Your Nervous System Is Running Your Business (Whether You Admit It or Not)

How the beliefs you don't even know you have are capping your revenue - and what to do about it

You've built the skills. You've landed clients. You've hit that magical moment where your solopreneur business actually works.

And then, somewhere around year three, you hit a wall.

Not because you're bad at what you do. Not because the market disappeared. But because the scrappy, survival-mode playbook that got you here simply won't get you there.

This blog post is a detailed breakdown of a recent podcast conversation between Mylance founder Bradley Jacobs and Jenni Gritters, author of The Sustainable Solopreneur and business coach for independent consultants seeking simplicity, stability, and power. What emerged was a masterclass in why your nervous system might be the biggest bottleneck in your business - and how to finally get out of your own way.

The Year Three Wobble Is Real

Jenni sees it like clockwork. Solopreneurs and fractional executives cruise through their first couple of years running on adrenaline, referrals, and sheer excitement that the business is actually working.

Then year three arrives, and something shifts.

"Sustainability is defined as the ability to last," Jenni explains. "And people come to me at year three going, 'Wait, I can't keep doing this.'"

The referral network gets tapped out. The reactive hustle starts feeling exhausting. And suddenly, you realize you've been running a business without actually building one.

The Two Pillars That Actually Make a Business Last

Jenni's framework comes down to two seemingly contradictory principles working in tandem: intention and flexibility.

Intention means getting radically clear. What do you actually offer? Who do you serve? What's your price point? What are your financial goals?

"If you were going hiking and had no destination, how would you know where to go?" Jenni asks. "Our brains need something to move toward."

Most solopreneurs skip this foundational work because they're too busy chasing whatever opportunity lands in their inbox.

Flexibility is the counterbalance. Markets shift. Life happens. The economy throws curveballs. The consultants who survive long-term are the ones who can adapt without abandoning their core strategy.

Jenni calls it "strong backbone, flexible joints." You need a plan - and you need the agility to evolve that plan when reality demands it.

Stop Working 40 Hours a Week on Client Deliverables

Here's where most fractional executives get it wrong: they calculate their capacity based on a 40-hour work week, then fill all of it with client work.

Jenni's prescription is different - and non-negotiable.

"25 to 30 hours max on contracted client work," she says. "Because at least 25% of your time needs to be spent tending to the business."

That means 10-12 hours weekly dedicated to business development: financial tending, networking, marketing, content creation, and - critically - working on your own mindset and beliefs.

"We just took everything from the full-time job and showed up as if that's the rule book," Jenni points out. "It's not the rule book."

The Panic Hustle Trap (And How to Avoid It)

You know this pattern. Your roster is full. Life is good. Marketing feels unnecessary.

Then two clients drop off, and suddenly you're scrambling from scratch.

Jenni calls this "the panic hustle," and it's one of the most common - and preventable - mistakes in the solopreneur playbook.

"Think of marketing as a little river running through your business that's moving at all times," she explains. Even when you're fully booked, you need to be building relationships, following up with warm leads, and staying visible.

When Bradley asked how she built a workshop that attracted 200 signups and converted 40 people into a program, her answer was refreshingly unsexy: "That's seven years of marketing."

Seven years of showing up. Seven years of building trust. Seven years of playing the long game while everyone else was looking for shortcuts.

Your Nervous System Is Calling the Shots

This is where the conversation took a turn that might make the "just give me the strategy" crowd uncomfortable.

Jenni shared a real-time example from her own business. She was launching a program, but noticed she had "weird energy" about promoting it. Her chest felt tight. She was showing up to marketing half-heartedly - and unsurprisingly, registrations had stalled.

After sitting with it, she realized: her existing systems were built for 30 participants, not 50. If more people signed up, she'd be overworked. So subconsciously, she was sabotaging her own marketing to protect herself.

"My nervous system had calmed down because it felt safe, because it felt held by the structure," she explained after bringing on additional support and adjusting her systems.

This isn't woo-woo nonsense. It's the recognition that your body often knows what your conscious mind refuses to admit.

Ever had a high-earning month and then mysteriously blown through that money? Ever avoided a task you know you need to do? Ever noticed your business plateaus at the same revenue ceiling over and over?

These are what Jenni calls "flares" - signals that your belief systems are running the show.

Scary Good vs. Scary Bad: Knowing When to Pivot

Not all discomfort means you should quit. But not all persistence is wisdom, either.

Jenni's distinction is simple:

Scary bad is when something is misaligned. You dread it. You're clawing at a closed door while there's a window open right next to you.

Scary good is when you're at a comfort zone edge. It's new and uncertain, but not because you hate it - because you're learning.

The key is developing the self-awareness to tell the difference.

And when you're testing something new? Give it a real runway. Jenni recommends setting a defined experiment period - often three months - during which you're not allowed to judge whether it's working.

"Otherwise, people back out too soon, or they get lost in analysis paralysis," she says. "We don't even have enough data yet."

The Real Success Metrics

Near the end of the conversation, Bradley shared a moment of clarity from a recent coaching session. He'd been feeling unmotivated, fixated on growth metrics that weren't moving fast enough.

His coach asked a simple question: What do you actually enjoy about this work?

The answer reframed everything. The activities were the same - building, talking to customers, writing, sharing. But the lens shifted from "I need to do this to hit my numbers" to "I get to do this because I love it."

Jenni's take: "When I enjoy things, I sell them more magnetically and they work better."

She even added columns to her end-of-month spreadsheet tracking success markers beyond revenue. Because some of her best months, by every measure that actually matters, were her lowest-earning ones.

The Bottom Line

If your business feels like a constant battle against yourself, you're not alone - and you're not broken.

You might just need to stop treating strategy as the solution when the real work is in your nervous system, your beliefs, and the structures that make growth feel safe.

Sustainability isn't sexy. It's showing up consistently, building relationships over years, and doing the inner work that most people skip.

But it's also the only path that actually lasts.

Want to go deeper? Check out Jenni Gritters' book The Sustainable Solopreneur, available at major retailers and directly through her website. Follow her work on Instagram or subscribe to The World Builders Podcast for more on building businesses that actually fit your life.

Mylance

This article was written by Mylance, the LinkedIn content system built for founders and experts who want consistent, high-quality posts that attract clients. We help you lock in your positioning, clarify your ideal customer, and build a content strategy that actually resonates. Then our system gives you a content calendar, drafts posts in your authentic voice, and keeps you accountable - so you stay visible and attract the right clients while saving hours each week!If you’re ready to grow your presence and pipeline on LinkedIn, sign up at Mylance.co.