Years ago, when I was an early-stage founder, I was basically on an island. I was a solo founder and didn’t know many other founders. I was grinding away by myself with no one to talk to about what I was going through. Fast forward a few years and I was in EO, doing several million dollars in revenue.

One of the things that accelerated my progress the most was simple: accountability. Every month, I met with peers and presented my metrics. Good, bad, or ugly, I had to share what happened, why it happened, and what I planned to do the next month. My peers asked me pointed questions that highlighted blind spots, perspectives I hadn’t considered, or mistakes I’d made. It wasn’t always comfortable, but those sessions were invaluable and changed my trajectory as an entrepreneur and that of my company.

My lesson learned from all this was that when I’m trying to do hard things, accountability and pointed feedback (or questioning) from peers help me tremendously. That process forces me to face things I don’t want to face and to level up. It often puts me outside my comfort zone, but that feeling usually means I’m growing, as I want to be doing.