Back to blog

Your Strategy Isn't Broken. Your Timing Is.

Two trays of chicken burgers, seasoned fries and nori twisty fries on a food court table in Malaysia.

There's a special kind of optimism that only exists in the first week of a fitness challenge. I signed up for the BFT 8-Week Challenge last month, and I went all in on doing everything right. Processed foods, carbs and sugar, out. I ate more protein in a week than I normally would in a month. I trained four days a week, slept well and followed every recovery protocol to a tee.

At the end of that first week I stepped on the scan expecting to be down at least 1% body fat. The number came back up 0.4%. A week of discipline, and I'd gone backwards.

Then life happened. I got hit by a car (I'm ok), and the experience left me with a strong sense that life is short. So I flew to Malaysia and indulged every sense I have. Roti canai at breakfast, satay at dinner, and one memorable deep-fried chicken bulgogi burger with nori-seasoned twisty fries while catching up with my godbrother Chet, who I hadn't seen in years.

This week I went back for my scan. Close to 5% body fat, gone.

So what actually happened?

Line chart of total body fat percentage rising from 21.3% at weigh-in to 21.7% in week 1, then falling to 16.6% in week 3.
Total body fat %, measured by body composition scan.

I'd love to tell you the secret is fried chicken. It isn't (unfortunately). I think the honest answer is a combination of three things:

  • The lag: the work from week one didn't show up in week one. Bodies take time to respond, and early readings are noisy ⏳
  • The stress: after a tough stretch, I finally relaxed, and stress plays a bigger role in how your body holds onto things than most of us give it credit for 🌴
  • The scan: body composition scans move with hydration and timing, so any single reading deserves a little skepticism 📉

None of that makes for a viral headline. All of it matters if you run a business.

The same thing happens in your business

I see this pattern constantly with wellness operators. A studio launches a new onboarding program, or a spa reworks its membership pricing. It's the right call, backed by good data. Then someone checks retention a month later, sees nothing has moved (or worse, sees it dip), and the team quietly goes back to the old way.

The problem usually isn't the strategy. It's the timing of the judgment. Retention, referrals and reputation all pay out on a lag, and if you measure them in week one, you'll almost always be disappointed.

The second lesson is the one I didn't expect. When I stopped white-knuckling the plan, I actually enjoyed the process again. Teams work the same way. If your staff are grinding through a strategy they resent, members feel it, and the plan gets abandoned before it has a chance to work. If they genuinely enjoy serving people, they'll stick with it long enough for the results to show up.

The Roti Canai Rule

My formula is simple: pick the plan that's right for your business; make it something your team can enjoy running; agree upfront on when you'll judge it; and don't peek at the report every day in between.

Most plans don't fail. They just get judged too soon.

So next time week one disappoints you, don't rip up the plan. Order the roti canai and give it time.