The messy, beautiful truth about building a sustainable business

When you think back to your first year in business… whew. 🤯

Big dreams, a lot of grit, and a Google Calendar that somehow always overflowed. 😨

Whether you were running on pure adrenaline, figuring out everything as you went, or juggling multiple hats without a handbook, those early days had their own unique mix of chaos and excitement.

This is my longest blog to date! 😂 If you’re in for some fresh perspectives, you might find yourself saying at the end, 'Worth every minute of reading this!

I’m sharing my personal story about growing a business, and while mine might not be as massive as those employing hundreds or thousands, the behind-the-scenes challenges, decisions, and leadership shifts are surprisingly similar, no matter the size of the team.

2020 — The “Yes to Everything” Season

When I first started, I said yes to every single opportunity that came my way.

Yes to every DM. Yes to every late-night email. Yes to projects I probably shouldn’t have taken on. 🤷‍♀️ I was hungry to learn the ins and outs of running a business, and it was an answered prayer that someone believed in me and that I had what it takes.

But under that gratitude, there was a low, constant hum of fear. 😣

The feast-or-famine mindset had me convinced that:

• "I’m only as secure as my next project."

• “Better to have too much work than none at all.”

• “I need to prove I can handle everything that comes my way.”

• “Slow weeks mean I’m failing.”

• “If I turn this down, I might regret it forever.”
  

That pressure never really went away; it just looped like an endless snooze alarm I couldn’t shut off.

Coming from a family where everyone was an employee, starting my own business felt like landing in another country without a map or a translator. 😩

I didn’t feel confident. I didn’t feel like this was what I was “supposed” to be doing.

Cue: the impostor syndrome. 😒 And it didn’t just whisper in my ear, it showed up everywhere, in the

• hesitation in how I market and present myself

• in the way I avoided putting myself fully out there

• in the way I second-guessed every decision

There was even a point where I thought, "Maybe it’s an illusion to think I could actually do this."

And maybe that’s where YOU are right now.

If you’re a therapist in private practice, it might look like saying yes to every new client request because turning someone away feels like turning away stability.

If you’re a keynote speaker, it might mean agreeing to design your own slides at midnight after a networking event because you can’t imagine handing them off to someone else.

You mean it. You’re grateful. You want to help. 💗

But you also work nights, skip breaks, and keep telling yourself, I’ll rest after this..

If this is you right now, hear me: you’re not doing it wrong.

You’re building muscle. You’re learning your craft. You’re testing your limits.

Just don’t stay here forever because running on adrenaline isn’t a long-term strategy.

2021 – The Growth That Didn’t Feel Like Growth (At First)

If 2020 was about proving I could survive in business, 2021 made me see that survival alone wasn’t enough.

Referrals were flowing, my clients were happy, and the work was now steady.

The biggest BUT I saw this year was that I was the bottleneck.

Everything relied on me, and if I stopped, everything would stop—my biggest fear. 😞

For a therapist in private practice, this might mean your waitlist is so long you barely have time to breathe between sessions, but you still handle all the admin and marketing yourself.

For a CEO scaling from solopreneur, it could be onboarding your first few team members while still personally approving every decision, because letting go feels risky.

Referrals are a gift, but if fulfilling them leaves you drained, it’s time to ask: “How can I make this sustainable?” 🤔

Q4 of 2021, I did something scary: I hired help.

Delegating felt clumsy, but it was my first step toward building a business that could grow without running me into the ground.

By the end of 2021, I wasn’t just a solopreneur anymore; I was learning to lead.

2022-2023 — Enter Systems and Fancier Chaos

When I started hiring help, I desperately needed an onboarding system.

My “wing it and hope for the best” approach wasn’t cutting it anymore.

So I started documenting my SOPs—video, written, the whole shebang.

Between 2022 and 2023, growth continued and with it came a looooot 👏 of 👏 changes.

I was lying awake at night thinking:

• “How do I delegate when it’s faster just to do it myself?”

• “Can I please just clone myself so I don’t have to train anyone?”

• “How am I this successful and still feel like I’m drowning in emails, tasks, and decisions?”

  
  

I realized that scaling without systems is the ultimate chaos that no one warned me of. 😭

For a service-based professional (like a coach or consultant), you’ve hired an assistant, but you’re still the one explaining, step by step, how to format a single client report because “it’s faster than re-doing it later.”

For a CEO or founder, new hires are onboarded, but you still have to micromanage every step of a project because the SOPs aren’t in place, and heaven forbid someone make a “creative mistake” you’ll have to clean up later.

If this is where you are right now, let me share what I realized back then: "If I wanted my business to keep growing without turning into a walking burnout emoji, I had to learn how to step back and stop being the business."

My 2022-2023 was about building sustainable structures, so my success didn’t crush me.

2024 — The Pause That Rebuilt Everything

After three years of sprinting, patching, and surviving on caffeine and adrenaline, 2024 was the year I finally pressed pause. 🖐

Not because things were falling apart, but because I knew I couldn’t keep scaling on shaky ground.

This time, instead of chasing “more,” I rebuilt:

• I created SOPs that people could follow without needing a live demo or a 'quick call' from me every single time.

• I set project timelines that didn’t make every deadline feel like a rescue mission.

• I hired the right people instead of “whoever can start tomorrow.”

• I clearly defined roles so no one had to ask, “Wait, is this mine or yours?”

• And the most challenging part? I need to learn how to let go of control.....slowly.

I stopped hiring for help and started building a team that could lead with me. 💎

For a therapist in private practice, this could look like finally letting someone else manage scheduling and billing so you can focus on your clients instead of QuickBooks or maintaining your profile on Psychology Today.

For a CEO, it might mean building a leadership layer in your business—people who can think, decide, and move projects forward without you approving every comma. 👀

2024 taught me that I didn't need more hands. I needed structure and people who think with me, not just wait for instructions. 🤝

This was the year I realized sustainable growth doesn’t come from adding more to your plate.

It comes from finally setting the table so others can eat with you.

2025 — The Year of Intentional Scale (Coming Next…)

In my fifth year of business, I began to be more intentional.

This season isn't about hustling harder or proving I can carry more, it’s about creating space for growth that feels good, not just looks good or what I think others think is good. 😒

I’m learning to lead with clarity, to make decisions without panic, and to trust the foundation I worked so hard to build.

Finally, I am stepping into the role of a visionary instead of staying stuck in firefighter mode.

If you’re still in the 2020 version of your business, saying yes to everything and running on adrenaline, I see you, I’ve been you.

And I get it, not because I studied it in a course, but because I lived it.

I made the mistakes, rebuilt the systems, and learned what no certification or YouTube tutorial ever could: peace comes when your business supports you back. 💗

That’s the journey I’m walking into now, and I’ll continue to take you with me on what it looks like to grow with intention, ease, and sustainability at the center.

To me (and here's to hoping you share the same belief), real success isn’t just measured by numbers; it’s also measured by how supported, energized, and alive you feel while building it. 🥳

So tell me, which year are you in right now? I’d love to hear where you are in your journey! 😍

And if you’re ready to step into 2026 with fresh momentum, clarity, and support, this is exactly where my OBM services come in.

I help CEOs and entrepreneurs not just manage the day-to-day, but build sustainable systems, teams, and structures that let them scale without sacrificing their peace.

Ready to explore what that looks like for you?

START HERE 🤝

If a friend, CEO, or founder came to mind, share this their way.

I’ll thank you with more than just gratitude! I believe in spoiling my referrers a little. 😉