A friend shared a major accomplishment with me. He’s been working on a project for months. Pain. Frustration. Minimal progress. At times, he questioned whether what he was doing was right, and so did others in his orbit. In the end, though, he was convinced he was on the right path, so he stayed on it. Then, suddenly, all the hard work paid off and everything came together in one week. He got a series of wins in rapid-fire succession.

As a founder, I was in many situations like this. I ground it out for a few years before I had something material to show for it. I had conviction about what I was doing, but my friends and family thought I was nuts until the company got a big win. From this and other situations I’ve learned a few things:

• Winning doesn’t happen overnight. It’s usually the result of effort over time.
• Celebrate the wins. Building a company is hard and full of times when things aren’t going well. When they finally go your way, it’s important to stop and celebrate, especially when others contributed to your success. It’s a great opportunity to acknowledge the hard work everyone has put in and enjoy the moment.
• Reflect on what got you the win. Take time to learn from it. Think about what worked and led to the win. Identify those things so you can focus your efforts going forward. Said another way, lean into what’s working so you can have more wins.
• Don’t get complacent if you want to continue winning. It’s easy to relax a little and take your foot off the gas when you get a win. I’ve learned to do the exact opposite. Celebrate the win and then get back to doing what’s working. I’ve learned the hard way that complacency can quickly negate a win and lead to losses. Stay hungry and keep working toward your goal. You’ve won a battle, but you’re still fighting a war.

Everyone loves to win, but few think deeply about what it takes to get there or what to do after they’ve won. The above are a few things I’ve learned. I hope they’re helpful.