Over the years in my 10 years long coaching practice, I’ve witnessed time and time again how challenging it can be for introverted, empathic, and highly sensitive coaches, spiritual teachers, healers, and entrepreneurs to follow generic, popularly preached online business advice, as many of the online business strategies are aligned with extroverts, Human Design Generators (or Manifesting Generators), and people who thrive on constant action, interaction, and visibility. For those of us who are introverted, more intuitive, empathic, or energetically sensitive, same business model that works (really well) for most of the people – can feel draining, overwhelming, and suffocating.
Many of my clients struggle with the constant demand to be present on social media — to post daily, do livestreams, record videos, conduct sales calls, and follow rigid content calendars. But, what I’ve seen times and times again over the years is that: creatives, healers, and intuitively gifted natives often create their best content when they channel, not when they try to squeeze their creativity into a pre-made ’30-day content strategy template’. And for introverts, the pressure to constantly show up, make videos, conduct sales calls, or be “on social media” 24/7 can lead to deep burnout, nervous system disregulation, and overwhelm.
I have experienced it myself – as an INFJ Manifestor in Human Design, I found daily social media posting, creating weekly podcast or video content, and conducting sales calls incredibly exhausting and energetically draining. Over time, I began questioning whether there was another, more aligned way to build a successful business. Luckily, over the years, I have created a business model that truly works for me—one that supports my introverted nature and my slow living lifestyle.
I started implementing major shifts in my business 2019., when I started creating digital products (which made it possible for me to earn money even while resting, sleeping, traveling, or watching Netflix), and then in 2021, when recurring respiratory infections were leaving me with a sour voice and completely exhausted – and I had to slow down. I began using automation tools for social media posting, sales, and marketing. I redesigned my business model and offer suite, and decided to devote my focus and energy to what I genuinely enjoy: creating long-form written content—blog posts, email newsletters, articles, Sretna Žena Magazine, and writing books.
In 2022, I was able to cut my working hours in half while my income continued to grow, thanks to digital products and automation tools. In 2023 and 2024, I experienced some of my most profitable months while on vacation, during what is typically considered the “dry season” in the coaching industry—without actively working. This year, I even had record-breaking sales in July and August, while I was on vacation and recovering from jaw inflammation and painful tooth extractions that followed. This happened despite my Facebook account—and the Facebook ads I had only started running in May—being suspended for 40 days.
So, I can confirm that it is possible to build an online business that feels aligned with more introverted energy—a way that doesn’t require constant social media posting, endless video content, or exhausting live launches and sales calls.
Much of the mainstream business and marketing world has been shaped around extroverted, ‘masculine’, hustle-oriented models. These strategies assume constant visibility, daily social media posting and ‘omnipresence’ on social media platforms, frequent live videos, high-energy launches, and sales calls — essentially, an “always online” approach. But, a large portion of the population simply isn’t wired for that level of constant external output.
That being said, most popular business and marketing strategies were popularised and taught by men, reflecting linear, action-driven, and externally focused ways of working. Only in recent years have we begun to see more female business mentors and leaders bringing forward feminine, intuitive, cyclical business models (that take in consideration female hormonal cycle) — ones that honour rest, emotional attunement, slower rhythms, and authentic creativity and expression.
Research consistently shows that between 25–40% of people identify as introverts, depending on the population and methodology used. For example, a large-scale study conducted by the Myers-Briggs Company, which surveyed over 915,000 people globally between 2009 and 2018, found that around 41.7% of respondents preferred introversion over extroversion.¹ Similarly, data compiled by the American Psychological Association highlights that introversion is not a niche trait but a core personality orientation for millions of people worldwide.
Introverted individuals thrive in quieter, more reflective environments, often needing time alone to recharge their energy. Activities that demand constant visibility, frequent interaction, or overstimulation — like daily social media posting, going live or creating video content multiple times a week, or being “on” all the time — can leave them feeling energetically depleted.
On top of that, around 15–20% of people are classified as Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs). This concept was pioneered by Dr. Elaine Aron, a clinical psychologist and researcher, in the 1990s. Her research, which has since been replicated in various countries including the U.S., Canada, China, and several European nations, involved personality assessments, physiological measurements, and questionnaires administered to thousands of participants.²
HSPs have nervous systems that are biologically wired to process sensory and emotional information more deeply. fMRI studies have shown that HSP individuals exhibit greater activation in areas of the brain related to awareness, empathy, and sensory integration, such as the insula and mirror neuron systems.³ According to Aron’s findings, about 70% of HSPs also lean toward introversion, which compounds their sensitivity to overstimulation.
