Freedom Entrepreneur Podcast | Online Business Tips, Business System Strategy, Marketing Training, Entrepreneur Mindset

What if the most profitable move in your business isn't going after your most obvious customer — but finding the overlooked pocket just slightly off to the side?

That's the strategy Paul Poteet has built his entire business on. As founder of Surge Investment Group, Paul has developed over 400 multifamily units by ignoring the crowded, competitive markets everyone else chases and going where there's real demand, less competition, and room to win. His industry is real estate. But his thinking is pure entrepreneurship.

In this conversation, Paul and Lindsay unpack the "ancillary market" strategy — and why it works whether you're building a property portfolio, a service business, or an online brand. Instead of fighting for the most obvious customers, what happens when you come at the problem from a slightly different angle? You stop selling — and start attracting.

Paul also gets honest about what entrepreneurship actually feels like from the inside: the seasons where you question everything, the seasons where you know it's your calling, and why the people who make it aren't the ones with the best ideas — they're the ones who keep going.

Plus, Lindsay and Paul dig into one of the most underrated assets any entrepreneur can have: a mentor. Not a coach. A mentor. Paul shares how he found his through ambition, curiosity, and a willingness to show up before he had anything figured out — and what that relationship actually looked like.

What you'll take away from this episode:

— The ancillary market strategy and how to apply it to your business

— Why coming at your customer from a slight angle beats going direct

— How to attract a mentor (and why searching for one usually backfires)

— What "hard earned luck" actually means — and how to create more of it

— The mindset that separates entrepreneurs who endure from ones who quit

Connect with Paul:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ppoteet/

Website: surgeig.com

Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record.

https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur

Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity

Biz in a Box CRM is the ultimate all-in-one solution designed to simplify and scale your business. Imagine managing every aspect of your operations — from smart contact segmentation and automated follow-ups to call and text functionality, calendar booking, funnels, websites, and even social media scheduling — all from one intuitive platform. No more juggling multiple tools or paying for endless subscriptions. With built-in AI employee support, Biz in a Box CRM doesn’t just organize your business, it actively helps you run it. It’s like having a full-time team behind the scenes, so you can focus on growth, impact, and freedom.

Book your demo: https://bizinaboxsolutions.com/crm

Mentioned in this episode:

Fuel Your Body & Mind with NatureCity

Let’s face it... entrepreneurship takes a massive toll on our minds and bodies. If we aren't careful, we can end up down and out before we even reach our goals. That’s why I’ve partnered with NatureCity, a company dedicated to sourcing meticulous, high-quality, and honest ingredients without cutting corners.

Nature City

"If your business can’t run while you’re out in the woods for a weekend, you don’t own a business—you own a high-pressure job."

In this mind-blowing episode of The Freedom Entrepreneur, host Lindsay Sutherland sits down with Ken Spohn, the "AI Ninja," to pull back the curtain on the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the constant stream of new tools, or if you’re still skeptical about whether AI belongs in your business, this conversation is your wake-up call.

Ken shares his journey from learning HTML in the 90s to becoming a certified AI expert, and he explains why we are moving past "simple prompts" into a new era of AI Org Charts. Imagine a world where you aren't just using a chatbot, but managing a team of digital agents—a CEO, a CFO, and a Marketing Director—all working in sync to handle your workflows while you focus on your higher purpose.

Inside this episode, we discuss:

• The "Vibe Coding" Revolution: What it is, why it’s great for quick builds, and why it breaks if you don't have the right strategy.
• Open Claw & Enterprise AI: How tools like Nvidia’s latest releases are allowing multi-million dollar companies (and small businesses!) to automate everything from email drafts to calendar management.
• The Human in the Loop: Why AI isn't infallible and how the role of the entrepreneur is shifting from "doer" to "editor-in-chief."
• Real-World Use Cases: How Ken built a voice AI agent for a restoration company that handles 24/7 intake calls so realistically that customers don't even know they're talking to a bot.
• Saving the "Token Tax": Strategic ways to set up your workflows to save money on AI processing costs.

