Issue 134, Part Time CEO Newsletter

Hey, it's Dhiren 👋,

Not everything that looks bad is bad.

Not everything that looks good stays good.

Time tells the real story.

I was reminded of that at a BNI forum a few weeks ago when someone told this story—maybe you’ve heard it before:

A farmer’s horse runs away.

The neighbor gasps: “Oh no, how terrible.”

The farmer shrugs: “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Next day, the horse comes back—with three wild stallions.

“Wow, you’re so lucky!”

“Maybe so, maybe not.”

His son tries to tame one, gets thrown off, breaks his leg.

The army arrives. Recruits all able-bodied young men—

But leaves his son behind...
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🧠 Bullet One: When Things Don’t Go Your Way

As founders, we crave certainty. We want to know the launch is working. The hire is right. The plan is sound.
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So when something breaks, we panic. We scramble to fix it, label it, spin it.

But the truth?

You’re still mid-story.

What looks like a loss might be the crack that lets the light in.

And what feels like a win might just be noise.

You don’t need to assign meaning to everything right away.

You just need to keep moving.
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🧠 Bullet Two: The Founders I Look Up To

The best founders I know—the ones I look up to, they don’t overreact.

They feel the dip, but they don’t spiral.
They enjoy the win, but they don’t lose their head.

They operate from a place of calm and neutral

When things go wrong: "What’s the lesson here?”

When things go right: “What’s the next move?”

It’s not about being emotionless. It’s about being steady enough to lead—especially when things are uncertain.

Your Turn

Next time something breaks—or even succeeds faster than you expected; don’t jump to label it.

Say it out loud:

“Maybe so. Maybe not. We’ll see.”

You’re not here to judge the moment.

You’re here to lead through it.

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📢 Dhiren’s Updates

- On a personal note, I’ve been keeping things simple: two walks a day and eating only between 9 and 5.

I'm feeling feel sharper, calmer, more in control of my time.

A reminder that small changes create big shifts.
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- The next Basecamp kicks off on May 15.

Every time I run one, I’m reminded how rare it is for founders to pause, think, and reset—without the noise.

If you’ve been curious what it’s like, here’s a quick glimpse:

👉 [Watch the video]​

P.S. We welcomed 3 new founders into the Club this week.

Always energizing to see new perspectives in the mix—and a reminder that we don’t have to figure it all out alone.

📌 Dhiren’s Pick of the Week

This week’s practice: blackout windows (with a little help from Ruth).

I’ve started blocking time on my calendar for absolutely nothing—no calls, no agenda, no tasks.

Just space to think, reset, or do nothing at all.

Try it—and if you do, I’d love to hear how it goes.
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Much Love,

Dhiren Bhatia ​Founder, Elevated Entrepreneur ​ElevatedEntrepreneur.co​ ☎️ Book a 1:1 Clarity Call​

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