Startup Confessions: Self-Doubt, Small Wins & Sweet Resilience

This week, I had a moment. You know the kind—where you glance back at the mountain you’ve been climbing and realize, despite the exhaustion, you’re actually moving. Forward. Fiercely.

I got the email. I made it through to the next stage in not one, but two USA startup competitions—Naturally Rising and another top-tier pitch opportunity. These are the types of wins that drop like honey into your cup right when you’re about to run on empty.

Truth is, I’ve had more conversations with self-doubt than I care to admit lately. The startup grind is real—and the bootstrapping? Even more so. There’s no VC fairy godmother waving cheques over here. Just grit, fire, and my refusal to let plastic—or anyone else—define my brand.

But this week, a few powerful moments shifted my energy:

• I sold my first real jars through my brand-new website. No fluff. Just actual, sticky-fingered, “I need more of this” kind of feedback.
• And yes, getting through to the next round in two major USA competitions is giving me the kind of validation money can’t buy.

Of course, it hasn’t all been sweet.

The lowlights?

The usual suspects:

People swirling around, dangling “commission deals” and pretending to be strategic when they’re really just shopping my roller deck.

Newsflash: if I wanted to hand out contacts for free, I’d start a directory.

It’s funny—years ago I got called “flakey.”

Now those same people are still circling, watching, waiting.

But baby, I’m not flaking—I’m blooming.

And I’m not here to play small anymore.

So to everyone feeling stuck in the trenches of self-doubt, tired of being underestimated, and building with bare hands and bold hearts—hear this:

Repeat after me… I. AM. HOT. HONEY.

And I’m just getting started.