Why You Shouldn’t Do Business Alone: Lessons on Outsourcing, Burnout & Building a Business You Love
A Conversation with Shannon McGill
Hi, friend! Welcome back to the Passports, Profits and Pixie Dust. I’m Lindsay Dollinger — high school Spanish teacher, dog mom, world traveler, and direct sales mentor to women who want to build businesses the right way so they can live the life of their dreams.
Today’s blog is based on a live podcast episode featuring someone I adore and admire: Shannon McGill, Founder and Managing Director of Diame Business Consulting in Columbus, Ohio.
If you’ve ever struggled with burnout…
If you juggle ALL the hats…
If you know you need help but don’t feel “ready”…
If you’re tired of doing everything in your business alone…
…this one is going to hit home. ❤️
Let’s dive in.
Listen in to the episode of the podcast here:
🌟 Meet Shannon: Business Strategist, Vision Protector & Queen of Keeping You in Your Zone of Genius
Shannon runs Diame Business Consulting, a company that supports small business owners by surrounding them with experts so they can stay in the lane they actually love.
Her company offers:
- Accounting
- HR
- Admin
- IT
- Marketing & branding
- Sales support
- Fractional C-suite execs who can step in without the full-time cost
Their mission is simple:
👉 Keep the entrepreneur in their passion, and build everything else around them.
Ummm… YES PLEASE.
🔥 Her Background? A Classic Entrepreneur Story (That So Many of Us Relate To)
Shannon started her career as a yoga instructor and personal trainer. She owned a fitness company with multiple locations — but like so many of us, she entered the business world for the passion… and discovered a whole mountain of behind-the-scenes work she did NOT want to be doing.
She was:
- Exhausted
- Missing family moments
- Drowning in admin
- Emotionally drained
- Working 80-hour weeks
And eventually… it all crashed.
After walking away from her fitness business, surviving a season of intense personal upheaval (divorce, health challenges, the loss of a parent), she realized:
👉 Entrepreneurs don’t fail because they’re not good at what they do. They fail because they’re forced to do EVERYTHING — including the things that kill their passion.
This is where her consulting company was born.
💥 Then COVID Hit… and Businesses Broke Wide Open
Before the pandemic, she slowly built her consulting company.
Then 2020 happened.
Every small, ignored “crack” in a business suddenly became a gaping hole.
Entrepreneurs were overwhelmed.
Processes were broken.
Teams weren’t equipped.
And everyone was trying to DIY everything.
Her business exploded from 4 team members to 14 practically overnight.
But with growth came chaos. She found herself back in firefighter mode — putting out fires 24/7, drowning in tasks, running on fumes.
So… she did what most people are terrified to do:
➡️ She pulled back.
➡️ She paused her marketing.
➡️ She reassessed everything.
➡️ She rebuilt her foundation.
➡️ She hired a COO and CFO.
Because, as she realized:
👉 You cannot help people effectively if the foundation of your own business is shaky.
💛 Lesson #1: Small Cracks Become Big Problems If You Ignore Them
This is so true whether you’re running a six-figure company, a direct sales business, or your side hustle.
Small inefficiencies…
A task you avoid…
A system you don’t know how to create…
A tech thing you put off…
Those tiny gaps grow into gaping holes when pressure hits.
Sometimes it’s a global crisis.
Sometimes it’s burnout.
Sometimes it’s overwhelm.
Sometimes it’s a family emergency.
But the cracks always show up.
💛 Lesson #2: Stop Trying to Do Everything Yourself
This was my favorite part of the interview.
Shannon said:
“Entrepreneurs sacrifice their businesses when they expect themselves to do it all.”
And it’s TRUE.
Here’s her advice:
✔️ You don’t need a full-time employee
Start with 2 hours a week.
Hand off ONE task.
✔️ Choose tasks you hate or procrastinate
Bookkeeping
Social graphics
Copywriting
Scheduling
Admin
Tech
Let someone else live in their zone of genius.
