I'm recording this on a Monday morning. My voice is still sleepy. And I'm about to tell you something most business coaches won't: not every season is a season of killing it.
Maybe you're struggling to show up for your business right now. Maybe the world feels extra heavy. Maybe you're dealing with family issues, health challenges, or just the crushing weight of being responsible for absolutely everything.
I see you. I've coached over 3,000 people through a global pandemic and multiple crises. And these years have taught me something crucial about sustainable entrepreneurship.
The Weight of Responsibility is Real
Let me normalize something first: the pressure you're feeling? It's real. And it's massive.
No one who isn't a business owner truly gets how much pressure rests on your shoulders. You're responsible for your clients, your team, your family, your business decisions, and somehow also supposed to have energy left over to be a human being.
When my cat got injured for the third time last year, when I had a leak in my house, when family members needed support, when clients needed me, when the world felt like it was falling apart… I felt it all stacking up. The mental load became almost unbearable.
So first, I want to give you a virtual hug. You're not alone in feeling this way. Every business owner feels this amount of responsibility. We just don't post about it online because we don't want people to feel sorry for us.
Your Business is Just a Business
This has been hard for me to embrace, especially with a personal brand. But at the end of the day, your business is just a business.
You are not your business. Your likes are not your personal worth. Your revenue doesn't determine how loved you are.
I've had to accept that not every season will be a season of killing it. Wintertime is not my season. I don't have the same energy I have in summer. And I've learned to plan for that instead of fighting it.
Here's what this looks like practically: I recently hosted a webinar with a goal of 1,500 signups. Old me would have pushed and hustled and stressed until I hit that number. New me? I divided it into weekly goals and looked at the data objectively.
Week two, Sunday night, I checked my stats. We were at 650 signups. Summer Amy would have made extra reels, blasted stories, sent additional emails. Winter Amy looked at the data and said: “You're on track. You can let it go.”
Look at Your Business Objectively
This is the shift that changes everything: look at your business through data instead of emotion.
What does your business actually need right now? Leads? Sales? Client delivery?
Focus on that. Not on how you feel about it. Not on whether you have perfect energy. Just: what does the business need?
Last week we sent an email that didn't perform well. We adjusted and sent another that did great. But I didn't pour out every ounce of energy I had left. I saved some for my family who needed it more in that moment.
Would You Show Up If This Was a Job?
Here's the tough love part: if you worked for someone else, would you still show up?
If someone close to you died, of course you'd take time off. But if you're just busy and overwhelmed and life feels hard? You'd still go to work. You'd just perform a little less.
I'm giving you permission to perform less. But I'm not giving you permission to treat your business like a hobby.
One of my team members is moving right now. She told us: “I'm here, I'm working, but I have a lot of pressure from the move. I might make more mistakes and need extra eyes on things because I'm not at 100%.”
She's stating where she's at. She's asking for support. But she's still showing up.
The Five Most Important Tasks
I use a productivity planner that asks me every week: what are the five most important tasks? If these were the only tasks you completed, would you be satisfied?
When you're low on energy, this question becomes critical.
Maybe for you it's: check in with clients, post one product daily, ship orders, send one email about your offer. That's it. Nothing fancy. No big launches. No viral content strategy.
Just the basics that keep your business running.
Make the list shorter. Make it simpler. Don't over-deliver this week if you're struggling. But do deliver.
The Capacity Question
My partner and I started asking each other: “Where are you at? What percentage?”
Sometimes I'm at 20%. He's at 80%. He takes care of dinner. Sometimes he's at 20% and I have 50%. I can handle the cooking.
When we're both low, we talk about what we're going to let go. Pre-chopped vegetables instead of regular ones. Takeout instead of cooking. Asking family for help.
You can't be at 100% twelve months a year. That's not sustainable. That's not human.
So ask yourself: what's my capacity right now? And what does my business need at this capacity?
The Bottom Line
You don't need perfect energy to run a profitable business. You need consistent presence. You need to show up like a responsible employee when you can't be the visionary CEO.
Your business isn't optional. Your clients deserve your commitment. But you also deserve to honor your energy and not burn yourself into the ground trying to prove something.
So what does the low-energy version of you still need to do? Make that list. Commit to it. Let everything else go.
And remember: a day where you haven't failed is a day where you haven't learned. But a day where you don't show up at all? That's just a day you're treating your passion like a hobby.
Listen to the full episode.
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