For these individuals, the non-stop demands of modern online business — daily content creation, algorithm chasing, launch cycles, and interaction — can easily lead to sensory overload and emotional burnout. What might feel like an exciting visibility strategy for an extroverted entrepreneur can feel like a constant energetic drain for someone whose system is wired to take in more and process it more deeply.
When we add Human Design into the picture, the contrast becomes even clearer. Generators and Manifesting Generators make up about 70% of the population, and much of the marketing advice circulating online naturally reflects strategies that suit their sacral energy . But if you’re a Projector, Reflector, or Manifestor woman, your energy works very differently.
For many women — especially introverted, intuitive, empathic entrepreneurs, healers, or highly sensitive ones — trying to squeeze themselves into a model built for someone with entirely different energy can feel not just exhausting, but almost like a betrayal of their true nature.
If you’ve ever felt that daily posting, live video launches, or being constantly visible online was draining rather than inspiring — there’s nothing “wrong” with you. You simply need a business model that honours how you’re designed.
But, at the same time, we need to have in mind that in order to build a slow business, we need to have solid structures and systems in place. These foundations allow our business to work without us, continue serving our audience, and generate consistent cash flow—so that we can truly slow down. With the right structures, we can let go of exhausting live launches, endless sales calls, and manual daily (manual) social media posting. Some of these systems include:
Digital products suite: courses, meditations, guides, or books that can generate income without constant presence online.
Automated evergreen offers – that allow people to join anytime, with welcome emails, recorded lessons or resources library, Q&A coaching calls, ongoing intuitive or healing sessions…
Recurring revenue streams: f.e. memberships, women’s or spiritual circles, Substack subscription, royalties, or monthly payment plans options.
Gentle automated sales systems: welcome sequences, optional offers, discounts, and nurturing emails.
‘Long-shelf’ marketing content: blogs, articles, PDF guides, automated email-newsletters, or Pinterest pins that continue to attract clients for months or years. (These can also be YouTube videos, video trainings, or podcast episodes – if we do not find them too draining to create).
Automated social media posting tools and website plugins.
Automated (simplified) sales funnels and email sequences.
Sales pages with in-depth information and FAQs about products, programs, or services (that can replace the need for sales calls, DMs and email exchanges).
These systems can allow you to create, rest, and serve without being “always online”, so you can write, meditate, walk in nature, spend time with loved ones, or channel/ create your next piece of content/ book/ art/ signature offering in alignment with your energy — all while your business continues to work quietly in the background.
Slow business is sustainable, intentional, and rooted in alignment, freedom, authenticity, and credibility. You get to build a business that works with your energy, not against it. You get to create in deep, inspired bursts and then allow systems, structures, and evergreen content to carry your work into the world while you rest, recharge, or focus on what matters most.
Slow business is about intentionally structuring your work around your energy and creating systems that allow your work to continue while you rest, create, or spend time with loved ones – that can protect your nervous system from overstimulation, and burnout.
Your marketing can be sustainable and authentic, focused on lasting value instead of temporary visibility.
This is the new paradigm – slow business.
#Calmpreneur
If you’re ready to build a business that supports your energy and lifestyle, not the other way around, I’ve created something that will guide you every step of the way. In my PDF guide, ‘Wake Up to Payment Notifications — The Ultimate Guide to Five-Figure Months from Passive Sales’, I shared the exact blueprint I used to create and sell digital products, along with the systems, automation tools, and WordPress plugins that helped me cut my working hours in half, slow down intentionally, and have most profitable months from instant-access offers, even while on vacation.
If you desire personalised support and deeper mentorship to help you design and implement your own slow business model, click here to explore my private business coaching and mentorship services.
References:
Myers-Briggs Company (2018). MBTI® Global Data Report. Survey of 915,000+ people worldwide.
Aron, E. N., & Aron, A. (1997). “Sensory-Processing Sensitivity and Its Relation to Introversion and Emotionality.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(2), 345–368.
Acevedo, B. P. et al. (2014). “The Highly Sensitive Brain: An fMRI Study of Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Response to Others’ Emotions.” Brain and Behavior, 4(4), 580–594.
© Danijela Jokic Vaislay | 2025
