Staying Solo | Business Strategy for Service Providers, Creatives and Consultants

Feeling trapped in a rinse-and-repeat cycle where you work more, make more, get exhausted, recover, and then do it all over again? Listen to this quick training that I wanted to share with you, which includes:

• What the time vs. money trap is
• Why you may be feeling stuck
• The key levers you have to break out of it

Tune in to discover how to grow your business sustainably in a way that works for you. (No one-size-fits-all BS is included I promise!)

LINKS: Watch the Time vs. Money Trap Video Mastermind Details (We start Oct 1st) Chat with Maggie About the Mastermind

Do you ever feel like you work work work and yet never get ahead with your salary? Celeb entrepreneurs love to tell us we need to spend money to make money, but that toxic myth often leads us to make decisions that aren't in our best interests.

In this episode, I will show you how to pay yourself first, grow your salary, and build a business that works for you without buying into the hype. It's time to stop bleeding cash and get you paid.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• Prioritizing your salary so you can pay yourself first.

• The BS myth that leaves so many service business owners underpaid and overworked.

• Why smart money management is the key to a steady salary and where to focus.

• The role of money mindset (and not the cheezy manifest your life kind).

• How to set prices that support your desired salary goal.

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. Be sure to subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and you can get Staying Solo updates by email by signing up here.

The reality of being a solo business owner is that there are only so many hours in the day. You want to make more money, but you also want not ultimately to burn out. So what's a solo biz owner to do?

In this episode, I'm breaking down the myth of scaling and showing you how to use strategy to grow your business without burning out.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• The Staying Solo Framework and which three pillars provide ways to grow.

• Why you should embrace leverage over scaling.

• The problems with conventional business wisdom for solo biz owners.

• How selling strategy can help you break through the revenue ceiling.

• Specific considerations for upgrading your overall business strategy.

• Why your delivery model is a strategic lever for your business.

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. Be sure to subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and you can get Staying Solo updates by email by signing up here.

Ever been told that when it comes to your business, bigger is better?

As solo business owners, we're constantly inundated with advice telling us we "need" to grow and scale.

But is that really the case? (Spoiler: it's not!)

In this episode, we're unpacking why the pressure to scale often backfires and leaves service business owners stressed, overworked, and disillusioned. If you've ever felt that nagging push to expand just because everyone else is, this episode is your permission slip to rethink everything and stay solo instead.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• Why "bigger is better" is BS advice.

• Why staying solo is the best choice for many service business owners.

• How trying to get bigger can derail you and your business.

• How to figure out what your 'enough' is.

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com.

Be sure to subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode, and you can get Staying Solo updates by email by signing up here.

In a world of celebrity entrepreneurs pedalling generic business advice unsuitable for SERVICE or SOLO business owners, I've spent years separating fact from fiction.

That's precisely why we're announcing some exciting changes to this podcast. Here's what you need to know.

With our next episode, the BS-Free Service Business show will rebrand as the Staying Solo podcast.

Plus, we're launching a new podcast specifically for micro agency owners called Confessions of a Micro Agency Owner is on the way. You can check out a sneak peek of that show with our intro episode now by heading to our new agency page. (And be sure to subscribe to it!)

Here's to a new chapter for all of us who are committed to staying strategically small. I'll be here to guide you as a solo show, or a micro agency owner.

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. To stay in the loop by email, sign up for updates at https://bsfreebusiness.com/newsletter/

If you're anything like me, you love it when people let you peek behind the curtains of their business so you can see what's really going on.

In today's episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of my businesses and sharing my halfway highlights now that we're halfway through 2024.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• What's been going on economically in 2024?

• How my agency, Scoop Studios, has been on the slow and steady track so far this year.

• Lessons we've learned this year for the agency including one that surprised me.

• Why I've been focused on marketing for BS-Free Business.

• Highlights of what BS-Free Business has been up to so far this year, including adding a new community, growing our email list and more.

• Some exciting changes are coming up for the podcast.

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. To stay in the loop by email, sign up for updates at https://bsfreebusiness.com/newsletter/

What if I told you that the key to a sustainable business (that you don't want to burn to the ground once a week) ISN'T doing more?

It's about doing LESS — but doing it better.

In this episode, I'm flipping the script on your default "hustle hard" programming and sharing what really matters when growing a service business as a solopreneur.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• How hustle culture makes us think we must be doing more constantly.

• What is additive cognitive bias, and how does it impact the choices we make in our business? (You're doing to love this!)

• Why is adding more complexity rarely the right solution?

• How does the sunk cost fallacy drive us to make poor decisions?

• Why traditional growth models fail solopreneurs.

• The Staying Solo Framework - six areas of focus for your business decisions.

• The Staying Solo Squad and why you may want to join us!

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com.

To stay in the loop by email, sign up for updates at https://bsfreebusiness.com/newsletter/

This time of year gives us a natural time to pause and take stock of what's happening in our businesses. Think of it this way: it's about curiosity, not comparison, and finding joy, not judgment.

In this episode, I'm sharing a simple way to reset and recharge your business for the rest of 2024.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• Why pausing to reflect back on previous months is important.

• Key questions to ask yourself about your goals and what you've learned.

• What business metrics to review.

• Setting goals for the coming months and what to watch for.

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. To stay in the loop by email, sign up for updates at https://bsfreebusiness.com/newsletter/

The sun is shining, summer is right around the corner and for many of us, we're ready to get outside and play.

The problem?

Hustle culture tells us that we need to work work work. Otherwise, our business will crumble. And even if we DO take some time off, we should still be available to our clients. But those are just a few of the many lies we've been fed, and I can tell you from experience that taking time off IS possible—without your business falling apart in your absence.

You just need your very own Summer Action Plan to make it happen.

In this episode, I'm sharing my best tips and tricks for working less and playing more so you can make the most of this season.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• How our relationship to time off is usually wrapped up with hustle culture and toxic productivity.

• Terrible advice we see surrounding taking time off.

• How to create your own summer action plan, including six questions you must ask when crafting your plan.

• Why boundaries are key to making your Summer Action Plan a reality.

• Five reminders on setting (and keeping!) your boundaries with clients.

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. To stay in the loop by email, sign up for updates at https://bsfreebusiness.com/newsletter/

Have you ever started your Monday morning with a strong sense of existential dread and wondered how you could get all of your client work done… let alone any work ON your business? Next thing you know, the week has flown by, and it feels like the to-do list is just as long—if not even longer—than when you started.

The overwhelm is real and it's time for something to change, starting with getting a handle on what you can actually do in a week.

In this episode, we're talking about managing your capacity in a realistic way that doesn't mean firing all your clients or starting an entirely new business. (And yes, I know that bookstore/coffee shop idea is appealing!)

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• Why working with clients can be so challenging.

• What is capacity planning why you need to stop ignoring it, even if it feels tricky to manage.

• An easy, no BS way to figure out your capacity.

• Why you should track your time even if you don't want to and hate doing it.

• Questions for every service business owner to answer about their capacity.

For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. To stay in the loop by email, sign up for updates at https://bsfreebusiness.com/newsletter/