What If There Isn't Just One Right Way?

What if the best way to grow your business isn't the way everyone else is doing it?

Recently, I've been reading Developing a Mentor's Heart by Tiffany Earl and Heidi Christianson as I explore a different direction for homeschooling my son. Like many parents, I've spent more hours than I'd like to admit wondering if I was choosing the right curriculum, buying the right books, or following the right plan.

Then I came across a conversation that stopped me in my tracks. A homeschool mom talked about setting aside the endless worksheets and instead using classic books to spark curiosity. Rather than teaching subjects in isolation, she encouraged her children to read, ask questions, build projects, and chase ideas wherever they led.

Something in me relaxed.

It wasn't because it sounded easier. It probably isn't. But it felt more aligned with the kind of learner I want my son to become. Someone curious, creative, and confident enough to explore instead of simply memorizing answers.

As I sat with that idea, I realized I wasn't just thinking about homeschooling.

I was thinking about business.

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned there is one correct way to do almost everything. The right marketing strategy. The right sales script. The right social media schedule. The right business model. We spend so much time trying to fit someone else's formula that we stop paying attention to what actually works for us.

I think that lesson started much earlier for me.

Back in junior high, one of my favourite classes was Social Studies. For one project, our teacher had us research a hockey team, and I was assigned the Montreal Canadiens. Instead of writing a traditional report, I drew a tree. The information I had learned filled the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves. Looking back, it probably would have made even more sense if the project had been about the Toronto Maple Leafs, but I was inspired, and I was proud of what I had created.

My teacher wasn't.

I don't remember her exact words anymore. What I remember is the feeling. The presentation I'd spent time imagining and creating wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't the "right" way to complete the assignment.

That moment has stayed with me far longer than the project itself.

Thankfully, it didn't stop me from being creative. If anything, it made me appreciate teachers, mentors, and leaders who encourage people to think differently instead of simply colouring inside the lines. Looking back, I can see that what I really wanted wasn't permission to ignore the assignment. I wanted someone to recognize the thought, creativity, and effort behind it.

I wonder how many business owners are still carrying similar moments without realizing it.

Maybe that's why we hesitate to try something different. We worry that if our website doesn't look like everyone else's, if our marketing isn't following the latest trend, or if our business grows a little differently, we're somehow doing it wrong.

But gardens don't all grow the same way.

Neither do businesses.

Some plants need full sun. Others thrive in partial shade. Some take years before producing fruit, while others seem to spring up overnight. The goal isn't to force every plant into the same conditions. The goal is to understand what helps each one thrive.

I think people are a lot like that.

Some entrepreneurs love networking events. Others build thriving businesses through thoughtful emails and quiet conversations. Some love being on camera every day. Others would rather write. Some build quickly. Others grow slowly and steadily over many years.

Growth doesn't become more valuable because it looks like someone else's.

As I continue learning how to mentor my son, I keep coming back to one thought. My job isn't to force him into a mould. It's to help him discover the gifts he already has and give him opportunities to develop them with guidance, encouragement, and curiosity.

Maybe that's our job as business owners, too.

Not to become a copy of someone we admire, but to build a business that reflects our strengths, our values, and the life we're actually trying to create. There are principles worth learning, systems worth improving, and wisdom worth borrowing. But after that, we have permission to make it our own.

Perhaps there isn't one right way after all.

Perhaps there are simply many good ways to grow, and the best one is the one that allows you to become more of who you were created to be.

The next time you catch yourself thinking, "This is how I should be doing it," pause and ask yourself where that belief came from. Is it actually serving you, or is it simply familiar?

Think about one area of your business where you've been following someone else's formula. What small adjustment would make it feel more like your own?

Finally, ask yourself this: if no one was grading your business, what would you build differently?