It is no secret that I have recently enjoyed some astounding success. In early 2021, a company I founded and self-funded sold for more than a billion dollars. It is an achievement I had barely hoped to dream of for myself, and I still wake up some mornings having to remind myself that it actually happened. I am incredibly grateful for the success, and fully recognize that I could not have gotten there on my own.

I have long said that I am ruthless with my circles. By that, I mean that I am very thoughtful about who I let close to me. I firmly believe that the people we surround ourselves with impact everything from our personal happiness to our financial success, and so I make sure that the people in my inner circle lift me up rather than hold me down. For a long time, I curated my circles based on my gut. If I had a good feeling about someone, I kept them around. If I suspected that they were opportunistic, lazy, or entitled, I distanced myself. Lately, I have been reflecting on where that gut instinct comes from and I realized that it all boils down to my personal core values.

Let’s talk about fear. Everyone is afraid of something - most of us are afraid of multiple things at once. Painting with a wide brush, I would say that most people are afraid of a few very common things. Fear of romantic rejection is a big one, as is fear of losing a job, the death of a loved one, and looking stupid in front of other people.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” It is an incredibly succinct statement that speaks to the power of internal drive, motivation, and the inevitable outcomes of both.

Throughout my life, I have seen that the people most driven to succeed are often the ones who do so. Success is not something that comes accidentally. It is hard-won, and the hardest battle you have to fight is the one with yourself. If you do not believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to? I approach both my career and my personal life with unflappable confidence in myself, first and foremost.

March 2021 marks a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic upended our world. For twelve months now, infection and death rates have dominated the news, anxiety has influenced our social interactions, and both our work and social lives have suffered immeasurably. At the beginning of the crisis, leadership was all about agility. The businesses that survived were the ones that could make quick and decisive changes. At the time, we thought we were implementing solutions that would last for a few weeks...months at the most. But now that a year has passed, it is time to examine the long-term impact of the pandemic.

I recently announced the sale of Byte, a direct-to-consumer dental aligner company that I co-founded with a business partner in 2017. This has been a tremendous personal and professional win. As I reflect on the journey (and celebrate the outcome), I realize that Byte was different from my previous ventures in several key ways. When I began Byte I knew it had incredible potential, but never anticipated the explosive success that we have enjoyed. As I pondered why that was, I realized that I have been unconsciously incorporating hard-won lessons in entrepreneurship in ways that poised Byte for success from the very beginning.

A few weeks ago I accomplished something that I never thought possible, even in my wildest dreams. I sold a company for more than a billion dollars. I founded the company in question, Byte, just a few years ago. As a career entrepreneur I had founded and sold businesses before, but I had never experienced such incredible growth in such a short amount of time. I learned a lot throughout the process, but as the dust settles post-sale I find myself reflecting on one significant truth that I did not expect to uncover...a truth about happiness.

The COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to be going anywhere fast. Our city has shut down, initiated an open, suffered a spike, and partially closed again. Amidst the constantly changing rules, regulations, and public opinion on the matter, one thing has become abundantly clear; business owners must quickly learn to balance the health and wellness of their employees with their goals and missions as a business.

I have been starting and operating businesses for about two decades now. I am experienced, so believe me when I tell you that the current confluence of a global pandemic, the upcoming election, and the dramatic shift in public perception is….complicated. The solutions people are calling for are not going to be simple to achieve.

Fred Rogers (of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood fame) once shared this pearl of wisdom with his fans:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”