Issue #4: How to Know if You Should Quit, Pivot, or Pause

Candid thoughts from a tired, pregnant, entrepreneur

Apr 05, 2025

∙ Paid

It feels incredibly ironic that this essay was in the queue right before my city of Peterborough, Ontario, got hit with an epic ice storm that took out power, internet, water, all the things for close to a week… Grateful to be back!

I’ve been noticing some fascinating things in the online business world recently. Kristin Boss, for example, made the decision to close down her successful coaching business, stepping away from the "high-achieving" version of herself to embrace a more balanced and "whole" version. Ryan Levesque, my former mentor, sold his online empire and traded the fast-paced life in Austin, Texas, for a simpler life focused on permaculture farming in Vermont. Parenting expert Dayna Abraham has openly shared the deep exhaustion she's been feeling, Jason Gaignard, founder of the MMT community just shared about a recent health / heart scare that has prompted an immediate cut back on work by 90%, followed by a 3-month sabbatical (worth noting like Ryan he has also embraced a lifestyle of farming) and Kate Franz, a Catholic author and supporter of Catholic self-publishers, recently discerned dissolving part of her business.

People are tired, sick, and making pivots.

And I can relate to various things all of these entrepreneurs have said on a deep, deep level.

I have wanted to quit my business more times than I can count. I have wanted to burn it all to the ground and have uttered the words I should just go work at Starbucks on what feels like a million occasions.

And yet, I have stayed.

What has kept me here and how did I discern the decision? How does one know if one should quit, pivot, pause, or stay the course? That’s what we’re going to dive into today.

I believe there comes a moment in every entrepreneur’s journey where one feels stuck. Maybe your business isn’t growing the way you hoped, or you’re feeling exhausted, uninspired, or unsure if you’re on the right path. Maybe you feel like you have to justify the time you are spending on your business to your husband, or it’s unfair to your kids that you are distracted and thinking about business all the time… The big question looms: Should I quit, pivot, or pause?

As someone who has built multiple businesses while navigating pregnancy, homeschooling, and raising a growing family, I know the weight of this decision. And there are many factors that influence it.

I hope you are able to use this post as framework to navigate your own discernment, and for my paid readers, enjoy the full discernment guide at the end of this post.

Let’s dive in.

Question 1: Do you need to work for financial reasons?

In the small part of the internet where I tend to attract attention, several different kinds of Catholic moms tend to emerge- some whose businesses or full-time jobs pay the mortgage, like mine does, and some whose business might be more of a hobby.

And yet… my observation is that the same amount of pressure exists in both parties (if not more for the latter group).

But when pressed through coaching, many times I learn that for many moms, due to their husband’s work, savings, or other factors, work is actually not a necessity from a financial point of view.

The answer to this first question is a very important aspect in the discernment process of quitting, pivoting, or pausing.

Question 2: Does work make you better? Does work give you energy, or drain it?

For some women, especially mothers, work makes them better human beings to be around.

I remember so distinctly the impact Jennifer Fulwiler’s books One Beautiful Dream, and Your Blue Flame had on the circles of Catholic moms I interact with (both in real life and online). It was like flood gates of permission were opened for Catholic moms to pursue things (often outside motherhood and home life) just because it made them feel alive and purposeful.

These books were published in 2018 and 2020… but the “gates of permission” so to speak continue to be coated with guilt and shame. It’s a question that comes up in my private and group coaching sessions, almost like clock work…

…I love this business but I feel so guilty about enjoying it so much. And it takes me away from my family. Shouldn’t motherhood be “enough” to keep me satisfied?

I remember coaching a mom who was pursuing speaking on a very part-time basis. She had tremendous guilt for the time it took her away from her family. And yet her husband was the one who kept telling her how much energy she would come back with after a 1-hour speaking engagement and how a short speaking engagement would often fuel her with a different kind of passion and energy that would trickle over into the week.

There is an intangible value that a business can bring (a sense of achievement, a cause moved forward, help to others) that similar to other pastimes or hobbies or leisure activities has value. There is a value to work both to the creator who is creating it and to the one who consumes the work. This cannot be ignored.

Question 3: Do you have the skills to work? If not, are you willing, able and have the capacity to learn?

I think this is an important part of the discernment process. Some people have natural talent, for others talent is developed through training and practice.

