Welcome to The Rachel Kurzyp Show.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a select few entrepreneurs and online business owners rise to fame, wealth and success nearly overnight.

And now, just as quickly, I feel, they’re closing their businesses for good. Vanessa Lau and Tyler Mccall come to mind. And I want to talk about it.

In today’s episode, I want to answer the question we’re all asking each other in the DMs. “Why are well-known entrepreneurs quitting?” And “what does that mean for the rest of us?”

Short answer: they’re quitting because they’re burnt out.

I’ve been running my business in some capacity for nearly 12 years and have just come out the other side of burnout myself (go back and listen to episode 91 to learn more about my experience).

The long answer: We should see this as a warning that how we’ve been running online businesses these past 5, 10+ years isn’t sustainable.

Turning every thought, experience and skill into a bite-sized lesson is not normal.

It isn’t healthy to prioritise the needs of thousands of strangers worldwide over your friends, family and yourself.

And it isn’t natural to spend all your time, energy and creativity trying to reach arbitrary milestones to prove your worth and relevance.

Especially when they’re changing on the daily (6-figures was so 2019, it’s all about the 7-figure business now).

These entrepreneur stories are a stark reminder that we need to make sacrifices if we want to hold large amounts of wealth.

And these sacrifices often hurt us and those around us because capitalism doesn’t care about the individual, only how much monetary value it can generate.

That’s why, as creatives, founders and entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves on a hamster wheel of our own creation.

We tell ourselves that we can rest, slow down or get off once we’ve achieved the next milestone.

But this system is built to make us feel like we never have enough and to be worried that we’ll lose everything we’ve worked so hard to have.

So we keep ignoring our nervous system and intuition that tells us to stop.

I think it’s incredibly brave of the many individuals who have shared their stories with us because they don’t owe us anything – even to a degree, their paying customers.

And from what they’ve shared publicly, they’ve realised they’re being exploited by the system like anyone else.

I decided to share my thoughts publicly on this topic because many of my clients (and I’ve felt this way too) feel like they’re failing at business because they don’t have $500k months, don’t have teams of 15, a million YouTube subscribers and 3 successful programs.

As the business owners we’ve all looked up to for years have shut the doors to their businesses for good, it reminds me of what I’ve been saying to my community for years.

These entrepreneurs we idolise don’t have it figured out any more than the rest of us.

In fact, they often teach the same theories and systems that the rest of us do, they’re just packaged up differently.

I’m not saying they don’t deserve their success or aren’t incredible at what they do, but what they’re teaching isn’t groundbreaking or new.

And due to varying degrees of privilege and exploitation (in some cases their own), they’ve been able to create the illusion that they do have the answers.

If these creators don’t want the million-dollar+ businesses they’ve created and sold to us, why should we?

It’s time we stopped blindly following the advice of strangers on the internet and instead figured out what we really want from our businesses and lives.

I’m not chasing the million-dollar business, big team and thousands of clients not because these things are bad but because I don’t want to make the time, energy, creativity and money sacrifices needed to have them.

Instead, I’m maintaining my lifestyle business. One that supports me, my family and my community ethically and sustainably.

It’s hard work, but I’m always asking myself what’s enough and stopping myself from going after monetary gains and vanity metrics that don’t serve anyone. Especially me.

If you’re listening to this and feel like you’re constantly chasing the next big thing or looking for that one idea that’s going to put your business on the path to success, ask yourself: why do you trust strangers on the internet over your own intuition?

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to start connecting with yourself, your business and what success, fame and wealth look and feel like for you.

Grab a pen and paper.

1. What is the vision for your life? What do you want your legacy to be? How do you wish to be remembered? Be as specific as possible.
2. How does your business support your why? Does it allow you to embody certain values or characteristics? Does it support you in serving a certain person or community? Does it give you the freedom to enjoy a specific lifestyle?
3. What are your greatest business achievements so far? What are you most proud of? What results, stories or anecdotes do you love sharing with others?
4. What have been your greatest learnings so far? What have you learnt from the strategies you’ve tried? What would you do differently?
5. What does your business look like right now? What do your offers and team look like? What marketing, sales and visibility strategies do you have? What’s working and what isn’t? How do you feel when you sit down to work?
6. What big plans do you have for your business in the next 12-18 months? What do you need to change to get there? What can you build on? What can you let go of? How do you want to feel in 12-18 months’ time?

These are just a few of the questions I work through with my 1:1 coaching clients. I hope they’re supportive for you too.

If you’d like support as you continue to build a sustainable, ethical and profitable business, send me a DM on Instagram rachel_kurzyp or an email to rachel@rachelkurzyp.com.au.

I’d love to share how I can support you in growing your business inside my 1:1 coaching program.

Thanks so much for tuning into today’s episode.

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