Calm is the New KPI™: Engineering Calmer Agencies & Consulting Firms

Tired of hitting a wall with your client-based business? You don’t have to build a course or start a membership to scale.

In this episode of Calm is the New KPI, host Susan Boles talks with Janet Alexandersson—an international licensing lawyer and founder of Piggy Bank Legal—about how licensing can become a powerful, margin-creating revenue stream for service-based business owners.

If you've ever wondered how to productize your existing client work without burning out or shifting your entire business model, this episode is your permission slip. Janet walks us through the practical, strategic, and protective aspects of licensing, and shares how this often-overlooked business lever can change how you earn, design, and rest.

What You’ll Learn

• What licensing actually is—and why it's not just for tech or big corporations
• The step-by-step process to start licensing your existing IP
• Common pitfalls to avoid in licensing deals (and how to protect yourself)
• Why pricing should reflect their value, not yours
• How licensing can support a hybrid model with clients and passive income

Learn More About Janet

• Piggy Bank Legal
• LinkedIn

Learn More About Susan

• Beyond Margins
• LinkedIn

• (00:00) - Introduction: The Struggles of High-Touch Client Work

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

You’ve duct-taped your service business together with tools and automations. But now things are breaking, you’re chasing Zapier errors, and client delivery is starting to feel like a drag. What if the next step wasn’t hiring a team or flattening your services—but turning your system into the service?

In this episode, we're geeking out with Dylan Kinder, founder and CEO of DataCose, about how service-based businesses can scale by transforming parts of their delivery into software. We explore how to spot the signs that you’re ready to make that shift, where to start, and why automation and AI don’t have to mean less human work—just less draining work.

Whether you’re dreaming of fewer tabs, smoother client onboarding, or a more proactive delivery experience, Dylan brings a thoughtful, non-spammy approach to scaling with tech. We’re diving deep into internal vs. client-facing tools, the role of AI in small business, and how to avoid building a digital Frankenstein.

What You’ll Learn:

• The two biggest signals it’s time to turn part of your service into software
• Why internal automation is the best starting point
• How to think like an engineer (even if you're not one)
• The role of client portals in scaling calm service delivery
• Why AI should be used with human oversight—not instead of it

Connect with Dylan:
LinkedIn
DataCose

Connect with Susan:
LinkedIn
BlueSky

Work With Susan:
Explore how we can build calm systems together → https://beyondmargins.com/services

• (00:00) - Introduction: The Struggles of Scaling a Service Business

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Eliminate Sales Calls? Yes, Really.

What if your entire sales process could feel human, high-touch, and not require a single call?

This week on Calm is the New KPI, I’m joined by Becky Pierson Davidson, founder of Affinity Collective, a product strategy agency for community-driven businesses. Becky shares how she’s turned the traditional, time-consuming sales process on its head—closing $15K+ client engagements with zero sales calls.

Instead of long proposal timelines, back-to-back Zooms, and ghosted bookings, Becky uses a thoughtful, asynchronous process: pitch decks, Loom videos, and warm DMs. The result? A system that respects her time, delights clients, and converts beautifully.

We talk about:

• Why she ditched the “book a call” CTA after one too many no-shows
• How to build a sales process that mirrors your service delivery
• Creating personalized-but-repeatable Loom videos that sell for you
• Building referral relationships that actually work
• The key role productized services play in making async sales possible

Whether you're an introvert, hitting a capacity ceiling, or just curious about doing sales differently, this episode is a must-listen.

Learn More about Becky Pierson Davidson

• Affinity Collective Website
• Connect on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Subscribe to her newsletter for community-driven strategy insights

Learn More about Susan Boles

• BeyondMargins.com
• Check out the Services Guide
• Follow Susan on LinkedIn

✨ Want a sales process that works while you sleep?
We can design and implement your asynchronous sales system in a single-day intensive. Learn more at beyondmargins.com/services.

• (00:00) - Introduction: The Sales Call Dilemma

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Business is personal—so why do we so often separate relationships from our work? 

In this episode, Tara Robertson, leadership coach and DEI consultant, shares why she set a KPI around the number of new friends she makes this year. We explore how measuring relationships impacts not only joy but also business sustainability.

