FROM SURVIVAL TO VELOCITY

Velocity Over Vanity Calculator (download)

The "Velocity Over Vanity" Rule:

How to Stop Being Busy and Start Making Money

You’re working hard, but your bank account doesn’t seem to care. You’re crossing tasks off your list, but the needle isn’t moving.

The problem isn’t your effort. It’s your focus.

Most entrepreneurs are trapped by Vanity Activities—work that makes them feel productive but doesn’t generate cash. The way out is to shift your focus to Velocity Activities—work that directly and quickly puts money in your pocket.

This is the "Velocity Over Vanity" rule, a core principle I learned not in business school, but in the engine room of a Royal Navy ship, where every action had to contribute to forward motion.

What Are Vanity Activities? (The Illusion of Progress)

Vanity Activities are all the things you do that make your business look successful but don't lead to an immediate invoice. They are often about preparation, perfection, or appearance.

Common Vanity Activities:

• Endlessly redesigning your logo or website

• Creating elaborate business plans no one will read

• Researching the "perfect" software for months

• Attending generic networking events with no follow-up

• Posting on social media without a clear call to action

• Perfecting a product feature before testing if anyone will buy it

The Telltale Sign: At the end of a day filled with Vanity Activities, you feel tired and busy, but you have no new revenue to show for it.

What Are Velocity Activities? (The Engine of Growth)

Velocity Activities are the direct, often simple, actions that complete the cash flow cycle:

Create Value → Deliver Value → Get Paid. They are the engine of your business.

Common Velocity Activities:

• Calling a warm lead and asking for the sale

• Sending out invoices and following up on late payments

• Delivering a paid project ahead of schedule

• Fulfilling and shipping a customer order

• Creating and launching a minimum viable product

• Asking a happy customer for a referral

The Telltale Sign: At the end of a day focused on Velocity Activities, you can directly trace your actions to money in the bank.

Your Simple 2-Step Velocity Audit

Step 1: Categorize Your Last Week
Grab a notebook. Draw a line down the middle. Label one side "Velocity" and the other "Vanity."

Now, think about everything you did for your business last week. Where does each task belong?

• Talking to a paying client? → Velocity (hours spend)

• Redesigning your business cards? → Vanity (hours spend)

• Delivering a service you were paid for? → Velocity (hours spend)

• Browsing for office furniture you don't need yet? → Vanity (hours spend)

Step 2: Calculate Your Velocity Ratio
Count up the hours (or the number of significant tasks) you spent in each column.

Velocity Ratio = Time on Velocity Activities ÷ Time on Vanity Activities

What Your Score Means:

• A Ratio Greater Than 1.5: You're a cash-flow machine. You understand that action beats perfection every time.

• A Ratio Between 0.8 and 1.5: You're a hustler, but you're getting distracted. You need to rebalance your focus.

• A Ratio Less Than 0.8: You're a perfectionist in poverty. You are building a beautiful business that has no fuel. This is an emergency.

The 7-Day Velocity Challenge

If your ratio is low, don’t worry. You can fix it starting right now.

The Rule: For the next 7 days, you are not allowed to do any task from your Vanity list until you have completed at least TWO concrete tasks from your Velocity list.

Your Action Plan for Tomorrow:

1. Identify ONE thing you can invoice for.

2. Identify ONE person you can call to ask for a sale, a referral, or a project update.

Do those two things first. Before you check email. Before you go on social media. Before you do anything else.

Velocity is a habit, not a single action. By forcing yourself to prioritize cash-flow activities every single day, you rewire your entrepreneurial brain to seek what truly matters.

The Bottom Line

Your business doesn’t run on passion, ideas, or a beautiful website. It runs on cash flow.

Stop decorating the cage and start walking out the door. Choose velocity. Choose revenue. Choose freedom.

Ready to systemize your escape?

This philosophy is just one part of the complete blueprint in my book, The Sovereign Build.

John Antony Sterling

is a former Royal Navy Engineer who turned $17,000 into a million-dollar empire.

He teaches the "Engine Room Mindset" for building a business that can work for you too.