The Success Secret I Ignored (& Paid the Price)

Three years ago, I was drowning.

I had poured everything into my business – late nights, early mornings, every ounce of energy I had left in me.

And yet, no matter how hard I worked, I felt like I was running in quicksand.

Progress was slow. Wins were fleeting. The pressure was suffocating.

I had read the books. I had studied the greats. I learnt every strategy, every tactic, every secret to success. But something was missing.

One evening, exhausted and frustrated, I found myself on a call with a man who had built and sold companies like it was second nature.

Desperate for clarity, I asked him:

"What’s the one thing you wish you had known earlier?"

He didn’t hesitate. He leaned in, locked eyes with me, and said:

It hit me like a punch to the gut.

I was obsessed with action, with execution, with grinding my way to the top.

The idea that the people around me could dictate my success?

It sounded like a cop-out, an excuse for those who weren’t willing to put in the work.

So, I ignored it.

What did it matter who I spent time with? As long as I kept pushing forward, surely I could break through any obstacle.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

And I would learn that lesson the hard way.

Turns out ego is expensive.

Doubt. Fear. Hesitation.

Entrepreneurship is war waged in your mind, every single day.

In business, it’s about how clearly you think when the pressure mounts, how much conviction you hold when the odds are stacked against you, and whether you have the courage to take the leap while others hesitate.

BUT - You’re not fighting this war alone.

Every conversation you have, every opinion you absorb, every voice that echoes in your head – it’s shaping the way you think, the way you act, and ultimately, the results you get.

You start thinking bigger, acting bolder, solving problems instead of getting stuck in them.

But if you’re surrounded by complainers, skeptics, and people who shrink from risk?

Their fears become your fears.

Their doubts seep into your decisions.

And in business, limits don’t just hold you back.

They cost you money. They cost you momentum. They cost you the life you could have built.

Every great entrepreneur you admire has one thing in common.

They weren’t just relentless in their work.

They were relentless in their circle.

They built fortresses of iron-willed individuals around them—people who didn’t just believe in their vision, but who demanded more from them at every step.

The right circle will do things no course, no book, no late-night grind session ever could:

• They will call you out when you’re slipping

• They will challenge your thinking

• They will push you into the unknown

• They will remind you who the hell you are

Their energy? Different.
Their conversations? Different.
Their expectations? Ruthless.

So here’s my challenge to you: Audit your circle.

For the next 30 days, pay close attention to how the people around you make you feel.

• Do they push you or keep you in your comfort zone?

• Do they fill you with energy or drain it from you?

• Do they believe in your vision or constantly shoot down your ideas?

And if you realize your circle is holding you back—start making a change.

Find masterminds. Join communities of ambitious people. Seek out mentors who’ve already walked the path you want to take.

If you’re not actively choosing who you surround yourself with, you’re passively choosing your future.

Trust it from someone who tried to do it all alone.

Yours truly,

-Nigel Thomas

P.S. Ready to surround yourself with Winners?

Join 30 entrepreneurs for the Growth Mastermind March 28th-30th in the Dominican Republic…

Spend 3 days in person with the likes of Timothy Armoo who built and sold an 8 figure business and Joe Gannon the personal branding expert behind Jordan Peterson.

Right now we have 3 tickets left.

Click here to apply before they sell out.