Business Growth Tips for Your VA & OBM Business: Soulpreneur Scaling Stories

Ever feel like you're fighting against your natural flow in business? Sara Bradley knows that feeling intimately. In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I sit down with Sara, OBM and owner of Indigo Elephant, who shares her fascinating journey from struggling health coach to successful VA partnership to thriving solo OBM business.

 Sara's story is a masterclass in following your intuition, even when it means making difficult decisions. She openly discusses her experience dissolving a business partnership with a friend - including the legal logistics, emotional challenges, and how they managed to preserve their friendship through it all.

But this isn't just about partnerships. Sara drops serious wisdom about building business foundations, why client experience trumps technical skills every time, and how to set up your business for the version of yourself you're growing into (not just where you are now).

If you're feeling stuck in the wrong niche, considering a partnership, or wondering how to scale without burning out, this conversation will give you the roadmap and permission you need to make those brave decisions.

Key Points Covered:

✨ Why following client demand led to misery (and how she found her true calling)

✨ The non-negotiables for business partnerships that most people skip

✨ How to have difficult conversations about business direction and ownership

✨ Why your operations and client experience matter more than your skill set

✨ Building business foundations for the version of you that's coming

✨ The mindset work required to ask for what you want in business

✨ How to transition from partnership to solo ownership while preserving relationships

Connect with Sara:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Free “Fix My Systems” Mini Audit to help you spot what's not working so you can finally feel supported by your business.

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Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

Ever feel like your business skills should be attracting better clients, but somehow you're still stuck with demanding, low-paying projects? You're not alone.

If you've ever been introduced as someone's "assistant" despite running half their business, constantly found yourself overexplaining your value, or watched newer VAs confidently charge double your rates, this episode is for you.

The truth is, being multi-skilled and capable of handling "all the things" might actually be working against you. In this episode, I'm breaking down what I call "The Capability Curse" - why your versatility is making you invisible to premium clients and what to do about it.

Most service providers think that showcasing all their skills makes them more valuable, but premium clients' brains work differently. When you position yourself as someone who can do everything, you become everyone's backup plan but nobody's first choice for their specific problems.

Key Points Covered:

✨ Why being multi-skilled makes you invisible to premium clients (and the brain science behind it)

✨ How the reticular activating system works against generalists in business

✨ Why "unicorn-seeking" clients are not the clients you want

✨ The counterintuitive truth about specialization and premium rates

✨ A simple two-column exercise to identify your zone of genius

✨ One action step to start shifting your positioning this week

✨ Why specialists command higher rates across every industry

If you're tired of attracting clients who want everything for nothing and ready to position yourself as the go-to expert for premium clients, this episode will shift your entire approach to business positioning.

💫 Grab my free Peaceful Profits Vault for premium trainings at dancingleafsolutions.com/resources

💌 DM me "SPECIALIST" on Instagram @soulfulbizcoachandrea for my free positioning resources

Send us Fan Mail

Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I sit down with Quinn Tempest, a business and marketing strategist who helps solopreneurs build sustainable businesses aligned with their values and vision. Quinn shares her journey from the corporate world to running her own business serving purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and reveals powerful insights about recognizing burnout as a sign of growth rather than failure.

During our conversation, Quinn introduces the concept of two distinct types of burnout: the familiar exhaustion type and a deeper burnout that signals you've outgrown your current business system. She explains why so many service providers hit a wall despite working harder, and offers a refreshing perspective on how to view these challenges as opportunities for transformation rather than personal shortcomings.

If you're an online service provider feeling overwhelmed, resentful of client work, or sensing there's a different way to structure your business, this episode provides actionable strategies for creating a business model that truly reflects who you are and where you want to go.

Key Points Covered:

✨ The distinction between exhaustion burnout and system burnout

✨ Early warning signs that your business needs restructuring

✨ Why cookie-cutter business models and comparison lead to burnout

✨ The importance of building your business from the inside out

✨ How to let go of what's not working in order to grow

✨ Creating a vision based on your values, not others' definitions of success

Connect with Quinn:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Free Resource: Priority Planner for Solopreneurs

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Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

Ever feel like you're the assistant in your own business instead of the CEO? You're not alone.

In this deeply personal episode, I'm sharing my journey from scattered OBM to soul-aligned coach, and the exact moment I realized that my "successful" business was actually running me instead of the other way around.

If you've ever felt stretched thin by client work, stuck reacting to everyone else's priorities, or wondered how your business started controlling your life instead of supporting it, this episode will resonate deeply. I'm pulling back the curtain on what "success" really looked like behind the scenes and the breaking point that changed everything.

The truth is, most service providers accidentally become assistants in their own businesses. We think flexibility and constant availability make us valuable, but they often lead to chaos, burnout, and loss of direction. When you're operating inside everyone else's business instead of your own, it's impossible to build something truly scalable and fulfilling.

