Does your business ever feel like a boulder you’re pushing uphill while 20 people keep adding rocks to your backpack?
For 11 weeks, I asked women business owners what momentum means to them. I got 11 different answers and not one magic formula. Fantabulous—because you know I would have had questions.
What I did get was a better way to think about progress. Business momentum isn’t necessarily faster growth or a calendar packed with opportunities. Sometimes it’s a smaller first step, a well-placed no, or a system that lets you take a sick day. Here are five ideas from those conversations that stayed with me.
Key Takeaways
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Getting started can take a lot of energy. If fear is in the way, make the first step smaller.
- Less distraction can create more momentum than another opportunity.
- A quiet season doesn’t mean your work isn’t reaching anyone; feedback and trust can build gradually.
- You get to define success by what your business makes room for, not just how fast it grows.
- Systems, support, and the ability to rest are part of a sustainable business—not rewards you earn later.
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Starting takes energy—and fear isn’t always a stop sign
Money coach Scarlett Stanhope compared getting a business moving to pushing a stone that’s sitting still. That first push can take more effort than you expected. Renee Carbone Fleming, founder of the Badass Queen brand, offered a different way to face that moment:
“Momentum is doing it scared.” — Renee Carbone Fleming
I love the nerve of that. I also want to be clear: scared is not the same as unsafe. You don’t get a prize for ignoring your body, your circumstances, or your intuition.
But if fear is voting no on a step you genuinely want to take, you can make the step smaller. Draft the pitch. Record the first minute. Write down the offer. You can decide what to do with it after you’ve begun.
Momentum might mean doing less
Serial entrepreneur Amanda Sima gave me one of the most surprising definitions in the series:
“I would describe momentum as a reduction in distraction.” — Amanda Sima
Not more tabs open. Not another project. Fewer things pulling her away from the work she wants to do.
Of course, that gets uncomfortable when the distraction is a good opportunity. Janet Tanguay talked about using her North Star to recognize when saying yes to someone else’s vision would take time from her own. I’ve felt that, too. I recently said no to a potential podcast guest I’d followed for 30 years. I would have loved the conversation, but it wasn’t the right fit for the audience I serve now.
An opportunity can be very good and still not be good for you. If your calendar feels crowded, what could you decline, renegotiate, or simply stop volunteering for next time?
Quiet does not mean nothing is happening
You can keep showing up and hear almost nothing back. Andrea Waltz, co-author of Go for No, described the early years after the book came out as “crickets.” The occasional note from someone it helped gave her a reason to keep going.
“Sometimes it’s just one person who comes to you and says, ‘I read your book and I loved it.’” — Andrea Waltz
That kind of feedback is not a substitute for sales. I’m a business owner; I know the difference. But it is information about what’s landing.
Executive coach and former cellist Kate Kayaian described another kind of progress that’s hard to see while you’re in it. She kept practicing, writing, and sharing her work—even when her blog had only a handful of readers. Over time, she got better, people noticed, and recommendations began to come to her.
The point isn’t to publish constantly and hope for the best. It’s to choose a way to show your work that you can sustain, then pay attention to the response. One useful conversation with a past client may teach you more than another week of guessing.
You get to decide what success makes room for
Leadership coach Crystal Bell talked about moving with purpose and asking for what you want. That raises a question I think we skip too often: What do you want the next opportunity to make possible?
Bianca B. King’s Five A’s of Joyful Ambition end with abundance—and she includes health and relationships in that picture, not just finances. Marisol Colette described reaching a point where support and established ways of working gave her more room for creativity and peace.
Yes, let’s talk about money. We all need money. But I want a business I can live with, too.
For years, one of my definitions of success was being there when my kid got on and off the school bus. That mattered more to me than looking busy or impressive. Your definition may be different. Maybe you want time to create, better-paying work, or a Tuesday afternoon when you don’t have to explain yourself to anybody.
