Breaking Even Better

Working with your sweetie should be nothing but sweet, right? It might not always be a walk in the park, but it can be a really fun and exciting journey, too - as long as you have the right tools. In this episode, we each share how we’ve worked with our spouses (including the time Carolina fired her then-husband ☕️), our key lessons for entrepreneurial couples, and so much more. Our friend Nicole Milone is back to share her own experience with working with her husband, Doug, after she became the CEO of Solaris Wealth.

As business owners, burnout is a feeling we know all too well. Our friend and fellow business owner, Julie Bee, wrote Burned: How Business Owners Can Overcome Burnout and Fuel Success to give you practical strategies to overcome burnout, integrate work and life, and achieve sustainable success. Grab your copy of Burned today to Burn Bright, Not Out—because your business and well-being deserve both. 

Resources mentioned:

• Watch Episode 11: Leading While Grieving with Nicole Milone

• Watch Episode 6: Handling Difficult Conversations Like a Boss

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• How each of us have worked with our spouses in different capacities

• Creating boundaries and structure around work time vs. couple time

• The biggest benefits and hardest challenges of working with a spouse

• Embracing your differences as a couple and trusting each other’s strengths

• Getting clarity on the mission and vision of the company, and what each spouse’s role will be within the company

• Times our personal conflicts at home made their way to the office

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website
  

If you’re feeling lost in your business, or you feel your business is misaligned to the clients you want to work with, it might be time for a rebrand! In this episode, Nicole Milone is back on the mic with us to walk through the steps of rebranding her company after she unexpectedly inherited it from her late business partner. From hiring Trish’s marketing agency, GoBeyond SEO, to getting buy-in from her clients, she graciously shares all the details of what went into the rebrand so you can approach your own rebrand from an empowered place!

As business owners, burnout is a feeling we know all too well. Our friend and fellow business owner, Julie Bee, wrote Burned: How Business Owners Can Overcome Burnout and Fuel Success to give you practical strategies to overcome burnout, integrate work and life, and achieve sustainable success. Grab your copy of Burned today to Burn Bright, Not Out—because your business and well-being deserve both. 

• Solaris Strategic Wealth

• Nicole Milone on LinkedIn

Resources mentioned:

• Watch Episode 11: Leading While Grieving | Nicole Milone’s Story of Unexpected Loss and Becoming a CEO Overnight

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Navigating the emotions that can come with rebranding and evolving to this next phase of your business

• Nicole’s journey of rebranding a company that wasn’t always hers

• Deciding what to keep and what to let go of in your rebrand

• How to find the right partners for your rebrand 

• Getting buy-in from your team and clients while rebranding

• Owning your strengths and your unique value - then making sure that comes through in your branding

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website

As the passionate Chief Wealth Advisor of Solaris, Nicole Milone brings a refreshing blend of experience and empathy to the world of personal finance. Nicole’s gift lies in her ability to transform complex financial concepts into clear, actionable plans. She doesn’t just manage money; she nurtures dreams, helping clients build wealth in a way that aligns with their deepest values and aspirations. For Nicole, true financial success means creating a life rich in both experiences and resources.

It’s exceedingly rare to work for someone who pours into you, aspires for you to carry on their vision, and who you genuinely love working for. For Nicole Milone, she had that dream mentorship with Debbie Peterson, the Founder of Money Counts, Inc. When she unexpectedly passed away in 2023, Nicole became CEO of the company overnight, and was forced to make huge leaps as a leader while mourning a mentor who had become a friend. In this episode, Nicole shares her story of how she stepped into her new role, her advice on leadership and succession planning, and how she took the company to new heights.

As business owners, burnout is a feeling we know all too well. Our friend and fellow business owner, Julie Bee, wrote Burned: How Business Owners Can Overcome Burnout and Fuel Success to give you practical strategies to overcome burnout, integrate work and life, and achieve sustainable success. Grab your copy of Burned today to Burn Bright, Not Out—because your business and well-being deserve both. 

As the passionate Chief Wealth Advisor of Solaris, Nicole Milone brings a refreshing blend of experience and empathy to the world of personal finance. Nicole’s gift lies in her ability to transform complex financial concepts into clear, actionable plans. She doesn’t just manage money; she nurtures dreams, helping clients build wealth in a way that aligns with their deepest values and aspirations. For Nicole, true financial success means creating a life rich in both experiences and resources.

