Ep 2: Intentional Business Design - Nathan Holritz
Summary
It’s easy to get so focused on running a business that we stop asking what we want it to support. We work hard, respond to what’s in front of us, and hope that success will eventually bring more freedom.
In this solo episode, I explain why I think that freedom deserves a place in the plan from the beginning. Drawing on the idea of a big-picture view from Julie Morgenstern’s Time Management from the Inside Out, I share a framework for connecting your values, financial goals, and time goals to the business you’re building. It’s an approach you can use whether you’re just getting started or reconsidering how an established business operates.
Key Takeaways
1. Define the life your business is meant to support
A big-picture view gives you a reference point for decisions that might otherwise be driven by whatever feels most urgent.
For me, success includes having time for important relationships, new experiences, and interests outside work. That doesn’t diminish the value of working hard. It gives that work a purpose and helps me decide where to put my attention.
Your priorities may look different. Start by identifying the values—the principles and ideals—that bring you the most fulfillment. Then ask whether the way you do business supports them. A growing business can still deserve a closer look if it consistently crowds out what matters most to you.
2. Set financial goals and time goals together
In the episode, I use the example of earning $400,000 a year while working 80 hours a week. The point is to consider the full experience behind an income target. Would that tradeoff fit the life you want?
Financial goals help clarify what your business needs to provide, including everyday needs and the things you’d like to make possible. Time goals help define how much of your week you want to spend working and what you want to protect outside those hours.
Considering both gives you a more complete way to evaluate success. The question becomes whether the income and the schedule work together for you.
3. Use that perspective to guide your business model and marketing
Once you’re clear about your values and goals, use them to evaluate how your business operates. If you’re starting out, they can inform the model you choose. If you’re already established, they can help you identify adjustments worth making.
In the episode, I also connect this perspective to brand positioning: deciding how to distinguish your business in the market. Your priorities can help inform the kind of business you want to build, which in turn influences how you communicate its value.
That connection gives your marketing more direction. You have a basis for deciding which opportunities deserve your time and resources, rather than feeling obligated to pursue every available channel or idea.
4. Design your workflow to support those goals
Every business owner has a workflow, even if it’s developed by habit rather than deliberate choice. The question is whether yours helps you serve customers effectively and use your time well - in order to reach your big-picture goals.
I challenge the tendency to dismiss workflow or technology as something that’s only relevant to “tech people”. If you use software to communicate, organize work, or manage customers, those tools are already part of your business experience. You get to decide whether to use them intentionally.
You don’t need to become an expert in every application. Be willing to learn how your existing tools work and reconsider routines that create unnecessary effort. The aim is to make the work more manageable and leave room for the life your business is intended to support.
Put It Into Practice
Set aside a quiet block of time and write down three things:
1. Your values: Which principles, relationships, and bring you the most fulfillment in life?
2. Your financial goals: What do you need your business to provide, and what would you like it to make possible?
3. Your time goals: How much do you want to work in an average week, and what time do you want to protect for life outside your business?
Then look at your business model, marketing, and workflow through those answers. Choose one mismatch to address first. That might mean reconsidering a service, being more selective about a marketing commitment, or improving a task that regularly consumes too much time.
You don’t have to redesign everything at once. Establish the direction, then use it to make your next decision more intentionally.
Show Notes
Nathan’s Website: https://holritzdesign.com/
Time Management from the Inside Out, Julie Morgenstern: https://link.holritz.design/yckpc8b7
Awaken the Giant Within, Tony Robbins: https://link.holritz.design/mr3dne6d
