Three Lessons Learned From My First Year as an Entrepreneur

Can you believe it’s already Spring 2026? It’s amazing how quickly a year flies by. I realized the other day that it was March 10th—the exact date in 2025 that I officially started my new career as an entrepreneur after nearly 28 years in federal service. Just 12 short months ago.

A lot can happen in a year, and I took a moment to reflect on mine—to appreciate how far I’ve come, how I got here, and where I’m headed next. As I considered my journey, three key themes emerged that I want to share. I believe these lessons can be incredibly helpful for any ambitious small business owner:

#1 Embrace a Beginner’s Mind & Let Go of Ego to Reach New Heights

When I started my entrepreneurial journey, I deliberately set out to maintain a “beginner’s mind.” This concept, which I first learned back in 2018 when I got certified to teach yoga, is all about being curious and open to learning.

I remember so many new yoga students who would walk into the studio proclaiming they were “bad at yoga” because they weren’t flexible, had terrible balance, or couldn’t quiet their racing thoughts during meditation. I would explain that everyone starts at the beginning, progress isn’t usually linear, and improvement takes practice. My advice? Embrace the beginner’s mind and have a little fun on the journey. It really helps quiet that inner critic when things don’t go exactly the way our ego hoped.

I approached the launch of my consulting career with that same curiosity (amid a healthy dose of trepidation!).  What would my day-to-day work life look like? What did I want it to look like? Who were my ideal clients, and why? I had a business plan and a strategy, but I knew I needed to be flexible and ready to reflect and refine as I went along in order to build a business I truly loved.

I bet you can relate. The defense acquisition industry is infamous for its red tape, endless acronyms, and rigid processes. To call it daunting, even for some experienced small business owners, is an understatement. Maybe the playbook you used in a different industry isn’t working for your pivot into defense. Or perhaps the approach that brought you success in the past is now lost in a sea of acquisition rule changes and a charged political climate. You might be feeling overwhelmed, but you also know that survival requires adaptation to this evolving puzzle known as the defense market. And adaptation is always best served by starting with a beginner’s mind.

#2 Deep Listening & Feedback = the Gift of Trust

Over the last year, I’ve learned that the most valuable information comes from deeply listening to my clients. I came to know their unique stories—some of them overcoming incredible obstacles and transcending cultural barriers to build their version of the American Dream. I’ve always been inspired by the underdog’s success.

I’ve had so many calls that started with, “Can I run something past you?” My clients needed a trusted advisor to act as a sanity check or to help identify a strategic blind-spot. My deep listening didn’t just allow me to zero-in on the critical nuances of their strategic problems; it allowed me to truly understand why any of this mattered in the first place. That understanding is the great foundation for building trust. Noticing my client’s relief and confidence emerging in those moments of clarity was the feedback I needed to assure me I was on the right path.

What about you? Have you ever found that by deeply listening and mirroring your customer’s feedback to ensure understanding, you can actually feel that lightbulb moment? You know, the one where they realize that you truly GET them. Understanding, empathy, and trust are potent components of a relationship, and after all – business is about relationships.

#3 Invest in Your Growth – the DIY Path is Paved with Wasted Resources

While Small GovCon Solutions was the perfectly imperfect launchpad for my first year, I knew that if I wanted to evolve, I needed help. I was beginning to understand which client relationships felt right and starting to trust my instincts. One instinct was to pivot away from working as a “pair of hands” and instead position myself for greater strategic impact. I was starting to feel burnt out by task-oriented engagements where some clients felt more like a boss than a peer seeking. I was completing tasks versus providing honest feedback and helping identify strategic blind-spots.

Thankfully, my beginner’s mind found wise counsel in the form of a podcast called “Consulting Matters,” hosted by Besty Jordyn. For about six months, I diligently consumed her advice during my morning walks with the dogs. This is where I first heard about the “pair of hands trap.” What a lightbulb moment! Betsy was describing my exact conundrum! I was unconsciously structuring my client engagements as transactional instead of strategic, which felt like an extension of my old job. That’s where the burnout was coming from.

Shortly after, I decided to join one of Betsy’s coaching programs. She didn’t know me yet, but she had already built trust with me through her months of podcast content. Even though I believe I would have continued to grow and achieve success in my business, I knew I could do so more authentically and efficiently if I had a trusted partner to help me see what I couldn’t; to help me avoid mistakes and feel more purpose. I saw the coaching not as an expense, but as an investment in my personal and professional self. And I’m already seeing the dividends pay off.

How often have you found yourself reluctant to ask for help? Hesitant to invest in someone to provide wisdom and insights into what is happening in your business and why? We were not meant to do this all on our own. And despite what you might be telling yourself, you won’t have the perspective and clarity of vision when you are too close to the problem.

I am incredibly thankful for my beginner’s mind, the gift of trust from my ideal clients, and for those who have challenged my short-sighted assumptions and helped me realize how to start writing my next chapter. And this next chapter is coming soon and shall be titled “Leslie Faircloth Consulting”.

If the lessons I shared here resonate with you and you’re tired of spinning your wheels while trying to grow a sustainable and thriving defense company, let’s chat!  Book a free discovery call with me and let’s explore what a partnership could look like. 

With curiosity, willingness to learn, genuine deep-listening, and investment in your future, I believe we can find new heights together.