• Solaris Strategic Wealth

• Nicole Milone on LinkedIn

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Nicole’s story of unexpectedly inheriting a business while facing heartbreaking loss

• Her advice for preparing your successor to take over your business

• Why emotional intelligence was a core skill Nicole needed to charge forward

• The importance of outsourcing tasks that aren’t your strengths

• The biggest challenges and surprises of becoming a CEO overnight

• Working with an estate planning attorney to put together a succession plan

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website

As business owners, public speaking comes with the territory. Whether we’re leading a presentation for a client or giving a speech at an event, we’re often required to show up and speak in front of groups of people. All that to say, we’ve got to get comfortable with speaking, even if it makes us nervous. That’s why we invited Colleen Odegaard to join us on the podcast. Colleen is an award-winning journalist and former co-host of the Charlotte Today Show. She is an incredible storyteller and speaker, and brings us a ton of actionable tips to rock your next presentation.

As business owners, burnout is a feeling we know all too well. Our friend and fellow business owner, Julie Bee, wrote Burned: How Business Owners Can Overcome Burnout and Fuel Success to give you practical strategies to overcome burnout, integrate work and life, and achieve sustainable success. Grab your copy of Burned today to Burn Bright, Not Out—because your business and well-being deserve both. 

Connect with Colleen:

• Instagram

• Wake Up to Your Life Podcast

• YouTube Channel

Resources mentioned:

• Sign up for the free livestream link for TedX Sugar Creek Women in Charlotte, NC on May 10th! You can also purchase a ticket to the VIP Speaker Reception!

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Carolina’s struggle with stage fright ahead of her TedX Talk

• The self-talk you need going into a presentation

• Colleen’s power pose that will get you pumped up for your talk

• The impact of a strong start and big finish - even if you totally bombed

• Focusing on connection over perfection

• Developing clear messaging and making sure your passion comes through

• Cutting the fluff so your audience knows exactly what to do

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website
  

Look, we’re professional business women, but if you think we’d pass up the opportunity to cozy up in our own homes in sweatpants, you’re out of your mind. Turns out, a lot of employees feel the same way. But how do you still promote employee engagement, trust them to get their work done, and keep your clients’ - and your - data secure if they’re working from home? In this episode, we answer all these questions and more as we all settle into our remote work realities.

As business owners, burnout is a feeling we know all too well. Our friend and fellow business owner, Julie Bee, wrote Burned: How Business Owners Can Overcome Burnout and Fuel Success to give you practical strategies to overcome burnout, integrate work and life, and achieve sustainable success. Grab your copy of Burned today to Burn Bright, Not Out—because your business and well-being deserve both. 

In this episode, we cover:

• Building culture even in remote work environments

• Our mixed feelings about remote vs. in-person work

• How to protect your clients’ confidential information in remote work environments

• Our hot takes about trusting your team to work from home

• Planning some in-person events for team bonding

• Creative ways of building team relationships remotely

• The must-haves for make remote work work for your team

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website
  

One of the greatest ways to say “thank you” for great service is leaving that business a 5-star review on Google or Yelp (or their podcast 😉). When you think about your own purchasing decisions, reading customer reviews or testimonials were probably a factor for you, right? So it’s safe to say your customers are looking at your reviews. In this episode, we share how to get your clients to actually leave a review, how to repurpose those reviews in different ways, and what to do if someone leaves you a not-so-raving review. 

As business owners, burnout is a feeling we know all too well. Our friend and fellow business owner, Julie Bee, wrote Burned: How Business Owners Can Overcome Burnout and Fuel Success to give you practical strategies to overcome burnout, integrate work and life, and achieve sustainable success. Grab your copy of Burned today to Burn Bright, Not Out—because your business and well-being deserve both. 

Resources mentioned:

• Coffee shop negative review example

• Another example of handling a bad review with humor

In this episode, we cover:

• How to get more client reviews

• Creative ways to repurpose your testimonials

• The rise of video testimonials

• What to do when a customer leaves you a bad review

• Trish’s story of someone leaving a false review for her business

• Approaching all client reviews with a growth mindset

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website
  

As business owners, we want to treat our clients exceptionally well, but the budget doesn’t always allow for luxury gifts. The good news is that clients care way less about expensive gifts than they do about excellent customer service. Your employees are in the same boat; there are way more impactful ways to lift them up without blowing the budget. In this episode, we talk about what actually goes into creating premium experiences in your business, even if you’re ballin’ on a budget.

