Miranda Priestly Would Fire Most Business Owners in the First 10 Minutes

Most business owners have never defined what "good" actually looks like in their business. Miranda Priestly would know that in the first 10 minutes.

My fiancée was making me watch The Devil Wears Prada.

Or maybe I was making her watch it. Depends who you ask.

Either way, I didn't expect to be sitting there thinking about operations, leadership, and how businesses actually run at a high level. But that's exactly what happened.

Once you've spent enough time building something, you stop watching movies for what they are. You start seeing how things work underneath.

‍

Most people see drama. I see standards.

A lot of people watch this and think Miranda is just difficult.

I don't.

I see someone with absolute clarity on what "good" looks like — and zero willingness to let anything below that standard touch her business. That's not attitude. That's discipline.

At Mach Funding, if you don't define your standards clearly — what a good deal looks like, how communication should feel, what the client experience needs to be — things don't fall apart overnight. They just slowly get worse. And the dangerous part is most people don't notice until it's already expensive to fix.

‍

You're not paid to be liked. You're paid to be right.

There are moments in the film where decisions happen instantly. No long explanation. No back-and-forth. Just a call.

That hit home.

One thing I've learned sitting in the COO seat: your job isn't to make everyone comfortable with the decision. It's to make the right one.

That means saying no when yes is easier. Cutting things that feel "fine" but aren't actually good. Making calls that won't make sense to everyone in the room — until the outcome proves them right.

That's the job.

‍

The cerulean sweater scene isn't about fashion

Miranda doesn't explain a color. She explains an entire chain of influence — how a decision made on a runway years ago ended up in a discount bin, whether anyone noticed or not.

That's not fashion knowledge. That's depth.

In our world, depth looks like knowing how lenders actually behave — not just what their guidelines say on paper. It means reading a bank statement and already knowing what's going to get flagged before you submit. It means structuring deals based on how they'll perform over the term, not just whether they'll close.

Without that depth, you're reacting. There's a real difference between reacting and operating, and clients feel it every time.

‍

Speed is a competitive advantage

Everything in that movie moves fast. No delays. No "let's revisit this tomorrow." Clarity → decision → execution.

In funding, that sequence matters at every stage. The faster you read a file, identify the right path, and communicate clearly — the more you win. Slow thinking usually signals unclear standards, not more careful ones.

Momentum is real. And it's easier to lose than people think.

‍

Andy is the real story

Everyone talks about Miranda. I was watching Andy.

At the start, she's waiting for direction. Trying to keep up. Reacting.

Then something shifts. She starts anticipating. Solving ahead of time. Taking ownership before she's asked.

That's the moment everything changes — not when she gets a new role or a title. When she decides to operate instead of just execute.

That shift, from employee to operator, is available to anyone. You don't need permission. You just have to stop waiting for it.

‍

Emotional discipline is part of the job

This is the uncomfortable part.

Miranda doesn't make decisions based on how people feel about them. And at a certain level, you can't either.

Not every call will feel good. Not everyone will agree. Some decisions won't make sense to people until months later. That's normal.

The job isn't to manage feelings. The job is to move the business forward. Those two things will conflict — and when they do, you already know which one has to win.

‍

If you're building something

Whether it's a business, a team, or a career — ask yourself honestly:

Do I actually know what "great" looks like in my operation?Where am I tolerating average without naming it?Am I reacting to problems, or thinking ahead of them?Am I making decisions based on outcomes — or on how the decision will land?

Once you start thinking like an operator, you can't go back. You stop hoping things work. You start making sure they do.

If any of this resonated, let's talk. Not a pitch — just a conversation with someone who's seen a lot of businesses up close. Contact Us or follow Mach Funding on Instagram for more content like this.