Is Your Business Still Serving The Life You Want To Live?
Is Your Business Supporting You?
About once a year, I step back and ask an important question: Is my business still serving me?
I do this because my business exists to support my life—not the other way around. If it no longer aligns with who I am or what I need, the sooner I recognize that, the sooner I can make meaningful changes. A business is a tool. Its job is to fund your lifestyle, not drain your energy or trap you in a version of success that no longer fits.
When I compared last year’s evaluation to this year’s, one thing became clear: my needs have changed. And that’s not a failure—it’s growth.
I want to challenge you to take a similar look at your profession or business. This isn’t about whether it pays your bills. It’s about whether it supports the life you want to live. To do that honestly, I invite you to look at your work through four distinct perspectives.
1. How Does Your Business Benefit You Personally?
For me, the answer starts with freedom. I support myself doing work I genuinely love—teaching. I was a stay-at-home mom until my youngest was sixteen. Before that, I depended on someone else to bring income into our household. Entering the workforce didn’t just bring financial stability—it brought choice.
Having discretionary income for the first time was liberating. Being able to buy something because I wanted it, not because it was necessary, changed how I viewed my independence and my worth.
2. How Does Your Business Benefit Your Family or Inner Circle?
My work allows me to pass along skills that aren’t taught in school—planning, follow-through, goal setting. I feel uniquely positioned to teach my grandchildren how to turn ideas into action and dreams into achievable plans.
That’s a gift. And it’s one that extends far beyond income.
3. How Does Your Work Benefit Your Profession?
For me, this is about legacy. My goal is to legitimize and expand access to online education in the pet industry. I want to mentor the next generation of professional pet educators and help raise the standard of learning and leadership in our field.
When your work contributes to the growth of your profession, it becomes bigger than you—and deeply fulfilling.
4. How Does Your Business Impact Your Clients?
I want the people who take my programs to see themselves as skilled professionals—confident, capable, and deserving of respect. When your work empowers others, it creates ripple effects you may never fully see, but they matter just the same.
A Thoughtful Time to Reflect
For pet professionals, the best time to conduct this kind of review is either before the holiday rush or just after it ends—when your focus isn’t scattered in a million directions.
Your business should evolve as you do. If it no longer fits, that’s not a problem—it’s information. And information gives you options.
So ask yourself honestly:
Is your business supporting the life you want to live now?
If not, it may be time to realign the tool you built so it works for you again.