A Navy SEAL Taught Me You Don't Have 40 Problems. You Have One. | Between The Builds

In this reflective episode of "Between the Builds," Chris Fay flies solo the morning after Labor Day to unpack a week that brought a year and a half of transformation to a head — and the mental discipline that got him through it. Chris traces the transformation back to February 2025: a diversified organization running six different business units, narrowing its focus as the competitive landscape and technology shifted. Five M&A deals in roughly fifteen months later — selling business units, acquiring a new one, fundamentally reshaping how the company goes to market — last week marked the finish line, with the signing and closing of the final acquisition and a celebration with the ownership group. Chris discusses: Why he decided to record a reflective episode the morning after Labor Day The 18-month transformation that began in February 2025 — from six business units down to a focused few Closing the fifth M&A deal in roughly fifteen months and what it took to get there Losing a 19-year employee to a fast-moving stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis The history of Labor Day and why it hit differently this year A former Navy SEAL sniper's lesson on focusing on one project at a time Why thinking too far ahead turns hard work into overwhelm Being bad at celebrating wins — and why he's trying to get better at it Why growth only comes from doing hard, uncomfortable things Key Takeaways When a mission feels overwhelming, break it down to the one next step — not the whole mountain Thinking about next month instead of today is what turns hard work into dread Growth requires doing hard things; comfort never stretches you Big transitions and personal loss have a way of landing in the same week — that's just life Take time to pause and reflect once you hit a milestone, before moving to the next one The people who get through hard seasons are the ones who stay focused on today Connect with Chris Chris Fay — LinkedIn: /cjfay