Discover how one powerful encounter with Jesus challenges every business leader to examine their relationship with wealth, ambition, and the foundation they’re building on.
Mark 10:17–22 (ESV)
"And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."
This passage hits hard—especially for those of us who lead, build, and carry responsibility. The rich young ruler comes to Jesus asking the right question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? He’s moral, successful, respected. Outwardly, he has it all together. But Jesus sees something deeper. He presses on the one area of the man’s life that still holds his trust: his wealth. “You lack one thing.”
Not more effort. Not more knowledge. Not better leadership skills. What he lacked was surrender. Jesus wasn’t condemning wealth—but He was exposing what held the man’s heart. The man wanted eternal life, but he wanted to keep his hands full, too. And when Jesus asked him to let go—to truly follow—he walked away sorrowful.
Many have explained this passage well, but one perspective that helped clarify it for me came from R.C. Sproul. He pointed out that the young man misunderstood goodness itself. By calling Jesus “Good Teacher,” he revealed that he didn’t yet grasp who he was talking to—or how holiness really works. Jesus wasn’t denying His divinity—He was drawing attention to it. Only God is good. And if Jesus truly is good, then His words carry authority that demands surrender.
Let’s be honest—today’s business world runs on one dominant message:
Make more money.
Need growth? Revenue.
Need peace? Profit.
Need purpose? Financial freedom.
But if we’re not careful, money stops being a tool and becomes the target. We begin to chase success in a way that slowly replaces our dependence on God with dependence on our own strength. Like the rich young ruler, we still say the right things. But deep down, we trust our spreadsheets more than our Savior.
And I’m not speaking in theory here. I’ve seen this in my own life. There are moments where I say with my mouth, “God is enough,” but my habits, my hustle, my overwork... they tell a different story. They say I think my hands will bring me peace—not His Word. That performance and control will secure the future—not His presence. And that tension—between belief and behavior—reveals what I’m really trusting.
I don’t want that to be true. And maybe you don’t either. Jesus’ invitation is the same today as it was back then: Let go. Follow Me. And He says it with love—not shame. He said it to the rich young ruler with affection in His eyes. He says it to us with the same heart. Because He knows that whatever we’re clinging to instead of Him is just slowing us down, weighing us down, and holding us back from life that actually lasts.
So let us ask ourselves this week:
• What’s the one thing I’m most afraid to surrender?
• Is my business truly built on Christ—or have I placed my trust in the systems of this world?
• Would I follow Jesus if it meant walking away from profit, from influence, from comfort?
Let’s not just reflect—let’s repent. Let’s recalibrate. Let’s tear down the idols, open our hands, and follow Jesus like we actually believe He’s better.
Here’s a 2025 trend the young tech crowd is all over: Conversational AI.
It’s tech that lets machines talk to your customers like a human, powered by Large Language Models (LLMs)—AI brains trained on billions of conversations to understand language, tone, and intent. AWS explains that LLMs process speech-to-text (turning a customer’s words into text), generate a human-like response (using the LLM to “think” like a person), and convert it back to speech (using text-to-speech to talk), handling interruptions, accents, and slang in 100+ languages. Platforms like Google Cloud’s Dialogflow, Amazon’s AWS Lex, and ElevenLabs let AI agents answer calls, book jobs, or upsell, learning from your data to get sharper with every chat.
Watch the video on Google's Dialoflow
Picture a customer calling your carpentry business at 6 p.m., asking, “How much for a custom bookshelf?” The AI answers in a professional voice, “A custom bookshelf starts at $250 for a 5-foot unit—we have an opening next Friday at 9 a.m. to measure your space. Want to add a matching desk for $150?” It books the appointment and sends a confirmation email while you’re still sanding down a table leg.
Here’s how it works:
You create an AI “agent” (your digital employee). First, you upload a document—like a PDF with your pricing ($250 for a bookshelf, $150 for a desk), services (custom furniture, repairs, installations), and FAQs (“What’s your lead time?” “One week for custom pieces”). The AI takes 15 minutes to process this knowledge base, mapping “intents” (e.g., “price query” to “quote $250”) and responses.
Next, you record sample voice interactions—say, you saying, “How much for a bookshelf?” and “Book it for Friday”—so the AI learns your tone, ensuring it doesn’t sound like it’s reading from a script at a middle school play. Then, you connect it to your calendar via a “fulfillment” webhook—tools like Calendly integrate easily, letting the AI check slots and reserve them.
