Show Notes

What if your biggest goal isn’t actually the hard part?

What if the hardest part is staying exactly where you are?

That was the breakthrough Dielle McMillan had while sitting in a facial room during a trip to Costa Rica. As she reflected on building a $10 million company, growing a family, adapting to AI, and navigating the next season of entrepreneurship, one thought changed everything:

Your future is easy. Staying the same is hard.

In this deeply personal episode of For the 23%, Dielle shares the mindset breakthroughs that are reshaping how she thinks about growth, success, and building wealth as a woman of color entrepreneur. These lessons aren’t just about reaching $10 million—they’re about becoming the person capable of creating any extraordinary goal.

Your Goal Isn’t the Hard Part

When entrepreneurs think about ambitious goals, they often imagine the destination as overwhelming.

More responsibility.

More visibility.

More pressure.

More expectations.

But Dielle realized something unexpected:

The future version of herself wasn’t the difficult part.

The difficult part was continuing to live inside an identity she had already outgrown.

Every excuse.

Every delay.

Every moment spent wishing instead of acting.

That’s what felt heavy.

Growth wasn’t creating the resistance.

Staying the same was.

Stop Treating Success Like Something to Fear

As entrepreneurs grow, new fears often replace old ones.

Early in business, the fear might be paying the bills.

Later, it becomes visibility.

Criticism.

Public scrutiny.

For women of color, those fears can feel especially real.

Dielle reflects on watching other highly successful Black women receive criticism that has nothing to do with their accomplishments and everything to do with prejudice.

Rather than pretending those realities don’t exist, she asks a different question:

What if helping thousands of people is still easier than staying small?

That single shift reframes success from something dangerous into something worth pursuing.

You’ve Already Been Told What to Do

One of the strongest messages in the episode is this:

Stop saying, “I don’t know.”

Because in many cases…

You do.

Or someone has already told you.

Through:

• Your coach
• A training
• A mastermind
• A book
• A course
• A conversation

The strategy often isn’t missing.

Execution is.

When Dielle looked at her own business, she realized she’d already been told to:

• Build a funnel.
• Invest in short-form video.
• Strengthen her marketing systems.
• Incorporate AI into her business.

The information wasn’t absent.

The action was.

That realization shifted the conversation from “I don’t know” to “What’s stopping me from doing what I already know?”

Do It With the Obstacle

Many entrepreneurs spend years waiting for life to become easier.

Waiting until:

• The kids are older.
• They leave their job.
• They have more time.
• Their health improves.
• Their audience grows.

Dielle challenges that mindset with one powerful principle:

Do it with the obstacle.

She built:

• Six figures while working a full-time job.
• A million-dollar business with a small audience.
• Seven figures while living with chronic pain.

Now she’s preparing to pursue a $10 million business while building a family.

The obstacle isn’t evidence that you should stop.

It’s part of the story you’re building.

Your Challenges Become Your Greatest Strength

Looking back, every obstacle strengthened a different skill.

A small audience taught stronger sales.

A demanding job taught better time management.

Health challenges built resilience.

None of those experiences made success impossible.

They made her a stronger entrepreneur.

Sometimes the obstacle you’re trying to eliminate is actually preparing you for the next level.

Your Story Is Built Through the Hard Parts

One of the most refreshing moments in the episode is Dielle’s reminder that powerful stories aren’t manufactured.

They’re lived.

When people hear her say she went from being a social worker earning $2,500 a month to building a seven-figure business, it isn’t a clever marketing line.

It’s her real life.

Every entrepreneur wants a compelling story.

But compelling stories come from moving through difficult seasons—not avoiding them.

Your struggle isn’t separate from your business.

It’s helping shape the leader you’re becoming.

Final Takeaway: The Future Version of You Is Waiting

The entrepreneur you’re trying to become isn’t trapped behind impossible barriers.

They’re waiting for you to stop arguing with the life you’ve already outgrown.

You don’t need perfect timing.

You don’t need every obstacle removed.

You don’t need another strategy.

You need to trust that you’ve already learned enough to take the next step.

Because your future isn’t what’s difficult.

Living beneath your potential is.

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