Why You Shouldn't Be Embarrassed to Ask for Directions...
- R.E.A.C.H. Team
- Oct 28
- 2 min read
There’s a big difference between looking good and being good.
For about the first three or four years after launching REACH, everything seemed to be looking real good. My team and I were touring the country pretty consistently. We even landed a few gigs outside of the U.S. We were riding the wave of heat and momentum that came from my time with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fellowship, the work with MEE Productions, and my continued partnership with Youth to Youth.
But after about four years, that heat started to cool off. I knew how to make things look good. Everything looked and felt great on the outside, but I never stopped to make sure things were actually good on the inside.
For example, the first time I went to file my business taxes, it was early April. I called my accountant who had always done my personal taxes and told him I needed to file for my business too. He said, “Well, your business taxes were supposed to be filed a month ago.” I had no idea.
I was passionate about the work, but when it came to the nuts and bolts of running a business, I was seriously lacking. I call it being high on passion and low on process.
Because of my pride and ego, I never asked for help from the people around me who had the wisdom and experience that could have made all the difference. On stage and on social media, everything looked great. So in my mind, we were doing fine. But I could not have been more wrong.
Within about five years of starting my company, I had to file for bankruptcy.
Sometimes I wonder what might have been different if I had done the necessary maintenance before things got too bad instead of trying to manage the fallout after.
It’s a reminder that prevention is almost always less painful, less time-consuming, and less costly than treatment and recovery. The sooner you start working on something, the better off you’ll be. And all I really had to do was ask for help. Once I did start admitting I didn't know what I was doing, the support and guidance I needed was there.
It's so true what they say, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I'm so thankful for all the people who helped me get through the toughest times and get my company back on track.
It was a hard lesson to learn and a struggle to live through, but it’s an experience I still work at with intention and care. It’s definitely worth the effort, because just like everything else that hasn’t come easy in my life, the work has been worth it.
Check out this free resource called the Travel Companion Handbook. We don't believe there is any such thing as a self-made person so we created a guide for Mentors and Mentees to use on their journey.
And here's a real short video about the importance of asking for directions. As always, if you like this, please share it with other people you care about.
