What if the secret to marketing success isn't a better strategy, it's finally trusting yourself? In this episode, I sit down with Iris Goldfeder, founder of Gas Stove Creative, to talk about building a business on your own terms, showing up authentically, and getting found by the right clients. Whether you're struggling with visibility, confused by the ever-changing digital marketing landscape, or just tired of throwing spaghetti at the wall this one's for you.

Episode Outline

1. Stop Outsourcing Your Authority
   • Iris shares the mindset shift that changed everything learning to trust herself instead of leaning on partners for validation.
2. The Power of Video
   • Why unpolished, authentic video builds more trust than a perfectly scripted production — and how to just start.
3. SEO, AEO, GEO & AIO — What You Actually Need to Know
   • A plain-English breakdown of the four optimization strategies and what small business owners should focus on right now.
4. Websites That Convert
   • You have three seconds. Iris explains what your homepage must communicate immediately and how to make your site work for you.

Related Episodes & Additional Resources

• Episode 40:  Stop Marketing on Assumptions, Start Connecting with What Your Customers Actually Want
• Episode 58: The Real Reason your Marketing isn’t working 

Guest Information
Iris Goldfeder, Gas Stove Creative, Iris is the founder of GasStoveCreative, an all-in-one marketing solutions agency built for service-based businesses ready to scale with clarity and confidence. With over two decades of experience across branding, digital strategy, and business storytelling, she has a knack for helping businesses cut through the noise, clarify their message, and turn their marketing efforts into real, measurable results.

• gasstovecreative.com | LinkedIn: linked.com/in/igoldfeder
• Is your website converting traffic to leads free audit: Mention Main Street Success Stories podcast for a free strategy call with Iris. 

Meet Your Host:
Jennifer Kok is a Profit & Growth Advisor and founder of Next Wave. A serial entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience, she helps service-based women entrepreneurs increase profitability through financial clarity, strategic decision-making, and systems that support sustainable growth.  

www.nextwavebusinesscoaching.com
Focus Growth Collective

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Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
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Selling a business isn’t something you figure out at the finish line, it’s something you build toward from day one. In this episode, Jennifer sits down with Cameron Bishop of Raincatcher to talk about what it really means to be “exit ready.” Cameron shares what he’s learned from 50+ acquisitions and decades of buying and selling companies, including why nearly 80% of businesses that try to sell never do. 

Episode Outline

• What It Means to Be Exit Ready
• Why 80% of Businesses Never Sell - Cameron shares data showing that most businesses that try to sell never do, and walks through the biggest reasons why.
• Financials That Buyers Trust - Why “checkbook accounting” kills deals and what buyers actually want to see
• Owner Dependency and Burnout -If you can’t take a real vacation, your business may not be sellable. Cameron explains why buyers avoid businesses that rely too heavily on the owner.
• The Emotional Side of Selling - Selling a business is not just financial, it’s deeply emotional. Cameron explains why owners struggle with identity, purpose, and letting go, and how that can sabotage deals.
• Start Planning Before It’s Too Late - Cameron shares heartbreaking stories of owners who waited too long—and why exit planning protects not just you, but your family and future legacy.

Related Episodes & Additional Resources

Episode 41: Selling Your Small Business: Real Talk, on Buyers, Profit and Letting Go with Jessica Starks. 

Guest Information
Cameron Bishop is a Managing Director and Partner at Raincatcher, a lower middle market investment bank that helps business owners sell and transition their companies. Over his career, Cameron has led or advised on more than 50 acquisitions, helped grow companies to hundreds of millions in revenue, and worked with owners on exit and succession planning. His passion is helping business owners avoid costly mistakes and maximize the value of what they’ve spent their lives building.

Links:
Website: raincatcher.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-bishop-19b6804/

Meet Your Host:
Jennifer Kok is a Profit & Growth Advisor and founder of Next Wave. A serial entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience, she helps service-based women entrepreneurs increase profitability through financial clarity, strategic decision-making, and systems that support sustainable growth.  

www.nextwavebusinesscoaching.com
Focus Growth Collective - is a 1:1 strategic advisory and mastermind designed for female business founders leading established service-based businesses so growth becomes deliberate, profitable and sustainable.

