Why Seasons of Business Matter (And How to Recognize Yours)

Update: 2025-10-21

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Episode 995: Show Notes

Have you ever looked at someone else’s business and thought, ‘Why does everything seem to be working out for them?’ Well, you’re not alone. We need to normalize this: not everyone is going to be going through the same season of business at the same time. I’d love to tell you it was predictable, and we could all match our energy to the seasons of the year, but that’s just not necessarily how life works. We have to be mindful of where we’re at, where we’re going, and what we can give in each season. By the end of this episode, you’re going to be able to recognize the season that you’re in, and I’m going to give you permission to be in it instead of fighting against it! I’m going to help you make some smarter operational decisions because of it, so I hope you’re ready.

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Why It’s So Important to Understand That Your Business Has Seasons

We were made to believe that we were supposed to be hustling all the time, that we were constantly supposed to be growing, that our business was supposed to go up like a jackknife and do incredibly well regardless of who we are, what’s going on in our world, and what next distraction pops up. But instead of you constantly being in ‘go mode’, I want to help you identify the season you’re in that represents the energy you have to give. It’s going to help you identify how your business is feeling, how you want it to function, and how it’s going to grow through this moment in time. While there are probably more buckets you can put this into, I’ve identified four to get us going.

What Each of the Four Business Seasons Actually Involve

The first season is a planting season. You’re laying the groundwork, testing things, and coming up with new ideas. It’s all the foundational things that happen in your business. This is not just when your business is starting, but anytime you’re bringing something new to life. A growing season is when you’re expanding your visibility, marketing heavily, and generating demand. If you’re not energetically aligned with that, it’s going to feel like pushing a boulder up a hill. Most people prefer a harvesting season, where you’re reaping the results, optimizing systems, and maintaining momentum. That’s followed by a season of rest, where you’re pausing, reflecting, simplifying, and even letting things die off.

How You Can Use Slowing Down as a Strategy

If you don’t wrap your head around this, that internal pressure to always be in growth mode is just going to haunt you. It’s like a slingshot — to get to the big results and leap forward, you actually have to pull back and do less than you’ve done before. Doing less when you know you want to make money and create a sustainable business is going to feel dangerous, but you have to learn to trust yourself. You have to believe in yourself! And if you’re having mindset issues, then you have to start there. But slowing down doesn’t have to be a negative thing. You are giving yourself the rest you need to really launch forward. I think it’s okay to make some decisions that feel off; that’s not a problem. However, you do need to recognize what’s happening so that when that awareness comes about, you can make changes. That can look like setting things down that seem exciting. What if, in business, you thought more about the idea and if it’s not a ‘hell yes’, it’s a no?

The One Thing You Need to Be Mindful of Through Every Season.

You all are going to need quieter seasons, whether it’s because you got burnt out or something shifted in your life, or something you couldn’t have predicted came along. You’re going to need that! Rest is required. There’s always going to be seasons of rest, just like in nature. There are still things happening, they’re just slower paced, there’s less energy, and they take less of what you have to give. You often make decisions based on all these external factors, but I encourage you to make more decisions based on your factors. But you’ve got to make sure that you’re putting something down because of fear, but because you’re sure of yourself and you know what you need. I can’t tell you how many times in this business I’ve changed the way I sell entirely to match the season of life that I was in. Now, some of these seasons will be short and others will be longer. You just need to be mindful that not every season will look the same.

What You Should Reflect on During This Season

Here’s what I want you to reflect on: what is feeling effortless for you, and what feels like you’re forcing it? What are you craving more or less of? This isn’t a time to judge or to make decisions. You’re just creating awareness, and that’s the first act of alignment. Once you have that, you can go into fine-tuning and focus on the adjustments that need to be made this season. If you’re planting, some alignment things could be focusing on research and development, or testing offers. If you’re growing, it’s leveraging systems, hiring strategically, ramping up visibility, and focusing on repeatable marketing and sales processes. If you’re harvesting, double down on what’s working, create evergreen systems, prep for automation, and reduce live launches. If you’re resting, audit, reflect, let go, update SOPs, consider a rebrand, and reimagine your way forward.

A Path Forward: What You Can Do Next

Success is not constant motion. Every day the sun sets and then it rises, but it’s going to set again every single day. Rest is necessary, and it doesn’t mean you won’t come back. More often than not, that resting season is the most productive in hindsight. It’s where you get clarity and where your creativity comes back. You don’t have to chase this and stress yourself out trying to figure it out. You just need to honor your rhythm.

If you wake up today, and you’re not feeling it, what are you feeling, what do you need, and how can you do more of that? I’m going to give you a path forward: have a conversation with a biz bestie or a partner and discuss the season you’re in now. What would it look like to stop fighting it? I encourage you to share your reflections on social media, with your community, and the people in your life. If you do choose to share on social, I’d love it if you tagged me. Even if all you do is take a screenshot and share this on social and just write the season you’re in, that will be you claiming it. You can do this! Figuring this out is only going to help you get even further in the future.