The Cost of the Climb: Why Your Best Business Moves Should Stay Private

In the early stages of a new venture, your biggest enemy isn’t the market or the competition. It’s the noise.

When I first started diving into the TikTok Shop ecosystem as @deezshops, I made a conscious choice that felt counterintuitive in an era of "building in public." I didn’t tell my friends. I didn’t tell my family. I didn’t even tell the people I trusted most. I stayed completely silent about it until the success was a mathematical fact that couldn’t be argued with.

For most entrepreneurs, the instinct is to seek validation early. We want the "Good luck!" and the "I’m proud of you!" because it makes the initial struggle feel less lonely. But that validation is a trap. It gives you a false sense of achievement before you’ve actually done anything. More importantly, it invites the opinions of people who haven’t stepped into the arena themselves.

Protecting the Fragile Vision

Starting something new—especially something that requires public speaking and creative vulnerability—is exhausting. You’re already fighting your own self-doubt. The last thing you need is a "well-meaning" cousin or a skeptical friend projecting their own fears onto your blueprint.

Most people are terrified of the scrutiny that comes with being a creator. They worry about the trolls, the awkwardness of being on camera, and the time it takes away from "real" work. If I had opened my process up for discussion on Day 1, I would have spent all my energy defending my vision instead of executing it.

By moving in silence, I didn’t give anyone the opportunity to speak negatively. I wasn’t being secretive; I was being protective. I worked until I had fulfilled over 89,000 orders and landed in the top 1% of affiliates. By then, the "constructive criticism" from the sidelines didn't matter because the results were already in the bank.

The Follower Count Fallacy

In the business world, we’re often taught that "reach" is the ultimate metric. On TikTok, that usually translates to a desperate chase for millions of followers. But my experience has taught me that focus beats fame every single time.

Currently, my account has a little over 25,000 followers. In the influencer world, that’s modest. But in the business world, that account has generated over $2.6 million in total sales.

This is the lesson for the modern entrepreneur: You don’t need to be "famous" to be successful. You need to be effective. While others were chasing vanity metrics and "likes," I was focused on the 1,800+ videos it took to master the algorithm. Success isn't a viral moment; it’s the quiet, repetitive work that happens when no one—not even your inner circle—is watching.

The "1,000 Steps" Perspective

We’ve become obsessed with the "Overnight Success" narrative. It’s cleaner. It’s more cinematic. But the reality is much more boring. It’s a thousand small steps, a few hundred missteps, and the willingness to look "cringe" on camera until you finally figure out what works.

I remember hitting a massive 187% spike in sales last May. From the outside, it looked like a lucky break. From the inside, it was the result of a year’s worth of data, testing, and ignoring the trolls who live to tear down anyone trying to build. You don't realize how high the ladder goes until you’re halfway up it.

Reaching Back

The ultimate goal of success isn't just to reach the top; it’s to make the climb easier for the people coming up behind you. As I’ve navigated the pitfalls of this industry, the focus has shifted from "How much can I sell?" to "How can I give a hand up?"

True leadership in business is about turning your hard-won knowledge into a map for others. Whether it’s through building community or sharing strategies on information arbitrage, the real win is seeing others realize they can also climb the ladder without needing a million followers or a permission slip from their social circle.

The Bottom Line

If you’re working on something big, try this: Don’t announce it. Don't give the skeptics a chance to weigh in on your potential. Put your head down, do the work, handle the scrutiny in private, and let your results be the only announcement you ever make. You’ll find that when you stop looking for an audience, you finally have the room to build a business.