What Daymond John Told Me About Impatience — And How It Changed the Way I Run My Business

Like most entrepreneurs, I’ve watched Shark Tank for years. Not for the entertainment, but for the patterns. The way experienced investors cut through noise, identify real risk, and focus on what actually makes businesses last.

So when I had the opportunity to sit down on a Zoom call with Daymond John for a strategy conversation, I didn’t expect motivation or hype. I expected clarity. And that’s precisely what I got.

At one point during the meeting, Daymond said something uncomfortable but straightforward:

“You’re impatient.”

Initially, I resisted internally. I wasn’t unfocused. I wasn’t chasing random ideas. I wasn’t pivoting every few months. I was expanding deliberately—into new counties, states, and programs—because, in regulated industries like healthcare and social services, relying on a single revenue stream is inherently risky.

But the more I sat with what he said, the more I realized he wasn’t criticizing my drive. He was pointing out a structural mismatch.

Impatience Isn’t Always a Personality Problem

From the outside, impatience can appear as restlessness or a lack of focus. From the inside, it often feels like a sense of urgency.

As the founder of Mystis, operating across California and Washington, I’ve learned that what appears to be impatience is often a response to fragility. When one contract, one audit, or one payer decision can materially impact your business, movement feels necessary. Speed becomes a form of risk management.

The issue isn’t moving fast. The issue is moving fast without a structure that can support the pace.

That was the real insight from my conversation with Daymond. I didn’t need to slow down. My business needed to be able to keep up with my speed.

Stop Romanticizing Being “Unique”

Another major takeaway from that meeting was challenging my attachment to uniqueness.

Entrepreneurs are often praised for being creative, disruptive, or “in their own lane.” But creativity without discipline doesn’t scale. And uniqueness alone doesn’t create durability.

Most successful companies didn’t invent entirely new concepts. They combined proven models and executed them well. Amazon didn’t invent retail, logistics, or real estate. It built an ecosystem using things that already worked.

That same principle shows up repeatedly on Shark Tank. The fundamentals matter more than novelty.

I stopped asking, “How do I stay different?”I started asking, “How do I build something durable?”

Why I Changed the Structure, Not the Vision

The biggest change I made after that meeting wasn’t philosophical. It was structural.

I began restructuring the organization using a different company model. Not for ego. Not for financial tricks. For stability.

The goal was to:

• Separate risk between operating entities

• Centralize compliance, finance, and HR oversight

• Remove myself as the bottleneck for every decision

Instead of reacting to issues as they surfaced, I shifted into governance. Instead of carrying everything in my head, I built systems that surfaced problems without requiring me to hunt for them.

That’s when the pressure eased—not because the work got easier, but because it got organized.

Leaving Grind Mode Without Losing Hunger

There’s a point where grind culture stops being useful and starts becoming dangerous.

Running a multi-state, regulated organization like you’re always in survival mode creates real risk—burnout, compliance gaps, and poor decision-making. The goal isn’t to work less. It’s to build systems that don’t require heroics to function.

What experienced investors understand—and what Daymond reinforced—is that stability isn’t the enemy of ambition. It’s what allows ambition to compound.

The Real Lesson From Shark Tank

My meeting with Daymond John didn’t come with guarantees or shortcuts. That’s not how real business works.

What it gave me was clarity.

I didn’t need to change who I was.I needed to change what I was building underneath the vision.

If you’ve ever been told you’re impatient, scattered, or moving too fast, the real question might not be about your mindset. It might be about whether your business is structured to handle the speed you’re already moving.

That was the lesson I took away—and it’s changed the way I lead.