#117 I Built a Multi-Million Dollar Empire— I Had Everything… And I Still Walked Away. Here’s Why.
In this episode, I open up about one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made—walking away from my business at the peak of its success. After years of pushing through burnout, loss, and exhaustion, I finally asked myself a crucial question: If this were my last year, would I keep doing what I’m doing? The answer changed everything.
I share:
- My blog post about taking a sabbatical that went viral: Ask Somebody Else to Do It, Please
- Why I ignored the signs for six months before finally making a change
- The emotional toll of losing a close friend and how it reshaped my perspective
- The realities of shutting down a multi-million-dollar business and stepping away
- How I struggled with identity, money, and expectations during my sabbatical
- The biggest lessons I learned about prioritizing my happiness over hustle
- If you’ve ever felt trapped by your own success, this episode is for you.
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Timestamps:
- 00:00 – The question that changed my life
- 04:30 – How I knew it was time to walk away (but waited 6 months)
- 08:45 – Losing a close friend & how grief pushed me to rethink everything
- 12:30 – The struggle of stepping away from a multi-million-dollar business
- 17:00 – The harsh truth about burnout & ignoring the signs
- 22:15 – What my sabbatical really looked like (and what I learned)
- 27:40 – Living below my means: The financial shift I had to make
- 32:00 – The hardest part of stepping back: Identity, expectations & fear
- 38:10 – The risk of not doing anything when you know it’s time to change
- 42:50 – My biggest takeaway: Redefining success on my own terms
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Key Takeaways:
- The signs that it’s time to pivot are often small, but ignoring them only makes it harder.
- Success doesn’t mean happiness—if your success is costing you your well-being, it’s time to reassess.
- Your identity isn’t tied to your business; walking away doesn’t mean failure.
- Taking a sabbatical isn’t running away—it’s choosing to pause and realign.
- You don’t need permission to choose yourself.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Vanessa Lau Instagram
- Vanessa Lau: I'm going on sabbatical
- Vanessa La: I'm Back: Why I Quit My 7-Figure Creator Business
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- Power Your Launch Marketing Accelerator | Get over 50% OFF your order with this special link {GET 50% OFF NOW}
- Interested in sponsoring? Go here: Support Permission to CEO
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Transcript
I remember listening to this podcast and this woman had mentioned, and I think she said it like this.
Speaker A:She said, what would you do if this was your last year to live?
Speaker A:Would you keep doing what you're doing right now?
Speaker A:And when I heard that, based on where I was at that time in my life, the answer was pretty clear.
Speaker A:I'd stopped doing everything.
Speaker A:And that's exactly what I did.
Speaker A:Today I'm sharing why I walked away at the height of my success, the hard decisions I made, and what I learned about prioritizing my happiness over my hustle.
Speaker A:And it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.
Speaker A:So if you ever felt trapped by your own achievements and you're thinking about, man, I'm in the middle of this, or I just hired a whole new team, or I'm paying a lot of people, or I just made this big investment, but I'm really feeling burnt out in my business right now.
Speaker A:I'm really feeling stuck.
Speaker A:I really want to do something different.
Speaker A:I really want to pivot.
Speaker A:This episode is for you.
Speaker A:Let's go ahead and get started.
Speaker B:It's been a long time and I miss this feeling.
Speaker B:It feels like freedom.
Speaker B:It feels like healing.
Speaker B:Floating up the floor, past the ceiling, the wind in my hair, I can.
Speaker A:See this is probably one of the most anticipated episodes.
Speaker A:Everywhere I go, people are always asking me, how is or how was your sabbatical?
Speaker A:So for those of you that don't know, I took a sabbatical, a one year sabbatical, to really try to refigure out my life and figure out what direction I wanted to head to.
Speaker A:But I took the sabbatical.
Speaker A:I thought at the most inconvenient time, I took it.
Speaker A:When I was operating my business, I was making a few million dollars a year.
Speaker A:I had a team.
Speaker A:I had a bunch of customers and clients.
