Why Mindset Isn’t Just Fluffy Nonsense

You’ve probably heard it before: Be × Do = Have. It gets thrown around in personal development circles a lot. But before you roll your eyes and click away thinking this is just another “believe and achieve” fluff piece, stick with me.

This equation is deceptively simple and ridiculously powerful, especially for business owners. Most people reverse it. They start with what they want to have, then think about what they need to do, and only if they absolutely must, consider who they might need to be to make it all happen.

Unfortunately, that’s like trying to upgrade your business while running Windows 95. You might get it to boot, but don’t expect much else.

The Usual Way: Have > Do > Be

Let’s say someone wants to have more profit, more time off, or a team that doesn’t treat them like a walking suggestion box. What do they do? They start doing more. Longer hours. More marketing. More spreadsheets. Maybe even more shouting.

And yet, the results don’t shift. They might get a short-term bump, but they burn out or hit a wall. Because the real bottleneck isn’t in the doing. It’s in the being.

Flipping the Equation

Be × Do = Have flips the whole thing around.

To change what you have, you change what you do. But the quality of what you do is always multiplied by who you are being while you do it.

That includes mindset, beliefs, attitude, confidence, self-talk, and yes, the willingness to get uncomfortable. It’s the invisible stuff that drives the visible stuff.

Meet Chris: The Hypothetical Business Owner You’ve Definitely Met

Chris runs a decent-sized consultancy. Smart, ambitious, wants to scale. The problem is, Chris still thinks like a technician. Every time the team struggles, Chris steps in to “fix” things. Every time a client complains, Chris takes it personally. Every time I mention delegation, Chris starts twitching.

Chris wants to have more freedom and higher margins. Chris keeps doing more – hiring people, investing in systems, running strategy sessions. But nothing really changes. Why? Because Chris is still being the same person. Still believes that control equals quality. Still allergic to letting go.

So what do we work on? Not a new CRM system. Not a fancy marketing funnel. We work on who Chris needs to be. A leader, not a fixer. A strategist, not a safety net. Someone who trusts the team and backs off the micro-management.

That shift doesn’t come from reading a leadership book. It comes from being challenged. From catching the little phrases like “I just need to…” or “I’ll try to…” and replacing them with conviction. It comes from mindset shifts that change behaviour without even needing a to-do list.

And guess what? Once Chris started showing up differently, the team responded. The doing got sharper. The results followed.

So… Who Do You Choose to Be?

If you’re honest, there’s probably an area of your business where you’re stuck in “do more, have more” mode. You’re grinding harder but not getting closer to what you want. That’s the red flag. The sign it’s time to look inward.

Ask yourself:

  • What kind of leader would already have the results I want?
  • What beliefs or habits am I holding onto that served me in the past but are holding me back now?
  • What language do I use about myself, my business, or my team that reveals an outdated identity?

These aren’t fluffy coaching questions. These are the questions that shift the trajectory of a business.

Because when you work on the being, the doing changes naturally. And when the doing aligns with who you’re becoming, the having takes care of itself.

Let’s Make It Simple

You could keep pushing the boulder uphill. Or you could step back and ask, “What would change if I showed up differently?”

If this hits a nerve, in a good way, let’s grab a coffee and chat. No hard sell. No awkward pitch. Just a real conversation about what’s going on, and whether a fresh perspective might make a difference.

Worst case? You get a decent flat white and someone who actually listens.