How to Build a Business That Runs Around You, Not the Other Way Around
As founders, we often start our businesses with a vision of freedom. We tell ourselves we want flexibility, creativity, and control over our time. But somewhere along the way, many of us end up trapped by our own creation. Deadlines, client demands, endless tasks, and the constant pull of “what’s next” can make it feel like your business runs you, rather than the other way around.
The thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Designing a business that aligns with your lifestyle, energy, and values isn’t just possible but essential for sustainable growth, joy, and impact.
1. Start With Your Values, Not a Template
One of the biggest mistakes founders make is trying to replicate someone else’s blueprint. The shiny courses, the viral funnels, the social media strategies, they all promise a “fast track” to success. But as I’ve discovered, as well as many other founders, is what works for someone else often doesn’t fit your life, your energy, or your personality.
Instead, start by asking yourself:
What matters most to me in my life and work?
What type of clients and projects excite me the most?
How do I want my day-to-day to feel?
Your business should work for. you, not the other way around. When you design around your values, every decision, from offers to workflows, becomes simpler, clearer, and more aligned with what you actually want.
2. Design Your Business Around Your Energy
Energy management is often overlooked in traditional business advice. Many founders think working long hours and pushing hard is the only way to grow. But when your business ignores your natural rhythms, creativity, and focus, it can quickly become draining.
Take a look at your week. When are you most productive? When do you feel creative, inspired, or energized? And when do you feel drained, distracted, or burnt out?
Once you know this, design your workflow to match your energy cycles. Maybe client calls are best on Tuesdays when you feel sharp, and deep work like strategy or content creation happens in your quiet mornings. Or perhaps certain days are blocked entirely for experimentation, learning, or rest. The more your business fits your energy, the more sustainable—and enjoyable—it becomes.
3. Prioritise Life
Life and business aren’t separate, they’re intertwined. The most fulfilling businesses are built with life in mind, not at the expense of it.
Ask yourself:
What do I want my life to look like in six months, a year, or five years?
How can my business support that lifestyle rather than compete with it?
What boundaries do I need to set to protect my time, energy, and creativity?
When you prioritize weave life and business together, your business becomes a tool for your life, not a source of stress. You’ll find more joy in your work, better relationships, and a renewed sense of purpose.
4. Experiment and Own Your Way
The beauty of building a business around yourself is that there’s no one right way. Instead of chasing trends or trying to fit a mould, give yourself permission to experiment. Test different approaches to client work, offerings, scheduling, and communication until you find what truly fits.
Some experiments will succeed, some will fail (don’t worry), but every trial is feedback that brings you closer to your uniquely designed business. Over time, this leads to a business that works for your life, your energy, and your values, not one you’ve been squeezed into.
5. Quietly Disruptive Success
Building a business that runs around you may look different from what social media, courses, and trends suggest. It might be quieter, slower, or less flashy, but that doesn’t mean it’s less powerful.
The most effective founders I work with aren’t the ones constantly chasing visibility. They’re the ones quietly designing their businesses around themselves. They choose clients who align with their values, create offers that feel good, and protect their time and energy. And in doing so, they create businesses that are not only successful, but sustainable, joyful, and impactful.
So what now?
If your business feels like it’s running you, pause and take stock. Your dream business isn’t about following a template or doing what everyone else is doing, it’s about designing a business that fits your life, energy, and values.
Start small. Make one change this week that brings your business closer to you, maybe a boundary, a workflow tweak, or a focus on an offer that truly excites you. The ripple effect will be bigger than you think.
Remember: your business should serve you, not the other way around. And when it does, everything changes, from your energy, creativity, and confidence to the results you get and the joy you feel.
