Codie Sanchez is a serial entrepreneur, a social media influencer, and a champion of small businesses. She is the Founder and CEO of Contrarian Thinking, a platform that reaches millions of followers across socials and teaches them how to challenge the status quo, find hidden opportunities, and achieve financial freedom. In a recent email newsletter she wrote about 5 habits that changed her life.
If these habits helped Codie to success, they might help you too.
Master the Art of Negotiation (Starting Small)
Sanchez points to successful entrepreneurs like Noah Kagan (who runs an $85M company) who practice negotiation in small daily interactions – even haggling over coffee prices. It’s not about being cheap; it’s about building the confidence to negotiate when the stakes are high, like during million-dollar deals or investor discussions. The key? Make uncomfortable asks daily to build your negotiation muscles.
Win Your Mornings, Win Your Life
Sanchez swears by early wake-ups (5:45 AM) as her “cosmic cheat code” for productivity. Her advice? Create quiet time before the world wakes up for activities like reading, planning, and exercise. If willpower is an issue, find an accountability partner or invest in tools that help optimize your sleep quality.
Embrace Speed Over Perfection
Following advice from her mentor Bill Perkins, Sanchez emphasizes that speed often trumps intelligence in business. Her team follows a “24-Hour Rule” instead of the corporate “let’s circle back next week” approach. The strategy? Move fast, make mistakes, and learn quickly – but balance speed with detail-oriented thinking.
Read Voraciously
Sanchez calls books “the legal equivalent of insider trading” – a way to gain knowledge from those more successful than you without the risk. While a quarter of the population won’t read a single book this year, she insists that reading is the great equalizer, especially for those without prestigious education or wealthy backgrounds.
Take Daily Walks
Despite trending bio hacks and expensive wellness routines, Sanchez advocates for the simple power of daily walks. She recommends turning meetings into walking calls, viewing it as free therapy, a productivity boost, and a creativity enhancer all rolled into one.
The Bottom Line
Sanchez’s success formula isn’t about complex strategies or expensive solutions. It’s about building daily habits that compound over time – from small negotiations to early mornings, quick execution, continuous learning, and simple wellness routines. The key is consistency and starting small, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Would you like me to expand on any of these points or focus on a particular aspect of her advice?
