Smart people do dumb things. Here’s the proof: How much money would you have right now if I gave you the ability to unwind any three financial decisions you have ever made?

Years ago, after suffering a humiliatingly large dumb tax, it dawned on me that I have a seemingly unlimited ability to hit unforced errors and sabotage my business and financial success. I suspect you do, too. It turns out that the key to getting rich (and staying that way) is to avoid doing stupid things. I don’t need to do more smart things. I just need to make fewer dumb mistakes. The vast majority of our dumb tax is a direct result of emotional, overly optimistic, and poorly thought out decisions. Every one of those three decisions you would love to unwind was an avoidable mistake.

Thinking is critical to sustainable success in business; said another way, business is an intellectual sport. The principles and structure suggested in The Road Less Stupid will enable anyone, regardless of the size of the business, the currency, or the industry, to run their business more effectively, make more money, and dramatically increase the likelihood of keeping that money. It all hinges on Thinking Time.

This is a business book for business listeners who want to learn the principles and strategies of making great decisions and minimizing risk. The structure of Thinking Time will enable you to minimize reacting emotionally and defaulting to the most obvious “best idea” available in the moment. The series of short chapters and subsequent Thinking Time questions are designed to maximize clarity and create better choices…either of which will result in fewer stupid mistakes.

This is the real “secret”: The chance of success goes up when you think, plan, consistently execute the right things, and worry about the possibility of loss. Here it is on a bumper sticker: Operators react and sweat. Owners think and plan.