It was a Tuesday. The numbers weren't catastrophic. They were just enough to make me wonder if I'd been wrong about all of it.
I'd been in business for eleven years. We had good people, good clients, a reputation I'd built one handshake at a time. And on that Tuesday, looking at the quarter, I thought: maybe they were right. The ones who said it was too hard. Too slow. Too much for one person to carry.
I didn't quit the business that day. I almost quit believing in it. That's different — and in some ways, harder to come back from.
What pulled me out wasn't a big win. It was a note. A candidate I'd placed three years earlier had been promoted — VP of Operations at a company I'd never heard of. She wrote to tell me. One paragraph. She said working with us had changed the direction of her life.
I read that note four times. I put it in a drawer. I went back to work.
That's the thing about this work that nobody talks about. It's not the big moments that keep you going. It's the note in the drawer. The call you weren't expecting. The evidence, small and real, that what you've built matters to someone.
I've kept every note like that one. On the worst days, I open the drawer.
Whatever drawer you have — whatever evidence you've collected that this was worth doing — keep it close. Not for the good days. For the Tuesday when you almost quit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do women entrepreneurs deal with burnout?
Burnout in business isn't always about the work — sometimes it's about carrying everything alone. Connie reached a point where quitting wasn't just about closing a business; it was about wondering if she could keep going at all. The answer came not from strategy, but from faith and the people who needed her.
What keeps women in business going when they want to quit?
For Connie, it was purpose bigger than profit. When she wanted to give up everything, she found her reason to stay in the people depending on her — her children, her clients, the women she was helping find work. Sometimes resilience isn't a personality trait; it's a decision you make one morning at a time.
How do you recover from wanting to quit your business?
Recovery starts with honesty — admitting you're at the edge. Connie didn't power through with a motivational quote. She sat with the pain, leaned on her faith, and slowly found her way back. The business survived because she survived first.
What is the hardest part of being a woman business owner?
The hardest part isn't the competition or the market — it's the loneliness. Connie carried the weight of a business, a family, and personal loss without anyone to share the burden. The women who last in business are the ones who find the courage to keep showing up even when no one sees the struggle.
