Some days, the work just flows. You’re focused, clear, and making real progress. Other days, you’re grinding through resistance, solving problems you didn’t expect, or simply trying to keep things moving.
This is what I call the Flow and Fight Cycle. Flow is that state where your skills and the challenge at hand line up. Time disappears, the work feels meaningful, and things just click. But flow doesn’t last forever. It gives way to the fight — the moments when progress stalls, doubt sets in, and every step feels like an uphill battle.
Obsessed founders know both states well. We don’t try to stay in one or avoid the other. Instead, we build the emotional range to move between them without losing ourselves or our company. Because mastery doesn’t come from balance. It comes from learning how to keep going through the extremes.
PERSPECTIVES
“An entrepreneur is someone who will jump off a cliff and assemble an airplane on the way down." — Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn
MARK MY WORDS
I’ve had stretches where I’m in deep, creative work that feels effortless. I’ve also had long days where I’m pushing through complexity, dealing with setbacks, or just trying to make the next right call.
What I’ve come to understand is that both states are part of the process. Flow helps us make progress. Fight teaches us how to endure. And obsession is what gives us the fuel to keep showing up. Having that emotional range gives us the ability to navigate the swings without burning out or checking out.
At Ninety, we think a lot about how to support that kind of durability. Not by making the hard parts go away, but by giving founders practical tools to organize the chaos, track the progress, and stay connected to the work that matters most. Growth can feel messy, slow, even invisible, but it adds up over time. The key is having the range to move through every cycle and come out stronger on the other side.
ON THE CALENDAR
Webinar: The Cost of Core Values Misalignment
Nov. 14 at 12:00 p.m. ET
Earlier this month, I hosted a webinar with Robert Glazer on core values.
The response was strong, so we’re back with Part 2. This time, we’ll talk about what happens when your team isn’t aligned with your values and how to fix it before heading into annual planning.
Why Your Company Can’t Be Everything to Everyone In this clip from our conversation with Robert Glazer, we talk about why core values aren’t aspirational — they’re nonnegotiable. Like choosing a college, your company should attract the right people and repel the wrong ones. Otherwise, your culture starts to blur.
In case you missed it, here’s more from Founder’s Framework:
The Arcs that Build Great Companies — And Why Progress Comes First
We talk a lot about systems, values, and clarity. But underneath it all, real momentum starts with progress. In this article, I explore the Five Arcs that help companies evolve with purpose, and why the first one always has to be progress.
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