—and what they can teach you about doing business your own way
Let’s be honest: the internet is loud.
Some days it feels like everyone else is effortlessly launching, batching, automating, scaling, glowing, and somehow doing yoga on a cliffside at 6am.
Meanwhile, you’re just trying to make it through Monday without rage-texting your group chat or rewriting your About Page for the 34th time.
The truth? Most people building cool things are also just…figuring it out as they go.
And the ones who stick with it? They’ve made one key shift:
They stopped trying to do it like everyone else.
They started doing it in a way that actually feels good.
We asked the Shortcuts Squad—real humans who’ve built real businesses—to share the mindset shifts that helped them breathe easier, create more, and keep going (without burning out or selling their soul to hustle culture).
Here’s what they said.
Shift 1: Progress Over Perfection
🗣️ Ashley Romberg
You know that thing where you open your laptop, stare at your to-do list, then somehow end up cleaning your entire kitchen? Yeah, Ashley’s been there.
Her shortcut? She ditched the overwhelm and started asking herself one simple question:
What’s the one thing I can do today that’ll actually move the needle?
“I choose the one thing that’ll make the biggest difference today. That’s it.”
No guilt. No multi-tab chaos. Just one thing. Done well.
Try this:
Before your day starts spiraling, grab a sticky note. Write ONE thing.
Not ten. Not five. One.
Do that first—and let the rest be optional. (Yes, optional. Breathe that in.)
Shift 2: Grow One Day at a Time—Like a Garden
🗣️ Asia Sharif-Clark
Asia didn’t find her best business advice in a funnel-building workshop or some overpriced mastermind. She found it in her backyard. Well, technically her tiny backyard.
“You can grow something beautiful with very little space or time.”
That little container garden became a reminder: growth doesn’t have to be loud.
You don’t need 50,000 followers or 17 new offers.
You just need one seed. A little light. And the patience to keep showing up.
Try this:
Let something be small.
Seriously. Launch a mini workshop. Sell the $12 template. Email the tiny list.
You don’t need big. You need honest. Growth will come.
Shift 3: Your Story Is Your Power
🗣️ Brenda Adelman
Brenda knows how to hold a room with a story—because she’s lived some real ones.
Her work centers on helping people speak their truth. Especially the parts that feel messy, raw, or “too much.”
“People connect to your story, not your polish.”
If you’ve been trying to sound like a brand instead of a human… you’re probably editing out the part that would’ve actually landed.
Try this:
Next time you sit down to write a post, start with a moment.
Not a tip. Not a hook.
A real, human, slightly-too-honest moment. That’s the thing that’ll stick.
Shift 4: Business Is a Practice, Not a Performance
🗣️ Carrie Bergen-Geisel
Carrie is a yoga teacher, so you already know her business is infused with deep breaths and gentle nudges.
“You’re allowed to build at your own pace. You’re allowed to rest.”
Her approach is less “push through the pain” and more “let’s find some flow.”
Because your business isn’t a Netflix pilot. It’s a long, evolving practice.
Try this:
Stop asking, “How do I go faster?”
Start asking, “How can this feel better?”
(Then do more of that.)
Shift 5: Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honor
🗣️ Carmen Reed-Gilkison
Carmen and her biz partner had a thriving coaching business… until they hit a wall.
The kind of wall that forces you to ask: What the hell are we doing this for?
“We realized: if it’s not sustainable, it’s not successful.”
So they stripped things back. Rebuilt around joy. And found a rhythm that actually felt like freedom.
Try this:
Audit your week. What’s sucking the soul out of you?
Where are you doing “shoulds” instead of “wants”?
Cut one thing. Just one. See how it feels.
Final Thoughts
If you’re building something—anything—you’re going to have moments where you feel behind. Or stuck. Or like you’re doing it wrong.
You’re not.
You’re just ready for a new mindset. One that feels like you.
So pick one of these shifts. Try it for a week. Let it soften your edges.
You don’t have to change everything. You just have to start listening to yourself again.
And remember: There are shortcuts in life.
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