Let’s talk about something that has been life-changing for me and, I’m guessing, might feel like a breath of fresh air for you too: combining slow living with running a business. The idea of “slow business” can sound a little strange in today’s fast-paced, hustle-driven world, but let’s be honest – there’s nothing sustainable or fulfilling about burning out just to keep up. Instead, I believe it’s about creating a life and business that flows with intention, aligning with what truly matters to you.
So, how do you combine slow living with business ownership? How can we stay ambitious while also prioritising balance and purpose? Here’s my take on embracing a slow, intentional approach to building a business without sacrificing the life you love.
Life before Slow
I realise that for most of your reading this, you probably have no idea who I am beyond the pages of my Substack and the things that drop into your inbox from me on a weekly basis. You might have even just come across this post and be thinking “Who is this person and what does she know” and you’d be right to think those thoughts. Whether you’re coming here for the first time, you’ve been here a while or you might even follow me over on Instagram - how much do we really know about the people we follow online.
So with that in mind, I though I would share a little more about me, about my writing career and how I got to where I am today.
I would say my writing career officially started in 2006 when I was in my final year of university, but let’s be honest, I think I have been writing in some capacity (and loving it) since I was old enough to string a sentence together. I remember always writing when I was a child and looking back it only makes sense that I made it into my career in a myriad of different ways. I have worked in PAYE jobs in marketing, I have freelanced as a writer, social media consultant and personal brand strategist, I have run my own personal brand and I have also run my own social media consulting business. And I have done all of this for the best part of two decades.
The funny thing is, that when I fell pregnant in 2018, with my first child, I decided that when the time came to go on maternity leave (at the beginning of 2019) I would use it as an opportunity to wrap up my business and say goodbye to all of those things in a professional capacity; the social media work, the personal brand strategy work, the marketing. Everything.
Little did I know what the world had in store for me.
I rolled off of maternity leave in 2020, March 2020 to be exact, and straight into a global pandemic. I had no plans of what was next, but with the world being so unstable I decided that the best thing I could do to help support my family was to go back to what I knew and what I was good at. So I headed back to copywriting, social media consulting and personal brand strategy.
You see, writing has always been my lifeblood, it has been the cornerstone of everything I have ever done; whether it is creating content for myself, creating content for other businesses, creating content in my jobs, creating content just like I am right here on Substack. Everything I have done has always been about writing, and I think at this point I probably just wouldn't know how to be any other way.
However, in August 2020 I found out I was pregnant with my second child. I gave birth to him halfway through 2021 and this time after maternity leave I was adamant that that was it that I wasn't going to go back to it all, that while I could apply everything I knew for myself and of course I would keep writing, I decided that the business side of things was something that I didn't want to return to.
The jokes on me however, because I have actually never stopped doing that job really; I have helped friends, family, local businesses and online friends who are trying to get their businesses off the ground. You only Have to ask me a simple question and I will tell you that yes a mailing list is the absolute most important thing you can do for your business, you need to be on Pinterest because it's a huge traffic driver, Substack is a great place for growing a community, social media can be okay but it's full of vanity metrics and it won't move the needle on your business and many other things. So while since 2021 I have said no I absolutely don't do this for my job let's be honest I've not rested once on my laurels.
But what is a multi-passionate, creative person to do?
A couple of months ago, while talking with a friend and sharing some insights into the importance of growing a mailing list, I started thinking about how so often the same questions come up when people ask me. People who don’t know where to start, who don’t want to be drawn into the hustle, who feel like social media is full of people shouting at you to do This, that, and the other. People often think that social media is the be-all and end-all and have no idea of the importance of an email list or don’t realise what they have at their finger tips with Pinterest.
And there it began.
I started to think again about returning to my business again but I wanted to do things differently. Firstly, it's not something I wanted to do in a full-time capacity because I already have my own online personal brand around slow, simple and seasonal living and first and foremost I absolutely love that. But these questions about social media, mailing lists, content creation, Pinterest and growing a small business weren't going away. I was increasingly finding myself spending time sharing with others how they could get started and while I loved it I start to wonder if I could create a resource (or resources) that I could share, so I could serve people with what they needed but without it being something that was taking up a lot of my time.
I sat with the idea for a while and thought about how could I blend my two businesses together. I am massively a fan of being this multi-passionate, creative being that I am and sometimes it's still really hard to figure out how all of those parts of me mesh together. I mostly love talking about slow, simple and seasonal living and all the facets of that, and I run my slow and simple living personal brand in a very intentional and slow way.
