Sticking With a Hard Decision—Even When It Costs You Something

One of the toughest parts of running a business—or making any big life decision—isn’t just choosing the right path. It’s sticking with it when it gets hard.

Every entrepreneur faces seasons where the road forward is foggy. You weigh your options, gather advice, pray, trust your gut—and finally make the call. But then comes the real test: obstacles, doubts, setbacks. It’s in those moments that quitting often feels easier than staying the course.

I know this all too well. A few years ago, my husband and I made a life-changing decision to pull our three girls out of traditional school and start homeschooling.  At the time, it felt like jumping into the unknown. For me, it meant stepping away from a career in accounting. With the kids home full-time, working a traditional job became impossible. Remote accounting jobs were rare, and I suddenly found myself navigating full-time motherhood, homeschooling, and the unknown.

 Jumping into the unknown

So we began homeschooling. And let me tell you, that first year was brutal.

There were long, frustrating days—sometimes school lasted from 9 AM to 7 PM. There were tears (mostly theirs, sometimes mine), complaints, moments I wanted to give up and re-enroll them. My oldest struggled deeply with math. Helping her grasp basic math wasn’t just about re-teaching it—it was about un-teaching the mindset that “trying” was enough. At home, we weren’t just trying—we were learning until we understood. And that took time. A lot of time.

I wasn’t even the main teacher—thankfully, we had a program with professional instructors. My role was to check their work and guide them when things didn’t make sense. But even that required hours of explaining, supporting, encouraging. It was exhausting.

But we didn’t give up. We adapted. We held onto the values that led us there in the first place. And slowly, everything began to change.

This past year—our fourth—was the smoothest yet. The same daughter who once spent 10 hours on school now finishes her day in 4. Her younger sister finishes in 3. They’ve grown so much—in discipline, in knowledge, in faith. They read, play instruments, sew, create, and love each other fiercely. They’re not just learning—they’re thriving. And I wouldn’t trade a single moment of it.

What did that decision cost me? My career, at least temporarily. But what I gained was far greater. I was home with my kids during their formative years. And God didn’t leave me in that season—He used it to prepare me. God didn’t forget about my calling either. During those years, I started doing bookkeeping from home, slowly gaining full-charge experience in different industries. I discovered I didn’t just like accounting—I loved understanding the full picture of how businesses work. By God’s grace and with my husband’s support—launched my own business. This August will mark two years of serving clients in all kinds of industries and continue to learn from the incredible business owners I meet, it’s been an incredible journey.

I never imagined I’d meet so many people, help so many businesses, or grow so much myself. As a naturally shy person, this wasn’t in my plan—but it was clearly in God’s. That hard decision—the one that asked me to sacrifice my career? It turned out to be the very thing that shaped my next chapter.

What will next year bring? I don’t know. We’ll have four kids in homeschool (8th, 6th, 4th, and kindergarten), which means more challenges, more adjusting, more growing. But I’m not afraid. I know now that every hard season prepares us for the next. And looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

So here’s what I’ve learned:

Good decisions take time to bear fruit. Sticking with your plan—especially when it's aligned with your values and your purpose—is what separates long-term success from short-term panic. Whether you're building a business, changing careers, or homeschooling your kids, there will be a frustrating phase. Don’t give up just because it’s hard. Stay faithful, stay flexible, and stay focused, growth will come. You never know what that choice will unlock in your life.

For me, it brought patience, resilience, and a deeper love for helping others fix problems and find the right answers—not just in schoolwork, but in life and business too.

This post is based on my personal ideas and experiences. I use ChatGPT to help with wording and structure.