Why 10x Goals Are Easier Than 10x Goals (And How to Think in 10x)

During our recent annual planning workshop in the Indie Masterminds community, I introduced a concept that made everyone pause: 10x goals are actually easier than 2x goals.

One founder in the group had set a revenue goal of $10,000 MRR for the year. Solid goal. Achievable. But when I asked, "What if your goal was $100,000 MRR instead?"—the entire room's energy shifted.

Not because it sounded impossible. But because it forced everyone to think differently.

That's the power of 10x thinking. And if you're an indie hacker or bootstrapped founder grinding toward incremental growth, this framework might be exactly what you need to break through your current plateau.

The Problem with 2x Thinking

Here's what happens when you set 2x goals.

You think linearly. You look at what you're already doing and think, "How do I do more of this?"

• More content
• More cold emails
• More ads spend
• More hours worked

It's boring. It's tiring. And it brings you down.

Why? Because 2x goals don't force you to change anything fundamental. They ask you to do the same thing, just harder and longer. More of what's already exhausting you.

During the workshop, we talked about how 2x thinking keeps founders stuck in the execution trap. You're so focused on doing more that you never step back to ask whether you should be doing something completely different.

The mental effort is the same as 10x thinking. But the results? Marginal at best.

What Is 10x Thinking?

10x thinking comes from the book 10x is Easier Than 2x by Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan. The core idea: when you aim for 10x growth instead of 2x, you're forced to completely reimagine your approach.

You can't get to 10x by doing more of the same. It's mathematically impossible.

So what happens? You immediately say no to 90% of the things you're currently doing because you know they won't get you there.

This isn't about working 10x harder. It's about working completely differently.

One entrepreneur in our workshop was targeting $1 million ARR. When we reframed it as $10 million ARR, the conversation shifted from "how do I close more deals?" to "what if I built a completely different product that solves a bigger problem?"

That's not incrementalism. That's transformation.

Why 10x Is Actually Easier

This sounds counterintuitive. How can a bigger goal be easier?

Because it forces clarity.

1. It Eliminates 90% of Your Current Work

When you think in 10x, you can't afford to waste time on low-leverage activities. You have to be ruthless about what matters.

A community member running a small SaaS was spending 20 hours a week on customer support. When we applied 10x thinking, the obvious answer emerged: hire someone or build better self-service tools. He couldn't scale 10x while answering every support ticket himself.

2x thinking would have said, "Hire one support person." 10x thinking said, "Eliminate the need for most support entirely."

2. It Opens New Pathways

Humans think linearly by default. Our thought patterns are wired for incremental improvements. But exponential results are achievable—it's just that our own limiting beliefs prevent us from seeing the path.

10x thinking breaks those mental barriers. It forces you to ask different questions:

• What would have to be true for this to work?
• What am I not seeing right now?
• Who has already done this, and how?

During the workshop, one founder mentioned he was trying to grow his email list through content marketing. Good strategy. But when we applied 10x thinking, he realized he needed partnerships with larger platforms, not just more blog posts.

3. Same Mental Effort, Different Results

Here's the insight that resonated most in the workshop: 1x goals and 10x goals require the same mental energy.

You'll stress about a $10K goal just as much as a $100K goal. Your brain doesn't distinguish between the two when it comes to pressure.

But 10x goals force you to play a different game entirely. One that opens up possibilities instead of grinding you down.

As I told the group: "Pressure only comes when we attach our ego to the outcome or when we have runway issues. Otherwise, you can treat this like a video game—set massive goals and see what happens."

Real Examples from the Workshop

Let me share how different founders applied this framework (with details anonymized for privacy).

For Someone Just Starting Out

One founder was working full-time and building on the side. He wanted to hit $5K MRR so he could quit his job.

When we applied 10x thinking—"What if you needed to make double your salary from your business?"—the answer became obvious: he needed more experiments, faster.

Not better experiments. Not one perfect product. Just more reps. More marketing tests. More product ideas.

10x isn't about time. It's about reps. If you can get faster cycles of learning, you can achieve exponential results.

For Someone with an Existing Business

Another founder was running a profitable business at $50K MRR. Solid foundation. But when we asked, "What would $500K MRR require?"—the answer wasn't more clients.

It was:

• Hiring better people
• Building better systems and SOPs
• Expanding into new channels
• Potentially shifting upmarket

All things he knew he should do but kept putting off because his 2x goal didn't demand it.

10x thinking made them non-negotiable.

For Someone Stuck in a Plateau

One community member admitted he was trying to "think smaller" to reduce pressure. But it wasn't working. He felt stuck and frustrated.

The 10x exercise did something unexpected: it removed the pressure. Because once the goal was so big that it felt impossible, he stopped attaching his identity to it. It became an ideation exercise instead of a performance evaluation.

