Podcast Summary: Strategy Hour | Online Marketing for Business Growth

Episode 986: “10 Lessons from 10 Years in Business Every Entrepreneur Should Hear”
Host: Abagail Pumphrey, CEO of Boss Project
Date: September 4, 2025

Episode Overview

Celebrating a decade since launching Boss Project, Abagail Pumphrey reflects on her entrepreneurial journey by sharing ten profound lessons learned over ten years in online business. The episode is a mix of practical business guidance, candid personal anecdotes, and wisdom on cultivating resilience, self-awareness, and meaningful relationships. Tailored for entrepreneurs, service providers, and online business owners, these lessons are designed to spark self-belief, focus on strengths, and normalize the messy realities of building a sustainable business.

Key Lessons and Discussion Points

1. You Can Do More Than You Believe Possible

• “You are actually capable of doing far more than you set out to do in the beginning. Let that sink in.” (05:23)
• Abagail encourages listeners to dream bigger and recognize that their initial aspirations often underestimate their lifetime capacity.
• Example: Reviewing her own team’s achievements (12 programs, 95 templates, switched to a 4-day work week), she reflects on how, 10 years ago, this was unimaginable.
• “You’re not going to have it all figured out today, but you can put yourself on a trajectory for greatness.” (07:00)

2. There’s No ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’ – Just Decisions

• “There is no such thing as a right decision and a wrong decision. Especially in business. They're all just decisions.” (00:03; 09:38)
• Weighing heavily on her personal experience with infertility and business pivots, Abagail unpacks how pressure to make the “right” choice is often an illusion.
• She shares a transformative moment: “God has many plans for you... This isn’t a right or wrong decision. This is a decision.” (12:49)
• Lesson: Most business decisions are reversible; speed and adaptability matter more than perfection.

3. Take Advice with a Grain of Salt

• “People are going to offer you advice even if you do not ask for it... At the end of the day, nobody has your life. Only you do.” (17:51)
• Abagail advises to filter feedback based on whether the source lives a life you aspire to, recognizing the inherent bias in others’ guidance.
• Pays tribute to both wonderful and harmful business coaches in her past.

4. Your Gifts Usually Feel Effortless — Don’t Undervalue Them

• “Your gifts are the things that often feel the most effortless. And it's incredibly easy to undervalue them when they come so naturally.” (21:38)
• Many ignore their core talents because those things feel “too easy” compared to what they perceive as worthy, hard work.
• Encourages listeners to build businesses around what comes naturally instead of what feels forced or constantly challenging.

5. Sharpen Strengths Instead of Obsessing Over Weaknesses

• “Focus on sharpening your strengths instead of improving your weaknesses.” (23:27)
• Abagail shares an exercise from a leadership class using StrengthFinder and a powerful metaphor: writing with your non-dominant vs. dominant hand.
• “All I could see was my flaws... But when we switched, I was competitive, I was excited, I enjoyed the process.” (25:27)
• She emphasizes how leaning into your strengths unlocks ease, joy, and excellence in business, while fixating on weaknesses only breeds frustration.

6. There Are Only Two Ways to Fail: Run Out of Cash or Give Up

• “There's really only two ways a business can fail. Only two: You either run out of cash, or you give up.” (28:30)
• Endurance and resourcefulness are more important than fearing failure; even running out of cash isn’t final unless you choose to quit.
• “If you never give up, this can support you for the rest of your career.” (29:30)

7. Feedback Isn’t Always an Attack — Learn, Grow, Adapt

• “Getting feedback can feel like a personal attack. But if someone felt safe enough to share, it's up to you to determine what's simply coming from where they're at, versus an opportunity for you to slow down, to grow, to change.” (31:27)
• Cites the evolution of Boss Project from “helping women in business” to an inclusive community, prompted by a direct conversation with a non-binary audience member.
• “If it feels personal, you need to really look in the mirror.” (32:55)

8. Two Things Can Be True at Once

• “Feelings and emotions are not binary. They're not simply negative or positive. Two things can be true at once. Five things can be true at once.” (36:32)
• Discusses the complexity of emotions in business and life, illustrated by friendships that deepen through nuanced, honest conversations.
• “You are beautifully complicated, you are beautifully nuanced, and you need to allow yourself the complexity.” (40:48)

9. No One Will Celebrate You Unless You Celebrate You

• “No one will celebrate you unless you celebrate you. Do you think anyone is going to throw a party for me being in business for 10 years? Does anyone else even know the date? I'm not sure my own spouse knows the date.” (42:19)
• Reflects on cultural conditioning (“don’t brag!”) and how it stifles self-acknowledgment.
• “If you're proud of yourself, if you want to inspire other people, if you hit a milestone and you are so excited — don't hold back. Don't shut up about it.” (44:03)

10. Online Business Isn’t Lonely Unless You Make It That Way

• “Working online is only as lonely as you make it. You can build real friendships regardless of where you live in the world.” (47:39)
• Encourages proactive relationship-building: “If you would stop in a grocery store if you ran into that person, why are you not stopping and commenting on the things they're sharing?” (48:30)
• Abagail shares that some of her deepest friendships formed online through intentional engagement and shared experience.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Making Decisions:
  “You have to trust your intuition. You have to make a choice, but you can always go back. There are very few permanent decisions...” (14:23)
• On Taking Advice:
  “You should only take advice from the kind of people that are living the life you want to be living.” (18:23)
• On Leaning Into Strengths:
  “When you use your strengths, you're powerful. But when you're focused on improving your weaknesses, all it's doing is making you feel sorry for yourself.” (25:18)
• On Self-Celebration:
  “No one is going to know unless you say it. So say it loudly. Say it with all the enthusiasm that you feel.” (46:52)
• On Online Friendships:
  “Many of my online friends are closer, know more about me and how I really think and feel, are more supportive... It doesn’t have to be lonely.” (49:35)

Timestamps for Key Lessons

• Intro & Overview: 00:00 – 04:20
• Lesson 1: 05:23 – 07:45
• Lesson 2: 09:38 – 16:50
• Lesson 3: 17:51 – 21:22
• Lesson 4: 21:38 – 22:40
• Lesson 5: 23:27 – 28:00
• Lesson 6: 28:24 – 31:20
• Lesson 7: 31:27 – 36:00
• Lesson 8: 36:32 – 42:15
• Lesson 9: 42:19 – 46:52
• Lesson 10: 47:39 – 51:30
• Closing & Community Invitation: 51:30 – 54:15

Tone & Final Thoughts

Abagail maintains a blend of encouraging, candid, and gently challenging tones throughout the episode. She’s relatable, occasionally vulnerable, and always practical. The “10 Lessons from 10 Years” are not just tactical; they’re deeply personal, intended to help listeners see both the possibility and messiness of entrepreneurship as normal and navigable.

“Here’s to 10 powerful, life-changing lessons. I hope you’ve enjoyed and thank you so much for being part of this community. Your love, your support, your feedback, the way you’ve helped me grow — I wouldn’t be here without you.” (53:40)