The Secret a Successful Entrepreneur Learned From People About to Die
THE QUESTION FEW FOUNDERS ASK
Most founders talk strategy, markets, and funding. Few ask the question that quietly governs every decision: what will matter on your deathbed? This conversation follows Tiana from a small Arizona town to building one of the state’s largest for-profit hospice organizations. The story hits because it’s rooted in loss, service, and perspective. Growing up in Payson taught her that community is currency. Watching her father trade care for eggs or fry bread shaped a belief that business works best when everyone wins. Her leadership reflects that. Look up. Say “I see you.” The room changes.
THE SERVICE INDUSTRY AS A REAL MBA
Before hospice, bartending taught lessons no pitch deck covers. Attention. Tempo. Presence. Staying calm when it’s four-deep is operations. Acknowledging guests drives retention. Those habits formed an employer mindset. See the problem. Fix it. No permission slip. Tiana’s rule is simple: you don’t pay for hours. You pay for outcomes. Learn enough finance, marketing, and ops to manage the work. Then hire for blind spots. Billable hours without results stall companies.
HOSPICE AND CLARITY
Caring for both parents reframed everything. Hospice deals with the most human moment we have: the end of life. Money became a side effect of doing the right thing. Educate families. Meet patients where they live. Honor dignity. Trust came first. Scale came second. When palliative care turned trendy, they built Arizona’s first provider-based home palliative program. It lost money early. It solved a real problem. That earned national attention.
LESSONS FROM THE BEDSIDE
People rarely regret what they did. They regret what they didn’t do. The same themes return: relationships, unsaid words, misaligned priorities. If you give up nights and milestones, trade them for a mission that outlives you. Purpose fuels endurance when payroll looms and doubt creeps in. The shortcut is alignment. Build where your anger at a broken system meets your skills and your tolerance for responsibility.
LOVE AND LEADERSHIP AT HOME
Founders often manage partners like employees. Intimacy suffers. Growth rarely matches pace. Name the season. State the next six months. Say what support looks like. Ask what makes your partner feel valued while you sprint. They may not carry your weight. They can still stand with you if you communicate like a human, not a boss.
MONEY DISCIPLINE AND REDEFINING WINNING
If you can’t manage personal spending, you won’t manage operating cash. Skip status games. Save early. Stay cheap. Track every dollar. Success might be eight employees and dinner at home, not an empire. Redefine winning by the lives you improve: customers, staff, family, and yourself. When it’s quiet and you face your choices, you’ll want an answer that holds. Did it count.
