How to Build a Business That Fits You — Not Just the Algorithm

What if your most aligned offer isn't the one that's trending?

Somewhere along the way, online entrepreneurship turned into this ridiculous checklist that literally no human can keep up with:

• Launch a high-ticket program 

• Post daily on Instagram 

• Build a mastermind 

• Add a membership 

• Do it all... preferably yesterday 

Nobody wants to admit… Not every strategy is right for every brain or business. 

If you're a creative entrepreneur trying to juggle actual life—ADHD, caregiving, chronic illness, executive dysfunction, decision fatigue, or just being a whole-ass human—then following the standard "guru" playbook is basically setting yourself up to feel like crap.

What works? Building a business that works with your brain, not against it.

Your Capacity Matters More Than What's "Hot" Right Now

It's sooooo tempting to see what's working for other people and think "I should do that too!" That membership with the crazy good retention rates. That Slack community buzzing 24/7. That course launch that made six figures while you were still figuring out your email sequence.

But here's the thing—just because something makes money for someone else doesn't mean you should torture yourself trying to recreate it.

Instead, ask yourself:

• What do I actually enjoy delivering? (Wild concept, I know)

• Where do I feel completely in my element with clients?

• What kind of communication lights me up vs. makes me want to hide under a blanket?

I know someone with ADHD who tried to force herself into those trendy async platforms like Slack or Circle. It felt like trying to drink from a fire hose—overwhelming, scattered, just... no. 

So instead of torturing herself, she said "screw it" and built group offers around live calls and structured office hours. Her clients got way more focused attention, and she didn't feel like her brain was constantly short-circuiting. Everyone won.

Your so-called "limitations"? They're actually your secret sauce for creating something better.

Build What Actually Works for YOUR Life

Here's permission to stop doing what you think you're "supposed" to do:

You don't need to be everywhere online. You don't need to scale by adding more and more until you burn out. You definitely don't need to copy someone else's entire business model because they said it's "proven."

What you DO need is something that fits:

• How your brain actually works

• Your real schedule (not your fantasy schedule)

• What your nervous system can handle

• What your people actually need from you

Maybe that means ditching the membership everyone told you to create and just doing killer 1:1 work. Maybe it's running a small group program with live calls instead of managing a chaotic Slack workspace that makes you want to throw your laptop out the window.

Whatever it looks like, the goal is simple: build something that doesn't make you want to quit every other Tuesday.

Stop Trying to Do It "Right." Start Doing It Like You.

When you finally give yourself permission to stop following everyone else's playbook and start building something that actually makes sense for your life, something magical happens.

Running your business stops feeling like this heavy thing you HAVE to do. Instead, it becomes this natural extension of who you are and how you help people.

You get to show up as yourself. You get to help people in the way that feels good. You get to build something that adds to your life instead of slowly sucking the soul out of it.

And honestly? That's when the good stuff happens.

Want to dive deeper into building a business that actually works for your brain and your life? On a recent episode of Here’s What I Learned, Sarah Gemmell breaks down how to flip the script on your offers, messaging, and marketing strategy.