The Power of Hourglass Time: Building a Thriving Business Without Rushing the Journey
If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my journey as a founder, it’s this:
You don’t build a successful business that delivers quality by doing everything yourself or pushing a hustle culture, you build it by creating a space where people can thrive in something they love to do – and give it time!
When I started Hourglass Time Education (originally Michelle Walsh Hourglass Consultancy) in 2019, I wasn’t thinking about scale, staffing, tenders, or growth plans. I was thinking about impact, I was thinking about quality and I was thinking about building a community to be part of. I grew up in a small hippy community and yearned for that connection again. At first my clients became my community and now I have a huge client community along with my team.
Like many women starting businesses, I began scrappy. I sold event tickets for $57 a head, often only to three people, sometimes knowing full well I was going to take a loss. I showed up anyway. I ran sessions, built relationships, and poured everything into creating value. What those early events gave me wasn’t profit, it was trust and experience. It built long-term relationships and a reputation for showing up with enthusiasm and excitement.
And those relationships are still with me today.
As Hourglass Time Education grew, so did the opportunities — and so did the team. Each person who joined didn’t just “fill a role”; they brought their own expertise, ideas, and energy. That’s when the business really started to shift.
I’ve always believed that if you let people lead in their strengths, the business will grow faster and better than you ever could on your own. My team brings strategy, drive, creativity, operational excellence, and an unwavering commitment to quality. People see that. When organisations engage Hourglass Time Education, they know they’re not getting one person they’re getting a stellar team who cares deeply about what we do and how we do it.
On our search for our new team members recently, we came together as a team and decided who we were looking for and what they would bring. One of my team said ‘they just need to be likable’, it’s an intangible thing to be ‘likable’ but it spoke to me completely. I knew what she meant and I knew that if they were as ‘likable’ as my other team members we would continue to thrive because who we are as a team and the culture we have created is as impactful (if not more) than the skills or knowledge we bring. People want to be part of what we have created and so do we!
In the past year, we’ve successfully secured tenders and grants and branched out into Victoria. These opportunities have allowed us to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and welcome two new team members into the business. That growth feels exciting, but also deeply aligned. It’s growth with purpose, not growth for the sake of it.
One of my proudest moments as a founder came during one of the hardest seasons of my life.
In 2025, I lost my mum. Grief doesn’t ask for permission, and it doesn’t fit neatly into business plans. I took several long and unexpected breaks from the business something the earlier version of me (the one doing it all myself) would not have believed was possible.
But here’s the thing: the business didn’t fall apart.
It didn’t stall.
It didn’t lose quality.
It kept running smoothly, confidently, and with care, because my team are incredible. Because we had built systems. Because we had built trust. Because leadership had been shared, not hoarded.
That season taught me one of the most powerful lessons of my entrepreneurial journey: it doesn’t always have to be me doing the doing. I trust my team completely to be exceptional, to represent Hourglass Time Education with integrity, and to deliver quality. My clients and my team were so incredibly supportive and it shows just how important community is. People want to belong and they want to drive things when they believe in the mission!
Another core belief that has shaped my business is this: a business should fit your life, not consume it. The concept of Hourglass Time has always been about slowing down, being present, and creating space for what matters most. That includes family. That includes rest and space for creativity. That includes seasons where you step back and let others step forward.
I’ve never wanted a business that demanded everything from me at the expense of my family, my health, or my values. I wanted a business that allowed forHourglass Time, for my family and for myself. And now, thanks to the people around me, that vision is real. There is time for me… I even started playing baseball in the past few years and I visit my family’s property whenever I can. I’m always more creative when there is space for me to go into a flow state and so, baseball and visiting my family are scheduled in my diary before anything else.
In 2025, I also made a deliberate decision to invest in myself as a CEO. I joinedThe Business Advisory Group and began working with business coach Olivia Jenkins. That decision strengthened my confidence, sharpened my thinking, and helped me lean fully into the opportunities ahead. Growth doesn’t just require strategy — it requires belief. Belief in yourself, and belief in the people beside you.
Winning the Silver AusMumpreneur Award is incredibly meaningful — not because it marks an endpoint, but because it recognizes the journey. The $57 tickets. The losses. The pivots. The grief. The growth. The team. The trust.
If you’re a mum or woman thinking about starting a business, here’s what I want you to know: you don’t have to do it alone. Build with people. Build with intention. Build something that can hold you… even when you need to step away.
That’s how businesses last.
That’s how impact grows.
And that’s how you create space and Hourglass Time for what matters most.
Michelle Walsh