Be specific. It’s hard to build toward a life you haven’t let yourself name.
A business that supports you is a form of momentum
Jenna Bannister, founder of Automations for Owners, described automating much of her land business so she could focus on the work she wanted to keep doing herself. You do not need to automate 95% of anything to get a little breathing room.
Maybe you’re sending the same scheduling email by hand every week. Maybe you keep rewriting instructions you could save once. Making one repeat task easier counts.
Holistic CPA Megan Munsell offered another useful correction to the usual picture of growth:
“Your momentum isn’t going to look like a straight line up.” — Megan Munsell
She suggests stepping back from the details of one month and looking at performance over time. That matters when social media makes it seem as though every month must beat the last.
It matters to me personally, too. I’ve lived with metastatic breast cancer since 2014, and when I was recovering from pneumonia earlier this year, I needed to recover—not find a clever way to turn illness into productivity. Systems I’d put in place helped. Women in my community had my back. I appreciated both.
That’s what gratitude in business means to me. Not pretending everything is wonderful, but noticing what’s helping, who’s showing up, and what you’ve already built.
Meet the Female Founders
- Episode 332: Jenna Bannister — Jenna Bannister is a mother of two and the founder of Automations for Owners and a vacant land business that she automated by 95% using AI digital tools.
- Episode 333: Amanda Sima — Amanda Sima is a serial entrepreneur, host of the Brain on Loan podcast, founder of a collegiate apparel brand with over 150 NCAA licenses, and inventor of a spill-proof children’s cup lid.
- Episode 334: Marisol Colette — Marisol Colette is a fashion therapist, singer, and founder of Sol Reflection who blends psychotherapy with style coaching to help clients build confidence.
- Episode 335: Megan Munsell — Megan Munsell is a holistic CPA, ordained metaphysics minister, and founder of Abundantia Advisory, an advisory firm blending financial strategy with tarot and metaphysics.
- Episode 336: Renee Carbone Fleming — Renee Carbone Fleming is the founder of the Badass Queen and Sparkle Queen brands, author of Watch Me, and host of the Unapologetically Badass podcast.
- Episode 337: Andrea Waltz — Andrea Waltz is the co-author of the bestselling sales book Go for No and a professional speaker who teaches creators how to reframe rejection to fuel ambition.
- Episode 338: Kate Kayaian — Kate Kayaian is an executive coach, author of Beyond Potential, musical director of the Bermuda Philharmonic Orchestra, and retired professional cellist.
- Episode 339: Bianca B. King — Bianca B. King is a business mentor, former commercial real estate executive, and founder of 7573 Marketing Group, Pretty Damn Ambitious, and the GINA app.
- Episode 340: Crystal Bell — Crystal Bell is a leadership coach, speaker, founder of Clarity with Crystal, former software executive, and yoga studio owner.
- Episode 341: Scarlett Stanhope — Scarlett Stanhope (aka “The Biz Hippie”) is a money and abundance coach who empowers solopreneurs to transform their relationship with money.
- Episode 342: Janet Tanguay — Janet Tanguay is a vision board leadership coach, mixed media artist, and author of The Hammock Way of Life series.
Mentioned
Disclaimer: Some links may be affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase. No added cost to you.
- Watch Me by Renee Carbone Fleming
- Go for No co-authored by Andrea Waltz
- Hammock Way of Life by Janet Tanguay
- Browse all female founder momentum interviews
- Join us Mondays for co-working for Gen X women
How Will You Choose to Move Forward?
Eleven women gave me eleven definitions of momentum. You don’t need to turn them into eleven new jobs. Pick one idea that fits the season you’re actually in and try the smallest version of it.
Ready to dive deeper into these founder journeys? Listen to the full 12-week Momentum Series (starting at Episode 331) or join our women-only community inside the Gratitude Geek Lab.
What would progress look like if it made your business easier to live with—not just bigger?
Stay Groovy!
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