By Brian Duprey

For years, one of my favorite books has been The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. I’ve recommended it to child care owners over and over again because the message is simple, yet incredibly powerful: the small things you do consistently over time eventually create massive results. Most people spend their lives searching for some giant breakthrough or dramatic overnight transformation, but real success rarely happens that way. More often, it’s built quietly through small, repeated actions that compound over time until one day you look back and realize just how far you’ve come.

Recently, though, I read another book that really hit me hard: The Power of One More. The message lined up so closely with what we teach inside Child Care Genius University and what I’ve experienced throughout my own journey in business and life. The concept itself is straightforward. Do one more thing than what’s expected. Make one more follow-up call. Give one more encouraging word to an employee. Read one more page. Have one more difficult conversation. Push yourself one step further than what feels comfortable. In the moment, those actions may not seem life-changing, but over time they create extraordinary results.

Small, consistent actions compound into massive results over time.

That idea resonates deeply with me because of the way I grew up. I was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. I’ve broken dozens of bones throughout my life, and growing up, I was constantly told what I couldn’t do. I was bullied heavily as a kid because I couldn’t participate in certain physical activities. My parents, while doing the best they could, often operated from fear and protection instead of possibility. Education wasn’t emphasized in my family, and limitations were everywhere.

For a while, I started believing those limitations myself. But eventually, something shifted inside me. I remember making the decision that people couldn’t tell me what I couldn’t do until after I had already done it. That mindset became one of the driving forces behind my life. It pushed me to join the Navy when people told me I shouldn’t. It pushed me to pursue goals people thought were unrealistic. It pushed me to start businesses, open child care centers, build wealth, and continue growing even when life got hard.

“You can’t tell me what I can’t do until after I’ve done it.”

I think a lot of child care owners unknowingly place limits on themselves the same way other people once placed limits on me. They tell themselves they could never expand, never get financially ahead, never build stronger systems, never step away from the day-to-day chaos, or never create the life they truly want. But mindset affects every part of your business. It influences your enrollment, your staff retention, your parent trust, your leadership, and even your profitability.

“Your center’s culture, enrollment, and profitability will never rise above the mindset of its leadership.”

Owners who constantly operate in stress, negativity, and survival mode unintentionally spread that energy throughout their centers. Their staff feel it. Their families feel it. The culture reflects it. On the other hand, owners who intentionally work on their mindset, focus on growth, and approach challenges with positivity tend to create healthier environments for everyone around them.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years is that it really doesn’t take much to stand out anymore. I’ve told my kids for years that the average standard today is so low that simply doing a little more than expected already puts you ahead. Showing up consistently matters. Caring matters. Following through matters. In a world where so many people stop at the minimum requirement, the owner who chooses to do one more thing each day gains a huge competitive advantage over time.

“Raising the bar by just 1% consistently creates massive gains in quality and profitability over time.”

That’s the beauty of compound growth. A center that improves slightly every week, every month, and every year eventually becomes almost unrecognizable compared to where it started. The same thing happens personally. One more workout. One more healthy choice. One more positive conversation. One more encouraging word. Those actions may seem small in the moment, but over time they completely transform who you become.

One area where I think owners miss opportunities is with their staff. So many leaders spend their days looking for what’s wrong. We walk into our schools and immediately notice problems. Someone forgot something. A classroom isn’t set up correctly. A teacher is distracted. As owners, we’re trained to spot issues because part of our responsibility is protecting the business and maintaining standards.

But sometimes we become so focused on correcting problems that we stop recognizing what people are doing right.

When you intentionally start catching your team doing things right, everything changes. Employees want to feel appreciated. They want to know their efforts matter. One compliment may not seem like a big deal, but if you consistently encourage people and recognize their contributions, their confidence and engagement begin to grow.

“If employees only hear from leadership when something goes wrong, morale eventually suffers.”

The same principle applies to us as owners. We have to intentionally feed our own minds with positivity because the world throws enough negativity at us already. Carol and I are very intentional about how we start our mornings. We get up early every day. We spend time reading positive material before the day starts. We work out together. We focus on feeding our minds before jumping into work because we know how easy it is to fall into reactive, survival-mode thinking.

“If you have time to scroll, you have time to read.”

That line usually gets a laugh when I say it, but it’s true. So many owners tell themselves they don’t have time to work on mindset while spending large portions of their day consuming negativity on social media or the news. Even 10 or 15 minutes of positive input each morning can completely change how you lead throughout the day.

Another powerful shift owners can make is changing their language. I talk a lot about replacing “I have to” with “I get to.” That simple reframing changes the emotional energy behind situations. Instead of saying, “I have to deal with another tantrum,” you can say, “I get to help a child feel safe.” Instead of viewing difficult conversations as burdens, you can start viewing them as opportunities to help people grow.

“A complaint from a parent is a gift—it’s an opportunity to improve if you’re willing to listen.”

That doesn’t mean every complaint is easy to hear. But high-performing owners understand that setbacks, criticism, and challenges can either make you retreat or make you better.

“High-performing owners don’t retreat from setbacks—they use them as stepping stones to become better tomorrow.”

That mindset shift is huge because challenges are inevitable in this business. There will always be staffing struggles, difficult parents, financial pressure, and moments where things don’t go according to plan. The difference is how you respond.

One mistake I see owners make all the time is trying to change everything at once. They get inspired, motivated, and ready to fix every problem immediately, but that usually overwhelms both the owner and the team. Sustainable growth happens through gradual improvement—small changes, small wins, and consistent progress over time. 

“Small improvements create massive results over time.”

That’s how extraordinary child care centers are built. Not through perfection. Not through giant swings. But through consistency, intentionality, and the willingness to keep improving little by little.

At the end of the day, mindset is one of the most powerful tools you have as a leader. It’s the one thing nobody can take away from you, and it’s the one thing you fully control. You may not control the economy, staffing shortages, regulations, or what happens around you, but you always control your response.

“Mindset is the one thing no one can take away from you—and the one thing you fully control.”

You don’t have to change everything tomorrow. You don’t have to become perfect overnight. But you can choose to do one more thing today that moves you in the right direction. One more encouraging conversation. One more improvement. One more positive habit. One more step toward the future you want.

And over time, those small actions can completely transform your business, your leadership, your culture, and your life.