7 Signs It’s Time to Work ON Your Holistic Business

When you run a small holistic business, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day running of things. Seeing clients, replying to emails, and keeping up with admin all take time and energy. But if you spend all your time working in your business, you miss out on opportunities to grow.

Working IN your business means doing the hands-on tasks that keep it ticking over. Working ON your business means stepping back to look at the bigger picture – time for planning and making intentional decisions that help your business to thrive.

Both are essential. But if you're constantly overwhelmed, stuck in survival mode, or unsure what’s next, it could be a sign you’re spending too much time IN your business and not enough ON it.

How many of the following signs resonate with you?

7 Signs You’re Stuck Working IN Your Holistic Business

• You’re trying to do everything yourself, bouncing from one task to the next without questioning why you’re doing them. You may have started a particular activity with good intentions, but that doesn’t mean it’s still the right fit for your business today.
• You’re struggling to pay your bills and feel desperate to find clients. There’s nothing more draining than trying to do your best work when every client feels like they’ll make or break your month.
• Time keeps slipping by. Weeks, months, even quarters pass, and you're still promising yourself you’ll finish that project or launch that new idea. Before you know it, a year has passed, and you’re still stuck in the same place.
• You’re constantly firefighting. It feels like there are never enough hours in the day, especially when admin and marketing tasks keep piling up. You squeeze them in around clients and family life, but they feel heavy and never-ending.
• You start projects but never finish them. Half-done ideas fill your notebooks and folders - brilliant concepts that could really grow your business, if only you had the time, clarity, or energy to see them through.
• You’re working long hours but not earning enough. If you added up your hours and compared them to your income, would you even be earning minimum wage? Sadly, many holistic practitioners give far more than they receive, month after month.
• You’re drifting without direction. You love helping people, but you're unclear on what to focus on, and you're coasting from one day to the next, hoping things will somehow work out.

Why It Matters to Work ON Your Business

When you carve out time to work on your business, you create space to reflect, plan, and grow. It allows you to move from reacting to creating, and shift from constant busyness to purposeful action.

You’ll never completely stop working IN your business. But the game-changer lies in balancing that with time spent ON it.

Working ON Your Business Helps You To:

• Create systems that support flow and reduce stress
• Focus on what’s working and let go of what’s not
• Feel more in control and confident in your direction
• Use your time more efficiently and finish meaningful projects, and bring your best ideas to life

How to Start Working On Your Business

Making time for your holistic business is essential, but it won’t happen by accident. Try this:

• Block out time in your diary. Even just an hour each week will make a huge difference.
• Step away from day-to-day distractions. If possible, get out of your usual environment to reflect and recharge.
• Take a bird’s eye view. What’s working? What’s not? What no longer feels aligned?
• Get inspired. Look at what’s working for others, whether that’s your peers, competitors, or even those working in other industries. What could you adopt or adapt for your business?
• Prioritise action. Ask yourself:
1. “What is my number one priority in my business?”
2. “What’s within my control that will make the most difference?”
3. “What small action can I take to move towards that?”

Working ON your business will help you secure strong foundations for a sustainable, holistic business. It’s how you ensure you create a business that helps both your clients and supports the life you want to live. One that feels authentic, simple, and effective.

Feeling overwhelmed with your business and marketing? Let’s turn the chaos into calm. I’ll help you clarify your best next steps and explore the right support for you. Book a call today and take the first step towards marketing that feels authentic, simple, and aligned with how you work best.