Why CIA Operators Love Chaos

I was recently sitting with someone who wanted to start a new business. Greetings Everyday Spy, I was recently sitting with someone who wanted to start a new business. He had a solid business idea, a valid target market, and a tech edge that would quickly make him a leader in his niche. His challenge wasn’t creativity, viability, or planning. The problem was that he wouldn’t execute. He was concerned about the post-COVID economic environment; he was worried about the political turnover in his state and in Washington; he was uncertain about the investment climate. He looked at me and shook his head saying, “It just feels like everything is too chaotic.” I wanted to sympathize and encourage him... but I couldn’t. Because I knew something he didn’t know. I had a spy insight that was playing-out right in front of me, and he was totally blind to it. I want you to know what he didn’t, so you can have an edge that others don’t. Here is the secret: CHAOS IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS If you think that’s crazy, it’s okay. I thought the same thing when CIA taught me. But your feelings (and mine, at the time) don’t change the facts. Yes, there are a lot of known negatives to chaos: uncertainty, unpredictability, inconsistency. But espionage is all about taking adversity and flipping it into an unfair advantage. Chaos creates unfair advantages in a few special ways. First: chaos clears the playing field. Whether you own a business, trade stocks, or work in a corporate environment, chaos chases fair-weather competitors away. Sailors joke that until you sail in a storm you’re just a guy in a boat -- not a sailor. The same is true in spying, business, and other wealth-building ventures. Second: chaos kills your competition for you. I was an NCAA varsity competitive Fencer for the US Air Force Academy from 1999-2003. I traveled all over the country with my former-Olympian coach Abdel Monem Salem. He taught me that one of the most important tools in high-level competition is the tournament bracket. The bracket can knock out players long before they ever pose a threat to you in competition. The Agency underscored that lesson on an international stage. Letting our enemies fight each other leaves both opponents weaker before they ever fight us. The reason dogs eat dogs is because of chaos -- so let them eat. Finally: chaos forces you to adapt to survive and thrive. When I launched EverydaySpy in 2018 I accepted a large private intel contract in UAE. Working for this single super-client was lucrative but very demanding. It also limited my ability to develop new business, which left me furter dependent on just one client as my primary source of income. When COVID arrived, one of the first things the client did was cut all contract rates by 50% -- but they did not cut the work demands. Many of my fellow intel peers found themselves stuck in UAE, dependent on one client, and willing to accept a 50% cut in pay just to keep working. I was not about to take that deal, because I knew what was happening… chaos. So I terminated the contract, came back to the US, and started rebuilding a new post-COVID business strategy. 10 months later, EverydaySpy had a 17% drop in revenue but I’d more than quadrupled my new private intel client pool. And here I am today, stronger and more successful than I ever was! Common thinking about chaos is backwards! Don’t believe me? Do some research on your own and you’ll see industry leaders around the world (including the US Joint Chiefs of Staff) welcome chaos. Because they know it brings unique advantages. Now you know it, too. Godspeed, #EverydaySpy P.S. - [CIA teaches field operators 4 tactics for building influence and power quickly in any professional setting. If you want the secret CIA formula to professional power,]( here to master Everyday Espionage: Winning the Workplace!]( Follow @EverydaySpy on Social Media! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Andrew Bustamante, Founder of EverydaySpy.com, is a former covert CIA Intelligence officer, decorated US Air Force Combat Veteran, and respected Fortune 500 senior advisor. Learn more from Andrew on his Podcast (The Everyday Espionage Podcast) and by following @EverydaySpy on your favorite social media platform. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe]( EverydaySpy, 411 Walnut St. #20309, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043