Don’t Win the Race to the Bottom of the Barrel

I still remember walking the jobsite on a hot L.A. afternoon.

I was in my 30s, working as an electrician foreman. We were doing a commercial high-rise in Downtown LA—28 floors of steel, wire, and sweat.

I looked over and saw one of the new guys yanking on some flex conduit, twisting it fast and sloppy like it didn’t matter.

“Slow down,” I said, walking over. “This ain’t residential. This ain’t dingbat work.”

He looked confused. “It’s just TI work for an office, boss.”

That’s when I told him: “I want you to work like this is an industrial job—tight bends, clean runs, every box and pipe like someone’s watching.”

Because someone always is watching.

Even if it’s just you.

In the electrical world, we had three levels of work.

• Residential—cookie-cutter houses, fast, cheap, sometimes messy.
• Commercial—office buildings, stores, airports. Profits over precision, "We're not building the space shuttle."
• Industrial—factories, refineries, power plants. It was the hardest. It was the best.

And here’s the truth: I never wanted to win the race to the bottom. I wanted to rise to the top.

Not just for the paycheck—but for the pride.

Now, as I build a business and help young men like you become warriors and leaders, I see the same trap: Cut corners. Go cheap. Rush the work. Lower your standards just to get a few more clicks or bucks.

But what if the thing holding you back... is that you’re aiming too low?

What if you win the race to the bottom—and realize you’ve ended up somewhere you never wanted to be?

What Race Are You In?

1. What “Racing to the Bottom” Really Means

“Racing to the bottom” means lowering your standards, prices, or principles to win customers, followers, or approval.

It’s saying, “I’ll do it cheaper. I’ll do it faster. I’ll do anything—just pick me.”

At first, it seems like a smart strategy.

You get more attention.

You feel like you're doing “whatever it takes.” But it comes at a cost.

You lose your self-respect. You attract customers who don’t value you. You train yourself to accept less.

And the worst part? Once you go low, it’s hard to climb back up.

2. The 3 Ladders of Work (and Life)

Let’s take it back to the trade again.

• Residential (Bottom of the Barrel): Fast, cheap, easy to get into. No real planning. Customers don’t want quality—they want it done. They want it cheap, think McDonald's and Walmart.
• Commercial (Middle Tier): Higher expectations. Stricter codes. Bigger crews. You get paid more, but you’re still replaceable if you cut corners. Think Macy's and Nordstroms.
• Industrial (Top Tier): Precision is everything. Every pipe, wire, and junction is checked, labeled, and tested. Mistakes can cost lives and millions of dollars. You earn more because you’re trusted more. Think Ferrari, Bentley, and Michelin-star restaurants.

These ladders exist in every part of life.

In relationships. In business. In self-respect.

You can play at the bottom—sloppy dates, flaky friends, clients who ghost you.

Or you can climb the ladder—attract high-value people, work that matters, and a life worth living.

But you only rise when you decide not to stoop.

3. Why Men Fall Into the Trap

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you might feel behind already.

You scroll through Instagram. Everyone else seems to be winning—cars, cash, clout. So what do you do?

You try to catch up. Fast.

That means shortcuts.

Maybe you start a business, but you undercharge and overdeliver for clients who don’t even respect you. Maybe you try to meet women, but you fake who you are just to get attention. Maybe you post online but copy everyone else just to chase likes.

You’re not building. You’re begging.

You’re not rising. You’re racing… to the bottom.

And you might win.

That’s the scariest part.

4. Why You Must Choose the Higher Path

Let’s talk about what happens when you decide to rise.

You become the kind of man who:

• Practices quality—even when no one’s looking.
• Chooses the harder path because it leads somewhere real.
• Turns down low-value deals, dates, or distractions.
• Builds slowly but surely, because he’s playing the long game.

That’s what industrial-level life looks like.

You don’t get rich overnight. But when you build something that lasts, you don’t have to beg for clients, respect, or attention.

They come to you.

Like a Michelin-star restaurant, you don’t need to run ads or beg for customers. You just need to be that good.

And yes, it takes time. But that’s what makes it real.

5. Raise the Standard Before the Stakes Are High

I used to tell my crew: “Bend that pipe like it’s going in a refinery. I don’t care if it’s an office breakroom.”

Why?

Because when it does matter, you won’t have time to “level up.” You’ll either be ready or not.

Practice being excellent now.

In your job. In your workouts. In your friendships. In your habits. Especially in how you talk to yourself.

If you only try hard when the pressure’s on, you’re already behind.

III. Racing to the Top

A few months after I retired, I was at a cafe, talking to a young guy fresh out of college. He was trying to start his own business, and he was stressed.

“I’ve tried everything,” he said. “But nobody’s buying. I dropped my prices. I added freebies. I even offered to work for exposure. Still nothing.”

I nodded. “You ever hear of Ohm’s Law?”

He shook his head.

“It’s a law in electricity. Basically, it says the amount of current is equal to voltage divided by resistance. In plain English: If you want more power, you either need more voltage—or less resistance.”

He looked confused. I continued.

He got quiet.

“Don’t do dingbat work in your life,” I said. “Don’t wire your soul like a tract home. Build it like an industrial site. Every part tested. Tight. Clean. Strong. High voltage.”

He smiled.

It reminded me of something the band Sisters of Mercy sang in one of my favorite songs: “Why are you so undemanding?”

Why are you asking for so little?

You don’t win by going low. You win by standing tall—by raising your standards and playing the long game.

​

So here’s your move, warrior. Expect more out of life.​

Look at your work, your habits, your relationships. Where are you cutting corners? Where are you aiming for “just good enough”?

Stop. Raise the bar.

Pretend someone elite is watching you—even if it’s just your future self.

And train like you’re on an industrial job. Not residential. Not commercial. The top tier.

Because if you practice low-level living, you’ll get low-level results.

But if you raise your voltage—if you build with strength and care—you’ll attract power, success, and people who respect your wiring.

Now…

Putting It On the Mat

• Stop chasing the bottom. You might win. And it ain’t worth it.
• Pick one thing this week—your work, your workouts, your words—and level it up like you’re wiring a power plant.
• Journal this: “Where am I racing to the bottom—and how do I rise instead?”
• Remember: Cheap is expensive. Fast is fragile. Easy is empty.
• Play the long game. Live industrial.

P.S. Are you sicked and tired of being surrounded by losers, lemmings and Luddites who are racing to the bottom of the barrel?

Then join the Leader's Dojo, where you not only discover how badass you are but you're surrounded by other badass warriors and leaders who will help you to be even better.

​Join now here!​