My First Business Lesson at 9

It was the mid-1970s. I was nine years old, growing up in Northern California during the oil crisis.
Petrol stations kept running out of gas. People would queue for hours before the gas stations even opened. Everyone was desperate to fill up.

And I had an idea.
If people were stuck in their cars waiting, maybe they’d like a hot cup of coffee.
So I got up early, brewed a big thermos of coffee, strapped it to my bike, and rode to the local gas station.

I was a hit.

Customers waved me down from their car windows. Some brought their own mugs. They even waited for me to arrive each morning.
And I loved it: the buzz; the independence; the feeling of turning my idea into something real.

A week later, I launched my first “product extension”: fresh donuts from the supermarket. I was 9 years old and already upselling.

Then came the sting.
One morning I turned the corner and saw an adult — car parked, table out, selling coffee and donuts on my patch. At lower prices.
I couldn’t compete.
He had scale. And serious transport. And the financial muscle to beat me at a price war.

But something important had been sparked in me.
That first entrepreneurial instinct gave me a buzz I’d never forget.
It also gave me an early, unfiltered taste of how the real world works:
⚡ The thrill of finding a market niche.
⚡ The sting of being copied.
⚡ The reality of resilience, creativity and risk.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?
Whether you were 9 or 59, I’d love to hear the story.  And what it taught you.

These days, I coach founders and leaders through their own grown-up versions of that story.
They’ve had a great idea, built something successful, and then the world changes:
– A bigger competitor moves in
– Growth slows down
– A new technology disrupts their market
– The pressure of scaling starts to take a toll
– Or they find that the entrepreneurial drive that got them where they are may not be enough to take them to scale

We work together to explore questions like:
🔍 What will success look like for you in the future?
🔍 What are you holding on to that’s no longer serving you?
🔍 What kind of leader (and person) do you want to become next?
🔍 What’s the legacy you want this business to create?

That first coffee hustle taught me more about business than any textbook ever could.
🌱 If you’re in that place where the next chapter feels uncertain, I’d love to help you shape it.
📞 Book a free discovery session with me here: www.MilesLeadership.com

Activate to view larger image,