Margin Memo #001: The Genesis of Margin

Read Time: 4 minutes

I got this message from my wife a while back…

Now, I wish I could say this was the first time my wife or someone close to me told me that I was spiraling, living life without space between my business and personal life, and very distracted.

But it was not.

In fact, many people had come to me concerned about where I was at and where I was likely headed quite a few times before it finally sank in.

Exhausted, emotionally drained, in the room but not present, out of shape, distant friendships, available to my son but not investing in him, married to my wife but not unified with her…

But hey! I was a multi-millionaire by 31 with a successful track record of building businesses and admired by the business world I created for myself.

I mean, “I was doing it all for my family.”

Right?

At least, that’s what I would say to justify my priorities.

How many of you have said that?
And how many of you are saying that right now in your life?

You trick yourself into thinking you’re building a legacy (and the world might even encourage you because of their optics), when in all reality if you stripped away your business accolades and bank accounts you would be a pathetic excuse for a man.

I was.

And here is the worst part… you know it deep down.

You know the areas you’re winning and the areas you’re losing in life

…and if you’re like me, you run to the areas you’re winning and tend to try and turn a blind eye to the areas you’re losing.

Thus, creating the spiral.

Break the pattern.

Here’s the turn…

That message from my wife, along with other events going on in my life and business, was jarring.

I still don’t know why THIS time was any different, but it was.

That word “Margin” struck me.

We know it all too well in our businesses.

It’s supposed to be our favorite line on our P&L statements.

It’s that beautiful space between our revenue and our expenses. It’s the value to us, the owner, and the indicator of the health of the business.

But I hadn’t thought of margin from a life perspective.

That space between my ambitions in business and my personal life. The value to me, the man, and the indicator of the health of my life.

I was running on zero margin.

And that was the moment my paradigm (and therefore, my life) changed.

I was done buying into the hustle porn and addiction to the grind.
I was done sacrificing my family for my business ambitions.
I was done telling myself lies about what I thought legacy was.
I was done manufacturing my own narrative around success.

And here is the beautiful part of all of this…

If you recall the tagline of “Margin,” it reads…

Empowering entrepreneurial men to win in business, lead at home, and create margin in their life.

That’s what became clear to me when I sought after true margin.

It became clear that it is not a binary pursuit (this vs that, yes vs no, black vs white)

My pursuit of margin in life was a BOTH/AND.

I could be an amazing father and husband, a healthy man, a good friend,
AND
be ambitious in business, build wealth, and continue to create.

It was found in the margin.

That space between.

Now your turn…

I’ve created Margin and The Margin Memo out of a desire to see you men step up in all areas of life.

Your mindset, your body, your soul, your creation, and your connection.

I’m out to create a world of wildly ambitious men who want to win in business, lead at home, and create margin in their own lives.

I’m grateful you’re here.

I’m excited you’re here.

At this very moment, I have no idea where this Margin journey will take all of us…

But I am confident in this…

The men who act will make changes in their lives, their wives will get their husbands back, their kids will be led and loved, businesses will be healthier, and lives will be fuller.

Here’s to the pursuit.

Seek Margin,

Joey Gilkey

P.S. It would mean the world to me if you shared this with other entrepreneurial men. Whether it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, your buddy you grab coffee with, it doesn’t matter. Who needs this? Who will you link arms with in this pursuit? Share with them.

P.P.S. If this is your first time here, you can subscribe right here. I am grateful you’re here.