Is Slow Growth Failure: Why Sustainable Growth Wins For Online Entrepreneurs
If my online business is growing slowly, does that mean I’m doing something wrong or building something sustainable?
It’s the age-old question. As humans, it’s completely normal to look around at what other people are doing and start to play a good ol’ game of comparisonitis. Especially when we are already feeling a little insecure.
Our followers aren’t growing, our email list has been quiet as a mouse for months (or years), sales are few and far between, and it feels like everyone else around us is doing all of the right things and skyrocketing to six figures. Self-doubt fills your head, and suddenly you’re spiralling and wondering if this has all been for nothing, and you’re one giant failure.
Whoa, stop!
First, what actually counts as slow growth? Who has decided that one person is growing slowly while someone else is growing “normally?” What even counts as normal growth for something that is super subjective?
Also, why does fast growth look so appealing online? What makes fast growth inherently better than slow growth? Sure, we all want to make a lot of money, but when did we decide that everything worth having has to be instant? Could it not stand to reason that maybe, just maybe, slow and steady might win the race? But why is it that we consider the most successful people online to be the ones who say they went from $200 to $1M in less than a year?
Are there any risks associated with scaling that quickly? Is it sustainable to grow quickly, or is fast actually the only way to experience success as an online entrepreneur?
So, why do we hate slow growth so much?
Almost every person you come in contact with (whether they admit it or not) has this internal fear of falling behind. Honestly, I think this is really the only reason people go to their 20-year reunions is so they can show their classmates how well they’re doing… Do we really believe that people are going because they actually liked their classmates…?
We hate to feel like we aren’t where we should be. And with the rise of social media being an all-the-time thing, we get to watch firsthand as others experience success we have yet to experience ourselves. But really, how do we define behind vs ahead vs right on track?
Comparison shame also fuels these feelings of being behind. Society often sets these nonsensical standards, and suddenly, everywhere we look (because no matter how good we’re doing, of course, we’re going to look), we see a long list of highlight reels and assume that everyone is doing better than us. There is nothing worse than feeling shame when we are struggling, and we look around, and it looks like everyone else is succeeding with ease.
And coaches/mentors on the internet certainly don’t help matters. It feels like half the messaging out there is all about how we can control our success, so if we aren’t experiencing success, then we are inherently doing something wrong, we aren’t dedicated to our business (or we don’t want it enough), or we aren’t “serious entrepreneurs.” Seriously… How deflating is hearing that? Why do people think that is helpful? That’s not motivating, that’s making people feel hopeless.
This simply leads to this overwhelming pressure to prove legitimacy. No wonder we hate slow growth! We just want to feel this incessant need to prove ourselves to others. I get it. That coach who says, “Do you ever really want your business?” makes you want to scream back, “YES! Look at all of my success!” And slow growth does not help matters. The slower our growth happens, the lower our self-worth seems to get. We feel like our worth is tied to our success as an online business owner. It’s so frustrating when it doesn’t feel like things are going our way.
How does this pressure shape your decisions?
When the pressure to perform and be successful quickly builds up, and we feel like we have to prove ourselves, our natural response is to start overworking. We figure the more work we put in, the faster our success will happen. We think we can overcome our slow growth by doing more and working more. It also makes us look like we are super dedicated. When someone says, “You must not be dedicated,” we can reply with, “Look at how much I’m doing! I’m very dedicated.”
Another instinct is that the more platforms we are on, the more likely we are to get clients and sales. We add more and more to our plate, until suddenly we are on every platform, and we have a bit of a platform overload situation. It always feels like more is the answer. The more platforms we are on, the more audiences and different people we will get our message in front of.
Suddenly, we start making reactive strategy shifts. We feel so desperate to have quicker growth and to “do the right thing” that we jump ship to a new platform as soon as someone says, “You’re doing it wrong. Here’s what to do instead/here’s what actually works.” You race onto something new before you even have a chance to give your current strategy a fair shot and gather enough data to effectively analyze whether it is working or not. Trust me, this was 100% me… for years.
All of this ends up leading to consistent messaging, which is certainly the killer of success. Everyone is giving you branding and messaging advice—do this, tweak that, change this—that just ends up with you losing your voice and your message. Copying strategies that don’t actually fit with who you are, what you want, and your natural communication style don’t lead to success, no matter how much you try and push. In the end, burnout is quite likely.
What does slow growth actually mean?
Intentional pacing–Sure, it can be really frustrating to grow slowly, but to grow quickly is not sustainable. It can be incredibly overwhelming; your systems will outgrow you before they even have time to be effective, and chances are, you’ll end up dropping the ball, and your growth will halt. Now, this isn’t always the case, but typically, slower growth is far more sustainable and allows you to grow intentionally.
Strategic focus–Slow growth allows you to focus on your systems and learning. Personally, I think learning is one of the most important skills and actions you can take as a business owner. I often see people rush into things, such as impulsively offering services they’ve never had any learning/training in. But slower growth offers you a chance to focus strategically on business-building actions and tasks, analyze the data when you try something new, and find strategies and systems that fit with you and your goals.
Asset building–When your growth happens quickly or all at once, you don’t have time to build your assets and your systems. Systems are a business’s lifeline. It’s important to have well-laid-out and strategic ones to keep your momentum and growth. When your growth is slow, this is a perfect time to start building your assets and getting your business set up as if it were already experiencing a high level of success. That way, when it comes, you’re ready and know exactly what actions you need to take at each step of the way.
