Make Your Own Luck In Business

Opportunity doesn’t send a calendar invite. It shows up when you’re already moving. That’s been my playbook since the earliest days of building companies, including Hawke Media. My take is simple: you don’t wait for luck—you stack the deck so it can find you. That means showing up, taking the odd call, and staying in motion even when it feels inefficient. It matters because most people quit the hunt too soon. They want certainty. Business rarely gives that.

The Case for Productive “Waste”

Years back, our team was crammed around a small conference table. We had little space, less time, and a lot to prove. I took a call from a guy overseas, put it on speaker, and kept working while he talked for what felt like an hour. My partner asked what I was doing. The truth? I wasn’t sure. But I knew this: if you stay active in the right rooms, good things pile up.

“Maybe it’ll end up turning into something.”

“It’s the whole you make your own luck thing.”

A year later, that same person signed a big contract and brought us business from China. Was the hour “efficient”? Not by the minute. But by the outcome, absolutely. High-leverage wins often look wasteful up close. From a distance, they’re the reason companies grow.

How I Think About Motion and Momentum

Activity compounds. You never know which coffee, call, or intro will hit. But you can increase the odds by showing up more, listening more, and betting on people. That’s not random. It’s a strategy with messy edges.

• Be present where decisions happen, even if it feels early or awkward.
• Take calls that don’t have a clear ROI—some will pay off later.
• Keep your name in rooms and threads. Repetition builds recall.
• Treat “wasted” hours as the price of one big win.
• Track outcomes by quarters and years, not by minutes.

These moves look simple. They’re not easy. You’ll question your use of time. People around you might question it too. That’s fine. Winners learn to live with short-term inefficiency to earn long-term breakthroughs.

But Isn’t Focus the Real Key?

Yes—and. Focus matters. So does surface area. If your calendar is only heads-down, you cap your luck. If it’s only meetings and noise, you burn out. The answer lives in the middle: focused work as your base, intentional motion as your edge.

Here’s how I balance it: I batch my deep work, then allow blocks for movement—calls, events, quick check-ins. Not every block produces a win. Most don’t. That’s the point. The overall win rate is what counts.

“Know that a lot of my time, you know, in a vacuum’s wasted. But as long as I get the overall win, it’s gonna be there.”

What This Mindset Requires

It takes stamina. It takes a tolerance for no-shows and slow plays. And it takes faith in compounding. Early on, it was seven of us at a table, doing work in a tiny room and betting on movement. That scrappy rhythm still guides me. The domino effect is real—if you keep tipping the first piece.

My stance is clear: be incessant, be visible, and keep going. The right people remember the person who shows up. Deals follow energy. Momentum invites more momentum.

A Simple Call to Action

Audit your week. Protect your deep work. Then add two blocks for motion—one call you’d usually skip and one room you’re not “ready” for. Follow up fast. Repeat for 90 days. Track outcomes by wins, not by hours. Keep going.

Luck isn’t magic. It’s motion meeting time. Start the motion now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I know which meetings are worth taking?

Set simple filters: is there a real person, a real problem, or a real path? If one is yes, schedule it. If all are no, pass politely.

Q: How do I avoid getting buried in low-value calls?

Time-box outreach blocks, group similar meetings, and end with clear next steps. If momentum stalls twice, archive and move on.

Q: What metrics should I track for this approach?

Count introductions made, follow-ups sent within 24 hours, and deals sourced from “unexpected” channels each quarter. Watch for steady growth, not daily spikes.

Q: Doesn’t this conflict with deep focus work?

Not if you plan it. Protect daily focus windows. Use separate blocks for motion. Both can coexist when you keep firm boundaries.

Q: How long until I see results?

Expect early signals in 30–60 days and bigger outcomes within a year. Compounding needs patience, but one deal can repay the entire effort.