Business Pivots, Entrepreneurship, Mindset

Out With The Old In With The New: How To Improve Your Business In The Year Of The Horse

February 26, 2026
By itssophiebiggerstaff.com

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Year of the Horse is The Year Of The Identity Shift, Time To Make THIS The Season You Finally Move Forward?

If you’ve been wondering how to improve your business this year and you keep putting off making changes because your honest response is “I don’t even know where to start” or “I’ve tried, but nothing is working”, “I don’t know what else I can do next” – don’t panic, don’t burn everything to the ground, don’t catastrophize and feel like you’re going to be stuck forever, because, 2026 is the Year of the Horse and that’s great news for you, because horses signify energy around momentum and forward movement. (aka no more feeling stuck)

Contrary to what you might see on social media, this year of the horse energy does NOT mean FAST momentum. It is slow, in horse terms, you consider it a casual trot forward, rather than a sprint around a race track.

The year of the horse isn’t about going faster. It’s about going forward – with intention, with clarity, and finally without dragging the old version of yourself along for the ride. This aligns perfectly with you improving your business this year. The year of the horse is all about clearing out the old and in with the new.

I’m Also In A Phase Of Out With The Old In With The New!

I’ll be real with you. For the past few months, I’ve been feeling like I’m in this strange transitional limbo period, both in life and in business. My old version has kind of gone, but I haven’t fully stepped into the new one yet. It’s been a HUGE identity shift, and to be honest, it’s been pretty uncomfortable. I’ve had to release so much, truly my life lately has felt like I am going out with the old, in with the new.

And if that resonates, this post is for you – because we’re going to talk about how to improve your business by having an identity shift, and doing the inner work that most business owners completely skip over. (which usually leads them to quit prematurely)

I don’t want you to quit prematurely, so I want to share with you the thing that keeps coming up for me – and for the women I work with, when it comes to the question of: how to improve your business?

In my past 6 years in business, one thing I KNOW to be true is that when you want to improve your business, you can change your strategy, your niche, your offers, your content format, and STILL feel like you’re going nowhere, still feel like no progress is being made, still feel STUCK!

Because the thing that needs to change usually isn’t outside of you.

It’s an internal identity shift that needs to happen first.

To get all of the amazing things you know you want and deserve in your business, you need to transform into the type of person who is able to call in and hold all of these amazing things.

And in the year of the horse, out with the old really does mean letting go of WHO you’ve been previously showing up as, so that the version of you who actually runs the business you want can finally show up.

If that hit a nerve, and you’re ready to start truly focusing on how to improve your business going forward, my 30 Day Strategy Recalibration has been designed for you! Not only will we diagnose exactly what is going wrong in your business right now that is keeping you stuck, but we’ll look at what you need to shift both personally and professionally in your business strategy in order to move things forward. Find out more and book your 30 Day Strategy Recalibration here!

Out With The Old Identity, In With The New - How The Year of the Horse Rewards You For Letting Go

Heading the words identity shift can feel uncomfortable, I get it, especially if you’ve never thought of it in this way before, and I won’t lie to you, going through an identity shift CAN be uncomfortable, BUT it can also offer the biggest reward, especially when it comes to looking at how to improve your business.

Here’s something I’ve had to learn the hard way: when you start feeling restless, dissatisfied, like something isn’t fitting in your life anymore – that feeling isn’t a problem. It’s information. It’s data!! It’s your system telling you that you’ve outgrown your current identity and something deeper inside you is ready for an identity shift to step into the next one.

We get dissatisfied in our work, in our routines, in how we spend our days – and we blame the external things. The wrong niche, the wrong clients, the wrong business model. But more often than not, the real issue is that we’ve outgrown the identity we built our business around. And we’re scared to let it go because we don’t yet trust the one that’s trying to emerge, OR we don’t want to let go and go through the perceived pain of an identity shift.

But the thing is, nothing in life is permanent. Seasons change. Nature is constantly shedding and renewing. The year of the horse is a season too – and if you want to improve your business in it, out with the old means releasing your grip on your current identity, the beliefs, and the ways of working that kept you safe but are now keeping you small.

Think of it like this – Going through an identity shift isn’t as scary as staying stuck where you are for another year, because you refused to walk through it – that thought is kinda terrifying, don’t you think?

One thing that has genuinely helped me move through my own identity shift is getting crystal clear on WHO I want to be in six months – not simply what I want to have or do, but WHO I want to be.

Then, taking one small, aligned action every single day toward that version of myself. That’s how you build momentum. That’s how you build self-trust. That’s how you identity shift FAST in the least scary way. That’s how you go out with the old, and in with the new in this Year of the Horse, so your business and life start to work for you rather than feeling like it’s passing you by.

Let’s get you clear on what that identity shift needs to look like, and together map out the actions for how to improve your business together in a 30 Day Strategy Recalibration – by the end of the month, your business truly could be completely turned around!

