✈️ King of the Airport

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about movement.

Not just where we’re going, but what happens in the spaces between. Airports, layovers, transitions and all the places we overlook while rushing toward the next thing.

But sometimes, that in-between space is where the clarity shows up. The lessons. The reset.

This week’s reflection is about exactly that.

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The Airport Effect

Finding opportunity in life’s layovers

I’ve been on the move a lot lately. Bouncing between cities, countries, and ideas. It’s been a nomadic rhythm for years, but lately I’ve started to notice patterns. Especially in airports.

Airports might be one of the most underrated places to study human behavior. If you’re paying attention, they’re also one of the best environments for reflection, growth, and even deal flow.

Here’s what we can all learn from airports.

Segmentation is everything.

Airports don’t just move people. They sort them.

Walk into Pearson or JFK and watch it happen in real-time. Business travelers in suits cruise through TSA PreCheck while first-time flyers fumble with their belts in the general line.

Global Entry holders breeze through customs while others wait 45 minutes with their declarations in hand. Even the boarding process is its own segmentation funnel.

• Group 1

• Group 2

• Zone 3

• Basic Economy

• Standby

• etc etc etc

The segmentation isn't just functional. It comes with perks. Lounges. Early boarding. Better overhead space. A glass of wine before takeoff while someone else’s flight gets delayed.

The airport doesn’t ask who you are, it sorts you based on what you’ve opted into.

• Status.

• Preparation.

• Intent.

The flight is leaving with or without you.

There’s something humbling about watching a gate close. You can be late for a hundred reasons: traffic, a wrong turn, a line that moved slower than it should have. But the plane is still taking off. The airport doesn’t care.

• No negotiation.

• No emotion.

• Just motion.

You’ve got to prepare, accept the chaos, and move with it. Otherwise, you get left behind.

It’s the same in dealmaking. Especially in M&A.

By the time the LOI hits the table, the plane is already boarding. If you haven’t done the legwork, cleaned your data room, aligned your leadership team, clarified your story — you're scrambling at the gate while others are already on the tarmac.

Deals don’t wait for you to feel ready. The timing is rarely perfect. Market shifts, buyer interest, internal pressure. It’s all moving whether you're comfortable or not.

There’s a certain level of organized chaos you have to be okay with. You won’t control every variable.

But you can control how early you show up, how calm you stay in the storm, and how well you adapt when the unexpected hits.

Sometimes, the difference between a closed deal and a missed one is just being prepared enough to board when your number’s called.

Travel time is thinking time.

There’s something about being in the air that sharpens your focus. It feels like a moment gap in time.

No noise. No pressure. No Slack. No emails.

Just stillness while the rest of the world keeps moving.

That space ends up being some of my most productive. You’re unreachable, uninterrupted, and fully in control of how you spend that time. (If you don’t buy Wifi)

I just finished Psychology of Money on a recent flight. Probably the most dialled in I’ve felt in weeks. It’s wild how much clarity you can find when you’re off the grid and on the move.

Sometimes the plane is more than just transportation. It becomes a reset. A chance to think clearly, zoom out, and come down with better ideas than you had when you left the ground.

Serendipity lives here.

In the span of a few hours at the airport, I had a conversation with the chairman of a multi-property investment firm and an amazing South American Entrepreneur.

It came out of nowhere.

That kind of moment doesn’t happen when you’re locked into your phone or rushing past everyone. It happens when you’re present. When you’re open to what the environment is offering.

Airports bring all kinds of people into the same space. The collisions are random, but the opportunity is real. Be available to it and be surprised what comes.

Every gate leads somewhere.

Sometimes you are heading home. Sometimes it is the start of something new. Either way, every boarding call is a reset.

It marks a shift. A move forward. You are progressing. You are growing. You are creating new moments just by stepping through the gate and into whatever comes next.

Momentum starts the moment you decide to move.

So maybe it’s not just airports.
Maybe the transitions in life are where the real energy is.
The question is whether you’re paying attention to them.

Events you need to attend

Summer Retreat in Woodstock is just about sold out and its happening NEXT WEEK!

If you'd like to join us, let me know asap.

• June 18, dinner with NABIS,

• June 19 The Summer Retreat programming runs from 10-6pm.

• Lunch, breakouts, yoga, community with over 65 NY and NJ retailers signed up, it's going to be all about rest, rejuvenation and re-connection.

Get tickets here

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As the world becomes more complex, it becomes more and more challenging to stay grounded, focused and aligned. Stay ahead by fostering unity, innovation, and trust across your teams and yourself. Don’t miss out on upcoming events and insights that will help shape your success in the months to come.

- SKV