There’s a weekend every fall where I disappear from my business almost entirely. I don’t check email much. I barely look at my phone — I probably charge it once or twice the whole time. I’m physically exhausted by the end of it, my hips ache, my feet hurt, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I run the kitchen for Trail to Scouts, a weekend program where younger scouts visit our troop and experience what scouting is really about. I manage the kitchen, coordinate the menus, and cook from scratch for about a hundred people. It’s demanding work. But here’s the thing: while I’m standing in that kitchen, away from my computer and away from the constant pull of my business, something magical happens.
Last year, standing in that kitchen, I had the idea for Strategic Intensives — the core offering that’s now driving my business forward. The concept, the positioning, how to structure it — it all came together while I was doing something that has nothing to do with product strategy or business consulting.
That’s not a coincidence. That’s what happens when you actually rest.
We’ve been sold a lie. The lie is that you move forward in business by hustling harder, grinding longer, staying on, always being available. That rest is something you do after you’ve made it, or something you squeeze in on weekends if you have time. That the grind is what matters.
It’s not true.
The great ideas don’t come when you’re at your desk staring at spreadsheets. They come when you’re cooking. When you’re gardening. When you’re coloring, or walking, or doing whatever makes your soul actually happy. They come in the moments when your mind isn’t trying to solve the problem — when it gets to just wander.
But here’s what most entrepreneurs don’t understand: rest isn’t one thing.
There’s physical rest — lying down, sleeping, being horizontal. And that matters. But there’s also soul rest. There’s the kind of rest where your body might still be tired and working, but your mind gets to step back. Your soul gets fed. You’re not in front of a screen. You’re not checking notifications. You’re not performing or hustling or trying to prove anything.
For me, that’s Trail to Scouts. My body is exhausted. But my soul? My soul is completely refreshed.
There’s also the rest that comes from disconnecting. From putting your phone down and actually being present with the people you love. I was at my mom’s birthday party recently, and I barely took pictures. I didn’t document it for social media. I just… lived it. And that kind of rest — the kind where you’re actually here instead of performing being here — that feeds something deep.
And then there’s the rest that comes from stepping away from your business entirely. Not thinking about it. Not strategizing. Not always being “on.”
Here’s what I know for certain: ninety-nine percent of the time, your clients are not expecting you to be available twenty-four seven. Your business will not fall apart if you take actual rest. The pressure to always be on? That’s something you put on yourself. Not your clients. Not your market. You.
And I’ve set boundaries that reflect that. I tell my clients when I’m available. I tell them I respond when it’s convenient for me, and they respond when it’s convenient for them. Because we’re all busy people. We all deserve rest.
But here’s the thing: rest looks different for everyone. Maybe your rest isn’t Trail to Scouts. Maybe it’s a hobby, or time with family, or something that has nothing to do with your business at all. Maybe it’s this weekend, or maybe the weekend before Memorial Day isn’t your moment to rest — maybe you need rest at a different time.
The point isn’t when you rest. The point is that you actually do it.
Because the businesses that last aren’t built by people who never stop. They’re built by people who understand that stepping back, disconnecting, and actually resting — in whatever form that takes — isn’t laziness. It’s strategy. It’s how you stay sharp. It’s how the best ideas actually come to you.
So this weekend, whatever rest means for you — take it. Not because you’ve earned it. Not because you have to. But because your business actually needs you to.
Leave a Reply