How to Step Away From Your Education Business Without Losing Momentum
This October, I'm doing something I haven't done in a long time. I'm stepping away from my business for almost a month.
Not completely. I'll still be putting in two to three hours a week. But for someone who built her entire business and brand around showing up consistently, this is a big shift. I'm heading to Italy to host our sixth Escape to Elevate retreat (our fourth one there), then spending time in Rome and the north of Italy with my family before we head to Paris.
Here's the thing though. I could absolutely just stop showing up for a month. My business is built well enough that it would survive if I ghosted completely, minus my client support, which is never something I'm willing to sacrifice. But I don't want to lose momentum. I love what I do, I'm feeling inspired right now, and I'm trying to avoid that boom bust cycle so many course creators and online educators fall into. So instead, I'm doing the work now, in September, to make this happen without burning myself out to get there.
What You'll Learn
Why stepping away from your education business is harder than it looks, and what actually needs to happen before you go
The difference between compounding tasks and cyclical tasks, and why it matters for your marketing
How to prep your team and clients so nothing falls through the cracks while you're gone
How I batch content so I can step away without sacrificing quality or connection with my community
How to apply this to your own business, even if you're not planning a month away anytime soon
Why Is Stepping Away From Your Business So Hard for Course Creators?
Before I could even plan the logistics of this trip, I had to confront some habits that had crept in over the summer. Between a major move and a lot of transition, I noticed procrastination showing up in a few different forms: overthinking, perfectionism, and just plain not sitting down to do the thing.
I also had to look at one of my personal burnout triggers, which is saying yes to too many things. I'm massively creative, I get excited about opportunities, and sometimes that means I have to really temper the urge to be reactive instead of proactive.
Lately I'd slipped into waking up and asking myself, "okay, what needs to be done today," instead of working from a clear goal and a plan to get there. That's not how I naturally operate, and it's not how I thrive, personally or professionally. This was a vulnerable thing for me to admit, but I think it's an important one, because any goal is so much easier to hit when you have a plan laid out to get there. Stepping away takes that planning to the next level.
Part of that meant getting really clear on what was actually moving the needle, planning further ahead than I normally do, and saying no to a few things I genuinely wanted to say yes to, including speaking at an event in September for someone I love. I knew I needed to laser focus so I could actually shut off during the trip. For creatives especially, I think the hardest part of a big goal isn't figuring out what to do. It's saying no to everything else that isn't moving you closer to it.
What Is the Difference Between Compounding Tasks and Cyclical Tasks?
As an educator and online business owner in the hair and beauty space, this is a distinction I lean on constantly, and it became the backbone of how I planned this whole trip.
Compounding tasks are the systems and evergreen assets you build once that keep working for you on an ongoing basis. Think email funnels, opt-ins, and the different ways you're nurturing and serving your community without having to show up live every day.
Cyclical tasks are the content creation and the day to day and week to week work that needs to happen on a recurring basis to keep things running.
Right now, I'm focused on the compounding side. I haven't created a new resource in a while, and I'm genuinely feeling inspired to build something new, because setting up systems is one of my favorite things to work on with people. Leaning into that means I'm okay showing up on social media a little less for a bit. I'm not ghosting, but maybe a story goes up once a week instead of every day. I give myself grace for that when I'm in a season of building the back end, because I don't want to divert my attention in ten directions at once. The truth is, you can't be everywhere, and you don't need to be.
How to Apply This to Your Own Business
List out your cyclical tasks (daily or weekly content, client touchpoints, admin)
List out what compounding assets you could build instead (an evergreen funnel, an opt-in, a nurture sequence)
Pick one compounding project to focus on during a slower season instead of spreading yourself across everything
How Do You Batch Content Without Burning Out?
Batching is a huge piece of how I'm making this trip work. The podcast is getting batched, the email newsletters are getting batched, and the content is getting batched.
When I batch, the first thing I do is think ahead to what's actually going to be relevant. What's going to be filled in by the things I'm creating in real time at the retreat? What does my community and my business need during that specific window?
The next thing I do is go on what I call a repurposing spree. I genuinely believe we chronically underutilize the things we've already created. There's brilliant stuff sitting in old Instagram posts and old newsletters that your audience has completely forgotten about, because you only said it once. Repetition equals reputation, and I take my own advice on this whenever I can. Where can you take something you've already created and give it a fresh spin?
For the actual content creation process, I like to batch videos in one or two days, write down captions and carousel ideas as I go, and then outsource the execution wherever possible. I record podcast episodes in batches too. There's a freedom that comes from knowing you're a month or two ahead that is honestly unmatched. I also find that when I'm in that creative batching zone, that's when I do my best, most quality, most deep dive educational content. Whenever I'm creating on the fly, it tends to be more introspective. I think you need a mix of both.
The third piece is leaning on my team. If you're at a stage in your business where you're doing well and you have the financial room to invest, getting support with your content can be a massive shift. I'm biased here because I run a content creation agency, but I see the impact it has firsthand. I don't think most people need a full time team member unless they're running a multi-million dollar company, because that's a whole person you have to train and manage. But bringing in someone specialized in a contractor capacity, for something cyclical like content, can be a game changer.
How Do You Prep Your Team and Clients Before Taking Time Off?
This is the piece I think gets skipped the most, and it's non-negotiable for me. Prepping the people around you, whether that's your team or your clients, has to happen early.
I reached out to my clients in early to mid August, even though the trip isn't until October, so they were all aware of what was coming, when I'd be available, and how. I'm still holding two to three hours a week strictly for client communication. I'm not hopping on Zoom calls, but I'm still able to support them and help them move their businesses forward. Sacrificing client results is never an option for me. When people trust you with their business and their livelihood, that's sacred, and I never take it for granted.
On the team side, I need everyone to know exactly what to bring to me versus what they're empowered to handle on their own, so the bottleneck stays as small as possible. Honestly, this has been a great reflection point overall. If I'm not getting back to my team fast enough, that's a problem at any time, but it gets magnified when I'm away. I think it's going to strengthen the business as a whole. It's almost like a pressure test that spotlights exactly what needs attention.
How to Apply This to Your Own Business
Give your clients as much notice as possible, along with clear expectations for availability
Define what your team can handle independently versus what needs to come to you
Use this as a chance to spot bottlenecks in your business before you actually need to step away
What Does It Look Like to Prep for a Big Break Without Burning Out First?
By planning everything this far in advance, I'm not working around the clock leading up to the trip. I'm still doing the things that make me feel good, like meal prepping so I have nourishing food during busier weeks, going for walks, unplugging with my family, and even getting back into one of my favorite book series.
I think whenever we're in a season of doing more, we almost need to be more militant about making sure our own needs are met, not less. You don't want to arrive at your time off completely stressed and behind, still trying to catch up the day you leave. That's exactly why I started this process so early.
Key Takeaways
Structuring your business so you can actually step away, through funnels, systems, and support, is a huge part of the freedom that made most of us want to be entrepreneurs in the first place
Focus on compounding tasks (systems, funnels, evergreen assets) over cyclical tasks when you're preparing for a slower season
Batch and repurpose content early, and don't be afraid to give old content a fresh spin
Prep your clients and your team well in advance, and get clear on what they can handle without you
Protect your own wellbeing on the way into a busy season, not just during the break itself
If this post gave you an idea or a new perspective, send me a DM on Instagram @itsJodiebrown. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
And if you’d like to listen in on the exact podcast episode that accompanies this blog post, you can do that here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Xo Jodie
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