"Hustle" has become a dirty word.
Mention it in certain business circles and you'll get eye rolls, lectures about work-life balance, and warnings about burnout. We've collectively decided that hustle culture is toxic, that working hard is somehow wrong, and that anyone who suggests otherwise is stuck in 2015.
But here's what I believe: hustle culture isn't dead. It shouldn't be dead. Business is hard right now, and pretending it isn't doesn't help anyone.
The problem isn't hustle. It's hustle without boundaries.
The pendulum swung too far
Somewhere along the way, we threw the baby out with the bathwater.
We went from "work yourself to death" to "seamless success or nothing" and there's a huge middle ground we're ignoring. Because the truth is, you cannot build a successful business without some level of hustle.
There. I said it.
What hustle actually means
Let's be clear about what I mean by hustle, because the word has been twisted beyond recognition.
Hustle isn't:
- Working 100-hour weeks indefinitely
- Neglecting your health and relationships
- Being busy for the sake of being busy
- Grinding yourself into dust to prove your worth
- Never taking breaks or time off
Hustle is:
- Putting in focused effort when it's needed
- Working extra hours during critical periods
- Pushing through when things get difficult
- Showing up consistently, even when you don't feel like it
- Being willing to do what others won't
The difference? Intentionality and sustainability.
Why business requires hustle
Here's what business gurus on social media don't want to tell you: building a business is genuinely hard work.
We work with a lot of small business owners, and we see the same pattern repeatedly. Someone implements a strategy. It starts to work. They get excited. And then they pull back.
"What do I do next?" they ask.
You keep going. That's what you do next, indefinitely, on repeat.
That's not sexy. That's not the overnight success story Instagram promised you. But it's reality.
The overnight success that took 15 years
Social media gives us the highlight reel. Someone launches a product and it "goes viral." Someone starts a business and it's "an instant hit." What we don't see are the 15 years of work that preceded that moment.
We don't see:
- The years of building skills
- The failed attempts before this one
- The network they cultivated over a decade
- The savings they built up to take the risk
- The late nights and early mornings
- The problems they solved that nobody saw
Everyone wants to win the lottery. Everyone wants to be the overnight success. And yes, sometimes that happens. But it's the minority, not the majority.
The rest of us? We have to hustle.
The wisdom in the journey
There's an old story about a student and a master. The student asks, "Master, how long will it take me to become a master?"
"Ten years," the master replies.
"But what if I work 24/7? What if I cut back my sleep and completely focus on this?"
The master thinks about it. "Then it will take you 20 years."
The student is confused. "But I'm working harder. How does that make sense?"
The master responds: "If you've only got one eye on the path and one eye elsewhere, then it's going to take you longer."
This is the challenge with hustle without boundaries. When you're so focused on the end goal that you miss everything else (the learning, the relationships, the joy, the wisdom) you actually slow yourself down.
There needs to be strategy. There needs to be reflection. There needs to be joy.
Because if you spend all that time just grinding without thinking, without appreciating the journey, you'll burn out long before you reach your destination.
My 20s: A Cautionary Tale
I can speak to this from experience. In my 20s, I was the poster child for hustle culture.
I worked 100-hour weeks. I was running four different businesses simultaneously. I was multitasking like it was an Olympic sport. Everything (and I mean everything) went into business.
I neglected my relationship. I wasn't present with my children as much as I wanted to be. I didn't sleep enough. I barely exercised. My health suffered.
And you know what? At the time, I thought I was winning.
Looking back, I can see what was really happening: I was running on fear. Fear of failure. Fear of not providing for my family. Fear of ending up back where I started, with nothing.
That kind of hustle is survival mode. And yes, it got me ahead. But it also led me straight to burnout. It wasn't sustainable. I couldn't keep doing that over the long term.
When hustle Is about survival
Here's something important to acknowledge: not everyone has the luxury of choice.
Some people hustle because they have to. Because they're living in poverty. Because they're supporting family members. Because the alternative is not eating or losing their home.
That hustle doesn't come from ambition, it comes from necessity. And there's no shame in that. There's no weakness in doing what you have to do to survive.
I was in that position once. I didn't have the privilege to "choose joy" or "work sustainably." I had bills to pay and children to feed.
But here's what I learned: survival hustle has an expiration date. You can't sustain it forever. And the goal should always be to work your way out of survival mode and into sustainable mode.
If you can choose, choose sustainable hustle. If you can't yet, know that this season won't last forever.
What sustainable hustle looks like
Now that I'm older (and hopefully wiser), I've learned what healthy hustle actually looks like.
- It has boundaries. Yes, sometimes I pull longer days. Yes, sometimes I work weekends. But it's a choice, not a constant. And it's balanced with rest.
- It comes from love, not fear. I hustle now because I love what I do. Because I'm building something meaningful. Not because I'm terrified of what happens if I don't.
- It includes strategy. I'm not just working hard, I'm working smart. I'm focusing on high-impact activities. I'm delegating. I'm automating. I'm optimising.
- It protects what matters. My health is non-negotiable. My relationships are protected. My values are honoured. Business is important, but it's not absolutely everything.
- It has rhythm. I work hard during busy seasons and pull back during slower ones. I sprint and then I rest. I push and then I recover.
This isn't the hustle culture of my 20s. It's something better.
The strategy discussion we need to have
Someone recently said to me, "But you're working harder by not working as hard!"
And I think they're onto something.
Working smarter doesn't mean working less. It means being more intentional. More strategic. More focused on what actually makes a difference
It means saying no to things that don't serve your goals. It means batching similar tasks. It means automating what you can. It means asking for help. It means having conversations. It means learning things.
It's still hustle. It's just smarter hustle.
When you should go all in
There are times when hustle is absolutely necessary:
- When you're launching something new. The first 90 days of a new business, product, or service require intense focus and effort. That's just reality.
- When you've found something that works. This is when you need to double down, not pull back. Strike while the iron is hot.
- When facing a critical deadline. Sometimes the work just needs to get done, and you do what it takes.
- When solving urgent problems. Crisis mode exists for a reason. Sometimes you have to hustle hard to fix something broken.
- When seizing a time-sensitive opportunity. Some opportunities don't wait. When they appear, you move.
The key is knowing these are seasons, not lifestyles.
The questions that matter
Before you hustle, ask yourself:
- Why am I doing this? If the answer is fear, that's a red flag. If it's purpose or opportunity, that's different.
- Is this sustainable? Can I maintain this pace for the next month? Six months? Year? If not, what can I change?
- What am I sacrificing? Is it worth it? Am I making a conscious choice or just defaulting to busy?
- Do I love this? Not every moment has to be joyful, but if you feel nothing but resentment, something's gotta give.
- What's my North Star? When things get hard (and they will), what's going to keep me moving forward?
If you can't answer these questions, you're not hustling strategically, you're just grinding.
The healthy hustle
Hustle culture isn't dead, and anyone who tells you it is either has a trust fund or is selling you something.
Building a business requires hard work. It requires showing up when you don't feel like it. It requires pushing through obstacles. It requires doing things that are difficult and uncomfortable.
But it doesn't require destroying yourself in the process.
The future of hustle isn't no hustle. It's better hustle. Smarter hustle. Sustainable hustle.
It's hustle with boundaries, with purpose, with joy woven throughout. It's the tortoise, not the hare, moving steadily, strategically, with one eye on the destination and one eye on the journey.
Where are you on the hustle spectrum? Are you grinding yourself into dust, or have you swung so far the other way that you're avoiding the hard work your business needs? Let us know in the comments.
