Am I failing, or is this just part of the journey?

You’re not failing.

You’re carrying a business that no longer feels as exciting as it once did. It’s now heavy and on a daily basis you’re filled with more questions than answers.

On paper, it still works, the work comes in, results get delivered, you’re known for what you do.

But behind the scenes? You’re tired, exhausted. Quietly (sometimes not so quietly, audience dependent!) frustrated as hell.

You’re not burnt out because you’re still putting in the effort, showing up, but slowly, you’re feeling done with it. Done with the struggle, the endless decision making, lack of time, and overwhelming pressure to get it right. This is where most founders assume that they’re the problem. Maybe they don’t actually have what it takes to achieve what seems so easy for others? But the reality is, it’s structural. Strategic.

The business vision and your why, have both been lost along the way. Things have become reactive because they’ve needed to. Business is f*cking hard right now, and honestly, has been for some time. You’ve had no choice but to adapt and take what you can. But now you can’t find a way out of this reactive lifecycle and you’re stuck stalling on the big moves you know you need to make. 

There’s an element of fear and pressure that has taken hold. Overthinking. Procrastination.

You’re delaying big moves because the small stuff already takes too much.

Here’s what I want you to know:

1. Reactive businesses aren't broken, they're overloaded.

If every decision feels heavy, it’s because too much of the business is still running through you. That’s not a sign of failure but it is a sign that your structure hasn’t kept pace with your growth and pressure has taken over.
→ List out everything you’re currently holding; from delivery and decisions, to noise in the inbox. Highlight what creates the most friction or fatigue. Choose one thing to simplify, delegate, or pause for the next two weeks. This could be as simple as a deep cleanse of your emails, including deleting stagnant folders and those “for reference” pieces that you still haven’t read.

2. Decision fatigue is usually a sign you’ve gone too long without a reset.

When everything feels urgent and you can’t see what actually matters, it’s not about being disorganised, it’s that your priorities haven’t been assessed in a while.
→ Ditch the to-do list. Write down the three things your business needs to deliver this month. Let those become your point of decision. If it doesn’t serve one of those goals, it can wait.

3. Procrastination is pressure in disguise.

When you keep stalling on something important, it’s rarely about discipline. It’s about fear, friction, or the fact that it feels too big or not possible to move.
→ Take that one decision or move you’ve been circling or excusing, and reduce it to just the next action. Not the final version, just the next motion. Put it in the diary this week and protect that slot. A key first hire is often the “big move”. Assuming you simply can’t afford to hire for management level is not strategic progress. Start doing your research and seeing what’s out there. We hired our first Operations Manager with an honest and upfront offer, which they accepted despite the lower scale salary. Despite what we’re taught and led to believe (and now more than ever!) not everyone’s motive for work is money, especially those with a lot of specialist experience.

4. You don’t need to burn it down. You need to reorient.

When the business feels heavier than it should, it’s rarely about the work itself. It’s about misalignment between your original vision and the version of you running the show now.
→ Block out 90 minutes. Ask yourself: What do I still believe in? Who am I best positioned to serve now? What’s become unnecessarily hard? Let the answers set the tone for what needs to change.

This is the very point most clients come to me. They’re not in crisis but they are in that quiet break-point moment between things “working” and everything being unsustainable.

We absolutely DO NOT burn it all down.

We simply make it lighter. Cleaner. Sustainable. And get some fire back in your belly!!

If that’s where you are, this is your turning point. Not the end.

It’s when you ask yourself “Do I really believe in this?”.

Yes or no, we can fix it,. If you want it badly enough.