I was talking to my friend Scott Richards the other day (you probably know him from Slightly Choppy). We were talking about how different it feels planning out a year when you’ve been at something for a long time. Scott just celebrated 10 years of Slightly Choppy. We’re coming up on 17 years of Almond next month.
In the early years, you have all these ideas about what you’re building and where it’s going. It’s exciting because it’s new. And if I’m honest, it’s exciting because it’s mostly theoretical.
Then you get into the work.
The work is never what you imagined when you first had the idea. It’s always harder. Always clumsier. And growth isn’t linear—it happens in fits and starts.
You fight through problems you didn’t see coming. You make imperfect decisions with imperfect information to go off of. You trust the numbers and your gut at the same time.
A lot of people, once they dig into the work and realize it’s harder than they expected, get discouraged.
Don’t get discouraged. Hard doesn’t mean wrong. It just means it’s real.
The idea that you can build something meaningful without cost is a lie sold by get-rich-quick snake oil salesmen who prey on people’s aspirations and sell them a vision that doesn’t exist. Everything worthwhile has a cost.
One thing Scott said that stuck with me was this: “There are a lot of people writing books, making videos, and selling courses on how to start a business… but nobody seems to be writing books on how to keep going.”
So here’s the caveat before I say “keep going.”
Make sure you know who you’re serving. Be committed to their success. Your customers.
Your clients. Your audience. Serve them well. Solve real problems for them.
When things get tough, figure out how to add more value. Be adaptable where you need to be and stubborn where it counts. Believe in the work you do and the product or service you deliver.
If it’s worth building, it’s worth continuing.
So keep going.
