The "Build in Public" Pressure

"You need to share your journey!"

"Post your wins AND your failures!"

"Document, don't create!"

If you've spent any time in entrepreneurial spaces lately, you've likely been bombarded with these mantras. Building in public has become the gold standard for authentic business growth, leaving many entrepreneurs wondering if their more private approach means they're doing it wrong.

Let's set the record straight: there is no single "right way" to grow your business.

Finding Your Authentic Middle Ground

At The Brave Start, building in public has been our #1 tactic for growing without cold calls or endless DM pitch slaps. But we've also worked with introverted founders who break out in hives at the thought of sharing their daily ups and downs on LinkedIn.

The truth?

Most successful business owners operate somewhere on a spectrum between totally public and completely private.

When to Share, When to Shield

Share When:

• You've gained insight that could save someone else time or heartache
• You've found a process that works surprisingly well
• You've made a mistake others might learn from

Shield When:

• Sharing feels performative rather than genuine
• You're still processing emotions around a challenging situation
• You need space to experiment without external opinions

The Hidden Cost of Misalignment

Growth always takes longest when we're trying to be someone we aren't. So why are we trying to build a business that appears one way in public and feels another way behind closed doors?

This misalignment is just as problematic as getting stuck in only growing your business through hourly billed contracts. Both create unsustainable pressure that eventually leads to burnout or stagnation.

Finding Your Sweet Spot

Consider these approaches:

1. The Curated Public Builder: Shares strategic wins and lessons, but maintains boundaries around personal struggles or works-in-progress.

2. The Community Builder: Builds mostly in private but creates intimate spaces (like membership communities or workshops) where they share openly with a trusted group.

3. The Retrospective Sharer: Builds in private but periodically shares the journey in retrospect, after they've processed and gained perspective.

4. The Collaborative Builder: Invites select clients, colleagues or mentors into their process, getting feedback without the pressure of a public audience.

Building Stable Foundations

If you start out building your business with stable foundations, you avoid the feast-or-famine cycle that plagues so many entrepreneurs. Learn more about breaking this cycle here.

You need to wing it a little because it's the fastest way to get feedback, but you also need to know when it's time to put structure into the foundation that pays your bills, occupies your mind, and forms part of the legacy you're building.

Your Next Step

Whether you're naturally inclined to share every step of your journey or prefer to work behind the scenes, the key is intentionality. Make conscious choices about what, where, when, and how you share rather than following someone else's blueprint.

If you're ready to develop a growth approach that feels authentic to you

while still driving consistent results, join us for our upcoming Brave Business Bridge program. We'll be diving deep into sales strategies and showing how our approach to selective building in public has fueled our growth without resorting to cold outreach or pushy tactics.

Learn more about Brave Business Bridge →

The most sustainable business growth happens when your public presence and private reality are in alignment. Finding your comfortable path isn't just about marketing strategy—it's about creating a business you can joyfully run for years to come.

Ready to build a business that feels right both publicly and privately? Join our upcoming Brave Business Bridge program and discover how to grow authentically without the hustle. Register now →