Lesson: Momentum didn’t come from executing harder; it came from adjusting smarter.

When I started building Jivati, I had the standard startup roadmap. Brand vision? Check. Product concepts? Check. Financial model? Check. Advisors, outreach, consultants, brand deck, everything lined up by the playbook. I was ready, so I put the plan into motion, and as things progressed, I quickly realized that execution alone doesn’t build momentum; it produces signals. How you read those signals and act on them is what makes the difference. With limited capital, I found the traditional distribution funnel wasn’t reaching my audience beyond my immediate location. So the data pushed me to make two structural shifts for reach: go Direct-to-Consumer on Jivati.com and make it compliant to ship alcohol to other states. No one told me to do that; it wasn’t in the playbook. I adapted, and it worked. Orders from 20+ states validated the pivot.

Even when momentum picked up, there were months when the grind felt motionless. The product was in the market and available. The posts were consistent for brand awareness. The consumer feedback was solid. But growth was still painfully slow. So I researched other ways to pick up momentum again. Based on data I gathered and what I saw driving awareness for other brands, I launched a brand campaign with three promos, posted daily, and even paid for ads. The results: Nothing. No orders. No replies. Just silence. I sat on the floor staring at my screen, wondering if anyone was even watching. It hurt, but it also showed me what wasn’t working. It wasn’t the execution; I wasn’t using the data correctly, which is why the campaign failed. Now I run smaller tests, and when the metrics validate the approach, I scale the strategy.

If you’re starting now and doing it solo, it will magnify the swings, wins feel great but are momentary; stalls feel heavy and linger. Every doubt hits harder without a team to keep hyping you up. Still, I didn’t let slow progress kill the process. I focused on what worked, leaned into validation, and kept iterating until the small sparks started to connect.

And to be honest, there were times when I’ve felt shame. I’ve doubted myself. But every hard turn became proof: this game isn’t about speed, it’s about staying in it long enough to find what works for you.

I’m not here to mimic other brands. I’m here to build mine. My vision. My niche. My people.

Referenced Insight: Steve Blank, writing for Harvard Business Review, outlines why execution alone isn’t enough: “The Lean Startup method teaches you how to drive a startup, how to steer, when to turn, and when to persevere, and grow a business with maximum acceleration.” Real momentum comes from learning, adjusting, and improving, not just moving fast. Check it out: Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything (HBR). This builds on a mindset I wrote about a few weeks back. Related drop: Solo Founder Era: AI Redefines Entrepreneurship. In that one, I shared how I don’t use AI to replace my thinking; I use it to refine it. The same goes for execution: it’s not about doing more. It’s about using what you do to learn faster and adjust smarter.

Closing Thought

You can’t always control the pace. But you can control how you show up. Stay flexible. Stay sharp. Stay in it. Because slow momentum isn’t no momentum, it just needs time to compound. Most people give up in the quiet. If you don’t, you’re already ahead.

Stick around. I’m just warming up.

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_{DISCLAIMER - All content by Devraj Patel, including The Weekly D-Brief, is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute business, legal, or personalized advice. No client relationship is created unless agreed upon in writing. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. You are solely responsible for your decisions—always consult appropriate professionals before acting on this content.}