Do I stay committed to my health changes, knowing it might cost me clients and revenue?

Each week, the Indie Hackers editorial team tackles a reader’s question about the challenges of entrepreneurship. Got a question? Email Dan Marzullo at [email protected].

I’m a 42-year-old entrepreneur who’s been running a boutique marketing agency for the last seven years. My business is thriving—I’ve landed big clients, doubled my revenue in the past two years, and my team is growing fast. But there’s one big problem: I’ve completely let my health go to hell in the process. I’m talking about 40 pounds gained, living off coffee and takeout, and barely sleeping.

Last month, my doctor gave me a wake-up call after a routine check-up. High blood pressure, cholesterol creeping up, and a lecture about stress management. He basically told me to fix my lifestyle or prepare for a heart attack before I hit 50. That’s when I decided I needed a drastic change.

I started blocking out two hours every day for “wellness.” Workouts, yoga, meal prepping, meditation—full-on transformation mode. But it’s been a disaster. My team is frustrated because I’m less available, and my clients are feeling the change too. I lost two big accounts because I wasn’t as “on-call” as before, and my revenue took a hit. And here’s the kicker—I actually feel more stressed trying to “balance” my health with running the business.

Now, I’m questioning everything. Do I scale back on this wellness kick and focus on what I’m best at—growing my business—even if it means sacrificing my health a bit? Or do I stay committed to my health changes, knowing that it might cost me more clients and revenue? My friends are divided—some think I’m crazy for not taking my health seriously sooner, while others say I should push through and prioritize the hustle while I still can.

Am I being irresponsible by putting my health first, or is this just the reality of being a founder in a hyper-competitive industry?

—Fred S.

Dan's Advice:

Putting your health first is never irresponsible. But the way you’re going about it might be. You’ve built a thriving business, and you’ve done it by being “on” all the time, juggling a million things, and grinding hard.

If you continue neglecting your health, you risk burning out or facing a serious medical issue that could permanently take you out of the game. And if you continue running your business this way, regardless of how you prioritize it, you'll run it into the ground. 

Take this experience as a lesson. Your business needs to change in order to support your health, employees, and the future of your business. 

That said, here’s my advice. 

Free up your time and let your team thrive

It's time to expand your team. Running lean at the expense of your employees and the overall operational efficiency of your business is not a good idea. You need to change how you think about hiring and training your team effectively so they experience less stress and you're no longer the cog in the wheel. This will also give you the time to prioritize your health and well-being.

Remember, a CEO’s primary role is to build a team to execute the work while guiding the company's vision. Many founders struggle with this, especially after spending years handling everything themselves. They often fall into the trap of thinking, “No one can do it as well as I can.”

So, how do you break free from this mindset? 

Start by investing some revenue in the short term to reap long-term rewards. Hire a business advisor or expert to help document your systems and processes, allowing you to hire and train others to execute them. Your goal should be to "fire yourself" from as many roles as possible so the business can thrive without you.

While you may see a temporary dip in revenue, freeing up your time to focus on high-value activities, like business development, will bring in more clients. You'll quickly match and even surpass your previous revenue. It's incredible what can happen when a founder has the time and space to focus on the right things.

Why outsourcing matters

Outsourcing isn't just about offloading work—it's about eliminating distractions and freeing up time to focus on what matters most. 

By "outsourcing," I mean bringing on additional team members, contractors, or third-party vendors to handle specific responsibilities. How you choose to do this is up to you—what matters is that you offload some of your tasks.

When you hire experts to handle tasks outside your core competencies, you can deliver higher-quality products or services and focus on the work that truly inspires you. 

How to start outsourcing

The key to outsourcing for maximum impact is finding the people who can handle the tasks that drain you and tasks that don't play to your strengths or passions. It's about recognizing that you don't need to do everything yourself. Others have the skills and expertise to do these tasks faster and better. This is where outsourcing comes in.

Here's a simple exercise to help you identify tasks that can be outsourced and find the right people to do them. Start by identifying tasks that:

• Are low in return on investment of your time.

• Drain your energy.

• You find difficult or burdensome.

• Can be done better or faster by others.

• Don’t leverage your unique qualities.

• List the tasks that fall into one or more of these categories.

Find your people

For each task, ask yourself, "Who can do this for me?" Consider the skills, experience, and steps required to find this person. 

If you don't know someone directly, ask within your network, "Who might know someone with these skills?" This can help you find the right person faster.

Focusing on your strengths and passions and finding the right people to handle the rest can increase productivity, allow you to enjoy more meaningful work, and maximize your impact.

Turn your business into an asset that’s built to sell

Beyond freeing up your time and improving your health—and the health of your team—there’s another crucial reason to hire and train people to take over your duties: to turn your business into a valuable asset you can sell someday.

If you haven’t read “Built to Sell” or “The E-Myth,” do it. Those two books will change how you think about your business. Imagine being able to sell the company you’ve poured your heart, soul, and health into—and finally enjoy some slower years, focusing on the priorities you’ve neglected while grinding.

Whether you like it or not, the day will come when you want to sell. Many founders say, "I'll never sell my business; it's my life's work, and I'll do it until I die." But, honestly, that's rarely true. You'll likely want a change at some point or life circumstances—like age or health—might force your hand.

Even if you're one of the few who genuinely doesn't want to sell, it's wise to position yourself for any scenario. Build a business that can thrive without you, and you'll always have the leverage to make the right choice for you.

Take the vacation test

After you’ve built the systems, documented the processes, and outsourced the right tasks, it’s time for the ultimate test: take a vacation.

Step away for a week and see how your business holds up without you. When you return, is everything still running smoothly, or is it a complete dumpster fire? If things are crashing and burning, you know you’ve got more work to do.

But if everything is still humming along just fine, congratulations—you’ve done your job right.

The bottom line

You need to have both a thriving business and a healthy body. Use this experience as a wake-up call—it's time to rethink how your business runs and operates for the sake of everyone involved.

Your health isn't a choice between "either/or"; it's the foundation of your business's long-term success. Find a sustainable way to incorporate it, or you won’t have a business—or a body—to worry about.