11/14/2025
Yesterday I had the chance to attend a lecture by Daymond John from Shark Tank at Miami University Hamilton, and it was exactly the kind of fire I needed as a woman entrepreneur. I took so many mental notes, but these five takeaways hit me the hardest — and I think they apply to anyone building something from the ground up:
1. Know your customers
It sounds simple, but it’s the foundation of everything. How are you going to sell if you don’t know what people want? If you don’t understand their needs, their habits, their pain points… you’re guessing.
2. Ego is an entrepreneur’s biggest enemy
Your ego will have you thinking you already know enough, or that feedback is criticism instead of growth. To scale anything, you have to stay humble, stay coachable, and admit when something isn’t working.
3. Your will is everything
Not talent, not luck — will. The drive to wake up every day and keep going, even when nothing is moving yet. The willingness to start over, pivot, learn, and push past fear. That inner fire doesn’t cost a dime, but it’s the difference between people who quit and people who build empires.
4. Learn how money actually works
Making money and managing money are two different skill sets. Daymond emphasized that you can make a lot as an entrepreneur, but if you don’t know how to budget, invest, or make your money work for you, it won’t matter. Financial literacy is part of the job.
5. Do the things you can do without money.
We get stuck waiting for the “right time” or the “right funding,” but the truth is: the grind starts with what you already have—skills, effort, time, creativity, connections. There’s always something you can build before the money shows up.
I walked out of that room feeling inspired, grounded, and ready to bet on myself even harder. If you ever get a chance to hear him speak — go. It’s worth every minute.