We’ve been fed the same story for years: if you want success, you have to hustle harder. More hours. More clients. More late nights.
At least, I leaned into it thinking that more was better….
- More clients = more revenue
- More marketing = more clients
- More = more
And let me be real with you…that story is a lie.
If hustle actually worked, most women business owners I know would be millionaires by now. Instead, they’re exhausted, resentful, and wondering if the freedom they dreamed of will ever happen.
On paper, the hustle looks like commitment. In reality, it’s a trap that keeps you broke. Not only broke in money, but broke in time and energy.
Here are the three biggest traps I see hustle culture creating.
First, the Chief Everything Officer trap. You’re doing it all, marketing, sales, delivery, admin, and wearing every hat in the business. The problem is, when you’re the glue holding everything together, you can’t step away. Your business owns you.
Second, chasing revenue instead of profit. Hustle convinces you that more sales will fix everything. But more clients don’t guarantee more profit. In fact, they usually bring more headaches and more expenses.
Third, overgiving to clients. Hustle whispers that saying yes to everything is how you prove your worth. So you overdeliver, undercharge, and wonder why you feel resentful and drained.
Sound familiar?
None of this is your fault. We were taught to equate busyness with value. But the truth is, hustle is a terrible business strategy. It doesn’t scale. It doesn’t give you freedom. It just keeps you on the treadmill, running faster but never getting anywhere.
The good news? There’s another way. You can design a business that’s freedom-first, not hustle-first. One where profit, peace, and personal life all fit together.
But here’s the catch: you can’t see the way out until you’re honest about the trap you’re in.
That’s why I created the CEO Freedom Audit™ self-assessment worksheet. It’s a practical tool that helps you uncover the bottlenecks, limiting beliefs, and time-wasters that keep you hustling instead of thriving.
Download your copy here.
Because if hustle hasn’t worked by now, it never will. But clarity will.
Yes, You Can Do This,
Diana
PS. If you live in the Ottawa Valley and want to network with thought leaders, attend Autumn Advantage on October 18th, organized by Helen Snell. I’ll be speaking there along with a few other amazing business leaders!
