3 Life-Changing Things I Learned When I Almost Quit My Business
Once upon a time, I almost quit my entire business.
In the process, I learned some life-changing lessons.
Curious what brought me back? Hold onto your tea, because I'm about to spill it all.
Along this entrepreneurial journey, there was a point of sheer frustration I reached when I was ready to completely shut to the doors to the template shop (and The Humanista Co. in general).
After four years of running a one-woman design studio, I was tired.
Exhausted, actually. I had experienced burnout not once, but three times along the way.
I knew there was a toxic cycle I kept reliving while running this business, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Until then, I was about ready to burn it all to the ground.
And trust me, I did not take this kind of decision lightly.
Have you ever reached this point before in your life?
But you know, whether we choose to hold on or walk away from someone or something—it takes courage either way.
And in the process of nearly walking away from this business, I think I've surprised myself more than anyone because it's allowed me to rediscover and reconnect with it in a much more intentional, powerful way.
What I've discovered above all else is that “everything starts with the self”
(as my favorite tarot reader, Christina from Sassy Scorpion Tarot, often says).
I'd love to share what I mean a little more, in the hopes that it will bring you some inspiration and insight as you evolve on your own business journey, too.
Here are the main lessons I've learned in this process:
LESSON #1
Foundation = longevity
As you probably know, running a business is HARD.
You are a trailblazer who wears all the hats and hold full responsibility for the decisions and overall success of the business.
Which means, it's crucial that you start with a solid foundation—starting with the self—if you want your business to last.
When I first started out in business several years ago, I saw it as this glittering key to freedom.
I couldn't wait to free myself from my corporate cubicle life, to make all my own rules and run things exactly how I wanted without ever waiting for permission from a boss above me.
In fact, I couldn't WAIT to become my own boss.
The problem is—once you're the boss, the main thing you have to rely on to keep things flowing, is yourself. And if you haven't taken the time to do the important inner work that's required to implement enough discipline, structure, and self-belief that it takes to keep a business running, your inner environment starts to get clouded with self-doubt….which darkens your entire perception of the business and what you believe is truly possible for it.
It doesn't matter how much praise you receive, how many happy clients you have, or what's currently in your bank account because at the end of the day, if you don't believe that you are worthy of success, then your inner foundation will never support you in achieving it.
And that means, whatever you are trying to build, is not going to be built to last.
And that's what I had to do this year. I had to step back, like REALLY step back and slow down more than I ever have in my whole life and understand what kind of inner foundation I was operating from, and then analyze what needed to change from the inside out in order to support my own success.
It's been an intense healing journey—I found counseling, I journal nearly every night, and little by little I've discovered my own spiritual practice to keep me grounded, self-aware, and self-connected.
Finally, for the first time in my life, I can honestly say I believe I am worthy of it all—success, abundance, but most importantly, JOY.
God, it feels good to say that and really mean it.
LESSON #2
Perspective is powerful
As a business owner, it's easy to get lost in all the details and emotions that come along with this journey.
When that happens and things feel hazy, it's so important to step back, zoom out, and do things to help us gain perspective on why we started our business in the first place.
For the past year or more, I became so burnt out, frustrated, and uncertain about the future of this business that I started considering going back to the corporate world.
I completely lost sight of why I started this business in the first place, and what activities actually lit me up about this work.
I was drowning in all the details and mundane tasks that any type of work can bring, and lost sight of what brings me JOY.
Can you relate?
Going down that path of frustration meant I was also neglecting myself.
When I stepped away from the business, I started to wonder, what would I actually do without this work?
Without any work goals to move me forward, what else do I actually want to focus on? How will I spend my time?
Little by little, I started to pay attention to my curiosity.
What was I curious to learn, explore, try? What were new things I had always wanted to try in life? What were activities that I used to do and love, that I had long-forgotten about?
Over the past year, once I zoomed out of work and zoomed into life, I found myself naturally drawn to astrology as a way to explore my own identity, and understand the world around me.
That led to a ripple effect of exploring my self-expression more through fashion, music, singing, dance, interior design, anything that felt fun and creative and joyful to me.
Not because it had anything to do with my business.
Just for pure FUN.
The more I started pouring into myself by following my own curiosity and fun, the more perspective I gained on who I am, what I want, and what matters to me.
It is through this journey of reconnection, of understanding what pouring into my own cup actually means, that I now feel a renewed sense of personal power.
And that, my friend, is a game-changer.
LESSON #3
Vision is vital
What I've discovered is that my business would be nothing without a clear vision to carry it forward.
Without an understanding about why it exists and how I want it to evolve, it was easy to drown in all the details, deadlines, pressure, and uncertainty of running a business.
Vision gives your business vitality… aka LIFE.
A few weeks ago, I did something I had never done before as a business owner.
I took pen and paper, went out to a cafe, and just sat there with no laptop and nothing else to distract me.
I closed my eyes, and let my imagination start to take over.
I gently asked myself, “What do you see for The Humanista Co.? How do you imagine it evolving? What is its purpose? What types of activities light you up not just in work, but in life overall? And why is this important to you?”
To my surprise, the answers came quickly. They started jumping out of my pen, as eagerly as if they had been waiting to be asked these very questions for YEARS.
Here's what I came up with:
My vision for The Humanista Co. is to serve as a creative platform for the expression of my own voice, and in return, inspire others to do the same.
Growing up, my deepest wound in life was feeling like my voice was not worthy of being heard.
Now, I feel a responsibility to turn this pain into my higher purpose, and inspire others to be heard as well.
As an Aries sun, my innate role in life is to answer the question, “Who am I?” and help guide others to discover that for themselves.
Through the lens of astrology, I can harness my natural strengths— design, coaching, and storytelling—to create soul-led digital products and services that all center around WHY The Humanista Co. exists—to help you discover who you truly are and embody that into this physical world.
I know my future self is thanking me right now, feeling so much gratitude that I almost walked away and burned it all to the ground.
Because sometimes, when we are ready to completely walk away, we realize just how much it means to us.
How much it has always meant to us, all along.
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