In junior high, I discovered my first taste of entrepreneurship.

In junior high, I discovered my first taste of entrepreneurship.

A neighbor lawn-cutting service.

My equipment?

Our family’s riding lawn mower and dot matrix printer to churn out marketing flyers.

With nervous excitement, I distributed those flyers door-to-door.

The phone didn’t take long to start ringing.

Neighbors needed their lawns serviced.

I was thrilled to oblige.

Initially, it was just a few yards.

But soon, I was mowing lawns up and down the block.

It was exhilarating but also eye-opening.

There were only so many lawns in my immediate vicinity.

I quickly reached the limits of my small, local market.

I had to think bigger.

Scaling up was the next step.

But, I faced my first business dilemma.

I couldn’t ride our lawnmower miles away to other neighborhoods.

Time for a family discussion.

My parents agreed to help purchase a hitch for their car and a trailer.

My mom and dad saw it as an investment in the business and me.

Taking that plunge felt like jumping off a high dive, but it paid off.

I distributed flyers in nearby neighborhoods, broadening my reach.

My little lawn service became not-so-little.

The lessons learned were monumental.

Today, I’m running a business development and growth consulting firm.

Like my 12-year-old self, I recognize signs of market saturation.

It’s time to expand.

It might not be lawns anymore, but the lesson remains the same.

The principles of growth and expansion are universal.

Consider it a clarion call if you or your business has reached a plateau.

Look beyond your immediate environment.

Strategic expansion can be intimidating.

But it’s also a necessary step for long-term success.

Don’t fear to reach beyond your current limits.

That’s often where your next breakthrough lies.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.