Something’s Missing — Like a Full English Without the Bacon

Ever spoken to someone who sounds hollow, but not because their wallet’s empty? This week I had one of those chats—with a pub landlord turned early retiree. After losing his partner, he sold the business, thinking retirement would taste sweeter than a proper pint of mild after a day at the foundry.

At first, it did. But a year on, he found himself propped on the patio at 4pm, beer in hand, days stretching longer than the queue for a Wrights Pie at half time at the Bet365.

“It just isn’t the same,” he admitted. He didn’t use the word values—but the gap was glaring: purpose, connection, belonging.”

Truth is, he was bored stiff. And boredom’ll sink you faster than bad beer.

Which reminded me of countless conversations I’ve had with fellow outdoor leaders about what they get up to during their fallow months. When the bookings slow and the hills go quiet, many find themselves pacing, restless as sheep in an empty field. It’s not just about missing work—it’s that nagging sense something vital isn’t being fed.

The Cost of Not Feeding Your Values

Letting your values go unfed is like running a pub with no regulars—quiet, dull, and not much point propping up the bar. Motivation goes flat. Work feels heavier than it should. Before you know it, you’re surviving, not living, drifting and wondering when the spark went.

“Most business owners don’t fail because they lack skill. They drift because they stop feeding what matters.”

That’s what I call values vitamin deficiency.

Spike Definition

Values Vitamin Deficiency (n.)
A condition where you look fine on the outside, but inside you’re running on empty because you’ve stopped feeding what truly matters. Symptoms include: flat motivation, restless boredom, and the nagging feeling you’re surviving, not living. Easily treated by regular doses of love, curiosity, contribution, and impact. Side effects may include sudden joy in your graft.

Why Values Are Fuel for Growth

Values aren’t fluffy. They’re the “proper jacket” in your rucksack. When you feed yours—love, curiosity, contribution, impact—you get energy back. You find resilience, direction, and dare I say it, a bit of joy in the graft.

For me, those quiet winters used to gnaw away until I started coaching—suddenly I was firing on all cylinders again, getting my fix of curiosity, contribution, and genuine impact. That’s the Magnitude Mindset in action: exploration, resilience, and robust systems that keep you aligned with what matters.

Business Owners and the Drift

Most folk start a business buzzing with purpose. But give it a year, and many find themselves buried in VAT returns and stuck up to their armpits in admin.

“You started out with a dream, and ended up in a wrestling match with HMRC—nobody puts that on their vision board.”

That’s when it all gets a bit like a bacon and cheese oatcake with no cheese—looks the part, but something vital is missing. Or like a full English without the bacon — you can plate it up, but you know deep down it’s not the real thing. Feed your values, and you remember why you bothered in the first place.

The Magnitude Business Growth Scholarship

Which brings me, in a roundabout way, to my latest experiment. Next week, I’m launching the Magnitude Business Growth Scholarship here in Wolverhampton.

It’s a practical way for one local business owner to reconnect with what matters, while also fixing the marketing and sales systems that hold you back. It’s no-nonsense support, grounded in the Entrepreneurs Marketing & Sales System (EMS) and delivered with the Magnitude approach: exploration, resilience, and robust action.

I’m not giving it all away now (a bit of dramatic tension, like the last orders bell…). But if you’ve felt that values vitamin deficiency, this Scholarship might be the spark you’re after.

Living on Purpose, Not Autopilot

If any of this rings true—if you’ve been drifting, surviving, or just going through the motions—keep an eye out next week.

The Magnitude Business Growth Scholarship is for business owners who want more than survival. It’s for people who want to build something meaningful, robust, and resilient—without gimmicks or guesswork.

Raise a glass to living (and working) on purpose. That’s the Magnitude Mindset.