Ten years ago I joined a rapidly growing software company that had just received $250 million in funding. The team was growing, revenue was up and to the right, and the environment was fast-paced, alive with new projects, pivots, tests, and risks. To say we were moving fast is an understatement. 

I remember many of us questioning how long we could keep that pace. It was fun, but there was a ton of pressure to grow — and to grow quickly. While the atmosphere was full of excitement, it was also challenging. I remember an executive and mentor of mine at the time saying, “There are marathons and there are sprints. Right now, we’re in a sprint.” 

It was true. And we all knew what we’d signed up for because the expectations were set from the beginning. Still, it was hard to sustain. For my entire 3+ years at the company, I felt like I was in a constant sprint. I grew from an individual contributor to Head of Marketing in that time, which should give you an idea of just how quickly I was moving. 

The sprint vs. marathon metaphor has stuck with me over the years as I've moved into different phases of life. It's helped me mentally frame the level of exertion needed at any given time, and has also helped me feel more in control of the busy-ness or slowness of life.

Here are a few examples of sprints and marathon I've moved through since:

When I left that software company, I partnered with my former boss (Andrea!) to launch our consulting business. When we started, we made a conscious decision to slow down. We wanted to build a business that worked for us — one that offered autonomy and flexibility. So we dove in slowly. We treated it like a much-needed marathon after the sprint we’d just endured in-house. 

A year later, we sped up. We’d gotten a glimpse of just how much money we could make by taking on a few more clients, hiring subcontractors, and accepting bigger and more challenging projects. And while we knew the growing pains would be a burden, we decided it was time to take the business to the next level. So we started sprinting.

On a more personal level, over the past year or so, I made the decision to get divorced, move homes, launch a new company, and start investing — all while supporting my mom and her partner as they battled cancer. I knew doing all of this at once would be A LOT. But even with the hardships, it just felt right to invest in myself and my work this way. So I started sprinting again.

And now, as we approach the end of 2023, I feel like I’m back in marathon mode. I’m slowing down a bit, knowing I’ve made the most of this year and the opportunities that were presented to me. I feel content moving at a slower pace for the foreseeable future. I even turned down a big consulting contract recently to enjoy the rest of the year and take time for me.

I’m sure at some point I’ll feel the itch to move faster again, but for now, rest is right.

Whatever mode you’re currently in, I’ve pulled together some resources to help guide you through.

Are you in marathon mode?

Sometimes traditional productivity hacks just don’t work. We can't push ourselves all of the time. Genievieve Michaels walks us through her gentle approach to productivity, and explains how you can implement it in your life. 

“These days, I’m taking better care of myself and trying to avoid overworking, but… there’s a lot of room for improvement.” Kaleigh Moore shares her process for finding balance after sprinting for years. 

She also goes into detail on her recent decision to slowdown here.

Are you moving fast and building?

We cover the steps we took to grow our boutique consulting firm to $1M in revenue using subcontractors; including how we found them, how we priced our services, and how we managed a growing team. Check out our full breakdown here. 

Looking to up-level your business? Continued education is so important if you’re a soloprenuer or small business owner. We chatted with Hillary Bush from Pollen on the best ways to slingshot your career forward.

Ready to outsource? We chatted with John Doherty about how he outsources to focus on the highest-value tasks and projects for his business. He’ll take you through the 80/20 rule. 

Looking for new gigs?

The Harlow job board has 220+ open roles right now. Check it out and see if one might be right for you!

Yentalist is also curated by a dear internet friend of mine, Olivia Howell. It has a plethora of remote roles ready for you to check out. 

Wherever you are, know that you’re exactly where you need to be. We all ebb and flow. So listen to yourself, find your own rhythm, and trust that you’ll know when it’s time to speed up or slow down. 

Cheers,

Samantha

P.S. Speaking of marathons ;) My co-founder Andrea is running her first 10k at the end of this month! Join me in rooting her on! Respond to this newsletter with some words of encouragement — she’ll love it.

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