Why ease in business is a signal of good strategy (not a luxury)
Have you noticed if you tend to treat that feeling of ease or relaxation or reward as something you earn later?
After growth.
After success.
After you’ve “paid your dues”.
After you’ve “made $XX.
After you hire someone.
But ease isn’t a reward, it’s a signal.
When work in general, or churning out your marketing feels consistently hard, clunky, or draining, it’s rarely because you aren’t capable. More often, it’s because the way you’re doing things or the way you’ve been told to do things no longer matches reality.
Reality has a way of changing direction and disrupting strategy. Friction (my favourite topic) has a way of pushing out deadlines, creating overwhelm and keeping ease at arms length.
Friction shows up quietly:
Roles that have expanded without being redefined
Decisions that sit nowhere, so they land everywhere
Systems layered on top of old systems “just for now”
Messaging that doesn’t service you or your audience
Over time, this creates a strange dynamic where everyone is busy, competent, and well-intentioned - yet slightly exhausted.
Ease doesn’t mean the absence of effort, it means the effort is going in the right direction.
One simple way to identify friction is to notice repetition:
Repeated clarification
Repeated delays
Repeated frustration over the same issues
That repetition is your cue. Something needs redesigning, not pushing through. I’ve got a free audit you can download here if you’d like to do something practical to locate the friction in your marketing or service delivery.
BUT if you’re looking for long-term solutions and strategy, this is the kind of thing I explore in more depth through my workshops, one-on-ones and strategy.
I also dig deeper on Substack (a new platform for me). I’m offering advice, tips and calling out patterns I see again and again in business, organisations and leadership roles. Join me there or please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or your preferred platform.
Hi, I’m Erika.
I work with small businesses, organisations and leaders who want clarity around visibility, influence, and public voice without performance, hype, or unnecessary risk.
I’ve spent 30 years in marketing, employer brand, social media training and customer experience, so I spend a lot of time learning and thinking about how people interpret information, make decisions, and respond to uncertainty.
That lens shapes everything I do.
If this article resonated and you’d like to discuss it more, I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn or Substack or send me an email.
