It Took Me 24 Years to Become an Overnight Success

I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to dodge pain. But funny enough, pain turned out to be the one indispensable ingredient in my recipe for success.

It took failing at three different businesses, enduring absurd levels of frustration, and even borrowing money from my parents at 30 for me to finally realize: I had to change.

Starting a business? I could do that. I had no problem grinding and hustling, putting in the sweat equity. But by year three or four, burnout would creep in. I’d live off the earnings for a bit, then watch as everything slowly unraveled.

I thought I was different—that I’d find a way around the hard stuff, like investing in marketing or learning ads.

My solution? Just avoid it. Put my head in the sand and only do the parts I enjoyed.

Eventually, my ignorance and stubbornness submitted to pain.

• It was pain that pushed me to write email after email, getting ever so slightly better with each one.

• Pain that made me stare down my relationship with money and take bigger risks, pouring tens of thousands into ads and copy that flopped, just to try again.

I share this because, in the end, pain gave me something I never expected: resilience. It taught me that even if you faceplant a dozen times, each time you rise, you’re stronger, sharper, and more capable than before.

Entrepreneurship isn’t a straight path, it’s more like a twisting climb. And while it’s bound to reveal our flaws, it also uncovers strengths we didn’t know we had. So, if you’re feeling behind, stuck, or doubtful, remember this:

You’re exactly where you need to be, building what only you can build. Progress may be slow, but that doesn’t mean it’s not meaningful. You’re here for the journey, and you have everything it takes to keep climbing.

Cheers,