Every work-from-home entrepreneur eventually has to figure out how to bounce back after a tough week (without losing momentum). Because life happens, and it’s never perfect.
The sourdough starter falls flat. The dog throws up on the rug. Your back pain flares up right in the middle of a deadline. And you’re left feeling like you lost your spark — or worse, like you’re failing at this whole business owner thing.
But friend, just like sourdough starter, it’s normal to rise, fall, and rise again. That’s the cycle.
Falling isn’t failure. It’s just part of the process.
Tough Weeks Are Part of the WFH Entrepreneur Journey
Think about sourdough starter … you feed it, it bubbles and rises, and then — inevitably — it collapses back down.
That collapse isn’t the end of the story. It’s just what happens before it’s fed again and rises once more.
The same is true for you and your business.
A tough week doesn’t erase the momentum you’ve built. It’s simply part of the rhythm of entrepreneurship.
Your momentum isn’t gone, even when it feels like it. It’s just resting.
The Myth of Constant Upward Progress
There’s a cultural myth that success is a straight climb upward, with no dips, stalls, or backward steps.
But if you’ve ever been a Gen X kid trying to record your favorite song off the radio with a cassette tape, you know real life doesn’t work that way. There’s static. The DJ talks over the intro. Sometimes the tape tangles.
That doesn’t mean the music isn’t worth recording. It just means you work with what you’ve got, untangle the mess, and keep going.
Momentum in business is the same.
It’s messy. It has noise. But when you keep pressing play — keep showing up — you still make progress.
Feeding Your Confidence After a Setback
The key to bouncing back is feeding yourself the right things so your confidence can rise again. That might mean:
- Resting without guilt. Just like your starter needs downtime, so do you.
- Returning to basics. Water, sleep, movement, good food — they’re foundational.
- Reconnecting with your wins. Write down three things you did accomplish, even during the tough week.
- Feeding your mind encouragement. Re-read testimonials, client thank-yous, or notes from people who believe in you.
Confidence isn’t a one-and-done achievement. It’s something you feed regularly.
When Life Throws Curveballs
A flat tire on Monday. A sick kid (or dog) on Wednesday. A client ghosting you on Friday. Any one of those could knock you down. Three in a row? That’s enough to make you question everything.
But remember this:
Sourdough doesn’t stay collapsed forever, and neither do you.
When setbacks pile up, pause and remind yourself that:
- This dip is temporary.
- I have risen before, and I will rise again.
- My business isn’t defined by this one hard week.
Sometimes, bouncing back isn’t about doing something big. It’s simply about not quitting.
Practical Ways to Regain Momentum
You don’t have to overhaul everything to get back on track. Start small, and let the rise come naturally.
Here are some practical ways you can bounce back after (or during!) a tough week:
- Choose one priority. Instead of juggling everything, pick the single most important task for today.
- Set a timer. Give yourself 20 minutes of focused work. Tiny bursts rebuild momentum.
- Declutter your space. Clearing your desk can help clear mental cobwebs.
- Revisit your why. Write down why you started this business in the first place. Let it anchor you.
- Celebrate micro-wins. Finishing an email, updating your to-do list, or making that phone call all count.
These small acts are like feeding your starter a scoop of flour and water — simple, but powerful.
Reclaim Your Confidence After Setbacks
Confidence isn’t about never falling. It’s about trusting yourself to rise again. That’s where tools like this month’s Confidence Compass come in handy. It’s a guided worksheet that helps you do the following:
- Write down your recent wins — your “North Star” reminders that you are moving forward.
- Reframe doubts into truths — your “West Anchors” to steady you when negative self-talk sneaks in.
- Reflect on the lessons from your challenges — your “East Horizon” offering fresh insights for the path ahead.
- Identify your confidence anchors — your “Southern Roots” that keep you grounded.
Using the Confidence Compass gives you clarity on what to do next instead of spinning in overwhelm.
For example, let’s say your tough week included a client canceling last-minute and your laptop acting up.
In the Compass, you might write down a recent win (North Star): “I signed a new client last week who’s excited to work with me.”
You’d then reframe a doubt (West Anchor) from “I’m terrible at managing tech” to “I figured out the last tech glitch, and I can figure this one out too.” That shift alone can help you feel steadier and more resilient.
Or maybe your challenge was that you missed a project deadline with your new client because you underestimated the time it would take. The (East Horizon) lesson? Build in extra buffer time next round. That insight transforms the frustration of the setback into a guidepost for future success.
Think of this bounce-back process like checking on your starter: do you need to add encouragement, clarity, or rest to get that bubbly rise going again?
Even without the tool in front of you, the principle remains the same:
Notice where you are, feed yourself what you need, and trust that the rise will come.
Action Step
This week, when you feel the dip of a setback, pause and ask yourself this:
What’s one thing I can feed myself right now — encouragement, rest, focus, or clarity — to help me rise again?
Write it down. Then do it.
If you’d like more guidance, I’d love for you to become a Tenacious WFH Insider or VIP. You’ll get access to the Confidence Compass Mini Power Tool (with its true north, anchors, and compass point guidance), along with the full archive of past tools — all designed to help you bounce back faster and keep your business momentum going strong.
Because remember, friend, you’re like that sourdough starter. You’re meant to rise again. And you will.