In This Article
- Why the biggest thing holding most entrepreneurs back is something a 6-year-old has already figured out
- What it means to be a “figureoutable” and why it changes everything
- 4 lessons from my son Kasey that apply directly to building your business
- The mistakes we make as adults that kids don’t (and how to unlearn them)
- Simple practices to reconnect with the mindset that makes success inevitable
Introduction
How often do you stop yourself from trying something because you’re afraid of getting it wrong? How often do you give up on something because it got hard? How often do you forget to dream, really dream, about what you want your life and business to look like?
My 6-year-old son Kasey doesn’t do any of those things. And in this very special episode of the She Means Business Show, he came on to share his wisdom with all of us. What came out of our conversation genuinely moved me, and I think it will move you too.
You can watch or listen to this episode of the She Means Business Show here.
The Lesson Most Entrepreneurs Have Forgotten
After working with over 40,000 women building online businesses, I can tell you that the biggest thing holding most people back isn’t a lack of strategy or resources or time… It’s that they stop figuring things out.
They hit a wall, they make a mistake, something feels hard or confusing, and they stop. They tell themselves they can’t do it. They tell themselves they’re not good enough, not smart enough, not ready enough. And then they give up before they break through.
My son Kasey has a word for the opposite of that. He calls himself a “figureoutable.” When I asked him what that means, he said: “Figureoutable is when you keep going, never stop, and eventually you’ll be able to do it.”
He’s six, and he’s already figured out the thing that most adults have forgotten!
Here’s a perfect example: We were on holiday recently and Kasey had spent ages building this Ferrari Lego set. He was so proud of it. Then I accidentally broke a piece off (sorry, Kasey), and he said, “Mummy, you don’t have to say sorry. I’m going to fix it.” Then later, while he was carrying it, he dropped it and it smashed all over the floor. He picked up every piece and rebuilt it. No drama, and no giving up.
That is the energy we need to bring to our businesses. Because every successful entrepreneur I’ve ever met has one thing in common: they didn’t stop figuring it out. They kept going through the hard parts, the confusing parts, the parts where everything felt broken on the floor. And that’s how they broke through.
4 Things My 6-Year-Old Reminded Me About Building a Business
1. Be a “figureoutable”
When something is hard, Kasey doesn’t spiral into the “I can’t do this” mindset. He leans into the challenge. He described it like building Lego: “The first pieces can be tricky, like puzzles you don’t know where to start. But you figure it out.”
This is exactly what building a business is like. You’re going to face things you don’t know how to do. You’re going to feel unsure of where to start. You’re going to make mistakes and have to rebuild things from scratch. But if you stay in “figureoutable” mode instead of “I give up” mode, you will get there.
The difference between the entrepreneurs who succeed and the ones who stay stuck is not talent. It’s persistence. It’s the willingness to keep going when it gets hard.
Action step: Next time you hit a wall in your business, before you spiral into frustration, say this to yourself: “I am a figureoutable. I don’t need to know everything right now. I just need to keep figuring it out.” Write it on a sticky note. Put it on your desk. Let it become your mantra.
2. Watch the stories you tell yourself
Kasey has affirmations on his bedroom door that his uncle made for him. “I am Kasey and I am kind. I am Kasey and I am brave. I am Kasey and I am smart. I am Kasey and I am special.” He reads them and they shape how he shows up in the world.
And then he said something that stopped me in my tracks: “Whatever you do, do not say this to yourself: you’re really stupid at learning.”
He’s right. Because the stories we tell ourselves dictate the way we think, the decisions we make, and the action we take. If you’re telling yourself “I’m not good enough to do this” or “nobody will buy from me” or “I don’t know what I’m doing,” those stories become the lens through which you see every opportunity and every challenge.
Kasey knows that if he tells himself a bad story, he’ll “just sit there being grumpy.” But if he tells himself a good story, he keeps going.
Action step: Write down the negative story you most often tell yourself about your business. Maybe it’s “I’m not techy enough” or “I’m too late” or “who am I to charge for this?” Now rewrite it. Turn it into an affirmation that feels true and empowering. “I am [your name] and I am building something amazing.” Put it somewhere you’ll see it every day.
3. Dream bigger (and use your imagination)
Kasey wants to be a rock star, a magician, a TV programme maker, and he wants to open a 3D printing shop and a juice stand. He has no concept of “that’s not realistic.” He just dreams.
And he made an observation about adults that is so spot on: “A lot of adults don’t dream. They just live their life not dreaming.”
When did we stop dreaming? When did we start being so “realistic” that we forgot to imagine what’s actually possible? I told Kasey about how when I was a teenager, I used to dream about building a house. And now we’re building that house! What you think about, what you dream up, what you allow yourself to imagine, it matters. Because those dreams become the things you work toward.
So many of us have shrunk our dreams down to what feels “safe” and “sensible.” But your imagination is one of the most powerful tools you have. As I told Kasey, your imagination is more magical than any wand would ever be.
Action step: Take 10 minutes this week to dream without limits. No “but how would I do that?” No “that’s unrealistic.” Just let yourself imagine what your business and life could look like if absolutely anything were possible. Write it all down. Pin it up. Let it pull you forward.
