How To Set Yourself Apart

September 27, 2025

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From Small Wins to Big Success

What does it mean to be first in the world of business?

You may be:

The first in your family to take a risk.

The first to leave the 9–5.

The first to say, “I want more than security. I want meaning, I want freedom, I want impact.” It’s scary. It’s unpredictable. Yet it’s one of the bravest things you can do.

Do you know how brave that is? I always talk about the 1% vs. everyone else: 1% of people are the people who become multi-millionaires. 1% of people are the people who change the world.

99% of the world is just, normal. Totally cool to be “normal” too, but what type of life do you want to lead?

My journey looked like this:

Started my fashion blog when I was 12, moved out to NYC with 9 suitcases and $0 at 16 (I know, crazy)

Went from NYC to Boston, when I cold pitched Disney and landed Fearless Everyday on Radio Disney

Picked up my life and moved to LA, knowing no one

Left LA and went to Austin to build Be Fearless Summit, which eventually led to me moving to London and starting the #1 customizable microphone cover company

What Being First Means

  1. No blueprint
    There’s no manual for building your own business when no one around you has done it. You’re inventing parts of the road as you go. That can feel super chaotic, because you are learning what works and what doesn’t through experience. Everything is trial and error. But it also means you get to decide what the road looks like. What feels ethical. What feels fulfilling. What success really means.

  2. Security vs. Potential - do you even want to work a 9-5?
    A 9-5 gives you predictability: you know how much you’ll earn, you know when you’ll clock in. Entrepreneurship can be messy. The income shifts. You don’t always know what’s next, you don’t know when your product will finally take off, but with that uncertainty comes possibility. The possibility for exponential growth, for impact, for designing a life that fits you, not someone else’s expectations.

  3. Fear is part of the deal
    It doesn’t go away. At times, I still get nervous when I pitch something, when I decide to scale, when I write something deeply personal. However, fear doesn’t mean you stop. Being first means getting up again even when the fear is loudest. That’s why I am so passionate about being “fearless”. Being brave does not mean you’re never scared. It means you push through, even when the fear is there.

  4. You’re creating something new for others too
    Every time one of us steps into uncharted territory, it makes it easier for those who come after. Your journey becomes a light. Your steps create a walkway through the unknown. You become proof that there are different paths and you set the new norm for generations to come. Besides the fact that your steps now become a path for someone else, you never know how your work will inspire others. Your passion and what you create is a work of art in a way, and maybe your art is needed to trigger a new thought within another person; a thought that can then create another piece of art that inspires others. It’s all a chain reaction.

How to Push Through & Build Something That Lasts

Being the first doesn’t just take vision. It takes tools, consistent habits, and mindset shifts. Here are some tips that can help you stay grounded, help you keep going, and build something that actually creates success.

Let Failure Be Your Teacher, Not Your Identity


Not everything will work, and that’s a part of the deal. Remember, there is no blueprint, so the things that do not work can simply be used as guidance. Something didn’t go the way you expected? That is okay because you would have never learned that lesson if you did not experience that “fail”. It is a new piece of equipment within your tool-box; an extra piece of knowledge you now hold. The key is to not let the failure define you, but to let it direct you towards what works and what doesn’t. Failure is a compass.

Make Peace with Being Misunderstood


Not everyone will get what you’re doing, and that’s okay, it is not their vision. Some may think you are “taking the easy way out”, that you’re “not working a real job”, but you know the truth and you know all the work that goes into your craft. Many will not understand until you come out on the other end successful, so you must find peace along your journey before you get the “big win”.

Remember Your “Why”


When things get rough, remember why you started. Who are you doing this for? What was the point? What is the end goal? Because it was clearly important enough for you to start. So now finish it, and finish it with grace. Let that be your motivator. Let your purpose speak louder than anything else.

Quote of the day: one that I love! Make this your screensaver!!

I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.

Steve Jobs

Stay fearless or die trying,

-Alexa

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