“It’s more like running on a treadmill than a walk in the park.”

A leader I work with said this last week. And it’s been stuck in my head.

She’s not failing.
She’s built a successful business.

But the buzz is gone.

I’m seeing this again and again.

These are high-achievers.
Each has their own story, but there’s a common thread:

They started their business with intense, adrenaline-fuelled growth.
Clients just landed in their laps. Work was hard, but energising.
They were the scrappy underdog with something to prove.
There was fun in the grind.

But now?

The pace has changed. Growth feels much harder.
Clients need more convincing. The pipeline isn’t as full.
Still working hard, sometimes harder, but it feels like stagnation, not momentum.
To keep it going they’re turning away from what gives them joy. Instead it’s finances, admin and door knocking. Yuck!

A recent study by Shifted found:
– 54% of founders experienced burnout
– 67% considering leaving their business

Something is clearly wrong.

Unpacking it together we find:

The joy gap
What once felt like a game now feels like a grind. They’ve outgrown the work they used to love, but haven’t built space for what lights them up now.

“I miss the buzz I used to get. Now it feels like it’s all firefighting, meetings, spreadsheets. Even wins don’t give me the same buzz”

The myth of effortless growth
Early growth came through word of mouth and reputation. Now, the same effort no longer works. They’ve exhausted their contacts but they haven’t replaced them with a proper growth engine.

“We used to have a never ending stream of clients knocking at our door. Now, I’m not sure what’s changed or how to fix it.”

The trap of founder-reliance
They can’t step back, because there’s no one to step in. Hiring feels like a cost, not an investment, so they stay stuck doing everything.

“I know I need to delegate more, but right now there’s no one else I can trust.”

The energy equation
They were younger then. Hungrier. Now they’ve got families, mortgages, and health to think about, but they’re still working like 28-year-olds on Red Bull.

“I just don’t have the energy I used to and it scares me.”

So what to do?

The answer isn’t to hustle harder or disappear to Bali.

It starts with naming the stage you’re in.
Then reshaping your business and leadership role to fit this new chapter of you not the last.

That might mean:
– Shifting from founder-doer to founder-leader
– Reclaiming time for the work you enjoy
– Creating a real growth strategy
– Building a leadership layer so you're not the bottleneck
– Rediscovering what energises you and removing what drains you

The result?

Less grind. More impact. And a business that feels energising again.