Patience in Business: The One Skill You Can’t Skip (Even If You Want To)

Let’s be honest, who actually enjoys being patient? Not me. Not you. And definitely not the version of me who started my business thinking success would come way faster than it did. If there’s one thing I’ve had to learn the hard way (and keep re-learning because, well, I’m stubborn), it’s that patience isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s the thing that determines whether you burn out or build something that actually lasts.

Now, if you’re anything like me, patience might not come naturally. I want results, like, yesterday. But if you’re running a business while juggling life, kids, chronic illness, or just the sheer will to not throw your laptop out the window, waiting for things to pay off can feel like torture.

But Patience is a business strategy. It’s not passive waiting. It’s the thing that keeps you in the game long enough to actually win. So let’s talk about why it’s so damn important and, more importantly, how to get better at it.

My Personal Struggles with Patience (AKA, How I Learned the Hard Way)

I wish I could sit here and tell you I was born with the patience of a saint. But I can’t, because that would be a lie, and I don’t do those.

When I started my business, I had this completely unrealistic timeline in my head. You know the kind—the ‘six months to six figures’ nonsense that social media tries to sell us? Yeah. I bought into that. I thought if I just worked hard enough, posted enough, networked enough, success would just happen.

Spoiler: It didn’t.

I was, and I am, running a business while raising small children, dealing with a chronic illness, and starting from an audience of exactly zero. No fancy team, no instant credibility—just a lot of trial, error, and waiting. And let me tell you, some days, I hated it. I kept thinking, Why isn’t this happening faster? Why not me?

The worst part? My impatience was actually slowing me down. I’d jump from one strategy to another before giving anything time to work. I’d second-guess myself constantly. And I’d burn myself out trying to force progress that just wasn’t ready yet. Sound familiar?

Why Patience Is Actually a Business Strategy

Nobody talks about patience because, frankly, it’s not sexy. We want the hustle story, the dramatic breakthrough, the ‘one thing’ that changes everything. But the reality? Sustainable success is built through patience.

Here’s why:

1. Compounding Growth Is Real

Business isn’t instant gratification. Most big wins come from small, consistent actions over time. It’s like planting seeds, you water them, give them sunlight, and then resist the urge to dig them up every five minutes to check if they’re growing. They will grow, in time, with patience.

2. Switching Strategies Too Soon Kills Momentum

Every time you start over, you lose progress. And yet, so many business owners change direction too soon just because they’re not seeing instant results. Sometimes, the thing you’re doing is working, it is exactly what you should be doing, you just haven’t given it enough time to show up yet.

3. Patience Protects Your Energy

Impatience is exhausting. If you’re constantly frustrated by ‘not being there yet,’ you’ll burn yourself out before you even get close. A sustainable business is built by someone who has the energy to keep showing up, not by someone who’s running on fumes.

4. Your Audience Needs Time to Trust You

People don’t buy from businesses they just discovered. They buy from businesses they’ve watched show up consistently over time. If you quit too soon, you never give them the chance to see you as someone they can rely on.

How to Build Your Patience Muscle (Because Yes, You Can Get Better at This)

So now that we know patience is crucial, let’s talk about how to actually develop it. Because trust me, if I can learn this, so can you.

1. Detach from Artificial Timelines

Stop putting yourself on some arbitrary success schedule. Growth takes time. The goal isn’t to hit a specific milestone by a certain date—it’s to build something that lasts.

2. Focus on Process, Not Just Outcomes

If you’re only chasing the end result, you’re going to feel like a failure every single day that you’re not there yet. Instead, focus on the daily habits that move you forward. The work is the win.

3. Track Small Wins

Half the time, we don’t feel like we’re making progress because we’re looking for big breakthroughs. But success is in the details. Keep a running list of small wins - client feedback, an engaged comment, a tiny increase in sales. It all adds up.

4. Play the Long Game

Business isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon, a mountain climb, a long-ass road trip where you will feel lost sometimes. Expect that. If you go into this knowing it’ll take time, you won’t panic when it does.

5. Learn to Sit with the ‘Not-Yet’

The space between where you are and where you want to be is uncomfortable. But that’s where growth happens. If you can sit in that space without giving up, you’re already ahead of most people.

The Biggest Mindset Shift: Trust the Process

Patience isn’t about waiting—it’s about trusting the process.

Think of it like this: If you were training for a marathon, you wouldn’t expect to go from the couch to running 26 miles overnight. You’d follow a plan. You’d build up endurance. You’d trust that every training session, even the slow ones, is getting you closer to your goal.

Business is the same. The daily work you’re putting in isn’t wasted. It’s building momentum. Even when you can’t see the progress yet, it’s happening.

Final Thoughts: Stay in the Game

If you’re staring at your business right now thinking, Why isn’t this happening faster?!—take a breath. You’re not behind. You’re not failing. You’re just in the messy middle, and that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Keep showing up. Keep planting the seeds. The people who ‘make it’ aren’t the ones who never struggled. They’re the ones who stuck around long enough to see their efforts pay off.

And if you need a little help staying the course, check out my 21-Day Strategy Sprint—it’s designed to help you build a solid business foundation that actually lasts, with small intentional but powerful steps. Because patience and strategy? That’s the real winning combo.

Alright, go forth, be patient, and keep building something amazing. You’ve got this.