The Spanish celebration of Reyes Magos (also known as Three Kings Day, when according to Christian tradition the Three Wise Men – Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar – visited baby Jesus shortly after his birth to present him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.) is a beautiful reminder of the joy that comes with giving gifts.

In the spirit of the season, and this special holiday,  we wanted to offer you something meaningful for your journey.

This week, we’re focusing on the Founders Journey—the journey every entrepreneur takes from the initial idea to the ultimate exit. 

Whether you’re launching a startup, scaling toward bigger goals, or preparing for a successful exit, you need to understand something important – something I learned the hard way…

What got you to where you are now, isn’t what you will need for the next stage. 

Read that again.

You may have heard it before about your team, or your systems. True. Often the people that help you start a business and create early success aren’t the ones you’ll need to scale. We tend to start with friends, with people we can afford to hire… we tend to hire individuals who are a Jack of all trades. Swiss army knives. 

But to truly scale, we need experts. People that have already been where we are trying to go. 

The systems we used as a startup also tend to get shaky as we scale. Maybe it is time to upgrade.

But do you know what is the “far and away the biggest change needed”?

Drumroll….

It is YOU. 

The person in the mirror who showed up yesterday is NOT the person who is going to get you or your business to the next level. 

It is not the person who achieves the goals and dreams you’ve set out for yourself. 

Defying the Odds – Going Pro

Last week I shared an email about the danger (and extremely common scenario) of being on autopilot. 

Here’s how autopilot works.

Your brain seeks safety first. 

Assuming you are safe, the brain seeks comfort. 

From the minute you get comfortable, your brain settles down and hits cruise control. 

Welcome to autopilot. 

As an entrepreneur if you would say you have a “good” business… or might say “we are growing nicely”. 

If you think I have a “nice life” or might say you’ve found good “balance”

I think what you are saying is: I am on autopilot.

And autopilot means you are playing the game of business and game of life, as an amateur. 

If you want to hit the next level, you have to commit to going pro. 

On behalf of our team, we wish you a week filled with inspiration, joy, and the clarity to move forward with purpose. Here’s to making 2025 a year of intentional growth and success.

Warm regards,
Mac and the OPTION 3 & ExitDNA Teams

P.S. Know an entrepreneur who could use a little guidance? Share this gift with them—it’s a powerful way to start the year together.