Lesson: A founder who evolves faster than the company always wins.

The truth is, your business will only grow as fast as you do. Building yourself isn't just mindset talk; it's real, uncomfortable work. Here's what I had to work on to keep up with the brand I’m building.

1. Fixing Weak Points Starts With Humility

To grow a business, you’ve got to develop the nerve to admit what you suck at. And not just in your head. Like, really admit it. To yourself first. I had to stop pretending I had it all figured out before it became obvious to my team, my advisors, or my investors. The moment I got real about what wasn’t working in me was the moment I started getting better. I didn’t try to fix everything overnight. I picked one thing, worked on it, and then later optimized it. It’s not about speed. It’s about staying honest, staying open, and staying in motion. Cruise if you have to. Just don’t hit the brakes. Find your own pace, not someone else’s highlight reel.

2. Studying Different Types of Founders

To help me mature as a founder, I studied other founders, even the ones I didn’t like or connect with. Success can come from anyone. I wasn’t focused on what they built. I was focused on how they built it, why it worked, and what I could take from it to improve my own blind spots. So, I dug into their decision-making process. But you’ve got to filter; some of them are performing for the feed, not building, not sharing, just selling an image. That’s where pattern recognition comes in: studying multiple founders, identifying common denominators, and building a solid foundation of habits that work. Then, you look for the outliers. The weird plays. The mindset behind them. Not just what worked on paper but what actually made it click underneath.

3. Building a Smarter Decision Engine

I used to move fast and make calls based on instinct and general assumptions. Now? I move with clear intention. I ask sharper questions. I cross-check advice with actual data and then check it again. I love research. I weigh everything against whether it builds long-term value, not just short-term fixes. Mental models like these helped: Farnam Street. The goal isn’t just to make decisions; it’s to make decisions that stack and compound over time. That’s how you get exponential ROI: through smart habits that actually build momentum. That shift changed how I evaluate everything I do as a founder. And more than anything, it gave me real confidence in how I bet on the next move.

4. Protect Your Energy

Nobody tells you this part, but it’s real. If you want to be a great founder, you’ve got to design your business life around the behavioral habits that actually worked for you in your personal life, especially the ones that got you here in the first place. Some things just can’t come with you if you want to grow, including people who drain your focus, distractions that pretend to be priorities, and fake fires that steal your time. Even random noise, group chats, constant notifications, and unsolicited advice can throw you off your rhythm if you’re not careful. But the habits that keep you sharp? Like the discipline to wake up early and get a jump on the day. Going to the gym to stay healthy. The reset time to recharge. The quiet moments to think. Those aren’t optional. You don’t compromise on them; you protect them. The business world is wild, especially for a startup founder. Keep what works. Improve what doesn’t. Because if I burn out, everything I’m building burns with me. And that’s just bad business.

Closing Thought 

Every founder wants to build something great. But not everyone’s willing to outgrow themselves to get there. Your business won’t grow if you don’t. And the moment you stop working on yourself, things slowly stop moving the way they should. There’s always going to be another product. Another pitch. Another playbook. But the hardest thing to build, and the one most people avoid, is you.

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.}