Learn how to draw in your dream clients with Trish Saemann’s book, Get More Clients You Love, which teaches her revolutionary Client Attraction Framework! Visit https://getmoreclientsyoulove.com to download your free step-by-step marketing plan today!

In this episode, we cover:

• The must-haves for a premium client experience

• Prioritizing thoughtful gifts over expensive gifts

• Our favorite (free!) ways to provide top-tier customer service

• The secret to personalizing experiences for clients and employees without breaking the bank

• Concrete examples of ways we’ve created excellent experiences for our clients and team members

• Developing the skill of noticing what’s important to your people

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website
  

Having awkward conversations comes with the territory of running a business, but because you’re the boss, you get to handle them like one. In this episode, we share what to do to feel ready to have these conversations when they arise, whether clients aren’t paying invoices on time, you need to give an employee feedback (or fire them altogether), or you’re in any sort of conflict with another human being. Plus, we share how we’ve proactively prepared for tough situations with secure contracts, processes, and policies that have protected us based on experiences we went through so you (hopefully!) don’t have to!

BPN Staffing Solutions connects top-tier nurses and clinical professionals with hospitals and clinics that demand excellence. BPN does more than fill positions… They build reliable teams. Visit https://www.bpnstaffing.com today!

Resources mentioned:

• Get More Clients You Love by Trish Saemann

In this episode, we cover:

• Embracing your unique communication style

• How to bring facts to the table for a difficult conversation, even when you’re feeling anxious or upset

• Real life stories of how we’ve handled difficult conversations with employees, vendors, and clients

• Balancing being sensitive with getting to the point (sugarcoating is NOT doing them any favors)

• Brenda’s secret to approaching difficult conversations

• Our proactive approaches to business operations that set expectations up front to avoid hard conversations later

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website
  

As business owners, we’ve gotten extremely comfortable with talking about numbers, from how much we’re making to how much is going out the door for expenses. In this episode, we’re bringing that money talk to you! We’re introducing you to our Breaking Even Better Analysis, our formula for calculating your sales. It can feel scary to look at your finances, but using this formula will help you make more informed decisions about your pricing, expenses, and sales activities within minutes. 

🚀Feeling overwhelmed by your business finances? Caja Holdings provides expert fractional CFO services to help you understand your numbers, improve cash flow, and increase profitability—without the stress. Schedule a free consultation at https://www.cajaholdings.com/ today!

Resources mentioned:

• Breakeven Analysis formula: (Fixed Costs/Price Per Unit) - Variable Price Per Unit = Breakeven point

• Breakeven Analysis Calculator - Click the “Make a Copy” button after clicking on the link and then start calculating your Breakeven point!

• Good to Great by Jim Collins

In this episode, we cover:

• How to calculate your Breakeven point (so you know how much to sell to make a profit)

• The financial factors that should influence your pricing

• Raising your prices without making your clients mad

• Tips for lowering your operational costs to increase profit

• How we’ve saved thousands of dollars a month in expenses by getting creative

• Our honest thoughts on offering discounts and bundles 

• The biggest mistakes we see business owners making when it comes to expenses and pricing

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website
  

In this episode, we cover:

• What our businesses felt like before we got our operations in order

• Where to start if your business feels chaotic right now

• How your current operations are costing you money

• Our favorite tools from CRM systems to AI assistants

• How process documentation will seriously change your life

• Documenting in different ways for quick and easy reference

For years, our group of business besties have been meeting up for dinner and drinks to talk about the ins, outs, wins, and struggles of running a business. Now, we’d love for you to pull up a seat at the table and join us at Breaking Even Better, the podcast where we share the lessons we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) and how you can apply them to your own business. 

Meet Your Co-Hosts:

• Carolina Aponte, Fractional CFO, Founder & CEO of Caja Holdings, an accounting and fractional CFO firm

• Brenda Harris, Founder & CEO of BPN Staffing Solutions, a premier healthcare staffing agency; and The Lab Look, a medical apparel company

• Trish Saemann, Marketing Consultant, Fractional CMO, and Owner of GoBeyond SEO, a boutique digital marketing agency

Connect with Breaking Even Better: 

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Facebook 

• Website