Speaker A:Everything was going right, at least from the outside.
Speaker A:But internally, it was probably one of the hardest years of my life.
Speaker A:And in the midst of all that, I end up having a significant loss.
Speaker A:I lost one of my best friends.
Speaker A:He passed away, and I didn't know what to do because she was such a pivotal person in my life, always guiding me.
Speaker A:And so with all this happening, I decided to shut down the business.
Speaker A:I decided to go in a different direction.
Speaker A:And I decided that six months too late.
Speaker A:I knew for a fact I should have did it six months earlier, but I kept pushing through.
Speaker A:And you're probably like me when you know in your heart and your gut that you shouldn't be doing something you Know what me and you do?
Speaker A:We keep doing it because we find all the reasons why we should keep doing it, and we ignore all the reasons that we personally have on why we should stop.
Speaker A:We put everyone else's reasonings up above our own reasoning.
Speaker A:We say, but I'm helping other people.
Speaker A:Everything we're mentioning, all our reasons are attached to other people's happiness more than our own when we're in these predicaments.
Speaker A:Am I talking to you right now?
Speaker A:Because I know you're more like me.
Speaker A:I know you understand what I'm coming from and what I'm saying.
Speaker A:When you need to make a decision, but you prolong making that decision because you feel like it's in other people's best interest for you to keep continuing down this path, even though you're unhappy, even though you're not sleeping at night, even though you're not eating, even though it's stressing you out.
Speaker A:All these things that are signals to you because you're looking for a sign, but the signs are constant.
Speaker A:They're daily.
Speaker A:But you've normalized the signs to just another thing.
Speaker A:And you're looking for a big sign.
Speaker A:However, you're getting all these small signs that are telling you, that are signaling you.
Speaker A:Maybe it's time for you to pivot.
Speaker A:Maybe it's time for you to shut this down.
Speaker A:Maybe it's time for you to take a break.
Speaker A:Maybe it's time for you to take a sabbatical.
Speaker A:Maybe you've been there, the moment when you realize you're living for everyone else but yourself.
Speaker A:When I got to that moment six months later, right, that's when I knew I had to make a change.
Speaker A:And that's exactly what I did.
Speaker A:In the height of everything, making millions, I decided to walk away.
Speaker A:You know how hard that is?
Speaker A:Do you understand how much that takes out of you to make a decision like that?
Speaker A:Well, your identity is wrapped up in the thing that you do, and people recognize you for that based on what you do and not who you are.
Speaker A:To give all that up in order to say, you know what?
Speaker A:I need to put myself first.
Speaker A:To risk losing the people that you thought were your friends because of who you are, not what you do.
Speaker A:The sabbatical didn't make it easier, but what the sabbatical did was put things in perspective, into what's important in my life, who's important in my life.
Speaker A:Do you understand what I'm saying?
Speaker A:And the reason I got to that point and understanding it is because I had to make the hard Decisions, Trust me, I was searching for that CEO to take over my business.
Speaker A:I didn't want to shut my business down, but I kept hiring.
Speaker A:I kept training, I kept.
Speaker A:It was a lot.
Speaker A:And then I would have to do it all over again if that person didn't pan out.
Speaker A:It was very hard.
Speaker A:So slowly, I started discontinuing parts of my business in order to try to simplify my life so I could have the time to actually think about what direction I wanted to go in.
Speaker A:I thought I could do the two things at once.
Speaker A:I thought I could take a sabbatical while operating my business.
Speaker A:Now, how crazy does that sound?
Speaker A:I'm trying to take a sabbatical from my business because it's causing me all these additional things.
Speaker A:I'm trying to take a sabbatical because of my life at that moment where I was and I wasn't in the right mental space or emotional space after losing someone so significant in my life.
Speaker A:And I'm thinking I could operate everything like a business that didn't work.
Speaker A:I had to actually completely unplug from aspects of my personal life and my business.
Speaker A:That was one of the reasons I was like, okay, I actually need to take a sabbatical solely, not with other things.
