They all felt truly exhausted!

That’s what I heard during three separate conversations with women in my community this week.

Different businesses. Different lives.

But the same story.

They started their online business because they wanted more flexibility than what they had in their J-O-B.

They wanted a creative outlet. More control over when and where they worked. A way to earn good money without giving their whole life to someone else’s priorities.

They wanted money so…

• they wanted to pay off debt faster.
• book the holiday without stressing about it.
• take some pressure off their partner.

And then the business started working.

They made sales.

People wanted what they had created.

They could see that this was real.

But somewhere along the way, the freedom they were building started to feel like another full-time job.

Except now they were also the bookkeeper, the copywriter, the designer, the tech person, the content creator and the person trying to work out which new AI tool they were apparently already behind on.

The money coming in was going straight back out again on software, contractors and the next thing the business needed.

They were making money.

But they still couldn’t rely on it.

And because they worked from home, they slowly became the person everyone relied on.

The one who could do the school pickup.

Take someone to the doctor.

Handle the appointment.

Be available because she “works for herself.”

And she did it all, without complaining, all while thinking about everything she wasn’t getting done in the business. Enter guilt!

And perhaps the hardest part?

She felt incredibly lonely.

Because even her best friend didn’t really understand what she was doing on her laptop and her Instagram.

BUT…

She is persistent.

Tenacious.

Perhaps a little stubborn.

So she keeps going.

She keeps believing there has to be a way to make the money more stable, get some of the work off her plate and finally experience the freedom she started the business for.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Because this week reminded me just how many women reach a point where the business is working…

But it still isn’t working FOR THEM!

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share more of what I’ve learned from ten years of running an online business as a woman and a mother.

The mindset shifts that took me years (and a fair amount of therapy) to learn.

How I decide which new things are actually worth learning and which ones can be ignored.

How I’ve learned to ask for help without creating another person, system or AI tool I now have to master or manage.

And how I built real friendships and support on this journey without needing to “network.” Eew, David.

I wonder...

Does any of this ring true?

Reply to me at salome @thelaunchlounge.com and tell me what’s surfacing for you right now.

💚💚💚

Salome