Trust accumulation–Slow growth gives you a chance to build fans (people who love what you do and take no convincing when it comes to buying). Work on connecting with your audience and building your trust with them. Fast growth leads to a lot of missed connections. When all of a sudden your inbox is filled with hundreds of messages, and it’s just you, chances are, most of those aren’t getting read. While you’re still small, you have the opportunity to really get to know the people consuming your content.
Slow growth is a lot calmer and more sustainable. It’s understanding that the best growth is the steadiest, not those moments of big growth followed by moments of burnout. Who taught us that speed equals success and “steady” feels like settling?
Why does slow growth actually build a stronger business?
1. Brand familiarity
You have the time to invest in creating a brand that is recognizable (in a good way). You can spend time creating a brand and messaging that speaks to your values and truly shows what you want to put out into the world. And you can slowly, and steadily, show up consistently and build a brand that people know, like and trust.
Oftentimes, the businesses that experienced quick success can no longer keep up with the demand; they didn’t have time to create a really stellar brand, and if they accidentally fall short (over promise and under deliver), they lose the trust of those who bought from them. They might have brand familiarity… But not in a positive way.
When you’re growing slowly, it can feel like you need to take desperate actions and only focus on growth and sales. But, you actually have this unique opportunity to invest more in the things that will pay you dividends long-term. Your brand and your messaging. Make sure you create an offer that’s valuable and a brand that people recognize as safe and trustworthy, and a brand that delivers what it promises and more.
2. Compounding ecosystems
Sometimes, what happens when you experience fast growth is that you don’t have time to get things to line up and work together. You’re just doing whatever you can to get through the day. When your growth is slower, you are able to compound your content, platforms, products/services and relationships. When you focus on how one thing helps another thing, you can actually get your assets to stack on each other over time. Eventually, every new effort strengthens the whole system instead of starting from zero every time.
Here’s how this can actually look when you stop posting and praying, and instead get strategic.
First, you write a thoughtful blog post that ranks slowly in search and attracts aligned readers over months and years.
Then, that blog post feeds your email list if you include a way for them to subscribe. If you stay consistent, their trust deepens.
Then, your newsletter builds you some relationship capital. Your readers become familiar with your voice, and they start to align with your philosophy and values.
Over time, that trust converts into them purchasing your products or services. You launch a guide, and they start to buy; you share a resource, and they’re on board. Your conversion rates slowly start improving without needing to push and beg.
Finally, your products reinforce your authority. People start to share your work, and your reputation compounds. If you continue to focus on every step in the process (not just the sales part), you can continue to build and attract more people. Your business compounds over time.
3. Revenue stability
Probably the best part of it all—revenue stability. Here’s often the problem with fast or sporadic growth… You get a big influx of cash, and that feels great. But then, you flatline, and you can’t keep up with it. You spend that money like that is going to be your norm, and then you’re taxed on that amount. Suddenly, it becomes unsustainable.
Slow growth allows you to build over time, and often provides you with more sustainable income. You can build every month, slowly, and not run into the same sort of issues at tax time. The idea is to make a little bit more each month. Instead of having your income go up and down and be unpredictable each month, you’ll likely end up either around the same or slowly increasing each month. Stable and sustainable income creates a stable and sustainable business.
Why does slow growth especially support introverted entrepreneurs?
For many quiet introverts, the fast growth can be overwhelming and cause them to throw in the towel right away. Slow growth typically provides them with a lot more energy stability. You can take things at your own pace and allow energy recharging in the way that you need. When you suddenly have all of the balls being thrown at you from every angle, it can be really hard to take the moments to recharge as you need. Extroverts thrive on being in conversation all of the time, but introverts need time alone, away from the demands to fill their cup up.
It also allows for a lot more authentic communication. You have space and time to invest in the people who are reaching out. Their messages aren’t getting ignored or replied to by AI, a bot or a VA. It’s you forming genuine connections in the most authentic way. This actually reduces performance pressure, too. When you get to invest in the conversation, suddenly your need to send the perfect reply becomes forgotten. You end up chatting with them like they’re a good friend, and the sale becomes effortless.
In the end, you get long-term alignment. For the quiet introverts, this is a great support for their nervous system. Less overwhelm and more stability.
So, is slow growth a sign of failure?
Slow growth isn’t failure—it’s a strategic foundation for sustainable success.
Slow growth protects your clarity and your energy, especially if you’re an introvert. Slow growth keeps you on track and steady, and keeps your business sustainable.
You aren’t failing simply because you’re not gaining 100+ followers a day on Instagram while the girl next door is boasting that she got 10K. Consistency and patience create emotional safety for audiences. You can’t force people to buy, just like you can’t force them to do anything. They will do so when they feel safe, connected, and they trust you.
So, no, slow growth isn’t failure; it’s a strategy that protects both your business and your nervous system.
All you need to do is:
Platform focus–Choose one or just a small number and invest in learning them. They don’t have to be the most common ones (eg. Instagram, TikTok, etc.). Find ones that fit your needs and your natural communication style.
Content cadence–Find the right flow of content publishing for you. Ignore the people who are constantly telling you you need to post 3X a day to grow on Instagram. If that doesn’t work for you, go find something else. Find a content cadence that fits your needs and works for your creative flow.
Metrics reframing–If you find you’re looking at your metrics and feeling sad, change what your metrics of success are. Or look at your metrics and tools for figuring out your next steps. It’s not about reaching the metric; it’s about what that metric can teach you to support your growth.
Boundaries–The comparionitis needs to stop. Set boundaries for yourself about who you follow, how much time you spend on platforms, and which platforms make you feel the worst. When the comparison shame starts to creep in, find a way to pull yourself out and engage in something more productive.
Loved this topic? Want more?
Check out my Substack article for a more personal and story-based approach with new insights! And a free resource to help support your growth this year!
