I Pressed Pause on My Business… Here’s What I Learned

Jul 2

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I started my online business in 2016 with no clear plan — just a quiet hope that I could keep working from home after a stint doing tech support for Apple.

All I knew was:
I didn’t want to go back to an office.
I didn’t want to stand on my feet in retail all day.
I wanted to stay home with my dog all day. 🐾
And I really didn’t want to keep building someone else’s dream.

So I gave it a shot.
I built a service-based business with a whole lot of trial and error. I got clients. I helped course creators and coaches. I figured out the tech. And I floated along through some decent years.

But by the time 2022 rolled around and the pandemic boom started to settle down, something shifted. The work was still there, but the spark wasn’t.

From 2021 to 2023, I felt like I was floating.
I had one solid client (who I still adore), but I didn’t know where I belonged. I bounced between South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, and Oklahoma. I worked enough to get by. I picked up freelance projects. I had creative bursts and burnout cycles.

And then in 2024, I moved to Tulsa and hit pause on almost everything.

I still had my one client. I picked up work with Kit. I got a full-time job at a general store that made my soul happy. But the business?
The YouTube videos, the emails, the content, the marketing?
Gone. I didn’t have the capacity to keep it going.

At the time, I told myself I couldn’t take on more clients anyway — my plate was full.

But here’s what I’ve realized recently:
What I actually want isn’t a calendar packed with client calls.
What I want is a digital product business that gives me the freedom (time and financial) to work at the general store, take time off to visit my family that’s now half way across the country, and visit my happy place at Disney World while still helping online solopreneurs master the backend of their businesses without the same burnout I experienced.

I’m allowed to have it all.
We are allowed to have it all. 💖

So I decided to take a step back from the 1:1 client work.

Not because I don’t love 1:1 work — I do!
But because I love quiet. I love space. I love systems.
And I want to build something sustainable that doesn’t depend on showing up on Instagram every single day.

So I’m starting over.

Not from scratch.
But from softness.
From a clear-headed, cozy, and calm place.
From a vision of helping other creatives + solopreneurs build systems they actually enjoy using — and businesses they don’t resent.

If you’re in a similar season — whether you’re pivoting, pausing, or starting again — I made something just for you:

✨ From Chaos to Cozy is my brand new digital setup kit.
It includes checklists, templates, folder structures, a quick-start guide, and even a note from my dog, Oakley. (Yes, really. 🐾)

It’s what I wish I had back when I was lost in 97 Google Drive tabs and half-finished ideas.
And it’s available now with instant access.

👉 Check it out here.

I’m also still offering limited 1:1 services if you’d like my eyes on your systems or need help mapping out your next move.

But this new chapter? It’s all about slower, softer growth.
A business that feels like me — and maybe like you too.

Thanks for being here. 💜

xx,
Delana

I help online business owners simplify the tech side of their business with calm, clear systems. From Kit migrations to backend cleanup, I offer done-for-you support and clarity sessions to help solopreneurs stop spinning their wheels and start running a business that works for them. Based in Tulsa, serving clients remotely everywhere.✨