, and carry the mission forward.
I had to focus on productivity, systems, and the vision.
Elimination is painful.
It feels like giving up control.
But in reality, it is giving your company a chance to breathe and grow.
THE 10X OBSESSION
When I fully stepped into the 10x mindset, something triggered inside me.
I became obsessed.
Addicted.
In the healthiest way possible.
Because when you understand what 10x really is, you realize it is easier than 2x.
Not harder.
2x is fighting for small gains.
2x is pushing a boulder up a hill.
2x is doing more of what you already do, which only burns you out.
10x is stepping back and asking:
What would this look like if I only did the things that truly matter?
What would this look like if I only focused on the big wins?
What would this look like if I built a team that could help me scale?
What would this look like if I eliminated everything that did not get me closer to my goal?
Once you understand that, the game changes.
10x requires vision.
2x requires effort.
Vision is easier than effort.
That is why 10x is easier than 2x.
A REAL WINDOW NINJAS EXAMPLE OF 10X THINKING
You want a perfect example of 10x thinking inside Window Ninjas?
Holiday lights.
This year we went all in.
Hard.
The bookings were stacking up.
Crew schedules were tight.
We were weeks out.
Most companies would have said no.
Most companies would have protected their schedule instead of growing their revenue.
Most companies would have thought in 2x terms.
Not us.
We said yes and then figured out where to put the customers.
We added capacity.
We built faster.
We moved people around.
We found the solutions.
When your team feels like their back is against the wall, they learn how to fight their way out of it.
That is 10x.
And that is why we have been crushing it this season.
WHERE WE ARE STILL 2X’ING
I will be honest.
We are still early in the franchising game.
We are building fast.
We are moving hard.
But we have areas where we can grow at a 10x pace.
Some people in our organization still think in 2x terms.
That is not their fault.
They have not been exposed to what 10x looks like yet.
So we are having meetings.
We are teaching.
We are coaching.
We are challenging everyone around us to level up.
Franchising will be built on 10x thinking.
And if you want to scale a company to 40, 50, or 60 locations, 2x will never get you there.
WHY THIS BOOK MATTERS
This book is not hype.
It is not theory.
It is practical, powerful, and proven.
It gives you a way to think about growth that actually works.
It shows you why most people fail.
It shows you how to escape average.
It shows you how to build a life and business that are not dependent on constant grind and hustle.
This book helped me put language to what I was already doing.
It helped me sharpen my mindset.
It helped me teach my team.
And it confirmed one of the biggest truths in business.
Small thinking is expensive.
Big thinking is profitable.
You will never hit 10x by chasing 2x goals.
MY TAKEAWAY AND ONE ACTION YOU SHOULD APPLY TODAY
My biggest takeaway is this.
“10x comes from identity first, systems second, and action third.”
You need to change how you think.
You need to change who you believe you are.
You need to eliminate the things that keep you small.
And then you need to take bold action.
Your one actionable move today is simple.
Ask yourself:
What is the one thing I need to eliminate or delegate so I can focus on what truly matters?
Do that today and watch what happens.
You will feel lighter, clearer, and more capable almost instantly.
THE GOLDEN SQUEEGEE RATING
This book gets a full 5 out of 5 Golden Squeegees from me.
It is pure gold.
It is life changing.
And it is going to reshape the way leaders and entrepreneurs think for generations.
Pick up this book.
Use what is inside it.
Swap your mindset from average and ordinary, corner yourself with a massive goal, and fight your way into success.
Keep Shining.
