Wendell’s Weekly Wins and Whiffs

👋 Welcome to Wendell’s Weekly Wins & Whiffs! The real, unvarnished breakdown of what it takes to build companies, scale a real estate portfolio, and lead with discipline. ⚒️📈 Each week, I share the operational wins that move the mission forward, the whiffs that force recalibration, and the strategic lessons earned in the trenches. No hype. No fluff. Just execution, feedback loops, and continuous improvement. 🔁If you're committed to building durable wealth through systems, partnerships, and relentless consistency, you’re in the right place. Let’s get better — week after week. 💥

Author

Wendell Butler
February 12, 2026

🏆 Win of the Week: Buying Back Mental Bandwidth Through Leverage

This week’s win was not tied to a deal closing or a project milestone. It was about rebuilding leverage where it matters most. Day to day execution.

After my previous executive assistant unfortunately had to step away, I brought on a new Executive Assistant and I am genuinely excited to get her fully onboarded. This role plays a much bigger part in the business and my life than most people realize.

Last week’s Wins and Whiffs newsletter is a perfect example. It simply did not go out. Not because it was not important, but because my plate was overloaded and I did not have the time or mental space to handle it myself. That is typically something my Executive Assistant owns end to end other than writing it.

Bringing this role back online immediately removes a significant amount of mental strain. From inbox management and scheduling to document organization, follow ups, and administrative loose ends, having the right support allows me to stay focused on high leverage work. Deals, partnerships, strategy, and capital allocation.

This hire is not about doing less. It is about doing the right things consistently. Strong operators protect their energy, build systems, and delegate early, even when it feels uncomfortable.

This is one of those behind the scenes wins that does not show up on a balance sheet immediately. Over time, it compounds faster than almost anything else.

💨 Whiff of the Week: Living in Pre Scale Mode

This week was a reminder that some of the hardest seasons in entrepreneurship are the ones that do not produce immediate wins.

We are firmly in pre scale mode right now. That phase where you are building systems, documenting processes, hiring support, and preparing the business to handle more volume. The work is necessary, but it does not come with the dopamine hits of deals closing, capital hitting the account, or public wins to point to.

Instead, the days are filled with admin, SOPs, onboarding, cleanup, and decisions that feel invisible in the moment. That mental load can weigh heavy. You are spending money, energy, and focus without the immediate reinforcement that tells your brain you are winning.

The whiff this week was not doing the work. It was the mental anguish that comes with trusting the process when there is no short term validation.

The reality is that this is where many entrepreneurs fail. They either avoid this phase entirely, or they rush through it. They stay stuck inside the business, chasing quick hits, and never build something that can run without them.

Pre scale mode is uncomfortable by design. It forces you to trade excitement for structure and short term ego for long term freedom. The challenge is staying committed when it feels quiet and heavy, knowing that this work is what makes future growth possible.

The focus now is simple. Keep building. Keep documenting. Keep delegating. And trust that this phase is not a detour. It is the foundation.

🎯 Tactical Tip of the Week: Survive Pre Scale Without Burning Out

One of the most mentally difficult phases of building a real business is pre scale mode. This is when you are doing the unsexy work. Building systems. Documenting processes. Hiring ahead of demand. Cleaning up operations. Spending time and money without immediate feedback.

Your brain is wired for reward. When deals are not closing and revenue is not spiking, it looks for danger signals. Doubt creeps in. You start questioning whether the work matters. That mental friction is not a sign you are doing something wrong. It is a sign you are doing something that most people never stick with.

The mistake many entrepreneurs make in this phase is chasing dopamine instead of durability. They abandon systems to chase quick wins. They stay inside the business because it feels productive. Long term freedom gets traded for short term relief.

Here is the tactical shift:

• Separate build work from outcome work and schedule it intentionally
• Measure progress by systems completed, not deals closed
• Write SOPs and document decisions even when no one is watching
• Hire before you feel ready if the role removes cognitive load
• Remind yourself that this phase is an investment, not a stall

Your job in pre scale mode is not to feel good. It is to build something that can grow without breaking you.

👉 Action Step
At the end of each day this week, write down one system you improved or one responsibility you moved off your plate. That is real progress, even if revenue did not move today.

The entrepreneurs who win long term are the ones who endure this phase with discipline, clarity, and patience.

🔦 From the Field: When Momentum Comes Back Fast

One of our new build projects recently experienced delays that slowed early progress and tested patience. Permitting and coordination pushed timelines out, and for a short period it felt like the project was stuck in neutral.

Once those constraints cleared, momentum returned quickly. Within a single week, the slab was poured and framing was already moving toward completion. It was a sharp reminder of how fast things can move once the bottleneck breaks.

This is the reality of construction and development. Progress is rarely linear. Projects can sit idle for weeks, then compress months of visible work into days. When that window opens, execution and readiness matter.

Because plans were already finalized, trades were lined up, and materials were staged, we were able to move immediately. No scrambling. No rework. Just forward motion.

Check out the progress here:

The takeaway from the field this week is simple. Delays do not mean failure. They are often temporary constraints. The teams that win are the ones who stay prepared during the slow periods so they can move decisively when conditions change.

Momentum rewards readiness.

🎤 FINAL WORD

This week captured the reality of building something real. Wins and friction existing at the same time. Momentum returning on projects. Systems being built behind the scenes. And the mental weight that comes with operating in a pre-scale phase where effort is high but validation is delayed.

What matters most right now is resisting the urge to judge progress solely by closings or revenue spikes. This season is about preparation. About building infrastructure that allows growth without chaos. About creating a business that can run through people and processes rather than through constant personal effort.

The discomfort is part of the signal. It means the work is stretching beyond survival mode and into sustainability. Many entrepreneurs never make it here because this phase requires patience, humility, and trust in decisions that will not pay off immediately.

The focus stays the same. Keep building systems. Keep delegating. Stay ready during the slow moments so momentum can be captured when it returns. Protect the inner game and stay aligned with the long term vision.

This is not a pause. It is positioning.

Back to it,