What killed 300 whales, 101 airline passengers & could also be killing your business right now?
The Day 300 Whales Chose Wrong
Fifteen years ago on the Oregon coast, something bizarre happened. Three hundred pilot whales—magnificent creatures weighing up to three tons each—beached themselves and died on the sand.
Their killer?
Sardines.
These massive whales had been chasing tiny fish so intently that they followed them into shallow water. When the tide retreated, the whales were stranded. All 300 died before rescuers could save them.
Marine biologists later confirmed what seemed obvious in hindsight: the whales had fixated on the small prize and lost sight of the bigger picture—the ocean that kept them alive.
The $12 Light Bulb That Cost 101 Lives
On December 29, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was minutes from landing in Miami. Everything was routine until a single landing gear indicator light refused to illuminate.
Was the gear actually down?
The crew worked frantically to answer that question.
They circled. They troubleshooted. They focused entirely on that one small light.
Meanwhile, no one noticed the autopilot had disengaged. The plane was descending.
By the time anyone looked up from the malfunctioning bulb, the TriStar jumbo jet was seconds from the Everglades.
One hundred and one people died.
The official cause? Pilot error due to distraction. They were so focused on a minor mechanical issue that they forgot to fly the plane.
What’s Your Sardine?
If you’re building a business from home hoping to create residual income, you face the same choice those whales and pilots did: chase the small stuff or focus on what actually matters.
Most people building from home are drowning in sardines:
- Obsessing over the perfect logo before they have a single customer
- Spending hours choosing fonts for a website with no traffic
- Reorganizing their home office for the third time this month
- Tweaking their “about me” page instead of talking to prospects
- Researching “the best” tools while their business sits idle
Meanwhile, the tide is going out. Your window of opportunity is closing. And you’re still chasing tiny fish.
The Three Activities That Actually Build Your Business
Here’s the truth successful home-based entrepreneurs know: only three activities create residual income. Everything else is a distraction.
1. Creating Content
Content is how you exist in your prospects’ world when you’re not in the room. It’s your 24/7 sales force, your credibility builder, your attraction magnet.
Blog posts. Videos. Social media updates. Emails. Podcasts. Pick your medium and create consistently.
Not perfectly—consistently.
Every piece of content is a fishing line in the water.
The more lines you have out, the more fish you catch.
2. Building Relationships
Residual income doesn’t come from transactions.
It comes from relationships with people who trust you enough to buy repeatedly or join your team.
This means real conversations.
Asking questions. Listening. Following up.
Being genuinely interested in people’s goals and struggles.
You’re not collecting contacts—you’re building a community of people who know, like, and trust you.
3. Giving Invitations
Here’s where most people fail: they create content, they build relationships, and then they never ask for the business.
Every day, you need to invite people to take the next step.
Buy your product.
Join your opportunity.
Book a call.
Attend your webinar.
Download your guide.
No invitation?
No income.
The Choice You Make Today
Those whales had plenty of ocean. That plane had thousands of feet of altitude. Both had everything they needed to survive.
What they didn’t have was focus on what mattered.
Your home business will live or die based on the same principle. You can spend your time on sardines—the endless small tasks that feel productive but don’t move the needle.
Or you can spend it on the big three: content, relationships, and invitations.
The ocean is still deep. You still have altitude.
But the tide is moving.
What are you chasing today?
The pilot light that killed 101 people was working fine, by the way. The gear was down. They just forgot to check their altitude while they worried about it.
Don’t be so focused on the small things that you crash your dream.
Thanks for reading & whatever you do, always go for your dreams!
PS: Investing a bit of time in the morning to review & set priorities for the day can help a lot with this. You’ve probably heard this, but are you doing it? I’ve found the best way to do this is inside an effecitive morning routine.
I put together a simple 15-30 minute morning routine that’s designed specifically for home business entrepreneurs. It’s helped me stay focused on what actually builds income. [Grab it free here]