We hear it all the time in business:

You need to get in the room.

Go to the networking event. Join the community. Attend the conference. Meet more people. Make more connections.

And yes, getting out of your business bubble matters.

But what if you’re getting into the wrong rooms?

Or what if you’re finally in the right room… but you’re sitting in the audience when you should be on the stage?

In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about what they’ve learned from a summer of getting OUTSIDE, attending events, networking, joining communities, making connections, and figuring out which opportunities are actually worth their time and energy.

Because when you’re a solopreneur, every yes costs you something.

That event takes time away from something else. That new community needs your attention. That networking opportunity might mean less energy for your clients, your business, your family, or yourself.

And saying yes to everything because you’re afraid you might miss an opportunity isn’t a strategy.

We’re talking about how to evaluate the rooms you’re entering, recognizing when you’ve outgrown being an attendee, trusting yourself enough to decline opportunities that don’t fit, and getting clear about what you actually want from the spaces you choose to enter.

Plus, we get into the rooms that don’t require you to leave your house at all: online communities.

Because whether the room is physical or virtual, the question is the same:

Why are you here?

Are you there to learn?
Build relationships?
Find clients?
Get support?
Be visible?
Teach?
Lead?

You don’t need to be in every room.

You need to be intentional about the rooms that deserve your limited time, attention, and energy… and make sure you’re showing up in the right position once you get there.

YouTube is having a moment.

Everyone wants evergreen content.

Instagram is showing up in Google search.

Blogs are apparently still alive and well. 😂

And depending on who you follow, there’s probably another platform or marketing strategy you’re being told you absolutely NEED to be using right now.

But here’s the thing:

Everything still works.

In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about the marketing trends we’re seeing right now, including the shift toward searchable, long-lasting content and why more business owners are reconsidering where they invest their time, money, and energy.

But this conversation quickly turns into something bigger.

Because you don’t have to be on Instagram. You don’t have to start a YouTube channel. You don’t have to chase the newest marketing strategy just because everyone else seems to be doing it.

You need to figure out what works for your business, your goals, and the way you actually want to work.

We’re talking about evergreen content, search-based platforms, human connection, production quality vs. message quality, word-of-mouth marketing, and why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is stop overcomplicating everything and EXECUTE.

Plus, as we head toward Q4, we’re challenging you to take a look at your digital footprint.

If someone discovered your business today, where would your digital breadcrumbs lead them?

An outdated offer?
A broken link?
A challenge that ended three months ago? 😬
Or a clear next step toward working with you?

Because choosing the right marketing strategy matters.

But so does making sure the path you’ve already created is actually leading people somewhere.

Let business be simpler. Pay attention to what works. And put your energy there.

You Don’t Need More Content. You Need Better Marketing.

You don’t need to post three times a day.

You don’t need every Reel to have the perfect hook.

And you definitely don’t need to turn yourself into a full-time content creator just to get clients.

Because as a solopreneur, your job isn’t to win at content.

Your marketing needs to help the right person recognize that you understand their problem and can help them solve it.

In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about what happens when we overcomplicate marketing and start measuring ourselves against creators whose business models, goals, and audiences may look nothing like ours.

We’re getting into the difference between creating content for attention and marketing a business for sales, why conversations with real people are still some of the best market research you can do, and how to stop guessing about what your audience wants.

We also talk about using your clients’ actual language, telling stories they can see themselves in, testing your ideas, paying attention to your numbers, and letting the data tell you what to do more of.

Because you might not need more followers, more content, or a more complicated strategy.

You might just need to get a whole lot clearer about who you’re trying to reach, what they need to hear, and what you actually need your marketing to do.

You take on one little extra task because you want to be helpful.

Then another.

Then another.

And suddenly, the project you agreed to isn’t remotely the project you’re actually doing.

If you’ve ever looked back at a client project and realized you basically made $10 an hour after everything you did for them, this conversation is for you.

In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about boundaries, and why they’re about so much more than telling clients when you’re available.

Carin shares the story of a nightmare client relationship that went completely off the rails and the uncomfortable realization she had afterward: the client wasn’t the only problem. There were red flags she ignored, work she kept accepting outside the original scope, and boundaries she should have enforced but didn’t.

We’re getting into scope creep, client communication, protecting your capacity, setting expectations from the beginning, and why being endlessly available doesn’t actually create the amazing client experience you think it does.

We also talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention: what happens when one bad-fit client takes up so much of your energy that you stop showing up for the right ones.

Because boundaries aren’t about being difficult, rigid, or less helpful.

They’re part of running a business that works for you AND delivers a better experience for the people you’re there to serve.

Solopreneur CEO is back for Season 2, and we’re kicking things off with an honest conversation about what happens when life changes, your priorities shift, and the way you’ve been running your business doesn’t quite fit anymore.

In this episode, Carin and Marcia catch up on what the summer taught them about success, capacity, taking care of yourself, and giving yourself permission to build differently in different seasons of life.

But the conversation takes an interesting turn: We spend so much time thinking about how to create the success we want… but are we actually prepared to receive it?

What if the growth you’ve been working toward happened tomorrow? What would break? What would need to change? And are you building your business from a place of expecting that success, or quietly preparing for it not to work?

We’re talking about defining success on your own terms, protecting your capacity, building a business that can flex with your real life, and becoming the kind of CEO who is actually ready for what she says she wants.

Season 2 is here. And we’re just getting started.

