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In 2010, I quit my job to take a year-long solo backpacking trip through South America and Asia. Mongolia was not on my original itinerary, and entrepreneurship was not part of my professional plan. Yet, both are defining chapters of my story.
Through a series of unplanned turns, I found myself living on a yak farm near Lake Khovsgol in northern Mongolia, just across the border from Siberia. For weeks, I rode horses, milked yaks, herded goats, and learned to live in conditions I was wildly unprepared for. My tent leaked. My sneakers were waterproofed with duct tape and plastic bags. Plus I had no access to the outside world.
It was chaotic, uncomfortable, and life-changing. In hindsight, the unforgiving landscape prepared me for entrepreneurship far better than any classroom or previous job. This is what I learned:
1. Perfection is a myth
To reach Lake Khovsgol, I crammed into a Russian van built for 12 people but carrying 18. My “seat” was a half-cushion, just enough for one butt cheek, while the man in front of me leaned against my knees because his seat was broken. The 27-hour ride across the muddy Mongolian steppe was loud, smelly, and uncomfortable. When we arrived my plan was questionable: Join a British traveler and follow my Mongolian seat-mate to his family’s farm where we could hire horses, a guide, and borrow a pot for cooking over fires.
In business, ideal conditions are rare, if they exist at all. Progress comes from moving forward with the resources you have, even when cramped and poorly planned.
2. Trust is earned
I earned trust working alongside my Mongolian hosts. Herding, milking, cooking, and hauling water became our shared language. I made plenty of mistakes (milking a yak is hard), but I kept showing up and trying. Over time, frustration turned to pride.
Leadership grows stronger through shared experiences. Rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work creates trust faster and more deeply than any credentials or reputation. Today’s mistakes may become tomorrow’s victories.
3. Adaptability is survival
Mongolians live nomadically for a reason. They thrive by packing up their gers (yurts) and relocating as each season shifts. Moving ensures fresh pastures, healthier animals, and stronger and bigger communities.
Entrepreneurship necessitates adaptability. Markets shift. Teams evolve. Technology, like AI, reshapes how we work. Leaders need to pivot and reset as conditions change, often trading resilience for growth.
4. Gut over graphs
The Mongolian steppe left me vulnerable, exposed, and often afraid. At night, I would lie awake shivering and listening to wolves, sometimes finding their tracks circling my tent in the morning. Survival meant trusting strangers and learning to understand without speaking their language. Basic needs such as potable drinking water are compromised in a survival environment. I had to rely on my instincts and remain vigilant. I scanned my surroundings for predators or dangers at all times.
Data and metrics are essential, but analysis can slow you down. In a startup environment, survival depends on listening to your gut and acting decisively before threats become reality.
5. Community is everything
What ultimately sustained me in Mongolia were the people I trusted along the way. Kids became my translators, and a family welcomed me into their home, sharing their food and teaching me how to survive in their climate. Strangers provided me with supplies, skills, and safety, bringing my focus to the essential: being deeply present and focused on the critical human needs with each passing minute.
A supportive network and a tight-knit team provide the foundation for thriving through every season, good or bad. Invest deeply in your community. Give more than you take. And celebrate the incremental progress each day brings.
Final thought
Mongolia taught me unexpected lessons: Keep moving even when conditions are less than perfect, earn trust through shared work, adapt constantly, and invest deeply in community. Fourteen years later, the lessons I learned from the steppe continue to shape my path personally and professionally.
The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.
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Katie Schibler Conn
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