Start Small - But Start with What Works for You
4 min read
Getting Started Series – Part 2 of 5
When I started out, I thought I was doing the “start small” thing. I picked a niche. I followed the advice. I did what I saw everyone else teaching.
But what I wish I’d known back then is that your niche and your skills aren’t the whole picture. The piece that held me back the longest wasn’t what I was offering - it was how I was trying to work.
Most of what I learned in those early years focused on filling my calendar. More clients, more calls, more output - with the unspoken assumption that more = better. That success meant being busy.
But success looks different for everyone. And when you let go of all the assumptions around what it’s “supposed” to look like, you can start making choices that actually fit the way you work best.
A lot of the advice out there skips right past the question of capacity.
It assumes you’ve got the time, the energy, the headspace - and maybe even a supportive partner or a savings buffer in the background.
But for most people, that’s just not the case.
You're juggling work, life, health - maybe all of them - and trying to fit a whole new business around the edges of your day.
And yet the strategies being taught often feel like they’ve been built for someone with a team, no responsibilities, and 30 hours a week to spare.
And here’s what I didn’t realise at the time: I wasn’t just struggling to apply the strategies - I was subconsciously resisting them.
Because so much of what I’d learned equated success with a full calendar - calls booked, clients lined up, constant visibility - with no room for fluctuation, softness, or space to breathe.
But that’s not what success looks like for me.
Coming from a long period of chronic illness, the idea of operating at full capacity every day didn’t just feel unrealistic - it felt dangerous.
To my nervous system, it read as a fast track to burnout.
And whether I knew it or not, that fear was sitting beneath every decision, pulling me back any time I tried to push forward.
Start Small Doesn’t Mean Playing Small
Starting small is about starting with small steps - that doesn’t mean those steps won’t lead to something big.
In fact, they’re the only sustainable way I know to get there.
The big leaps might look exciting, but more often than not, they’re like stretching a rubber band too far.
Sometimes it lands you right back at the start.
Sometimes it snaps and you burn out completely.
And either way, you’re left feeling like you failed - when really, you just needed a different pace.
Small steps give you something to build on.
They let your nervous system catch up and give you time to figure out what’s actually working for you - so the momentum you build doesn’t come at the cost of your energy or your wellbeing.
What “Starting Small” Might Actually Look Like
Starting small might mean offering one service instead of three - because that’s all you’ve got capacity for right now, and it’s enough to learn what works.
It might mean posting once a week, not because you’re slacking, but because daily visibility would chew through your energy in about three days flat.
It might look like working with one client at a time so you can actually enjoy the work - and figure out how you want to do things before you scale.
And yes, it might even mean giving your business part-time hours - not because you’re not committed, but because you’ve got a life, a body, or a brain that needs more space around it.
This isn’t about cutting corners.
It’s about starting from where you are, not where someone else thinks you should be - and doing it in a way that doesn’t have you secretly dreading the next six weeks.
That’s the bit most advice skips over.
Not just what to do - but how to do it in a way that actually works for you.
Because it’s one thing to know the steps, it’s another thing entirely to feel safe enough, clear enough, and confident enough to take them - especially when everyone else’s blueprint just makes you feel like you’re already behind.
This is the work I support people with.
Not pushing you to do more, but helping you figure out what your next right step is - and how to take it in a way that doesn’t drain the life out of you.
Want help working out what your next step is?
If you’re clear that you want to build your business in a way that works for you - but you’re not sure what to focus on first - I can help.
F.O.C.U.S. Lab is my no-fluff session designed to strip things back, untangle the knots, and help you get clear on what to do next.
Not just with a plan - but with a real sense of what matters, what can wait, and what you actually have capacity for.
One step, one clear direction, in a way that fits your energy and the stage you’re in.
Hi, I’m Juliette.
Business Alignment Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist - and full-time slave to a very spoilt whippet.
I’m on a mission to help you build a business that actually fits you - not the other way around.
Hi, I’m Juliette.
Business Alignment Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist - and full-time slave to a very spoilt whippet.
I’m on a mission to help you build a business that actually fits you - not the other way around.
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