Volume Is the Secret Sauce
Why Quantity Beats Perfection Every Time
Most of us are looking for the magic bullet.
The perfect swing that wins the game. The brilliant line that closes the deal. The flawless presentation that changes everything.
But here's what I've noticed: The winners aren't playing the perfection game at all.
I watched a pottery class once. The teacher split the room in half. She told one group they'd be graded on creating a single perfect pot. The other group would be graded on total weight – how many pounds of pots they could make.
Guess which group made the best pots?
The quantity group. Every time.
Because volume isn't just about doing more. It's about learning faster.
The writer who publishes 100 articles doesn't just have more shots on goal. She has 100 feedback loops. 100 chances to learn what works. 100 opportunities to calibrate her internal compass.
Meanwhile, the "perfection" writer is still polishing draft three.
I know a salesman who makes 50 calls a day. "Isn't that exhausting?" I asked him.
"No," he said. "It's liberating. If this call doesn't work, I've got 49 more chances to get it right today."
His competitor makes 5 calls a day. Each one carries the weight of his mortgage payment.
Who do you think sleeps better at night?
Volume solves most problems:
Not enough customers? Talk to more people.
Not enough good ideas? Generate more ideas.
Not enough successful products? Launch more products.
Not enough quality connections? Meet more people.
It's counterintuitive. We're taught that quality beats quantity. But quality emerges from quantity.
The photographer who takes 1,000 shots gets the perfect one. The comedian who tells 50 jokes finds the one that kills. The entrepreneur who tries 12 business models discovers the one that scales.
Here's the real question: What are you trying to perfect when you should be focusing on volume instead?
Are you agonizing over one email when you should send twenty? Are you polishing one project when you should launch three? Are you overthinking one opportunity when you should pursue five?
Volume isn't about being sloppy. It's about embracing the mathematics of success.
The casino doesn't worry about any single roll of the dice. They know the volume of plays guarantees their profit.
What's your volume strategy?
~ aq