Fix your mess before you make a bigger one

I used to think successful business owners had some secret playbook for scaling.

They're not doing anything revolutionary though. They're just not making the same mistakes everyone else makes:

They fix their current mess before creating new ones. Can't tell you how many times someone wants to open a second location when their first one is held together with duct tape and prayers.

They stop trying to do everything. Look, I know you started this business and it's your baby. But if you're still personally answering every email and doing your own bookkeeping at 2am, something's gotta give.

They don't grow themselves into the ground. More customers sounds great until you realize you can't actually handle them and now everyone's mad at you.

The business owners I actually admire aren't the ones posting about their "journey" every day. They're the ones who built something that actually runs smoothly and makes money consistently.