Follow Jennifer:
Instagram: @nextwavewithjen
Facebook: facebook.com/nextwavewithjen
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kok-17441829
YouTube: @nextwavewithjen8028

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

How do you build a big, meaningful business in a town of 500 people and still design a life you actually enjoy living? 

In this episode, Jennifer sits down with Kalin Sheick, founder of Sweetwater Floral and creator of the “Lucky Girls Don’t Quit” movement. Kalin shares how slow, intentional growth helped her build a thriving seasonal business in Northern Michigan, why letting go of control became the secret to her expansion, and how a life-altering moment with her daughter changed the way she leads. They talk motherhood, identity, ego, building a personal brand, and what it really means to “BLOOM”—Building Life Out Of Moments.

Episode Outline
Building a Big Business in a Small Town

Seasonal Business & Family Life-How running a business that earns 75% of its revenue in 20 weeks shaped her family rhythms and the idea of “go time” and “slow time.”

Growing Slowly on Purpose- Why resisting comparison and staying rooted in the numbers not social pressure, kept Sweetwater financially healthy.

Letting Go to Grow -How a near-tragic season with her daughter forced Kalin to release control, build trust in her team, and create a business that could run without her.

From Business Owner to Personal Brand -Why Kalin built a personal brand alongside Sweetwater and how speaking, podcasting, and writing expanded her impact.

Identity Beyond the Business - Why your business should never be your whole identity—and how pulling self-worth out of your work changes everything.

BLOOM – Building Life Out Of Moments -What it really looks like to live intentionally, off social media, and rooted in real life—not highlight reels.

Lucky Girls Don’t Quit -The story behind her podcast, book club, and community and why “lucky” is something you create.

 Guest Information
Kalin Sheick is a speaker, podcast host, happiness curator, florist, and founder of Sweetwater Floral in Northern Michigan. She is the voice behind the Lucky Girls Don’t Quit podcast and creator of the Lucky Girls Book Club. Through her work, Kalin inspires women especially moms and entrepreneurs to design lives they genuinely love by embracing imperfect wellness, intentional living, and Building Life Out Of Moments (BLOOM).

Links:
Website: kalinsheick.com
Sweetwater Floral: sweetwaterfloral.com
Instagram: @kalinsheick | @sweetwaterfloral
Podcast: Lucky Girls Don’t Quit – Spotify
Book Club: kalinsheick.com/bookclub

Host & Show Info
Jennifer Kok is a Business Coach for Women with a fous on Profit & Growth and founder of Next Wave. A serial entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience, she helps service-based women entrepreneurs increase profitability through financial clarity, strategic decision-making, and systems that support sustainable growth.  

Learn More:
nextwavebusinesscoaching.com

Contact the show:
nextwavebusinesscoaching.com/contact

Follow Jennifer:
Instagram: @nextwavewithjen
Facebook: facebook.com/nextwavewithjen
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kok-17441829
YouTube: @nextwavewithjen8028

Boost Your Profit Free Case Study

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

If you think branding is just a logo, a color palette, or a website, this episode will completely shift how you see your business.

In this conversation, Jennifer sits down with brand strategist Shayne Mackey to unpack what a brand really is, why most small business owners skip the most important foundational work, and how poor positioning—not marketing—is often the reason growth stalls.

You’ll learn why niching down creates profitability, how to stop chasing shiny marketing tactics, and why treating your brand as a living, breathing asset can make content, messaging, and decision-making dramatically easier.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “all the right things” but things still aren’t clicking—this episode will give you clarity, language, and a new framework to build something that lasts.

Episode Outline

What a Brand Really Is (and What It’s Not)
Positioning, White Space & Niching Down
Why the market will define your business for you if you don’t and how finding even 5% differentiation can change profitability and clarity.
Personal Brand vs. Expert, Founder-Led & Enterprise Brands

Guest Information
Shayne Mackey is a brand strategist with more than three decades of experience building category-defining brands in healthcare, luxury, and founder-led businesses. She is the founder of Bespoke Creative and The Brand Atelier, where she helps founders move beyond logos and marketing tactics to build enduring, well-positioned brands with clarity, rigor, and intention.