In this episode, I share the mindset shift that transformed everything: moving from "What do my clients need?" to "What actually lights me up?" This isn't just about feeling good (although you will) — building around your unique magic is the smartest business strategy you can implement.

Key Points Covered:

✨ Why being "fully booked" can actually mean you're losing control of your business

✨ The daily reality behind a "successful" OBM business (spoiler: it was chaotic)

✨ The breaking point that made me question everything

✨ How I reclaimed my voice and rebuilt around my strengths

✨ What true business alignment actually feels like

✨ Why your unique magic isn't just nice-to-have — it's your competitive advantage

If you're ready to stop being the assistant in your own business and start leading something extraordinary, this episode will show you exactly how to make that shift.

💫 Grab my free Premium Offer Starter Kit mentioned in this episode at dancingleafsolutions.com/resources

💌 DM me "UNIQUE MAGIC" on Instagram @soulfulbizcoachandrea to share what lights you up most in your business

Send us Fan Mail

Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I sit down with Teresa Cavalla, a Leadership and High Performance Consultant, Certified Online Business Manager, ClickUp Vetted Consultant, and Systems Pro. Teresa shares her unique perspective on what it truly means to be an entrepreneur in the online space versus simply working online.

During our conversation, Teresa reveals how she built a successful business without traditional social media marketing, instead focusing on authentic relationships and referrals. She explores the critical leadership components that entrepreneurs often overlook and explains why understanding your team members' motivations is essential for business growth.

Teresa opens up about her own business evolution, from VA to OBM to leadership consultant, and shares the mindset shifts that helped her create alignment between her natural strengths and her business model. We also discuss the importance of building an emergency fund as a business owner and the power of making space for your intuition.

If you're a service provider feeling pressured to market yourself in ways that feel inauthentic or struggling with team dynamics, this episode offers refreshing perspectives on building a business that honors your unique leadership style.

Key Points Covered:

✨ The critical difference between working online and being an entrepreneur

✨ How to identify what types of clients and team members align with your business vision

✨ Building a successful business without traditional social media marketing

✨ The importance of authenticity and understanding your unique strengths

✨ Why making silence and connecting with your intuition is essential for business clarity

✨ Creating financial stability through proper planning and emergency funds

Connect with Teresa:

Learn more about Teresa and her leadership consulting services at www.leadershipfirstobm.com

Subscribe HERE  to get tips on leadership, neuroscience, and conscious business practices.

Ready to streamline your business systems? Visit www.systemsfirstobm.com for expert support.

Subscribe HERE for actionable tips on SOPs, workflows, and special offers on system setup services. 

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Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

Are you feeling exhausted, resentful of client work, or like you're constantly on call without the compensation or respect you deserve? In this eye-opening episode, I'm approaching burnout from a fresh perspective that might completely change how you view your business challenges.

The truth is, burnout isn't a capacity problem, it's a structure problem.

When your business is structured around reactivity, over-customization, and constant access to your energy, no amount of "just say no" or "take a vacation" advice will create lasting change. Instead, you need a fundamental shift in how your business operates.

In this episode, I share my three-phase burnout recovery framework that helps you rebuild for sustainable, spacious success. You'll discover how to identify your personal burnout triggers and take aligned steps forward to escape the cycle of exhaustion and create a business that energizes rather than depletes you.

Key Points Covered:

✨ The three core reasons service providers burn out between years 1-3 (and how they all relate to business structure)

✨ Why "helpful expert syndrome" becomes a liability that creates energy leaks in your business

✨ How the time-for-money ceiling creates an inevitable burnout point (even when you're charging premium rates)

✨ The trap of the reactive business structure that keeps you constantly responding instead of creating

✨ My three-phase burnout recovery framework: Reclaim, Restructure, and Rebuild

✨ A practical exercise to identify your energy drains, energy zones, and first shifts toward recovery

If you're tired of feeling drained by client work, procrastinating on tasks you used to enjoy, or watching your business bleed into your evenings and weekends, this episode offers a sustainable path forward. Discover how to transform your business structure to support your natural energy instead of working against it.

Send us Fan Mail

Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I sit down with Tara Wiskow, an intuitive healer and life reinvention expert who transitioned from weight loss coaching to her true calling after experiencing a profound personal loss. Tara shares her powerful journey of transformation and the pivotal moment when she decided to finally answer the calling that had been knocking at her door for years.

During our conversation, Tara reveals why we often choose business paths based on external validation rather than our internal wisdom. We explore the mindset shifts necessary to build a business aligned with your true self and how to recognize when you're building someone else's version of your business. Tara offers practical techniques for identifying and releasing the limiting beliefs that keep service providers stuck at income plateaus despite working longer hours.

If you're an online service provider who feels something might be missing in your business or you're struggling with offers that don't feel fully aligned, this episode provides actionable strategies for tapping into your intuition and creating a business that feels genuinely yours.

Key Points Covered:

✨ How to recognize when external validation is driving your business decisions

✨ The powerful "observe and reframe" method for overcoming limiting beliefs

✨ Why awareness is the first step to breaking through business plateaus

✨ Practical steps for accessing your intuition to create aligned offers

✨ The connection between personal identity and sustainable business growth

Connect with Tara:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

The Be The Change You Need Podcast

Become Your Most Confident Self: 4 Energy Shifts to Attract the Life You Want (FREE Video Series)

All the links!

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Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I reveal the game-changing "Two Day CEO" approach that has transformed my business and can transform yours too. If you're constantly tied to your laptop, responding to client messages at all hours, and struggling to truly disconnect from work—this episode is your blueprint for freedom.

I share my personal journey from being an "always available" service provider who couldn't take a proper vacation to creating a business that allowed me to spend two weeks in Switzerland without my laptop. This transformation didn't happen overnight, but through strategic shifts in how I structured my business and client relationships.

You'll discover why spreading your work across multiple days is actually decreasing your effectiveness, the CEO skills that will transform your scattered service delivery, and a practical framework for identifying and eliminating the "invisible work" stealing your time.

This isn't about hustling harder or magical productivity hacks—it's about fundamentally redesigning your business so you can have both the income and lifestyle freedom you started your business for in the first place.

Key Points Covered:

✨ The "Fragmentation Effect" that's costing you 23-40% of your productive capacity

✨ How to escape the "False Availability Trap" that keeps you tied to your computer

✨ The three phases to transition from "always on" to a consolidated work schedule

✨ Four pillars of the Two Day CEO framework that create true freedom in your business

Ready to reclaim your time, deliver better results for your clients, and fall back in love with your business? This episode gives you the exact roadmap to make it happen.

Send us Fan Mail

Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I chat with Maria John, a website copywriter who recently completed a rebrand of her signature offer, "Lights, Copy, Action." Maria shares her journey from being an "accidental entrepreneur" doing work she didn't enjoy to building a business centered around her unique copywriting process that delivers exceptional results for clients.

Maria reveals how her distinctive approach - a 3-6 hour narrative workshop with clients before writing their website copy - initially caused her to feel self-conscious and hesitant to promote it. Over time, she came to recognize this difference as her greatest strength, leading to more aligned clients and remarkable results, including one client who increased prices tenfold after implementing her copy.

This conversation is packed with honest reflections on the entrepreneurial journey, including Maria's experience with burnout, her decision to walk away from profitable but unfulfilling work, and the year-long process of rebuilding her business around work she loves.

Key Points Covered:

✨ Why rebranding an existing offer can dramatically change how you feel about your business

✨ The importance of professional design and messaging in showcasing your value

✨ How Maria's unique narrative workshop approach differentiates her from other copywriters

✨ Why you shouldn't let industry norms dictate your business process when you know your approach creates better results

✨ The reality of walking away from profitable work to build a business you love

✨ How test marketing your messaging on social media can help refine your offer before launching

✨ Why you don't necessarily need a perfectly designed sales page to start selling your offers

✨ The importance of financial planning and personal belief when making significant business pivots

Connect with Maria:

Website

Instagram

Threads

LinkedIn

Newsletter

Time to call "Cut!" on underperforming copy [Free Workshop]

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Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists

In this episode of Soulpreneur Scaling Stories, I chat with Joanne Homestead, an email copywriter and copy coach who helps service providers create compelling email content that builds genuine connection and drives conversions.

Joanne shares her journey from being a teacher for 15 years to discovering her natural talent for storytelling in the online business space. She reveals how she transitioned from virtual assistant work to specialized email copywriting, and eventually to copy coaching—helping others master the art of engaging email communication.

This conversation is packed with practical insights about why email marketing remains essential for service providers, how to overcome common mindset blocks, and Joanne's comprehensive STORIES framework that transforms email strategy from overwhelming to manageable.

Key Points Covered:

✨ Why email marketing remains one of the most effective tools for online service providers

✨ The importance of building an email community you own versus relying solely on social media

✨ Joanne's complete STORIES framework for creating engaging emails:

• Set the vision
• Tell stories
• Own your messaging
• Release mindset blocks
• Identity as a writer
• Ethical copywriting
• Sequences that convert

✨ How to navigate business transitions and trust your intuition when scaling

✨ The power of embracing systems even when they're not your natural strength

✨ Why quality connections in your email list matter more than quantity

Connect with Joanne:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Free Guide: "Three Simple Steps to Irresistibly Entertaining Emails that Sell"

Send us Fan Mail

Your income shouldn't be capped by your capacity.

FREE RESOURCE
Uncap Your Revenue: Find out what's capping your revenue & what to tackle first.

BOOK A FREE OFFER STRATEGY SESSION
Free 45-min call. We’ll identify 2–3 shifts to help you grow revenue without adding more client hours.

WORK WITH ME

Expansion: 6-month 1:1 coaching to design a strategic offer ecosystem for VAs, OBMs, and DFY service providers who want more revenue, not more hours.

Website | Instagram | Threads | YouTube 

Podcast produced and edited with love by @FerAssists