There comes a moment in many womenpreneurs’ journeys when something unexpected happens.
The business you built with intention… The frameworks you refined… The programs you led… The strategy you mastered…
…starts to feel steady.
Stable.
Proven.
And then something else begins whispering.
Or maybe not whispering.
Maybe it’s knocking.
Loudly.
For me, that whispering was always cycling and then it began “knocking”.
I answered the knock first by working part time in a bike shop. I found I loved talking to people about bikes, what type of bike to buy, where they wanted to ride, where to find places to ride, what other gear they needed, what they didn’t need and on and on. I was good in the bike shop. But when we moved, the job was too far away.
I researched opening my own bike shop.
Creating a non-profit bike shop that took in used bikes and refurbished them so that everyone that wanted a bike could access a bike either by paying a low price for it or earning it through education and volunteering. The idea was SO big it overwhelmed me.
And the feedback in from local experts was that the community wasn’t big enough to support it.
And here’s what I’ve been reflecting on:
What do you do when your passion starts standing shoulder-to-shoulder with your business?
Or even stepping in front of it?
The Lie We’re Taught About Pivoting
Many entrepreneurs believe pivoting means:
- You failed.
- You got distracted.
- You’re chasing another shiny thing.
- You’re abandoning your original vision.
But that’s rarely true.
Often, a pivot is not a rejection of your work.
It’s an expansion of it.
Sometimes it’s the next expression of who you’ve become.
When I look at the Business Growth Compass — Leadership, Marketing, Operations, Innovation — I realize something important:
Passion usually shows up in the Innovation quadrant first.
It starts as curiosity. Energy. Creative spark.
If ignored, it fades. If explored, it reveals direction. There are a couple of ways to approach it.
Option 1: Build Your Passion Alongside Your Business
For many women — especially those 45+ who’ve built something solid — the smartest move isn’t burning it all down.
It’s integration.
Your existing business:
- Funds the experiment.
- Provides structure.
- Teaches discipline.
- Offers credibility.
- Keeps cash flow stable.
Your passion project:
- Restores energy.
- Expands identity.
- Attracts new audiences.
- Reveals new skills.
- Reignites creativity.
This is not distraction.
This is layered leadership.
You don’t have to abandon your strategy to explore your calling.
In fact, your strategy may be what allows the calling to breathe safely.
Option 2: Pivot Fully — But From Clarity, Not Emotion
There are times when passion isn’t a side project.
It’s a signal. (For me, people kept telling me — “you light up when you start talking bikes!!”)
But here’s the key:
- Never pivot from exhaustion.
- Never pivot from comparison.
- Never pivot from panic.
- Pivot from alignment.
Ask yourself:
- Is this passion sustainable?
- Does it solve a real problem?
- Can I articulate its value clearly?
- Am I running toward something — or away from something?
- What could this look like in 3 years?
A pivot should still honor the core of who you are.
Based on my bike shop experience, I decided to start building Bike Women Bike — a community for everyday women who want to reconnect with movement, confidence, and courage on two wheels.
When I look at Bike Women Bike, I see:
Community. Encouragement. Systems. Growth. Confidence-building. Purpose.
Those are the same values that built Compass Rose Consulting.
The form may shift. The mission does not.
The Hidden Fear Beneath Passion
Here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:
Sometimes we’re not afraid of failing at the new thing.
We’re afraid of starting over in public.
Especially after we’ve built expertise.
Especially after we’ve been “the expert.”
Starting something new can make you feel like a beginner again.
And that can bruise the ego.
But growth requires identity expansion.
If you are a visionary leader, you will outgrow versions of yourself.
That’s not instability.
That’s evolution.
The Real Question
The question is not:
“Should I quit my business for my passion?”
The real question is:
“What is the most aligned next step?”
Maybe that’s:
- Creating one offer inside your passion.
- Launching a pilot group.
- Testing content for 90 days.
- Giving it 20% of your creative energy.
- Or mapping a 12-month transition plan.
Aligned growth is strategic. It is not reactive.
For the Woman Reading This
If you’re feeling the pull toward something new — art, cycling, writing, teaching, advocacy, community building — pause before dismissing it.
Passion is data.
It tells you:
- Where energy flows.
- Where impact might grow.
- Where leadership is stretching.
And sometimes… It tells you where your next chapter is waiting.
What I’m Choosing
I’m not burning down what I’ve built.
I’m not abandoning the Compass.
I’m expanding it.
Bike Women Bike isn’t separate from my business philosophy.
It’s another expression of it.
Because whether we’re talking about business or bicycles…
Women deserve:
- Confidence.
- Community.
- Structure.
- Encouragement.
- And the courage to ride their own path.
If you’re standing at a crossroads between your established business and a rising passion, I’d love to know:
Are you integrating? Or are you pivoting?
And what’s holding you back from taking the next aligned step?