As a founder who built and recently sold my tech company, I know the toll entrepreneurship can take—especially for women. We carry vision, responsibility and often, the added pressure of proving ourselves in industries not designed for us. My burnout didn’t come from working long hours: it came from trying to control everything. The cure required a creative approach, not as an afterthought, but as a leadership strategy.
Here’s what I’ve learned, and how you can apply it to your own business.
1) Redefine productivity as creative progress
For years, I equated productivity with busyness. My days were packed with meetings, emails and metrics. But real growth happens when you create. Your job as a founder isn’t to do all the things. It’s to strategize, tell stories, solve problems and design new ways forward.
Try this: Set aside 90 minutes a week for “Creative CEO Time.” Use it to journal, brainstorm, vision or take a walk without an agenda. Watch what opens up.
2) Break the control habit
Control feels safe, especially when stakes are high. But tight control stifles innovation. I used to over-plan every outcome and manage every detail. When I let go of that fear and started trusting myself, my team and the process, the business became more adaptive. Results improved. I felt freer.
Try this: Identify one task this week that you can delegate or simplify. Once you’ve handed it off, give it space. Resist the urge to check in constantly.
3) Build systems that support you
Many women entrepreneurs recreate the same stressful environments we tried to leave behind in corporate life. We start businesses seeking freedom, only to trap ourselves with systems that demand more than they give.
Supportive systems don’t require a big team. They just require clarity about what matters, and the discipline to remove what doesn’t.
Try this: Audit your recurring tasks. Which ones energize you? Which ones drain you? Automate, delegate or eliminate those that don’t align with your creative strengths.
4) Use your story as a strategic asset
Your story is a leadership tool. I used to hide parts of mine: growing up gay in the Deep South, surviving a family who started an ex-gay ministry, getting sober, bootstrapping my startup in rural Montana. But once I began sharing my own journey, doors opened. Investors listened. Partners reached out. Audiences connected.
The reason? Real stories are magnetic.
Try this: Write a one-paragraph founder story that includes not just your credentials, but your why. Share it publicly. Vulnerability is a leadership skill.
5) Design your business to grow sustainably
This one is personal. After exiting my company, I didn’t just feel relieved. I felt reborn. I had space to ask: What if we built companies that fed our souls instead of draining our energy? What if our business models aligned with our values, our cycles, our real lives? Now, I help women design businesses from the inside out. Revenue models, team structures, offers—all rooted in creative alignment, not constant sacrifice.
Try this: Define what enough looks like for you. Then reverse-engineer your offerings, pricing and time based on that answer—not what you think success should look like.
About the author
Paige Williams is a leadership coach, speaker, and founder of The Creative Keys™, a transformational framework helping entrepreneurs lead with courage, clarity, and aligned action. After selling her media-tech company AudPop, she now helps women grow without burning out. Learn more at www.paigewilliams.co.
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