The Unintentional Wiring of Startup Life: Your Worth = Your Productivity
Devin Reed (ex-Gong, Clari) built the perfect solo business on paper. A year in, he realized productivity wasn’t enough - and rewired how he measures success.
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One of B2B’s top marketers stared at his packed calendar and thought: "I don’t want to do any of this.”
In the startup world, there's an unspoken truth:
Your worth is tied to your productivity. You need to be constantly building something new. Raising the bar. And making sure your peers see you raising it.
So when Devin Reed (former content leader at Gong and Clari) went full-time on his own business The Reeder, it felt natural to pack his schedule. That's how he was wired.
A year in, things looked great.
Consulting calls. Brand deals. Production dates. Content projects.
It was everything he thought he wanted when he left his 9–5.
"A year ago, I would have killed for this calendar" he shared.
"But I just didn't want do it."
That moment forced him to confront a tension every ambitious business owner, leader, and parent knows:
When he was with his kids, he felt guilty for not working.
When he was working, he felt guilty for missing time with his kids.
Grinding harder wasn't the fix. Instead, he asked himself 2 important questions:
What wiring am I still carrying from my SaaS hypergrowth days?
What would a perfect day actually look like?
His answers led him to a new operating system, that included more:
Time with his kids in the mornings and after school
Space for reading and writing outside of work
Room for hobbies and exercise
Still working hard, still driven, and ambitious.
But with a different definition of success.
In the full conversation, Devin breaks down the mindset shifts, leadership lessons, and inner game behind that reframe - plus the practical changes any ambitious leader can borrow.
Because whether you’re leading an in-house team or building a solo business - if you don’t define your worth, the work may define it for you.
Catch Devin’s full conversation on YouTube:
Or listen on Spotify
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