And that freedom unlocked creativity.

How to Apply 10x Thinking to Your Goals

You don't need to wait for a workshop to try this. Here's how to do it yourself.

Step 1: Pick a Goal

Start with a meaningful goal you've already set for this year. It could be:

• Revenue (MRR, ARR, total earnings)
• Traffic (website visitors, email subscribers)
• Customers (new users, paying customers)
• Time (hours worked, time to launch)

It should be specific and measurable.

Step 2: Multiply by 10

Take that number and multiply it by 10. If your goal is $10K MRR, make it $100K. If it's 1,000 email subscribers, make it 10,000.

Don't censor yourself. Don't immediately think, "That's impossible." Just write down the 10x number.

Step 3: Ask Different Questions

Now that you have your 10x goal, ask:

• What would have to be true for this to happen?
• What would I need to stop doing immediately?
• What new strategies would I need to explore?
• Who has achieved this, and what did they do?
• What assumptions am I making that might be wrong?

The goal here isn't to create a detailed plan. It's to break your linear thinking and open up new possibilities.

Step 4: Look for Patterns

As you brainstorm, you'll notice themes:

• Things you need to eliminate (the 90% that won't get you to 10x)
• Things you need to delegate (tasks that don't require your unique skills)
• Things you need to learn (skills or knowledge gaps)
• Things you need to experiment with (new channels, strategies, products)

These patterns are your roadmap.

Step 5: Apply Insights to Your 2x Goal

Here's the twist: you don't have to commit to the 10x goal. But the insights you gained from thinking in 10x? Those apply directly to your 2x goal.

Maybe you won't hit $100K MRR this year. But the realization that you need to delegate customer support and focus on partnerships? That still applies to getting to $20K.

10x thinking is an ideation tool. It helps you see the constraints you've imposed on yourself without realizing it.

Common Objections to 10x Thinking

"But Won't This Create Unrealistic Expectations?"

Only if you treat it as a commitment instead of an exercise.

10x thinking isn't about setting unrealistic expectations. It's about expanding your mental model of what's possible. You might hit 5x. You might hit 2x. But you'll get there faster because you're thinking more strategically.

"I Don't Have the Resources for 10x Growth"

That's the point. 2x goals assume you have the resources. 10x goals force you to find new ones—whether that's partnerships, new business models, or entirely different approaches.

As one founder in our workshop said: "I've been playing small because I thought I didn't have the resources. But the exercise showed me I've been looking in the wrong places."

"What If I Fail?"

Then you fail while learning more than you would have playing it safe.

As we discussed in the workshop: whether you achieve 10x or not depends on execution. But the thinking process itself is valuable. It reveals opportunities you wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Getting Started with 10x Thinking

Here's your action plan:

1. Block 30 minutes this week to do the 10x exercise with your biggest goal
2. Write down every idea that comes to mind, no matter how crazy
3. Identify the top 3 insights that challenge your current approach
4. Pick one thing to eliminate from your current work (part of the 90% that won't get you to 10x)
5. Pick one new experiment to try based on your 10x brainstorming

The book 10x is Easier Than 2x goes much deeper into this framework and includes multiple applications across business and life. I highly recommend reading it. The principle applies everywhere—career decisions, product development, marketing strategies, even personal growth.

The Bigger Picture: Quarterly Planning and 10x Thinking

At Indie Masterminds, we run annual planning workshops and quarterly check-ins specifically to help founders stay focused on what matters.

The 10x thinking exercise is just one part of a broader framework we use—including the ARC method for goal setting and the Be/Have/Do framework for life alignment.

Want to watch the full 98-minute workshop recording where we applied this framework to real businesses?

 Join Indie Masterminds and get access to our workshop library, monthly planning sessions, and a community of builders thinking in 10x.

If you're an indie hacker or bootstrapped founder, I also recommend checking out case studies of other bootstrapped founders who've achieved exponential growth without venture capital. The patterns are there—you just have to look.

Final Thoughts

10x thinking isn't about pressure. It's about possibility.

It's not about working harder. It's about working differently.

And it's not about hitting some arbitrary 10x number. It's about breaking free from the linear, exhausting mindset of "more of the same" and opening yourself up to strategies that actually scale.

During the workshop, one founder summed it up perfectly: "I came in thinking 10x was overwhelming. I'm leaving realizing 2x was the overwhelming part. This makes me excited again."

That's the real value of 10x thinking. Not the number—the shift in perspective.

Try the exercise this week. Multiply your biggest goal by 10. Sit with the discomfort. Then watch what your brain comes up with.

You might surprise yourself.

Want the full workshop recording and access to our monthly planning sessions? Join Indie Masterminds and start thinking in 10x alongside other bootstrapped founders.