Links:
Website: https://the-brand-atelier.com
Instagram: @bespokecreativellc

Meet Your Host: 

Jennifer Kok, Business Strategist. 

I took a leap of faith & left a cushy corporate job 25 years ago to start my brick-and-mortar bakery because I craved more freedom & flexibility than my corporate job allowed. I delivered my second daughter two days after opening my doors (not something I would recommend). The good news is that I went on to own and operate my business for 20 years, pivoted during a recession, built a national franchise, and then sold it all for a profit in the Fall of 2018.

My 20 years of ownership were a season of ups and downs, a lot of hard work, many pitfalls, a lot of success, many fist pump moments, and a big, huge case of I didn’t know what I didn’t know and learned the hard way. All of that prepared me for my next journey in business consulting. 

Podcast Website:
https://www.nextwavebusinesscoaching.com/podcast

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Join the Conversation:
Share your biggest takeaway from this episode on Instagram or LinkedIn and tag @nextwavewithjen.

Share This Episode:
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow business owner who’s been avoiding s

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

Sales is one of the most uncomfortable topics for many solo and service-based entrepreneurs and it’s often the very thing holding their business back.

In this solo episode, Jennifer Kok dives into Pillar #6: Sales, and unpacks the three biggest reasons business owners struggle to sell: negative perceptions shaped by past experiences, fear of bothering people through follow-up, and fear of rejection when it comes time to ask for the sale.

Through relatable stories, real client examples, and practical reframes, Jennifer shows how sales doesn’t have to feel pushy or manipulative. Instead, it can become a clear, confident, and values-driven conversation that helps the right people say yes.

If you’ve ever felt awkward following up, hesitant to ask for the sale, or discouraged by hearing “no,” this episode will help you rethink sales—and approach it with clarity and confidence.

Episode Outline
Topic 1: How Your Perception of Sales Is Holding You Back
Jennifer explores how past sales experiences—like pushy door-to-door sales or manipulative presentations—shape our beliefs about selling today. She reframes sales as service and challenges listeners to reflect on how their mindset may be quietly sabotaging growth.

Topic 2: “I Don’t Want to Bother People” and the Power of Follow-Up
Jennifer shares a powerful story about a client who watched her for nine months before reaching out and how a lack of follow-up cost valuable time and momentum. She explains why follow-up isn’t bothering people, why it often takes nine touchpoints, and why she calls this the fortune in the follow-up.

Resource:  Link to Focus on the Follow up guide

Topic 3: Asking for the Sale and Reframing Rejection
The final piece of the sales puzzle: asking clearly for the sale. Jennifer talks about why so many entrepreneurs avoid this step, how fear of rejection shows up, and why most “no’s” have nothing to do with you. 

Resource:
Go for No! Yes Is the Destination, No Is How You Get There by Richard Fenton 

About the Host:
Jennifer Kok is a business coach, strategist, and founder of Next Wave Business Coaching. With over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, she helps solo and service-based business owners gain clarity, make confident decisions, and grow profitable, sustainable businesses without stress or burnout.

Podcast Website:
https://www.nextwavebusinesscoaching.com/podcast

⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts – This is the most impactful way to support the show and help other business owners find it.
Contact the Show:
https://www.nextwavebusinesscoaching.com/contact

Sign Up for the Newsletter:
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Follow Us on Social Media:
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Facebook: https://facebook.com/nextwavewithjen
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kok-17441829
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@nextwavewithjen8028

Join the Conversation:
Share your biggest takeaway from this episode on Instagram or LinkedIn and tag @nextwavewithjen.

Share This Episode:
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow business owner who’s been avoiding sales and let them know they’re not alone.

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “supposed” to have a perfect business plan before you start… Ashley Alderson is here to tell you the truth: most success stories start with a pivot.

In this episode of Main Street Success Stories, Jennifer Kok sits down with Ashley Alderson, Founder & CEO of The Boutique Hub, to unpack what it really takes to build a community-led business that scales. Ashley shares how The Boutique Hub began as a consumer idea from rural North Dakota and evolved into a global community for boutique owners rooted in Community over Competition. 

