I've always known I'm an introvert.
That doesn't mean antisocial — which is what some have assumed in the past. In my business it means that managing people's emotions, coaching through problems, and holding space for someone's anxiety takes real energy from me. And the tank is smaller than I thought it was.
When I was teaching music in Chicago Public Schools, I had 50+ students in a single class period. High schoolers. In a music classroom, which is already louder and more chaotic than most rooms in the building. I loved it and it wrecked me simultaneously. The emotional and mental energy it took to manage that room — not just teach, but manage — was more than my system could sustain day after day.
When I went into business, I brought all of those skills with me. Leadership. Organization. Coaching. Directing a team. It all translated perfectly into operations consulting, especially working with creative businesses. So I used every bit of it without really looking at what it was doing to my energy.
What that looks like now... there are stretches where I'm just short with people. Drained. Not in the right headspace to coach effectively because I'm running on fumes. My team members are navigating new client situations they haven't faced before, which means they need extra support. On top of the clients needing support. All of that lands on me.
By Friday, after a team coaching session, my brain won't let go. I'm replaying conversations. Thinking about better ways to phrase something. Drafting follow-up advice in my head. Wanting to DM them a snippet of something useful. When it comes to people, it just... consumes me. Even if I technically have an hour left in the day to be productive, I can't pull it together after spending energy like that.
I tell myself: “You have the skills for this. You're great at it. You don't need help.”
But just because I can doesn't mean I should. Not at this volume. Not while also trying to run sales, marketing, strategy, and everything else that needs a founder's attention.
Coming to terms with that has been one of the harder growth moments for me this year. It means investing in support — even if that shifts my pay, even if that changes the math on something in the business. Because the alternative is a founder who's too depleted to do the things only she can do. And that's not sustainable. Not for me, not for the team, and definitely not for the clients who are counting on us.
Is there something in your business you're doing just because you're good at it — even though it's draining you? Reply and tell me. No judgment.
- Valentina, Mynt Collective Founder
📚 The Learning Lounge
A cozy corner where we share the latest insights, ideas, and takeaways from books, videos, articles, and more.
Why the Generalist Agency Is Officially Dead (Article): Clients aren't looking for another team that can "do everything" — they're looking for partners who've solved their exact problem seventeen times before. If your positioning still sounds like everyone else's, this is the read that'll make you rethink what you're leading with.
The Real Operations Behind Fast-Growing Creative Agencies (Video): Most founders try to fix "people problems" when they actually have "pipeline problems" that start long before a project kicks off. For a creative agency owner, this matters because without a standardized delivery framework, every new client feels like starting a whole new business. It’s the difference between a studio that scales and one that just creates more work for the founder.
Mastering Your Personal Annual Plan for 2026 (Video): A business that serves the founder is a success; a founder who serves the business is just an employee with more stress. This video helps you align your professional "Rocks" with personal life goals. It’s the ultimate reminder that operational stability isn't just for the bottom line—it’s for your own sanity.
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🗺️ Ways To Work With Us
A snapshot of ways we support small businesses. Know someone we could help? Share any of the links below.
Ops Audits: An Operational Audit that identifies bottlenecks and delivers a prioritized 90‑day plan with owners, dates, and quick wins.
Ops Retainers: Day-to-day support with the right roles on deck (Ops Manager, Executive Assistant, Fractional COO, and more). We run the rhythms, execute changes, maintain dashboards, and unblock the team—roles can expand or shift as needs evolve.
Ops Builds: Design and implement right‑sized tools and workflows, document SOPs, train the team, and drive adoption so the system gets used.
Ops Consulting: Targeted strategy to solve a specific issue without extra complexity. Focused sprints that leave you with playbooks and next steps.
💚 Full service ops for creative agencies.
Focus on big ideas, not busywork.