How to Build A Digital Business Gently (and What That Really Means)
For years, I tried to build an online business the way all the “experts” said I should.
Start an Etsy shop. Post daily. Show up on YouTube. Use Faceless Reels. Start a blog. Grow a list. I did it all—or at least tried. But I always felt like I was pushing a boulder uphill, and eventually, I burned out or drifted away.
Nothing seemed to stick. Not because I didn’t want it enough or wasn’t trying hard enough. But because I was following a path built for someone else’s brain.
It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with ADD later in life that everything finally made sense.
Suddenly, I could look back at all those unfinished projects, scattered attempts, and burnout cycles with compassion instead of shame. I wasn’t flaky or inconsistent. I was building in a way that simply didn’t work for how my mind is wired.
That’s when I knew: if I was going to succeed, I had to do it differently.
What It Means to Build Gently
Building gently means I no longer put undue pressure on myself to perform like a productivity machine. It means I ignore what mainstream, neurotypical business coaches preach—or at least, I modify it drastically to fit the way my mind actually works.
It also means I extend compassion to myself when I need to rest, redirect, or revisit something I started but didn’t finish. It’s about honoring my energy, my seasons, and the flow that my brain naturally follows.
I use shorter work sessions—not because I can’t focus, but because I know I thrive in deep but gentle bursts of creativity. I create 3- to 4-hour pockets of focused work time, and that’s enough.
Templates help me simplify and stay consistent. ChatGPT helps me brainstorm and clarify. And most importantly, I’m building from a place of authenticity, not urgency.
Why This Approach Matters
When I was first diagnosed, it felt like both a relief and a reckoning. All those years of trying to force myself into systems that drained me—suddenly I could see them for what they were: mismatched.
Now I know I can create and sell digital products, build an email list, and grow an online business—just not in the way others do it. And that’s more than okay. It’s necessary.
There are so many women like me who feel like they’re “bad at business” when really, they just haven’t been shown another way. A way that works with their brain instead of against it.
What Thriving Deeply Looks Like
For me, thriving deeply isn’t about six figures in six months. It’s about waking up without dread. It’s about creating something beautiful and useful, and knowing it will help someone else.
It’s about retiring in financial comfort, making and selling digital products when I want or need to, and having the freedom to follow my creativity without pressure.
It’s about steady income, simple systems, and sustainable joy.
A New Way Is Possible
If you’ve felt like you keep starting over, or like your attention span is working against you, I want you to know this:
You are not broken.
You don’t need to force yourself into someone else’s blueprint.
There is a way to build your business gently and thrive deeply.
It may take more time, and it will definitely require more self-trust. But it’s possible. And it’s worth it.
So if you’re on the edge of starting again, I invite you to do it differently this time. Be brave. Be gentle.
And build a life that truly fits.
➡️ I write for women like you in my newsletter, Perfectly Scattered — late-diagnosed, beautifully wired, and ready to live, create, and earn in ways that finally make sense. Subscribe here to join us.
