This Question Transformed My Business—It Can Change Yours!

Why did I create Business Essentials?

The answer isn’t as simple as because I wanted to. It’s because I had to.

The Entrepreneur’s Trap

I’ve lived the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. In 2003, I started my company as a one-man operation, learning through trial and error. I hustled. I took risks. I made mistakes. But I also learned.

Over time, that small business grew into an eight-figure company. After 19 years, I sold it to a private equity firm and retired at just 47 years old.

Sounds like a dream, right?

But here’s what most people don’t see:

Success had become my prison.

Like many small business owners, I followed the classic formula:

• Increase revenue.
• Add more employees.
• Repeat.

And while that strategy looked great on paper, in reality, more growth meant more work—not more freedom.

I was grinding harder than ever. Weekends? Gone. Evenings? Consumed by work. My success felt like a cage instead of an achievement.

Then, I did something most business owners never do.

I hired a coach.

It was one of the best decisions of my life.

The Question That Changed Everything

A great coach doesn’t just give you answers. They challenge your thinking, expose blind spots, and push you to ask yourself one humbling, game-changing question:

“What don’t I know?”

That one question transformed my business—and my life.

We live in a world where people love to show off what they do know. But real growth doesn’t come from proving how smart you are. It comes from recognizing what you don’t know.

I had to learn this lesson the hard way—twice.

Lesson 1: The Costly Mistake of Ignoring Business Contracts

When my company started working with a Fortune 500 home builder, I made a costly assumption.

I had worked with my friend John before, so I assumed everything was in order—no need to fill out subcontractor agreements or paperwork, right?

Wrong.

Months later, when I asked about payment, I learned something shocking: I wasn’t even officially signed up as a contractor. That meant all the work I had done technically wasn’t authorized.

Had someone enforced the rules, I could’ve been removed from the job site altogether—without pay.

Lesson learned: Always handle the paperwork before the work begins. Contracts protect you, your money, and your business.

Lesson 2: How I Almost Went Broke Despite Rapid Growth

A growing business sounds great—until you realize that growth eats cash faster than it makes it.

In my second year in business I learned this the hard way when my payroll skyrocketed, but customer payments slowed to a crawl.

• In theory, clients were supposed to pay within 30 days.
• In reality, some stretched it to 90, 120, even 150 days.

Meanwhile, I had 10 employees to pay every week.

One night at dinner, I admitted to my grandparents:

“I have no idea how I’m going to cover payroll next week. I’m out of money.”

My grandfather loaned me the cash to cover those expenses—and gave me a piece of advice that changed everything:

“Go push your customers for payment.”

From that moment on, I implemented a structured receivables system with weekly follow-ups on outstanding invoices.

A simple change, but it saved my business.

Lesson learned: Growth without cash flow management is a ticking time bomb. If you don’t have a system for tracking and collecting payments, you’re one bad month away from disaster.

From Being Coached to Becoming the Coach

After selling my business, something unexpected happened.

Former colleagues and contacts started reaching out, wanting to know how I scaled my company so successfully.

As I shared my insights, something clicked—the student was becoming the teacher.

I realized I loved helping entrepreneurs escape the same traps I had fallen into. I wanted to show them that they could win at work and at home—without sacrificing everything in the process.

That’s why I created Business Essentials—to give business owners the tools, strategies, and mindset shifts they need to grow smarter, not just bigger.

And it all starts with one question…

What don’t you know?

Are you ready to uncover your biggest blind spot?

Final Thoughts

If you’re serious about taking your business to the next level, here’s my challenge to you:

Before the day ends, ask a trusted and competent person:

“What don’t I know?”

Then, be humble enough to listen—and bold enough to act.

That’s how businesses transform. That’s how leaders grow.

Now it’s your turn.

What’s the biggest blind spot holding you back?

Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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