Creativity Built My Business: Weaknesses Didn’t Stop Me
I was trained to follow the rules.
Sit down. Stay in line. Do it exactly how they said.
As a teacher and then a principal, I enforced that same system. I asked students to obey before they explored. And in the process, I learned to suppress the very thing that would later build my business: creativity.
It took me years to realize that “I’m not good at that” wasn’t a reason to quit. It was a signal to partner. The real shift didn’t happen because I suddenly became more talented. It happened when I started thinking bigger and acting like it was already true.
Quick Takeaways
Creativity Was Never the Problem
“Your creativity is your superpower.”
That one idea rebuilt everything. It helped me walk away from a system that rewarded conformity and into a business where I now manage employees, control my schedule, and close deals. I buy houses and apartments, coach inside the Wealth in Real Estate Facebook group, and help others do the same. But the foundation wasn’t funding. It wasn’t a perfect plan. It was learning to value what came easily to me—and stop disqualifying myself for what didn’t.
If you're reading this and wondering why success still feels out of reach, maybe it's not about what you're missing. Maybe it's about what you’ve been muting.
Early on, I realized I had an edge in systems, event planning, and analytics. Those aren’t flashy skills. But they made complex decisions easier and gave me the tools to run numbers, structure deals, and build relationships in a repeatable way. I saw it in my son, too—creating and adapting in Fortnite with instinctive skill. That’s when I understood: creativity isn’t always artistic. It’s strategic.
Of course, there were things I wasn’t good at. Raising capital. Finding time. Seeing the big picture when I felt buried. But I stopped trying to fix all of that alone. Instead, I learned to build a support team that filled the gaps:
- Partners with funding
- Collaborators with experience
- Mentors with perspective
- A network that believed before I did
- Systems that ran without burning me out
- Deals that made sense on paper, not just in theory
- A new story about what I was actually capable of
In the pages ahead, I’ll unpack how that shift happened. First, we’ll look at how school conditioned me to suppress creativity. Then we’ll talk about the moment I redefined what strength really looked like. We’ll explore the puzzle-piece model that replaced my excuses, the conversations that changed my strategy, and the five-year leap from frustration to ownership.
But it all started here: unleash your creativity… and stop holding back.
School Taught Me to Sit Still, Not Stand Out
I spent years inside the system that shaped me. First as a student, then as a teacher, and later as a principal. I saw firsthand how we train kids to do what they're told, sit in rows, and prioritize rule-following over real thinking. I didn’t just witness it—I enforced it. I told students to follow directions, not to follow their instincts. I taught them to stay in line, even when something inside them wanted to build, question, or explore.
“We’ve been programmed to do what we’re told.”
“We’re trained in school to sit in rows and follow instructions.”
And I lived that programming, too. I thought success meant compliance. I believed leadership looked like obedience. Until it hit me: the very system I was enforcing was the one muting my own growth.
My frustration came from ignoring what I was really good at.
The truth is, most of us come out of school knowing how to meet expectations—but not how to trust ourselves. That’s not our fault. It’s the product of a structure that rewards sameness over originality. But once I stepped outside of that structure and started running a business, I realized the rules had changed.
Real estate doesn’t care how well you follow directions. It rewards how well you solve problems, build trust, and create momentum. That’s when I began to notice how much my old mindset was holding me back.
Here’s what that system taught me—and why I had to unlearn it:
- Compliance looks like discipline, but often masks fear.
- Following instructions gets you approval, but rarely builds wealth.
- Creativity is quietly punished—unless it fits in the box.
- Questioning the system is labeled “disruptive,” not “resourceful.”
- Original thinking gets redirected toward test prep, not deal-making.
- Students who color outside the lines are called troublemakers.
- Teachers like me, who asked for initiative, often didn’t model it ourselves.
Once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. I realized that the very qualities that now make me a good investor—curiosity, resourcefulness, willingness to challenge the rules—were traits that system told me to suppress. That shift didn’t happen all at once. But it began with one clear moment of recognition: the same mindset that earned me praise in education was keeping me stuck in business.
So I stopped looking for permission and started following the spark.
The Thing That Feels Effortless Is the Edge
“Your creativity is your superpower.”
That’s what I wish someone had told me earlier.
I used to overlook the things that came easy to me. I was good at organizing, planning, analyzing numbers, and spotting patterns. But because it didn’t feel hard, I assumed it didn’t count. Nobody in the traditional systems I worked in had ever said, “Lean into that.” They said, “Tone it down.”
