11 Lessons They Don’t Tell You About Building a Business

Welcome to the Inner Edge, where I explore insights on wealth, fulfillment, growth, and mastery.

You hear a lot about business.

But it's mostly the success and freedom that come with it. Never what actually happens behind the scenes.

Today, I want to break down the behind the scenes part.

I've had quite a few ups and downs over the last 3–4 years of building Trendify.

Now I want to share some lessons I've learned along the way.

Let’s dive into it. This is completely unfiltered.

Here are the most raw business and life truths I’ve experienced and wanted to write about.

1. Someone Always Has Something to Say.

When you're trying to build something, someone always has something to say. It doesn’t matter what you’re building.

• When you're posting content: “Oh, he’s so cringe why is he doing that.”

• When you're building a service business: “Oh, he just cares about money why doesn’t he build a product.”

• When you're building a product company: “Oh only 1% of companies succeed, there’s no way he will. Why doesn’t he do something easier.”

It goes on and on.

Here’s what you realize: People who condescend are projecting their own insecurities onto you.

When you're really in the game, you start to uplift others. You see that it’s cool that they’re trying and building something.

When I was starting out, many people dismissed the idea of building a service business, saying, “Why bother with that?”

But the ones who were truly succeeding in building incredible tech companies were genuinely intrigued. They would ask me thoughtful questions like, “What insights have you gained from running a service business that I could apply to my product-based company?”

And now I have more time and freedom to work on things that light me up.

I was guilty of this myself when starting out. I would put down people who didn’t do things a certain way.

But I realized it was just my need to prove myself. Everyone has their own path.

It’s okay to get swayed, if you think it makes sense.

But ultimately you choose your own path. If you really feel drawn to a certain path, just do it and own it.

2. No One Really Has It Figured Out.

Sure, you can learn faster from other people.

But every single person is just figuring it out themselves.

What one person wants may not be what another wants.

Ultimately, you get to choose what you want to do and what your life should be like.

I heard something from a successful founder that the secret to scaling a business was “just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks.” 

I used to think there was some perfect formula. Or even a perfect business to start. But it turns out that even the biggest names are winging it half the time.

As Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan says: “The key to life is realizing it’s all made up—but you get to make it up.”

3. Analysis Paralysis Is the Easiest Stage to Get Stuck In.

The easiest thing in the world is to get comfortable.

But true comfort lies on the other side of discomfort.

Laziness is the silent killer.

I waited over 2 years before building my newsletter. And the truth is, I was just lazy. Now it’s one of the most fun things I do and I wish I started writing before.

But that’s okay. I just take it as a lesson. Whatever I want to do, let me start NOW and figure it out as I go.

I recently connected on LinkedIn with Bolun Li (an absolute beast), who started and sold his company Zogo before his mid 20’s.

We both started building around the same time (2018). And it’s completely possible (and probably true) that he picked a more scalable medium for business.

But I can also tell you this: he sure as hell moved faster than I did back then.

Reading into his story moment taught me a valuable lesson: You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to start.

You tend to think there’s some magic formula or secret moment that will flip your life around (I was very guilty of this when I started).

But as Shaan Puri says, it’s all about reps.

You do reps to get jacked. How many? Probably over 100,000 over the course of 3–4 years.

You do reps to learn a sport. How many? Probably over 100,000 strokes to get good at tennis.

I made up those numbers, but you get the point.

So what does this mean? The sooner you start, the faster you can start doing the reps.

And if you learn the proper technique (aka doing it smart) you’ll go even faster.

It’s the exact same way for crafting the life you want to live.

If you want to build a life of freedom, you need to dedicate yourself to that as soon as you can.

And remember, it’s never too late to start.

4. There Are 0 Shortcuts.

You're not going to find a magical moment where everything changes.

There’s no one out there who is going to show up at your door and offer you a million dollars (unless you built something that’s worth a million dollars).

If something is too good to be true, it probably is.

When I was in college, I was just starting up content.

I had someone reach out on LinkedIn offering me money to partner with me and take 40% of what I make over my lifetime of content.

I’m so glad I didn’t get enamored by the money and and take the offer up.

And also:

Listen to your gut if something feels off.

5. Intuition and Decision Making Will Get You Very Far.

Steve Jobs Advice:

Intuition is the most powerful thing you can lean into.

Many philosophies say all the answers are within us.

It’s about connecting back to that state—taking a step back and reflecting.

As I calmed my mind, I was able to handle conversations better in the business.

And I was able to make some great decisions as to who to bring onto our team. All of them are continuing to deliver exceptional work.

And here’s the thing: it just all felt right in those moments.

