Growth Happens Between the Milestones

Why your toughest weeks may be your biggest breakthroughs

Entrepreneurial growth rarely feels like growth in the moment. It feels like anxiety, uncertainty, frustration, and a lot of quiet hours when no one is calling you back.

But here's the truth: progress isn’t linear. You don't just "level up" like in a video game. You push forward, you get knocked back, you learn, you regroup, and you build again. Then, suddenly, it all clicks—and from the outside, it looks like you just got lucky. But you know better.

In our work with founders, we’ve seen a consistent pattern:

The setbacks are where the real learning happens.

The plateaus are where infrastructure gets built.

The quiet weeks are when the biggest mental breakthroughs occur.

If you’re in one of those periods where the phone isn’t ringing, investors are stalling, and traction feels sluggish, take a breath. That’s not failure—it’s preparation. That’s where the next level of your company is being forged.

Ask yourself:

What would I do today if I knew capital was arriving in 30 days?

What systems can I tighten while it's quiet?

What assumptions need testing, even without funding?

The founders who succeed long-term are the ones who keep momentum even when no one’s watching.

You're not behind. You're just in the hard part of the growth curve—the part no one brags about on LinkedIn.

Keep going.

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P.S. If this message resonates, share it with a founder you admire. And if you're building something remarkable, we want to hear about it. Get in touch with Crestmont or subscribe for more weekly CI Insights.