Whether you are a solopreneur looking to buy back your time or a seasoned business owner ready to scale without adding more "human management" headaches, this episode provides the roadmap to the future of freedom.

• Website: https://tecc1ai.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Special Offer: Reach out to Ken for a free 15-minute AI audit to see where your business is leaking time and how automation can plug the holes.

Biz in a Box CRM is the ultimate all-in-one solution designed to simplify and scale your business. Imagine managing every aspect of your operations — from smart contact segmentation and automated follow-ups to call and text functionality, calendar booking, funnels, websites, and even social media scheduling — all from one intuitive platform. No more juggling multiple tools or paying for endless subscriptions. With built-in AI employee support, Biz in a Box CRM doesn’t just organize your business, it actively helps you run it. It’s like having a full-time team behind the scenes, so you can focus on growth, impact, and freedom.

Book your demo: https://bizinaboxsolutions.com/crm

Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record.

https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur

Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity

Mentioned in this episode:

Text PIE to 33777 to get your copy today.

Discover 5 ways to earn $5k a month with Passive Income

Fuel Your Body & Mind with NatureCity

Let’s face it... entrepreneurship takes a massive toll on our minds and bodies. If we aren't careful, we can end up down and out before we even reach our goals. That’s why I’ve partnered with NatureCity, a company dedicated to sourcing meticulous, high-quality, and honest ingredients without cutting corners.

Nature City

Is your business missing a community element, or are you just afraid of becoming a professional babysitter?

For the freedom-seeking entrepreneur, the "Membership Model" is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you know it’s the golden ticket to recurring revenue and a stabilized bottom line. On the other, the thought of being tethered to a Slack channel or a weekly Zoom call for the next five years feels less like "entrepreneurial liberty" and more like a self-imposed prison sentence.

If you’ve been holding back because you don’t want to trade your time for a monthly subscription fee, this episode is your permission slip to do things differently.

In today’s episode, we’re breaking down 4 creative community models that prioritize your exit strategy over your ego. We explore how to build a high-value ecosystem that thrives on its own, so you can remain the visionary—not the 24/7 moderator. We’ll discuss:

• The "Architect" vs. The "Host": How to design a peer-to-peer environment where the value is in the network, not your personal presence.
• Time-Bound Success: Why "undetermined length" is the enemy of scale and how to fix it.
• The Scalability Shift: Moving from a "personal brand" community to an "asset-based" community.
• The Exit Strategy (Solution #4): We dive deep into the specific model designed for the entrepreneur who wants to build, scale, and sell. If you don’t want to be the face of your company forever, this is the blueprint you’ve been waiting for.

Stop letting the fear of "time commitment" keep you from the most powerful growth lever in the modern economy. It’s time to build a community that serves your life, not a job that consumes it.

Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity

Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record.

https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur

Mentioned in this episode:

Freebie 5k recurring revenue

It's time to take action and build the recurring revenue you long for. Text FREEDOM to 55444 right now to get instant access to the free guide 'Earn $5k/month on repeat.' You deserve more freedom!

Fuel Your Body & Mind with NatureCity

Let’s face it... entrepreneurship takes a massive toll on our minds and bodies. If we aren't careful, we can end up down and out before we even reach our goals. That’s why I’ve partnered with NatureCity, a company dedicated to sourcing meticulous, high-quality, and honest ingredients without cutting corners.

Nature City

What does true freedom actually look like — and why do so many people reach their dream only to wonder "now what?" In this deeply moving episode, Lindsay sits down with Dr. Lise Janelle, peak performance coach and creator of the Heart Freedom Method, for a conversation that goes far beyond business strategy and straight into the heart of what it means to truly live.

Dr. Lise's journey began in chiropractic school, driven by a personal healing experience as a teenager. But after years of helping patients heal physically, she kept hitting the same wall — some people got better and some didn't, and the difference almost always came down to the emotional and subconscious patterns running silently in the background. That discovery sent her on a decades-long quest to understand the mind-body connection, ultimately leading her to develop the Heart Freedom Method — a tool that has been shown in peer-reviewed research to reduce anxiety by 42% and increase inner peace by 40%.

