04/14/2026
5 things I would tell you as a new small business owner if I wasn’t afraid of hurting your feelings.
(From someone who’s been in business for over a decade.)
1. You think your biggest supporters are going to be your friends, it won’t be. It’ll be strangers. Don’t take it to heart. Keep going.
2. Do you really want a business partner? Or are you wanting someone to share the burden if you fail? Are you scared of failing if you’re doing it alone? Why is that? Believe in yourself. You can do it alone. No one will have the vision that you do.
3. You’re going to work more than a 9-5. Sorry. It’s the truth. Anyone that says otherwise is a “get-rich-quick” schemer or a liar.
4. Don’t take advice from people that don’t have what you want. There’s going to be a lot of opinions about what you’re doing. Learn to discern good and bad advice.
5. You’re going to mess up. Admit it, learn what you can, pick yourself up, say sorry if you need to, and keep going. Don’t wallow in your failure and bottleneck your own progress.
Am I missing anything else?
