Early career years are brutal.

You're on your own and you are struggling to make it.

I wish I had a playbook back then ― so I made my own.

I went from 0 to selling my startup to a $100 billion company.

Here are 10 lessons on finding success your own way:

1. There is no such thing as the perfect moment.

Whether you’re switching jobs or starting a company.

Your tendency will always be to wait for the perfect moment.

But opportunities don’t wait for anyone.

When opportunity knocks, move fast and grab it with both hands.

2. Create your own luck.

Early in your career, take actions that increase your odds of getting lucky.

I spent time:

• Cold emailing
• Meeting smarter people
• Saying yes to things
• Actively getting out of my comfort zone

This is how you create your own luck.

3. Fall in love with compounding.

Any great outcome takes at least 5-10 years.

And the greatest outcomes come to those who compound skills.

It took me 6 years of building and working in start-ups before I got my first real success.

4. Your work is your product, your advocacy is the distribution.

Spend as much time storytelling as you do executing.

Great execution and weak communication limit your impact.

Communication is an impact multiplier.

5. 100x outcomes require 10x risks.

When I quit my consulting job for a pre-seed stage start-up everyone thought it was not smart.

But unconventional success requires an unconventional path.

Most people are afraid to take risks and end up sticking to their comfort zone.

6. Work-life balance is a myth.

When you don’t have money or connections

Your skills are the only thing that can set you apart.

Spend as much time as you can honing your craft early on.

So you can have work-life balance down the line.

7. Embrace uncertainty.

Most good things in life aren’t found at the end of a predictable path.

Don’t be afraid of pursuing something just because your peers aren’t doing it.

Optimize for adventure over certainty.

8. Street smart > book smart

School is a single-player game with clear instructions.

Life is a multi-player game with no instruction manual.

Focus on developing both academic and street skills.

9. Learn to deal with failure and move on.

Failure is part of the journey.

A lot of times things won’t go your way.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to move on.

Don’t let sunk costs sink you deeper.

10. Optimize for people over numbers.

It’s easy to get stuck behind a screen and optimize for metrics.

But success is a team sport.

Any successful career or company requires a team of mentors and friends.

Find yours and nurture these relationships.

If you found these insights helpful please:

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• Follow me at @hwbhatti

I share insights from my personal growth and start-up journey.