02/25/2026
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿
Not everyone is built to own a business. That’s not an insult, it’s a fact that saves people a lot of money and heartache.
I work with buyers every day who are smart, capable, and completely wrong about what business ownership actually looks like.
Here’s what I’ve learned separates the ones who make it from the ones who don’t:
1. 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If you need certainty first, you’ll never move.
2. 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀. If your instinct is to blame the system, the market, or the team, ownership will eat you alive.
3. 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁. If you need someone else to set priorities, you’re looking for a job, not a business.
4. 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆. If ambiguity makes you shut down, every week will feel like a crisis.
5. 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. If your primary motivation is escaping a bad boss, you’re going to find a worse one in the mirror.
The goal isn’t to gatekeep. It’s to save you from a $500K or more lesson you didn’t need to learn the hard way.
If this makes you uncomfortable, that might be the most useful thing you read this week.
