I’ve been thinking about something lately that’s been gnawing at me, and I bet it’s been eating at you too.
You know that feeling when you’re staring at your business goals? Those big, audacious dreams you set at the beginning of the year, and they feel impossibly far away? When every step forward seems to push the finish line further back? When you’re working harder than ever but still feel stuck in that same spot, watching other entrepreneurs seemingly glide past you effortlessly?
Here’s the thing: you’re looking in the wrong direction.
The Amusement Park Problem
In my book, I wrote about being 14 years old and desperate to find the entrance to the best roller coaster at a new amusement park. I could see exactly where I wanted to go: the thrill, the excitement, the destination was crystal clear. But I couldn’t find the entrance to the line. I was walking around in circles, getting more frustrated by the minute, watching other kids having the time of their lives while I remained stuck on the outside.
Sound familiar?
As entrepreneurs, we do this constantly. We see the successful business, the dream lifestyle, the financial freedom. It’s all right there in front of us. But we can’t figure out how to get in line. We’re so focused on the destination that we miss the entrance entirely.
Start Where You Are
Here’s what I learned from my fishing tackle hustle and every business venture since: the answers you seek are sitting directly in front of you. You’ve just been focusing on the obstacles instead of seeing the opportunities.
When I was that broke 14-year-old, I didn’t need to figure out how to become a business mogul overnight. I just needed to make enough money for better fishing gear. So instead of looking at what I didn’t have, I looked at what I did have: time, energy, and neighbors who needed help with yard work.
The backwards route to forward progress isn’t about taking steps backward. It’s about starting from where you actually are, not where you think you should be.
Your Current Reality Is Your Launching Pad
I’ve worked with real estate investors, coaches, consultants, agency owners, and high-ticket service providers who all make the same mistake. They’re so busy trying to leap to where they want to be that they dismiss the power of their current position.
That struggling coach? They have knowledge someone desperately needs right now.
That real estate investor with only two properties? They know more than someone with zero.
That consultant barely breaking even? They’ve solved problems others are still wrestling with.
Stop apologizing for where you are and start leveraging it.
The Hidden Competitive Advantage
When I started Intentionally Inspirational in 2015, I wasn’t the most successful entrepreneur. I wasn’t the most polished speaker. I didn’t have the biggest following or the most impressive case studies. But I had something valuable: I was living the exact struggle my audience was facing.
Your struggles aren’t disqualifications. They’re your credentials.
The Three Questions That Change Everything
When you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like you’re spinning your wheels, ask yourself these three questions:
- What do I already know that others are struggling to learn?
- What problems have I already solved that others are still facing?
- What resources do I have right now that I’m overlooking?
The magic happens when you realize that your current “limitations” are actually your competitive advantages. Your setbacks become your story. Your small wins transform into someone else’s breakthrough insights.
The Permission Myth
Here’s what I’ve discovered after nearly a decade of building businesses: we’re all waiting for permission that’s never coming.
Permission to call ourselves experts.
Permission to charge premium prices.
Permission to share our story.
Permission to help others.
But here’s the truth: the market doesn’t care about your self-imposed qualifications. The market cares about solutions to problems. If you can solve someone’s problem, you’re qualified. Period.
The Backwards Route in Action
One of our clients was a struggling real estate coach who felt like a fraud because he’d only completed 12 deals. He was convinced he needed to reach 100 deals before he could legitimately help others.
We helped him realize that his 12 deals represented 12 problems solved, 12 lessons learned, and 12 wins that someone with zero deals would pay handsomely to understand. Instead of waiting to become the expert he thought he needed to be, he started teaching from where he was.
The result? Within six months, he had a thriving coaching business serving new investors. His authenticity made him more appealing than the “gurus” with hundreds of deals who could no longer remember what it felt like to be a beginner.
The Fear That Keeps You Paralyzed
Most entrepreneurs get stuck because they’re terrified of being exposed as “not enough.” This fear creates a vicious cycle where you wait to take action until you feel worthy, but you never feel worthy because you’re not taking action.
The breakthrough comes when you realize that your perceived inadequacies are actually your qualifications. Your journey, complete with all its messiness and imperfection, is exactly what your ideal client needs to see.
Start Today, Start Here
The question isn’t whether you’re ready. The question is: are you willing to start?
At Intentionally Inspirational, we focus on aligning values with the people you serve and building lifetime business relationships. We help real estate investors, coaches, consultants, and high-ticket service providers identify the opportunities hiding in their current reality and build marketing systems that attract their ideal clients authentically.
The entrance to your roller coaster isn’t hidden somewhere in the distance. It’s right under your feet. You just need to stop looking so far ahead that you miss it.
Did you enjoy this? Here are three ways to go deeper:
🎙 Listen to the Intentional AI Daily Podcast — 3 to 5 minute daily episodes on practical AI for entrepreneurs. Listen here.
📋 Grab the Intentional Growth Framework — A free resource that helps you identify exactly where your marketing and automation have room to improve. Get it here.
📅 Book a Discovery Call — Ready to talk through what this looks like in your business? Grab a time here.