I’ve been thinking: where does speed (of the outcome) rank among the value drivers?

Lucky you…you’re now going to read how my brain works.

The difference between anything and anybody in the world is speed.

If we lived an infinite life, with infinite resources, at some point two people could reach the exact same outcome.

It would just take different amounts of time.

Let’s take the five-minute mile.

Say it takes me five months of hard training and (a strong tailwind) to get there.

I’m saying anyone with infinite time and resources, could do the same.

Infinite Steve trains for 500 years, then runs a five-minute mile.

Same outcome: a five-minute mile. Only difference is how long it took. 499 years and 7 months.

This value gap of nearly 500 years feels obvious. But in reality since windows are much shorter, I think we gloss over the the nuance (and value) of even a few months…

Here’s my working thesis why:

We’re not wired to understand anything that isn’t linear or present.

It’s like trying to imagine time as it feels now…but in the future.

We understand “time now.”
We understand “the future.”

But we can’t combine the two.

The feeling of time in the future isn’t feelable.

And I think speed sits in that same blind spot.

Because a measurable outcome itself is binary. You either achieve it or you don’t. But it’s the time it took to achieve that outcome that gives it more context (i.e. real value needs a comparison point).

Speed changes how it’s experienced. It changes what you can do with it next. And most importantly, it changes how long that outcome has to compound.

When we think about value, we anchor to short windows. Maybe a year. Maybe 18 months. But very few of us think in decades.

And that’s where this breaks.

Because once that outcome is achieved, it builds. Which means getting there earlier (even by a few weeks or months) has outsized effects over time.

So when you’re thinking about your own work ask: am I pricing the result…or the speed at which it shows up?

Something to think about when you’re framing your value.

Thank you for visiting my brain.

Be well. Talk soon.

— Peter

P.S. When you’re ready to work together to tighten your pricing and value framing, let’s start you with a pricing audit. But don’t wait too long. Speed counts, as you now know.