Topic 1: The origin story and the pivot that built The Boutique Hub
Topic 2: Community over Competition and why collaboration creates demand
Topic 3: The hard season—imposter syndrome, betrayal, and rebuilding through service
Ashley opens up about a painful early experience that tested her confidence and forced a major reset plus the mindset shift that helped her rebuild: one step, one day, one act of service at a time.
Topic 4: Pink Friday—how “Shop Small First” became a movement
Topic 5: The 6 essential pieces of content for product-based businesses. Ashley gives a practical framework boutique owners can implement immediately.
Topic 6: Platforms, growth, and what boutique owners should focus on now
Ashley shares where boutique owners are seeing the most conversion today

Additional Resources Mentioned:

• Pink Friday – Shop Small First movement: pinkfridayweekend.com
• Heart on Main Street https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/

Meet our Guest: 

Ashley Alderson is the Founder and CEO of The Boutique Hub, connecting boutique owners worldwide with strategy, community, tools, data, events, and wholesale resources. Since 2013, The Boutique Hub has been rooted in Community over Competition, helping independent retailers grow through shared learning and action.
 Links:

• Website: www.theboutiquehub.com
• Instagram (The Boutique Hub): @theboutiquehub
• Instagram (Ashley): @ajalderson
  
  
  

Host and Show Info: 

About the Host: Jennifer Kok is an entrepreneur, business coach, and founder of Next Wave Business Coaching. Through her Earn More…Stress Less™ framework, she helps women entrepreneurs build profitable, sustainable businesses with smarter strategy, stronger systems, and more freedom.
Learn More:

https://nextwavebusinesscoaching.com
Business Accelerator Group
FREE Training: 3 Keys to Building a Profitable Business:
90 Day Profitable Client Blueprint

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextwavewithjen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextwavewithjen/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferowenskok
YouTube: http://bit.ly/2M9uX6S

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

In this episode, Jennifer Kok sits down with Grand Rapids icon, author, and “hope dealer” Shannon Cohen for a conversation that feels like both a leadership masterclass and a deep exhale. Shannon shares the threads that shaped her, from being the kid who noticed the “visibly invisible,” to watching her grandparents use business as a catalyst for social good, to an unexpected career pivot after 9/11 that ultimately led her into entrepreneurship. Together, they discuss leading in the “brave middle,” why every idea is worthy and how to recognize when you’re in a season of inflection, where change isn’t just happening, it’s transforming you. 

Topic 1: Shannon shares the early “threads” that have always been part of who she is: encouragement, noticing who’s left out, and a deep desire to help people thrive. She also reflects on her grandparents,business owners and “gap fillers”, and how watching them use entrepreneurship for social good planted seeds she didn’t recognize until later.
Topic 2: The leap into entrepreneurship and the moment 9/11 changed everything.
Shannon shares the unexpected pivot that happened when a job offer was rescinded right after 9/11, how volunteering led to meaningful work, and how grad school sparked her vision for consulting. 
Topic 3: The “brave middle,” seasons of inflection, and the power of necessary endings This is the heart of the episode: why leaders can be “winning at work and losing in their soul,” what an inflection season really means (possibility + promise + pain), and how to recognize when it’s time to prune, release, or shift systems. Shannon also shares how she protects her energy using family as a litmus test and her vision for 2026.

Meet Our Guest:
Shannon Cohen is the founder and CEO of Shannon Cohen, Inc., where she develops emotional intelligence, equity, and wellness experiences for organizations and leaders. Shannon speaks “into” the lives of leaders, helping high performers sustain impact without losing themselves in the process. She is the creator of the Rockstar Woman movement and an inspirational product brand, and she is the author of It’s Normal to Shake as You Soar and Tough Skin, Soft Heart.
Website: shannoncohen.com
Rockstar Woman: rockstar-woman.com
Necessary Endings, by Dr. Henry Cloud  https://amzn.to/4qwG8o3
Tough Skin, Soft Heart by Shannon Cohen https://amzn.to/48MicW8

About the Host: Jennifer Kok is an entrepreneur, business coach, and founder of Next Wave Business Coaching. Through her Earn More…Stress Less™ framework, she helps women entrepreneurs build profitable, sustainable businesses with smarter strategy, stronger systems, and more freedom.
https://nextwavebusinesscoaching.com
Business Accelerator Group
90 Day Profitable Client Blueprint
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

You’ve heard it a thousand times: “You need systems.” But what does that actually mean when you’re busy, stretched thin, and running on mental sticky notes? In this episode, Jennifer Kok breaks down Pillar #5 of her Nine Pillars of a Profitable Business—Systems—and shows you how to build them without overwhelm, fancy software, or 100-page manuals.

