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What was your biggest business accomplishment in 2022? What would you do differently?

As a CEO, founder, or small business owner, it’s easy to fall back on your tried and true methods for running your business. But I’ve found that if you want continued growth and success, you must stay open to new ideas and strategies.

Last year my business grew 62%! And along with it came tough lessons, lots of trial and error, and some deep reflection.

In this episode of My Good Woman, I take you behind the scenes and share three things I learned last year and five things I'm doing differently this year that have already helped my business grow —and could do the same for yours too!

In this episode:

• How to effectively reflect, learn from mistakes and capitalize on wins in your business
• Strategies for finding the right team members and delegating responsibility in a small business
• What to document in your business to make it run better
• What day theming is and why it’s better than time blocking for creative business owners
• The process of launching a successful podcast including tips on investing in the right resources and building systems to keep it running

This episode at a glance:

[02:50] Starting the business felt like a gigantic risk leaving the stability and seeming certainty of corporate life more than 20 years ago. And I would do the same thing all over again today. There's no greater satisfaction than doing what I love and being able to make a difference for people. 

[10:24] Don't do it yourself.  You can't see the tip of your nose. You need to be able to be in a conversation with a skilled and smart marketing strategist. 

[13:06] Whatever you're excited about, whatever you're dreaming about, start now and believe in yourself and do it. And get some help.

[17:58] You only have so much space in your belly. Put the best stuff in there first, the high-ticket items. And how that plays out in my business. It may mean that significantly less get started during the year, but substantially more gets done.  

[27:04]  I have learned over the past several years that I don't have to do everything myself. Delegation is crucial for growth.

Resources and Links mentioned in this episode:

• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Wit and Wire Podcast Launch Accelerator
• Ashlyn Writes
• Airtable

You might also like:

• Annual Business Goals Work Book
• Burnout: What it is and How to Stop It
• Perfectionism Is Killing Your Business

More about the “My Good Woman” podcast

My Good Woman is a podcast for bold female leaders hosted by me, Dawn Andrews! Grab a seat at the table for candid conversations with culture-shifting, glass-ceiling-busting, trailblazing women, leading enterprises that are changing the world.

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

Being a female founder is hard. Raising capital and retaining control of your company is harder when only 2.6% of all venture capital goes to female-founded startups. And the cost of getting that capital is giving up your equity in your company. That's why I sat down with My Good Woman, Melissa Widner, the CEO of Lighter Capital. 

Melissa deeply understands the entrepreneur's journey and the role a funding partner can play in developing a business. As CEO, Melissa led two companies to successful exits returning more than 10 X to her investors. 

She was the founder and CEO of Silicon Valley-based 7 Software and the Managing Director of NAB Ventures, the VC arm of the National Australia Bank. She led NAB’s investments into high-growth fintech, including Lighter Capital, the pioneer and leader in revenue-based financing for tech startups and scale-up.  And if that isn't awesome enough for you, Melissa is also the co-founder and chairperson of Sydney- based Heads Over Heels, an organization supporting women entrepreneurs running companies with high growth potential. 

In this episode, Melissa and I discuss

• Leveling the playing field for female founders
• Equity or debt? Which is better when you're building your business?
• How revenue-based financing works as opposed to venture financing
• How to retain ownership of your company amidst rapid growth

This episode at a glance:

[04:54] There are people that become very successful entrepreneurs, even in their forties or fifties, who wouldn't have seemed to have had an entrepreneurial bone in their body as a kid. 

[13:10] Revenue-based financing leverages the strength of women. Women tend to be good at creating relationships, which means they can build community. That would build on that angel funding.

[20:54] I realized timing is something you can't control, but often it's what determines success.

[26:23] We connect our companies to senior business leaders willing to open up their networks because they want to see the numbers change. They want to see more women growing their businesses.  

Resources and links:

• Lighter Capital
• Heads Over Heels
• Silicon Valley Bank
• National Australia Bank
• Canva

You might also like

• 4 Must-Read Leadership Books
• Annual Business Goals Workbook
• Why Female Leaders Supporting Each Other Is The Future

More about the “My Good Woman” podcast
My Good Woman is a podcast for bold female leaders hosted by me, Dawn Andrews! Grab a seat at the table for candid conversations with culture-shifting, glass-ceiling-busting, trailblazing women who are leading enterprises that are making a change in the world.