But that ease—that instinctive clarity—isn’t something to hide. It’s something to build around.
I started paying attention to what lit me up and what drained me. I noticed how natural it felt to structure offers, design systems, and run analytics on rental property deals. When I was in that zone, I didn’t need motivation. I was in flow.
I saw the same thing in my son one day. He was playing Fortnite, building out ledges and structures with total confidence—things I wouldn’t think to create. I didn’t correct him. I didn’t tell him to stop. I just watched. And it hit me: we’re born with instincts to create, adapt, and solve. But we learn to hide them. That was the day I promised myself I wouldn’t let my creativity—or his—get muted again.
“Don’t let anybody stomp that out of you.”
“That thing you’ve been toning down is the thing that makes you stand out.”
“If you do something that doesn’t feel like work and the quality is amazing, that’s your edge.”
Now, whenever I’m helping someone figure out their next step—whether it’s their first deal or their tenth—I ask them to run a different set of checks. Not just on the numbers. On themselves.
Here are the 5 checks I run to find someone’s edge:
- What feels effortless but gets high praise?
That’s often where your talent lives. - What do others rely on you for, without asking?
Patterns reveal value. - Where do you lose track of time while working?
Flow is a signal. - What have you been told is “too much” or “not realistic”?
That’s often someone else’s fear, not your limit. - Where do people keep asking you for help—even if you don’t offer?
Your market might already exist.
When you find it, protect it. That’s your edge. That’s where your business should start.
Five Years Changed My Ceiling
Five years ago, I was standing in a classroom trying not to lose it. The kids weren’t the problem. The pressure was. I was juggling student behavior, administrative politics, and my own growing frustration that I was capable of more... but stuck.
I remember thinking, “I can’t keep doing this.” But I had no blueprint, no capital, no support system—just a quiet belief that if I tried something different, I could build something better.
Now I own real estate, manage a team, and run a business where I call the shots. “Five years later, I’m in control of my life.” That didn’t happen all at once. But each decision—each partnership, offer, and risk—stacked into a life that finally felt like mine.
Here’s what most people don’t say: growth doesn’t feel powerful at first. It feels like letting go of every old excuse.
“You are capable of more than you can imagine.”
But only if you’re willing to leave behind the version of yourself that’s surviving and start building the one that leads.
These are the truths I hold onto now:
- You can outgrow your goals. Don’t be afraid to rewrite them.
- Owning property isn’t about money. It’s about control and options.
- Leadership replaces emotional reactivity with long-term clarity.
- A good business removes chaos with systems.
- You don’t need 10 years. You need 90 clean days, repeated.
I’m not here to sell a dream. I’m here to prove what happens when you stop buying into your limits. Five years ago, I wasn’t ready. I just started.
Act Like It’s Already True
I opened with how I was trained to follow the rules—sit down, stay in line, play it safe. That mindset rewarded me with burnout and ceilings I didn’t choose. What changed everything wasn’t a secret strategy. It was deciding that my creativity mattered, my weaknesses could be solved, and my future was already mine.
When I stopped saying, “I don’t have…” and started asking, “Who does?”—I moved from guessing to closing. I built partnerships that kept deals alive and replaced reactivity with structure.
“Grab the map.”
Not later. Not when it's perfect. Not when you feel ready.
Right now.
If you remember one thing, remember this: your most effortless skill isn’t an accident—it’s a signal to begin.
So start there.
Pay attention to the work that feels like flow.
Notice the problem you solve without effort.
Build your next step around that, not someone else’s plan.
You don’t need to do it all at once.
You just need to act like these three things are already true:
- Your creativity matters.
- Your team is out there.
- You’re more capable than you imagine.
Let today be the day you stop holding back.
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About Johnoson Crutchfield
Johnoson Crutchfield is a real estate investor, coach, and host of the Grab the Map podcast. He helps aspiring and active investors move beyond analysis paralysis and take the consistent actions required to close real estate deals.
Drawing from years of hands-on experience, Johnoson teaches practical, real-world strategies focused on finding opportunities, building relationships, securing funding, and making offers. His approach emphasizes weekly execution over endless education, helping investors create momentum through simple, repeatable actions.
As the leader of the Wealth and Real Estate community, Johnoson shares lessons from real transactions and real conversations with lenders, sellers, and investors. He is a strong advocate for local banking relationships, seller financing, and private lending as powerful tools for growing a real estate business.
Through coaching, content, and community, Johnoson has helped investors gain clarity, build confidence, and take meaningful steps toward closing their first—or next—deal.
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