I learned 5 counterintuitive lessons in 2022, and I hope they benefit you as well.

The things I thought would work, often turned out to be wrong. So I’ve learned to keep an open mind. I’ve learned that if I don’t want to miss out on a lot of opportunities, I need to embrace my personal growth, which often feels uncomfortable.

1. Building a personal brand is essential for early-stage startup founders

In my experience, it’s even more important than building a business brand. Many people worry it’ll dilute their company brand. Not true!

People like to do business with people, not companies. Your investors want to know the person building the startup, that’s who they invest in.

Just take me as an example. In 2021, I pivoted my business and entered a new industry. I had no prior experience or connections. This made it difficult to secure new clients.

However, when I focused on building my personal brand, things began to progress.

Results:

• Email subscribers increased from 70 to 500+
• Revenue increased by 53%

2. Social media is not just for marketing

After pivoting my business, nobody trusted my expertise in branding, since I was just known as a graphic designer.

Many colleagues encouraged me to show up on social media. I resisted because I hated self-promotion. Until one of my mentors, Chris Do, said that sharing content is sharing knowledge. When you’re generous, you’ll attract like-minded contacts and build authority.

So, I began sharing my insights and expertise on LinkedIn and Instagram. This helped me quickly establish myself as an authority in the space.

Results:

• LinkedIn following grew from 2,000 to 10,000
• Instagram following grew from 1,500 to 20,000
• Won an award in my industry

People long to know what you know.

3. Stepping out of your comfort zone leads to growth

As I began sharing my knowledge and opinions, opportunities started to come my way. One of the most intimidating opportunities was public speaking.

Despite feeling unqualified, I took the chance and delivered a successful talk.

The attendees were so impressed with my workshop, one even reached out to share how my advice helped her.

Results:

• 4 speaking engagements
• 1 written interview
• 5 podcast interviews

The only way to grow is to be uncomfortable.

4. Establishing healthy habits helps you navigate challenges

I used to believe that working 12-16 hours a day was the key to productivity. However, I learned that this wasn’t sustainable or healthy.

I committed to sleeping 8 hours a day and scheduled it in my calendar. My productivity, creativity, and focus improved as a result. Furthermore, since I’m rested and more productive at work, I have a better relationship with my family as well.

Additionally, I established a daily “power hour”, here’s my routine:

1. Meditate and pray — 15 mins

2. Exercise — 15-20 mins

3. Read or play piano (anything you enjoy doing) — 15-20 mins

Sleeping is the key to productivity.

5. Recognizing your accomplishments is vital for self-motivation

I worried that celebrating all the wins, even small ones, would make me complacent. I believed the best way to motivate myself was to focus on the things I haven’t accomplished or didn’t excel at so I’d work harder.

At some point, I felt so overwhelmed and defeated that I became unfocused and unproductive. Then, I blamed myself even more!

This dysfunctional cycle needed to be broken, so I started to:

1. Write down my wins and accomplishments each week

2. Put them in a jar

3. Whenever I feel down, I look at the jar as a reminder of all I’ve achieved, to give me the confidence and encouragement to keep pushing forward.

We’re enough, but we’re too focused on our flaws.