Your Business Is Your Teacher

We think what’s important are the big things: the launch, the deal, the exit. But the real tests happen in the small moments. When the team misses a deadline. When a customer cancels. When the product fails. That’s when our level of consciousness shows.

What Does It Mean to Be Conscious?

Being conscious starts with awareness of experience. Noticing what’s happening in the moment, like the sound of a dog barking, the tension in your shoulders, the thought that you’re frustrated about a project. Some days we’re not even conscious at this level.

But there’s another level: awareness of awareness. It’s the difference between what you’re noticing and the fact that you’re the one noticing. The recognition that you’re here in the first place, the observer behind the experience.

We overlook how profound and inexplicable this really is. Not all matter is conscious. Cars, laptops, and coffee cups aren’t conscious. Why are we? Science can’t explain how subjective experience emerges from matter, but without consciousness, there’d be no experience at all. So the real question is: how does your level of consciousness affect what you experience?

Consciousness Shapes Perception

Just like a projector lens affects the experience of a movie, your consciousness affects your perception of reality. If the lens is out of focus, things aren’t clear. If there’s a filter, what you see is distorted. If the lens is blocked, you miss the big picture. The lens affects both what you see and how you see it.

Two founders can be in the same situation yet experience it completely differently. One sees only problems. Another sees opportunities. The situation is the same. What changes is the level of consciousness. That’s why raising it is the most important work you can do.

The Power of Your Frequency

Think of your frequency as the quality of energy you bring into a moment. When you’re worried, people feel it. When you’re calm, they relax. This isn’t mystical or “woo.” Your team hears your words, but they mirror your frequency. When you react with frustration, people shut down. When you respond with curiosity, they open up.

This is the most profound aspect of consciousness. It’s what Nikola Tesla meant when he said, “If you want to understand the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.”

We’re all vibrating at different frequencies, but connected by the same field of energy. This means how you treat others is how you treat yourself. At the deepest level, there is no “other.” The golden rule isn’t just good advice. It’s a cosmic law.

Business as the Syllabus

Every conversation is a pop quiz. Every negotiation is a test. Every exchange, even with AI, reflects your frequency back to you. You can’t fake it. Your business is a mirror, showing how conscious you are in this moment.

That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you if times are lean. Every business hits rough patches. It’s part of the curriculum. The lesson is always in how you choose to respond.

When you raise your consciousness in those moments, you increase your awareness. You become the observer. You see problems as signals to notice, not verdicts of your value.

Raising Consciousness

When I was at my lowest point in my first business, I just wanted to feel better. To feel free and secure. Back then, I thought freedom and security were one thing, and consciousness was something else. Now I understand they’re the same.

Raising your level of consciousness is how you create that freedom. It’s how you feel secure. It’s how you evolve as a leader and a human. Yes, the launch, the deal, and the exit matter. But only as lessons. The real exam is your consciousness. And in the end, we all graduate. It’s just a matter of when.