In October 2011, Occupy Wall Street was going gangbusters \u2013 and so was my business. But while the protesters were filled with passion and purpose, I was exhausted, in pain, and half-bald.<\/p>\n

This was my entrepreneurial crisis, the kind that results from growing your business so rapidly, you can\u2019t keep up. Medically speaking, it was adrenal fatigue \u2013 after working 16-hour days for months on end, those cortisol-popping pods atop my kidneys simply went on strike, leaving me with searing back pain, hives, acid reflux, anemia, hair loss, and a foggy brain.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t proud of this. I know some entrepreneurs think it\u2019s really badass to work yourself into a physical or mental breakdown, but for me, it was clear my priorities were askew. Yes, I was proud of my success \u2013 particularly as a single woman and a self-employed writer. I\u2019d won Fortune 100 clients, made six figures, and bought a house all by my lonesome. But then there was that: my lonesome. I had no life and no love.<\/p>\n

I went back to why I started my business: I wanted to write to live, not live to write. I wanted to do great work, but I\u2019d never wanted to scale the business \u2013 or my life. So I scaled back. I sold my house, donated half of my belongings, and let go of toxic clients. Suddenly, I could breathe. I didn\u2019t have to take work that drained me. I could focus on clients who were a great fit. I could have time for a run, a read, a rendezvous (in case you\u2019re wondering, yes, I found love).<\/p>\n

These days, I run a business filled with passion and purpose \u2013 on my own terms. I don\u2019t rule the world, but I rule my life. That\u2019s what success means to me. And I think it\u2019s pretty badass.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nicole Christie is a writer and storyteller who splits her time between Seattle and Montreal. She is also the principal and creative director of NICO, Inc.\u2015a one-woman firm specializing in fresh, honest, engaging employee and marketing communications for Fortune 500 corporations, leading-edge creative firms, and rapidly growing new technology companies. You can soak up her solopreneur wisdom at http:\/\/nicolechristie.com\/<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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