Building in the Storm: What Every Founder Needs to Succeed Right Now
By Emily Hatton, Founder of The Female Founder Space & AI In AgenciesIf you’re building something right now - a business, a side project, a brand, even a dream that’s still half-formed - you’re not imagining it. This is one of the hardest times to do it. The economy feels unpredictable, costs are higher than ever, and audiences are distracted, exhausted, and constantly changing how they buy, think, and show up.
And yet, despite all that, I’m seeing something extraordinary: founders, creators and small business owners refusing to give up. People who are learning, adapting, and rebuilding in smarter, more intentional ways.
If that’s you - here’s 5 things I can share to help you remain hopeful and motivated to build a business that feels good to you financially and personally.
Emily Hatton, Business Operations Consultant & Founder of The Female Founder Space and AI in Agencies
1. A clear and grounded purpose
When the world feels chaotic, the only thing that cuts through the noise is clarity.
You don’t need a five-year vision board. You need to know, today:
Who are you helping?
What problem are you solving?
Why does it matter?
Purpose isn’t just a marketing line. It’s your anchor. It’s what stops you from chasing every shiny idea or comparing yourself to someone else’s highlight reel.
I often tell my clients: you’re not building a business, you’re building a foundation for a life you want to live. When you make decisions from that truth, not from fear or urgency, everything gets lighter and more aligned.
2. Simplicity, systems and small steps
The biggest myth of entrepreneurship is that success comes from doing more. More hours, more platforms, more hustle.
But the businesses that are surviving, and even thriving, right now are doing something different: they’re simplifying. They’re tightening their focus, cutting what doesn’t serve them, and putting structure in place so they can breathe again.
You don’t have to overhaul everything overnight. Start with one thing:
Get a better handle on your numbers. (my clients have a detailed scorecard that keeps them on track and accountable)
Write down your client process and retention systems.
Automate one repetitive task (my new framework AI OS Can help with this)
Create a weekly rhythm that makes your work sustainable. This will be personal to you
Tiny steps compound. Discipline isn’t boring, it’s freedom.
3. A deeply human culture
No one wants to build a business that burns them out or breaks their heart.
I’ve worked with founders who’ve grown incredible teams, and others who are still solo and doing everything themselves. The common thread in those who last? They lead with empathy, for themselves and the people around them.
This means setting boundaries. It means allowing yourself to rest without guilt. It means building work around life, not the other way round.
And if you do have a team, even a tiny one: communicate. Praise people. Ask how they’re doing. Include them in the wins and the lessons. Culture isn’t a big company thing, it’s how you show up every day.
4. A flexible mindset
The truth is, the world is going to keep shifting. Technology is rewriting how we work, markets are unpredictable, and trends move faster than we can process.
But agility, that quiet willingness to adapt, to learn, to start again, is the most underrated skill in business.
Don’t get stuck on needing everything to look like you imagined. The best businesses are built by people who were willing to pivot when the world told them to.
5. Compassion for yourself
This might sound soft, but it’s actually the hardest and most vital piece.
You cannot build something strong from a place of constant self-criticism. Be kind to yourself when the numbers aren’t perfect, when growth stalls, when things feel heavy. You are not failing, you are learning how to navigate a new era.
Success doesn’t come from being superhuman. It comes from embracing the good, the bad and the ugly - because that’s business. You have to have compassion to build resilience.
To conclude - it’s important to fully acknowledge (and embrace) a new definition of success in the world we are living in today. We are living through a recalibration where success is no longer about how fast you grow, but how aligned, sustainable and meaningful your growth is.
So if you’re building something right now, don’t wait for perfect timing or the market to calm down. The world needs businesses, and people, who are thoughtful, brave, progressive and deeply human.
Start where you are. Build one strong system at a time. And trust that doing business the right way will always pay off, even if it takes a little longer
