Last weekend we held our fourth annual Project Endure event and it couldn’t have gone better. We had a sold out crowd of certified crazies dancing to music that most of the world just don’t hear (if none of that made sense, see the quote at the end of this blog or watch this highlight video and then keep reading).
I wanted to take some time to reflect on a question that I get a lot: how have you built something that attracts so many good people to the same place all at once? The truthful answer is that I’m still not sure… let me explain.
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Rewind to the spring of 2021 and I was at a crossroads – I felt so called to build something unique and at the same time, so scared to leave a stable job that I didn’t hate (just didn’t love). It’s no surprise that I chose to take the leap into the world of entrepreneurship (read more here) and here in the spring of 2025 I can say with confidence that it was one of the best choices I’ve ever made. There’s a large part of me that has always felt different than other people my age (and to be honest, from most people in general). In short, leaning into what makes me different from most is what’s made Project Endure a success (listen to the whole story here). For the remainder of this blog, I’ll share the abbreviated overview of how we got here and the lessons that I’d share with anyone looking to build something of their own.
- In the beginning, I knew that I needed to generate revenue to keep the business alive and so I focused on building a roster of coaching clients. It worked and but something felt lacking…
- In the middle, I realized that I needed to tell stories in order to touch people on a deeper level and spread the mission (to help others find strength in their struggle). It worked but something was still missing…
- In the recent past, I understood that I needed to build an interconnected web of good human beings who see value in doing hard things. It worked and now there’s more to be done….
Through it all, I’ve worked hard and taken imperfect action before I had all of the answers. I’ve done the best that I can to add serious value to those that I interact with and I’ve learned to ask for things from time to time (that might be the hardest part). I’ve come back to center on the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship and worked on growing as a person while growing as a business owner. In hindsight, it’s all been SIMPLE, not easy.
So here are a few things that we can all embrace in order to build the life that we want…
- Be a good person (always).
- Look for lessons and orient toward growth.
- Do the next right thing (again and again).
- Seek help when you feel stuck.
- Trust your gut and lean into your strengths.
- Don’t give up on what matters.
- Be consistent over a long period of time.
- Learn to have fun as you go.
- Embrace YOUR crazy and go find the others.
There are many other lessons, insights, mistakes and stories but we can keep those for another time.
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If you’re still reading and inspired to go out and create something that matters to you, read the quote below and then go take some action (no matter how small) because nothing changes if nothing changes.
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things – they push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Steve Jobs
Do hard things.
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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