Growing Alison + Aubrey into the business I want has taught me many things. But if I had to name one of the most impactful decision I have made since stepping into entrepreneurship, it would be this: deliberately seeking out the people who have already walked the path I am on.
People who have already figured it out.
“You cannot see around corners you have never turned. But someone who has been there can.”
The honest reality of building something new
When I acquired Alison + Aubrey, I came with 20+ years of corporate experience behind me. I knew how to work hard, how to show up, how to deliver. What I did not know was how to build a brand, grow an audience, source products, manage creators, or navigate the world of e-commerce.
I could have figured it all out by trial and error. And I have done some of that too. But the moments where I have moved fastest and with the most clarity have always been when I was in conversation with someone who had already done what I was trying to do.
What seeking the right people has looked like for me
It has not always been formal. Sometimes it looks like:
• Joining a mastermind where the room is full of people building at a level ahead of mine
• Reaching out personally to a founder whose journey I admire with one specific, genuine question
• Showing up consistently in communities where the right people are already present
• Reading the books written by people who have built what I am building — She Means Business, 10x Is Easier Than 2x, Draw the Circle
• Listening to podcasts hosted by or featuring women who have already navigated the chapter I am in
Every one of these has returned something I could not have generated on my own: perspective from someone who has already been where I am standing.
“The fastest way to shorten your learning curve is to get near someone who has already climbed it.”
What it takes to actually do this
I will not pretend it always feels comfortable. There is a version of me that once believed her goals were not yet significant enough to warrant the time of someone further along. That version was wrong.
What I have found, almost without exception, is that people who have built something meaningful are generous with what they know. They remember what it was like to be starting out. They want to give back. They are simply waiting for someone who shows up genuinely, prepares properly, and actually does something with what they share.
So if you are building something — a jewelry business, any business, any version of a life that matters to you — let me ask you the question that changed things for me:
Who has already become who you are trying to become? And are you in relationship with them?
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