Every business thinks it’s chasing some big shiny trophy. Growth targets, quarterly wins, maybe even an IPO if everyone’s feeling dramatic. But here’s the secret: business doesn’t end when the confetti falls. The game keeps going, the scoreboard resets, and the rules have a habit of changing when you least expect it.
That’s where the idea of the infinite game comes in. Instead of asking, “How do I win?” The better question is, “How do I keep playing?” And when you look at it through the lens of a holding company, the infinite game becomes less about claiming a single victory and more about staying in the arena—year after year, decade after decade.
Think of two kinds of games. A finite game has boundaries: players, rules, a clear finish. Someone wins, someone loses, and everyone goes home. Soccer, Monopoly, poker night with friends.
Then there’s the infinite game. The rules shift, players come and go, and there’s no scoreboard that says, “Game over.” The purpose is simply to keep it alive. Parenting is like this. So is art. So, if you’re honest, is business.
The problem? Many leaders run their companies as if it were finite. They celebrate short-lived triumphs, chase a “finish line” that doesn’t exist, and often burn themselves out in the process. The infinite mindset flips that script: it’s not about crushing the opponent, it’s about lasting long enough to adapt, evolve, and stay relevant.
When you play a finite game, the only question is “Did we win?” When you play the infinite game, the question becomes “Are we still moving forward?”
This doesn’t mean ignoring profit or growth. It means putting them in perspective. A strong quarter is a milestone, not the finish. A clever acquisition is a tool, not the trophy. In the infinite game, today’s victory is only as good as what it allows you to do tomorrow.
If that sounds less exciting than sprinting to glory, don’t worry—it’s actually far more freeing. No pressure to “win once and for all.” Just pressure to stay sharp, keep learning, and remain standing when others tap out.
Targets are useful. They give you focus. But they’re fragile. Hit the target and it disappears; miss the target and it deflates morale. A purpose, on the other hand, doesn’t evaporate after one shot. It’s the compass that points north no matter the weather.
When you commit to the infinite game, purpose becomes more important than checklists. The checklists will change. The purpose will not.
Rigid systems don’t survive long. The market shifts, technology evolves, people change their minds. If your setup can’t bend, it will snap. Flexible structures—where teams adapt, roles evolve, and strategies can pivot—keep you from becoming a fossil in a living landscape.
The temptation to chase short-term thrills is strong. A sudden cash grab, a headline-making product, or a risky bet on a trend might feel like victory. But if it weakens your ability to play again tomorrow, it’s not a win. The infinite player knows the difference between dessert and nutrition.
Business is messy. Competitors appear out of nowhere. Regulations zig when you expect them to zag. Customer behavior changes overnight because of a new app or viral meme. If you’re thinking short-term, these shifts feel catastrophic. If you’re playing the long game, they’re just part of the rhythm.
The infinite mindset also shapes leadership. Leaders who think infinitely don’t hog the spotlight. They don’t try to be remembered as the hero of the story. They try to build a structure that keeps running, even after they’re gone. The goal isn’t to win credit—it’s to pass on something that lasts.
One of the strangest things about the infinite game is that it requires both urgency and patience. Urgency, because you can’t afford to ignore cracks in the foundation. Patience, because real endurance takes time to grow.
Think of it like training for a marathon you’ll never finish. You keep your pace steady, you take care of your body, but you also deal with injuries quickly before they knock you out. You don’t sprint every mile, but you also don’t sleepwalk. The balance matters.
Short-term wins are fine, but vision is what carries you through the fog. Vision lets you keep playing when the scoreboard looks ugly. It lets you pivot without losing your identity. It reminds you what the journey is really about.
Flash gets attention. Endurance earns respect. In the infinite game, the boring habits—financial discipline, steady innovation, thoughtful culture-building—are the ones that keep you alive. The spotlight fades quickly, but the game rewards the players who stick around.
You can’t play the infinite game alone. People are the ones carrying the mission when you’re tired, distracted, or gone. Invest in their growth. Teach them to adapt. Create a culture where leadership isn’t a throne but a torch, passed along again and again.
The finite mindset is sneaky. It convinces you that competitors are enemies to crush, instead of co-players who keep the game interesting. It tells you that hitting this year’s target means you’ve arrived, when really, it’s just a checkpoint. It whispers that growth is everything, even if it exhausts the system that made growth possible in the first place.
The infinite mindset isn’t naive. It knows you’ll measure results, track competitors, and celebrate growth. But it refuses to let those things become the whole story. They are parts of the rhythm, not the end of the song.
If all this sounds heavy, here’s a relief: the infinite game is less stressful once you embrace it. Trying to “win” business forever is like trying to win at being a spouse. Or “winning” at being a friend. You don’t win those—you just keep showing up, trying, laughing, apologizing, and trying again.
Business works the same way. You don’t get a crown for being the eternal champion. You get the chance to keep playing, and hopefully enjoy yourself while you do it. A little humor, a little humility, and suddenly the infinite game doesn’t feel like a burden. It feels like an invitation.
The infinite game challenges the illusion that there’s a finish line in business. By trading quick wins for lasting strategies, you position yourself to adapt, grow, and endure. Playing infinitely means leading with purpose, balancing urgency with patience, and building for flexibility instead of rigidity. It means valuing people as much as profits, and understanding that sustainability beats flash every time.
Most importantly, it means remembering that business isn’t about winning once—it’s about staying in the game. And if you can smile while you’re doing it, all the better.
Ryan Schwab serves as Chief Revenue Officer at HOLD.co, where he leads all revenue generation, business development, and growth strategy efforts. With a proven track record in scaling technology, media, and services businesses, Ryan focuses on driving top-line performance across HOLD.co’s portfolio through disciplined sales systems, strategic partnerships, and AI-driven marketing automation. Prior to joining HOLD.co, Ryan held senior leadership roles in high-growth companies, where he built and led revenue teams, developed go-to-market strategies, and spearheaded digital transformation initiatives. His approach blends data-driven decision-making with deep market insight to fuel sustainable, scalable growth.
