Hard Truths About Leading Your Brand

A handful of years ago, I set out to build a thought leadership and coaching practice. I was new to the coaching world and was laser-focused on delivering value to others. My goal was to scale the work I enjoyed—coaching and empowering others to reach their potential.

In my mind, the path forward was clear. I needed a few systems and some marketing support.

What I didn’t realize is that launching a business in your likeness is much more than a logo, PR launch, and polished social presence. Many businesses are built around products and services that have a common understanding. The value prop is a known commodity that most people can agree on.

But with a business that’s built on your IP, perspective, and world views, you hold more responsibility as a leader. It’s about translating the vision in your head into something tangible that others can understand, embrace, and help you build.

The reality is I never set out to build a business to lead — but that’s exactly what I found myself doing. And the gap between my vision of being a coach with support and leading a business as a CEO became clear over time.

As operations scaled, so did the cracks in my foundation as a leader. Misalignments I hadn’t noticed initially began to surface, and I found myself caught between managing a team and trying to keep my original vision alive.

Here’s what I learned through that experience, and how it shaped my understanding of what it means to lead a business built in your own likeness.

Communication is the Keystone

When I first launched the business, I assumed my vision was self-evident. I hired talented team members, confident they’d catch on quickly and bring my ideas to life. What I didn’t realize was that no one else saw things from my perspective.

If you can’t clearly articulate your vision to your team, partners, or customers, your business will always operate below its potential.

Early on, excitement is what carried the business forward. But eventually, the gaps in understanding grew as the operations scaled. I hadn’t articulated the vision in a way that allowed others to fully align with it.

Instead, I assumed that hiring smart, capable people would bridge the gap. In reality, the gap caused a divide that left me and my team on opposite sides of the same coin.

Team members were frustrated because the felt their work was in vein because the business never elevated. At the same time, I was frustrated that the work never quite aligned with my vision.

Your ability to communicate—not just your ideas, but your values and intentions—is what ensures everyone is rowing in the same direction.

Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

Looking back, one of my biggest mistakes was thinking that my passion for the work and my good intentions would carry the business. I had the vision and the drive, but I hadn’t developed the leadership skills necessary to scale those qualities into a culture others could follow.

Leadership isn’t something that comes standard with your vision. It’s a skill you have to develop. Building a culture that aligns with your values and vision takes deliberate effort, ongoing communication, and the humility to recognize your own blind spots.

Intent matters, but converting that intent into a scalable culture is what separates good leaders from great ones.

Self-Awareness Is Your Most Important Skill

In hindsight, the biggest crack in my business wasn’t in the operations—it was in my own self-awareness. I never set out to be a CEO. I just wanted to expand my ability to coach and create impact. But as the business grew, I found myself managing operations and leading a team in ways that felt disconnected from my strengths.

The truth is, I wasn’t prepared for the energy and effort it took to build the business. Instead of recognizing that early on, I tried to power through. I avoided looking at the misalignments because I didn’t have the tools to address them.

Eventually, the facade cracked. The business became unsustainable, and I had to make the difficult decision to step back and pull the plug.

As a leader, self-awareness is your anchor. The more honest you are with yourself, the better positioned you’ll be to make decisions that align with your vision and values.

True growth starts with understanding where you stand and what’s holding you back. By leaning into that awareness, you create the space to course-correct, find alignment, and lead with clarity—both for yourself and those you serve.

Don’t Fight the Process of Becoming

Leadership is a journey, not a destination. One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is that you never truly "arrive." The moment you think you have all the answers is the moment you stop growing—and that’s where trouble begins.

Embrace the discomfort of learning, and trust that every step of the process is shaping you into the leader your business needs.

Building a business requires humility and courage. You have to be willing to admit what you don’t know, seek help when you need it, and delegate the tasks that hold you back. This isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s how you create space for your strengths to shine.

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