You’ll learn why your brain shouldn’t be the storage unit for your business, how simple tools like checklists and routines can reduce stress, and how systems protect your energy, your profits, and your growth. Through real stories from a chaotic bakery counter to a costly delivery mistake. Jennifer shows how systems create freedom, consistency, and confidence for you and your team.

If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed, forgetting things, and being the bottleneck in your business, this episode will help you start building systems that actually work.

Episode Outline
You Already Have Systems (You Just Might Not Like Them)
Your systems already dictate how your day starts, how decisions are made, and how clients are handled—whether you built them intentionally or by default. The real question: are they helping you grow or quietly draining your energy and profits?

The Mental Load of No Systems
When everything lives in your head, your brain becomes the storage unit for emails, follow-ups, decisions, and loose ends. That creates stress, decision fatigue, and eventually burnout. Systems move that weight off your mind and onto something you can trust.

What Systems Really Are (and Aren’t)
Systems are not always expensive software or massive SOPs. They can be:

• Checklists
• Routines
• Decision filters
• Expectations
  They exist so your brain doesn’t have to fill the gaps.

Systems for You as the Owner
Your habits are systems too. Jennifer talks about:

• Blocking time for strategy, not just tasks
• Choosing 3 weekly priorities (not endless to-do lists)
• Using a “Best Yes” filter for decisions
• Creating a simple financial rhythm so you’re not avoiding the numbers

Signs You Need Better Systems

• You’re busy but don’t know what you accomplished
• You replay decisions in your head
• You answer the same questions repeatedly
• You feel more chaos than peace

Systems Create Calm, Focus, and Profit
From using a CRM to organizing contacts and follow-ups, Jennifer explains how having everything in one place removes mental clutter and opens space for growth.

Related Episodes & Additional Resources

The Nine Pillars of a Profitable Business – Overview of the framework that includes Systems as Pillar #5 

• Tools Mentioned: CRM systems like FG Funnels: 

Host Name: Jennifer Kok
About the Host: Jennifer Kok is a business consultant and former 20-year bakery owner who helps service-based small business owners earn more and stress less. Through her Nine Pillars framework, she teaches simple, sustainable ways to grow profitably without burnout.
Website: https://www.nextwavebusinesscoaching.com

Contact the show: https://www.nextwavebusinesscoaching.com/contact

Follow Jennifer:
Instagram: @nextwavewithjen
Facebook: facebook.com/nextwavewithjen
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kok-17441829
YouTube: @nextwavewithjen8028

Share this episode: If this helped you, send it to a fellow business owner who’s carrying too much in their head.

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

If you’ve ever felt like you can’t compete with big brands, massive ad budgets, and the constant pressure to “do more marketing,” this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

Jennifer sits down with referral expert, TedX speaker, entrepreneur and author of Referrals Done Right, Scott Grates, to talk about how he built multiple seven-figure businesses almost entirely on referrals.

Scott breaks down his 5 S’s referral framework, why schools are his “secret sauce,” and how ANY small business owner (even social introverts who hate networking events) can build a long-game referral engine in just five minutes a day.

Whether you’re a Main Street business, a local service provider, or just tired of feeling behind on marketing trends, this conversation will help you humanize your marketing and make relationships your strongest growth strategy.

In This Episode, We Cover:
Scott’s  beginning.  How losing his job in the 2008 financial crisis, two babies in diapers, and “rice and beans” pushed him to find a smarter way to grow.

Why traditional marketing was failing him.
The moment he went all-in on referrals.  Looking at his numbers, seeing referrals as the clear outlier in ROI and quality, and having the courage to cut other marketing… even when revenue dipped short-term.

The 5 S’s: Scott’s Core Referral Groups
Small Businesses – Going after the “geese,” not just the golden eggs: building relationships with businesses already serving your ideal customers.

