Sustainability = the true measure of success

I built my early career on speed, productivity, and praise.

Corporate days? I took everything off my boss's plate. Projects finished ahead of schedule. By 26, I was leading entire marketing teams. Every promotion came with the same praise: "She gets things done."

Started consulting? Same pattern. I pushed myself to get my clients results as fast as possible. They referred me to one another because I could get things done quickly. Fast results became the expectation.

Launched Harlow? Pushed even harder. Tried to hit record milestones right away - raised money quickly, launched product fast, built everything with a tiny team. More praise: "Amazing what she accomplishes."

For years, this felt like winning. I was the person who could make things happen fast, and people noticed.

Each time, the pattern was the same. I'd reach new heights with speed and intensity, then hit the wall. All that praise, all those quick wins, all that momentum... but I was burning everything I had on short-term wins instead of building for the long term.

A couple of years ago, something shifted. I stepped back from the constant hustle and started thinking long-term instead of short-term. 

Instead of chasing the next quick win, I began asking bigger questions: 

• How can I serve my clients and community sustainably? 

• How can I stay consistent and fulfilled without burning out?

• What do I want the next year to feel like?

• What actually deserves my energy long-term?

• What if success isn't about how fast I can go, but how long I can sustain it?

Asking myself these questions shifted my entire approach. Now I choose the path that serves my clients, my community, and myself better over time. Where excitement lasts. Where my best work comes from intention, not just intensity.

I established a framework that helps me think about sustainability in my career and life outside of it. This framework has been key to getting me where I am today.

I'm still productive. I still work hard. I still move fast when it matters. I just choose more carefully when to sprint and when to slow down.

And guess what? I’m making more money than I ever have, while feeling less stressed, and more free.

Are you burning out by focusing on the short-term wins vs long term sustainability?

Want the goal setting framework that helped me reframe things? 

Just reply here and I’ll get you the framework I created + the recording where I recently walked our community through it.

Here’s to sustainability being the true measure of success. 

Speaking of sustainability, this week’s sponsor is someone who, like me, helps you find it. She’s a pal and a genius who helps you step out of survival mode and into strategic forward momentum. More on Chedva’s free unshrinking workbook below! 

Looking for your next client?

Did you know that the Harlow job board sees ~70-90 new jobs drop every day during the week? Hot jobs are posted daily for writers, marketers, designers, developers, project managers & more.

Browse all open jobs here by category or search for specific keywords related to your business.

And a special job we’re highlighting today: We’re looking for a part-time, contract Growth & Adoption Specialist to help drive sales growth and employer adoption of this exact job board. Full details are here.

Cheers to finding your next great opportunity! 

Harlow is your homebase for all things freelance. We’re here to help you build sustainable freelance careers, so you can thrive in and out of work. Whether you’re just getting your business off the ground or you’re far along in your journey, we have tools to help you stay inspired and resourced.

Here’s how to get started:

Sign up for our growth accelerator where we’ll help tackle your biggest freelance challenges head-on in a one-on-one strategy session.

Bookmark our freelance job board. It’s updated daily and has tons of open gigs.

Try our all-in-one tool that helps you manage your freelance business (invoicing, proposals, project management & more).

Check out our resource center. It's chockfull of actionable advice to help you build a sustainable business.

Cheers - 

Samantha & Andrea