What advice would you give to someone feeling discouraged or doubtful about their entrepreneurial journey?

The advice I give myself on the hard days: the doubt isn't a signal that you're failing — it's a signal that you're actually in the arena. W-2 employees rarely feel this kind of weight because they aren't carrying the whole thing. If you feel it, it means you're doing the real work.

A few things that have pulled me out of the ditch more than once:

- Shorten the time horizon. When the 5-year plan feels impossible, I zoom in to "what's the one move this week that makes next Monday easier than this Monday?" Then I do that. Momentum beats motivation.

- Separate the business problem from the identity problem. A slow month doesn't mean you're a bad owner. A lost bid doesn't mean you can't estimate. Name the actual problem on paper and it shrinks.

- Track wins, not just AR. I keep a running note of jobs closed, problems solved, customers who came back, and people I've trained up. On dark days I read it. The brain remembers the losses and forgets the wins unless you make it otherwise.

- Find one peer who gets it. Not your spouse (they love you and will worry), not your employees (they need you to be the rock). Another owner in the trades who will tell you the truth and also tell you to keep going. That relationship is worth more than any course.

- Remember who it's for. I started my company so my family could have more options and so my guys could have a better place to work than the ones that burned me out. On the worst days, that "why" is the only thing that gets the boots back on.

You're not behind. You're building. Keep going.

I know what you mean. It’s tough out there and you have to stay positive. There is help out there but it’s difficult to navigate and locate.  Best option is determining how you want to and be approached by your business endeavors. If you’re extroverted, talk to a bunch of new faces in new places.  If introverted, like me, find niches to substantiate and optimize. Stinks when spending power is tight and space is competitive.  Look for unexplored territory to capitalize on in an earnest integruous way.  Always treat people the way that you want to be treated.

Give yourself grace. Don't give up!

Keep going , everyday do something related to your passions and skills. learn something , read something. believe in you and don't give up on you!

Running a businesses is SO much, we all know this. I think time management has been my biggest friend. Honestly we have a million things to do but instead break it down into 2. Get 1 task completed short break and then 2. See how much time you have left in the day, maybe prep for making tomorrows 2 task a little easier. But we generally over worry and overwork ourselves. One thing at a time & if you get through 2. You did good!

**For the last 10yrs even while working at other companies I’ve made my own to do list as soon as I sit down in the morning, before I do anything else, we all generally have a good idea of all the things we need to get done. As I list them, (always better to physically write the list) put an asterisk, 1-3 (3 being a high importance, 1 being something that needs to get done but not dire type of task)…..Start with your 1’s & 2’s. By knocking those out you’ll build the momentum and focus & when you hit that first 3 task you’ll be up to speed, in the groove of things & then look back & realize you finished 4 things before doing that. Half your days entire list & see-able progress as you scratch it off your list is a good mental-morale boost) …..ONE thing at a time guys/gals!

I would tell them what nobody told me.

The doubt does not mean you are doing it wrong. It means you care. Every veteran I know who has tried to build something after service has hit that wall where the mission feels unclear, the resources feel thin, and the voice in your head asks whether any of it is worth it. That voice is lying.

I am a 100% service-disabled veteran building a landscaping business from the ground up with my wife and three kids at home, including a brand new baby. There is no playbook for this. There are days when the gap between where we are and where we are going feels enormous.

But I have learned that the people who make it are not the ones who never doubted. They are the ones who showed up anyway. You do not need to feel confident to take the next step. You just need to take it.

Start smaller than you think you should. Serve one person well. Build one thing you are proud of. Let your mission be bigger than your fear.

And find your community. The loneliest part of entrepreneurship is believing you are the only one struggling. You are not. We are all figuring it out one day at a time, and we are stronger when we do it together.

Keep going. The work you do matters.

Feeling discouraged in your entrepreneurial journey does not mean you are failing, it means you are stretching. This path is a pressure cooker. Payroll shows up whether you feel confident or not, deals fall through, equipment breaks, people quit, and markets shift. Doubt is not a stop sign, it is part of the growth process. When you feel it, zoom out before you zoom in. Do not judge your business off one bad week or one lost client. Look at your progress over years, not days. Separate your identity from the outcome. You are not this month’s revenue or one tough decision. Instead of asking what is wrong with me, ask what system needs tightening. Most discouragement is a signal that something in the process needs to improve. When everything feels overwhelming, shrink the battlefield and focus on the three highest leverage moves you can make this week. Momentum restores confidence. Protect your inputs by getting around other builders, sharpening your mind, and feeding yourself strong perspectives. Reconnect to why you started, whether that was freedom, impact, legacy, or providing for your family. And remember this truth: every entrepreneur you admire has doubted themselves, they just did not quit in the valley. You do not need a breakthrough, you need the next right decision. Stack enough of those and confidence will follow.

Always, always, always think about WHY you started your own journey as an entrepreneur! Was it a bad company that made you quit? Was it a vision you saw that wasn't being met by other companies? Was it for freedom? Just keep your goals in mind and know its not going to happen overnight.

JUST KEEP SWIMMING! 🐠

Feel the fear and do it anyway! I banged my head against the wall many times before learning from certain mistakes, and it’s made me a stronger leader today! And don’t ever give up.