Your Identity Shift Starts From The Inside

When you leave your job to start a business, nobody tells you that you often bring all your old employee habits and beliefs with you into your new era as an entrepreneur…

The hustle-culture work ethic you were praised for.
The belief that high productivity and hard work equate to success.
The mindset that doing more means being more.
The feeling of needing to ask permission to make an important decision.
The constraints of working 8 hours a day, 9-5.

Unless, of course, you already did some work to go through this identity shift.

Out with the old, in with the new sounds good in theory when you’ve just quit your job and started an online business, but if your personal internal operating system hasn’t been manually updated by you, most of the time I see that women recreate the same experience they had in their 9-5 just with a fancier title.

This is dangerous in early-stage entrepreneurship because it’s a fast-track route to burnout!

I know this, because it happened to me. I skipped the part where I did the identity shift from employee to entrepreneur, and it came back to bite me later down the line.

I started my business at 28. I’d been working in London since I was 16. I didn’t go to university. From a very young age, I was conditioned to hustle, to climb the corporate ladder, to work hard, to push through.

So, when I started my own business, I accidentally transferred every single one of those patterns straight into it, because frankly that was my default way of working…

I said yes to things that were clearly wrong for me.
I had no boundaries.
I worked with clients who weren’t aligned.
I prioritised money over happiness.
I didn’t build my business with a freedom goal or the lifestyle I wanted in mind.

That led me to burn out, and I hate to admit that happened more than once, because I kept thinking the solution to all my problems was to do more, try harder, be better.

The real issue was that I still believed I had to earn my place. That I wasn’t enough unless I was producing. That belief, my old identity, not the strategy, was what was keeping me stuck!

My only option at that point was to go through a forced identity shift. I very much need to clear out with the old and in with the new, if I didn’t want to face burnout again.

To go through an identity shift, you need to look at what is actually holding you back very clearly in the face, this year of the horse is most likely going to help you hold that mirror up (if you didn’t already shed what you needed to shed in the year of the snake, of course)

In the Year of the Horse, if you really want to improve your business, your identity shift MUST include shifting away from any outdated patterns or beliefs you’ve carried through from your 9-5 into your business accidentally.

THIS is most likely why you are still feeling stuck!

The identity shift from “employee thinking” to “entrepreneur mindset” – is one of the most powerful moves you can make this year of the horse.

How To Improve Your Business This Year Of The Horse - 1 Practical Thing To Start Doing TODAY…

After you’ve got really clear on the identity shift you need to make, here are some more practical steps you can take on how to improve your business this year of the horse!

The practical advice: You need to slow down in order to speed up:

This is the part that probably feels the most counterintuitive. But I want to be direct with you about it because it took me years of burnout to actually believe it: doing less is not the same as achieving less. In fact, for most of the women I work with, doing less is what finally allows them to earn more.

When I was hustling – seven days a week, always on, always producing – I was exhausted. I was so deep in doing that, I wasn’t actually living. And I wasn’t charging or earning enough for the amount of effort I was putting in.

I had to stop running my business from a place of pressure and start building it from a place of actual capacity. That meant working four days instead of seven. Working afternoons instead of starting in the morning. Saying no to people and things that drained me. Creating boundaries around my time that I actually stuck to.

And here’s what happened: my business grew, and I was way less stressed. I started enjoying my life again because I was working to live, not living to work.

The thing is – when you operate from a calm, grounded nervous system, you become magnetic. Your identity shift from chaotic hustle-culture employee trying to run a business to a considered, spacious, thoughtful entrepreneur is powerful because you now have the capacity to hold what you’re trying to create.

You show up more fully and presently. You make clearer decisions. You stop second-guessing every move because you’re finally operating from alignment rather than anxiety.

Looking after yourself as an entrepreneur is self-respect – what you say yes to, what you say no to, and how honest you are about your current capacity. That’s how to improve your business in the Year of the Horse. Not by adding more. By creating more space for what actually works, doing less of what doesn’t and completing the identity shift to keep you and your business moving forward.

Want me to support you in mapping out what this looks like practically for you? Book your 30 Day Strategy Recalibration so you can start navigating your identity shift today, whilst feeling fully supported.

Don’t Make This Mistake When You’re Going Through Your Identity Shift This Year Of The Horse!

The biggest mistake I see people make when they’re in the middle of an identity shift is trying to rush through it (I, too, made this mistake going through my own identity shift). To take a giant leap to the next version so they can stop feeling uncomfortable in the in-between. I get it. But the issue with this is an identity shift that lasts, can’t be rushed, it’s going to happen in its own time, and the momentum in the Year of the Horse isn’t built by galloping full steam ahead, it’s slow and more considered.

Every single day, every choice you make either moves you closer to who you’re becoming or pulls you back toward who you were. That’s not meant to be pressure – it’s actually the most freeing thing I’ve learned. Because it means you don’t have to have it all figured out at all times during this identity shift. You just have to take one step. Then another. Then another.

The identity shift from your old employee thinking way of running your business to an entrepreneurial leader, CEO of your life and business, isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a daily practice of choosing differently. Of catching yourself defaulting to the old patterns and asking: is this who I want to be in six months’ time? And if the answer is no, choose differently.

