The only way forward

I’ve always leaned towards “ready, fire, aim.” Not because I’m reckless, but because taking action puts you in the driver’s seat. Some of my best wins came from just going for it, trusting that somehow I’d figure things out along the way.

To me, that “safe” alternative — waiting for everything to be perfectly clear — isn’t actually so safe. In fact, overthinking can lead to its own kind of risk.

No, its repercussions aren’t as obvious. But being too cautious guarantees you’ll miss out on opportunities. If you wait too long, you’re still standing on the ledge while others widen the gap. They’ve already made their leaps, hit obstacles, figured it out, and kept going. Overthinking doesn’t protect you from risk — it just swaps visible risk for invisible risk.

Now, I’m not saying jump without looking. Eight years into this business, I’ve realized the stakes have gotten higher. Decisions I made in year one, like taking a flyer on accounting software, felt low-risk because they were easy to adjust. But today, with nearly a decade of data in that system, making the same switch would be a massive undertaking.

It’s a little intimidating to think about how the pillars we build our business on can shift beneath us — especially after the year we’ve had.

For the most part, I’ve kept my head down this year, staying focused on what truly matters for me, my business, and my family. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t questioning some of those foundational choices. The stakes are just higher now.

Every year adds layers of complexity to those decisions. And suddenly, what used to be a small, quick pivot has weightier consequences — a misstep could mean more than it once did.

But what I keep coming back to is this: taking action is the only way forward.

As tempting as it could be to try to play it safe and hold on to what I have now that I’m more comfortable than I was in year one, I didn’t score a single point sitting on the sidelines.

As my business matures, yes, the calculations have to be recalibrated — but I have to be willing to take a few bumps and bruises if I want to stay nimble, resilient, and pushing ahead.