Tara realized that working alone was draining her energy, so she made a bold decision: she would never go into an organization alone again. Instead, she’d co-lead, collaborate, and focus on working with values-aligned people who light her up. Now, she’s tracking new friendships as a key measure of success.

Together, we dig into:

• Why business and friendship aren’t at odds (despite what the corporate world tells us)
• How Tara defines friendship vs. business collaboration
• The impact of connection on work quality, creativity, and sustainability
• How setting a friendship-based KPI brings more joy and alignment to business decisions
• Different ways to track and measure relationships in your own work

Whether you're an extrovert looking for more collaboration or an introvert like me, figuring out how to intentionally create relationships in business can be a game-changer.

Connect with Tara: 

• Website
• LinkedIn

Connect with Susan: 

• Beyond Margins
• LinkedIn
• Bluesky

Resources & Related Episodes

• Karen Sargent on Client Report Cards

• (00:00) - EDIT 2 / Final E114 Tara Robertson

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

We all want our work to resonate—but how do we know if it actually does? In this episode, I sit down with storytelling and speaking expert Jay Acunzo to explore the concept of resonance over reach and how we can track something that feels inherently unmeasurable. Jay shares his Unsolicited Response Rate (URR) framework, a KPI designed to measure whether your ideas truly connect with your audience. If you're tired of vanity metrics and want to focus on making an impact, this conversation is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What a KPI actually is—and why anything (even calm or resonance) can be one
• How to measure audience engagement beyond likes and follows
• Jay’s URR (Unsolicited Response Rate) framework for tracking meaningful interactions
• The importance of putting in the reps before expecting results

Connect with Jay: 

• jayacunzo.com
• How Stories Happen
• LinkedIn
• Bluesky

Connect with Susan: 

• Beyond Margins
• LinkedIn
• Bluesky

• (00:00) - Introduction to KPIs and Calm as a KPI

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Managing client relationships is one of the biggest challenges of running a service-based business. Expectations, boundaries, and communication all play a role in whether an engagement runs smoothly or goes off the rails. So, how do you actually know if you're doing a good job?

Karen Sergeant has a solution: a Client Report Card. This system helps her measure and manage client relationships proactively, identifying potential issues before they become problems. As a fractional COO, Karen has spent years refining this process to keep her work feeling calm—even when working inside chaotic businesses. In this episode, we break down her weekly client evaluation system—what metrics she tracks, how she uses the data, and how you can implement a similar approach in your own business.

If you’ve ever struggled with scope creep, unclear expectations, or misaligned client relationships, this conversation is packed with insights that will help you create a calmer, more intentional business.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why Karen created her Client Report Card—and how it helps her business
• The 10 criteria she evaluates weekly to measure client relationships
• How tracking qualitative vibe-based data helps prevent burnout
• How you can build your own Client Report Card to keep your business running smoothly

Learn more about Karen Sergeant: 

• Karen's Website
• Connect on Linkedin
• Connect on BlueSky

Learn more about Susan Boles:

• Beyond Margins
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Connect on BlueSky

We value your thoughts and feedback. Feel free to share them with Susan here. Your input is not just valuable, it's crucial in shaping future episodes.

• (00:00) -

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

In this episode of Beyond Margins, we explore the concept of calmer KPIs with guest Kendall Cherry, founder of The Candid Collective. Kendall shares her innovative metric, “Fresh Content Inked,” and how it has transformed her content creation process, business systems, and sales cycle—all while doubling her income. We geek out about how to build sustainable systems that create spaciousness in your business, reduce overwhelm, and prioritize what truly matters.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 

 • What “Fresh Content Inked” is and why Kendall set a goal of writing six or fewer new pieces of content each month.

 • How building a content library can create a “maintenance mode” for your marketing and free up time for other priorities.

 • The benefits of an asynchronous sales process and how it aligns with calmer business principles.

 • Why posting less—and strategically repurposing content—can lead to better results and higher-quality client connections.

 • Kendall’s personal practices for staying creatively and emotionally balanced as a business owner.

Learn more about Kendall Cherry

• Check out Kendall's Newsletter
• Connect on Linkedin

Learn more about Susan Boles:

• Beyond Margins
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Connect on BlueSky

We value your thoughts and feedback. Feel free to share them with Susan here. Your input is not just valuable, it's crucial in shaping future episodes.