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

The beginning of a new year is often a time of reflection and goal setting and planning. Maybe a little bit in December, but with all of the holiday shenanigans, sometimes it's hard to do. January can also be an incredibly busy time for getting back into the swing of things after a holiday break.

You might feel like you have to hit the ground running and come in hot to make up for lost time or to get ahead of the game.  But let's also be real when you own and run your own thing. The opportunity to pull over to the side of the road and be thoughtful and intentional about how you want to change things up is tough. 

What if you took a different approach? What if instead of rushing headlong into the year, you started off slow and steady?  This is what happened to me at the beginning of this year. And I'm going to share with you what happened. And what I did and what's making things so easy, breezy. 

In this episode, you will learn:

• Instead of rushing into the new year, try starting slow and steady
• If you’re not setting intentions, you’re wasting time
• Reflection is the foundation of being strategic with your time and energy
• Why going slow does not = being unproductive

This episode at a glance:

[03:42] That space between holiday celebrations and getting back to work. It's really small and the window for reflection and taking a breath.  It closes really quickly most of the time

[09:38] When you start a business on your own, especially if you bootstrap a business on your own, there isn't a lot of intentional planning, to begin with. 

[13:30]  Taking a moment to reflect has made it clear to me that the reason I'm not enjoying myself in my business is because I haven't been thoughtful in planning what I want to be doing. I'm flying blind and fear is making most of my choices

[19:45] Sometimes taking action is a great way out of a difficult or uncomfortable spot, sometimes you just got to try things and see what happens and then iterate and make it better. 

[22:03] Starting slow doesn't mean being unproductive. It means being intentional about how we choose our actions in order to make long lasting progress and impact towards our ambitions.

Resources and Links mentioned in this episode:

• Free Range Thinking
• Primed to Launch
• Social Sales Stars
• Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache
• Schedule A Call 

You might also like:

• Annual Business Goals Workbook
• 3 Ways To Set Focused Goals For Intentional, Sustainable Business Growth
• Why Female Leaders Supporting Each Other Is The Future

More about the “My Good Woman” podcast
My Good Woman is a

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

When you're a business owner, you pour your heart and soul into it, and there's always the risk that something could go wrong and you could lose everything. No one knows this better than my good woman, Tammi Leader. She also knows what it takes to bounce back better than ever.  

After three decades as an award-winning television producer for the Today Show and more, Tammi took a huge leap of faith, stepping out of the control room and back into nature.  She created Campowerment, a dynamic, live and transformative, expert-led experience to help people find their purpose and their people and live life bigger and better, all centered around playtime. 

Campowerment has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Forbes and Fortune, The Today Show, The Hollywood Reporter, and The LA Times. It has been hailed as THE place where women and companies go to celebrate connection in community and start living the life they've been dreaming about.

In this episode, Tammi and I discuss...

• What it means to be resilient
• What happens when the worst happens
• Working with family
• Building a community that has your back

This episode at a glance:

[02:51] We've all bounced back from being in the hole. And that's what I'm devoting my life to; helping people see their story, recognize it, and learn how to rewrite it if it's not what they want it to be.

[10:45] With the state of the world and where it is now, “news flash, people, we need you.” Get off your tushies and start figuring out what you're supposed to do to help save this planet, and let us help you get there.

[18:00] Oftentimes, we surround ourselves with people invested in keeping us in our old identities. Unless you have a spot to peel that layer off and decide which rocks you want to pick back up, everybody else is invested in keeping us where we are because it anchors them in whatever their identities are.

[37:21] This is important for women in leadership to take away and consider when they're building their businesses; your client, your customer, or community, whichever it is for you, really matters and can have your back if you have theirs.

[51:41] There is no such thing as normal. Set your bar higher than what you think is normal for you and your people, and they will reach it.

Resources and Links

• Today Show
• CBS Miami
• Campowerment
• Tools - Ontraport, Mighty Networks, Google Drive, Apple iPhone, Quickbooks

You might also like

• How To Build Camaraderie To Boost Your Teams’ Motivation and Productivity
• How To Rise and Lead Through Grief, Loss, and Trauma
• Creating A Movement, The World is Waiting For

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

This episode is for you if you’re in business or you're thinking about starting a business, and you don't know what to charge for your services. And I get it. It can be hard to price your services, especially when you're just starting out. We don't necessarily have a track record. 

