Chapter 1. A letter to my younger self: 5 principles that would have changed my business from the start
11/26/20253 min read
Chapter 1. A letter to my younger self: 5 principles that would have changed my business from the start
If I had to choose only the most essential lessons from the vast sea of business knowledge, courses, and advice - and send them to myself 20 years ago - these would be the five I’d keep.
This doesn’t mean the rest is unimportant. It means these principles should always come first. With them, the business journey becomes less exhausting, more sustainable, and far less mentally draining.
They’re not about “quick wins,” but about long-term resilience - what keeps both the company and its founder afloat for decades. Successful businesses don’t rely on how much you know, but on how clearly you think. And these principles are about clarity.
When you work with dozens of projects, you quickly begin to notice a pattern: companies grow only as far as the thinking of those who lead them. The difference between chaos and growth almost always starts here - at the foundation.
These are the five principles I wish I had followed from the very beginning:
• Who You Build With Matters
A company can grow for decades, but its quality is always defined not by the product, but by the people around it. With reliable and rational partners, you can build resilient systems. But if your partner is chronically irritable, fearful, or perpetually dissatisfied - even success turns into a burden.
The emotional state of your partner eventually becomes the culture of the whole company. And that either supports your strategy or undermines it from within.
• Don’t Cap the Business - Outgrow It
A company can only grow as far as the competence and vision of its owner. It thrives when the founder remains the most open person in the room - open to new ideas, tools, and people. The owner not only sets the tone, but defines the ceiling. Over time, it's easy to see: companies grow only as far as their leaders’ thinking allows.
A founder doesn’t need to be the smartest person in the room - but they must be the most open. The job is to expand horizons, not to prove intelligence.
When the owner creates space for growth, the team rises with them. But when they close themselves off, the business stalls too.
• Your Business Should Rely on Systems, Not You
The founder’s energy and charisma may get the business off the ground - but only a system can make it sustainable. Invest your time into building processes and structure, so the business can operate and grow without constant hands-on control.
Don’t just invest in your personal involvement - build mechanisms that work without you. Only then will your business continue to thrive, even when you’re not in the room.
• Learn to Speak the Language of Numbers
A financial model and solid analytics show the truth - without emotion.
If your decisions are based on feelings instead of data, you’re not running a business - you’re running on instinct. Numbers are the language your business speaks to you. The sooner you understand them, the less you’ll pay for your mistakes - literally.
• Leadership Means Knowing When to Let Go
Effective leadership requires the willingness to let go - of people, projects, or processes that drain more than they give. Sometimes, a strategic break brings more growth than continuing out of loyalty or habit. This doesn’t apply only to employees - but to entire business directions.
If a project becomes unmanageable, delivers no real results, or consumes disproportionate resources - it’s better to release it. Closing something at the right time means freeing up energy for what truly works.
These principles don’t promise overnight success - but they save you years of time, energy, and health. They give your business a chance to grow not on emotion, but on mature decision-making. Businesses don’t fall because of competition or crises. They fall because of fatigue, chaos, and poor priorities.
These are my five principles for building a sustainable business -
And they’re the ones I start every project with.
