Today, I want to share a life lesson that changed the direction of my business and took it to the next level of growth.
And it was all my husband’s fault. (Ha! Kidding. Kind of.)
No fancy funnel. No complicated tech. No shiny new sales tactic.
Just a single question… that he asked more than once. (READ MORE)
“Are you going to retire with me, Diana?”
And each time, I’d answer:
“No, I still enjoy working.”
But that question planted a seed. It forced me to ask two deeper questions that I’d been avoiding:
- How could I work less and still spend more time with him?
- How could I contribute more financially so we wouldn’t be dipping into retirement savings?
Until 2019, my business model relied on live events to fill my group coaching programs. It was tons of hustle, tons of hours… and truthfully? Marginally successful.
It wasn’t bad. had a few private clients and occasional consulting gigs, but nothing streamlined and nothing simple!
So I took a hard look at my business. I asked myself:
What’s working? What’s not?
What do I love doing, and what just drains me?
Here’s what I found:
✅ My private coaching clients were my most profitable, least stressful, and got the biggest transformations. When a business founder can go from 6-figures in debt to a healthy $500K profit, that’s transformation!
❌ My group programs required the most work to fill… and delivered the smallest results.
So after much thought and guilt, I made an uncomfortable decision: double down on what works and let go of what doesn’t.
That’s when Work Less, PROFIT More™ was tweaked once again!
It’s true your turning point might look different, but the feeling is probably very similar.
Maybe you don’t have a spouse nudging you toward retirement.
But maybe you…
- Want to attend your granddaughter’s recital without stressing about client fires.
- Want the flexibility to drive your mom to doctor’s appointments (and actually hear what the doctor says).
- Want to travel while you’re healthy, not wait until “someday”.
This isn’t about “quitting.”
It’s about creating options.
Freedom to choose what your next chapter looks like.
Today, my business is designed around my version of success:
- I take 4–6 weeks off each year.
- I work 2 1/2 days a week, from 10am–3pm.
- I serve a maximum of 5 clients a month and hit a high 6-figure+ revenue.
I’m not building a massive empire. I am slowing down.
I’m building a life I love. And I love my business.
And your vision might be different — And That’s the Point
Take my clients, Lara & Martin, multi-million dollar business owners. When they first came to me, they wanted to sell their company in 3–5 years and retire to travel abroad. (They were only in their 40s!!)
But with a few strategic shifts, I showed them how they could:
- Keep the business
- Keep the profits
- And start living their retirement lifestyle now
And guess what?
They’ve spent 7 months travelling the world with their dog, while their business grew by 70%.
That’s what happens when you stop hustling… and start leading like a CEO.
You don’t have to choose between scaling up and slowing down.
Let’s build the business that makes it all possible.
👉 Book a Free CEO Strategy Call with me here: https://dianalidstone.com/apply
We’ll map out what “freedom” looks like for you and how to make it real.
Because yes, you can work less and profit more.
Yes, You Can Do This,
Diana
