Michelle's Entrepreneurial Journal

Entrepreneurship has never felt abstract to me. It has always felt known and safe. I grew up watching my dad build companies from the ground up, pivot when things didn’t work, sell, start again, and carry the weight of responsibility. Business was never separate from our family life; it was woven into it. I was involved from a young age, sitting in meetings, hearing conversations about growth and risk, learning that opportunity often hides inside problems. Because of that, owning a business has never felt like a distant dream. It feels like a natural extension of who I am.

At the same time, growing up inside that world has shown me both its beauty and its cost. I have seen the late nights and the constant mental engagement, the way an entrepreneur rarely fully “clocks out.” Drive can be powerful, but it can also expand endlessly if left unchecked. This week made me think less about whether I want to build something and more about how I want to build it. There is a difference between ambition that is intentional and ambition that quietly consumes everything around it.

One idea that resonated deeply with me is the long view. It is easy to think in terms of the next milestone, the next launch, the next financial benchmark. But when I zoom out and consider the next twenty or thirty years, the equation changes. Compounding effort over decades in one meaningful direction creates depth that short bursts of intensity never could. I do not want to build simply for the exit or the quick win. I want to build something I can grow with, something that matures as I do.

At the same time, I want to be a mom. Not as an afterthought or a secondary identity, but fully and intentionally. I do not see business and motherhood as competing dreams, but I know they will require boundaries and clarity. Time does not expand when responsibilities increase; priorities simply become more visible. Certain things can flex, and there are certain things that cannot. Faith, family, and integrity are not areas I am willing to compromise to protect ego or even career momentum.

Watching my dad taught me that work can be meaningful and that providing is powerful. This week reminded me that legacy is measured differently from success. A thousand years from now, no one will care what valuation a company reached. What will matter is the character formed, the relationships strengthened, and the impact sustained over time.

I am looking forward to learning how to design a life where ambition is disciplined rather than reckless, where building a company strengthens my family instead of competing with it. I do not want to choose between constructing a business and constructing a home. I want to build both slowly, deliberately, and with the kind of loyalty that lasts.