"Five years ago I thought I was building a business. Looking back, I was building the woman who could run one."

Season Two begins here.

Five years ago I bought a domain name thinking that was going to be the hard part.

Since then, I've changed my business name twice, rebuilt my website more times than I can count, learned about trademarks, SEO, AI search, sales tax (rude), and discovered entrepreneurship looks nothing like Instagram promised.

These are the five lessons I wish someone would've shared over cafecito before I ever clicked Purchase Domain.

Five years ago I thought I was starting a business.

Looking back, I think I was actually just enrolling in a very expensive master class on how many times one woman can say, "Well... I guess we're doing this now."

And seriously, if one more person slides into my DMs or LinkedIn inbox promising to help me make six figures in ninety days, I should probably create an automatic response.

I admire the hustle.

But stop lying. 😂

Since then I've:

Changed the business name twice.
Attended one too many business workshops.
Collected certifications in social media and AI.
Built two different websites.
Started a blog.
Wrote a book.
Opened a little tiendita.
Learned Pinterest.
Learned SEO.
Learned that sales tax exists. (Rude.)

And somehow...

I'm still learning something new every single week.

It's exhausting.

I am tired, mi gente.

Looking back, there are five lessons I wish someone would've casually mentioned over cafecito before I bought my domain name.

Because if social media has taught me anything, it's that everyone looks like they have it figured out.

Seamos realistas...

Most of us are figuring it out one expensive lesson at a time.

Nobody knows what they're doing at first.

My very first business was called Sunshine Goddess.

I know.

Go ahead.

I'll wait. 😂

At the time I loved it.

It felt positive.

Empowering.

Very Pinterest circa 2021.

The problem?

Absolutely nobody knew what I actually did.

Not one business mentor sat me down and said,

"Cynthia... your business name should probably tell people what your business does."

Eventually I found myself talking with another woman who was building her own business. She was hoping my employer at the time would partner with her for one of her workshops, and somewhere in that conversation she explained how she came up with her business name.

She wasn't trying to convince me to change mine.

She was simply intentional.

And somewhere in that conversation, I realized I hadn't been.

That was the first time I really sat down and explored what I wanted my business to represent.

That's how Beyond the Horizon Consulting was born.

One of my favorite pastimes has always been watching the sunrise and sunset over the horizon.

The feeling that there's always something beyond what you can see.

I've always loved watching the ocean at sunrise. On calm mornings, the sunlight hits the water just right and it sparkles like glitter. On rough days? You don't see any of it.

That's kind of how life is.

And honestly, that's exactly how building a business feels.

Some days you can clearly see the horizon and where you're headed.

Other days...

You're just trying not to drown.

Turns out... that described the business I wanted to build far better than Sunshine Goddess ever could.

Your first website won't be your forever website.

I think I've tried just about every website platform out there... or at least enough to earn an honorary degree in clicking Publish.

Some are so simple my thirteen-year-old could probably build one in an afternoon. They're great if all you need is a digital business card.

Others?

I'm convinced you need a degree in digital marketing, a minor in web design, and maybe a few coding certifications just to change the font color.

Me?

I wanted something in the middle.

Something simple enough for me to figure out, but flexible enough to grow with my business.

Because here's the thing nobody told me...

Picking a business name is only half the battle.

Now you have to make sure the website is available.

Then the email address.

Then the social media handles.

Then the LLC.

And if you're thinking about trademarking your business one day...

Well...

Let's just say you'll become very familiar with the phrase,

"Sorry... this name is already taken."

Imagine finally landing on the perfect business name only to discover your website has to be:

CynthiaPratoCertifiedLifeCoach.com

Because BeyondTheHorizonConsulting.com was already taken.

Absolutely not.

Nobody tells you that building a website feels less like decorating a house and more like playing an endless game of digital Tetris.

Then, just when you think you've finally finished your website...

Someone starts talking about SEO.

Then GEO.

Then AI search.

Then some other three-letter acronym that apparently I'm supposed to care about now.

As my business continues to grow, so does my website.