Going through an identity shift this year of the horse doesn’t mean you have to burn everything down. It means you stop letting the old conditioning make your decisions for you. It means you give yourself permission to move more slowly, more intentionally, with more space. It means you build a business based on your values, your energy, and the life you actually want to live.

That’s what the Year of the Horse is asking of you, are you ready for it?

In Summary For Your Year of the Horse, Identity Shift and How To Improve Your Business For Good

The Year of the Horse is a year of slow and considered forward movement – and the most powerful thing you can do to improve your business right now is stop waiting for the identity shift to be comfortable before you take action.

It’s time to shed the old patterns, the old beliefs, the old conditioning… None of that serves you anymore. If you want to truly improve your business for success in this year of the horse, here’s a summary of what you need to do:

What does the Year of the Horse mean for business owners in 2026?

The Year of the Horse signifies energy around momentum and forward movement – but contrary to what you might see on social media, this does not mean fast momentum. In horse terms, think of it as a casual trot forward rather than a sprint around a race track. For business owners, the Year of the Horse is about going forward with intention and clarity, finally without dragging the old version of yourself along for the ride. It’s the year to go out with the old – the patterns, the identity, the beliefs that are keeping you small – and step into the version of yourself who actually runs the business you want.

What is an identity shift, and how do you know you’re going through one?

An identity shift is when you’ve outgrown your current identity and something deeper inside you is ready to step into the next one. You know you’re going through one when you start feeling restless, dissatisfied, or like something just isn’t fitting in your life anymore – even when nothing on the outside has technically changed. That feeling isn’t a problem. It’s information. It’s data. It’s your system telling you that you’ve outgrown where you are. The discomfort of going through an identity shift is far less scary than staying stuck in the same place for another year because you refused to walk through it.

Why do old employee habits follow you into your own business?

Old employee habits follow you into your business because most people skip the identity shift from employee to entrepreneur – and so their internal operating system stays the same. The hustle-culture work ethic you were praised for, the belief that high productivity and hard work equate to success, the feeling of needing to ask permission to make an important decision – none of that disappears when you hand in your notice. Unless you manually update that operating system, most women recreate the same experience they had in their 9-5, just with a fancier title. That’s a fast-track route to burnout, and it’s exactly why the identity shift from employee thinking to entrepreneur mindset is one of the most important moves you can make this Year of the Horse.

How do you improve your business in the Year of the Horse without burning out?

To improve your business in the Year of the Horse without burning out, you need to slow down in order to speed up. Doing less is not the same as achieving less – for most of the women I work with, doing less is what finally allows them to earn more. That means stopping running your business from a place of pressure and starting to build it from a place of actual capacity – working four days instead of seven, saying no to the things that drain you, creating boundaries you actually stick to. When you operate from a calm, grounded nervous system, you become magnetic. You show up more fully, make clearer decisions, and stop second-guessing every move because you’re finally operating from alignment rather than anxiety.

What is the biggest mistake people make during an identity shift?

The biggest mistake people make during an identity shift is trying to rush through it – taking a giant leap to the next version of themselves just to escape the discomfort of the in-between. But an identity shift that lasts cannot be rushed. It happens in its own time. Year of the Horse momentum isn’t built by galloping full steam ahead – it’s slow and considered. Every single day, every choice you make either moves you closer to who you’re becoming or pulls you back toward who you were. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to take one step, then another, then another.

How do you start your identity shift and improve your business today?

Start by getting crystal clear on who you want to be in six months – not what you want to have or do, but who you want to be. Then take one small, aligned action every single day toward that version of yourself. That’s how you build momentum. That’s how you build self-trust. That’s how you go out with the old and in with the new this Year of the Horse, so your business and your life start working for you rather than feeling like they’re passing you by. Going through your identity shift doesn’t mean burning everything down – it means you stop letting the old conditioning make your decisions for you.

Ready to work out exactly what your identity shift needs to look like and map out the practical steps to improve your business? Book your 30 Day Strategy Recalibration here – by the end of the month, your business could look completely different.

meet the writer

I'm Sophie

Online business coach, podcast host, mental health advocate, speaker, founder of TINAH, community builder, full-time digital nomad, and general trailblazing, rule breaker…

I tried to live a “normal” life: I spent 11+ years working my way up in the fashion industry, working for brands like Ralph Lauren and Burberry. I had the apartment in the city, I lived for going out at the weekends, spent money on designer bags and holidays – until I realized this lifestyle DID NOT FULFIL ME – I was waking up with anxiety every day – surviving, but definitely not thriving.

So I quit. I left my 9-to-5 behind to start an online business that supported the lifestyle I actually wanted. Now that looks like slow mornings, daily beach walks, co-working with like-minded entrepreneurs, yoga, meditation, and lots of social connections.

Since 2020, I’ve built multiple online business offers – from online business coaching and consulting to online courses, digital products, and a mental health marketplace – all while travelling the world and living life, and earning money on my own terms.

Now… I’m on a mission to help more people break free from lives that don’t feel good for them and create more freedom through starting and growing an online business.