Okay, I Lied. What I Told Myself Before Starting Chia Creative
Photo by Fatih Güney
When dreamers are hit with the reality of it all lol
Before I launched Chia Creative, I had a LOT of ideas about what running this business would be like.
Some of them were hopeful. Most were overly ambitious. Some were straight-up lies I didn’t know I was telling myself. 🫣
Looking back at the first year & soon to be second year, I wanted to share those little lies I told myself with you! Not because I have it all figured out, but because I know how helpful it can be to hear the real side of building something from the ground up.
💭 Lie #1: “Building this business is going to be easy.”
I thought if I showed up, worked hard, and loved what I did, everything would fall into place.
Spoiler: it didn’t. 🥴
There were days when I felt completely lost and even more nights when I stayed up wondering if I was doing the right thing. The truth? Starting a business is just freaking hard. And the real kicker is that staying committed is even harder.
But if you’re building something with heart & intention, it’s always going to be worth it.
💭 Lie #2: “We’ll be so profitable our first year!”
There’s this illusion on social media that success should happen overnight. That if your business is aligned, you’re passionate, and good at what you do, the money will follow quickly.
What I’ve learned is that growth takes time. Strategy takes time. Profit takes time.
And even more than that, being profitable doesn't mean you're doing it “right,” nor does struggling mean you're doing it “wrong.”
Sometimes, success looks like staying in the game long enough to figure it out.
💭 Lie #3: “I’ll have it all figured out in no time.”
This was a big one.
I thought if I just learned enough, watched enough, and planned enough, clarity would come.
But clarity doesn’t come from just thinking. It comes from the actual doing part. And trust that the doing part is where you’re actually being tested.
I didn’t figure it all out quickly, but I did find something better: resilience. 💪
I also like to think that you’ll never really figure it all out because (especially in this industry) you always have to be learning new things to keep up with the never-ending changes.
The Truth?
Most days were harder than I expected.
But even after the longest of days, I’d wake up the next morning and tell myself:
“I can do hard things.”
That small reminder has carried me further than any life coach ever could lol
💌 To My Fellow Small Business Owners...
If you’re feeling the weight of it all, the doubt, the exhaustion, the uncertainty, please know this:
You’re not behind. You’re not alone. And you can keep going!
Growth isn’t linear. Profit isn’t instant. And you don’t have to figure it all out today.
You just have to keep showing up. That’s where the magic really happens!
Good luck, and let us know your thoughts! 🤗
