Let’s talk about something no one on Instagram wants to admit.

Joy isn’t free.
Not in life.
Not in business.
And definitely not in midlife entrepreneurship.

We recently came across a phrase that stopped us mid-scroll: the Joy Tax.

The simplest way to define it?

The inconvenience required to create a life or business you actually want.

If you’re a female entrepreneur in that messy middle — about one to two years in, invested in programs, trying to grow something meaningful while still holding together real life — this conversation is especially for you.

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: your brain will almost always choose comfort over alignment.

And comfort?
It looks a lot like staying small.

The “Must Be Nice” Trap

You’ve heard the phrase. Maybe you’ve even caught yourself saying it.

She’s launching again. Must be nice.
She’s raising her rates. Must be nice.
She’s going on another retreat. Must be nice.

But underneath that phrase is usually something quieter and more honest:
I’ve already rationalized why I’m not doing that.

This is where so many brilliant women get stuck.

Not because they’re lazy.
Not because they’re incapable.
Not because they’re behind.

But because they’re choosing comfort over alignment.

Comfort keeps your rates where they are.
Comfort tells you not to send the pitch.
Comfort whispers, “Wait until it’s perfect.”
Comfort keeps you in the offer that’s familiar, even if it no longer fits.

Alignment asks for something different.
It asks you to raise the rate.
To clarify your niche.
To launch the thing.
To invest in support.
To block CEO time instead of folding laundry at 2 p.m.

Alignment always costs something.
That cost is the Joy Tax.

What the Joy Tax Looks Like in Real Life

For online coaches and service providers in midlife, the Joy Tax rarely shows up as one dramatic moment. It’s usually a series of small, inconvenient decisions.

It’s sending the email that makes your palms sweat.
Niching down when you’d rather stay broad and safe.
Saying no to clients who aren’t aligned, even when the income feels comforting.
Investing in coaching or support before you feel “ready.”
Launching before everything is perfect.
Getting visible when invisibility feels easier.
Blocking strategic time instead of filling your day with busywork.
Raising your rates.
Taking time off without apologizing for it.

Every single one of these actions carries discomfort. Your brain will offer you a dozen reasons not to move forward:

It’s not the right time.
Who do you think you are?
What if it doesn’t work?
Let’s wait until next quarter.

But the deeper question isn’t whether it’s comfortable.
The real question is this:Are you building a comfortable business or an alive one?

Comfort vs. Alignment

Comfort feels safe. Predictable. Manageable.
Alignment feels expansive. A little scary. Energizing in that nervous-excited way.

Comfort keeps you stuck in cycles of overconsuming courses, tweaking funnels, and waiting for clarity to magically arrive.
Alignment asks for decisive action, visibility, identity shifts, and a willingness to step outside the familiar.

This is exactly where our SAVOUR framework comes in. Not as another tactic, but as a way of moving through business intentionally:

Step out of your comfort zone.
Align with passion and purpose.
Venture under your own power.
Open to connection.
Unwind with self-care.
Ritualize gratitude and celebration.

Growth is rarely accidental. It’s built through intentional choices. And intention almost always requires some sweat equity.

Why This Is So Hard in Midlife

Our clients aren’t beginners. They’re not dabbling. They’re women with responsibilities, experience, and full lives.

They’re balancing business growth with family, aging parents, partnerships, and personal transitions.
They’ve invested in programs and tried strategies that didn’t stick.
They don’t want hustle culture.
They do want success.
They just don’t want to burn out to get there.

So they default to comfort. And that makes sense.

But comfort isn’t the same thing as alignment.

Left unchecked, comfort often leads to misaligned offers, inconsistent income, loss of momentum, and a quiet kind of resentment that sounds like, “I almost did that.”

We don’t want you collecting “almost” stories.
We want you collecting real ones.

The Trade-Off No One Talks About

Everything has a cost.
Every yes is a no to something else.

Running a business requires financial investment, emotional risk, identity expansion, and responsibility. That’s real.

But staying small also has a cost: stagnation, frustration, playing below your potential, and that quiet disappointment that creeps in when you know you’re capable of more.

So the question isn’t whether you’ll pay a tax.
The question is which one you’re willing to pay.

The tax of growth?
Or the tax of regret?

A Question Worth Sitting With

Here’s something to journal on today:

What small inconvenience today would create a powerful story tomorrow?

Maybe it’s booking the retreat.
Applying for coaching.
Raising your rates.
Launching your signature offer.
Clarifying your niche.
Saying no where you used to say yes.

The Joy Tax isn’t a punishment.
It’s evidence that you’re expanding.

And you don’t have to pay it alone.

Inside our SAVOUR Mastermind Retreat and our 2:1 coaching, we help women cut through the noise, prioritize aligned strategy, build structure that supports their lives, and create sustainable momentum. We’re not interested in businesses that look good on paper but feel exhausting to run. We’re interested in businesses that feel good to live inside.

Not by default.
By design.

Because you only get one big, beautiful life.
And it deserves more than “fine.”