When I started my first business in 2017, I had a clear goal: building freedom.
But over the years, I often lost sight of it, and when you're running your own thing, you are the person responsible for making the right decisions.
The past 12 months have been incredible on a personal and professional level.
I married my best friend (and co-founder 😆).
We bought our first house and moved out of the city into a tiny village (so much peace!!!).
I ran my first marathon, with multiple half marathons along the way. (still can't believe I actually pulled this one off!)
And we're on track to celebrating a 7-figure year in the business - with $0 spent on ads. (here's more on that)
But even though everything was "working" just fine, I realized I felt much busier than I actually wanted to be. It was not a crisis, but I wasn't enjoying the summer as much as I wanted to.
Then it hit me: I make the rules here, so it's my damn fault. 🫠
I'm the CEO of my life the same way I'm the CEO of my business.
If things feel off, it's on me.
A few times a year, our whole team gets together to look at the months ahead and make sure we're aligned.
This time, before we met, I did something different: I got clear on how I wanted my work life to actually feel, not just what I wanted the business to do.
And I sat with a harder question: what does "hard work" mean to me now, and what am I really willing to give for the results I want?
Here's what I want you to hear: the freedom you never use isn't really freedom.
It's a to-do list with a nicer view.
So I started making new rules.
The 2 pm workout, right in the middle of the day, when the old me would have called that prime "working time."
The no-work Friday afternoon, protected on purpose, not "if I finish everything first."
Saying yes to Mastermind trips and exciting conversations with exciting people, even if the ROI isn't 100% clear.
Over the next four weeks, I'll be in Berlin, Miami, Orlando, and Ibiza.
Some of it is masterminds and being in rooms with people who think bigger than I do. And some of it is just enjoying the freedom I've spent almost ten years building. 😅
None of this means I care less about work. I think I care more. I just stopped treating "busy" as proof that I was doing the right things.
Worth Your Time This Week
The freedom I wrote about up top only exists because the business underneath it works. If you're building that engine, these are worth your time:
→ The 1 Substack Channel Nobody Uses Right. The one channel most creators leave dead, and how to actually put it to work.
→ This Is How We Got 1,000+ Paid Subscribers on Substack. Why building your publication in the wrong order keeps you stuck, and the sequence that fixes it.
→ What to Put Behind Your Substack Paywall. What belongs behind your paywall, what stays free, and real client examples of both.
→ How to Grow on Substack with Notes (Even With No Audience). How to turn Notes into subscribers when nobody knows you yet.
Here's to work that feels a little more like play,
Sinem