In the last episode, a question came up around, is this even the business that I wanted? And while we dove into more of the CEO role in that episode, I wanted to circle back to that question and go more in depth. And I want to talk about something that's easy to miss. When things are working on paper, things look successful. The business is growing, but it still just doesn't feel right. You don't feel spacious, you don't feel energized. And when you're honest, this version of the business doesn't actually feel like yours. Sometimes the problem isn't how fast you're scaling, it's what you're scaling. Because growth doesn't fix misalignment, it multiplies it.

And the more that you push something that's not aligned, the heavier it starts to feel. So I want to zoom out, and I want to take a look at your business through a different lens here. And I want to talk about why doubling down on misalignment only increases the strain. How to recognize when your business no longer reflects your values or your vision, and what it takes to realign your business model so that growth feels purposeful, not just possible. Growth has a funny way of bringing clarity. It really magnifies the cracks that were small at first, whether it's offers that drain you or clients that aren't the right fit, or a business model that feels more complicated than energizing. You might have been able to ignore it when things were smaller, but once you layer on growth and you really start to scale, those small cracks become pressure points. And most founders don't realize that they're optimizing something misaligned until it's too late.

And they just keep improving what's already there. They keep streamlining and delegating and scaling, but the foundation is off. And then all of that effort just makes things feel worse. You get to a point where you actually dread growth. You actually resent growth because of how you feel. So a lot of business owners come to me saying things like, I should love this business, but I kind of resent it. Or I've hit the goals, but I'm not enjoying it. And that's a sign that we need to zoom out.

Not to judge what you've built, not to play the blame game, but to just simply ask, does this still fit who I am, where I'm going, and what I want? Let's look at some signs that you're scaling a business that's misaligned. Okay. There's nothing wrong with learning from others. We all learn from other people. It's an important part of being a business owner to continue to learn and grow and, and most of us start by following proven models, proven strategies. But over time, if you take a step back and really look at what you've built, you might realize that you ended up scaling something you never would have chosen on purpose. Maybe you followed a mentor strategy because it worked for them. Maybe you built for a season that's no longer relevant.

Maybe you said yes to what worked because it was working without really checking to see if it was something you'd enjoy long term or if it was sustainable. And if that sounds familiar, you're not alone. So many business owners wake up to a business that they've built, that looks wildly successful, but they realize it's not even a business they really want. They followed all the steps, but they don't like what they built. So if that's you, if you've grown but your business hasn't evolved to match what you really want, you're still running a business that was designed for a past version of yourself, or a part of a goal, but not the full, well rounded definition of success. Like we talked about in a prior episode. I want you to know the solution isn't to burn it all down. I hear that a lot.

If you've ever thought to yourself that you want to burn it all down, you're normal and you, you were in the right place. But you don't actually have to burn it all down. We just need to reclaim your role as the visionary and stop fitting yourself into a business model, into someone else's vision, and make sure that we're designing the business around you, around what you want. Now, I want to be clear here. When I say designing it around you and what you want, that doesn't mean around you doing the work. Hopefully you've heard enough from me so far that you realize that that's not what I'm referring to. But I do mean building a business built around your desires, your strengths, your values, your vision so that it's actually aligned because alignment is necessary for it to be sustainable. Alignment isn't about everything being perfect, by the way.

It's about everything pointing in the same direction. It's about knowing that you're going to be happy with the business that you're building. Not just today or tomorrow, but for the long term. It's knowing what you want this business to create for your life. It's knowing what type of work lights you up and what drains you. It's Knowing what kinds of clients and offers and rhythms feel sustainable. It's not just strategy, it's intention. And when you redesign from that place, knowing intentionally what you want for the long term, the business starts to support you, not just rely on you.

And that's the shift that I want for you. Not more hustle. Not just a restructure for efficiency sake, but a rebuild that's rooted in your vision. Because clarity is what turns resentment into excitement and misalignment back into momentum. If you're starting to question whether the business you've built is still the business that you want, I want you to ask yourself, if I weren't already committed to this version of my business, would I choose it again? And if the answer is no, or just not quite again, you don't have to start over. But you do need to realign. And you can ask, so what would you choose today? If you were starting over today, what would you build? Scaling a misaligned business is like training for a marathon, but in shoes that don't fit. You might get stronger, but you're also going to get blisters, burnout, and breakdowns before you can run faster.

We've got to make sure that the gear fits. And before you scale, you've got to make sure that you're building something you actually want to live inside. Because I know this business is such a big part of your life, but we don't want it to be your whole life. We want it to give you the opportunity to create the life that you really want. And the right business model, the right aligned strategies and decisions, will change everything. And it all starts with clarity around what you actually want. So again, I will leave you with this question. If you were starting over today, would you choose this version of your business again? And if not, what would you choose?