My top advice for anyone is to start building your presence publicly. I recently posted about a business I've launched, and within the first twelve months, we've received inquiries from 127 companies. This success stems from building an audience on LinkedIn over four years before launching. This groundwork helped establish my credibility and presence, paving the way for approximately $400,000 in revenue within our first full calendar year. With recent expansions, including hiring six new team members, we're now scaling up our operations significantly.

Embrace change and stay adaptable. Learn to pivot in any circumstance and maintain a positive attitude. The journey ahead may be challenging with unexpected twists and turns, but staying positive and persevering is key. Never give up on yourself; believe that things will eventually fall into place.

If they were just starting their business, I would advise them to ensure they conducted thorough market research before opening. If they neglected this step, especially in the case of a unique business such as event planning, I would recommend they find a community of peers in the industry. Building such a network can provide crucial support and collaborative opportunities, ensuring mutual benefit and shared success through profit-sharing and other affiliations.

I would emphasize that it's crucial to establish proper practices right from the start, particularly in areas like accounting and finance. Many people encounter significant issues by mixing personal and business funds, not maintaining separate accounts, or failing to set up the appropriate legal structure such as a C Corp or LLC for their company. These oversights can lead to serious consequences, including unexpected tax liabilities or legal scrutiny in the event of an audit by the IRS. Therefore, it's essential to be proactive and avoid these pitfalls early on.

One piece of advice I would offer is to follow your own path. While it's valuable to consider input and advice from others, the key is to adapt that guidance in a way that feels authentic and comfortable to you. Every individual is unique, and that uniqueness is what sets you apart in your business. Strive to be the best version of yourself, and your business will naturally reflect that authenticity. This differentiation is crucial because it attracts clients who resonate with your style and approach. Those who appreciate your way of doing things will choose to work with you, while others may seek alternatives. This is how successful businesses operate—by attracting the right clients and fostering growth. Therefore, my advice is to embrace feedback but always apply it in a manner that aligns with your own vision and values. Avoid the temptation to simply emulate others; instead, carve your own path.

The mentorship and network in place are, in my opinion, more crucial than the specific activities within your business. While education, training, and experience can develop other aspects, without the right support network—those who guide, connect, and uplift you—progress stalls. Your intelligence and product brilliance become irrelevant if you lack this essential foundation.

Don't assume that spending money will fix the problem. When faced with an issue, it's tempting to think, "Maybe there's an expensive software solution for this." While that might work temporarily, it often masks the underlying problem. It's crucial to uncover whether the issue lies in flawed processes. Simply throwing money or resources at it isn't always the answer. Sometimes, achieving more with less forces you to innovate and be more resourceful.

I would advise against ignoring operations. Speaking somewhat biasedly, I've seen many small businesses and startups waste considerable time and energy by overly focusing on sales and marketing while neglecting internal operations. Typically, organizations diligently develop their sales funnels and marketing strategies but often overlook crucial internal functions such as cross-departmental coordination, accounting, finance, HR, and legal matters. Consequently, CEOs or founders find themselves pulled into administrative tasks that are less strategic, dividing their attention between day-to-day operations and the broader strategic growth of their company. Therefore, I strongly recommend that one of the initial hires for any business should be an operations manager.