As I cross the 25 year threshold of my career, I find I’ve learned some things along the way. I’ve worked with venture funded startups at their infancy stage, grown them to $150M plus, tossed around new ideas and problems, built manufacturing lines, figured out websites and databases at the infancy of the internet, opened new facilities, designed new products, and coached countless new business owners on their own path. Through that journey, I’ve determined what I think to be important along the way.

Speak

Be direct. Speak your mind. Kindly, yes—but clearly, too. If you have something to say, say it. If you have a question, ask it. Chances are someone else is wondering the same thing. You’re in the room because you belong there. Your voice matters. Don’t shrink to fit. Be big. Be you.

You don’t need to know everything.

You just need to move. Learning comes from doing. From risk. From taking a crack at it. You don’t have to have all the answers—just the willingness to try, and the openness to discover what comes next.

Take. Don’t wait.

Take the risk. Take the opportunity. Take the step. Don’t sit back waiting to be handed something—grab it. Move fast when something feels right. Growth doesn’t come from waiting in line; it comes from leaping when the moment presents itself. And if you hear, “You shouldn’t have done that,” so be it. Try again. Better next time.

Say no

Say it with joy. It’s not a rejection, it’s a filter. Every no clears the way for a more intentional yes. You cannot do everything. But you can do the right things.

Know your value

Even if your resume or list of accomplishments doesn’t capture it, trust that you have something vital to offer. The real test isn’t the bullet points—it’s what you do when faced with a challenge. Rise. Over and over again.

Play to your strengths

It’s easy to obsess over what you lack. But your strength—that thing you do effortlessly, that makes you come alive—that’s where your power lies. That’s where you’ll find your greatest impact.

Ask for help

You cannot do it alone. While you have great strengths, so do others, and in harnessing the power of a team is where you can build great things.

Let your path wander

It’s okay not to have a five-year plan. It’s okay to shift priorities, to trade titles, to explore, to change. Your path is your own, and if you trust in your ability to figure things out, that’s enough. Stay clear on your values, and let them guide the way.

Care

Care deeply. About the work. About your team. About the people you serve. When everyone around you cares too, anything is possible. And when things go wrong, it’s the absence of care—not conflict—that creates the deepest cracks. Lead with care. End with care.

Be a builder

Builders thrive in motion—in creating, designing, launching, iterating. Builders make things that didn’t exist before. If you know you’re one of them, embrace it. Build the thing. Then build the next.

Celebrate love

Even if it’s not your own—witness it, respect it, support it. Whether it’s between a rider and a horse, or a person and their craft, or a founder and their vision—it’s a kind of magic. It’s worth working hard for. Maybe even worth building a company around.

Treasure the people.

The teammates. The mentors. The ones who’ve solved beside you and laughed with you and challenged you. Let them shape you. Learn from them, and leave a little of yourself with them too. When it’s all said and done, it’s the people you’ll miss the most.

Thank you to every job, every team, every lesson along the way. And to whoever reads this next: I hope you find your voice, your fire, your people—and your path.