Neurofeedback, Small Business Investing, and the Data That Drives Them

Yesterday was a weirdly connected day. In the morning, I was knee-deep in excel sheets dissecting the working capital cycle of one of our portfolio companies. That afternoon, I was sitting in a lecture by Brian Hixson, founder of Brain Performance Neurofeedback Centers, learning how to rewire your brain.

Totally different topics, with very connected processes. Small business investing and neurofeedback are basically the same game. Both are about data-driven self-awareness. Both turn “gut feelings” into hard numbers. And both separate the people who react from the people who optimize.

Neurofeedback and the Data of the Mind

Brian’s talk sounded familiar if you’ve ever dipped your toe into the longevity or “Medicine 3.0” world: you can’t fix anxiety, burnout, or brain fog by popping pills and hoping for the best. Don’t treat the symptoms, find the cause. In these cases, it’s often physical, not psychological.

That’s where EEGs come in. They’re like MRI scans for your thoughts, measuring the electrical activity in your brain. Without them, you’re guessing at what’s wrong under the hood.

Some takeaways from the lecture that stuck:

·         You can’t optimize what you can’t measure, and brain activity is actually measurable.

·         Real data either confirms your story or blows it up.

·         Neuroplasticity (rewiring the brain) takes consistency — no one-and-done magic fixes.

·         Balance beats brute force. You can’t redline your mind every day and expect smooth performance.

·         You can probably get all of this through years of practice, trial and error, and being highly tuned in, but why wait?

·         Five minutes of meditation a day can literally reshape your brain.

Of all the books I’ve consumed over the last few years, probably 75 of them touch on how the brain works. Seven of fifteen I highlighted in my last post, “15 Books Everyone Should Consume” had some studies or references to brain function. So I was already all in, on this lecture and the words that were coming out of Brian’s mouth. I’m booked for my EEG scan this week and excited to see what’s cooking up there.

Small Business Investing and the Feedback Loop

So why am I shoehorning in small business investing to my excitement about neuroplasticity training? Because feedback loops and data are already spewing from businesses, it is just a matter of finding what matters in order to optimize things or fix symptoms. Like I said, these topics are different, but the process is the same.

We’ve got a portfolio company growing their topline 53% YTD. The CEO is excellent, he’s been in the industry for 20+ years, has a finely trimmed beard, and knows every detail about his operations. However, this growth has been eating up more cash than expected over the last few months. He’s got a gut feel for all the reasons why, but hasn’t pinpointed those specific reasons. Cash is drifting lower, sleep is harder to come by, how can we level off both?

This is where my value comes in. I know enough about the business to ask the right questions, and more than the average Joe about excel to pull in a bunch of information so we can get better insights and gain more confidence about current cash cycles. We’ll both feel better about accessing our line of credit, forecasting tight repayment, and he gets to sleep better at night because all his thoughts are backed by hard numbers.

We know things are going well, growth takes money and we’re moving the right direction. We just have a little business fog, that hard numbers and proper analytics to help us drive decisions.

The Parallels

Brains and businesses both need regular scans. If you’re managing your mind or your company purely by how things feel, you’ll miss what’s actually going on under the surface.

·         Brains use EEGs, businesses use P&Ls. Both tell the truth when anxiety clouds thinking.

·         Data builds confidence. Worry doesn’t create clarity, measurable insights do.

·         Consistency creates mastery. Whether it’s rewiring neurons or tightening working capital, it’s not about one big fix. It’s about small feedback loops that stack up over time.

Most small business owners manage by their bank balance, which is a great start, but it’s like judging your mental health by whether you feel slightly off this morning. You’ll survive, sure, but you can’t optimize things for the longer term that way. Brains and businesses both thrive on awareness, feedback, and adjustment. Sometimes, all it takes is a scan, of your head or your cash flow, to see what’s really going on.