Unfiltered

"Success is not the end of your journey – it’s only the beginning." Rachel Pedersen invites readers to rethink entrepreneurship, emphasizing staying true to oneself and embracing the evolving, bumpy road to business success.

1. Clarify Your “Why” Before Starting

Understanding why you want to start a business is the first and most important step. It might sound simple, but the journey of defining your reason takes introspection and time.

Rachel Pedersen introduces the concept of “fire starters” to frame your reasons: kindling, sticks, and logs. Kindling represents fleeting motivations such as disliking your current job or seeking immediate money. Sticks are stronger reasons, like wanting flexibility or improved family life. Logs signify deep, long-term purposes, such as making a societal impact or changing an industry.

Your “why” tends to evolve as you grow personally and professionally. A short-sighted goal might light the initial spark, but aligning with logs ensures the flame of your ambition burns longer. Reflection and adaptability are necessary throughout your journey.

Examples

• Your initial goal might be to escape a 9-to-5 grind but shift to wanting to support your family more meaningfully.
• A social entrepreneur who first aims for financial gain may later transition into striving for community development.
• Rachel’s early failures led to reassessing her purpose, ultimately driving her to create lasting businesses rooted in authenticity.

2. Start Without Getting Overwhelmed by Weaknesses

Identifying your passions and embracing your unique strengths can guide your entrepreneurial path, even if some strengths appear as weaknesses at first glance.

Pedersen uses the idea of “Square One” to align your business ambitions with what excites and motivates you. Are you passionate about connecting with others or traveling? Let your interests fuel your business vision. Moreover, traits you’ve seen as drawbacks might work to your advantage – Rachel turned her “excessive socializing” in school into a powerhouse career in social media.

The journey also involves experimenting and learning what fits. Trying different business models lets you narrow down choices based on what truly aligns with your values and lifestyle.

Examples

• A person good at chatting might become a successful public relations specialist or influencer.
• A love for reading could lead to creating a book review platform or literary consulting.
• Rachel’s childhood chatter tendencies transformed into a strategic career as a celebrated social media expert.

3. Hard Work Over Hustle

The hustle culture is alluring but often harmful. Instead of running tirelessly on adrenaline, focus on specific, actionable steps that build meaningful progress.

Hustle culture operates on fear – the unfounded belief that stopping means losing everything. Pedersen challenges this mentality, advocating for slow, intentional efforts over constant motion. Hard work involves setting consistent goals while embracing downtime to recharge, as sustained efforts bring better results than chasing elusive quick fixes.

Building a solid foundation involves revisiting the basics. How feasible are your startup costs? What challenges might arise, and are there backups in place? These steps require thoughtful planning rather than hurried, scattered energy.

Examples

• Entrepreneurs who prioritize quality daily tasks often outlast those pursuing unsustainable speed.
• Establishing realistic budgets instead of striving for unrealistic overnight success helps prevent burnout.
• Instead of searching for shortcuts, Rachel became methodical, creating steady paths to sustainable growth.

4. Be Authentic on Social Media

Authenticity on social media builds trust and connects you with the right audience. While the platforms may change, the value of being yourself does not.

Rachel recommends choosing platforms you genuinely enjoy using and focusing your energy there. This ensures consistency and prevents burnout. Content, such as text posts, visuals, and videos, serves as windows into your business—choose styles that feel natural while offering value to your audience.

Creating meaningful content requires considering your audience. Instead of focusing all messages on the business itself, center your customers’ experiences and needs. Honesty shines through and cultivates loyalty.

Examples

• Focusing on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, based on where your passion lies, can enhance consistent interaction.
• A coach who shares personal stories rather than adopting trendy personas often draws like-minded followers.
• Rachel leaned into raw, unfiltered moments that resonated deeply with her audience on social platforms.

5. Build Boundaries Early

Running your venture without boundaries quickly leads to overwhelm. Planning financially and creating work-life separation from the start is vital.

Rachel’s early business days saw her saying yes to every opportunity, which left her exhausted and overextended. Learning through setbacks, she developed the “Business-By-Design” framework, promoting healthy boundaries and foresight. For instance, financial budgets and time allocations prevent resources from scattering.

Creating clear expectations for clients also safeguards balance. Rachel’s “How-We-Work” documents define how she operates and sets mutual understanding to reduce conflicts with clients.

Examples

• Establishing a strict schedule prevents work from bleeding into personal time.
• Allocating designated budgets allows investing in essentials without overspending unnecessarily.
• Rachel's How-We-Work onboarding sets limits on after-hours communication.

6. Don’t Chase a Flawless “Success”

Contrary to popular belief, “making it” doesn’t solve every problem. Success is subjective and marks the start of new challenges.

Each person’s image of success differs—while some dream of financial gains, others may simply want flexibility. Achieving goals also introduces complications like scaling hurdles or increased responsibilities. Pedersen emphasizes the importance of changing your perspective during rough times and using setbacks as learning moments.

Switching negative self-talk for confidence opens more doors. Acting confident, even temporarily, often yields constructive results, leading to a more self-assured mindset over time.

Examples

• Someone earning $500K/year may still struggle with scaling their operations or deeper dissatisfaction.
• A baker who achieves local fame encounters unique concerns about growth or licensing.
• Rachel’s confidence-building acted as a catalyst to navigate unforeseen missteps later.

Takeaways

1. Define your deep, purpose-driven motivation for starting and maintaining your business. It will sustain you through difficulties.
2. Choose authenticity over trends, online and offline. Honest connections with your audience and clients yield better loyalty.
3. Practice restraint—it’s okay to set limits on your time, communication, and financial investments to safeguard your work-life balance.