Six months ago, we relaunched this podcast with a simple idea: Building a successful business shouldn’t require sacrificing yourself in the process.

As we wrap up Season One, we’re reflecting on the conversations, lessons, and patterns that kept showing up again and again.

Burnout. Time. Systems. Leadership. Community.

And the realization that so many solopreneurs are trying to solve structural problems with personal pressure.

Throughout this season, we kept coming back to the same truth: Working harder doesn’t create a sustainable business.

Building differently does.

In this Season One finale, we discuss:

• the invisible load so many solopreneurs carry
• why burnout is often a symptom, not the root problem
• the difference between operating your business and leading it
• how systems, boundaries, and support create sustainability
• the role community plays in helping solopreneurs grow
• the identity shifts required to move from operator mode into CEO leadership
• what we’re most excited to explore in Season Two

This conversation is a chance to pause, reflect, and look at how far you’ve come, not just this season, but in your business journey as a whole.

Thank you for listening, sharing episodes, joining the community, and being part of these conversations. We’ll be back in August for Season Two.

Until then, the conversation continues inside our free community at: https://thesolopreneurceo.com

You’ve listened to the podcasts. Bought the courses. Saved the posts. Consumed the strategies. So why do you still feel stuck?

Why do so many smart, capable solopreneurs still find themselves overwhelmed, reactive, overthinking every decision, and struggling to fully step into CEO leadership?

In this solo episode, Carin explores a deeper issue that most business advice completely overlooks: environment. Because at a certain point, the problem is no longer a lack of information. It’s trying to build a different kind of business while surrounded by environments, messaging, expectations, and patterns that keep pulling you back into survival mode.

In this episode, Carin talks about:

• why implementation is emotional, relational, and identity-based
• how isolation quietly distorts perspective for solopreneurs
• the hidden impact of the online business environment
• why “knowing what to do” is often not the real problem
• the difference between consuming information and integrating it
• why support, conversation, and community are forms of business infrastructure

This is an honest conversation about burnout, overconsumption, CEO leadership, and what actually helps solopreneurs create lasting change.

🎯 Join our free community for solopreneurs building sustainable businesses without burnout: https://thesolopreneurceo.com

What if success doesn’t have to mean building a bigger business?

What if “enough” is actually enough?

In Part 2 of this How I Run This conversation, Marcia continues her discussion with Tara Whitaker about entrepreneurship, money, parenting, community, visibility, and the pressure solopreneurs feel to constantly grow, scale, and prove themselves.  

This conversation gets especially honest around the realities of solopreneurship and the difference between building a business that looks impressive… versus building one that actually supports your life.

They talk about:

• Why Tara has intentionally chosen not to build a large company or team
• The pressure online business owners feel to constantly scale
• The emotional cost of chasing external definitions of success
• Parenting, flexibility, and designing business around real life
• Why “enough” looks different for everyone
• The role of money, impact, and values in entrepreneurship
• Community, participation, and what solopreneurs actually need support with

This is a grounded, refreshing conversation about ambition, capacity, and building a business that fits the life you actually want.

🎯 Join our free community for solopreneurs building sustainable businesses without burnout: https://thesolopreneurceo.com

There’s a certain kind of freedom that comes with building your own business. You get to decide what matters. What you stand for. What kind of work you want to do and how you want to do it.

But that also means you have to make hard decisions about your values, your visibility, and the kind of business you actually want to build.

In Part 1 of this How I Run This conversation, Marcia sits down with Tara Whitaker, book editor, coach, membership founder, and host of the Modern Editor Podcast, for a wide-ranging discussion about entrepreneurship, visibility, community, creative work, and building a business that actually aligns with who you are.  

They talk about:

• Tara’s journey from corporate event planning into solopreneurship
• What changed for her during the pandemic and how it shaped her business
• Why visibility feels unsafe for so many women business owners
• Building a values-driven business and attracting the right clients
• The role of community in entrepreneurship and personal growth
• Honest conversations around AI, creativity, and critical thinking
• Why solopreneurship can be both empowering and deeply personal

This conversation goes beyond tactics and productivity.

It’s an honest look at what it means to build a business that reflects your values, your voice, and the life you actually want to live.

And this is only Part 1. 👀

🎯 Join our free community for solopreneurs building sustainable businesses without burnout:https://thesolopreneurceo.com

If you’ve ever looked at your to-do list and thought…

“Why do I keep avoiding this?”
or
“Why am I spending so much time on things that don’t actually matter?”

This episode is going to connect some dots. Because what most solopreneurs call a “time problem”… is often an alignment problem.

In this episode, we’re revisiting a powerful conversation from our earlier Honest Convos series and bringing it into the Solopreneur CEO lens.

We break down what “alignment” actually means (without the buzzwords)… and how it shows up in your business in very real ways.

You’ll hear:

• Why procrastination is often a sign of misalignment (not laziness)
• How guilt, obligation, and “shoulds” quietly shape how you spend your time
• The difference between being good at something vs it being right for your business
• Why you can feel successful on paper… but still feel off

If you’ve been noticing that your time is going to things that don’t feel quite right… this is likely the missing piece.

Because when your time, energy, and focus are out of alignment… no amount of productivity or planning will fix it.

🎯 Want to see exactly where your time is going (and what’s actually worth keeping)?
Join our free Time Thief Workshop where we walk you through how to map your time and start making CEO-level decisions.

🔗 Save your spot: https://thesolopreneurceo.com/webinar-registration