You’ve probably seen this story play out: someone’s crushing it online with a seven-figure funnel or a “work 2 hours a week” course empire. It looks effortless. The next thing you know, you’re reworking your own offers to match what you saw. Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing—many entrepreneurs unconsciously build businesses that mimic someone else’s vision, not their own. It’s easy to do, especially in the noisy world of online business where you’re constantly fed examples of what “success” should look like.

In this post, we’ll look at how to tell if you’re unintentionally building someone else’s business model, why it happens, and how to reconnect with what truly works for you. By the end, you’ll have the clarity to stay rooted in your own path—and stop chasing models that don’t fit your life or goals.

Signs You’re Following Someone Else’s Model

• You feel disconnected or resistant to your offers

• Your marketing language sounds inauthentic or forced

• You’ve structured your products or services based on “what works” for others—not what energizes you

• You dread your daily tasks or feel boxed in by your current business model

You Feel Disconnected From What You’re Selling

If you feel a knot in your stomach every time you pitch or deliver your offers, it’s worth asking why. Often, this disconnect happens when you’ve borrowed a model that looked good on paper but doesn’t align with how you naturally create or serve.

For example, maybe you’ve launched a high-ticket group program because that’s what a big-name coach recommended—yet you thrive in deep, 1:1 client relationships. When your delivery style and model clash, it drains your energy and erodes confidence.

Your Messaging Doesn’t Sound Like You

Have you ever caught yourself writing copy that sounds like someone else’s voice? If your marketing feels stiff, overly salesy, or out of sync with how you talk, you might be leaning too heavily on someone else’s blueprint.

Authentic messaging flows from a model that reflects your unique strengths and values. When your offers aren’t aligned, it shows up in your language—and your audience feels it.

You’re Prioritizing Trends Over Alignment

It’s easy to get swept up in the next “it” strategy—whether it’s memberships, VIP days, evergreen webinars, or DM selling. But adopting trends without checking for fit leads to burnout fast.

If your decisions are driven more by what’s popular than what plays to your strengths, you’re likely building a model that isn’t yours. Just because something works for someone else doesn’t mean it will work—or feel good—for you.

You Dread the Work

Your business should stretch you, but it shouldn’t feel like you’re dragging yourself through every day. If you find yourself dreading key parts of your work, that’s a major signal something’s off.

Often, this dread comes from operating in a model that isn’t a match for your personality or lifestyle. It’s a sign to pause, reassess, and shift toward a more aligned way of working.

Why We Fall Into This Trap

• Visibility bias makes certain models look more successful than they are

• We crave certainty, so we latch onto “proven” paths

• Comparison culture is baked into the online business world

Visibility Bias Distorts Reality

The business models you see promoted the most aren’t necessarily the best—or the ones that will serve you. People with huge marketing budgets and polished brands create an illusion of universal success.

Behind the scenes, many of these models require extensive resources or personal circumstances that you don’t see. Building your business on assumptions instead of reality can lead to disappointment and misalignment.

The Need for Certainty

It’s human nature to want a clear, proven path. Especially in the face of uncertainty, we look for formulas to follow.

But what works for one person may not account for your strengths, values, and life circumstances. The pursuit of certainty often leads us to copy models that look safe but don’t actually fit.

Comparison Culture Is Everywhere

When your feed is full of success stories tied to specific models, it’s easy to internalize the message that this is the way to succeed. Without realizing it, you start shaping your offers and marketing to match what you see—even if it doesn’t resonate.

Recognizing this pattern helps you step back and make more intentional choices.

How to Reconnect With Your Own Business Model

• Audit your current offers and ask: “Do these energize me?”

• Identify the business activities that feel natural and sustainable

• Tune out noise and focus on what YOU want to build

• Find support in aligned communities

Audit Your Current Offers

Start by taking an honest look at your offers. Ask yourself:

• Do I genuinely enjoy delivering this?

• Is this structure sustainable for me?

• Does this reflect how I want to serve my clients?

This clarity helps you spot where you’ve drifted into someone else’s model—and where to course-correct.

Identify What Feels Natural

Pay attention to when you feel most in flow in your business. Is it through deep coaching, creative content, hands-on client work, or scalable products?

Your ideal business model will amplify your strengths, not suppress them. Aligning your model with what feels natural is the key to building a business you actually want to sustain long-term.

Tune Out the Noise

It’s impossible to stay aligned if you’re constantly consuming content about other people’s wins and strategies. Give yourself permission to unfollow, mute, and take breaks from sources that trigger comparison.

Your business should be built for you, not the highlight reel of someone else’s Instagram.

Find Support That Honors Your Path

Being in the right community makes all the difference. Surround yourself with peers and mentors who encourage experimentation and alignment—not just scaling at all costs.

💕 This is exactly what we focus on inside my membership. If you’re ready to create a business model that actually fits you, join the waitlist here — we’d love to support you. 💕

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It’s easy to get caught in the trap of building someone else’s business model—especially in a space where certain paths are spotlighted endlessly. But the most sustainable, joyful success comes when your business truly fits you: your strengths, values, and life.

If you’ve spotted areas where you’ve drifted off course, know this: it’s never too late to realign. Start by tuning back into what excites you, where your gifts shine, and what feels good to deliver. Your most powerful business model is the one that’s fully yours.

And if you want support in building your model, not someone else’s—join us inside the membership. The waitlist is open, and I’d love to welcome you in.

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