Learning or Building? The Question That’s Keeping You Stuck

There’s a choice I see People Building franchisees trying to make all the time. And it’s a false one. It sounds sensible. Responsible, even. But it quietly keeps people stuck for years. The False Choice That Keeps You Spinning “Should I focus on learning something new?” “Or should I put that energy into building my business?” If you are part of a coaching franchise, this dilemma can feel relentless. Every new training promises confidence. Clarity. Momentum. And to be fair, learning does something powerful. When I am learning, I am sharper. More energised. I think more clearly. I feel myself moving forwards. Having a focus - especially one that stretches me - brings order to my mind. It creates a sense of direction, a pull towards something better. And that energy does spill over into work. Into conversations. Into ideas. Into belief. But there is a darker side to this pattern that rarely gets named. Because when learning replaces action, it stops being growth and starts being avoidance. Learning can look like progress while quietly protecting you from exposure. When Learning Becomes a Sophisticated Hiding Place I also know what happens when learning becomes the priority and business becomes the thing you will get to “once you feel ready”. You end up highly trained and underpaid. You have more certificates, more frameworks, more intellectual understanding - and fewer sessions in the diary. Cashflow tightens. Confidence wobbles. And instead of stepping forward, you double down on preparation. Another course. Another modality. Another layer of “almost ready”. This is how people become course junkies with no traction. Not because they lack ability, but because learning feels safe. Visibility does not. Marketing exposes you to silence. Rejection. Judgment. The risk of nobody responding. For many franchisees in a coaching franchise, that risk feels far more threatening than staying in the comfort of training. So the question is not whether learning is good or bad. The question itself is wrong. The Better Question That Changes Everything Instead of asking, “Should I learn or should I build?” try this instead. “What does my business need from me right now?” And then ask the second, more uncomfortable question. “What do I need right now to become the version of me who can meet that need?” Sometimes, the answer is practical and unglamorous. More structure. More visibility. More conversations. More doing and less thinking. Other times, the answer is internal. You are bored. You feel stale. Your thinking has narrowed. You need fresh ideas and intellectual stimulation to feel alive again. Both states are valid. Both matter. What does not work is bouncing between the two with guilt driving every decision. Training when you should be marketing. Marketing when you are exhausted. Never fully committing to either. This constant oscillation drains energy and creates the feeling of always being behind. In a coaching franchise, this is one of the fastest routes to burnout disguised as ambition. Growth happens when learning serves the business - not when it replaces it. Momentum comes from integration, not oscillation. Choosing Integration Instead of Guilt The real skill is learning to integrate. To become the version of you who learns in service of the business, not instead of it. Who markets while integrating new skills. Who still shows up for the business even when the dopamine hit of new knowledge is calling your name. This is where maturity as a business owner develops. Not in choosing one side, but in choosing well. You will feel the difference in your body. If your business has been quiet for months and you have completed three new courses this year, that is not curiosity. That is avoidance. Time to pivot. If your to-do list is endless but you have not felt creatively lit up in months, that is not discipline. That is stagnation. Time to reignite. The People Building coaching franchise is designed to support both growth and execution, but it cannot make the decision for you. Only you can learn to tell the difference between procrastilearning and strategic development. You do not have to choose between learning and building. You just have to choose consciously. by Gemma Bailey (with the help of Ai) https://www.peoplebuilding.co.uk/franchise