Today is RevUp Mastery's first birthday. Wow. I want to express my gratitude to God for His unyielding faithfulness, my family for how they raised me, my clients for believing my promises and my team for delivering beyond them. Starting a business completely bootstrapped after cozy years of six-figure salaries is the bravest thing I have ever done and raising RevUp Mastery successfully takes heart; especially as I got used to the early stages of being singularly self-funded to bless many others.

So, in true Maya fashion, below are some golden keys from my faith-driven journey this past year in scaling partnerships Nationwide, into Canada by building a globally specialized ever-nested team in order to exceed my ideal client's goals and say hello landing to financial freedom.

#1 Choose Your First Adopters Wisely

When you're starting a business, you're eager to get your first customers on board. However, it's important to be selective about who you partner with. Your first customers will set the tone for your business and will either help you succeed or hold you back. Make sure you choose customers that have resources to invest and digest genius ever evolving concepts.

Working with misfit clients drain resources, take up your time, and even damage your reputation. It's better to cut your losses on the front end and focus on committed adopters who will implement your solutions in order to yield the ROI needed to prove concept.

An entrepreneur's entrepreneur, is an entrepreneur's best friend and Lord I am thankful for every one of mine.

#2 Stay Three Steps Ahead

Entrepreneurship is a game of chess, not checkers. You should always be looking for new opportunities, researching the latest trends, and exploring new technologies.

Stay ahead of the curve, but avoid those who fall into the trap of arrogance. You need to maintain a balance between staying ahead and staying grounded. Don't lose sight of what's happening in your industry or in your business.

#3 Hire Fast, Fire Fast

Letting someone go who is incapable or unwilling to understand what it takes to succeed does not mean you lack empathy.

The longer you wait to make the decision, the more damage a bad hire will do to your business. From C-Suite to Front Lines, don't be afraid to make tough decisions and always prioritize the health of your dream, team and fulfillment.

#4 Reward Your Top Performers

Those that understand, appreciate, and love the opportunity that has been given to them are a blessing. When you see someone who has put in the time and effort to get the business to where it needs to be, move them where they want to be immediately.

This will happen at an impressive rate of evolution if you are wisely calculated in a multitude of ways, but most of all in identifying uncovered skills and passion. Specialized teams that manage reasonable growth will allow you to test, measure and exceed every goal.

#5 Have Faith

Greed is embedded into the DNA of human nature. Isn't it interesting that the more money we make, the more desire we have to hoard it out of fear it won't come back? Hoarding is heavy, you need to be able and willing to adapt at any given moment. This is the epitome of why so many hold back from specialized hiring practices fresh out the gate. Abundance is measured in your faith, do you believe you have what it takes to deliver and are you willing to share?

If you are in a moment of doubt or your answer was no, remember where you started and where you are. There are unlimited resources available for your business and everyone it blesses if you believe it and have honor.

Author: Maya Madden

P.S. Thank you to my mentors, early adopters for your faith and kudos to you for your brilliance in believing in my vision and desire to help you scale your organizations. Watching your companies thrive is a treasure to me. I said this on my first consult; “The risk is that you take a leap of faith, see massive rewards as a lifetime customer, or come back to me in a year when our rates have tripled.”

I stand by that as we embark on this next year's adventure into helping scale property management companies by thousands of more properties.