Growth Over Goals

Why We Focus on Progress, Not Perfect Plans

There’s a quote I heard recently (can’t recall where) that captured something I’ve been thinking about for a long time:

“Prioritize growth over goals.”

It’s not advice you’ll find in most business books. Conventional wisdom says to be specific, measurable, and deadline-driven. And in many cases, that’s useful. Clear goals help teams align, track progress, and deliver results.

But when you’re building something that’s creative, personal, and evolving—something without a clear playbook—goals can only take you so far. The most important breakthroughs often come from steady progress and staying open to what emerges along the way.

At The 601 Group, we don’t operate with a five-year master plan. We move with intention, but not rigidity. The businesses we’re building today weren’t written into a strategy document years ago. They came from paying attention, learning in real time, and acting when something felt right.

One of the clearest examples of this was our acquisition of Brown Butter Crêperie. We didn’t start the year planning to buy another crêperie in a different city. But when the opportunity to take over a small, beloved spot with strong operations and a unique identity, it aligned with our broader mission. We had the structure and team in place to move on it quickly. It wasn’t a goal we had set, but it was the right next step.

That’s why the concept of “wandering” in business resonates so strongly with me.

Jeff Bezos talks about wandering not as aimless or random, but as a deliberate, open-ended process that allows you to discover new paths others might miss. He once wrote:

“Wandering in business is not efficiency. It’s not the most direct path. But it’s also not random. It’s guided—by a deep intuition and a long-term vision.”

In a world obsessed with optimization, wandering can feel countercultural. But it’s often where the magic happens. When you wander with curiosity, you give yourself permission to experiment, explore, and notice what others overlook. You find the ideas that don’t show up on spreadsheets. The ones that reveal themselves only after you’ve spent time doing the work.

That’s how we’ve made many of our best decisions. Not by chasing a rigid goal, but by staying in motion, noticing patterns, and being willing to say yes when the moment feels right.

Wandering takes discipline in its own way. You need a strong foundation to explore freely. You need systems that work, teams you trust, and a clear sense of what matters most. But within that structure, there’s room for creativity, room for new ideas to take shape, and for new chapters to unfold.

We’re not quite ready to share what’s next, but let’s just say the second half of the year may have a few surprises in store.

And in the meantime, we’ll keep growing.