I've added email automations, a little tiendita, and most recently a drop-down menu to separate Season One and Season Two of the blog.

And the best part?

I built it with enough room to keep growing.

One day there might be a membership page.

A few years ago, I wouldn't have even known I needed one.

You'll spend more time getting ready than actually starting.

Illustration of a cartoon squirrel wearing glasses and holding a notebook filled with business ideas, representing perfectionism, professional growth, and the feeling of needing to learn one more thing before starting. — My squirrel has a PhD in Professional Procrastination.

I have a really big problem, y'all.

It's my squirrel.

And my squirrel wears glasses, carries a notebook, and is constantly convincing me I need to learn one more thing before I'm ready.

Case in point...

I was adding my little tiendita magnets to my website.

Easy enough, right?

Wrong.

It took me an entire Sunday just to figure out shipping and sales tax.

(Why is sales tax always showing up to ruin a perfectly good afternoon?)

I finally got everything set up.

Everything.

Except the actual picture of the magnet.

Because suddenly my brain decided,

"Well... if you're selling products now, you should probably learn product photography."

Next thing I know, I'm on Udemy debating whether I should spend $12.99 on an eight-hour course about still photography.

All because I needed to take a picture...

...of a magnet.

😂😂😂

Sometimes I think professional development is just procrastination wearing a really impressive outfit.

Feeling like everyone else has it figured out except you?

You're not alone.

One of the biggest confidence killers I've experienced as an entrepreneur has been comparison.

You don't have to build your business like everyone else.

One thing I've learned over the last five years is that there isn't one right way to build a business.

If social media has taught me anything, it's that everyone has the blueprint.

"Post every day."

"Start a podcast."

"Create a course."

"Launch a membership."

"DM one hundred people."

"Dance to this trending audio."

No gracias.

Some of that advice works.

Some of it doesn't.

Some of it works because it fits their life, their personality, and their goals.

Mine?

I like writing.

I like sitting down with a cup of coffee and telling stories.

I like documenting what I'm learning while I'm learning it.

I don't want to become someone else just because the algorithm likes her better.

That's probably why I took the summer off from blogging.

Not because I ran out of ideas.

Because I wanted to make sure I still enjoyed writing.

Turns out...

I did.

I just needed to stop pretending there was only one way to do it.

The business changes because you change.

Cynthia Prato thoughtfully planning at her desk while working on Beyond the Horizon Consulting, reflecting on perfectionism, entrepreneurship, and the challenge of feeling ready before taking action. — Thinking... or procrastinating? Honestly, it's hard to tell sometimes.

Beyond the Horizon Consulting started with three simple pages.

A landing page.

An About page.

And my blog.

That was it.

No store.

No coaching sessions.

No products.

No email automations.

No fancy website.

Just a place to write.

At the time, that was enough.

I was being intentional with my time because, seamos realistas... I still had a full-time job, a family, and about seventeen other things competing for my attention.

I wanted writing to stay fun.

Not become another obligation.

Everyone says,

"Be consistent."

Apparently, that means publishing a blog every single week.

But honestly...

I wasn't even sure my life coach brain had that many interesting things to say every Wednesday.

Then life happened.

I wrote a book.

For a while it lived happily on Amazon.

Now it lives in my little tiendita thanks to a local printer.

I started creating products I never imagined making.

I opened coaching sessions again because graduating college finally gave me the mental space to work with a few clients.

Then something unexpected happened.

Instead of forcing myself to keep writing every week this summer because that's what bloggers are "supposed" to do...

I paused.

I took a breath.

I looked at what was actually working.

And I created Seasons.

Not because I was quitting.

Because I was growing.

Season One was exactly what I needed then.

Season Two is exactly what I need now.

Maybe that's the biggest lesson I've learned after five years of building this business.

Five years ago I thought I was building a business.

Looking back...

I was building the woman who could run one.

The business keeps changing...

because I keep changing.

And honestly?

I hope it never stops.

Welcome to Season Two.

You bring the cafecito. ☕

I’ll bring the stories.

See you next Wednesday.

I Changed My Business Twice Before I Finally Recognized It