Prati Kalani-Kaufman is an expert in small business marketing and human energy dynamics. She is the founder of SmallBiz Marketing, dedicated to making marketing stress-free for small business owners, and co-owns a kennel with her husband. As the host of the Small Business Marketing podcast, Prati helps entrepreneurs grow their brands authentically.
Success isn’t just about working hard. If it were, everyone who grinds day and night would be wildly successful. But that’s not the case. Some people hustle endlessly but never seem to break through. Others make steady progress, build something meaningful, and sustain it over time. The difference? Alignment. You can’t create long-term success for yourself… until you find what truly aligns with you.
What does that mean?
It means success isn’t just about external achievements; it’s about building a life that fits you. A life that doesn’t just look good on the outside but feels right on the inside.
Too often, people chase success based on what society defines it as: money, status, recognition. But what happens when you finally get those things and still feel unfulfilled? That’s why real, lasting success starts from within.
How do you find your path to long-term success?
You have to ask yourself the right questions. Here are a few that can help:
1. What are my values?
Your values are the foundation of your success. They guide your decisions, shape your priorities, and determine what truly matters to you. If you’re chasing a version of success that doesn’t align with your values, you’ll always feel disconnected, even if you “make it.”
2. What is my why?
Beyond making money or achieving goals, what’s the deeper reason that fuels you? Your why keeps you going when things get tough. It’s what turns work into purpose. Without it, success can feel empty.
3. What do I enjoy doing the most?
Long-term success is hard to sustain if you don’t enjoy the process. What are the tasks, skills, or activities that bring you energy rather than drain you? This doesn’t mean every moment will be fun, but overall, you should feel connected to what you’re building.
4. What kind of people do I want to be surrounded by?
Your environment shapes you more than you realize. The people you spend time with either elevate you or hold you back. Surround yourself with those who inspire, challenge, and support you. Success isn’t just about what you do; it’s also about who you do it with.
Success that lasts is built, not chased
The closer you get to answering these questions, the clearer your version of success becomes. And once you define success on your terms, you stop chasing things that don’t actually matter to you.
Sustainable success isn’t about following someone else’s formula. It’s about finding your path, owning it, and building something that truly aligns with who you are. Success that doesn’t feel right to you isn’t really success at all.
Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn for more content on human energy and marketing or listen to my podcast series on strategic marketing in full alignment with your highest potential so you can experience real freedom in your life and business.
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Prati Kaufman, Entrepreneur, Marketing and Human Energy Expert
Prati is a leading Global Marketing and Human Energy Expert with 20+ years of marketing experience and a lifetime of tuning into her inner wisdom.
She combines her marketing experience with one-of-a-kind human energy assessment to help small business owners get in front of the right audience with laser-focused, integrated marketing.
