3 Things I Wish I Knew Sooner
Written by
Cristina Vera Bridges
Published on
October 14, 2026
As a CEO and business owner, one of the questions I get asked most frequently is:
‘What advice would you give to someone starting out?’
While every lesson along the way has shaped how we grow at Vera Creative, there are a few foundational truths I wish someone had handed me when I first started out. If you’re looking to scale your business, increase your impact, and actually enjoy the journey, here are three things I wish I had known sooner.
1. Building a strong team is a top priority
In the early days, it’s easy to feel like you have to wear every hat. But real growth doesn't happen until you let go of the reins and bring in people who excel where you don't. Once I committed to investing in the best talent within our budget, equipping them with the right resources, and trusting them with true responsibility, everything shifted. Vera Creative became stronger and more resilient. It freed up my mental capacity to dream new dreams, focus on strategic growth, and take the business to new heights.
2. Systems matter more than outputs
For a long time, my main focus was getting the best quality deliverable to my clients until I hired some really smart people (reread bullet #1) who began to streamline and systematize our deliverables. The result was high quality deliverables to clients, more efficiency, and higher staff morale because there were less “emergencies” and larger profit margins.
3. Don’t neglect yourself
For many years, I worked almost around the clock. Even while on vacation! I fell into the common trap of believing that working more automatically meant achieving more. The reality? It led to burn out, backaches, migraines, weight gain and a poor work-life balance. Overworking was limiting my capacity to be my best in any space. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Prioritizing your health, rest, community and fun, isn’t selfish, it’s necessary. The healthier you are, the better you can lead your team.
Scaling a business is a marathon, not a sprint. Looking back at my journey as an entrepreneur, one key takeaway is that we are always in the process of becoming. As leaders, we are constantly learning, unlearning, and becoming better versions of ourselves for those around us, and our business evolves with us.
