The Truth About Entrepreneurship (That Nobody Seems to Be Talking About)

May 2

Your business mentors are struggling, too.

Yes — the people you see on YouTube or Instagram are struggling just like you are, my friend. Are you shocked? It doesn’t matter if your business is hitting $1K a month or you’re soaring past $10K — this entrepreneur thing is tough stuff and we all have to put up with the roller coaster ride that is running a business.

The truth is, business is messy. So is life. There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that only business owners, their teams, and maybe even their families know about. What you see on video and on social isn’t necessarily the whole picture — it's a highlight reel.

It’s easy to get sucked into thinking that it’s real life all of the time, but our videos, our posts, and even our Stories are all usually thought out and curated. Sure, some people like to get candid every now and then, but most of what you see was conceptualized way before it was posted.

So, if you’re frustrated with trying to grow your YouTube following or boost your IG Reels reach, or it just feels like nobody you’re seeing is having as hard of a time as you are… just know this: You’re definitely not alone.

Nobody Has All of the Answers

When you look up to people in the online space or seek out mentors, it’s easy to assume that they know everything you need to know. They have the map and you just need to follow them!

I hear people talk about wanting “that one secret” to YouTube success, and then I see course creators trying to sell that self-proclaimed secret. So many people think that course creators have all the answers — specifically about gaining instant success and landing thousands of followers overnight.

Guess what? Not a single course out there has the secret to faster growth on YouTube.

I’ve been on YouTube for over six years. I’ve even worked for a YouTube educator who had a relationship with the people at YouTube — doesn't get much more “insider” than that. And there wasn’t a single one-and-done fix to making a channel an instant success.

What I’ve learned over the years? Consistency is the only “secret” that’ll land you the success you’re after. This isn’t limited to YouTube, either. Nobody has the magic cure for your social media woes, or an exact launch plan for a 6-figure sale. It all depends on how you show up, what you sell, and what your audience needs from you. And yeah, consistency matters in everything you do as a business owner or entrepreneur.

The Real Hack? Creating Content You AND Your Audience Enjoy

I’ve worked with a lot of different businesses over the years. I’ve worked with channels that started out at zero followers and didn’t ever grow. I’ve worked with channels that started at zero and now have over 70,000 followers. I’ve worked with channels that have over a million followers.

And their analytics all looked the same. In my agency, we focused on the same strategies for every single one of those channels. Was it keyword research and SEO? Nope!

It all came down to creating great content that people enjoy watching and that they enjoy creating. That doesn’t automatically make it easy-breezy. Just because you’re doing something you enjoy doesn’t mean you won’t overthink, get in your head, or have moments of disappointment.

Sometimes even I get fed up with YouTube. I wonder why I’m doing this. There are some days I want to throw in the towel.

But that’s a part of running a business and honestly, what it really comes down to is enjoying making content others love and reading the comments that tell me how much it's helped.

I love being able to talk and do something I love for a living, even if I doubt myself and give in to imposter syndrome every so often. The difference is, I don’t let those feelings stop me — not even when my follower count is low (it’s just a vanity metric anyways). [Link to April 28 Blog]

No One Has it Figured Out

Want to hear something the “gurus” probably don’t want me to say? We all don’t always have our stuff together. We don’t always have a game plan figured out, or even know which of our ideas will make it big.

We may have an idea of what content will do well, which offers to launch, and which YouTube videos will get more views, but that doesn't mean we can predict the future.

So many people believe that “successful” (and I’m quoting that because success is defined differently for everyone) business owners have it all figured out.

I used to think like this, too. From the outside looking in, it seems like that person who’s talking about making six figures every year is killing it — but that’s the highlight reel. They aren’t sharing the ugly side of things. The late nights and stress-cry sessions in front of the TV (okay — guilty).

I didn’t realize this until I took a huge leap and invested in a mastermind full of people who were much farther along in their business than I was.

People making over half a million or more in their business? They’re dealing with the same drama.

Imposter syndrome. Shiny object syndrome. Riding that freaking rollercoaster of ups and downs. More money doesn’t mean fewer problems.

Growth is Messy

Last August, my agency experienced HUGE growth. Growth I wasn’t anticipating. And it was m-e-s-s-y.

I took on too many clients at once. I onboarded new team members I couldn’t support. I didn’t sleep. We actually ended up losing a client over it.

My self-esteem went into a tailspin.

We all have our good days where we think we’re nailing this business and the next? We get a crappy refund request that makes us feel like we have no idea what we’re doing. Ones that make us want to burn our entire business to the ground.

It’s hard to grow a business, and at each new level there are “new devils,” as they say. Don’t assume that massive growth means everything is peachy. Someone, somewhere, is probably crying in a bathtub about it.

It Takes Time to Get Where You Want to Be

I’ve seen many people pack up and go work for someone else in the last year. For different reasons, but the core driver in that decision was similar — a few bad days drove their confidence into the ground and made them question their entire life.

I’ve had plenty of conversations with people who I thought were crushing it. I would see their content and think why can’t I do that, too? Turns out, they were having the same problems I was having.

How to hire a team successfully. Making a killer sales funnel. Growing reach online.

Doing MORE doesn’t always mean you’re doing the right thing. Building a business takes time. I’ve been doing this for six years, and there are milestones I have yet to achieve.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 20% of small businesses fail within the first year, and that by year five, 50% have faltered. After ten years, only a third of businesses have survived.

Look, everyone has their reasons for peacing out. No judgment. Life happens and sometimes running a business isn’t the best thing you can do for yourself and your family. But don’t let fear and doubt and time be the thing that takes you out.

Find a Community to Lean On

One way to fix those fraudy feelings and keep yourself motivated to keep going? Find people you trust and are comfortable reaching out to for advice or a good ol’ venting session.

I have no idea where my business would be without joining a mastermind. It made me realize all the issues I thought were points of total failure were just parts of doing business!

Having this support allows you to walk off that ledge. A mastermind is a great way to do that.

Keep Showing up Everyday Even When You Want Nothing More Than to Quit

I started my business with a new family. That’s a lot of life change, to say the least. Navigating motherhood for the first time, moving into a new house…it was a LOT.

But it taught me a lot about resilience and how to pay attention to what really matters.

I’ve learned a lot over the years, but if I could only offer up one strategy to help you stay the course, it’s this… Do everything it takes to kick shiny object syndrome to the curb!

I used to be the person that tried to intentionally show up everywhere and it wore me out FAST. I wanted to post engaging content on all my social media platforms, but I truly did not have the time or mental capacity.

I had to learn to stay focused on ONE thing that makes my business money because that’s how I’m going to be able to keep showing up and keep growing.

If you find it tough to manage your time because your focus is all over the place — check out this video.