What’s up, everyone! 👋🏻

Everyone tells you to take time off, to step away from “the grind” and go smell the roses. Sounds great, right? But let’s be real — when you run your own business and you are the business, stepping away isn’t that simple.

I spent last week completely off platforms — no posts, no logins, no calls, no meetings. In fact, by the end of this year, I’ll have spent nearly three months on PTO (about 25% of the year). Sounds amazing, right? Sure. But here’s the truth about what that really did to me and my business:

The Good? Revenue didn’t drop. In fact, it stayed level year-over-year. Not one angry email or client complaint. Turns out the world doesn’t burn down if you step away … crazy. Not having “fires” to put out means I had time to really unwind and be present with friends. Reconnecting over laughing and decompressing in ways I hadn’t in a long time.

The Bad: The typical 10+ inbound leads I get weekly? That number plummeted to just two. I couldn’t shake the worry about client success and the hundreds of messages piling up just sitting there waiting for me to get back to my desk. Which, honestly, was the most stressful part. It can be hard to mentally remove yourself even when you know nothing bad is happening while you’re away focusing on yourself and giving in to this “BALANCE” everyone talks about.

The Ugly: My energy was totally off when I came back, which affected not just work, but relationships that matter the most. I took time off to get closer to peace, only to come home feeling more pressure and more stress than when I left. Snapping back to reality after taking so much time off has been really hard. I started doubting if the downtime was even worth it; “Am I shooting myself in the foot?...”

Here’s the thing … no one tells you that there’s always a trade-off. Taking time off on paper? Give me a tequila, a beach, Do Not Disturb on all devices; mental bliss. But when you’re the lifeblood of the operation? It comes with real consequences. And those aren’t small things to consider.

The Outcome?

• It took me a solid week just to feel like I was back to normal. And I mean “normal” like having the feeling like I hadn’t left at all.
• I’m still grappling with workaholic tendencies — letting go is haaard.
• At the end of the day, I achieved the same seven-figure income I’ve hit for the last five years, and I did it while working less.*

So no, I’m not going to tell you to relax and take time off. It’s tough, it has consequences, and it’s definitely not easy. But it can be done — and you might come back stronger for it.

Just go in aware of the pros and cons and if you do take the time? Make sure you come back ready to dive right back in.

– SL