Happy Friday, all!

Last week, I celebrated ten years of BTF. This week, I’ve been thinking less about what I’ve accomplished and more about how my beliefs about entrepreneurship have changed along the way.

If I could put 2016 Brian and 2026 Brian in a room together, they’d have a lot to talk about.

2016 Brian thought confidence came before action. 2026 Brian knows confidence is the result of action. You take the meeting, make the ask, raise the price, launch the thing—and slowly, you realize you can handle what comes next.

I also used to believe more money meant less stress. Ten years of financial planning has taught me otherwise. Money creates options. Planning creates confidence. I’ve met people with tremendous resources who still feel anxious and others with far less who feel secure because they understand where they are and where they’re going.

And perhaps my biggest shift has been how I define success.

I once thought success meant growth: more clients, more revenue, more recognition. Today, I think success looks much more like alignment—working with people I genuinely enjoy, doing work that energizes me, and building a business that reflects my values and the life I want to live.

That lesson feels especially important for mission-driven entrepreneurs. Your business doesn’t have to look like someone else’s version of success. Your differences, identity, perspective, and values aren’t obstacles to overcome. They may be the very things that help you find the people you’re meant to serve.

After ten years, I’m also more comfortable knowing there’s no finish line. There’s only the next experiment, lesson, opportunity, and person to serve.

So if I could give 2016 Brian one piece of advice, it wouldn’t be a business plan or a list of mistakes to avoid.

It would simply be: Keep going. Build, measure, learn. Trust yourself and trust the process.

Your business may not become exactly what you imagined.

It might become something better.

Questions of the Week

1. What belief about business, money, or success have you outgrown?
2. Where might you be waiting for confidence when taking action could actually create it?
3. What is one change you could make this month to bring your business closer to your definition of an aligned, meaningful life?

Tool of the Week

The 2016/2026 Exercise

Grab a blank page and divide it into two columns. On the left, write what an earlier version of you believed about confidence, money, clients, productivity, or success. On the right, write what you believe today.

Then ask yourself one more question: What belief am I carrying today that the future version of me might eventually outgrow?

Sometimes measuring progress isn’t about revenue or clients. It’s about recognizing how much you have changed while building the business.

Best,

Brian