What Happens When You Outgrow Your Business?

Savvy Business Tips
Written By Mary Giordano

For a while now, I’ve been sitting with something I haven’t fully shared.

At the end of last year, after six years working solely in my business, I took on a new, part-time, job.
And I really like it.

It’s meaningful, flexible, and aligned with my values—just 16 hours a week in a community organisation I admire. The work is impactful, the hours are family-friendly, and the role stretches me in ways I welcome. But maybe more importantly: it coexists beautifully with my business.

Let me be clear: I didn’t take this job because my business failed.
In fact, it was only possible because my business worked.

Over the years, I poured my energy into building a business that was designed to be sustainable, spacious, and eventually—self-sufficient. I created and refined digital offerings, automated my systems, and built strong foundations that meant I could step back without everything falling apart.

Eventually, I did what I set out to do. I created courses, sold bundles, worked with incredible clients, and ran my business on my own terms.

And then?

I got a little bored.

That’s something I think we don’t talk about enough. When your business model does what it’s supposed to do—create space, sustainability, and freedom—you may find that your interests shift. You may want to try something new. That doesn’t mean your business has failed. It means it worked.

What I’ve come to understand is that we’re allowed to outgrow our businesses. Or more precisely, outgrow the version of ourselves that first created them.

We are allowed to change.
We are allowed to take a job.
We are allowed to evolve.

What’s powerful is that our businesses can evolve with us—if we build them that way.

For me, this looked like:

  • Automating the sales and delivery of my digital products

  • Designing offerings that continue to provide value without demanding constant presence

  • Stepping away from social media without sacrificing integrity or income

  • Saying “yes” to a new kind of contribution in my local community

  • Being innovative in the ways I weave my personal cross-cultural interests into my business

  • Honouring the parts of my work that still deeply matter to me—helping birthworkers build aligned, profitable businesses

I still love business. I still love helping people design models that reflect their values, amplify their impact, and support their lives. That hasn’t changed. But the way I show up for that work? It has.

This evolution reminded me of something I explored in my podcast The Whole Doula Podcast. That project—29 episodes strong—was dedicated to helping birthworkers see their work as part of a bigger life story. Not the whole thing. Not the endgame. Just one rich, beautiful chapter.

I’ve paused the podcast for now (it was a passion project that cost more than it made, and I needed to step back for health and capacity reasons), but the episodes still hold a lot of heart and wisdom.

👉 You can browse and listen here: The Whole Doula Podcast

If you’re someone who’s wondering whether you’ve lost interest in your work—or you’re simply changing—I want you to know that you’re not alone. Growth isn’t always about scaling up. Sometimes, it’s about stepping sideways.

The goal was never just to build a business.

The goal was to build a life.

I’m satisfied with where I’m at, and excited to see where else my business takes me.

How about you?

If you’d like help with figuring out to make your business work better for you, check out my learning and professional development resources here.

You’ve got this!!

Mary Giordano

Based in Australia, Mary Giordano is an educator, translator, community development professional and long-time advocate for sustainable birth work. Drawing on a background in Anthropology, community development and over fifteen years’ experience in education, stakeholder engagement and capacity building, she creates practical resources that help birth workers build strong, values-aligned businesses and meaningful careers.

After spending many years supporting migrant and refugee communities in Australia and living, working and travelling extensively throughout Latin America and Europe, Mary’s work has been shaped by a deep appreciation for cultural diversity, language and the many ways birth and postpartum are understood around the world.

Today, Mary focuses on creating evergreen educational resources that support doulas and birth workers to establish sustainable businesses with confidence, clarity and integrity. Her work encourages practitioners to move beyond self-doubt, strengthen their professional foundations and build businesses that are both financially sustainable and deeply aligned with their values.

Mary is also the Australian partner of Mexican traditional midwife and educator Naolí Vinaver, coordinating Australian trainings in Closing the Bones and supporting a growing community of trained practitioners. Through her online directory, she helps connect families with Closing the Bones practitioners across Australia.

Alongside this work, Mary imports authentic handmade rebozos from Mexico, translates birth work resources from Spanish and Italian into English, and remains passionate about fostering collaboration, cultural exchange and professional development within the international birth community.

Whether through education, translation, traditional postpartum practices or practical business resources, Mary’s work is guided by a simple goal: helping birth workers create sustainable careers so they can continue making a meaningful difference in the lives of the families they serve.

https://www.marygiordano.com.au
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