I sold my company in nine figures. Here are 3 hard lessons that I got there

I was the founder of ReversedIn the US, one of the biggest hair-owned brands in the United States, but at the beginning, I didn’t know what I’m doing. All I knew was that I had a product I believe, a deep desire to create some meaningful, and the willingness to detect the rest on the way.

He worked: In 2022, I sold this brand for nine figures. When I consider this experience, I realized that the most valuable knowledge does not come from textbooks or investors – this happens by learning in your trenches. That’s why I now teach what I learned in my new Makers Mentitivity Excellers.

Here are three lessons that I share in the Excellers. They are the things I hardly learned – and that you should start doing today.

1. Rental for values, not just experience

One of the best fares I had ever had any beauty experience, never worked in the supply chain (he became the first operation manager of Brojo), and was still learning English. But what is that? What Was hungry She was encouraged, mutual support and focused on every detail.

I invested a lot in training it. He worked beautifully in the teams and also built strong ties externally.

This experience showed me that skills could be taught. What cannot be taught is integrity, drive, and alignment with the basic values ​​of your company. When you first hire these things, you create a team that grows with you – and sticks with you in hard parts.

2. Do not let the product outpace brand come

For a while, we were hitting it on the product side – but our brand was telling a fracture story. Our Instagram, in a way, our website was seen in a way. Our emails are not similar to our visual trade. Everyone who was creative was translating the brand through his lens because we didn’t really take time to explain it.

It was not until I retreated as I saw how much we were leaving on the table. Our product was echoing, but our brand was not meeting it with the same level of explanation or consistency. We brought a branding agency, created a comprehensive style guide, and finally got everything – from sound tone to type – on the same page.

Once we made this change, the customer’s full experience was equal. This brand began to feel as if it had a soul.

3. Leave everything to try to do

In the early days, I wore every hat because I couldn’t bear. But even after the business created real income, I did not stop. I participated in every role, namely operation, marketing, finance – because I was accustomed to it, and partially because I believe that I can do all this faster myself.

That mentality came at a cost. I burned I lost important growth windows because I didn’t have bandits to pay attention to the big picture. When we need them most, I waited a long time to bring the right leaders.

What changed things for me was investing in an executive coach. It helped me to see that it was not powerful to keep it very firmly – it was a responsibility. He challenged me to let go, trust, and start building a culture where talented, values ​​people can take the lead. Only when the real scale is possible.

I did not learn this lesson from any playbook. I made things wrong and learned them, then gradually found out how to make them correct. That process- Trials, mistakes, and evolution – He is the one who shaped me like a founder. And as much as I share these stories with other businessmen, I realize that they are not alone in learning curves. None of us is.