27,000 steps a day in Paris and a Business Wake Up Call

July was full-on, not just with work, but with light bulb moments for business owners who, until now, didn’t even realise they were coasting. And here’s the thing… coasting doesn’t look lazy. It looks busy. It looks like back-to-back jobs, full inboxes, 12-hour days. But scratch the surface and you realise: it’s survival mode wearing a productivity badge. The danger? If you stay there too long, you’ll be in the exact same spot next year, only more tired, with even less enthusiasm to make the changes you need.

It reminded me of a note my mother-in-law wrote that I found in our youngest son's bag and that’s been stuck to our fridge ever since: “It’s not always that we need to do more, but rather that we need to focus on less.” She’s right. Busy isn’t the goal. Progress is. And progress means having the discipline to cut the noise.

Getting out of survival mode isn’t about waiting for a quieter week (it never comes!).

It’s about stripping it back to what matters most this quarter, fixing the biggest bottleneck, and doing the work that moves the needle before the day gets swallowed by other people’s priorities.

Delegation came up over and over again this month or more accurately, the lack of it.

Too many owners are still personally booking in jobs, chasing quotes, or approving every social post. Not because they don’t have a team, but because of the old “If I do it, I know it’s right” mindset. The truth is, that mindset is strangling growth. My rule? Delegate first, outsource second, hire third.

Before you can hand things over, you’ve got to know your strengths and be ruthless about what’s chewing up your time. Can someone else do it with a clear process? Can you streamline it so it’s easier to hand off? Is it even critical, or just habit? And for the perfectionists — 90% perfect, on time, and done by someone else is better than 100% perfect, late, and draining your head space.

I saw owners this month rewrite vague quarterly “just get through it” plans into bold, measurable targets.

I saw businesses uncover days of wasted admin time that could be batched, automated, or passed to someone else.

I saw retailers finally train their teams to handle the first 80% of a sale so they could focus on closing high value work and building partnerships.

And I saw service businesses stop saying yes to every low value job just to keep the diary full. 

And outside of work?

Paris was magic. Five days, just me and Theo (Our youngest son) something I’ve never really experienced with him. We crammed in 27,000 steps a day, ate on the go, marvelled at the Eiffel Tower, spent a whole day at Disney, watched fireworks for the 4th of July, and wandered through the Louvre where I watched Theo, a budding artist, light up at the sight of the Mona Lisa. Those are the moments you store away for life.

Meanwhile, I was also quietly worrying about Will (our oldest son) on his first school residential to Barcelona. He came back buzzing with stories, but not before a very nearly tragic incident that led to a phone call to me at 1pm, followed swiftly by a grounding when he got home. 

Tom’s trip to Morocco with the Alliance crew was its own adventure, full of laughter, deep business talk, incredible food, and the kind of memories you can’t make anywhere else. He even got emotional at the summit of Mount Toubkal, which tells you just how much the experience meant.

For us in business, we have some big decisions on the horizon and a lot of exciting events coming up. The pressure dial has been turned right up for our busiest season yet, and we’re already planning a whopper of an event to end the year (watch this space).

For me, the reflection this month is simple: doing less for more, on my terms.

Saying no when I’m not at my best. Creating space when I need it. Working on the house renovation. Enjoying the sun. Keeping my promise to myself to have every other Friday off to recharge.

More exercise. More boundaries. And accepting that “busy” doesn’t equal “better.”

Coasting is comfortable but it’s also costly. If you want more than survival, you have to be disciplined about where your focus goes. Delegate, outsource, hire, in that order.

Stop doing the work that doesn’t belong on your desk. And stop telling yourself you “don’t have time” You always make time for what matters.

The business owners who win are the ones who get out of their own way, free up their head space, and build a business that works beyond their constant input.

Over and out for another month...