Hey Reader,

It's still hard.

I’ve been starting and building businesses for more than two decades now…and it’s still hard.

Have some things gotten easier? Yes. Absolutely.

Technology has made a ton of things easier: creating content, managing your calendar, scheduling meeting, connecting with people, etc.

My experience has made me better at managing my time, executing on ideas, holding myself accountable, etc.

Other things have also gotten easier, like taking risks, making mistakes, dealing with pressure, battling frustration, and deploying patience.

But yet, some things continue to just be difficult.

Dealing with failures and setbacks. Making hard decisions that negatively impact other peoples’ lives. Fighting the negative voices in my head.

It's still hard.

We’ve been building Teach Better for 11 years now. It has been a heck of a ride. There have been some really amazing moments. We’ve done some really cool things.

But we’ve also had our share of difficulties.

In 2023, we were the victims of a massive fraud scheme pulled off by an international criminal organization. I phrase it like that because “international criminal organization” makes it sound like something from a movie, and that helps me cope with the fact that this was not a fictitious villain. They are real, and they stole just shy of $300,000 from us.

That led to close to 8 months of legal battles, cancelling our conference, needing to lay off a lot of really amazing people, and completely changing the way we did things.

We've built a 7-figure business off of a simple idea my buddy Chad had in his classroom. We had 7 years of consistent growth, then 2 years of declining revenue. And then a bounce back…and then another dip…and another bounce back.

Up and down. Left and right. All over the place.

A constant roller coaster of emotions.

If you’ve known me for a while, you’ve likely heard me talk about that roller coaster, most likely telling you not to ride it.

That’s still good advice today. It’s something I truly believe plays a massive role in who wins and who falls short.

But it’s still hard for me at times…more times than I like to admit.

The truth is, though, that’s part of the journey. It’s part of what makes entrepreneurship special. And it’s part of what I love about it.

I know that might sound weird, but I do. I love the ups and downs. I love figuring things out, discovering I was wrong, and getting to figure it all out again.

I’d love to wrap this up with some kind of lesson or key takeaway for you, but I’m not sure I have one.

Except maybe this: You need to love it all. All of it. The whole journey.

I’m not saying you need to enjoy everything you have to do. But you need to love the whole experience together - made up of the things you enjoy, the things you stress over, the things that keep you up at night, and the things that wake you up with excitement.

All of those things - good, bad, ugly, funny, stressful, painful, exciting, frustrating, lonely, exhilarating, time-consuming, passion-driven, tedious, and inspiring - they’re all part of this thing. This journey. This adventure. This crazy ride we’ve decided to go on.

And if I’ve learned anything over the past 20+ years, it’s that those who embrace it all…who love it all…those are the ones who make it through all the crap that is bound to continue coming our way.

So, love it all. Embrace it all. It gets easier in some ways. Harder in others. But it’s yours. It’s meaningful. And it’s worth it.

I hope this helps.

~ Jeff I appreciate you. Jeff Gargas COO / Co-Founder, Teach Better Team ​​​​​ P.S. When you're ready, here's how I can help: 🤝 Need accountability and 1-on-1 coaching? Let's connect and see if there's a fit. Click here to book a free 30-minute call.​ 💚 Looking for support, collaboration, and exclusive resources? Join the EDUpreneur Community. Click here to join today.​

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