When I was 3 years old, I had already taught myself to read. By kindergarten, my teacher called my mom in — certain I was lying about being able to read. The truth? I just didn’t want to take naps. I wanted to read while the other kids slept.

That moment set the tone for my life as an autodidact. It shaped how I approach business, resilience, and the willingness to figure things out when the answers aren’t handed to you.

1. Curiosity is a Business Strategy

When you’re teaching yourself, you quickly realize the world doesn’t hand you all the answers. You learn to ask better questions, follow rabbit holes, and piece things together from scraps of information.

That same mindset becomes a real asset in business. Curiosity isn’t just about learning for the sake of learning — it’s what drives innovation. It helps you spot connections that others miss, notice patterns before they become trends, and uncover opportunities hiding in plain sight.

I’ve found that the most resilient businesses aren’t always the ones with the deepest pockets or the flashiest marketing. They’re the ones led by people who stay curious — about their customers, about new tools, about what’s working (and what’s not). Curiosity keeps you from getting complacent. It forces you to keep asking, “What if there’s a better way?”

2. Failure Is Just Part of the Syllabus

School conditioned many of us to avoid mistakes, but as an autodidact I learned early that they’re unavoidable — and invaluable. Every wrong turn was less a failure and more a signal, pointing me toward what to try next. That shift in perspective has carried into my business life, where mistakes aren’t something to fear, they’re part of the process of building resilience and finding what works.

I’ve had websites that didn’t convert, campaigns that missed the mark, and podcast episodes that didn’t resonate the way I hoped. In the moment, it’s easy to feel discouraged. But being continuously self-taught has trained me to pause and ask: What exactly went wrong here? What can I do differently next time?

3. Resourcefulness Beats Resources

When I built #YourPartnerInSuccessRadio, I didn’t start with the best tools, the biggest budget, or even much guidance. In fact, my first ten years of podcasting were recorded on a landline phone straight into BlogTalkRadio. I had zero budget, and back in 2008 there was no playbook, no coaches, no training programs to lean on.

What I did have was determination and a willingness to figure it out as I went. That mindset has always mattered more than flashy software, expensive consultants, or waiting for perfect conditions. Some of my best breakthroughs in business and podcasting came not from having more, but from doing more with less.

The truth is, plenty of people stall because they’re waiting until everything looks “ready.” But the ones who keep moving forward are the ones who improvise, adapt, and build with the resources at hand. Resourcefulness isn’t just a trait — it’s a competitive edge.

Why This Matters

Looking back, being an autodidact has shaped how I approach every part of business and podcasting. Curiosity kept me asking questions others weren’t asking. Embracing failure taught me to treat missteps as feedback instead of final judgment. And resourcefulness carried me through years when I had no budget, no training, and nothing but a landline phone to record my show.

These lessons aren’t just about me — they’re about what it takes to build anything that lasts. Curiosity, resilience, and resourcefulness are skills anyone can develop, and they matter now more than ever in a world where conditions are rarely perfect and change is constant.

So I’ll leave you with this: what’s one skill you’ve taught yourself that changed the way you work or live?

👋 I’m Denise Griffitts — web developer, digital strategist, and host of Your Partner In Success Radio, a podcast ranked in the top 1.5% globally. I help entrepreneurs and business leaders build their digital presence through websites and podcasting, and I use my podcast to spotlight the people and ideas shaping business today.

If this newsletter was shared with you, you can connect with me here on LinkedIn or at Your Office On The Web.