Speaker A:I need some time.
Speaker A:And I was fortunate enough, and again, this is fortune right here.
Speaker A:To be able to have saved some money, to say, okay, if I take a sabbatical for a month, I'll be okay.
Speaker A:Now, I also had to live below my means, right?
Speaker A:Because I'm not bringing in the same amount of cash flow as I once did.
Speaker A:And this was also very hard because when I was bringing in cash flow, I was taking care of a lot of people, take care of my mom, some family members.
Speaker A:I was donating.
Speaker A:I was doing all these things.
Speaker A:When you start making money, you start living like that money can never be gone.
Speaker A:You don't believe me?
Speaker A:Look at the athletes.
Speaker A:You don't believe me?
Speaker A:Look at executives.
Speaker A:You don't believe me?
Speaker A:Just ask somebody and I'm sure you know somebody, or maybe you are this person that you know that, okay?
Speaker A:When I started making a hundred K, I started spending money like I was making a hundred K.
Speaker A:When I was making 50K, I said I would save money, but I'm actually spending more money.
Speaker A:You know exactly what I'm talking about.
Speaker A:Because everyone, no matter what amount of money you make, go.
Speaker A:Goes through the same thing.
Speaker A:You look at your bank and you realize, like, where's all my money going?
Speaker A:I'm actually not saving as much as I Thought because new problems, new expenses come about, that car that you just got breaks down and now you need to spend even more money to fix it or buy a new car.
Speaker A:And so that's one of the biggest things I had to take away when I started my sabbatical.
Speaker A:Yes, I was fortunate enough to save some money, but that money wasn't going to last long unless I lived way below my means.
Speaker A:So I had to identify, okay, how much money do I need to actually have in order to live month to month?
Speaker A:I needed to decrease all my expenses.
Speaker A:I needed to cut off a lot of people in order to really be able to make sure I was managing money accurately.
Speaker A:So these were hard decisions, but I had to make for myself without thinking about all the other people it was going to impact.
Speaker A:Because when I thought about all the other people would impact, I kept continuing the business year after year, whereas my mental health was going down the drain year after year.
Speaker A:I needed a pause.
Speaker A:I was in a new territory somewhere that I had never been before.
Speaker A:I had never been here before.
Speaker A:I didn't have a lot of mentors.
Speaker A:I were in my position.
Speaker A:And so I had to figure a lot of these things out by myself.
Speaker A:So this is why I'm telling you and I'm teaching you what I did and what not to do and what to do.
Speaker A:There are things that I'm going to say that you're going to take.
Speaker A:There are things that I'm going to say that you're going to discard.
Speaker A:Use what I'm saying based on where you are.
Speaker A:And the other thing is, it wasn't that I stopped loving what I did.
Speaker A:It was that I realized I was losing pieces of myself to my work.
Speaker A:And I realized no amount of success is worth that.
Speaker A:Like, if you're not good, it's really hard to operate.
Speaker A:And the way I operate, for those of you that have ever met me and know me, I'm what people would consider a workaholic.
Speaker A:For me, I don't consider myself a workaholic.
Speaker A:I consider myself someone that has very intentional focus.
Speaker A:I have a very addictive personality to the things that I attach myself to.
Speaker A:So I have to be very careful in what I attach myself to because I become it.
Speaker A:And so I had to understand that I'm becoming my work.
Speaker A:I need to actually take a step back to reevaluate what direction I want to go in before I spend even more time.
Speaker A:Because I was losing myself.
Speaker A:I was losing control of my life and my mental well being.
Speaker A:I had become synonymous with my work and my identity was slipping away.
Speaker A:And while I was suffering in silence, no one knew this, but I knew I couldn't keep going like this.
Speaker A:So here's a truth that I want you to take away.
Speaker A:Dedicating your life to serving others is admirable.
Speaker A:Kudos to you, but it comes at a cost.
Speaker A:If you're not willing to fill your own cup, you'll eventually run dry.