Schools – His secret sauce: being present for juniors and seniors as future customers, employees, and referral partners.

Service Groups – Chambers, nonprofits, civic and service organizations full of super-connectors.

Star Customers – Turning your happiest customers into your volunteer sales team by delivering “wow” experiences.

Social Media – Using social to spotlight others and show up as a real human in your community, not a faceless brand.

Key Takeaways for Local Service Providers
Referrals Done Right = Relationships Done Right
Start small or you’ll quit.
Your best customers are your best sales team
Long-game strategies can actually accelerate your growth
Meet our Guest:
Scott Grates is a multi-business owner, TedX speaker, insurance agency founder, entrepreneur and referral expert, and author of Referrals Done Right. Starting his first business after losing his corporate job in the 2008 financial crisis, Scott built his agencies and a seven-figure coaching practice almost entirely through referrals and relationships.

Book: Referrals Done Right by Scott Grates
Connect with Scott: https://www.scottgrates.com/

Meet Your Host:
Jennifer Kok has been a business owner for over 25 years and is now a Small Business Consultant. She turned her first business into a franchise and successfully sold it 20 years later.  She was passionate about building a business and a family at the same time.

The Earn More Stress Less 9-Pillar System helps women entrepreneurs with families create profitable, sustainable businesses that finally pay them back — in money, time, and peace of mind.  https://nextwavebusinesscoaching.com

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
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LinkedIn:
YouTube: 

In this deeply eye-opening and energizing conversation, Jennifer sits down with Sophia McKenzie, founder of Gearing Together, who helps high-achieving women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders rebuild confidence, set boundaries, and grow without burning out.

Burnout is a buzzword these days but Sophia reframes it in a way you’ve never heard before. Instead of describing burnout as exhaustion from overwork, she defines it as a misalignment between your energy and your values. And once you hear her explanation, it will change the way you see your work, your stress, and your habits forever.

Sophia shares her own story of what she calls “extra-crispy burnout” the moment she realized her roles as a mom, employee, and daughter were stretching her to the point of breaking. From hives to hair-doing guilt to misaligned corporate culture, her story is both relatable and powerful.

Together, Jennifer and Sophia unpack:

• The emotional vs. physical roots of burnout
• How to recognize early symptoms (that most ignore)
• Why women entrepreneurs often overwork themselves straight into overwhelm
• How to break the overwork habit using small, intentional micro-habits
• Why outsourcing at home is also a CEO-level strategy
• What it really looks like to lead yourself differently

Sophia’s tools, stories, and gentle-but-direct style will leave you feeling seen, supported, and inspired to show up in your business in a healthier and more aligned way.

Meet Our Guest: 

Sophia Mikelionis is a leadership coach and former finance executive who helps high-achieving women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders rebuild confidence, set boundaries, and grow without burning out.

Connect with Sophia: 

www.gearingtogether.com
https://www.youtube.com/@GearingTogether

Instagram: @gearingtogether 

FREE Resource: 

PowerBack Worksheet — a free tool that helps women pinpoint where they’re losing energy and how to take it back. This is the link-->subscribepage.io/Zg3UZQ

Meet Your Host:
Jennifer Kok has been a business owner for over 25 years and is now a Small Business Growth Advisor. She turned her first business into a franchise and successfully sold it 20 years later.  She was passionate about building a business and a family at the same time.

I support service-based women entrepreneurs to double their profits without doubling their hours. 

The Earn More Stress Less 9-Pillar Blueprint helps women entrepreneurs with families create profitable, sustainable businesses that finally pay them back — in money, time, and peace of mind.

Join me for a Free Online Workshop:
3 Steps to Boost Profitability: Strategic Shifts to Help Small Business Owners Make More Money.  https://nextwavebusinesscoaching.com/webinar

https://nextwavebusinesscoaching.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextwavewithjen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextwavewithjen/

Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

Because the truth is, business owners make decisions all day long, but the ones that really matter are often the hardest ones. Should I hire? Raise my prices? Invest in marketing? Let go of a draining client? Expand, or simplify?

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

Get your copy of Make Waves: How Women Entrepreneurs Stop Reacting. Start Profiting and Build a Business That Lasts. 

Connect with me:
Website:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
YouTube: