Being Good at the Work Doesn’t Mean You Should Start a Business

Being Good at the Work Doesn’t Mean You Should Start a Business

I’ve been sitting with something lately

I saw a post from a yoga studio owner sharing that after 4 years in business, she made $300 in profit last month and isn’t further along than when she started

The post went viral. Thousands of studio owners shared the same story

And it made me reflect—not on her, but on what I see every day in this industry

Somewhere along the way, a narrative formed:

👉 If you’re good at the work… you should start a business doing it

But that’s not how this actually works

Let’s talk about zone of genius

Someone’s zone of genius might be:• Teaching yoga• Holding space• Facilitating healing• Creating transformation

That matters

But a business requires a different kind of genius:• Sales + visibility (and being seen + rejected)• Financial risk + management• Leadership + decision-making• Emotional resilience under uncertainty

• Marketing, messaging, offer design

Those are not interchangeable

So let me say this clearly:

Starting a business is not always the right pathThe path is who you become through this work—and how you choose to use it in your life

For some, yes—this becomes a business

For many, it looks different:• Integrated into your current life or career• Offered in a way that supports you, not consumes you• Practiced within an existing space

All of those paths matter

And here’s the part most people avoid saying:

People aren’t failing because the industry is broken

They’re struggling because:• Misaligned business models• Underpricing and overgiving• Avoiding visibility and sales• Building for approval instead of sustainability• Their relationship with money and rejection

And yes—some are trying to build businesses when their genius is meant to be expressed within one, not leading one

That’s not failure

That’s misalignment

If you feel called to this work, follow that

But be honest about what you’re actually being called to:

The work itself?

Or the business around it?

Because those are 2 very different paths

You don’t need to shrink your dream

But you do need to define it clearly

Bringing your gifts to the world matters. We need your light

It doesn’t always have to be a business

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