If you’ve spent any time in online entrepreneurship, chances are you already know who Pat Flynn is. Pat Flynn is a creator, entrepreneur, speaker, bestselling author, and the founder of SPI Media and Deep Pocket Monster, one of the fastest-growing entertainment channels on YouTube. His Pokémon content alone drives over 300 million views per month. Over the years, Pat has generated millions across digital products, online education, physical products like the SwitchPod, community-powered learning, short-form media, and live events. He’s published thousands of podcast episodes, spoken on more than 350 stages, and built one of the most durable and respected brands in online business.
What makes Pat especially valuable to learn from isn’t just his success, but how intentionally he builds. In this conversation on the Beyond a Million Podcast, Pat shares several business growth strategies that are simple on the surface but incredibly powerful when applied consistently. These aren’t motivational sound bites. They’re practical systems you can put to work immediately.
Pat Flynn Business Growth Strategy #1: Protect Your Core While Making Room to Experiment
One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is swinging too far in either direction. They either cling so tightly to what’s working that they stop innovating, or they chase new ideas so aggressively that their core business starts to crack. Pat Flynn’s approach to business growth solves this tension elegantly.
He explains, “80% of my time is dedicated to the things I’ve already said yes to… 20% of time is dedicated to scratching an itch, play, creativity, experimentation.”
That 20% isn’t random. It’s intentional space carved out specifically for exploration without putting the rest of the business at risk. Pat even structures it into his calendar, sharing, “So, for me, Friday is play day still…”
This is one of the most overlooked Pat Flynn business growth strategies because it sounds almost too simple. But in practice, it’s powerful. Your revenue-generating activities stay protected, while new ideas get tested in a low-risk environment. That experimentation is often where the next major breakthrough comes from, but only if it’s given room to exist without sabotaging what already works.
Pat Flynn Business Growth Strategy #2: Use Just-In-Time Learning to Avoid Overthinking
Another trap entrepreneurs fall into is over-preparing. Courses, books, podcasts, frameworks—all consumed endlessly while execution stalls. Pat Flynn takes the opposite approach, and it’s a cornerstone of how he scales efficiently.
He calls it just-in-time learning. As Pat explains, “Just in time learning is this… (a) understanding what your next step is… (b), learn what you need just to take that next step and next step alone. And (c), take that next step.”
Instead of trying to master everything upfront, Pat focuses only on what’s necessary to move forward right now. That clarity comes from asking a deceptively simple question. “If this were easy, what would it look like? That is the guiding question to help you figure out what your next step is.”
This mindset removes complexity and replaces it with momentum. It forces action instead of perfection and keeps learning connected directly to execution. When applied consistently, it dramatically shortens the gap between idea and results.
Pat Flynn Business Growth Strategy #3: Create Pressure With Voluntary Deadlines
One of the most practical Pat Flynn business growth strategies is how he uses time itself as a tool. Rather than waiting for external pressure, Pat creates it intentionally.
He puts it plainly: “There has to be a date and a moment in time where you will be tested on this thing…”
That test might be a launch, a public commitment, or a scheduled deliverable. The key is that it’s real enough to force action. Pat also highlights how time expands or contracts based on what you allow. “Whatever amount of time you give yourself to work on something is the amount of time you will work on something… you can use time as a tool and reduce that time to force yourself to make a decision and take action.”
This strategy combats procrastination and perfectionism at the same time. When the window is shorter, decisions get made faster, execution improves, and momentum builds. Instead of endlessly refining, you ship, learn, and iterate.
Why These Pat Flynn Business Growth Strategies Work Together
What makes these strategies especially effective is how they reinforce one another. Protecting your core business gives you stability. Just-in-time learning keeps you moving without overwhelm. Voluntary deadlines ensure that movement actually turns into results.
None of these tactics rely on hacks, trends, or short-term wins. They’re systems that scale with you, whether you’re building your first offer or managing a multi-channel media brand.
Pat Flynn’s success isn’t accidental. It’s built on intentional constraints, focused learning, and consistent execution. And the best part is, these business growth strategies don’t require more time, more money, or more resources—just better decisions about how you use what you already have.
If you want to build something durable, scalable, and aligned with how you actually work, these lessons are a powerful place to start.
Want more strategies like these from 7-, 8-, and 9-figure entrepreneurs? Subscribe to the Beyond a Million newsletter and get the exact insights top founders use to scale smarter and faster.
