Excellence By Design Academy

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“Growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you want to be.”

-John C. Maxwell

"The greatest courageous act that we must all do is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams." ~ Oprah Winfrey

Do you ever feel like you are doing all the ‘right’ things and not seeing the results?

Og Mandino says that “It is those who concentrate on the one thing at a time who advance in the world.”

What are you concentrating on?

We need focus and we need to focus on the right things.

There is no magic formula, however there is a formula.

It's taken alot of trying to get things right, I finally got it...

The gift lies in the journey.

The best gift that a business owner can give their business is the best version of themselves.

And I want to share what I am learning with you.

We talk about all thing's leadership, business, and personal development. We may even throw in a lil’ tech tool help here and there too!

~ Coach Dezi

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The Present Entrepreneur: Building a Business That Serves Your Life (Part 2)

November 19, 20242 min read

Remember that fog we talked about in Part 1? Now that you've found your clarity, let's talk about something equally important – creating a business that doesn't just make money, but actually fits into your life. (And yes, it's totally possible!)

The Myth of the "Always On" Entrepreneur

Let me share something personal: I used to think being a "successful" entrepreneur meant being available 24/7, just like in my corporate days. My phone would ding at midnight with client messages, and I'd jump to respond.

Or... I'd look at the email and try to tell myself that I'd take care of it later, but it now was renting real estate in my head. Sound familiar?

Here's the truth bomb: That's not success – that's a recipe for burnout.

The real magic happens when you design your business around your life, not the other way around. And I'm not just talking about scheduling – I'm talking about creating a business that reflects who you are and how you want to live.

Your Business, Your Rules

One of my clients came to me exhausted from trying to run her consulting business like her old corporate job – rigid 9-to-5 hours, back-to-back Zoom calls, and that constant feeling of being "on." Together, we redesigned her business to match her natural rhythm:

She's a morning person? Great – client calls happen before 2 PM

• Needs Wednesdays for deep work? Blocked off

• Wants to pick up kids from school? Non-negotiable family time

The result? Her revenue actually increased by 30% because she was working in her zone of genius at her peak times.

Creating Your Business Boundaries

Here's a simple exercise that changed everything for me (and can do the same for you):

  1. List your non-negotiables (family time, exercise, hobbies)

  2. Identify your peak energy hours

  3. Design your business offerings around these parameters

Remember: You're not just a business owner – you're a whole person with a life, interests, and relationships outside of work.

The Permission Slip You've Been Waiting For

Consider this your official permission slip to:

• Create business hours that work for YOU

• Say no to clients and energy vampires who don't respect your boundaries

• Design services that energize rather than drain you

• Take that midday yoga class without guilt

Action Step: Take 30 minutes today to write down what your ideal work week looks like. Not what you think it should look like – what you actually want it to look like. This becomes your blueprint.

The truth is, running a business shouldn't feel like a prison you've built for yourself. It should feel like freedom, possibility, and joy – even on the challenging days.

Ready to design a business that truly serves your life? Join me for Part 3, where we'll dive into practical systems to make this vision your reality.

Want to explore how to build a business that works for your life, not against it? Let's chat. Book your discovery call today.

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Desiree Foster-Collins

Hi I'm Coach Dezi aka The #CreativeTechWhisperer. I'm a Business Coach & Mentor to women entrepreneurs. I'm a Certified Leadership Development Trainer, Six Sigma Green Belt & Human Behavior Consultant focused on helping women entrepreneurs & small business owners with building people, process & systems for their businesses. I love God, my 2 amazing kids and all things creative, business and tech.

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About Coach Dezi

Desiree Foster-Collins is the Founder of EBD
Collective Coaching & Consulting. She is a Maxwell Leadership Executive Program Team Member and a Certified Human Behavioral Consultant.

"You can have it all. Just not all at once." - Oprah Winfrey

This is the space where I share my thoughts, my wins, my learns and all things in-between on leading and growing my business.

I also share the parts that others won't - the hard parts of being the woman I desire to be and living out my purpose of helping you to grow your business and change lives. It starts and stops with you!

I'm a Mom to two amazing creative human beings. I love all things leadership, creativity, techy, travel and really good food.

I am a woman of faith and I will share about that too!

Thanks for being here!