The corporate mindset I had to unlearn
I overcame a massive mindset hurdle last month, something that has lingered for over 10 years and has definitely been a condition drilled into me since my corporate days.
You can’t deny that when you work corporate, you have one main job and you work 8-9 hours per day for this employer. That's not to say you can't have side hustles, or part-time jobs on the side, but 8-9 hours for five days a week makes it so that ONE job is the priority.
That mindset followed me into freelancing and being a business owner - a path I began on over 10 years ago!
Even after leaving corporate, I was still chasing that same model:
one business,
one paycheck,
one definition of success.
I have struggled with this immensely over the past few years, especially since I've started scaling coaching.
I kept trying to force myself into one lane, even when my creativity and opportunities were pulling me in different directions. I thought I needed to only be running ONE business, just like I had only one job/employer. To me, that meant I had to scale coaching and replace the income of my freelancing because….because….
And that’s when it hit me last month.
Why?
What was the reason for why I was doing this?
There was no reason. I’m free. I can run as many businesses as I want (within reason, I don’t have endless energy).
When I overcame that mindset hurdle, I felt such a relief. It felt like I was stepping into who I’m meant to be as a business owner. It gave me permission to ebb and flow where my energy is directing me.
So, I'm here to come clean and admit to everyone that I have three businesses:
1. Executive Assistant and Ops Management Agency
2. Coaching Business for Freelancers
3. Freelance Referral Matchmaking Service (word of mouth only)
And in 2026, I've been given the opportunity to spearhead a 4th business (🤐 right now).
When the 4th opp came my way, my first instinct was, “I can’t possibly take this on.” Again, I thought, I’m already running 3 businesses, how could I take on another?
But then it hit me. I was limiting myself. All based on having come from a "ONE job" background.
These businesses all take a different amount of my bandwidth, so as long as I can ultimately manage all of them, then that’s on me.
That was the shift. Success doesn’t have to mean narrowing down; it can also mean expanding with purpose.
Because that's what business is, and the enormous flexibility you get from running it yourself is that you decide how and where the business fits into your life.
I share this because maybe you’re also torn between different passions or ideas for your business and wondering which one to “choose.”
You just need to decide what feels connected to you right now.
If it's one, great.
If it's three, great.
If it's 10...lol maybe that’s our cue to focus a little more.
Everything will fall into place when it’s supposed to.
Hoping this helped you shift your mindset.
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If your goal is to work fewer than 25 hours a week and still earn the income you had in corporate, I can help you get there. I coach freelancers and service providers to scale their businesses with strategies that actually work. Connect with me here.
