Year 1: A Slog. Year 5: Easy Mode.

Most business owners quit right before business gets easy

Here's something nobody talks about when you start a business:

Year 1 is supposed to be hard. Year 5 is supposed to be easy.

Most business owners think they're doing something wrong when it feels hard in the beginning.

They see other people's highlight reels and assume everyone else has it figured out while they're struggling to land their first client.

The reality? Your first year of business will probably feel like you're climbing a mountain in a pair of flip-flops.

After nearly a decade of running businesses, I've learned that time is genuinely your secret weapon.

But most people quit right before the magic happens.

Marathon Mentality

Think about running.

Your first 5k you ever do is brutal. Your lungs are on fire. Your knees feel like they’re crumbling. You question every life decision that led you to this moment.

But if you stick with it, something magical happens. Week 2, it gets slightly easier. Week 4, you actually start to enjoy it. Month 2, you're hooked. Year 1, you're running half-marathons. It doesn’t mean to say that it is effortless, but you know how to pace, how to fuel, how to recover - so even though you’re doing more, it feels less taxing.

Business works exactly the same way.

Year 1: Everything is Hard

In your first year, everything feels like pushing a boulder uphill. You're: