I'm fired up to introduce a business legend today. Melinda Emerson is known nationwide as the number one small business lady and the powerhouse behind Small Biz Chat. She's a bestselling author of "Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months" and has helped countless entrepreneurs launch, grow, and thrive.

Melinda shares her journey from realizing writing was her magical power at age 12 to landing her dream job in broadcast television—only to discover she hated it. At 26, she left that job in the middle of February sweeps to start her business in her basement with just a laptop, a fax machine, and a dream. That was 26 years ago.

We explore the invaluable lessons she learned from her serial entrepreneur mother and career salesman father, how she prepared financially before leaving her job, and the spiritual transformation that happened when she realized success wasn't about hitting a number. Melinda opens up about navigating divorce as a business owner, finding joy in community, and her exciting new venture: teaching women 45+ how to buy businesses instead of starting from scratch.

Key Topics:

1. Learning entrepreneurship from her mother's side hustles and father's sales mastery
2. Her father's lessons on credit, savings, and delayed gratification that shaped her financial foundation
3. Preparing to leave her six-figure job by paying off debt and saving strategically
4. The spiritual shift from measuring success by money to measuring it by impact
5. Navigating divorce and business ownership while learning to find joy again
6. Why she's passionate about teaching women to buy existing businesses and franchises
7. Launching the Next Act CEO Summit to help women 45+ become business owners fast

Connect with Melinda online:

Website: https://www.smallbizlady.com/

Book: "Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months"

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