In this episode, Dr. Lise and Lindsay get beautifully honest about the difference between goals and purpose, why reaching your dream can sometimes leave you feeling strangely empty, and how 90-95% of our actions are driven by subconscious programming we don't even know is there. They also talk about nervous system regulation, the three signs you have a subconscious belief working against you, and why real freedom isn't the ability to do what you want — it's the ability to do what's good for your heart.

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right but something still feels off, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

In this episode:

• The three signs a subconscious belief is quietly sabotaging your success
• Why goals run out of juice — and what purpose actually feels like
• How the Heart Freedom Method helps you self-regulate and manifest faster
• The difference between liking your life and truly loving it
• Why gratitude is the gateway to heaven on earth

Contact: [email protected]

Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity

Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record.

https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur

Mentioned in this episode:

Fuel Your Body & Mind with NatureCity

Let’s face it... entrepreneurship takes a massive toll on our minds and bodies. If we aren't careful, we can end up down and out before we even reach our goals. That’s why I’ve partnered with NatureCity, a company dedicated to sourcing meticulous, high-quality, and honest ingredients without cutting corners.

Nature City

If you've ever felt like you're working for the algorithm instead of for yourself, this episode is going to hit different. Right now, some of the biggest names in the creator space — people like Dan Koe, Justin Welsh, and Jay Clouse — are quietly moving their energy off social media and onto Substack. And everyday creators are following. In this episode, I'm breaking down the 5 real reasons this is happening, what these creators are actually building, and whether Substack is truly an "owned asset" — or just another platform we're renting. Spoiler: the answer is nuanced, and it matters for your business.

Whether you're burned out from chasing the algorithm, just starting to build your online income, or wondering if Substack belongs in your business stack — this one's for you.

In this episode we cover:

1. Why social media followers are not the same as an audience you own
2. What creators like Dan Koe, Justin Welsh, and Jay Clouse are actually doing differently
3. The honest truth about whether Substack counts as an owned asset
4. How to use Substack as a front door without betting your whole business on it
5. The first step to take if you're ready to stop building on borrowed land

Follow me on Substack https://substack.com/@wildfreedom

1. Biz in a Box CRM is the ultimate all-in-one solution designed to simplify and scale your business. Imagine managing every aspect of your operations — from smart contact segmentation and automated follow-ups to call and text functionality, calendar booking, funnels, websites, and even social media scheduling — all from one intuitive platform. No more juggling multiple tools or paying for endless subscriptions. With built-in AI employee support, Biz in a Box CRM doesn’t just organize your business, it actively helps you run it. It’s like having a full-time team behind the scenes, so you can focus on growth, impact, and freedom.

   
   

   Book your demo: https://bizinaboxsolutions.com/crm

2. Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity

Keywords: Substack for creators, leaving social media, owned audience, email list building, online business assets, passive income online, creator economy 2026, ditching Instagram, digital products, newsletter business, online income streams, build a business online

Mentioned in this episode:

Freebie 5k recurring revenue

It's time to take action and build the recurring revenue you long for. Text FREEDOM to 55444 right now to get instant access to the free guide 'Earn $5k/month on repeat.' You deserve more freedom!

Fuel Your Body & Mind with NatureCity

Let’s face it... entrepreneurship takes a massive toll on our minds and bodies. If we aren't careful, we can end up down and out before we even reach our goals. That’s why I’ve partnered with NatureCity, a company dedicated to sourcing meticulous, high-quality, and honest ingredients without cutting corners.

Nature City

What if the reason you keep hitting the same ceiling—over and over—isn't about your strategy, your work ethic, or your mindset? What if it's because you're trying to outthink a problem that lives in your body, not your brain?

In this raw, transformational episode, Lindsay sits down with Riana Melia, founder of Clear to Create Your Very Best Life and an identity architect who helps high-achieving women break through the invisible patterns keeping them stuck. Riana's story alone is worth the listen: married young, divorced young, moved across the country with her daughter and mom to start fresh—only to find herself handcuffed in the middle of a DEA investigation involving her father. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, no business, no money, and a choice: go back to what she knew, or keep her promise to her daughter and rebuild from scratch.

