What was your biggest surprise when starting your business?

Oh wow, my biggest surprise was the power of community. I initially focused so much on online ads and other paid media that I underestimated how powerful organic growth could be. Engaging with the community not through just selling but actually helping, created more loyal customers than any ad spend could.

I was shocked by the amount of paperwork involved in starting a business - felt like I was drowning in a sea of forms! It made me appreciate automation tools like Zapier even more to streamline processes and save my sanity.