When most people start a business, they imagine a straight path from idea to success. They create a plan, set goals, and assume that if they work hard enough, everything will unfold exactly as expected.
The reality is usually much different.
Entrepreneurship is more like a roller coaster. There are exciting climbs, unexpected drops, sharp turns, and moments when you wonder if you should have gotten on the ride in the first place. Looking back on the last four years of building Why Not Today?, I can see all of those moments and how each one taught me something valuable.
The journey began with a podcast.
Like many entrepreneurs, I spent a lot of time preparing before I ever started. I had the logo created. I ordered promotional items. I talked about the idea. I thought about the idea. I planned the idea.
What I wasn’t doing was launching the podcast.
I finally committed to a launch date and shared it with other people. Once I did that, there was no turning back. The first lesson of entrepreneurship is one that I continue to see over and over again: most people are waiting until they feel ready, but readiness usually comes after action, not before it.
As the podcast grew, I learned another lesson. Progress often feels slow while you are building it.
The early episodes were simple. I did not have fancy equipment or a large audience. I focused on showing up consistently and publishing one episode at a time. Those small actions eventually compounded into something much larger than I could have imagined. Today, the podcast has reached thousands of listeners, but it started with a single episode and a willingness to begin before I felt fully prepared.
Along the way, there were plenty of twists and turns.
One of my strengths has always been bringing people together, so I began experimenting with different ways to build community. I launched networking events, coworking gatherings, and eventually the Why Not Today Connects Luncheon. Some ideas worked well, some did not, and every one of them taught me something.
For two and a half years, the luncheon became a meaningful part of the Why Not Today? journey. We hosted incredible speakers, built relationships, and created opportunities for connection. Many people told me it was their favorite networking event.
What most people did not see was the amount of work happening behind the scenes. Over time, I began to realize that while I enjoyed creating the events, they were pulling me away from where I could make the greatest impact.
Making the decision to end the luncheon was one of the hardest business decisions I have made in years. I questioned it. I wrestled with it. I knew people would be disappointed. At the same time, I knew I was being called in a different direction.
That experience reinforced one of the most important lessons I have learned as an entrepreneur:
Sometimes growth requires letting go of something good so you can focus on something great.
The luncheon was good. It served people well. It created value. It simply was no longer aligned with where I wanted to go.
Once I made that decision, something unexpected happened. Instead of feeling loss, I felt clarity. My time opened up. My creativity returned. I found myself thinking about new possibilities and new ways to serve people.
I realized that the work I enjoy most is helping service-based entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
For more than 30 years, I have built businesses through relationships, referrals, networking, and community. Whether I was growing my Mary Kay business, helping a local restaurant create innovative marketing ideas during COVID, or supporting other business owners through coaching and mentoring, the common thread has always been helping people find opportunities, build relationships, and move forward with confidence.
That is where Why Not Today? is headed next.
The future of Why Not Today? is focused on helping service-based entrepreneurs find more clients, create more opportunities, build stronger referral relationships, and take consistent action toward their goals. It is about helping people stop spinning their wheels and start focusing on the activities that actually move their businesses forward.
The roller coaster is not over. In fact, I feel like we are climbing again. There will undoubtedly be more twists, turns, and pivots ahead because that is part of entrepreneurship. The difference now is that I have greater clarity about who I serve and how I can help.
If you are in a season of uncertainty, wondering whether it is time to pivot, simplify, or let go of something that no longer fits, remember that every successful entrepreneur has faced those same questions. The goal is not to avoid the twists and turns. The goal is to keep moving forward and continue learning from them.
You do not have to have everything figured out.
You simply have to take the next step.
So ask yourself:
Why not today?