What if success looked different this year? A new way to measure growth!

As business owners, we’re taught to measure success by the numbers. Revenue. Profit margins.  Booked-out calendars. And don’t get me wrong…metrics are great! Numbers matter. They give us insight, direction, and clarity, but after nearly a decade in business, I’ve learned something super important: numbers don’t always tell the full story. Over the last nine years, I’ve experienced many versions of “success,” and some of them didn’t feel successful at all.

When the numbers look great but everything feels heavy

There were seasons when my business was technically thriving. I was fully booked, sometimes unable to take consultations at all. Other times, I took consults but had to place new clients on a waitlist that stretched three months out because I was maxed out. I couldn’t hire contractors fast enough to keep up with the demand. On paper? That’s growth. In reality? It was exhausting!

I was operating at full capacity, constantly juggling, always behind, and carrying a level of stress that made it hard to show up as my best self for my clients or my personal life. The money was good, and the business was thriving but I didn’t feel aligned. I felt stretched thin and honestly it was so stressful. I felt as if I wasn’t giving my best and that was a huge wake-up call for me.

When things slow down and real growth happens

On the flip side, I’ve also had quieter years. Fewer clients. Fewer projects. Less hustle. Those seasons were some of the most transformative in my business.

When things slowed down, I finally had the space to clean things up behind the scenes. I assessed my workflows, refined my processes, and documented procedures that had lived only in my head. I took a hard look at the services I was offering and asked myself, Do I actually want to be doing this work? I had time to think strategically instead of constantly reacting.
I refined my messaging.
I clarified what I wanted to say, who I wanted to serve, and how I wanted my business to feel. Those years might not have looked impressive from the outside, but I think they laid the foundation for a healthier and more sustainable business.

Redefining what success really means

When I started my business, I had one main goal: flexibility. I wanted to work in a way that allowed me to be present for my family while also serving clients I genuinely loved working with. Over time, I realized that true success wasn’t just about growth. It’s about alignment.

So let me ask you this:

1. What if success looked different this year?
2. What if your growth wasn’t measured by revenue alone, but by how well your business actually fits into your life?

What if growth looked like:

• Creating systems that make your days feel lighter
• Setting and holding boundaries with clients
• Designing a schedule that supports your energy instead of draining it
• Saying no to work that doesn’t align (even if it pays well!)

What if you gave yourself permission to slow down long enough to truly assess your day-to-day operations?

I have a challenge for you! This month, I want to challenge you to do something different. Instead of asking, How can I make more? try asking:

• What parts of my business light me up?
• What feels heavy or misaligned?
• Where am I overcommitting?
• What boundaries do I need to set or reinforce?

Give yourself the space to reflect. Dive into the work that energizes you and explore how you can do more of that, while creating a work schedule that actually works FOR you, not AGAINST you! Because growth doesn’t always mean doing more.
Sometimes, it means doing better.
Sometimes, the biggest success is building a business that truly supports the life you want to live.

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Curious what this kind of growth can look like in real life? You can hear directly from business owners who’ve redefined success in a way that works for them!