Most advice comes from people who’ve only done one thing. I’ve built award-winning media, launched a 7-figure apparel brand, scaled a global car platform, and helped founders solve problems. Here are 6 business lessons I’d bet on again:

The most dangerous phase in business is “fine.” Revenue is steady. The team is functioning. Nothing is on fire. It sounds good. But is it? In my experience, this is where founders start delaying decisions because they're afraid it will "mess everything up." Unfortunately,

With the New Year here and a few new faces around, a quick reintroduction feels right. To anyone just joining me, I'm Andy Safnauer. I’ve spent the last 30 years building, scaling, and sometimes shutting down businesses across industries. From e-commerce to automotive. At

I found someone who has never been to the dmv.

I've never followed the “grow at all costs” script. I’ve built businesses in very different ways. One stayed intentionally small for 20 years. Another scaled to seven figures and competed with PE-backed brands. Different outcomes, same principle. Growth is a choice. But so

Govt/teenager : It’s cold in here. You need to turn up the heat. Me: Why don’t we just close the windows and doors? Govt/teenager: (rolls eyes) capitalism is bad.

There’s a specific kind of "stuck" I see in founders. Tell me if this sounds familiar. You already know the right answer. You just can’t get yourself to make the call. So you: - Revisit the same conversation - Ask for more data - Delay one more week - Tell yourself you’re

After 30+ years, the impact of my work shows up in two ways. First, the immediate unlock. Founders finally make the decision they’ve been avoiding for months. The moment they choose, momentum comes rushing back in. It's a breathe of fresh air in the business. Second, the

Play your own game. Make your own scoreboard. Social media loves the Bali laptops and Ferrari driveways. Good for them. But that doesn’t have to be your definition of success. I ran a creative studio for 20 years. Six figures. No VC. No massive team. By someone else’s

I am 100% terrible at days off when I have nothing scheduled. Need to improve on my ability to just do nothing. Or build a heated barn to work on some cars.

Warren Zevon is criminally underrated.

My daughters (18 and 22) went to JC Penney and did a photo shoot as our present. Amazing. ESP the one where one is holding the others legs like a wheelbarrow. Cherished memories will be hard to top next year…

We adopted a shelter dog two weeks ago. She’s a year and a half. She got adopted once and returned after 6 months. I’m not sure what kind of Christmas she had last year but she’s made ours way more fun. I feel like she can read bc she finds toys with ‘indestructible’ on

Most of the year, the world feels loud. We're in constant motion. Christmas is that reminder to slow down and reset. Let your ideas breathe. Merry Christmas to everyone! Wishing you all a relaxing day.

The only valid version of Baby It’s Cold Outside is Dean Martin bc of the authenticity. You know he’d totally spike a woman’s drink.

Just talked to a founder who asked what I thought of the economy. Luckily, from what I'm seeing, it’s not a 2008 moment. But it is a “wait for the other shoe to drop” moment. Founders I talk to feel cautious, but not panicked. We’re grinding through a flat spot. The real

I’m seeing a new trend. Leaders using AI as an excuse to avoid making decisions. “AI told us to do it.” No, you told yourself that so you wouldn’t have to own the choice. AI can assist you. It can’t replace your judgment.

In a world obsessed with scale, don’t forget this: You get to optimize for the life you actually want to live. Somewhere along the way, entrepreneurship turned into a race. More revenue. Bigger teams. Faster growth. But none of that says anything about the life behind it.

The entire industry pushes specialization as the holy grail. So naturally, I did the opposite. The gurus say “pick a niche.” I went wide instead. - Creative services - Media production - E-commerce apparel - Automotive wholesale - Youth sports franchises Most people see that

Sometimes your biggest breakthrough comes disguised as a dead end. Mine did. A friend had called after exiting a tech company. He wanted to build an exotic-vehicle wholesale platform from scratch. And he asked me to lead it. New industry. New problems. Zero overlap with

Moment of reckoning for founders: Are you waiting for more information to make a decision? Or are you avoiding taking ownership of that decision? If you're stuck in limbo, I'm giving free advice on The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, dropping Dec. 20.