The Hardest Decision of Christine Lavin’s Career Led to Her Next Chapter

For eight years, Christine Lavin poured everything she had into building her first company, Fit2Bmom, a maternity activewear brand she launched while simultaneously working in fitness and raising three young boys. She wore every hat imaginable—designer, manufacturer, marketer, fulfillment team—and along the way, there were moments that validated the dream: loyal customers, celebrity features, and signs that the business was resonating.

But behind the scenes, the reality felt far less glamorous. Revenue stalled just shy of her goal, growth felt impossible to sustain, and the constant pressure of trying to hold everything together left her exhausted. Despite Christine’s passion and work ethic, she lacked the systems, strategic support, and scalable infrastructure needed to truly grow the business. Eventually, she made what felt like the hardest decision of her professional life: closing the company down. There was no dramatic exit or celebratory finale—just the quiet heartbreak of walking away from something she had spent years building.

That experience became the catalyst for what came next. Christine realized how many founders were facing the exact same struggle, not because they lacked talent or ambition, but because they were trying to scale businesses without the operational support, repeatable systems, or sustainable sales strategies needed to do so successfully. Determined to become the kind of partner she once needed herself, she founded Lavin Advisory Group, where she now helps growth-stage founders step out from underneath the businesses they’ve built and create companies that can truly scale.

What are some of the most meaningful impacts your work has had so far?

The most meaningful impact I have is when a founder finally exhales. Most of the people I work with come to me in a state I call "drowning," where they're so buried in the day-to-day that they can't think strategically, let alone see a path forward. The first thing I do is help them find breathing room through simple, quick operational wins that create immediate relief. One client, for example, had capable people on her team who were chronically underutilized because every decision still routed through her. We built basic systems—a scheduling platform, simple SOPs, and clear ownership lanes—and her team didn't just execute the work; they started improving it. 

Beyond the tactical wins, what matters most is the moment a founder realizes there is actually a way forward: that scaling doesn't have to mean sacrificing their sanity or white-knuckling every decision, that they can go from running everything to leading something. That shift from survival mode to strategic clarity is where the real impact lives.

In what ways have your upbringing or past experiences contributed to how you operate as an entrepreneur?

I grew up watching two very different versions of business success. My father was a mergers and acquisitions specialist in the corporate world and my mother was an entrepreneur who started a baby clothing brand out of her sewing room, growing it into a global company with her own factory. 

My career has mirrored that range: large corporations, then launching my own maternity activewear line, then the nonprofit sector, and eventually coming full circle with Lavin Advisory Group. Each chapter taught me something I couldn't have learned in the others. I understand corporate structure and rigor, I know what it takes to build something from nothing, I've lived the emotional weight of closing a business, and I've seen how mission-driven organizations run lean without losing their soul. That cross-sector experience is what allows me to walk into a founder's business and quickly see what's actually creating drag, because I've operated in enough different environments to recognize patterns that most single-lane specialists miss.

What’s been the hardest and most rewarding part of your entrepreneurial journey?

Being an entrepreneur is a spiritual journey. Self-reflection, digging deep into purpose and value, questioning what you're actually building and why… it's constant.

I transitioned out of the corporate space relatively early in my career, which meant I had to work through the identity shifts that come with that move sooner than most.

Learning to define your value and personal brand independent of a title or a company name is one of the hardest recalibrations a professional can make. After that shift, incredible moments of doubt are almost inevitable, but those have consistently been the most formative moments of growth. 

The rewarding part is what lives on the other side of this discomfort: a deep clarity about how I want to show up and the impact I want to bring to others. That's powerful insight I never would have gained if I'd stayed in a predictable career.

What are the biggest mistakes you’ve made?

There have been so many, but without the mistakes, there would not be growth. When I ran Fit2Bmom, I thought success looked like the person who could do it all—literally. I attributed my value to my productivity and my ability to do more than most. It wasn't until later that I realized my busyness was really an avoidance of getting out in front of people with my brand and product. It's no surprise that I burned out after eight years. 

Another mistake I still catch myself making is the need for perfection before putting something out there, whether it's a service offering, content, or anything else. Perfection rides alongside busyness, as they are both simply vehicles to avoid doing the work that might be uncomfortable or uncertain.

What’s been the most unexpected part of your entrepreneurial journey?

The community I've built and continue to develop, which includes peers, former colleagues, friends, and even strangers who find me on social media. Despite the fact that I am a solo business owner, I have never felt more like part of a team than I do today. The inspiration I receive from other entrepreneurs in my space fuels my drive to learn, grow, and innovate so that I can bring even more value to the founders I serve.

What would you tell your younger self if you were to start your entrepreneurial journey all over again?

First, stop looking for external validation to tell you you're on the right track. You'll know it when you feel it, not when others tell you. The moments that have meant the most in my career were never the ones that looked impressive on paper; they were the quiet ones where I knew I'd shown up exactly the way I wanted to. 

Second, have a plan, but hold it loosely. The business I'm running today looks nothing like what I originally designed, and that's because I kept paying attention when the work told me something needed to flex. Adaptability isn't a backup plan. It's a superpower.

What’s next for you and your career?

Growth in a way that feels aligned with my life. I have a personal mantra I adopted around my 50th birthday called “the negative split." It’s a concept from distance swimming and running where you finish the second half stronger than the first. That's how I think about everything now: my business, my leadership, my life. The goal isn't just more. It's intentional, purposeful, bold, and rich in ways that no one can see on a balance sheet.

I'm building Lavin Advisory Group to reflect that same philosophy, helping more founders find their breathing room, scaling the work in a way that stays true to how I actually want to show up, and proving that the second half can be the strongest half.