.png)
I spent a lot of time trying to get my company "up to snuff" according to "the standard" that I perceived to be what a successful business should be.
And I wasted a lot of energy doing that. Because start ups tend to take on a life of their own, and after a while you find yourself fighting not only your perceived ideal, but also your current reality.
Lets get into it.
Redefining Success on Your Terms
An Aha moment for me was reckoning between what I wanted and what I thought would work. Let me explain.
Success for me looks like:
- Freedom: The ability to structure my days in a way that allowed me to focus on what mattered most, both professionally and personally.
- Training Other Leaders: Empowering others to step into leadership roles, so I could eventually replace myself in certain areas of the business.
- Taking Care of My Team and Family: Building a business where I could pay my team well, while also creating the financial stability to take care of my family.
- Creating a Work Culture I Love: Designing an environment where people thrive—a culture I genuinely enjoy being a part of every day.
These goals didn’t happen overnight. They took years of iteration, learning, and moments of failure. But aligning my definition of success with my values made the journey worthwhile.
The Long Road to "Overnight Success"
Entrepreneurs often struggle with the reality of building businesses that don’t feel aligned with their original vision. You pour everything into your company, only to wake up one day and realize that the life you've built isn't the one you want to live.
This is why defining success, however long that takes you—and revisiting that definition regularly—is important. It anchors you. And ultimately, ideally, it goes into the company you build.
Success also evolves. Early on, milestones like landing a big client or hitting a financial target might feel like the pinnacle.
But as you grow, those markers shift. What once felt like the summit becomes just another step in the journey.
The Work You Don’t See
The companies we admire—those that seem to have appeared out of nowhere—are often a decade or more in the making.
For me, the path included:
- Moments of Doubt: Wondering if I was on the right track or if the sacrifices were worth it. I joek about giving myself my own pink slip sometimes.
- Leadership Challenges: Learning to navigate the complexities of managing people and creating sustainable systems.
- Pivoting: Realizing when a strategy wasn’t working and having the courage to try something new.
The lessons learned during these moments weren’t glamorous, but they were foundational to achieving the success I have today.
Building Something You Love
One of the greatest joys of my career has been creating businesses that align with my personal values.
I’ve been intentional about designing a culture where I want to show up, hiring team members who share my vision, and empowering others—whether that’s through promotions, mentorship, or even helping them launch their own businesses.
This is the kind of success that’s worth waiting for: building something that feels true to who you are, serves others, and grows in a way that aligns with your life’s priorities.
The Takeaway
If you’re in the trenches, frustrated by how long it’s taking to see results, take heart. Success is rarely linear, and it almost always takes longer than you expect. But that’s okay.
The key is to define what success means to you and to stay focused on that vision. Remember, the journey isn’t just about reaching the destination—it’s about who you become along the way. If you stay committed to your values, align your actions with your goals, and trust the process, the kind of success that truly matters will follow.
And when it does, it won’t feel like an “overnight success.” It’ll feel like something far better: earned.
