If you’ve been struggling to earn success, start a business, or find you’re lacking direction, this post is for you. Hopefully, you can learn from my mistakes and the lessons I’ve gained over the years, helping you reach your dreams more easily.

We all feel compelled to start a business or chase our dreams for different reasons, but typically, it’s because:

You want to earn more. You want more freedom. You want to help people. You’re passionate about something.

Or maybe it’s a mix of all of these. Regardless, we all start from a similar place—with common traits: a bit of ADHD, drive, problem-solving instincts, wearing many hats, and always pushing for that next milestone.

Some achieve success quickly. Others take years or decades to figure it out. And some never get there, with their business stagnating or turning into a glorified job. I remember wasting $20,000 on marketing in a single month with no results. I almost gave up. But looking back, it was the best thing that could have happened. It taught me something that many business owners miss.

There are no shortcuts, no hacks, no magic algorithms. Hindsight is 20/20, and the only way I gained wisdom was by learning what works—and what doesn’t. It all boils down to fundamentals. That’s why I’m sharing 10 lessons I wish I could have told my younger self to achieve success faster:

You’re Too Risky to Work With Until You Build Trust

I spent too much time perfecting my craft, focusing on things that only mattered to people in my industry. I didn’t connect the dots as to why that didn’t work. I needed to build trust by understanding what my customers actually wanted, not what mattered to me. If people aren’t buying from you, it’s usually because they don’t trust you yet. The only way to fix that is to reduce their risk and earn their trust before asking them to pay. Fix your offer and you’re already ahead of 90% of business owners.

Invest in Yourself and Focus on the Process, Not the Payday

I used to chase the “next big thing” or the “big payday” client. That mindset hurt my business. There’s no such thing as getting rich quick or overnight success. Chasing shortcuts won’t work in the long run. Instead, focus on mastering the process of earning, creating sustainability, and building a system that works. If you invest in yourself and your skills, even if you fall, you’ll have the knowledge to rebuild—and it gets easier and faster each time. It’s not about closing that single sale, it’s about creating a stream of better sales opportunities. Everything is available to learn in your pocket, 24/7, 365, for free and in an infinite number of formats so why not spend a day watching 10 minutes of tutorials, or even 10 minutes of a book?

Your Customer Is the Hero, Not You

People buy from those they like and trust. To build that trust, you need to step out of the spotlight. Nobody cares about your team, gear, or office. Make your customer the hero of the story. The more they see you as a guide, the more they’ll believe you can take them from where they are to where they want to be. This shift will turn customers into lifelong fans. Stop trying to build around yourself, your values, your needs, your wants, etc. and simply build around your customer.

Be Something to Someone, Not Everything to Everyone

Trying to cater to everyone is a losing game. I learned that the hard way. Once you focus on being exceptional at one thing, you’ll stand out, simplify your process, and become more efficient. You can charge more, create predictable outcomes, and deliver the value that people actually want. Niching down and focus on just one customer to start, it’s the best decision you can ever make.

Create More Opportunities to Win

If you’re not making sales, it’s because you’re not creating enough chances. Don’t wait for the perfect sale—go out and create opportunities. Cold call more people, create content, network, and market yourself. The more chances you give yourself to fail, the more chances you’ll have to succeed. If you only sell to one person a month, but you had 10 chances to do so, you have a sales problem. You need to create more chances to get it wrong and then you’ll get it right faster.

You Have a Sales Problem, Not a Marketing Problem

Too many business owners believe that a fancy marketing trick will solve their problems. The reality? If your product or service isn’t good enough, no marketing can save it. You don’t have a marketing problem—you have a sales problem. Refine what you’re offering, make it a no-brainer for your customer, and suddenly, marketing becomes much easier. If you had focused on the root cause of your sales, as an example, then you could spend the same amount on marketing as you did before, and instead of getting one paying customer from your budget, now you’d get ten instead and would have ten-fold increased your entire businesses revenue while spending the same amount as before.

People Won’t Always Act, Even If It’s Free—So Lead Them

Yeah Discipline is what separates those who succeed from those who don’t. Even if people have all the information at their fingertips, most won’t act unless you lead them. Offer value and guidance to help them take the steps they need. Some won’t even realize they have a problem until you help them understand the root of the issue. If you gave away all of your secrets, virtually no one would actually do the work it takes to make your product or service, and not only would they see how much work is now involved, you’d have gained more trust. The big guys want to be like the little guys and the little guys want to be like the big guys, so use that strength to your advantage and give what you have to offer away. If it means taking what your competitor charges for and making it free, so be it. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not, and don’t create a story that doesn’t exist, just document your journey and share your honesty for those who need it most.

The Bar for Success Is Lower Than You Think

Many businesses aren’t struggling because they’re missing something major. Often, it’s just a matter of a few small adjustments. Many business owners are just a week or two of hard research away from real success. Most businesses aren’t failing—they just need a nudge in the right direction. Stop spending years trying to go after more, more, more and star figuring out how to go after better. Even if you are in a highly saturated market, then you might only need a small tweak to get ahead of the majority of your competition.

Stop Guessing—Start Asking

I used to waste time guessing what people wanted. When I finally asked my customers directly, everything changed. They told me what they liked, what they didn’t, and what was missing. That feedback became my roadmap for success. Interview your customers, ask them directly what they like/dislike, they will thank you and you won’t need to guess anymore what works.

It’s Better to Be Functional Than Pretty

I spent too much time focusing on how things looked, thinking design would drive success. What I learned is that function trumps form every time. It’s better to have a simple, effective product or service that solves a problem than to have something beautifully designed but useless. There’s one page websites that only have a few images, no animation, basic text, and an email collection box that generate millions. You won’t get more people buying from you if in the first 15 seconds of seeing your website, talking to you at a networking event or seeing you ad I still don’t know A. What you do, B. Why it matters to me and C. The value it could bring to my life.

Final Thoughts

Looking back, I wouldn’t change the struggles I faced because they shaped my business today. But if I could have shared these insights with my younger self, I would have saved years of frustration. If any of these lessons resonate with where you are right now, I hope they can help you move forward with more clarity and confidence.