Fifteen years in business teaches you things that no MBA or consulting framework can. The lessons show up in failed launches, awkward client conversations, and those 2 A.M. moments when you're questioning everything.

This month, I shared these lessons with my community – the hard-earned insights that shaped how I lead, how I serve clients, and how I think about strategy and growth. Some I wish I'd embraced sooner. Others I need to keep reminding myself of even now.

I'm collecting them all here because maybe one of them will land at exactly the right moment for you. Maybe it'll save you a detour I had to take, or give you permission to do something you've been hesitating on. Whether you're running your own business, leading a team, or driving strategy within an organization, these lessons apply.

Here's what 15 years taught me.

On Speed and Action

Lesson 1: Move faster

Here's what I've learned: it's rare that I look back and think, “I really should have slowed down on that.”

When you're doing something new, you don't know what's going to work. The only way to find out is to do it. We convince ourselves we moved too fast when we don't like the outcome. But the speed isn't the problem – it's just reality showing up sooner.

The faster you move, the faster you learn.

Lesson 2: Test sooner. Even if it's ugly.

From my time in product development, I learned this: the uglier your prototype, the better feedback you'll get.

When something looks polished, people assume you've made up your mind. They give you surface-level feedback. But when it's rough, when it's clearly a “what do you think?” draft, people give you gold.

Put out the ugly first draft. The minimally viable version. You're not protecting your work by waiting, you're just delaying the learning.

On Value and Focus

Lesson 3: You are not for everyone. And that's okay.

This one's tough, but here's the truth: you need to attract AND repel.

The people who aren't for you? Let them go. Nothing's gone wrong. They're just not your people. Stop trying to be for everyone. It dilutes what makes you valuable to the right people.

Your people are out there. Go find them.

Lesson 4: Systematize everything. Especially business development.

I tell my clients this constantly, so I had to get honest with myself. If you want to scale your impact, if you want leverage, quality, repeatability—you need systems.

James Clear nailed it: “You don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

Consistency. Regularity. Process. Especially when it comes to building relationships and creating opportunities. You're not the exception. No one is.

Lesson 5: Stop questioning your value.

Not everyone will value what you do. Let people be wrong about your value. Your job isn't to convince everyone, it's to find the people who already see it.

Here's how these three connect: When you systematize how you create opportunities, you build consistent pathways to find YOUR people, the ones who value what you do. And when you stop questioning your value, you can let the wrong people go without second-guessing yourself.

On Leadership and Isolation

Lesson 6: Don't look sideways to measure your value. It's a trap.

It's so easy to compare yourself to where someone else is. But you have no idea what's under the surface of what you're seeing. Social media? Someone's big win? You don't know what's really happening behind the scenes.

Wish them well. Stay in your lane. Measure yourself by YOUR standards.

Lesson 7: You'll only fail if you stop trying.

That's it. That's the lesson. So don't stop.

Lesson 8: Get an accountability partner early.

Leadership is lonely. Whether you're running your own business or leading within an organization. You'll discover who you are and what you're capable of faster than any other path. But don't do it alone.

Find someone who knows what you're going through. Someone who can hold up a mirror with compassion and challenge you.

A great accountability partner doesn't just make it easier to be accountable to someone else—they help you stay accountable to yourself.

The connection here: When you have someone in your corner, you're less likely to look sideways for validation. And when things get hard, and believe me they will, you're less likely to stop trying.

You need people. The right people.

On Getting Help and Staying Steady

Lesson 9: Find your Who's sooner.

Dan Sullivan said it best: “Who not how?”

You can't do everything yourself. So when you're facing something new, don't start with “How am I going to do this?” Start with “Who has done this? Who can help me?”

Stop trying to do it all alone. Find your Who's faster.

Lesson 10: Don't buy into the highs. Don't buy into the lows.

Leadership and business are a roller coaster, sometimes within the same two hours.

When something amazing happens, don't convince yourself it'll always be like this. When something terrible happens, don't convince yourself this is permanent.

Try to find the middle. The highs aren't the new normal. The lows aren't forever. Calibrate yourself and you'll be good.

Lesson 11: Serve with love, not ego.

This is the big one for me. The most powerful lesson.

Step into a leadership role and yes, you've got an ego. That's reality. But the question is: are you making decisions from love or from ego? Is this for your client, your team, your organization? For yourself in a healthy way? Or is it to prove something?

Sometimes it's hard to tell. But asking the question changes everything. Because if you're doing it to prove you can, it's the wrong intent.

Step back and ask: Am I approaching this from love?

That's when you serve at the highest level.

Your Turn – What to Do with These Lessons

Pick one lesson that landed for you. The one that made you think, “Yeah, I need to work on that.”

Then ask yourself:

• What would change if I applied this lesson this week?
• What's one concrete action I can take based on this insight?
• Who could help me implement this lesson?

These lessons didn't show up all at once for me. They revealed themselves over 15 years, through trial, error, and eventually, pattern recognition. You don't need to master all 11 at once. Start with the one that speaks loudest to you right now.

The rest will come when you're ready for them.

Here's to applying what we've learned and building something meaningful in 2026.

work well,