Mindset
The 10x Superpower: How to Chase Goals That Seem Impossible
October 30, 2024 · Bradley Jacobs
What if the real unlock for big growth isn't working harder, but changing what you believe is possible? That's the core of Keith Ellis's “10x superpower” work. Ellis is a bestselling author and coach who pushes founders to set goals so big they look impossible, and then go hit them.
I sat with his approach and pulled out the parts I think actually apply to running a business. Here they are.
Rewiring how you think
Ellis describes the 10x superpower as a handful of breakthroughs in how you think about your own thinking. He calls it “prompt engineering for human intelligence,” the same way you'd tune a query to get a better answer out of an AI. The idea is to ask your brain better questions so it gives you better answers.
In practice that means:
- Spotting the beliefs and patterns that are holding you back
- Treating challenges as openings instead of walls
- Building a mindset that's willing to chase “impossible” goals
- Learning to ask bigger, sharper questions
Get good at those, Ellis argues, and you tap potential you didn't know was there.
Why “impossible” goals work
The center of his approach is setting what he calls 10x goals, or impossible goals. Why does that work?
- Audacity creates clarity. Commit to something that looks impossible, like growing revenue 10x, and your brain is forced to find the few moves that could actually make it happen. That cuts through the noise.
- It kills the busywork. That kind of focus forces you to drop the daily distractions and the activities that don't really move you toward the goal.
- It turns fear into excitement. Reframe an impossible goal the right way and the fear of failing becomes excitement about the challenge. That's a much better fuel.
- It pushes you to think in leaps. Aiming for 10x instead of 20% makes you think in jumps, not increments, and that's where the interesting strategies come from.
“Who,” not “how”
A big piece of hitting 10x goals is what Ellis calls “who thinking,” expanding what you can do through other people instead of grinding alone. Here's how to use it:
- Define your ideal role. Figure out what you genuinely love doing and are best at. That's your core.
- Find the gaps. Look at the parts of the business that matter but aren't your strength. Those are the things to hand off.
- Find your “who.” For each gap, find a person or company that's great at exactly that, by hiring, partnering, or outsourcing.
- Use AI and tools too. Your “who” doesn't have to be a person. Sometimes software fills the gap faster.
- Treat them as real collaborators. The best version is a true partnership where everyone's excited about their piece.
Do this and you get to stay in your strengths while building a set of capabilities far beyond what you could pull off solo.
The $10,000 book
One of the boldest parts of Ellis's model: a $10,000 book that comes with unlimited coaching. It's strange on purpose, and it does a few things at once:
- It stands out. A $10,000 book in a crowded market makes people stop and ask questions.
- It pre-qualifies. The price means only serious, committed people raise their hand.
- It reframes value. Charging a premium for the book and throwing in coaching “for free” flips how people see the offer.
- It challenges assumptions. It forces people to rethink what they believe something is worth.
The exact model won't fit everyone, but it's a great example of thinking differently about pricing and packaging.
Questions to try on your own business
If you want to put this to work, sit with these:
- If you set a goal that feels totally impossible right now, what would it be?
- What would the business look like if you aimed for 10x growth instead of 20%?
- What three moves could actually get you there?
- What are you doing right now that you don't enjoy or aren't good at? Who could do it better?
- How could you package what you offer so it stands out hard in your market?
- What's the goal that excites and scares you at the same time?
Wrapping up
Ellis's whole approach is a useful jolt for founders. Think bigger, stay in your real strengths, and be willing to invest in growth, and you start to see potential you'd written off.
If your goals don't scare you a little, they're probably too small. So what's yours? And how are you going to go get it?
Extraordinary results start with one bold step. You ready to take it?
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