Are You Head Down Busy But Going Nowhere? Here’s What To Do About It

You’re busy. I know you’re busy. You’re so busy you can barely breathe. You’re booking clients, answering emails, posting on social media, doing the school run, making dinner, and squeezing in a bit of admin at 10pm when the house is finally quiet.

But let me ask you something. Are you actually getting anywhere?

Because there’s a difference between being busy and making progress. And most women business owners I work with are stuck in what I call “head down busy” – they’re working incredibly hard, but they’re not looking up. They’re not checking whether they’re going in the right direction. They’re just… ploughing on.

The Hamster Wheel Of Doom

Here’s what head down busy looks like. You’re always short of cash even though you’re working all hours. You think to yourself, “I just need a few more clients and it’ll be fine” – but you’ve got no idea where you’d fit them in because you’ve got no time as it is.

You’ve lost that passion and joy. The thing that made you want to run your own business in the first place? Gone. You can’t remember why you’re doing this, and you’re seriously wondering whether you should go and work for somebody else again.

Sound familiar? Then you are not alone. I’ve been exactly where you are.

I Built A Business I Hated

Before The Girls Mean Business, I had a marketing consultancy. I made every mistake in the book. I had no vision and no direction. I just knew I needed to bring in £1,200 a month come hell or high water, and I did whatever it took.

I priced cheap. I got difficult clients. I worked every hour. And when I hit six figures, I thought I’d made it – except I had no life. I was exhausted. I’d replaced one horrible employer with another horrible job. Except this time, I was the horrible employer.

My genius solution? Set up a marketing agency with staff. Oh my goodness. It went pear-shaped. I’m never having staff again. I’m a really bad people manager.

But through having businesses that didn’t work for me, I got really clear on what I DID want.

The One Thing That Changes Everything

You need to stop. Just for a minute. Look up from whatever you’re doing and ask yourself: where am I actually going with this?

Not “how do I get more clients” or “how do I make more money this month”. Those are the wrong questions when you don’t know what you’re building towards.

The right questions are:

• What do I actually want this business to look like in 5 years?
• How much money do I want to be making – and what do I want to spend it on?
• How many hours do I want to work?
• Who do I want to work with?
• What does my ideal week look like?

Once you know the answers to those questions, something magical happens. You stop doing all the things and start doing the RIGHT things. You stop saying yes to everyone and start saying yes to the opportunities that take you where you actually want to go.

It Doesn’t Have To Stay Like This

Five years ago I was sitting in rented accommodation, £20,000 in debt, my confidence rock bottom. Today I’m sitting in my dream house in the country, looking out over the fields and the river, with my family around me, running a business I absolutely love.

It didn’t happen by accident. It happened because I stopped being head down busy and started being intentional about where I was going.

If you’re reading this thinking “that’s me, I’m the head down busy one” – please don’t worry. You can change this, and you can change it really quickly. But you have to look up first.