No one is born to "run a business"—we are born to live.

Our purpose here at ThriveWorks 360 is to help Entrepreneurs create Businesses that give them the life they want to live. Yet too many Founders sacrifice their lives for their companies.

Let me give you an example.

One day, a potential client rang, completely overwhelmed and utterly fed up:

"I'm continually firefighting, working late nights and weekends, and feel like I'm on the brink of burning out."

That was the day he decided to get coaching.

His business had been consuming him months—maybe even years—before that. He'd work around the clock, take care of every single issue himself, and be absent during valuable moments with his family.

I hear some version of this all the time from my clients:

“I feel stuck in a never-ending cycle of exhaustion, wearing all the hats and putting out fires, but I can't stop because the business would fall apart without me.”

“I am stressed and jaded by business and worried about getting the decisions right, yet I have to make it work to can guarantee my family financial security.”

“I'm making good money, but I cannot enjoy it because I am constantly overwhelmed, and I have no time for a personal life.”

Or they may be physically present with their family, but mentally, they're checked out worrying about the business. In so many cases, these businesses are not only failing to give the founders the life they want—the company is making their lives worse.

Business Problems Often Reflect Underlying Personal Problems

This is ONE of the reasons why I often say that business problems are a reflection of underlying personal problems.

My clients may come in the door seeking help with any of the significant challenges in entrepreneurship – feeling stuck, exhausted, constantly putting out fires – but what they're seeking is a better life.

They crave freedom, joy, and mental clarity to spend that time with their loved ones. They want to fully enjoy the success and financial rewards their business can provide them.

The other reason why I say that business problems are personal problems in disguise comes a little closer to home.

In building a business of exponential growth and financial freedom, you must also have time for yourself.

Here at ThriveWorks360, we put it like this:

If the founder wants a better business, first, the company needs a better founder.

It all comes down to the 3 A's: Acumen, Activity, and Attitude

Acumen is all about knowledge and skill-building. Most entrepreneurs never got any formal business training. Instead, they excelled in a field they had become proficient in and turned that into a business. They started as a solo developer and now lead a team of 10, or they began as an individual consultant and grew into a thriving consultancy firm. So, part of becoming a better entrepreneur is to get some clue about business growth and leadership development and to learn the skills of being able to run and scale an already workable business. This part is easy.

Activity is all about taking action, it is the behavior that sets us up for success. Creating a plan, hiring and training talent, conducting market research, developing systems, making sales, all these and many more come under activity. This also is not the hard part either, however it helps if you are held accountable by someone for doing the things you said planed to do.

The third part is where you can witness a dual nature of business colliding with personal.

Attitude, or as we at TW360 call it, “mindset,” is the difference between you running the business and the business running you. It's not just about what we do, it's about how we see things. It's about believing in our business like it's our baby, but also knowing when to let it spread its wings. It's about facing our fears head-on, stepping out of our comfort zones, and realizing that we're capable of more than we ever thought possible. And trust me, setting goals and going after them with everything you've got—that's the secret sauce.

There are many personal issues and challenges that can get in the way of this third and the most important A.

• Fear: Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of looking silly, fear of what people of think of us and the list goes on

• Ego: Not wanting to seek help even when we know we might need help, not willing to admit not knowing something, not wanting to admit making mistakes. (We can only learn from our mistakes once we accept the mistakes)

• Complacency: Being alright with how things are, lack of interest in improving things and of course complaining about what is wrong than actually correcting it.

And sometimes those personal issues and challenges run much deeper than we recognize.

So here is the kickerᅳit never really is too late. If you feel that nagging feeling creep up on you that you are in a rut or maybe drowning in a pool of self-doubt, it's time to flip it over. It has to do with bidding adieu to the mean voices in your head and saying hello to an infinite array of possibility-filled futures because it is your road to success. Let's grab fear and ego by the scruff of the neck, roll up our sleeves, and show the world what we're made of.

Is your business truly giving you the life of your dreams?

• Where is it that you are fighting your greatest battles?

• Maybe it's growing pains: dealing with growth strategies?

• Developing a really tight team culture?

• Or perhaps even honing your leadership style?

How long do you want to stay feeling trapped, overwhelmed, and consistently firefighting? (Remember: If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting the same results.)

I've been lucky enough to help hundreds of entrepreneurs and founders just like you through these very same struggles. And hey, you can dig into their inspiring stories right here: Testimonials.

If you are ready to break free from the grind and build a business that not only fuels your financial success but brings you accurate fulfillment, let's chat. Schedule a quick 15-minute call with me here: Book a Call with Nathan.

Your road to success and freedom is just around the corner. Let's do it together.