3 Essential Lessons I Learned Growing a Business

Growing a Business

My journey with Jelly Wax has been filled with incredible highs and some truly tough lows.

Through the wins and the setbacks, I’ve gained key insights into what it really takes to build a lasting business.

These are the three most valuable lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Master Your Finances

One of the first and most vital lessons I learned is the importance of deeply understanding your finances. Speak with a CPA, build a solid relationship with your tax expert, and educate yourself on how money works in your business.

Make sure you understand cash flow, bookkeeping, and the importance of tracking everything—your income, your spending, and maintaining separate business accounts.

You don’t need to become a financial pro, but having a grasp on how your money moves is essential for success.

I ignored this advice early on, even though I heard it from many people. When your business grows quickly—as it can with the power of e-commerce and platforms like TikTok—having a strong financial foundation becomes even more crucial.

A single viral video can generate a huge influx of cash. But if you're not prepared to manage it, you could end up overwhelmed.

At the very least, track your numbers. Keeping an eye on your income and expenses will help you avoid unnecessary stress later.

Surround Yourself with the Right People

The people around you play a huge role in your business journey.

A big part of Jelly Wax’s success has come from how my personal values evolved. The values I started with are completely different from the ones I hold now.

Learning your values takes time—it’s not something that happens overnight, especially if you're starting out young like I did.

Understanding your own strengths and limits is key. That awareness helps you identify what kind of people and skills you need to bring into your circle.

Early on, I didn’t always choose the right collaborators, and that slowed my progress. If I had been more thoughtful about who I brought into the business, I could have sidestepped a lot of avoidable issues.

Working with people who align with your values and complement your skills can be the difference between constant struggle and true momentum.

Balance Passion with Practicality

This lesson might go against what some people say. You’ll hear one side tell you to analyze your industry, market value, and data before making a move.

Yes, that matters. For example, the market size for waxing products is wildly different from something niche like frog-themed jewelry. But the most important thing? Follow your passion.

That said, passion alone isn’t enough. You need to weigh it against the numbers to see if your idea has real potential.

Why is passion still so important? Because a huge part of what sets your business apart is you.

With Jelly Wax, we have strong products. But if I’m not able to speak about them with genuine excitement, we’re just another waxing brand in a sea of others.

Things changed when I started showing up authentically and leading with what I cared about. Believe it or not, I became passionate about body hair.

I didn’t start that way. In fact, I hated body hair when I launched. But over time, I saw how unfair it was that I was taught to hate something completely natural.

That realization hit hard—it connected my personal growth with my business. I realized this issue was rooted in how society makes women feel ashamed of their natural bodies.

That connection between passion and values completely reshaped how I approached the brand.

Conclusion

A strong product and a clear value proposition are essential, but how you communicate that matters just as much.

The best way to connect with people is by building something you're truly passionate about.

I love entrepreneurship. I love sharing my values. And I love helping others feel good about being themselves. Those passions now touch every aspect of what we do at Jelly Wax, helping us stand out in a noisy market.

When you understand your finances, build the right team, and align passion with practical thinking, you set your business up for meaningful, sustainable growth.

These three lessons have reshaped how I do business—and they’ve been key in turning Jelly Wax into something that aligns with both my heart and my vision.

Learn more at https://hannahmelody.com/