I’m The Real Jason Duncan, back with another Beyond the Grind blog – helping entrepreneurs like you build thriving businesses without sacrificing your freedom. 🚀

At one point, I found myself deep in the Colorado wilderness on a motorcycle.

I wrote this just before leaving — because I was heading off-grid for a two-week ride along the Colorado BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) with three buddies. Over 750 miles of rugged mountain terrain on fully loaded adventure bikes.

I rode a CFmoto Ibex 450. They were on Yamaha Teneres and a Kawasaki KLR.

No cell service.

No Zoom.

No Signal messages.

Just dirt, grit, and the freedom to disappear for a while.

I shared quick photo and video updates whenever we reached towns with signal.

If you’re curious what this wild ride looked like, check out my Instagram: @therealjasonduncan.

But this post isn’t about motorcycles.

It’s about something way more important – and way more relevant to your business.

Let’s talk about what this kind of ride teaches you… especially when you don’t know what’s around the next turn.

The Ride Is Mapped. The Ride Is Not.

The COBDR is a well-documented trail. You can download the GPS files. You can read rider reports. You can study the elevation shifts and water crossings. You can see exactly where the turns are.

But none of that matters until your tires hit the dirt.

You might run into a rockslide someone else didn’t. You might get through a section in an hour that took someone else three. You might hit snow in July, or a flat you didn’t see coming.

The trail is real. The map is a theory.

Sound familiar?

Business Planning Has the Same Problem

As a founder, you build plans. You map out goals. You set your quarterly targets. You hire based on forecasts. You create checklists, workflows, and dashboards.

And then reality happens.

A key hire quits. 

A supplier drops the ball.

Your biggest client has a rough quarter.

Your marriage hits a hard season.

Suddenly, the map doesn’t matter.

That’s why successful entrepreneurs don’t just build businesses that work on paper. They build ones that can move.

They build for resilience.
They build for real-world pressure.
They build with the understanding that terrain beats theory every time.

And the only way to do that?

Structure and flexibility.

What to Do When the Trail Changes

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from riding trails like this – lessons that apply just as much in business:

• Ask the right pre-ride questions: What terrain do I expect? Where do I need margin? What’s most likely to change?
• Keep your systems tight – but your posture loose. Rigidity breaks; flexibility wins.
• Make decisions based on the trail, not just the map. Your calendar doesn’t know when a storm’s coming.
• Ride with others. Don’t go solo. Even the best riders need backup.

That last one?

That’s why The Exiter Club exists.

Because building a valuable business is a lot like navigating the backcountry.

You can plan the route.

But the ride?

You never do that alone.

👉 If you’re ready to build a business that doesn’t fall apart when conditions shift, that’s exactly what we help founders do inside The Exiter Club.

Learn more here.

Words of Wisdom

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." – Proverb 16:9

This verse ran through my mind as I was preparing for that COBDR ride.

I had made the plans. I knew the route.

But I wasn’t in control of every mile. Not on the trail. Not in business. Not in life.

And that’s the adventure.

Go beyond the grind,

The Real Jason Duncan 🚀