Running a small business means wearing many hats—creator, marketer, customer service, strategist. The to-do list never seems to end, and the pressure to always be growing can feel relentless.
But here’s the thing: you are a seasonal being.
You evolved for cycles of effort and rest, just like the natural world around you. Yet capitalism pushes for endless, ever-increasing growth—more launches, more sales, more hustle, always more. It’s exhausting, unsustainable, and unnatural.
The alternative? Rewild your business. Work with seasonal cycles instead of against them. Align your tasks with nature’s rhythm—and with your own shifting energy levels throughout the year.
By using the seasons as a compass for your business, you can relate to all aspects of your business each in their own season, continuing to move forward while still building something scalable, sustainable, and deeply fulfilling.
I've been visiting the same creek in the woods almost weekly all winter, and it is amazing to see how it changes through the seasons.
Even from week to week it's always changing, reminding me of the adage, 'you can never step in the same river twice.'
I have crossed it by hopping across stones, and returned to find it frozen solid. Next time the water was so high I could no longer see the stones I had hopped across before. Then the water was frozen even higher. Then it was thawed and so flooded that it engulfed sections of the trail, and islands of trees were created in a temporary lake.
The last time I went, the water was calm again, and the creek was lined with ice shelves, illustrating where the water level had been twice before. Icicles and little bubbles sparkled in the sun like the creek was wearing jewels.
Just like the water moves with the seasons, your business flows through cycles of growth, refinement, rest, and renewal. Instead of fighting this natural rhythm, you can use it to guide your work—knowing that every season has its purpose.
The Seasons of Wild Business
What if your business followed natural cycles instead of forcing constant growth? Here are some ideas for how you can align your work with the seasons:
Spring: Preparing the groundwork for summer growth
As the earth wakes up, so does your business energy. Spring is for laying foundations, reviewing your profiles & systems, and preparing for a season of expansion.
- Review your online profiles: are they clear, aligned, and attracting the right people?
- Review your systems—is it easy for your audience to buy?
- Make a plan for audience-building
Summer: Time for Rapid Growth
In summer, the plants are soaking up the sun and growing quickly. The days are long, energy is high, and you may not want to spend hours inside on your laptop. This is the time for sustainable, low-effort growth.
- Create easy, low-effort content while you're out enjoying the season
- Implement your audience-building plan
- Connect with your community—engage, nurture, and grow
Fall: Harvest and refine
Fall is harvest season—a time to reap the benefits of your summer audience building. Just as trees shed their leaves to prepare for winter, this is a time to let go of what’s not working and focus on what is.
- Reap the benefits of your summer growth—launch, sell, or share your offer
- Prep for winter by simplifying and streamlining your systems. Automate what you can.
Winter: Rest, reflect, and plan
- Review the past year—celebrate wins, learn from challenges
- Dream up new goals for the next cycle
- Set intentions and plant the seeds for a strong spring
Nature Doesn’t Rush—Neither Should You
All winter, I barely saw a single squirrel. No birds flitting through the trees. Just stillness.
Now, with the first hints of warmth, the world is waking up again. Birds are chirping, squirrels are squirreling!
Your business is the same. If you try to force summer’s high-energy output in winter, you’ll burn out. If you try to plant seeds in fall, you’ll struggle to get them to grow. But when you align with the right season for the right work, everything feels simpler, lighter, and more natural.
A More Sustainable Way to Grow Your Business
In Birch Business Collective, I guide entrepreneurs through seasonal business cycles, helping you build a sustainable online business that grows without constant hustle.
Want to create an online course that sells while you’re out enjoying nature? Need help scaling your business so you have more time freedom? Craving a more natural, wild approach to business growth?
I’ve got you.
In Birch Business Collective, I share seasonal business guides, tutorials, and strategies—starting with the Spring Business Boost, designed to help you plant strong seeds for growth.
Join now to save with introductory pricing.
The Spring Business Boost starts April 1st.