Maybe you don't have any success stories to share.  You don't want to undervalue yourself, but you also don't want to scare clients away with high prices. And you might be nervous about charging what you're worth, or you don't know what your services are worth yet. 

This process can be a whole lot easier.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How to set your rates
• How to find the courage to charge what you’re worth
• How to communicate that value in a way that feels fair for both you and your clients

This episode at a glance:

[03:13]  I felt like I barely had time to shower, much less spend time having fun, and I was starting to burn out. Being booked solid is a great idea, but not at the expense of having some personal time to yourself.  It was clear that I needed to start looking at my pricing because I was becoming resentful. And not wanting to go to work.

[04:25] Women, upon being hired into their jobs, took what was offered with no further discussion. And here's the staggering part; that could equate to as much as $1.5 million in lost income over the course of a woman's career. Based on the cumulative effect of one negotiation.

[06:50] We need to be bigger and braver than our doubts and insecurities and go for it. We've just got to decide we're doing it and then support each other in doing it. 

[11:54] It's important to really look at all the different ways that you can serve and are serving and where those services overlap with what the client's challenges are. That's where the cash is. 

[19:38] A mistake we make as female business owners that eats away at our profits and has us question our pricing is becoming overly concerned with whether or not we're enough

Resources and Links:

• Linda Babcock Carnegie Melon University Study
• Women Don’t Ask by Linda Babcock
• Jennifer Diepstraten
• Fixer Advisory 
• Free Range Thinking
• Price Guide 2022

You might also like: 

• Brave Conversations Workbook
• Why Female Leaders Supporting Each Other is The Future

More about the “My Good Woman” podcast

My Good Woman is a podcast for bold female leaders hosted by me, Dawn Andrews! Grab a seat at the table for candid conversations with culture-shifting, glass-ceiling-busting, trailblazing women who are leading enterprises that are making a change in the world. Follow along so you never miss an episode. And before you go, leave us a review!

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

Do you ever wonder, “Can I be successful in business if I'm kind to others? Being kind in business doesn't mean you don't stand up for yourself or you're a pushover. Being kind helps you stand out.

My good woman, Kat Jones, has built her company Motiv PR with kindness, front, and center. Motive PR partners with digital brands to deliver results-driven strategies with invaluable collaboration. Their clients have included Critical Role, Felicia Day, E3, Blind Squirrel Games, and more. And she's a Marvel alum! 

This 10-time veteran of San Diego Comic-Con was also named one of the top PR pros by Business Insider three years in a row.

In this episode, Kat and I discuss:

• Why being kind in business is a point of distinction
• Files, folders and organization to help things run smoothly
• Believers who help you flip the switch from having big dreams to being in business
• That moment when you realize that you really do know what you're doing
• Michelle Obama. Nerds. Geeks. Super fans, Mrs. Betterway. Slimers and go-to karaoke songs. 

This episode at a glance:

[07:28] When you start to have the Mrs. Betterway moments, chances are you're headed down an entrepreneurial path
[12:33] Workshop your business ideas with people and get some reflection back, and if somebody is not into it, it doesn't mean it's not a good idea. Maybe something about it needs to be adjusted. And you can continue to refine it before you have to take the risk and ankle your job.
[23:57] I remember being at a company that shall remain unnamed. I loved being there, but one person made it so difficult to enjoy. It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
[27:30] I think that's what it boils down to for me: if I didn't try, I would regret it. So I try having the conversation, and hopefully, there's a resolution.
[37:01] Everything you need to get started is within arm's reach. You just have to put your head up and be willing to ask. 

Resources and Links 

• Two Dope Queens
• Motive PR
• Youtube 
• Twitch
• ComicCon
• Studio Octopie
• Tools: Airtable, Monday, Asana, Muck Rack, Slack, Google Drive

You might also like 

• People Reading Guide
• Build Better Business Partnerships
• Leaving The “Perfect” Job so You Can Fly Higher

More about the “My Good Woman” podcast

My Good Woman is a podcast for bold female leaders hosted by me, Dawn Andrews! Grab a seat at the table for candid conversations with culture-shifting, glass-ceiling-busting, trailblazing women who are leading enterpris

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

What happens when you're a leader but you've lost your motivation? 

It's hard to get momentum back when you’ve taken time off, or things are tough in your business. Suddenly, the challenges of moving your business forward seem insurmountable; what if you stay stuck? What happens to your company? Your family? 

