Weekly Connections w/ Lynn Marshall. January 18, 2026
- Weekly Connections
Success is often sold as the reward at the end of the day. Yet, for small business owners, reaching goals can be just as challenging as the daily struggle to get there. The pressure does not disappear when things start working; it changes shape. Expectations rise, customers demand more consistency, and your team looks to you for clarity and confidence.
With success, every decision carries more weight. A bad hire, a bad decision, a sloppy process, or a rushed partnership can undo months or years of progress. Growth forces you to upgrade your ideas, your processes, your communication, and your leadership style. You move from “doing the work” to building the structure that supports the work, and that shift is not always comfortable.
Success can also create a silent threat: burnout in disguise. When the numbers look good and the phones keep ringing, it is easy to ignore your health, your boundaries, or the people and activities that keep you grounded. The challenge is not just to succeed once, but to build a version of success you can actually live with every day. Sustainable success means protecting your time, staying rooted in your values, and never forgetting why you started in the first place, so the business serves you. Always remember the butt kicks. It is the only way leadership grows. We learn our future by remembering our past.
This blog, about small businesses, is from Jim Vogel, Small Business Ambassador, Cornelius, NC.
Chair, Lake Norman Small Business Network
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