The Goal Digger Podcast | Top Business and Marketing Podcast for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Women in Business

914: The 5 Business Mistakes I Learned the Hard Way (So You Don’t Have To)

27 snips

Sep 17, 2025

Dive into the early missteps of entrepreneurship, where crucial lessons about strategy and boundaries emerge. Hear personal reflections on navigating the convoluted path of idea validation and market positioning. Discover the power of purpose-driven content creation while preventing burnout. Learn from the journey of diversifying income as a wedding photographer, balancing passion with business growth. Embrace mistakes as stepping stones and value your unique vision amidst challenges and doubt!

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

You Can't Skip The Steps

Growth requires going through each phase; you can't skip steps or shortcuts.
Failures and pivots prepare you for the next season of business evolution.

ADVICE

Create With Purpose Not Volume

Create with a clear end result in mind and tie every content piece to that purpose.
Reallocate effort to fewer, strategic pieces that include calls to action and lead generation.

ADVICE

Set Boundaries To Prevent Burnout

Protect your energy by setting firm boundaries like fixed work hours and one day off per week.
Say no to opportunities that cost your time and threaten long-term creativity and health.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

When I think about those first few years as an entrepreneur, I see a woman who was so full of fire and determination, but honestly had no idea what she was walking into. And I love her for that!

Now, after years of growth, evolution, and yes, plenty of beautiful failures, I can see the patterns so clearly. The places where a little more strategy could've saved her months of spinning her wheels, where better boundaries could've prevented that inevitable crash, where more courage to be seen could've accelerated everything.

This episode originally aired a while back, but I'm bringing it back because these lessons feel so relevant right now. Because here's what I've learned: we don't get to skip steps. Every fumble, every pivot, every moment of not having a clue was preparing us for what's next. And if sharing these lessons can help you honor your own journey while maybe sidestepping a few of the more painful detours? That feels like the most beautiful full-circle moment.

So whether you're in your own 'figuring it out' era or you're revisiting this with fresh eyes, let's dive in with so much love for the versions of ourselves who were brave enough to begin!

Goal Digger Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/goaldiggerpodcast/

Goal Digger Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goaldiggerpodcast/

Goal Digger Show Notes: https://jennakutcherblog.com/different

Thanks to our Goal Digger Sponsors:

Find a co-host today at http://airbnb.com/host.

Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at http://greenlight.com/goaldigger!

Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn Ads and get a free $250 credit for the next one—no strings attached. Just go to https://www.linkedin.com/goal.

Shop SKIMS Fits Everybody collection at http://skims.com/goaldigger!

Ready to see what powerful banking can do for your business? Visit http://www.mercury.com/goal to apply in minutes. Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC. The IO Card is issued by Patriot Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard. Working capital loans provided by Mercury Lending, LLC NMLS ID: 2606284.