She chose to rebuild. And in doing so, she discovered the exact framework that now helps women around the world stop recycling the same thoughts, relationships, and patterns—and finally step into the life they've been trying to think their way into for years.

Here's the truth Riana shares that most people miss: You can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it. High-capacity humans are wired to solve, strategize, and push through—but at a certain point, you can't outthink what's stored in your subconscious. The expired ways of operating. The marbles of resentment stacked on the ribbon of every past hurt. The identity you're clinging to from 15 years ago that no longer fits who you're becoming.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. The Clear Before You Create framework (and why most transformation work fails without it)
2. The Magnet for Miracles exercise you can do with two pieces of paper and a rubber band (it rewires your neurology in 72 hours)
3. Why 90% of your 65,000-85,000 daily thoughts are negative (even if you think you're "positive")
4. The pantry metaphor that explains why you keep attracting the same situations
5. How to reverse-engineer your goals from the future backwards (and install them on your timeline so your brain experiences them as real)

If you've been spinning your wheels, doing "all the things" but still not breaking through, this episode will show you a different path.

Connect with Riana: rianamelia.com | Take the ELLI (Extraordinary Love Index) assessment for a free 28-page personalized report | Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn: @rianamelia

Mentioned in this episode:

Freebie 5k recurring revenue

It's time to take action and build the recurring revenue you long for. Text FREEDOM to 55444 right now to get instant access to the free guide 'Earn $5k/month on repeat.' You deserve more freedom!

Fuel Your Body & Mind with NatureCity

Let’s face it... entrepreneurship takes a massive toll on our minds and bodies. If we aren't careful, we can end up down and out before we even reach our goals. That’s why I’ve partnered with NatureCity, a company dedicated to sourcing meticulous, high-quality, and honest ingredients without cutting corners.

Nature City

It's a sizzling topic online right now - What is the best way to make money online in 2026: Affiliate Marketing OR Digital Products?

In today's episode I add my take which is thinking differently than most. As a business consultant I think from the end rather than the beginning and after you listen to this episode you'll understand how to do that too.

Thinking this way helps to prevent burn out and it builds a more sustainable and scalable business that is a SELL-ABLE ASSET.

Affiliate marketing involves marketing other people's products for a commission. Whereas selling digital products is developing your own products and marketing them.

On the surface affiliate marketing seems like the better option because it leverages someone else's hard work to develop; however, you'll soon see that is not all that it is cracked up to be after you are managing multiple affiliate product pipelines. But, I don't rule out affiliate marketing completely either!

With my Rosebush Effect method (which I explain in the episode) you'll see how to truly come out winning by leveraging more than one strategy and exactly how to do it in a way that does not burn you out!

Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity

Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record.

https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur

Mentioned in this episode:

Freebie 5k recurring revenue

It's time to take action and build the recurring revenue you long for. Text FREEDOM to 55444 right now to get instant access to the free guide 'Earn $5k/month on repeat.' You deserve more freedom!

Visibility. It's the word every online entrepreneur knows they need—but most avoid like the plague. Should you show your face? What should you say? What if people judge you? What if you look too salesy? In this refreshingly honest episode, Lindsay sits down with Melanie Whittaker, founder of You Are Your Marketing and a PR coach living in Spain, to break down exactly how to show up, be seen, and stop overthinking the whole thing.

Melanie draws a brilliant distinction most people miss: marketing asks for the sale; PR tells your story. Think of them as two lanes on a highway. One lane is constantly saying "buy my book, join my retreat, hire me." The other lane is explaining who you are, why you do what you do, and how you help people. That's the lane where connection happens—and where visibility actually works.

But here's the real breakthrough: Melanie doesn't teach cookie-cutter formulas. She teaches women to get solid in who they are first. Because if you're trying to look perfect, polished, and put-together all the time, you're actually repelling the people who need you most. The messy divorce survivor isn't reaching out to the coach who looks like she's never had a bad day. She's reaching out to the one who's real.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why "raw, real, and relatable" wins over polished perfection every time
2. The question Melanie asks clients before they share vulnerable stories (hint: it's about emotional resilience, not strategy)
3. How to network both online and in-person without feeling slimy or salesy
4. Why referrals are your secret weapon when you're just starting out
5. The mindset shift that happens when women finally stop comparing themselves to the "big names" in their industry
6. Why even Beyoncé still does PR (and what that means for you)

If you've been hiding behind your business because you don't feel "established enough," or you're worried about being judged, this episode will give you permission to just be you—oil stains and all.

