Solo or Partnership? Navigating Strategic, Operational and Personal Pressure

Real-world reflections on moving between business models and what keeps momentum when the pressure builds

Over the years, I’ve built businesses both in partnerships and solo.

Neither is easy.

Each comes with its own challenge. I don’t see one as better than the other. They’re just different.

Most of us don’t think too much about our business model until something starts to feel not quite right.

When I started my own solo business, I had noooooo idea how much mind management is required when you’re the only one steering the ship.

In partnership, you often have someone else to help carry the weight... emotionally and operationally. You move through things together. That kind of shared load is easy to take for granted (in fairness, I didn’t know any other way)… until it’s gone. (It’s not. Don’t panic, Mum.)

What Solo Business Revealed

When one business model starts to feel heavy or stuck, I often go to the other.

For years I thought that meant I was distracted or unfocused: “Come on, Sarah… pick a lane.”

But now I see it differently. It’s simply part of how I work.

Shifting between models helps me rest.

It keeps the energy moving. It brings perspective and momentum when one part of the business starts to feel bogged down.

Using Both Models

Across 20+ years, I’ve opened and operated more than a dozen hospitality businesses in partnership and run my coaching business solo. Both models have served me, stretched me, and taught me different things.

Truthfully, I’ve always been reluctant to talk much about my businesses (you might not know any of this if you’re new here). But I’ve realised I need to... not to big-note myself, but more so to help explain what kind of business coach I am.

I'm not the teacher/trainer/consultant type with a "do it for you" proposal. I don’t offer formulas or tell people how to run their business.

I support people navigating the strategic, operational, and personal pressures that come with being in business. I’ll share what I’ve seen over the years, what’s worked, what hasn’t and help you find the path that fits you.

A Shared Load vs. a Sovereign One

In our restaurant group, partnership meant shared vision, joint decision-making, and navigating complexity together.

We had rhythms in place: meetings, clear roles, honest conversations.And underneath all that, a layer of respect, love, and care that held us steady even when things felt messy.

Starting Define Success Coaching was different.

I wanted more control over my time, my ideas, and the conversations I was having.But it came at a cost I hadn’t fully anticipated.

There was no one to lean on. No one to help with the decisions that were normally shared. No one to do the marketing (!!)

Sure, I could talk to friends or my husband—but sometimes they really don’t quite get it.

The emotional swings were real. (Ah yes… still are, sometimes.)You can go from “this is amazing” to “what am I even doing?” in a single day.

That happens in partnerships too, but it’s often less obvious, because you’ve got someone else there to stabilise the energy.

What Works for Me

Over time, I’ve come to trust the way I move between my businesses as part of how I keep clarity and momentum. It’s not always tidy… or singularly focused. But it works for me.

✏️ Business Journal Prompt

What helps keep your momentum? What small structural or relational shift might give you more energy, clarity, or capacity... especially when pressure builds? 

Allow yourself to consider in your mind or on paper this weekend . I like pen & paper. There's something about seeing the words written out that helps uncover & clarify the ideas in my mind. 

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Not sure if you need coaching but something here resonated? You can read more about what working together looks like here.

I write regularly about the real stuff behind running a business... what weighs on us, what releases the pressure and how we move through.

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