Wondering what's holding my business back? You're not alone. Every business owner I know is chasing the same things: clarity, focus, energy, freedom. But here's the truth most people don't want to hear. In this episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm sharing why these outcomes can't be chased and what you need to focus on instead.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ The 7 Things Every Business Owner Wants Most And Why You Can't Chase Them

✔ Why Buying Another Planner Or App Won't Give You Clarity Or Focus

✔ The Difference Between Outcomes And Inputs That Changes Everything

✔ The 4 Pillars That Actually Create The Results You're After

✔ How To Stop Chasing And Start Building What You Really Want

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/409

P.S. Not sure where to start? Take my Next Level Business Owner Quiz to find out which pillar needs your attention first. Head to AmberDeLaGarza.com/QUIZ

And… If you're ready to stop chasing and start building, schedule a Discovery Call so we can discuss partnering together. Head to AmberDeLaGarza.com/Call

Stuck on a decision you keep avoiding? Spinning on a problem you can't seem to solve? In this episode, I'm sharing one simple question that cuts through the overwhelm and helps you see clearly even when you're too close to the situation.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ Why being "too close" to a situation keeps you stuck and how to create the separation you need

✔ The 6 personal filters that cloud your judgment (fear, guilt, capacity limits, emotional attachment, self-doubt, and avoidance)

✔ One powerful reframe question that bypasses overthinking and reveals the obvious answer

✔ Why you'll fight for your business even when you won't fight for yourself and how to use that strategically

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, visit https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/408

P.S. Today's episode gave you one powerful question. But imagine having a strategy partner who helps you see clearly when you're too close to the situation. Someone who asks the right question at the right time. That's what coaching with me looks like. If you're ready to get unstuck, gain clarity, and make strategic decisions that move your business forward, I'd love to talk with you. Schedule your Discovery Call

And… Want to discover what's most holding you back in business and receive a personalized playlist to help you overcome those specific challenges? It only takes a few minutes to take the Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get on the path of taking your leadership and business to the next level!

I dive into how you can identify both the internal beliefs and the external commitments that are silently running the show in your business in life. We talk about how to finally give yourself permission to let them go so you can step into 2026 lighter, clearer, and ready for true momentum.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ What Letting Go Really Is & What It Entails

✔ A Great Mantra To Live By That Grants You Desired Freedom

✔ The Most Important Question To Ask Yourself & Answer Honestly

✔ What Stands Between You & Relief From Your Commitments

✔ Common Expectations Beliefs, & Stories That Might Be Weighing You Down

✔ What Happens When You Release The Internal Weight

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, click on https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/407

P.S. Want to discover what's most holding you back in business and receive a personalized playlist to help you overcome those specific challenges? It only takes a few minutes to take the Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get on the path of taking your leadership and business to the next level!

And… If you want help managing your time, creating efficiency, making a new hire, reducing the stress and overwhelm of running a business, or making strategic decisions that will help you level up your business, I'd like to talk to you. Let's discuss how we can partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits! Schedule your Discovery Call

I sit down with business coach and sales expert Sarah Walton to dive into the illusion of time abundance and money scarcity, help you shatter your mindset blocks around time and money, and discuss how managing your time with love and intention will make your money flow more abundantly.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ The Difference Between A Scarcity & Abundance Mindset

✔ How You Are Likely Preventing Money Flowing To You

✔ Sarah's Just-Get-To-Market Winning Strategy

✔ The Important Question To Ask Yourself That Takes Pressure Off You

✔ One Of The Most Wasteful & Harmful Things You Can Do With Your Time

✔ The Entrepreneur "Porn" That You Must Stay Away From

✔ What Your #1 Job Is As A Business Owner

✔ The Relationship Between Your Nervous System & Abundance Of Time & Money

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, click on https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/406

P.S. Want to discover what's most holding you back in business and receive a personalized playlist to help you overcome those specific challenges? It only takes a few minutes to take the Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get on the path of taking your leadership and business to the next level!

And… If you want help managing your time, creating efficiency, making a new hire, reducing the stress and overwhelm of running a business, or making strategic decisions that will help you level up your business, I'd like to talk to you. Let's discuss how we can partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits! Schedule your Discovery Call

I dive into how you can put a stop to the December panic setting and discover what you should actually focus on now to finish the year strong and guilt-free.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ What The December Trap Looks Like

✔ What Creates The Unnecessary Overwhelm & Why

✔ A Simple, Impactful Exercise To Determine What To Focus On

✔ How You Can Easily Release The Guilt That Comes Along With the Holiday Season

✔ The Most Strategic Thing You Can Do This Holiday Season

✔ Actions To Take To Feel Super Accomplished At The End Of The Month

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, click on https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/405

P.S. Want to discover what's most holding you back in business and receive a personalized playlist to help you overcome those specific challenges? It only takes a few minutes to take the Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get on the path of taking your leadership and business to the next level!

