Expertise is not what will make you successful

Most people wait to “feel like an expert” before starting a business. Meanwhile, one Brooklyn founder built a beloved café and catering brand without ever being a trained chef. ​ Jamie Erickson launched Poppy’s not because she had the perfect culinary résumé, but because she obsessively focused on something else: understanding people. She listened to what her neighborhood actually wanted and let data guide every decision. ​ When the pandemic hit and her café plans imploded overnight, she didn’t fall back on technical expertise — she reinvented her entire model, turning a crisis into the turning point for her business. Her story quietly blows up the myth that you need to be the best in your field before you begin. It suggests there’s really only one kind of expertise that matters most for a new founder — and once you lock that in, the rest can be learned, hired or borrowed. Follow us on social media: https://www.facebook.com/Entrepreneur/ https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneur https://x.com/entrepreneur