05/07/25 - Wakie Wakie 4:44

Welcome to Your 444 Newsletter!

Where protection, partnerships, and smart plays collide.

Today’s topic?
What to do when you’ve been burned by someone you trusted, and how to rebuild with stronger systems and even stronger people.

I had someone inside my business steal from me.
Smiling in my face while draining my accounts behind my back.
It hurt because I saw it too late. And I was too deep in the weeds to stop it before it cost me.

So if you’re trying to grow but keep your guard up…
If you feel like you’re doing everything alone and don’t know who to trust…
It might be time to join a room where real operators already have each other’s backs.

Check out the Deal Maker Alliance here
It’s not hype. It’s real backup from real business owners.

4 Thoughts to Reflect On

1. You cannot grow and guard everything at the same time.
   Trying to scale while watching every detail will choke your momentum.

2. Control feels smart until it costs you.
   Eventually something slips through the cracks and you don’t catch it until the damage is done.

3. The burn is part of the journey.
   But you only have to learn that lesson once if you choose better people and better systems next time.

4. Trust doesn’t mean blind faith.
   It means putting smart guardrails in place so good people can do great work without hurting your future.

4 Lessons I’ve Learned

1. Systems protect the vision.
   You cannot build legacy if you’re the only one watching the money.

2. Hiring slow and firing fast is not just a saying.
   It is the difference between keeping your business or losing it.

3. Most entrepreneurs are exposed.
   They just don’t know it until it is too late. Ask me how I know.

4. Strong businesses are built in strong rooms.
   When you surround yourself with smart, seasoned people, you borrow their mistakes so you do not have to repeat them.

4 Challenges for You This Week

1. Identify one risk hiding in plain sight.
   It could be a hire you have not vetted properly, or access someone has that they shouldn’t.

2. Write down the worst-case scenario.
   Then map out what system or person could prevent it before it ever happens.

3. Choose one part of your business to delegate this week.
   Not because you’re lazy, but because you’re smart enough to stop playing superhero.

4. Take the next step and get in a stronger room.

Join the Deal Maker Alliance and surround yourself with people who move sharp, build fast, and protect what they’re building.

You can either learn through pain or through proximity.
The Alliance exists so you can stop learning the hard way.

Let’s build smarter, not solo.
Mark Evans DM