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Before Leonardo da Vinci became one of history’s greatest artists, one of his earliest commissions looked and smelled like a complete disaster.

He locked himself inside a room filled with dead lizards, bats, snakes and insects while creating a monster for a painted shield. From the outside, the process looked strange, messy and impossible to understand. But Leonardo could already see how the pieces were supposed to come together.

In this episode, I break down what that story teaches us about building a successful business. Every entrepreneur, founder and creator eventually reaches an ugly stage where progress feels invisible, the work looks unfinished and the people around them start questioning the vision.

That does not always mean you are failing. Sometimes, it means you are still building something other people cannot see yet.

In this episode:

→ The strange story behind one of Leonardo da Vinci’s earliest commissions
→ Why the beginning of a successful business often looks like failure
→ How to keep working when nobody else understands the vision
→ Why sharing unfinished work too early can hurt your progress
→ When building in public helps—and when it becomes a distraction
→ How to choose the right people for honest business feedback
→ Why your closest circle may not recognize the value of your idea
→ How to survive the ugly stage of entrepreneurship without quitting

If your business, personal brand, podcast, startup or side hustle feels messy right now, don’t quit here. Keep working until the finished product can speak for itself.

ABOUT PERSONAL BETS

Person Bets is a podcast for the people actually running the business, not the investors, not the board, not the consultants on the sideline. Hosted by Chance Sweat, business broker at FitzGibbon Alexander, Inc. and founder of Sweat Equity Advisors.

🔗 Personal Site: chancesweat.com
🔗 Brokerage Site: fitzgibbonalexander.com

🔗 Coaching Site: sweatequityadvisors.com
🔗 Follow Chance: @itschancesweat