“๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐! ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ — ๐พ๐ ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐!”
That was the refrain coming from down the street at the neighborhood lemonade stand.
Aged 7, 9, and 12 three young entrepreneurs in my neighborhood are moving their ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐.
In a short interview with the stand owners after my run, I learned over the course of being open they’d made 17 sales – most via Venmo. When I asked if they had water, after a quick glance at one another, the answer was, “Yes sir, it’ll just be a minute.” And the 9 year old sprinted inside for a bottle of Deer Park straight out of his refrigerator.
And so, I became customer number 18, paying with Venmo.
Let this be a sign to you.
You must be able to adapt,
quickly.
Even if it makes you uncomfortable.
Adaptability, more so than strength, matters most today in Darwin’s survival of the fittest.
When it comes to ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ (a theme we’ll be exploring in the ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ podcast this fall), there is nothing more important than the ability to quickly accept change and move forward.
Just as these young entrepreneurs learned after a few early “๐๐๐๐๐ฆ, ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐’๐ก โ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ โ” responses.
Seeing their quick thinking and fearless adaptability inspired me, and reminded me again that the future belongs not to the strongest, but those ready to
โ๐น๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐.โ Release Ten Pearl Jam 1991
[If interested in being a guest on the podcast, drop a note .]
About Jeremy
Jeremy Victor is a transformational COO, author, and podcast host focused on helping companies scale with empathy, efficiency, and AI. A human-first operator with 30 years of experience leading through every major tech inflection pointโfrom the birth of the internet to todayโs AI revolutionโJeremy turns complexity into growth and chaos into calm.
Heโs the voice behind the Business at the Speed of AI podcast and newsletter, where he explores the intersection of leadership, modernization, and the always-on economy. His work is guided by a simple belief: that operational excellence and human connection arenโt trade-offsโtheyโre the future.
His mission: help peopleโand the systems they work inโBecome More.
Join Jeremy online:
Substack Business at the Speed of AI, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, OneMORE Minute.