Speaker A:If someone else isn't filling your cup, if all you are doing is filling other people's cups and your cup is not getting filled, it's going to run dry.
Speaker A:And that's exactly what happened to me.
Speaker A:And what happens when a cup runs dry and then it's just in the sun, it just keeps pouring, it cracks, it starts cracking.
Speaker A:And that's what happened to me.
Speaker A:So I took that sabbatical because I know I needed to.
Speaker A:I remember looking for signals, but I remember reading an email prior to when I was starting to think about taking the sabbatical from Vanessa Lau.
Speaker A:And I love Vanessa.
Speaker A:Vanessa keeps it real.
Speaker A:Go give her a follow.
Speaker A:She keeps it real on the Internet.
Speaker A:She's a YouTube sensation.
Speaker A:She creates really good, impactful, filling content.
Speaker A:And I remember reading her email and it said, I'm going on a sabbatical.
Speaker A:And I was literally reading her email and it felt like I was reading my own diary because she was saying some of the same things I was saying.
Speaker A:She was literally echoing the exact same things I was saying.
Speaker A:At the height of her success, she decided to take a step back, refund all her customers and decided to get off the Internet.
Speaker A:And I realized I needed to do the same.
Speaker A:And I read this almost a few months before I decided to take my sabbatical.
Speaker A:But I kept asking myself, wait, for what?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:What was I waiting for?
Speaker A:A permission?
Speaker A:A sign?
Speaker A:And the truth is, I didn't need either of those.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:I just needed to decide.
Speaker A:Here's a question I had to ask myself.
Speaker A:What's the risk of not doing anything when your life no longer feels like your own?
Speaker A:For me, that risk was too great.
Speaker A:I couldn't keep pushing the decision to change.
Speaker A:I had to actually do it.
Speaker A:I had to just cold turkey and just decide, does that make sense now?
Speaker A:I've had a lot of wins and failures along the way.
Speaker A:I'm not saying that everything was perfect.
Speaker A:It's been a roller coaster ride over the years.
Speaker A:I've had incredible wins.
Speaker A:I built an amazing team.
Speaker A:I helped execute the goals of the Power U Launch Marketing Accelerator.
Speaker A:Together we helped thousands of entrepreneurs generate over 100 million in sales.
Speaker A:These wins were a testament to what's possible when you surround yourself with the right people.
Speaker A:These wins were a testament to the good work and the impact that we were making on other brands.
Speaker A:But I've also had a lot of failures.
Speaker A:I struggled with delegating sometimes because I wanted everything done at a high standard.
Speaker A:I held on to the CEO title for too long, even though my strengths lie in building and strategizing and not the day to day management.
Speaker A:I learned that being a CEO isn't the end goal, it's just the title.
Speaker A:And sometimes holding onto it can hold you back.
Speaker A:These are some of the critical moments.
Speaker A:If I had to do things all over again, these were the holes that I seen in my process.
Speaker A:So again, walking away from success is never easy.
Speaker A:Walking away from something that's working is never easy, but it's sometimes necessary.
Speaker A:I had to realize that the best is yet to come.
Speaker A:If I was able to do this, what else am I capable of when I myself is whole again, Right?
Speaker A:And where I am right now is just scratching the surface.
Speaker A:If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or lost in your own success or know it's time to pivot, know this.
Speaker A:It's okay to step back.
Speaker A:It's okay to redefine what success and what the road ahead means to you.
Speaker A:And it's okay to prioritize your own happiness over this hustle culture.
Speaker A:So if this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it.
Speaker A:And if you're ready to take the first step towards reclaiming your life, hit, subscribe and join me on this journey because you don't need permission to live life on your own terms.
Speaker A:All right, I'll see you during the next episode.
Speaker B:It's been a long time and I miss this feeling it feels like freedom it feels like healing Floating off the floor Past the ceiling the wind in my hair I can see the light at the end of the tunnel as I'm taking flight Man, I'm feeling like myself again hey man, I'm feeling like myself again it's been a long time and I miss this feeling.