4. Don’t forget to play
Kasey pointed out that some adults “might be so boring they don’t play.” And while that made me laugh, it’s also true. We get so serious about business. So stressed about doing everything right. So focused on the next task that we forget to have fun with it.
When I asked Kasey his advice for when things feel hard, he said, “Party your way out.” And honestly? There’s something in that. Not literally (although a good dance break never hurt anyone), but in the sense that bringing lightness and joy back into your work changes your energy. When you enjoy what you’re building, you show up differently. You’re more creative. You’re more magnetic. You’re more resilient.
Kasey also reminded me that “grooving helps me tidy up.” In other words: making something fun makes it easier to do. There’s a real lesson in that for all of us.
Action step: Identify one thing in your business that currently feels like a chore. Now find a way to make it more enjoyable. Put on music while you write content. Do your planning in a coffee shop. Batch your admin with a friend on a video call. Bring some play back into the process and notice how it shifts your energy.
The Mistakes We Make as Adults (That Kids Don’t)
Mistake 1: Treating failure as a stop sign instead of a stepping stone
Why this is a problem: You try something, it doesn’t work, and you conclude that you’ve failed. So you stop. You go back to planning, researching, overthinking, anything to avoid the possibility of failing again.
The truth: Kasey drops his Lego and picks up the pieces. He doesn’t question whether he’s “meant” to build Lego. He just rebuilds. Failure is not a verdict on your ability. It’s information. It’s how you learn what works and what doesn’t. As Kasey put it: “It’s part of life and it’s part of learning.”
Mistake 2: Forgetting to dream
Why this is a problem: You get so caught up in the day-to-day of running your business that you stop imagining what it could become. Your vision shrinks to your to-do list. And without a big, exciting vision pulling you forward, it’s hard to stay motivated through the tough parts.
The truth: Your imagination is not a luxury. It’s a business tool. The things you dream about are the things you start working toward. Give yourself permission to think bigger than feels comfortable.
Mistake 3: Saying cruel things to yourself that you would never say to a child
Why this is a problem: You would never look at a 6-year-old struggling with something and say, “You’re stupid. You’ll never figure this out. Just give up.” But you say it to yourself constantly. And those words shape everything.
The truth: Speak to yourself the way Kasey speaks to himself. “I can do this. Just keep trying. Don’t give up.” The stories you tell yourself become the stories you live. Choose better ones.
Simple Practices to Reconnect With Your “Figureoutable” Mindset
Daily affirmations: Kasey has his on his bedroom door. Write yours and put them somewhere you’ll see them every morning. Keep them simple and personal. “I am [your name] and I am building something amazing. I figure things out. I keep going.”
An evening journal: Kasey has a journal where he circles the emotions he’s felt that day and writes down three good things. He said it “washes some things away and keeps some things there.” A simple nightly practice of reflecting on your emotions and celebrating small wins can completely shift how you feel about your progress.
A “dream without limits” practice: Regularly give yourself space to imagine big. What would your business look like if you truly believed you could build anything? Write it down. Visualise it. Let your imagination work for you.
A restart button: Kasey talked about a “special place where you can press the restart button.” When things go wrong in your business, remind yourself that you can always restart. A bad launch, a failed idea, a mistake in your copy, none of it is permanent. You just grab a new piece of paper and start again.
Play: Bring fun back into your business. Dance while you work. Be silly. Go bananas (Kasey’s words, not mine). The lighter your energy, the more creative and resilient you’ll be.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop being so afraid of making mistakes in my business?
Reframe what mistakes mean. They’re not evidence that you’re failing. They’re evidence that you’re trying. Every successful business has been built on the back of hundreds of things that didn’t work. Start treating mistakes as data, not disasters.
I’ve lost my motivation. How do I get it back?
Reconnect with your dream. Not your to-do list, your actual dream. What got you excited about this in the first place? What would your life look like if it all worked out? Sometimes we lose motivation because we’ve lost sight of the bigger picture. Give yourself space to dream again.
How do I stay persistent when everything feels hard?
Become a figure outable. Seriously. Adopt it as your identity. When something feels impossible, say, “I’m a figure outable. I’ll figure this out.” It sounds simple, but shifting from “I can’t” to “I’ll figure it out” changes the decisions you make and the action you take.
What if I feel silly doing affirmations?
If a 6-year-old can do it with total sincerity, so can you. You don’t have to stand in front of a mirror and shout them. Just write a few down and read them to yourself each morning. The words you repeat to yourself shape your beliefs, and your beliefs shape your results.
How do I bring more play into my business?
Start small. Put on a playlist while you work. Celebrate a win with a silly dance. Work from somewhere that makes you happy. Send a voice note to a business friend instead of a formal email. Play doesn’t have to be big or dramatic. It just has to remind you that this is supposed to be fun.
You Already Have Everything You Need
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this episode, it’s this… A 6-year-old understands something that many of us have forgotten: you can figure things out, you’re allowed to dream big, mistakes are just part of the journey, and the stories you tell yourself matter more than almost anything else.
You don’t need more qualifications. You don’t need to wait until you feel ready. You don’t need someone else’s permission. You just need to keep going, keep figuring it out, and keep believing in yourself. And maybe throw a little party along the way.
As Kasey would say: “I am excellent.” And so are you. 💕