Connect with Melanie: youareyourmarketing.com | Instagram & Threads: @youareyourmarketing | LinkedIn & Facebook: Melanie Whittaker (with pink hair!)

What if the hardest climb in entrepreneurship isn't building revenue—it's learning to build a business you can actually enjoy while you're building it? In this raw, honest episode, Lindsay sits down with Drewbie Wilson, founder of Call the Damn Leads, to tackle the question most entrepreneurs avoid: Are you building a life, or are you just building a prison with better furniture?

Drewbie's journey is the wake-up call you didn't know you needed. After scaling a tech startup to $15 million in sales, earning a multi-six-figure salary, and checking every box society says equals success, his wife handed him her wedding ring back on Christmas Eve 2019 and said: "You're either married to me or married to this business. Pick one."

That moment changed everything. Because Drewbie realized he was living in chaos—thinking about work when he was home, thinking about home when he was at work, and never actually present for either. Sound familiar?

This episode breaks down the exact framework Drewbie uses to structure his days for freedom: the Four Sixes Strategy. Here's how it works: You have 24 hours. Four areas of life matter—rest, family, business, and YOU. That's 6 hours each. No exceptions. No excuses.

But before you can apply it, you need to understand what your time is actually worth. Drewbie walks through the math that will make you rethink everything: If you made $100K last year working 2,000 hours, your time is worth $50/hour. Now imagine you have 24 hours left to live. Are you still trading an hour for $50? The answer reveals everything.

You'll also hear:

1. Why "call the damn leads" became a trademarked business (and how one refund request changed his life)
2. The 7-day audit that exposes where your time actually goes (spoiler: you're lying to yourself)
3. How to build boundaries, say no strategically, and stop reacting to life
4. Why passive income is a myth—and what to focus on instead
5. The sales system blueprint that makes follow-up automatic (so you stop dropping the ball)

If you're burned out, overwhelmed, or building a "someday" dream you never get to live, this episode is your permission slip to do it differently.

Connect with Drewbie: callthedamnleads.com | Podcast: Call the Damn Leads | All socials: @callthedamnleads

Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record.

https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur

Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity

What's the difference between "niching down" and choosing a vertical? And why does it matter for your business growth? In this strategy-packed episode, Lindsay sits down with Jason Fishman, founder of Digital Niche Agency (DNA), to break down exactly how vertical specialization transformed his business—and how you can do the same.

Jason's journey started like most entrepreneurs: he was a generalist agency taking on anyone and everyone—apparel brands, automotive dealerships, retail stores, you name it. But being "one of a thousand marketing agencies" in Los Angeles meant competing with everyone for everything. The breakthrough came when he identified a hyper-specific demand: helping growth-stage companies raise capital through investor acquisition campaigns (Regulation D, CF, and A+ offerings). By focusing exclusively on this vertical, Jason went from scrappy generalist to industry-dominating specialist—having now worked on over 500 campaigns that collectively raised nine figures in capital.

In this episode, Jason unpacks the exact 6-step process he used to pivot:

1. Establish demand – Listen to what clients keep asking for (not what you think they need)
2. Clarify your value – Identify where you solve a real, urgent problem
3. Structure your formula – Build repeatable systems that prove ROI
4. Focus on positioning – Become the thought leader in your space (podcasts, webinars, conferences)
5. Build strategic partnerships – Collaborate with competitors (yes, really)
6. Advertise with precision – Market to the exact people who need you most

You'll also hear Jason's take on why your competition isn't your enemy, how to stay in tune with shifting client needs (weekly whiteboard sessions,

Join the free Facebook Community! Connect, Learn, Grow, Build https://www.facebook.com/groups/freedomentrepreneurcommunity

Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record.

https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur