In this YouTube monologue, Ryan Deiss responds to a viewer (@worldlyadvice2437) who is struggling with burnout as the CEO of an eight‑year‑old startup facing declining market conditions, slim profit margins (5‑10%), and pressure from angel investors. Deiss shares his own experience of "firing" himself—stepping down and hiring an outsider—which he describes as a disastrous mistake. He distills his learning into a single rule: never quit on a bad day. Instead, he advises the entrepreneur to (1) take a vacation to reset, arguing that rest can reveal gaps, spark fresh ideas, and empower the team; and (2) rewrite the CEO job description to focus on the highest‑leverage activities, positioning the founder as the most valuable resource. The advice emphasizes strategic pauses, role clarity, and leveraging personal strengths to reignite growth and avoid premature resignation.
Chapters
@worldlyadvice2437 says, being an entrepreneur has taken a serious toll on my mental health and I need advice. I built this company together with a friend 8 years ago. The business had been running well until we started experiencing bad performance this year. It also appears that the market seems to be declining and our profit margins are slim, just 5 to 10% of revenue. We have angel investors as shareholders and carrying that responsibility has become a huge mental burden. I've been running this business for years and I feel deeply tired. Part of me wants to quit, but I don't know what the right, responsible next step looks like. Is it Is it possible for a CEO, me, to step away from their own company? I'd really appreciate insights from anyone who's been through something similar. I have been through something similar. I have actually fired myself from my own business and I can tell you it's one of the worst mistakes that I made and as a result, I've got one rule that I do not violate today. But what happened to me is I too was overwhelmed, I was burnt out, I felt like I was no longer the best person to lead the company so I did that. I Essentially fired myself, brought somebody in from the outside, and it was a miserable failure. So, here's my one rule that I don't violate today. Yes, you're allowed to quit, just don't quit on a bad day. Here's what you need to do, you need to make tomorrow a good day. So, how do you make tomorrow a good day? Two things. Number one, you need to take a vacation. We've got to get you right, and the best way to get you right is to get you away from the business for a little bit for a reset. You may be thinking, "But I can't take a vacation. The business is going to collapse without me." Look, if it happens, then I guess good news, you're going to get fired anyway, which is what you're thinking about. But it's probably not. What's probably going to happen is your team's going to step up, they're going to fill the gap, you're going to find out the things that broke the fastest, and you're going to get away with some fresh ideas and some fresh energy that's going to be really good for the company. For entrepreneurs, rest equals work. When we rest, we are doing some of our best work, so take a vacation. Number 2, we need to rewrite your job description. Right now, the work that you're doing is probably not the highest leverage work for the company. The work you're doing is called all of the other stuff that nobody else knew how to do or was willing to do. So while you're away, rewrite your job description. What would make you the most effective? You are the single most valuable resource in your company. Sounds backwards, it sounds selfish, but believe it or not, it's absolutely what you need to do to restart your business, to fall in love with your business again, and that's the thing that's going to get your business scaling again. So, WorldlyAdvice2437, wishing the best. We gotcha.
