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Ollie Aplin
3 x Founder | CMO & Creative Strategist
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10 Lessons From 10 Years of Building MindJournal
MindJournal shaped almost a decade of my life, and I’ve realised there’s a lot from that journey that I’ve never shared. So this is the start of a new series where I’ll break down the real lessons, decisions and behind-the-scenes of building the brand.
To kick things off, here are ten of the biggest.
1. Know your numbers, or you won’t last long
Cashflow, margins, pricing, AOV and GM% aren’t a job for another day. They are the story of your business in real time. Every good decision we made came from understanding the numbers properly, and every bad one came from guessing. If numbers aren’t your strength, find someone you trust who lives and breathes them. It might sound dramatic, but your entire future really does depend on it.
2. No business is worth your mental health
Probably not surprising coming from the founder of a wellbeing brand, but burnout, pressure and the constant weight of expectations will wear you down long before the business does. Set boundaries. No evenings, no weekends, no “just one more thing” at 11 pm. Your brain will try to convince you that if you don’t do that task, everything will fall apart, but it won’t. Step away, reset and come back rested and ready to go.
3. Brand is everything
Performance fluctuates, channels change, and costs rise, but a strong brand outlives every tactic. Brand isn’t your logo, it’s the way you make people feel. MindJournal proved that for a decade. People connected with it — they felt something when they saw it, and they kept coming back because it meant something to them. Brand is the feeling you create and the meaning people attach to you. Get that right and everything else becomes easier.
4. Email is still your most profitable channel
Say it louder for the people in the back.
Send more emails. Send better emails.
I’m still shocked when brands come to me and have little to no email revenue at all. When we committed to email at MindJournal, it transformed the business. Automate what you can and aim for around 30% of revenue from flows and campaigns. And don’t just send offers. Give value — stories, education and inspiration. Moments that help people feel part of something. You can’t just take from your community. You have to give back.
5. Hire the right people, at the right time
Hire people you trust, not the ones who chase you. Never hire from a cold email. Bring people in when they’re the right fit for where the business is going, not just who you think you’re supposed to. Agencies can be powerful, but only when they act as partners who understand your whole funnel, not just their tiny slice of it. And treat your suppliers like gold. Those relationships will save you when things get tight.
6. Purpose and values are your compass
Know why you exist. Know who you help. Know the path you’re trying to walk. When opportunities come along, purpose helps you decide if they move you closer to who you want to be or pull you further away. Money alone is never enough to keep you going.
7. Ignore vanity metrics
Scroll LinkedIn and you’ll see five posts shouting about how much revenue a brand is making. It’s easy to feel behind, but “revenue” is the most misleading number in the game. Anyone can hit a revenue milestone. What really matters is profit, cash, margin quality, your mental well-being and whether the business actually works for you. Stay in your lane and stop comparing. Ego has its place, but don’t let it take the wheel.
8. Consistency beats genius
Be obsessive about everything.
Improve everything, even the things no one sees. The brands that win keep showing up, refining and raising the bar. Small weekly improvements compound fast. And that includes the unglamorous stuff — the metrics that matter (retention, repeat purchase rate, AOV, margin quality) and the way you treat people. Great customer service is one of the strongest brand signals you can send.
9. Make the product incredible
A great brand brings people in, but a great product brings them back.
Listen to what customers are actually trying to solve, not just what they say they want. Build for their real needs and frustrations, even when they can’t articulate them. And don’t think in single products. Create an ecosystem where everything works together and every new item strengthens the whole. Innovation doesn’t need to be loud. Often, it’s small, thoughtful improvements that keep people coming back for years.
10. Listen to advice, but trust your gut
Everyone has an opinion.
Most of it comes from their own perspective. Some advice will be useful, some well-meaning, some completely off the mark. Surround yourself with people who’ve actually done what you want to do. Listen, learn and take what helps, but trust your instincts above everything else. They’ve got you this far.
