When Success Stops Feeling Like Success: The Burnout, the Exit, and the Freedom Play

What happens when you scale a business… and realize you’re no longer happy inside it?

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Ian Noble, a former operator of a 16-location family dry cleaning business in Austin, Texas, who grew the company, modernized operations, survived COVID, and still found himself burned out.

Ian shares the story behind scaling a service-based business: becoming the bottleneck, managing 90+ employees, navigating low margins, and pivoting the brand as customer demand shifted toward convenience and delivery. On the outside, the business was successful. Revenue was strong. The footprint was solid.

But internally? The drive started fading.

Ian opens up about the moment he realized he was physically present at home but mentally somewhere else, and how that became the signal that it was time to exit. He explains what founders often misunderstand about growth and success, why money doesn’t automatically create happiness, and how redefining “freedom” reshaped his next chapter.

After the sale, Ian leaned into real estate investing, building both active and passive income streams, not as a hype play, but as a strategic way to create time flexibility and long-term wealth outside of one primary business.

This episode is for founders who:

• Are scaling but secretly exhausted
• Feel like they’ve become the bottleneck
• Are questioning whether success still feels aligned
• Are thinking about exiting a business
• Want to build wealth outside their main company
• Are navigating founder burnout and identity shifts

Sonia brings the conversation back to what Tenacity is about: resilience, rebuilding, and defining success on your own terms, not the market’s.

Because sometimes the bravest move isn’t scaling harder. It’s stepping back.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/

AI can generate content in seconds.

Polished videos are everywhere.

Websites all sound the same.

So what actually wins in 2026?

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Wes Towers, founder of Uplift360, to unpack why real, imperfect, human content is becoming the ultimate competitive advantage.

Wes shares:

• The costly mistake that taught him to stay in his niche
• Why trust is eroding in trades, and how to rebuild it
• Why a less-than-perfect Google rating can increase credibility
• How founders can stand out in an AI-saturated world
• And the personal resilience required when life hits hard, but business doesn’t stop

This conversation isn’t about algorithms.

It’s about authenticity, discipline, and building a reputation that scales.

If you’re a founder wondering how to compete when AI can do “everything,” this episode will show you why being human is your moat.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/

Legacy brands aren’t failing because their products are bad; they’re struggling because their systems, habits, and leadership decisions move more slowly than the market.

In this episode of Tenacity with Sonia C., Sonia sits down with Joshua Lee, an e-commerce operator who helps legacy manufacturers and multi-generational brand owners modernize for today’s marketplaces without losing the heritage and soul that made the business work in the first place.

They get real about what actually blocks transformation (hint: it’s not tech, it’s fear), why manufacturers hesitate to sell on Amazon or Walmart Marketplace, and what happens when offline-first brands suddenly have to learn B2C, paid ads, fees, customer service, and channel strategy, all at once.

If you’re a founder building in e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, or B2B, this episode breaks down the mindset shift and practical first moves that set brands that adapt apart from those that stall.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

-Why legacy brands delay digital moves for years, until a “life event” forces action

-The #1 fear founders have about Amazon: conflict with wholesale distributors

-Why strong offline brands struggle online: fees, ads, competition, and a new business model

-How to think about marketplaces like Amazon vs Walmart (and why inventory = power)

-The biggest mistake brands make when launching on Amazon: not taking the channel seriously

-A smart “first step” for founders who feel behind: a leadership readiness assessment

-Joshua’s definition of success: building a business with integrity, peace, and long-term vision

If you’re rebuilding, pivoting, or preparing a company for the next generation, this one will sharpen your thinking.

Listen or watch full episodes: https://soniacouto.com/