Seriously though, how do you find your mojo again so you can be the leader you were meant to be? Any ideas? I have a few. 

My Good Woman, If I can get unstuck, you can too. Let’s find our mojo together.

In this episode, I share

• How to not freak out when you’re stuck
• Seven questions to ask yourself when you’ve lost momentum
• How to reconnect to your WHY so you can move forward
• What to do when you don’t know what to do

This episode at a glance:

[00:04:41] This conversation is not about go, fight, win, get it done, make it happen, crush it, hustle. It's about clearing the path for yourself when you have big dreams and desires and, for whatever reason, you're not moving. 

[00:06:29] If you have discovered that you're stuck. It's okay. You're stuck. Good. Now we can do something about it.

[00:11:03] It's coming from past history and fear. And it's difficult to create, much less get moving when you're in that head space. You're stuck in the past.

[00:15:15]  So just do something.  Taking rapid messy action is what starts the wheels of motivation and momentum turning again for me.

Resources and Links:

• Watch my all-time favorite series, Parks and Recreation
• Murakami Exhibit
• Israelmore Ayivor
• Jekyll and Hyde
• Downtown Abbey

You might also like:

• How To Break Free From The Perfetionsim Trap and Unleash Your Leadership Power
• Company Vision Workbook 
• Grit Tenacity, and Getting Messy: What Makes An Entrepreneur Successful

More about the “My Good Woman” podcast

My Good Woman is a podcast for new and future female leaders hosted by Dawn Andrews.

I’m a happily married hockey mom, proud female leader, and founder and CEO of Free Range Thinking, where we turn founders into confident CEOs with strategic consulting and leadership training.

Grab a seat at the table with me each week for candid conversations with culture-shifting, glass ceiling-busting, trailblazing women who are leading enterprises that are changing the world. 

We discuss what makes them tick and how they get it all done. And we share actionable strategies to help you and your team get organized - so you can focus on your company’s growth, profit and impact. 

If you liked what you heard, don’t forget to follow along so you never miss an episode. And before you go, leave us a review - it

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

So you want to be an entrepreneur?  You have the idea, the drive, and the passion.  But what else do you need?  

Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It takes grit, tenacity, and a willingness to get messy.

Which is exactly why I'm excited for you to meet my good woman, Dr. Ingrid Murra.  

While completing her orthodontic training at Harvard, she founded Two Front, a free modern platform for orthodontists to build hybrid practices from unused space at local dental offices. Dr. Murra is the 48th Latina entrepreneur in the US to receive more than $1 million in venture funding.  

In this episode, Dr. Ingrid Murra and I discuss:

• How passion, purpose, and seeing a massive problem in the orthodontics industry drove her to become a newbie tech entrepreneur.
•  Why you need to be brave, knock on doors, and pitch before everything is perfect -- it never is.
• Finding venture funding as a female founder of color with no experience in tech and no support system. 
• Dr. Murra shares how the school doesn't prepare you for entrepreneurship, that every day is war when you're starting your own thing, and saying no to almost everything is a good muscle to flex. 
• How to be in the right kind of “messy” when it comes to business. Making room for mistakes in business and how to overcome it 

This episode at a glance:

[00:06:35] That's what made me want to become an orthodontist. I realized how transformative it could be to a person to have the confidence, to just smile and, you know, not have to restrict yourself.
[00:14:46] I knew that in this world, the way it exists, I could not practice orthodontics the way it's practiced. And that was enough to drive me to just do whatever it took.
[00:18:15] There's no such thing as packaged and perfect before you start going, and I love that you were bold and brave and just kept test-driving your options to see what was gonna work.
[00:27:01]There's no fun in "failing every single day," you know, it's learning, and it's one step in the right direction, it's one more way that you realize it's not gonna work
[00:30:13] Find the people who are a couple of steps behind you and a simple couple steps ahead of you (so that you can always help people, learn directly from when you have just learned, and then learn from people who have just done what you need to do.)  

Resources and Links:

• @dringridmurra (Instagram) 
• @mytwofront (Instagram)
• Mytwofront.com (website)
• The Infatuation (Restaurant Lists)
• Charlie O'Donnell's Monday newsletter

You might also like:

• How to Break Free from The Perfectionism Trap and Unleash Your Leadership Power
• 3 Ways to Set Focused Goals for Intentional Sustainable Business Growth
• Crafting a Career by Being Unapologetically You with Carrie B

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

Summertime's here, and you're ready to downshift and relax for a minute. But what if I told you there's a lovely window of opportunity open right now that could dramatically impact your day-to-day life and business results for the rest of the year? 

