The 20-Mile March: Why We’re Building for the Long Haul

In Great by Choice, Jim Collins introduces one of my favorite concepts: the 20-Mile March. It's a deceptively simple idea, but one that’s shaped how I think about business, leadership, and growth—especially as we build The 601 Group.

The 20-Mile March is a metaphor drawn from the story of two teams racing to be the first to reach the South Pole in 1911. One team made progress whenever the weather was favorable, pushing hard on good days and stopping entirely on bad ones. The other team—the winning team—set a daily target of 20 miles and stuck to it, regardless of conditions. Rain or shine. Wind or stillness. Good days or bad days. Twenty miles. No more, no less.

“The 20-Mile March is more than a philosophy. It’s about having the discipline to do the hard work consistently—not when it’s convenient, but especially when it’s not.” – Jim Collins

For us, that idea hits close to home.

The Allure of the Sprint

In the world of food and hospitality, it’s easy to get swept up in the sprint.
New restaurant openings, media buzz, influencer visits, grand openings that feel like rocket launches. It’s tempting to chase that momentum—to believe that speed is the key to success.

But speed alone doesn’t build staying power.

We don’t want to be the business that burned hot and then burned out. We want to be the business that lasts. That gets better over time. That earns trust through consistency.

That means embracing our own version of the 20-Mile March.

What Our March Looks Like

At The 601 Group, our 20-Mile March isn’t about distance. It’s about discipline—doing the right things, in the right order, with consistency. It means not overreacting to short-term wins or losses. It means showing up—every day—with the intention to move forward, even if just a little.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Opening new locations with intention—not urgency.
  We’re not rushing to expand. We’re learning, refining, and building the right systems so every location can be great, not just open.

• Making our experiences better, not just bigger.
  At For Crêpe Sake and Brown Butter Crêperie & Café (our crêpe café business line), all of our food is made from scratch. We focus on quality—of food, of interaction, of hospitality. Every new touchpoint is a chance to get a little bit better.

• Building profitability into the model, not as an afterthought.
  We’re not chasing top-line growth. We’re focused on healthy businesses that can reinvest in people, spaces, and experiences.

• Sharing financials, tracking metrics, improving operations.
  Every month we close our books. We learn. We adjust. We stay the course.

The Discipline to Keep Marching

There are days where everything feels easy—when the phone’s ringing, the classes are full, and the reviews are glowing. And there are days when it’s hard—when the walk-in fails, or the forecast changes, or a team member calls off last-minute.

The 20-Mile March means showing up on both days with the same focus. It means not overextending on the highs and not retreating on the lows.

It also means saying no to things that look exciting but don’t align with the march.

A flashy event that doesn’t fit the model. A rushed expansion that puts strain on our systems. A product that brings in revenue but doesn’t reflect our values. Those things may move the scoreboard for a moment, but they don’t move the mission forward.

We’re not here for a moment. We’re here for the miles.

Measuring Progress Over Time

One of the most powerful things about the 20-Mile March is that it compounds. It doesn’t always feel dramatic in the moment. But when you zoom out—month by month, year by year—you realize how far you’ve come.

In the past year alone, we’ve:

• Opened The Local Epicurean East Lansing with a model we’re proud of.

• Continued to refine and grow both For Crêpe Sake and Brown Butter Crêperie & Café, building on the strong foundation laid since relocating For Crêpe Sake to East Lansing in 2021—where sales more than doubled from our original downtown Lansing location.

• Invested in training, operations, and team systems that will serve us for years to come.

• Created a clearer vision and strategy for expansion—not just where we want to go, but how we’ll get there.

And we’ve done it without shortcuts. We’ve done it through daily, disciplined work.

We’re Still Marching

The journey is far from over. In fact, it feels like we’re just getting started.

But we’re not chasing lightning in a bottle. We’re building something real. And we know that greatness doesn’t come from speed—it comes from consistency, clarity, and commitment.

Twenty miles. Every day. That’s how we’re building The 601 Group.

And that’s how we’ll keep moving forward—one experience, one decision, one disciplined step at a time.

— Mike and Gina