That's when it dawned on me: more people are looking at ways they can create a business or monetise their online presence. They are craving that idea of a slow and simple business, a business that is full of intention, that isn't engaged in hustle culture, that is about being present, pacing ourselves and making more conscious choices that align with our values. That is where I wanted to put my focus.
And I’ll be honest with you, alongside my main work in the slow, simple and seasonal living space, I am still working the rest out. As with most things about me, it’s a work in progress.
The Slow Business Mindset
I realised that for as long as I have lived slowly I have worked slowly too. Instead of having a lift list of must-do's I have a list of want-to-do’s.
Everywhere I go I see content creators sharing about what you should be doing but I want to change things up. I want to turn it into what feels good and what feels sustainable.
Slow business doesn't feel like letting go of my goals or scaling back the dreams I have for myself, it means being super intentional about the path that I'm taking, choosing to do things that light me up. I prioritise time for my creativity but also time for my family and time for myself. While my business is important I must ground myself in what matters most and by doing so am able to move forward in a way that is both purposeful, fills my cup and is super nourishing for me.
What it might look like for you
One of the things that I came to realise when adopting a slow business mindset, when setting up my slow and simple living business, is that quality will always outweigh quantity. Instead of measuring my success by the sheer volume of things I'm producing, or the vanity metrics on my social media account, or the number of tasks I check off a list, instead I focus on the impact of the work, I'm doing how much value am I adding to my clients, or to my audience, and am I creating something meaningful? This can be seen in either the content I share, the products I offer or the client/follower/subscriber interactions I have.
I always aim to do fewer things with more intention and this helps me reduce stress while also allowing me to build deeper and more meaningful connections with the audience that I already have. I think we've all been there, we've all felt that pressure to grow quickly, to hit the next big milestone, to rack up followers/subscribers/likes etc. But here's the thing: none of those numbers matter, none of those numbers matter at all, especially if you're not building real relationships with them. The Slow Business mindset is all about creating those genuine, authentic connections over superficial vanity metrics. We don't always have to be chasing growth, it's so unhealthy to constantly be chasing that. Real growth should come naturally and should come slowly and should come from building trust, showing up authentically and creating value. Not from obsessing over numbers because when it comes to business those vanity metrics mean nothing. Nothing.
So whether you currently run your own business or you are thinking about starting, or whether you have an online presence that maybe you think you might monetise at some point, I want you to consider the power of a slow business mindset. It isn't about giving up on your dreams or settling for less, it's about being really intentional with your energy, protecting your time and creating a business that supports a life that you love. This helps you achieve a more balanced, joyful and intentional business.
But these things don't happen overnight. So here's your gentle reminder to take a breath, listen to your intuition and start building your business in a way that feels aligned, intentional and nourishing to you.
Slow down, lean in and trust that by choosing a path that feels true to you you will create a success that is both sustainable and soulful as well.
And then I created The Slow Business Bundle
After I sat with that discomfort of figuring out how to integrate this, or mesh it altogether. I created The Slow Business Bundle.
I created it because I know firsthand what it feels like to try to keep up with the relentless pace of it all and having the desire to drown out the noise and approach things with a little more slowness and simplicity.
After years of striving and hustling with my original business, I realised that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of our wellbeing. I wanted to build something that supports entrepreneurs like you in creating a business that isn’t just profitable but also aligns with your values, priorities, and the life you want to live.
This bundle brings together all the strategies and resources I’ve discovered in my own journey toward a slow, mindful business approach. Inside, you’ll find practical tools for everything from mindful marketing, social media playbooks, digital products, mindful content creation, and so much more. My hope is that The Slow Business Bundle can help you simplify, refocus, and build a business that supports not only your dreams but also the life you truly want to lead.
I’ve priced The Slow Business Bundle at just £12.99 (instead of the usual £27) because I know how challenging those early stages can be. Starting a business often means stretching every penny, and sometimes, there’s just no extra budget for added resources — even the ones that could make a huge difference.
I wanted this bundle to be affordable and accessible, giving you the tools and guidance you need to grow your business intentionally without added financial stress.
Transform your approach to business without breaking the bank! For only £12.99, The Slow Business Bundle has everything you need to grow a business with intention, clarity, and heart. This special price won’t last long, so grab it now and start building the business you truly want! 🌼
So here’s to turning almost two decades of love for writing everything that has come out of it into helping others create that thing that they’ve been dreaming of, but with slowness, simplicity, ease and intention. You can be successful without the hustle. The world just doesn’t want you to believe that.
Slow Living, Simple Business & Making Money Online