And… If you want help managing your time, creating efficiency, making a new hire, reducing the stress and overwhelm of running a business, or making strategic decisions that will help you level up your business, I'd like to talk to you. Let's discuss how we can partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits! Schedule your Discovery Call

I sit down with the founder and CEO of Perfectly Kept Books®, Misa Bacon, to dive into the inner workings of your relationship with your bookkeeper and specific strategies to make it a seamless back-and-forth collaboration that's personalized to get the best results for you and your business.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ What Misa Sees Out In The Wild West Of Her Clients' Books

✔ The Nuances Of Business Owners & Good Bookkeeper / Accountant Relationships

✔ What To Do If You're Not Receiving The Reports You're Paying For

✔ How Often You Should Be Talking With Your Bookkeeper

✔ Strategies To Work With Your Bookkeeper To Get The Results You Want

✔ Red Flags To Watch Out For & What To Consider When Hiring / Working With A Bookkeeper

✔ The Best Time Of Year To Hire A Bookkeeper

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, click on https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/404

P.S. Want to discover what's most holding you back in business and receive a personalized playlist to help you overcome those specific challenges? It only takes a few minutes to take the Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get on the path of taking your leadership and business to the next level!

And… If you want help managing your time, creating efficiency, making a new hire, reducing the stress and overwhelm of running a business, or making strategic decisions that will help you level up your business, I'd like to talk to you. Let's discuss how we can partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits! Schedule your Discovery Call

I dive into the crucial difference between being good busy and toxic busy so you can know the warning signs, make better choices, stop feeling so overwhelmed, and be better equipped to achieve success without burnout.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ What Good Busy Looks & Feels Like

✔ What Toxic Busy Looks & Feels Like

✔ My Natural Tendency & How I Choose To Combat It

✔ The Warning Signs You're Slipping Into Toxic Busy

✔ What To Do Instead

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, click on https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/403

P.S. Want to discover what's most holding you back in business and receive a personalized playlist to help you overcome those specific challenges? It only takes a few minutes to take the Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get on the path of taking your leadership and business to the next level!

And… If you want help managing your time, creating efficiency, making a new hire, reducing the stress and overwhelm of running a business, or making strategic decisions that will help you level up your business, I'd like to talk to you. Let's discuss how we can partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits! Schedule your Discovery Call

I sit down with certified nutrition and life coach, Courtney Townley, to dive into her work of helping women reclaim their health while removing the overwhelm from their health journey, and discuss her new book The Consistency Code: A Midlife Woman's Guide to Deep Health and Happiness.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✓ The 4 Distinct Practices For Women's Wellness That Actually Work

✓ Why Health At Midlife Is Fundamentally A Stress Management Game (And How To Win It)

✓ When Courtney Knew She Had A Book & What She Learned In The Process Of Writing It

✓ What Her Integrity Pains Were And How She Pushed Through Them

✓ The Real Nutrition Deficiencies That Have Nothing To Do With Food

✓ Courtney's Advice For Busy Business Owners To Get Out Of The Spin Cycle

✓ How To Practice Consistent Self-Honoring Instead Of Daily Rigid Routines

✓ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, click on https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/402

P.S. If you're a woman navigating midlife and feeling stuck in the start-stop cycle, I can't recommend Courtney Townley's book enough. It's far from your typical health book. Courtney digs into the real reasons we struggle to be consistent, and it has nothing to do with willpower. She talks about our stories, our patterns, and how to build a life that actually sustains us. If you're tired of quick fixes and want something that actually addresses the root of the problem, you need this book. Check out Courtney's podcast Grace & Grit and grab your copy of her book or audio book here at the link below!

I go behind-the-scenes once again to look at my whole experience last week of realizing that the most productive, most strategic thing I could do for my business in the moment was simply to stop and rest - even when that meant making the hard, public decision of missing a deadline.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ What I Struggled With This Past Week & How It Impacted My Business

✔ The Difficult Decision I Had To Make

✔ How That Decision Turned Out To Be The Best One

✔ Ways Productivity Becomes Busyness When You're Compromised

✔ The Guilt-Free Permission It's Important To Give Yourself

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, click on https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/401

P.S. Want to discover what's most holding you back in business and receive a personalized playlist to help you overcome those specific challenges? It only takes a few minutes to take the Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get on the path of taking your leadership and business to the next level!

And… If you want help managing your time, creating efficiency, making a new hire, reducing the stress and overwhelm of running a business, or making strategic decisions that will help you level up your business, I'd like to talk to you. Let's discuss how we can partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits! Schedule your Discovery Call

Today is a very special episode—our 400th episode! Instead of me giving you the straight talk this week, the tables are turned and I get interviewed by my marketing content creator. Come behind the scenes of my business with me to learn about my personal journey, the entrepreneurial struggles you usually don't hear about, and what I've learned over 400 podcast episodes and 15 years of business ownership.

What You'll Discover In This Episode:

✔ Why & How I Started My Business

✔ The Multitude Of Sacrifices It Required

✔ The Biggest Fears I Had While Building The Business

✔ How My Business Has Evolved Through The Years

✔ The Challenges That Acted As Catalysts For Those Transformations

✔ Which Strategic Decisions I Made In Order To Grow

✔ The Lessons I've Learned & Where I'm Going Next

✔ So Much More!

To access resources and links from this episode, click on https://AmberDeLaGarza.com/400

P.S. Want to discover what's most holding you back in business and receive a personalized playlist to help you overcome those specific challenges? It only takes a few minutes to take the Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get on the path of taking your leadership and business to the next level!

And… If you want help managing your time, creating efficiency, making a new hire, reducing the stress and overwhelm of running a business, or making strategic decisions that will help you level up your business, I'd like to talk to you. Let's discuss how we can partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits! Schedule your Discovery Call