Most times, I felt the right answers came to me when I let things flow.

Walking in nature, sitting under a tree, or meditating are great ways to tap into this state.

Jeff Bezos Advice:

The ability to make great decisions is the most important thing for success.

Here’s how you can become a better decision maker:

You’re going to realize you’re wrong sometimes. And that’s fine.

The fastest path to success is to course correct.

If you just realize where you messed up and what you can learn from it, you’ll grow quickly.

And then, you’ll start making better and better decisions.

I think this applies in all areas of life.

I’m starting to accept that who I was a few years ago isn’t who I am now.

And who I am in the future may not be who I am now. And that’s okay.

I’m learning as I’m going.

Strong beliefs, loosely held.

6. No One Will Understand What You’re Doing.

You may not even fully know what you’re doing.

And weirdly enough, it’s what makes the game that much more fun.

The exploration is what allows you to stumble into something amazing.

But one of the challenges here is feeling like an imposter.

People will question you, and you may not have the answers.

This happened to me a lot when I was starting.

When I first started creating content in college, people would ask: “why are you creating content Srikar?” and I had no real answer other than it felt right.

Some people even told me what I was doing was wrong and I should focus more on school.

Again, it’s hard here, because some people truly do want to care for you.

But when you’re really convicted in something and someone keeps telling you you’re wrong, that can hurt.

I’ve also noticed that really successful people don’t do any of that.

They guide you when you ask for advice, but they don’t tear down your work.

They’ve been there and they understand the initial grind.

Leaning into excitement is pretty powerful in business.

7. Your Ability to Have Hard Conversations = Your Success.

The easiest thing to do is avoid hard conversations.

But you need to get better at doing them.

The only way to handle these conversations without feeling awkward is by staying calm within yourself.

You’re going to have to say no (a lot).

As time goes on, tons of opportunities are going to come.

But it’s saying no that’s hard sometimes. Especially to friends, to clients, and to opportunities that don’t align. Also to distractions, that’s even harder. It’s all about trade-offs.

Whatever you’re spending your time on now, you’re taking time away from something else.

Ultimately, the choice is yours of what you want your life to be like.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was say no to a client who was willing to pay a lot but didn’t align with our vision.

It was uncomfortable saying no to someone, but it was the right call.

Just remember: at the end of the day it’s just you and your own conscience.

So ask yourself: how truthful are you to yourself?

Anyways, hard conversations are uncomfortable, but they’re where real growth happens.

8. Taking Unconventional Bets Speeds Up Results.

There’s this story I heard about an advertising legend (not sure exactly how true, but the story is cool).

David Ogilvy sent a letter to Shell Oil offering to help them with their ads.

But the way he did it was totally unconventional.

He reached out to the owner of Shell via a handwritten letter. Turns out the guy went to London.

So Ogilvy flies to London (keep in mind he’s barely successful at this point).

He phones the guys hotel and gets an appointment with him.

He took the unconventional bet.

Notice how I said speeds up results. It won’t get you the results. You still have to do the work.

But work on yourself and take a few unconventional bets, and you can get pretty dang far.

Some unconventional bets me and my brother took early on:

• Cold DM’ed Justin Kan (founder of Twitch) to work with him

• Paid $2k to have a call with Sahil Bloom to learn how he built his life

• Sent IG video messages to over 50+ founders to collaborate with them

These aren’t things you’re taught to do.

But you just take the bets.

Do what everyone else isn’t doing.

9. You Will Live the Life You Work For.

Your true colors will show eventually. The choices you make compound over time.

And yes, people will laugh, mock, and condescend you.

But that’s okay if you’re building the life that you truly want to live.

Your bad habits will also compound. Eventually they will be revealed.

It’s never too late to course correct.

10. Freedom Is Amazing — and Kinda Lonely.

I’m not where I want to be yet. Still working my way up to get rich.

But here’s what I do know.

It didn’t happen overnight. I spent over 2 years building systems. I barely had a college experience and skipped out on a whole lot of other stuff.

And on top of all of this: it can get lonely.

You share your innermost thoughts with very few people.

It’s hard to relate sometimes.

People judge you.

Prepare for all of it. But the time will come when everything aligns (I think).

But here are some benefits.

Waking up every day and doing what you love feels like freedom.

You feel super excited to take on each and every day.

And everything you do compounds since it’s all yours.

11. Enjoy the Work

Enjoy the work, but don’t care for the fruits of your labor.

If you fail, that’s okay.

Your identity shouldn’t be tied to your business or any success at all.

Detachment is the secret.

That’s a wrap.

If any of this resonates, reply and let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.