Finally, you integrate it with your phone line (like Twilio, $20/month) to handle incoming calls. Test it by calling; if it quotes $25 instead of $250, tweak the script. ElevenLabs’ free plan gives you 10 minutes of conversation monthly; their Business plan includes 15,000 minutes at $0.08 per minute (down to $0.015 at scale).
Check out ElevenLabs video here.
Here's the the architecture of the Amazon Lex – AI chat builder solution.
Watch the video and learn more here.
This isn’t just about saving cash—it’s about scaling with what I call Asymmetric Endurance™, a strategy where you build a self-sustaining engine of systems and automation that drives exponential growth without you being the bottleneck for every decision.
For a carpenter, this means more custom projects, more happy clients, and more revenue.
For a plumber using Google Dialogflow, it means more service calls, more fixed pipes, and more referrals.
For an electrician with Amazon AWS Lex or ElevenLabs, it means more wiring jobs, more satisfied homeowners, and more repeat business.
This is your chance to let an AI run the show, freeing you to build a thriving business that grows on its own momentum. Many of these tools, like Amazon Lex, allow you to build your own conversational AI for free, for a year.
So, what’s your plan to scale with Asymmetric Endurance™? How will you automate customer inquiries to reclaim 20 hours a week for strategic growth? Which decisions will you offload to the AI to expand your client base?
Are you ready to let your business soar, or will you keep anchoring it with every missed call?
Break free from outdated assumptions and learn how first principles thinking helps you innovate, solve real problems, and make decisions that lead to lasting growth.
In today’s fast-paced world, business decisions are often made based on convention—what’s worked before or what everyone else is doing. But to build a business that lasts, you need to embrace the Genesis Principle, which is rooted in first principles thinking. This powerful method allows you to innovate, solve problems, and make decisions that aren’t bound by outdated assumptions.
First principles thinking is a problem-solving approach where you break down complex problems to their most basic truths and reason from there. It challenges you to strip away assumptions and traditional methods to build ideas from the ground up. This is the foundation of innovation, enabling businesses to create new solutions rather than copying what’s already been done.
Elon Musk once explained his approach to problem-solving by saying:
“Physics is the law. Everything else is a recommendation.”
For Musk, the laws of physics are non-negotiable—they are fundamental truths. But everything else—the rules, the norms, the assumptions—can be questioned. This mindset of embracing first principles thinking has been at the core of Tesla's rise.
When conventional wisdom said that electric cars weren’t viable, Musk rejected those assumptions and started from scratch, rebuilding the electric vehicle market based on what was possible, not what was "recommended."
Tesla’s success is a powerful example of what first principles thinking can accomplish. Despite facing skepticism, Tesla’s focus on innovation, engineering, and bold assumptions has propelled the company to the forefront of the automotive industry. In 2024, the Tesla Model Y became the best-selling car globally, surpassing traditional powerhouses like the Toyota Corolla. This monumental achievement demonstrates how breaking from convention and focusing on technological innovation can lead to extraordinary outcomes. This success is a testament to the power of first principles thinking—where the focus isn’t on what’s been done before but on questioning what’s possible, engineering new solutions, and creating an entirely new market dynamic.
In today’s fast-moving environment, there’s a pressure to act quickly, to follow trends, and to opt for shortcuts. The pace of decision-making leaves little room for deep thought or reevaluation of assumptions. However, when we rely too heavily on quick solutions or follow the crowd, we miss the opportunity to think critically and innovate.
To truly build a business that can endure, we must resist the urge to jump on the fast-moving train and instead take the time to question everything and focus on what truly matters.
To start applying first principles thinking and the Genesis Principle in your business, ask yourself the following:
– Challenge everything, from your product offering to your marketing strategy. Are you operating on assumptions that hold you back?
– Strip away what’s not essential and focus on the fundamentals. How can you create something truly innovative?
– Go beyond surface-level fixes. What first principles solutions can you find that no one else is considering?
The Genesis Principle is one of the 7 laws of UnbreakableOS, and it’s at the heart of building a business that not only survives but thrives. When you embrace first principles thinking, you can challenge the status quo, innovate with purpose, and build a business that isn’t limited by outdated assumptions or conventional wisdom. This is how you move from just existing to truly scaling your business to new heights.