The 10x Lighthouse: How to Set a Goal That Actually Changes How You Work
A near-term vision framework for solo consultants and fractionals
Most solo consultants start their business chasing freedom.
No boss. No meetings. No guardrails.
That freedom feels incredible at first. Until it doesn’t.
Projects pile up, revenue swings, and suddenly you realize you’re working harder than ever without a clear picture of what you’re building.
That’s where I found myself not long ago.
The Question That Changed Everything
Three years into working for myself, I finally asked: What am I actually building?
I’ve always been ambitious, but I've never been much of a formal goal-setter. Big goals used to feel like something you write once and never look at again.
Then I read 10x Is Easier Than 2x and The Science of Scaling. They completely changed how I think about growth and focus.
Most goals fail for two simple reasons:
They’re too small to inspire focus and prioritization.
They’re too far away to drive action and urgency.
So I decided to try something different. I took what I learned from those books and wrote what I now call a 10x Business Lighthouse.
What Is a 10x Business Lighthouse?
Your 10x Business Lighthouse is a clear vision of the business you want to build in the next 1-3 years or sooner. Short enough to create urgency. Long enough to matter.
It’s not a deck, plan, or spreadsheet. It’s a filter.
When you know what you’re aiming for, it becomes obvious which clients, offers, and habits belong and which don’t.
That clarity changes how you make decisions. Instead of reacting to every new opportunity, you start steering toward a defined destination.
2x vs. 10x Thinking
2x growth is the default state for most businesses. It happens by doing more: more clients, more hours, more hustle.
10x growth is different. The goal is so big that doing more won’t get you there. You’re forced to simplify, focus, and multiply what actually moves the needle.
10x thinking forces three key shifts:
Raise your floor on what’s acceptable and what isn’t.
Focus on the few levers that create exponential results.
Cut everything else.
It’s not about working harder. It’s about working on the right things.
My Lighthouse
When I finally sat down and wrote my 10x business lighthouse, here’s a summary of what I came up with:
$1M annual revenue
30 hours a week with no more than 10 hours of calls
No full-time payroll
Achieved within 3 years
Why? Balance. I want a business that allows me to grow revenue without trading time for money, so I can spend more time with my family while my four kids (ages 3–12) are still young.
Seeing it written down made one thing clear. Though I enjoy it, my current advisory model alone won’t get me there. It will take leverage.
As I continued brainstorming on my strengths and experiences, it became clear the type of leverage I should try to build. Luckily, it’s the kind I’ve seen work before.
When I helped build the HR Mavericks community a few years ago, we grew to:
1,000 members
140K monthly website visitors
100K social impressions
20K podcast streams
All within 18 months.
That community became one of the most scalable growth engines I’ve ever seen. It also matched my natural strengths as an architect, teacher, and connector. Now I’ve decided to explore what that model could look like for other solopreneurs like me.
The Four Freedoms You Can 10x
A 10x goal isn’t only about money. It can focus on one or more of these freedoms:
Time: Work fewer hours or only on energizing projects.
Revenue: Increase profit without adding complexity.
Relationships: Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you.
Purpose: Align your work with what gives your life meaning.
The best Lighthouses combine ambition with meaning. Once you’re clear on which freedom matters most, you’re ready to define it.
How to Define Your Lighthouse
Set aside 30 to 60 minutes and answer these questions:
What will your business look like in one to three years when you are feeling challenged, engaged, and do not want anything else?
How much will you be earning?
How much will you be working?
What kind of work will fill your time?
Who will you serve or collaborate with?
What freedoms will you have created?
What is your “why” (the personal reason this goal matters)?
You’re not yet planning how to get there. You’re just deciding where you’re going and why it’s worth the effort. Even a rough draft gives you something solid to steer toward.
How We’re Putting It Into Practice
After seeing how powerful the 10x Lighthouse exercise was for my own clarity, I decided to bring it to others within 10x Solo, the private Slack community I manage for independent consultants, fractionals, and boutique agency owners still doing the work.
Each Monday, we run a Weekly Growth Challenge, a short one-hour (or less) activity that helps members make progress without adding extra weight to their week. On Friday, everyone shares what they did and what they learned.
The first challenge we ran was this one: Defining Your 10x Business Lighthouse.
It helped members surface what they truly want to build, cut the noise, and get focused on the few levers that matter most.
Because before you can grow faster, you have to know which direction you’re headed.
The Takeaway
You can’t optimize what you haven’t defined. Write your Lighthouse. Even a rough version gives you direction and clarity.
When the destination becomes clear, the noise fades and focus sharpens.
Clarity isn’t the reward for progress. It’s the starting point.
P.S. If you’re a solo consultant, fractional, or boutique agency owner building your own version of a $1M, 30-hour-a-week business (or whatever it looks like), I’m creating a community for people like us. It’s called 10x Solo—a place to grow smarter, earn more, and design businesses that scale both profit and freedom.
Learn more and apply to join at 10xsolo.com