The Power of Perseverance and the Modern Win
- Feb 9
- 2 min read
By Biana Lerman
Co-Founder of Your HubSpot Expert
If you had asked me five years ago what success looks like, I probably would have answered with numbers: more revenue, more clients, more projects, a fuller calendar. If I was busy, I felt successful. If things slowed down, I panicked and assumed something was wrong.
Back then, “winning” meant constant motion and visible growth.
Today, my definition of success is very different. Now, success looks like:
Waking up and not dreading my calendar.
Working with clients who respect our expertise and our boundaries.
Having the mental space to think clearly, not just react all day.
Running a business that feels sustainable for me, my co-founder, Mason Phillips, and our team of HubSpot experts.
I still care about growth, but not at any cost. If growth requires sacrificing our health, our integrity, or our team culture, that’s not a win anymore. That’s just stress dressed up as success.
One of the biggest “losses” in our business became the thing that changed everything.
There was a project that went sideways because of mismatched expectations, overcommitment, and a pace that wasn’t healthy for anyone. As a team, we felt it. I remember all of us: Mason, myself, and our HubSpot experts feeling frustrated, embarrassed, and honestly a little defeated. It didn’t just feel like a project failure; it felt like we had let ourselves and our clients down.
But that experience forced us to slow down and really look at what was going on underneath.
We had to admit:
We were saying “yes” too fast.
We weren’t asking enough hard questions up front.
We were brushing past early gut feelings that something was off.
Because of that one “loss,” we completely changed how we scope work, how we talk about expectations, how we protect our time, and how we decide who we partner with. It pushed us to build healthier systems and clearer boundaries for the business and for each person on the team.
Looking back, the moment we all wanted to forget became a turning point. It didn’t just make the business stronger. It made us better leaders and a more aligned team.
When it comes to helping other women win, I start with honesty.
So many women I meet are doing incredible things and still feel behind. They’re juggling clients, families, teams, and expectations and are silently wondering if everyone else has it more “figured out.”
I don’t think women need more pressure to be perfect. They need permission to build a version of success that actually works for them.
In my work, that looks like:
Helping women define success on their own terms, not just revenue targets.
Creating systems that make their lives easier, not heavier.
Modeling clear boundaries so they don’t feel guilty protecting their time.
Normalizing pivots, pauses, and do-overs as part of winning; not proof of failure.
To me, the modern win isn’t just hitting big goals. It’s building a business and a life you don’t have to recover from.
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