Most people wait until January to figure out their goals for the year. It's fantastic that you're making the goals, but if you've left it until January, you've missed the momentum that comes at the beginning of the year. You've put that "I'm rested and ready" energy into planning instead of jumping off the starting line with your plan already in place. 

In summer, our natural inclination is to take our foot off the gas. But I'm asking you to keep it there for a little longer because summer is the best time to reset your business vision.
Don't get overwhelmed - you know I'm firmly in the anti-hustle camp. So when I'm asking you to consider using precious summer hours to think about your business, there are excellent reasons behind that.

In this episode, I share

• Why resetting your business vision matters 
• The benefits of a vision reset 
• How to do a vision reset
• Tips for staying on track with your vision
• Resources to keep you focused and inspired throughout the year

This episode at a glance:
[03:12] Why summertime is the perfect opportunity for a vision reset

[07:03] The telltale symptoms of a lack of vision

[08:27] The benefits of a vision reset

[09:45] How to make the vision reset process fun and easy (and what that means for left-brain vs. right-brain people)

[11:47] Five steps to create or refresh your business vision

[16:39] An exercise to help you define and visualize your version of success: the one step you need to turn a dry list of goals and actions into a vision that can inspire others.

[19:32] Tips for staying focused and on track with your business vision

Resources and Links mentioned in this episode

• Take a walk down memory lane with Schoolhouse Rock
• Stay connected to what matters most with the Five Minute Journal
• Write, draw, paint, collage, and build your vision with the Living Vision Board
• Download and work through the Business Vision Workbook

You might also like

• Setting Focused Goals for Intentional, Sustainable Business Growth
• Your Company's Vision, Mission, and Values - and Why they Matter
• Listen to my vision for the My Good Woman podcast in episode #001

More about the "My Good Woman" podcast
My Good Woman is a podcast for bold female leaders hosted by Dawn Andrews. I'm a happily married hockey mom, proud female leader, and founder and CEO of Free Range Thinking.

Grab a seat at the table with me each week for candid conversation

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Send us a text

It’s tough to get noticed in Hollywood, and today's guest made a career by helping others do just that. She was one of the entertainment industry’s most respected and sought-after media and publicity strategists, ran her own talent management firm (B. Company), and now she works with Late Show legend, Stephen Colbert… as president of his production company Spartina. 

Carrie inspires me and so many other women by being a kind leader in a tough industry, her dedication to her team, and her 1.8 second-response time to text messages. Whether you're just starting out or you've been in business for years, there's something here for you. So grab a cup of tea, buckle up and tune in!

In this episode, we discuss

• Finding the confidence to start your own thing in the entertainment industry - TWICE!
• Handling comparative pressure, facing down obstacles and refusing to apologize for who you are.
• Balancing high demands on your time while finding time to live a life
• Her genius method to get to inbox zero-ish (I’ve tried it, it works!)
• The women that have lifted HER up.

This episode at a glance:

[08:23] What helped Carrie take off on her own: she wanted to contribute to the choices that her clients were making, not just enhance the work they were already doing. And it just took one client, America Ferrara, to say “I see you as that” to give her the confidence to *be* that.

[20:45] The main reason Carrie said YES to running Stephen and Evelyn Colbert’s production company, Spartina: If that YES is loud, if something magnetic is pulling you, that’s telling.

[31:08] Carrie’s empowering leadership style: she taps into people's strengths and celebrates the things her team can do that she can’t. If you have a team of clones, you won't succeed. 

[44:05] Carrie was surrounded by strong female role models, starting with her mom, author and speaker Marcia Byalick. She learned from great women in her industry like Kelly Bush Novak, Lesley Dart, Lois Smith, and Pat Kingsley.

[58:03] What’s on Carrie’s Times Square billboard: “There’s always a ticket”. There's a way around any challenge. 

Resources and links:

• Check out The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report
• Watch “In and Of Itself” on HULU
• ID PR and Kelly Bush Novak

You may also like: 

• Episode #008 with Nicole Marra: Leaving the “Perfect” Job so you can Fly Even Higher

Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.