✔️ Use the time you gain wisely
Don’t hand off tasks and then sit on the couch.
Use that time for:
💰 Sales
💬 Conversations
📩 Follow-ups
🎙 Showing up
📝 Content creation
🔥 Income-producing activities
THIS is what grows your business.
💛 Lesson #3: Boundaries Are Not Optional — They’re the Key to Sustainability
We talked a lot about burnout, and she said something I LOVED:
👉 Your business does not define you.
Your health does.
Your energy does.
Your mental clarity does.
She shared her own shift:
💥 She now blocks off mornings until 10 a.m.
💥 That time is ONLY for personal routines — workouts, journaling, meditation, nourishment, mindset.
💥 Only after that does she work.
This flipped the script for her.
Because as she said:
“If I’m not well, nothing else will get done anyway.”
Can I get an AMEN?!
💛 Lesson #4: Time Management Starts With Knowing YOU
Here’s where my jaw dropped.
Shannon said she’s a free spirit — she does NOT function well with back-to-back blocks or rigid schedules.
So instead:
✨ She keeps a master task list in Trello
✨ She checks the list each morning
✨ Then she gives herself 2–4 hours to “float” between tasks
✨ Letting her brain choose the next task based on creativity and energy
And guess what?
SHE GETS MORE DONE THIS WAY.
Why?
Because it works for her brain, not against it.
A great reminder:
👉 Not everyone thrives with the same productivity system.
And that’s OK.
💛 Lesson #5: Pivoting Is Not Failure — It’s Wisdom
People often ask, “How do I know when it’s time to pivot?”
Her answer was powerful:
- Pivot when you can trust yourself.
- Pivot when the decision aligns with your long-term goals.
- Pivot when something feels heavy or misaligned.
- Pivot when NOT changing would cost you more than changing.
And this:
👉 If the pivot is based on fear of judgment?
It’s the wrong pivot.
💛 Lesson #6: A Healthy Business Requires a Healthy You
This might be my favorite quote of the interview:
“Your business will only ever be as strong as YOU are.”
If you are:
- Exhausted
- Scattered
- Insecure
- Overworked
- Spiraling
- Avoiding
- Second-guessing
…it will show up in your business.
Mindset isn’t “fluffy.”
It’s the foundation.
Shannon works with:
✔️ A business coach
✔️ A mindset coach
✔️ A personal development routine
✔️ Podcasts & books
✔️ Journaling
And she shared a practice I absolutely LOVE:
At night, she journals three things she is leaving in that day — insecurities, fears, bad habits, mistakes, doubts.
It helps her start the next day with a clean slate.
💛 Lesson #7: Community Is Everything
Shannon ended with this reminder:
“Small business can be mighty when we link arms. We’re stronger together.”
Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, network marketer, or running a full-blown company…
You don’t have to build alone.
You’re not supposed to.
Isolation kills dreams.
Support fuels momentum.
🌎 Shannon’s Favorite Travel Spot?
Portland, Oregon!
She raved about its energy, art, music, coastline, and overall vibe.
(She also loves Siesta Key + the Caribbean — girl after my own heart!)
🎉 Connect with Shannon
If you loved her wisdom, go follow her:
- Facebook: Shannon Close McGill
- Instagram: @ShannonMcGill
- LinkedIn: Shannon McGill
- Diame Business Consulting: (Facebook + Website linked in show notes)
💛 Final Thoughts
This interview was packed with wisdom for ANY woman building a business — especially one juggling family, a full-time job, and a big vision.
My biggest takeaways?
✨ You don’t have to be everything.
✨ You don’t have to do everything.
✨ You CAN outsource before you feel “ready.”
✨ You must protect your energy.
✨ You deserve support.
✨ You are the most important asset in your business.
And maybe the biggest one…
👉 Burnout is not a badge of honor. It’s a warning sign.
You can build your business AND have a life you love.
And you deserve both.