But regardless, building a business does require some time. If you are naturally gifted at elements of your business, this time might be short, or feels like it flies by. But if you’re not, or just too many elements fall outside your natural God-given design (I love tools like the Spiritual Gifts Inventory, M Code and Working Genius for insight on myself and my clients), it might require more time, or simply feel draining.

Examining if you are willing, able and have the capacity to develop skills in a given season is important to the discernment process.

Question 4: Is your work producing fruit?

The fruit might be tangible or intangible. Here are some things to consider in regards to the fruit a business produces:

Does the business produce revenue?
Does the business produce profit?
Is there evidence the business helps people?
Do people communicate that the business has helped them?
Does the business contribute to the community?
Does the business provide work for others?
Does the business provide benefits for your family other than money?
Is there potential for long-term growth?

When discerning if one should pivot, pause, or quit, I think it’s worth looking at what kinds of fruit, financial and otherwise, are being produced by your work.

Question 5: Does the Lord want you to use your gifts this way?

And this is arguably the most important question to ponder.

What does the Lord want? How does HE want you to use the gifts, talents, time and treasures HE has given you?

That’s the most important voice to be listening to here in this conversation.

For paid subscribers, I am sharing a detailed discernment guide with almost 40 questions to ask yourself to help you discern your next step. These are the exact questions I have asked myself, have brought to prayer, and have brought to my spiritual director that have helped me decide what to do with my business in seasons of doubt. I hope they help you, too! And I am so grateful for the financial support this provides my family.

Mindset shift: Are you currently in a season where you are examining if you should pivot, pause or quit? What is one step you could take today to gain more clarity? What is one thing you could silence today to ensure you are hearing God’s voice in this conversation?

Practical business tip of the week: If we believe that God is “the boss”, then it makes sense we would schedule “CEO time” with Him.

This could be daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. Think of how an employee would meet for a regular pulse with their boss. Schedule this time in your calendar with Him, and meet (my fav spot is Adoration for these meetings).

Finally, some fun events and resources to share with you:

I have been really enjoying Hallow’s Pray40 challenge- the Thursday stories have been my fav aspect, I have cried every week. Get 3 months FREE to Hallow (and you can hear our own story of dealing with mental illness in marriage from last year’s Lent challenge) with my affiliate link.
Being without water, electricity and reliable internet for almost a week really put things in perspective. This is so random to share, but I learned just how important clean water is to a family! Having lots of clean water on hand during a storm for toilet flushing, cooking, and general sanitization was my biggest insight from this experience. And also… take out cash so you can buy necessities when WiFi is down at point of sale terminals! I am also still discerning which is worse… hurricanes in Florida where you deal with tornadoes and alligators but at least the sun comes out and the temperatures are more agreeable and you can cook outside without freezing… or ice storms in Canada where your literal pipes freeze and cooking on a propane stove in sub zero temperatures I think shaves legit years off purgatory… legit not sure which is worse.
Tammy Hyska is again coming at us to save the day with a financial resource important for all entrepreneurs- setting up your Quickbooks! In just 1-hour, on April 10, 2025 at 3pm East, you will have your Quickbooks set up so you can save time, avoid mistakes, and take control of your finances. Sign up through my affiliate link here! Even if you already have Quickbooks set up, but you don’t understand how to use it, you will benefit from this workshop.
Next Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 6-8pm, I am hosting a private in-person shopping event in Peterborough, Ontario with Modern Catholic Goods! You can pre-order your items and then save on shipping by picking them up with me personally! Everyone can use the code LISACANNING for 10% off at both Modern Catholic Goods and Light of Eden. And to waive your shipping fee, enter LOCALPICKUP as your shipping option, send your receipt to me at info@lisacanning.ca and I will give you the address for pick-up in Peterborough for April 12 from 6-8pm. IT’S GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN I CANNOT WAIT.

I am so grateful for the support here- Substack has been a fun return to a medium I have always loved, but have not given attention to. There’s something so powerful, and concise, to the written word.

xFor paid subscribers, I am sharing a detailed discernment guide with almost 40 questions to ask yourself to help you discern your next step. These are the exact questions I have asked myself, have brought to prayer, and have brought to my spiritual director that have helped me decide what to do with my business in seasons of doubt. I hope they help you, too! And I am so grateful for the financial support this provides my family.

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