• (00:00) - Introduction to Calmer KPIs

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

In this episode of Beyond Margins, Susan dives into the heart of goal-setting, breaking free from default metrics and focusing on what truly matters to your business and life. She shares her own approach to prioritizing calm as a core business metric and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how she set and tracked a single impactful goal in 2024—taking 12 weeks off to rest (spoiler: she surpassed it).

Susan explores:

• Why default metrics like revenue targets may not align with your values.
• How to set meaningful goals rooted in your priorities.
• A practical framework for choosing Calm KPIs that guide your decisions.
• Why setting fewer goals—or none at all—can work for demand-avoidant or overcapacity business owners.

Stay tuned for the rest of the series, where Susan will share insights from other business owners about their Calm KPIs, including an upcoming live workshop to develop a custom KPI for one business.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The pitfalls of measuring default metrics that don't serve your goals.
• How Susan structures her business to prioritize rest and calm.
• Tips for evaluating and tracking your progress towards intentional goals.
• Real-world examples of unconventional metrics driving success in calmer businesses.

Support the Show:
Love Beyond Margins? Support the podcast by leaving a rating and review wherever you listen. Your feedback helps others discover the show and empowers us to continue sharing valuable insights.

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

How do you reduce urgency in a world where urgency is so deeply embedded? How do you market yourself and your work in a way that is anti-oppressive? 

We're continuing in our mini-series on my calmer framework for a calmer business. This week, we're focused on reudcing urgency and techniques for anti-oppressive marketing. 

We're joined by Natalia Sanyal, an anti-oppressive copywriter and brand messaging strategist. She’s worked with billion-dollar businesses like Apple and Lululemon, New York Times bestselling authors like Layla Saad & Deepak Chopra, and award-winning marketing agencies. Now, she teaches high-integrity personal brands to use marketing as a force for good so they can sell better and harm less.

On this episode, we learn some techniques to reduce urgency in our work, align actions with values to foster a calmer atmosphere for you, your team, and your business. 

Listen to the Full Episode to Hear:

1. How can you move away from the default urgency-driven model?
2. How can you reduce client emergencies and create more flexibility?
3. What are the real-world applications of aligning business actions with values?

• How does embracing vulnerability play into the human aspects of entrepreneurship?

Learn more about Natalia Sanyal

• Check out Natalia's newsletter
• Connect on Linkedin

Learn more about me, Susan Boles:

• Beyond Margins
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Connect on Threads

We value your thoughts and feedback. Feel free to share them with Susan here. Your input is not just valuable, it's crucial in shaping future episodes.

• (00:00) - Introduction to Human-Centered Entrepreneurship

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

We live in a society obsessed with productivity and working more, so how can we lean into rest? What are the benefits of building rest into our businesses? And how can we begin to do that? 

We're continuing in our mini-series on my calmer framework for a calmer business. This week, we're focused on rest. Rest is often a challenge for us go-getters, solopreneurs, and entrepreneurs. But, it's essential to stop burnout, stay creative, and have a truly calm and sustainable business. 

We're joined by Jordan Maney, a Radical Joy Coach™ and creator of the Radical Joy Collab who shares how we can build a rest ethic alongside our work ethic. She coaches others to learn the radical practice of rest so they can bring their visions to life. She’s been featured in New York Magazine, Yahoo, Attn, Oprah Magazine, and Martha Stewart Living.

On this episode, we learn how to design our work systems to include rest in a way that works for each of us, how to push back on scoetal pressure to not rest, and how our work lives and personal lives can be transformed with the power of rest. 

Listen to the Full Episode to Hear:

1. How can rest be intentionally designed and built into a business to make it calmer and more sustainable?
2. Why is rest a critical element of productivity and how does it contribute to better creative work?
3. What does a rest ethic look like and how can it be developed alongside a work ethic?

Learn more about Jordan Maney:

• Check out Jordan's Website
• Connect on Instagram
• Connect on Linkedin

Learn more about me, Susan Boles:

• Beyond Margins
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Connect on Threads

We value your thoughts and feedback. Feel free to share them with Susan here. Your input is not just valuable, it's crucial in shaping future episodes.

• (00:00) - Introduction to Rest Ethic

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here