When I was first asked to speak at Palette’s Protalk (months and months before actually agreeing to do it), I was very apprehensive, because I didn’t think I had anything to talk about except my multitude of failed businesses. My first business was started as a 10-year-old selling lemonade and iced tea on East Ave on track days. I’ve painted cars, made jewelry, blogged, written books, sold tea, played bar tender, taken wellness clients, all while in my corporate life, changing careers every three years, until finally quitting during COVID.

With the beginning of 2026 and my 38th trip around the sun, and my kids finally being in school full time, I’ve really started reflecting on who I am, what I want. I was talking about this with my husband, and at one point in the conversation, he said something along the lines of “Not every hobby has to be a business and make money”. This hit me like a shot in the gut. My immediate reaction was “well then it’s no fun”. 

Upon further reflection, I realized that my true passion is building businesses and making them successful. I noticed a pattern that as soon as I made a business profitable, I lost interest. 

I have to point out that I never made any of these businesses successful by being the best at the thing, or being a great marketer (I’m actually the worst). I made them successful by following the numbers.

Here’s the thing: numbers don’t lie, and they are everywhere. It’s not just about where your money is coming or going; it’s so much deeper. What products have the right margin-to-sales ratio? What source has not only the highest conversion, but the largest return? Alternatively, what small offers lead to larger sales? What is the best debt payoff strategy? And that’s not even scratching the surface. 

In all of my businesses, the numbers are where is spent most of my time, because I love it. It’s like a puzzle that I need to finish, and every business has its own unique blend that makes it a completely different puzzle from the last one. 

Now that I understand this part of me, I’m ready to build the long-lasting business of my dreams, one that will carry me into my future and adapt with me. I started with basic bookkeeping services because that is the foundation that builds out the rest of the business, and it’s been amazing. 

All this is to say that the journey may not be linear, or even make sense at first, but each of us has a superpower if we can only figure it out for ourselves. For me, it’s building businesses with strong foundations based on the numbers. 

Have you found yours?

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