If you’ve ever been told that success is just about getting lucky or hustling harder, you’re not alone—and you’re not getting the full picture.
Sure, luck and hard work matter. But they’re not the whole story. After nearly 25 years as an entrepreneur and 7 years coaching hundreds of small business owners, I’ve seen firsthand what actually makes or breaks success—and it’s not what most people think.
If you want to grow a business that lasts, that makes money, and that doesn’t burn you out, here are the 10 things that truly move the needle.
Want the full breakdown in video form? Watch the full episode below or keep reading.
1. Market Conditions (and How You Respond to Them)
You can’t control the economy. You can’t predict platform changes or global events. But you can control how you respond.
Some people thrive simply because of good timing. Others fail not because their idea was bad—but because the market shifted.
Example: My husband launched his carpentry business two weeks before the 2020 lockdown. People said it was the worst timing. Instead of panicking, we adjusted his messaging—focusing on safety, reliability, and helping people tackle home projects during quarantine. Four months later, he was hitting five-figure months.
✅ Takeaway: You can’t control luck, but you can control how fast you adapt.
2. Market Research: Stop Guessing
Most small business owners think they know what their audience wants. But thinking is not knowing.
Real market research helps you:
Uncover your audience’s actual pain points
Understand what they’re already trying to spend money on
Learn the language that makes them say “YES”
One client of mine teaches deep transformational work. But her audience didn’t want “transformation”—they wanted more sales. Market research helped her reposition and double her rates.
✅ Takeaway: Stop creating in a vacuum. Let your people tell you what they need.
3. Business Planning That Actually Works
Winging it is not a strategy.
If you’re jumping from idea to idea, copying other people’s content, or just “seeing what happens,” here’s what usually happens: not much.
Real planning answers questions like:
What’s my core offer?
How much does it need to earn?
How will I reach those numbers?
Without it, even great offers flop. That’s why I teach a planning-first approach inside Breakthrough Boss®—because with a roadmap, you don’t just dream. You build.
✅ Takeaway: A strong business plan makes you 152% more likely to launch, and 260% more likely to scale.
4. Where You Started (and What You Do With It)
Your past influences your journey—but it doesn’t define your future.
I grew up in poverty. I was a high school dropout, a teen mom, and on welfare. My timeline looked different. But I didn’t let that stop me.
✅ Takeaway: Privilege is real. So is persistence. Don’t compare timelines. Own your path.
5. Your Attitude Around Failure
Here’s a truth most people avoid: you will fail.
Every successful entrepreneur has flopped launches, bad investments, and regrettable clients. What separates them isn’t luck. It’s how they respond.
Failure is data. Feedback. The more you embrace it, the faster you grow.
✅ Takeaway: Failure is inevitable. Letting it define you is optional.
6. Mindset (Without the Fluff)
Mindset gets a bad rap—but it matters a lot.
If your default thought is “this won’t work,” you’ll act like it won’t. And your results will match.
Mindset doesn’t mean fake positivity. It means developing the belief that you can figure it out, even when it’s hard.
✅ Takeaway: Mindset may not be everything—but it’s at least half.
7. Taking the Right Actions
You can be busy all day and still not grow.
Most struggling entrepreneurs are:
Doing the wrong things
Doing the right things, but not well
Doing the right things, but not enough or not consistently
Success comes from strategic, uncomfortable action: the kind that stretches your skills and your courage.
✅ Takeaway: Ask yourself: Am I doing the right things, with the right skills, long enough to see results?
8. Emotional Regulation & Nervous System Support
Business is a roller coaster. If you don’t learn how to regulate your nervous system, you’ll burn out, spiral, or self-sabotage.
Emotional regulation is not about pretending to be fine. It’s about processing stress and still showing up.
That’s why I teach it inside Breakthrough Boss®—because nervous system regulation is a business skill.
✅ Takeaway: You won’t build a sustainable business without building emotional resilience.
9. Support Systems (The Real Secret Sauce)
No one succeeds alone.
The most successful business owners have:
Mentors
Peers
Coaches
Systems
Teams
Therapists
Every time I hit a plateau, it was support that got me through. Not just someone giving me advice—but someone holding me accountable and believing in me when I forgot how to believe in myself.
✅ Takeaway: If you want to go farther, get support. And if you don’t have it yet, create it. Start with my free mastermind, Multi-6 Mastermind.
10. Your Willingness to Keep Learning
More than talent. More than confidence. This is the real guarantee.
The minute someone thinks they know it all, their growth stops. On the flip side? Humble beginners who ask questions, stay coachable, and stay open—they thrive.
Inside Breakthrough Boss®, I’ve watched students think they needed strategy—but what they really needed was a new way of thinking about business.
✅ Takeaway: Stay curious. Stay coachable. Stay in the room where you feel stretched.
Success isn’t just about luck or hustle—it’s about skill, strategy, mindset, and support.
