How I built a calm business

On having calm foundations and what I'm currently working on + loving

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If you’ve been around for longer than a few weeks, you’ll know that I’m not interested in hustling, in rushing or pushing through. I want a business that allows me to set my own pace, to honour my needs and desires—and that pays well too. In this post, I’m sharing how I’m ensuring that my business is, and remains, calm and not overwhelming.

We’re not taught to run our businesses in a calm, slow and gentle way. A quick browse of the business section at a bookstore last week showed me again that the stories we are told and sold about business are those that celebrate the grind, hustling, pushing, doing whatever it takes.

Or, we’re told that we can live a life on our own terms, that we can embrace the slow life—but that we need to accept not making enough money if we do so (which is why we need to talk more about money in slow business).

Ensuring that my business is not overwhelming has been on my mind a lot these past couple of weeks.

My business is doing really well (yay!) and I’m getting to do all kinds of things I love doing. But the two days a week that I have available for my business are starting to feel squeezy, full. Combined with a heavy teaching load this term at my part-time teaching job, I have less bandwidth overall.

I’ve reached my maximum capacity in terms of both time and energy for my business (and my teaching). It’s not too much yet and I know that this season is temporary. But this time reminds me to really root down into my calm business foundations.

This busy season is reminding me to really root down into my calm business foundations.

How I’ve created a calm business

My non-negotiables are the backbone of my days. I’ve learned to resist that voice that tells me to prioritise work over everything else, and replace it with another voice: one that reminds me of the things that are more important than work.

I need a love a slow start to my day. I’m not a particularly early riser and enjoy having a relaxed breakfast—and especially having 30 minutes to read for fun before I start my day. I don’t start work before 10 am. And around midday I take a nap.

In the mid-afternoon I do some movement. My current obsession is Pilates, in particular Lottie Murphy’s classes (affiliate link). I’ve never been much of an exerciser, and I don’t see my Pilates as exercise primarily. It’s maintenance, a way to connect me to myself and my body, to recentre. I do it for my mental health more so than for my physical health.

Filling my own cup first. While I used to feel a sense of urgency around email, I no longer want to start my days with other people’s agendas. I want to start my days connecting to myself in my business and to that which deeply nourishes me. My mornings are inward-focused: I prefer to spend them writing and creating, before spending my afternoon on clients and check-ins.

Embracing 30-minute bursts. As I was recovering from severe clinical depression a few years ago, I’d set a timer to ensure that I wouldn’t work for too long. I’ve never stopped doing it. Every thirty minutes I get up to check in with myself. Often this is just a matter of getting another cup of tea, maybe popping into the garden for a few minutes. Sometimes, though, getting up after thirty minutes I realise that I need to stop and take a longer break. As frustrating as it can be to run up against this limitation, pushing through is no longer an option for me.

Keeping the world at bay. Just as I no longer start my days with emails, I have gotten very deliberate about when I check in with email, Substack comments, Voxer and clients. I love connecting with clients and readers. But quickly checking email in between always leaves me dissatisfied. I want to be truly present with my clients and anyone that gets in touch with me.

Practically that looks like only checking in on Tuesdays and Thursdays, having all notifications off and not having my business email turned on by default.

Dealing with Substack noise. I’m still a Substack fan and enjoy using the platform. But, as I wrote in this note a few weeks ago, I’ve also noticed some Substack overwhelm (and heard others experience the same):

Using my calendar to create more space. I love having client calls: it’s such a joy and privilege to walk beside someone as they create a business that truly works for them.

Yet in order to keep doing this work, I need to limit the number of client calls I have a week—especially since a considerable chunk of my time and energy goes to writing newsletters and to Marketing without social media.

Right now I have a maximum of two client calls a week, and I’ll block out creation days in advance for things like workshops for Marketing without social media.

Which of these calm foundations do you want to experiment with? How are you ensuring that your business does not feel overwhelming? And what, if anything, needs to shift?

If you’re new to Substack: you can comment by clicking the button—you’ll be prompted to set up an account which requires very little personal info and takes only one minute of your time.

Substack for small business owners, freelancers and creatives | Later this month I’m relaunching my popular self-paced course to help you make Substack work for you and your business. In addition to the three foundational videos + two update videos that are already part of the course, I’ll add another update video with new features and a deep-dive into making Substack part of your business ecosystem. I’m very excited about this relaunch and making the course even more valuable! (if you’ve already bought the course, you’ll get access to all of this free of charge).

Female Owned | launching a new paid feature for you to Share, Connect and Collaborate, writing about running my business next to a 9-to-5 and starting the month off right with our Accountability Club.

💌 | I’m gently brainstorming and planning a new masterclass for small business owners all about effective and joyful newsletters, coming this Autumn.

a book | For completely ridiculous reasons I’d never read Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible. I finally do so recently and loved it so deeply—it’s so much more layered than I’d imagined, and a perfect book to disappear into (affiliate link).

the garden | The weather is finally warm enough for morning cups of tea in the garden and I love seeing it ramping up ✨

a podcast |

Sarah Robertson

has launched her podcast! I love working with Sarah and hugely admire her gifts of storytelling and connection.

What’s on your lists of favourites this month? What did you read, see, hear, drink, eat, observe that made your day?

I’m off to spend some more time in the sun with a book (feel free to tell me what you’re reading this month too!). Have a beautiful, calm and nourishing rest of your month,

Until next time x

Female Owned is more than a newsletter. If you are ready to do business differently, I’d love for you to become a paid subscriber and become part of our gentle community of small business owners, freelancers and creatives. You’ll get bonus resources (the accountability club! the mini-mastermind! the new mini podcast series!) and behind-the-scenes posts right in your inbox.