Ten lessons I don’t want to forget
Now that I’ve closed the business and had a little time, distance, and perspective, the noise has finally settled. With the start of a new year, I gave myself the space to look back not just at what I built over the past twelve years, but at what it quietly taught me. These are the ten most valuable and surprising lessons I learned while running my business.
1. It’s much harder than anything I could have imagined
Not harder in a dramatic, cinematic way. Harder in the slow, cumulative weight of responsibility, uncertainty, and decision-making. Passion might get you started, but endurance is what’s required to keep showing up long after the excitement fades.
2. The power of community, and how close you get to people who believe in the same cause
I didn’t anticipate how deeply connected I’d feel to people who shared the same values. When you’re building something purpose-led, relationships move beyond transactions. You find yourself surrounded by people who carry the vision with you, especially when it would be easier not to.
3. Learning to set boundaries and knowing when enough is enough
I learned that sacrificing yourself doesn’t strengthen the mission. Putting your own mask on first isn’t selfish, it’s necessary. Boundaries became the difference between sustainability and burnout, between continuing and quietly disappearing.
4. The satisfaction of doing something bigger than yourself
There’s a rare and grounding fulfillment that comes from working toward something that isn’t only about personal success. Even when the path is uncertain, knowing the work stands for something gives it meaning.
5. How many businesses exist purely to exploit small brands
This was sobering. Entire ecosystems are built around extracting time, money, and energy from founders who are stretched thin or searching for momentum. It taught me to slow down, ask harder questions, and protect what I was building far more carefully.
6. Not everyone cares the way you do
Values are not universally shared. Many people care more about design, speed, or price than sustainability or ethics. Accepting this was difficult, but freeing. It allowed me to stop trying to convince everyone and focus on those who genuinely aligned.
7. Time is limited, and one person can’t do it all
Especially with limited resources. There’s a ceiling to what effort alone can achieve. Learning where my energy was best spent, and where it was simply being drained, became one of the most important lessons of all.
8. The money rollercoaster is real
Income is rarely linear or predictable. Highs feel validating, lows feel personal. Learning to plan for volatility rather than stability, and to separate self-worth from cash flow, was essential for survival.
9. The rag-to-riches fairytales are just that: fairytales
Most journeys are messy, slow, and filled with invisible work. Believing otherwise sets unrealistic expectations and unnecessary pressure. Real progress rarely looks glamorous from the inside.
10. Creativity needs space to shine
Creativity doesn’t thrive under constant urgency and operational overload. It needs room to breathe. When everything becomes critical, imagination suffocates. Protecting creative space isn’t a luxury, it’s foundational.
These aren’t rules or advice, and they’re not meant as a blueprint. They’re reminders. Lessons shaped by real decisions, real constraints, and real consequences. As I step into my next adventure, these are the things I want close at hand, not to romanticize the past, but to move forward with clearer eyes, steadier boundaries, and a deeper respect for what building truly asks of you.
Love,
Lidia☘️