The business revolution happening right under our noses

We've entered a new era of entrepreneurial resistance and it's about time

The Revolution Begins

You know that feeling when you're trying to follow business advice that sounds so reasonable, so achievable, but every time you attempt it, you end up feeling like you're swimming upstream in concrete boots?

We've entered the resistance era - that long-overdue moment when we stop blaming ourselves for not being able to make their systems work.

For too long, creative entrepreneurs (especially those of us who are women, BIPOC, neurodivergent, or simply wired differently) have been trying to squeeze ourselves into business models designed by and for a very specific type of person. We've been reading books like Atomic Habits and Essentialism, nodding along to advice about self-discipline, routines and tiny but epic change, all while knowing deep down that something fundamental wasn't clicking.

That something? The entire framework assumes you have resources, energy patterns, and life circumstances that many of us simply don't have. And we've been blaming ourselves for not being able to make it work.

But here's what's exciting: more and more entrepreneurs are stepping away from these one-size-fits-all approaches and building businesses that actually work with their brains, their lives, and their values. The resistance has begun.

The Eras Evolution Story

Era 1.0: The Corporate Blueprint Era

Traditional business started with the assumption that what worked in corporate America could be scaled down for entrepreneurs. Work 40+ hours, follow the rubric, prioritize growth and profit above all else. This era was built on industrial-age thinking: treat your business like a machine, and yourself like a cog in that machine.

Era 2.0: The Hustle Culture Era

Then came the rise of entrepreneurship as the "great equalizer." Books flooded the market promising that if you could just work harder, faster, smarter, better, longer, you could achieve exponential growth and massive financial success. The underlying message was always the same: you're deficient in some way, but we can fix that.

This era gave us morning routines that started at 4 AM, productivity hacks that promised to optimize every minute of the day, and marketing strategies designed to push people toward a sale whether they were ready or not. It assumed everyone had the bandwidth for 12 hours days, the luxury of saying no to a not-great-fit client without consequences, and the ability to maintain unwavering self-discipline.

The Problem with Era 2.0

What these approaches never accounted for were the systemic reasons why women, people of colour, disabled folks, and neurodivergent people might find it harder, if not impossible, to achieve the same results. They don’t account for motherhood or caregiving. They don’t offer alternative solutions to those with fluctuating focus, energy and wellness. And they certainly don’t take into account those of us living with the trauma borne of systemic oppression.

I spent years feeling like I was failing at entrepreneurship because I couldn't work a regular schedule, couldn't focus for long periods, and got bored easily. The business books made it sound so achievable, but implementing their advice felt overwhelming every single time. It wasn't until I met other business owners with more progressive views that I realised: these systems weren't broken. They just weren't designed for people like me.

Evidence of the Shift: welcome to Era 3.0

Here's what the new era of resistance actually looks like in practice:

1. Self-Discovery Through System Building

When I first found Notion in 2020, I was genuinely ecstatic because I could see the potential - finally, a tool where I could custom create something that followed how my brain actually thought about things. But what I didn't expect was how building systems would create metacognition: the more I designed spaces that worked for me, the more I understood how my brain worked, and therefore what I actually needed from my systems.

FUN FACT: I've rebuilt my Notion workspace many times over the past five years because getting to know your brain is an ongoing process. Just recently, I archived almost everything I was using on a regular basis (including my task database!) and replaced it with something very, very simple. Within a few days of inauguration day, I knew I needed something different from my digital workspace and I settled on building something that felt cozy and fun and really inviting to use. This wasn’t because my business was less complex or because I was doing less, it was because I’ve learned a little bit about listening to what I actually needed instead of forcing myself into someone else's idea of productivity.

2. Energy-Based Work Schedules

Instead of forcing themselves into 9-5 productivity, entrepreneurs are learning to work when they have energy and focus. This might mean working weekends when inspiration strikes and taking Tuesday off when the brain fog hits. It's about a sustainable work practice, not performative busyness.

3. Values-Aligned Operations

Era 3.0 entrepreneurs are applying their consent-based marketing principles to how they actually run their businesses. They're building systems that reflect their brain and energy needs rather than copying templates designed for different types of brains and circumstances.

4. Consent-Based Business Practices

This goes beyond marketing - it's about being transparent about what working together actually involves, and creating offers that light you up rather than what you think will sell best.

5. Curiosity-Led Growth

Rather than following rigid business plans, resistance-era entrepreneurs are rekindling their relationship with learning and following their genuine interests. When curiosity comes back to life, so does the fire, energy, excitement, and motivation to share what you're discovering.

6. Peace as a Success Metric

Success is being redefined by how much ease and peace people have in their business, not just revenue numbers. It's about growing because growth feels right and aligned, not because you're trying to be rich or low-key famous.

Painting Two Futures

The Old Era Path

I’m not here to shame anyone, especially because I’ve been there, but I do want to paint a picture of business-as-usual because I see it everyday and I know there’s an alternative.

Continue following business advice designed for people with different resources, brains, and circumstances. Keep pushing through when you're exhausted, implementing systems that feel wrong, and wondering why you can't seem to make it work. You might make money, but you'll probably be doing work you don't really want to do, or working far more than you need to just to keep the business running.

The Resistance Era Path

There is no overnight change that is going to magically turn everything around and I know from experience that the path is not linear but I do want to share what’s possible.

Start building a business that works with your actual brain and life circumstances. Slow down. Feel calmer. Simplify your approach. Figure out how you actually work and build systems that support that instead of creating resistance against it.

When I finally stopped trying to push through and started working when I had the energy and inspiration to work, everything changed. Taking August and December off completely. Working evenings and weekends when inspiration hit. Asking permission before I sold anything. Building systems that could evolve as I learned more about how my brain worked.

These weren't signs of lack of discipline; they were acts of resistance against systems that were never designed for me.

The entrepreneurs I work with are tired of being told they have to hustle their way to all the money and ultimate success. They want to define success for themselves. They're stepping away from social media, creating more analog ways of reaching people and building businesses around what actually works for their brains.

This is where my work with systems comes in - not because I build personalized systems for people, but because I help people learn how to learn so they can build personalized systems for themselves. The operations of your business are really the brain of your business and they should reflect how your actual brain works. And here's the beautiful part: as you build systems that work for you, you discover more about how you work, which helps you build even better systems.

It's not about finding the perfect system once and being done. It's about developing the confidence to keep adapting, experimenting and playing as you learn more about yourself.

Your invitation: What would it look like to stop trying to fit your business into someone else's blueprint and start building something that actually works with who you are? The resistance era isn't about rejecting all structure, it's about creating structure that serves you instead of the other way around.

The revolution is already underway. The question is: are you ready to join it?