Relentless Review: Is It a Good Book for Entrepreneurs?

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I first listened to Relentless by Tim Grover last year while training for my 100-mile trail race. Which, in hindsight, is a pretty appropriate way to consume a book called Relentless.

I remember being incredibly inspired by it, but listening to a book and sitting down to actually read it are two different experiences. I wanted to go back, slow down, underline things, and see what stood out the second time.

So, is Relentless a good book for entrepreneurs? Absolutely. If you're building a company, leading a team, chasing a massive goal, or simply trying to be better tomorrow than you are today, there's a mentality in this book that translates incredibly well to entrepreneurship. I won't remember every detail from it. But I will remember that mentality.

What Is the Biggest Lesson From Relentless for Entrepreneurs?

For me, it's the idea of relentlessly pursuing excellence: not achieving it overnight, but building toward it brick by brick. Your mindset. Your body. Your business. Your team. The homes you build. The people you surround yourself with. Keep making each one better.

That's one reason I believe so much in having a BHAG (a Big Hairy Audacious Goal). You need something big enough in front of you that it forces you to grow while you're pursuing it. Mysa Hus became that for me. It took two years and was probably the hardest thing I've ever done professionally. We completely changed our idea of how high-end we could go and what it meant to create a true story house.

Whether a big goal ultimately succeeds or fails isn't even the whole point. Look at who you had to become along the way. You've improved your mindset, business, network, abilities, and probably your tolerance for doing really hard things. That's a win before you ever cross the finish line.

What Are Coolers, Closers and Cleaners in Relentless?

Grover describes three types of competitors: Coolers, Closers, and Cleaners. Coolers are good at what they do, but when the pressure really turns up, they tend to look for someone else to take the lead. Closers can absolutely step up and deliver when the stakes are high, especially when there's a clear goal in front of them, but once the win is secured, they're more likely to exhale and enjoy it. Cleaners don't really have an off switch. They're internally driven, constantly looking for what's next, and aren't satisfied simply because they won yesterday. 

I've probably been all three at different points in my career, but as an entrepreneur, that Cleaner mentality is what resonates with me most: the goal isn't to arrive at some magical point where you're finished. It's to keep asking how you, your team, and your work can be better tomorrow than they are today.

I see it in other builders too. Nick Schiffer's 45 White Oak project comes to mind. That was a years-long pursuit of a very specific vision. I see it in how Brad Robinson builds businesses in Atlanta. 

But the idea I've been thinking about even more is this: What if you could build an entire company that operates like a Cleaner? A team with incredibly high standards that is always asking how the work, process, and business can get better. That's more interesting to me than being the one relentless person at the top.

How Has Relentless Changed the Way I Lead?

It's reinforced two things for me: hold the team to a really high standard, and protect my attention for the things only I can do. Mysa Hus changed my standard for our work. We went all in on the vision, and now that I've seen what our team is capable of creating, I don't want to build any other way.

As the leader of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes and The Curious Builder, though, my job can't be doing every little day-to-day task. My job is to create the vision. Then I need to put as much of my energy as possible toward making that vision clear enough and compelling enough that our team can pursue it together.

That's one of the harder parts of entrepreneurship. Being busy can feel productive. But relentless pursuit doesn't mean relentlessly doing everything. It means being relentless about the right things.

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Do Entrepreneurs Need Outside Validation to Be Successful?

One of my favorite ideas in the book is doing the work without needing everybody else to recognize it. Mysa Hus doesn't need to win an award for me to know what we created. Nobody even has to think it's great. I know what our team created is unique and special. The accomplishment itself is enough.

I think that's important because if you're building something primarily because you're waiting for somebody else to congratulate you, success can feel pretty hollow. Do what brings you joy. Find something where you actually enjoy the pursuit: the struggle, commitment, work, and challenge of trying to create something great. That's true when you're training for a 100-mile race, building a house, or running a company. 

Leadership can also be incredibly invisible. Your team may only see a fraction of what you're carrying as an owner. That's part of the job. When you're the leader, you take responsibility when things go wrong and give your team the credit when things go right. You can't need applause every time you do the work.

Who Should Read Relentless?

Honestly? I think everybody should read it. But I especially recommend Relentless to entrepreneurs, builders, leaders, and anyone pursuing something big enough that it's going to require them to become better along the way. That's what stuck with me after reading it twice.

Success isn't only reaching the big goal. It's everything you build in yourself on the way there. The race ends. The house gets finished. The business reaches one milestone and immediately finds another. Then you wake up tomorrow and lay another brick. That's relentless.