One Quarter In: Why Restructuring Was the Hardest and Best Decision I’ve Made
Have you ever felt like you were burning the candle at both ends?
You know the feeling—too many roles, too many hats, constantly putting out fires and never quite finding the space to do the things that actually move your business forward. That was me. I had all these ideas I knew could work, ideas that could change the game for the businesses I support—but no time, no bandwidth, and frankly, no structure to give them the attention they deserved.
I’ve always taken my role as Director seriously, and I’m the kind of person who can’t help but give away everything if I know it’ll help someone’s business grow. I’ve been in this game long enough to know that when small businesses thrive, whole communities thrive. That’s always been my driver.
But something had to give.
Running Plum as an external agency meant that I was constantly on the go—meeting clients, selling, strategising, putting out fires, and still trying to manage internal marketing for our own group. And while things were “going well,” I knew deep down it wasn’t sustainable. Not for me, not for the business, and not for the clients.
So I made the call: restructure Plum.
We turned it inward—shifting focus from external agency work to becoming the internal marketing engine for our group of companies. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but three months on, I’m so glad I did it.
The Impact of Coaching (Even for Myself)
This experience has been a powerful reminder of the value of coaching—even if that coaching comes from a brutally honest conversation with yourself. I had to sit down and ask:
- What’s working?
- What’s not?
- Where am I most valuable in this business?
- What are my real strengths, and where do I need to step back?
Answering those questions with honesty was confronting—but liberating.
Now, I’m not stretched too thin. I have focus. I can prioritise. And best of all, I finally have the time to bring my ideas to life and lead the team with intention.
The Bigger Lesson
If you’re a business owner juggling everything, I get it. You care so deeply about your business and the people in it that it’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day chaos. But here’s what I want to say:
Don’t be afraid to set big goals and then fire yourself from the things that aren’t serving you.
It might feel scary in the moment, but it could be the best thing you ever do.
