The Art of Simplicity in Business

I’m writing this blog post at the end of 2024 – wondering (again) what happened to the idea of a calm, peaceful time before Christmas… 

Seems everyone is busier than ever, trying to squeeze in all the things on the long to-do list, and feeling slightly stressed when thinking about intense days either with the family or alone.

During the last few weeks, I’ve spent quite some time reflecting on 2024 and what I’d like to create in the coming year. My past year has been quite exhausting, and if there’s one thing I clearly want to do better next year, it’s simplifying things. Maybe you feel that too?

If yes, here are a few reflections that came up for me:

Thinking back to my life in the corporate world, one of the benefits is that you can focus on the job you were hired for. Everything else is taken care of, and there is always someone who has the answer to whatever question you may have or knows how to help with whatever it is you need.

This significantly changes when you run your own business. Suddenly, you’re the go-to expert for everything: Content, Strategy, Marketing, Tech, Sales, Networking, Social Media – you name it. And you may spend quite some time on figuring it all out and implementing a structure and processes that work for you, all while trying to attract clients and make some money.

Why does it feel so complicated?

Most of us haven’t learned how to run a business. You’ve probably embarked on your entrepreneurial journey to help others, coach, consult, do more meaningful work, make an impact, have more freedom – while making a good living from it. You haven’t taken this road to become a full-time marketer or salesperson or to deal with tech features and platforms.

With all the ‘stuff’ on your plate as a business owner, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. You may even be a bit frustrated because it feels that you don’t have enough time for client work – the part that lights you up and also pays your bills.

And what adds to it is all the noise out there. The coaching industry has become incredibly crowded, and everywhere you turn, someone’s yelling about what you “really” need to grow your business. It can leave you exhausted and confused, and that leads to inaction, because you simply don’t know what’s the right next step for you.

We all have days where we feel like this. I definitely had quite a few of those during this year.

And I realised that when this happens, I need to unplug. I need to remind myself of what truly matters to me and what I want to achieve. I have to ignore the noise before I can cut through it, find clarity and move forward again.

So, how can we simplify things so they become easier during those days?

Simplicity is key

The thing is that there is not one way to run your business.

Your business is as unique as you.

You have your own ideas, strengths and talents, personality and values – and then there is this thing called life that looks different for all of us. Some of us have kids who need us, some are caregivers for their parents (like me), some still have a part-time job or do voluntary work.

Whatever it is, we want to design and build a business that is in balance and harmony with the rest of our life, often after many years of having tried to squeeze our life somewhere into our work schedule.

The golden key to a sustainable business that you love is finding a simple, yet effective structure that works for you, your business and your private life. Simplicity is one of the guiding principles in my client work, and I am determined to bring back more of it into my own business in 2025. I realised that I let myself being distracted too much during the last weeks, and one of the beautiful side effects of simplicity is that you regain focus almost automatically. It enables you to say ‘no’ to everything you don’t need right now and concentrate on what helps you and your business move forward.

5 steps to simplicity

When I feel that I don’t see the woods for the trees, I use the following 5 steps to ground myself and find more ease, clarity and simplicity in all this clutter again.

I hope they help you get back on track, too – whenever you need it:

1. What’s most important for you and your business right now?
   Choose your #1 priority.
2. Why does it matter?
   This will (re-)connect you with your values.
3. What’s the very next step that brings you closer to your #1 priority?
   Break it down and identify the very next step, as tiny as it may seem to you.
4. What’s in the way? What distracts you?
   Get rid of it, so you can focus on the most important thing.
5. Who do you need to be to make it happen?
   Think about how you can use your strengths and where you may need to change perspective.

Focusing on just one step at a time makes everything feel more manageable — and simpler.

For example, this could be:

• When you need to sell more: Focus on sales-generating activities for 30-60 minutes a day.
• When you want to set up a course or build your email list: Schedule 2 hours to get the (simple!) tech in place and record the video or create the freebie.
• When you want to launch your first group program: Put all your attention over the next 2 weeks into reaching more people and create the first two sessions rather than the whole program.

Take a breath and one step at a time.

Because running a business doesn’t have to be harder than it is. Simplify wherever possible. There’s no point in creating your own hamster wheel and running faster than you ever did in your previous career.

And remember, you can ignore all the ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’ and don’t have to pay attention to all the ‘stuff’ out there. You already know what needs to be done right now. Trust yourself!

I hope these steps bring you some calm and peace during hectic days.