Building a business is like starting a relationship.

If you want to go the distance, it’s probably wise to understand the three stages:

→ First comes infatuation.

Your idea feels new and exciting. You have some early wins. It’s entirely possible that in two years you’ll be at $3 million ARR and on the cover of Forbes. You’re in love!

→ Next comes disillusionment.

Conflict happens. The love hormones wear off. Certain milestones you hear of other people hitting, aren’t coming as easily to you. You start to miss the days where you had a paycheck.

→ Finally, there’s enduring commitment.

You begin to accept the requirements to go from founder to CEO. You mature into the kind of leader who is willing to embrace the parts of the role they don't like.

I remember the early days of my business. I was so excited the first time I shared a ‘freebie’ for finding purpose in a Facebook group.

A bunch of people asked to receive it and I thought, “This is all I have to do now? I get to package up whatever thoughts come out of my head and share them?”

Fast forward to today and I CACKLED when some marketer selling a program to grow a newsletter said you could expect to get 50-100 signups off a single social post.

Apparently that’s what happened for him at the start of his business. I now know that that's NOT common, and his lofty claim has me convinced that ‘beginner’s luck’ is the business equivalent of new love hormones.

Early wins come easily enough to get you hooked... it's not until later that you descend into madness. 🤣

Of course, just as in love, when your partner surprises you in a unique way or you make it through something hard together and feel oddly elated...

You can cycle back to the honeymoon phase in business, too.

Vacations help. Or, in lieu of time off, here are a few ideas to put the spark back into your business during a busy week:

1. Do a past wish / present reality gratitude practice.

I’d bet money there are at least three things in your present business reality that your past self would hardly have dared to dream. Have a moment for that.

2. Tap the wisdom of your unconscious by speaking its language of symbolism.

I like tarot cards for this. If you don't own a deck, there's something cool you can do:

→ Pick an online deck here.

→ Make three draws, one for each of these questions—just take a breath and focus on your question before you click:

(1) Remind me why what I'm doing matters?

(2) What's one way that I or my team have grown this year, that I'm overlooking?

(3) Advice to reignite the spark in my business?

→ Have ChatGPT analyze the cards for you using this prompt:

Voila. Chat is a fabulous oracle and will happily go back and forth about this. Pretty please, reply and share your insights with me.

PS: fun fact on the power of symbolism? There’s something called the ‘doorway effect’ — where our brains reset when we go through a door. You’re tidying up in one room, go to do something in another, but when you arrive… you don’t know why you’re there.

That’s the doorway effect, and it’s a testament to how doors represent transition—so much so that they create amnesia. You're crossing a threshold? Past can't come with you!

3. Try this guided somatic practice I recorded just for you.

It's geared for founders to remember your why and light up the feelings of excitement and motivation that you had in the beginning.

As always, if you're inclined to share how that went for you, I'd love to hear.

To your lasting passion & purpose—

​Rachel​