Ep 320: Your business must start with self-compassion.

Building a business without losing yourself starts with a simple truth: you have to choose grace over grind. Most new founders dodge that idea because they think grace equals “lower standards.” It doesn’t. It’s the only way you stay sane while you’re figuring things out. The early months are full of doubt, comparison, and nonstop noise telling you to execute perfectly. That pressure pushes people into overworking, second-guessing, or hiding behind perfectionism. Giving yourself grace is what creates enough space to learn, adjust, and keep going.

Grace is most crucial at the beginning. First-time business owners rarely know the exact steps, tools, or timing. You’re going to fumble the branding, the pricing, the website, the offer… and you’ll probably be doing that while working a job, raising kids, or managing health stuff. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s to get something simple out into the world, get feedback, and build on it. A quick, imperfect offer or tiny website beats the perfect plan that never launches. Think Minimum Viable Everything: a basic site, a way to capture emails, one clear offer, and proof that people actually want it. When you stop expecting your first draft to be your final one, you shorten the time between idea and income.

Then there’s the endless to-do list. Funnels, emails, content, ads, outreach, improvements—it all matters, and it all feels urgent. Grace shifts you out of panic mode and into prioritization. Ask yourself: what will actually create sales or qualified leads the fastest? Do that first. Everything else goes on a working backlog. Timebox your effort, get in, get out, and let “in progress” be enough. A healthy business is never “finished.” What you need is a weekly rhythm that moves things forward.

And finally, your business has to fit your actual life. None of us are building companies in a vacuum. Life changes. Kids get sick. Parents need care. Your job gets intense. Sometimes you’re exhausted. Grace gives you room to rebalance without quitting. Narrow your weekly goals to one growth task, one maintenance task, and one visibility task. Protect your non-negotiables—sleep, relationships, faith, your health. When you honor your real capacity, your focus sharpens and your output improves, because you stop trying to do everything and finally commit to the things that matter.

If perfectionism keeps delaying your launch, start shipping small and improving fast. Publish the sales page with one good photo. Release the video even if the lighting isn’t studio-level. Run the ad knowing the copy might get better in round two. Set review cycles: weekly for messaging, biweekly for offers, monthly for systems. Ask yourself, “What’s the smallest step that creates proof today?” Then do that.

And be kind to yourself. If a friend admitted she was overwhelmed by emails, ads, and content, you’d tell her to start with one thing. Give yourself the same grace. This isn’t indulgence—it’s a growth strategy. It frees up your energy, keeps the work enjoyable, and keeps you in the game long enough to actually win.