Want to ditch your corporate job and go all-in on entrepreneurship? It's a fantastic dream but it can be scary to take steps to make that dream become a reality. In this podcast interview, Holly Haynes shares how she navigated the self-doubt and created a 7-figure business over the course of a few years. While it didn't happen overnight, it only took 18 months for her to leave her corporate job and retire her husband from his job too! She's proof that you don't need all day to create your dream business, you just need commitment, a very strong sense of why you want to be an entrepreneur and a clear financial understanding of needs.  

Balancing Work and Personal Life
Taking the Next Step to Leave a Job
Creating a Plan to Leave a Job
Replacing Income and Adjusting Schedule 

Resources Mentioned: 
Free Follow-Thru Workshop: https://amandamckinney.com/workshop 
All podcast episodes: https://pod.link/1473751874
Amanda's Website: https://www.amandamckinney.com/
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book
Holly's Website: https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/
Holly's Podcast (Crush The Rush): https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/podcast
Holly's Free 5 Day CEO Challenge: https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/ceoweek
Holly's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehollymariehaynes/ 

In this episode, I discuss how to create a sustainable business that integrates into your life instead of taking it over. There are four steps to achieve this: identifying your definition of success, determining financial sustainability, designing your ideal schedule, and overcoming the comparison game. By understanding what success means to you, setting financial goals, creating a schedule that aligns with your desired lifestyle, and avoiding comparison, you can build a business that supports the life you want to live.

Define your own definition of success as an entrepreneur to guide your business and set achievable goals.
Determine what financial success means to you by tracking your expenses, knowing your salary, and saving for taxes.
Design your ideal schedule as an entrepreneur to avoid overworking and prioritize your well-being.
Stop comparing yourself to others and focus on your own journey to create a sustainable business.

Resources Mentioned: 
Free Workshop: https://amandamckinney.com/workshop 
All podcast episodes: https://pod.link/1473751874
Amanda's Website: https://www.amandamckinney.com/
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book
Episode #194 (Goal Setting): https://www.amandamckinney.com/post/step-by-step-process-of-defining-success-on-your-terms-as-an-entrepreneur
Profitable Business Blog Post (with Free Financial Tracker): https://www.amandamckinney.com/post/how-to-create-a-profitable-small-business

New year, new business goals. But what happens when your mind plays tricks on you and says "but you didn't follow through last year, why try this year?". It's time to kick those thoughts to the curb and re-write your story for 2024 because just because you didn't follow through before, doesn't mean you can't this time around. In this episode I'm sharing: 

My Follow-Thru Framework that ensures progress on your goal. 
Set clear and meaningful goals that you truly want to achieve.
Visualize what success looks and feels like to stay motivated.
Develop willpower and exercise it like a muscle.
Track your progress and celebrate small wins along the way.
Find accountability through tools, connection, or payment to ensure follow-through.

2024 is your year! You've got this and I can't wait to see what you achieve after taking these steps. 

Resources Mentioned: 
Free Workshop: https://amandamckinney.com/workshop 
All podcast episodes: https://pod.link/1473751874
Amanda's Website: https://www.amandamckinney.com/
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book
University of Bristol Research (8% stat): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heres-why-only-8-people-achieve-new-years-resolutions-wallwork#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20a%20study%20by,set%20unrealistic%20goals%20for%20themselves.
Mel Robbins Podcast Episode: https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-126
Florida State University Research (willpower): https://raywilliams.ca/why-new-years-resolutions-fail-and-what-to-do-about-it/
Oxford Research Encyclopedias Psychology Article (visualization): https://oxfordre.com/psychology/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.001.0001/acrefore-9780190236557-e-228 
Michael Phelps (visualization article): https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/the-power-of-the-mind-through-visualization/  
Michael Phelps (visualization video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-mm90LFPqU
Science Direct Research (decision making): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432819313889?via%3Dihub# 
10-Year Old National Champions: https://www.chronicleonline.com/weeklies/riverland_news/local_news/tiger-youths-win-pop-warner-national-championship/article_d27c80f6-e207-5707-a41e-6dc9024df516.html#:~:text=The%2010U%20Pop%20Warner%20Dunnellon,York%2021%2D6%20on%20Dec.
Harvard Business Review (Progress Principle): https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins
American Society of Training & Development Research: https://stellapop.com/youll-be-95-more-successful-with-this-one-simple-leadership-trick/#:~:text=Accountability%20is%20a%20well%2Dknown,accountability%20to%20a%20third%20party. 

Do you feel lonely, like you're on an island and the only person who's dealing with these entrepreneurship struggles? While the feeling is real, the good news is that you're not the only one. Every accidental entrepreneur has felt this way at some point. Plus there's one thing you can do to help this process overall and it's to find your support system. In this episode I'll share:

Why a support system is critical for accidental entrepreneurs
The 5 buckets of support you need
When you need each of the 5
How to find each type of support

Resources:
All podcast episodes: https://pod.link/1473751874
Amanda's Website: https://www.amandamckinney.com/
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book

It's that time of year when we look back and reflect on what we've achieved (or haven't) and set our sights on the new year. While it's tempting to skip right to the fun planning part for next year, please don't skip the reflection process. As a business owner, taking time to reflect will help you make better business decisions and set achievable goals for the coming year. In this episode I share: 

3 step process for end of year business reflection 
Next year goal setting 
Writing a letter to your future self 
How to keep your overall vision in mind all year long

Additional Resources: 
Ep. 219: Setting realistic 90 day goals :  https://www.amandamckinney.com/post/how-to-set-a-realistic-90-day-business-goal-in-your-small-business
All podcast episodes: https://www.amandamckinney.com/podcast
90 Minute Profit & Productivity Intensive: https://www.amandamckinney.com/customized-coaching 
Accountability Coaching:  https://www.amandamckinney.com/accountability-coaching

As a business owner who's almost a one-woman-show, it was nerve-wracking to know I needed to take a month off due to a health issue. But I learned a lot and now get to apply it to my business and you can too! I'm sharing all the lessons I learned as a prepped for and took 1 month off from my business. 

Prepping for taking a month off 
Getting back to work after a month off
Mentally, how it impacted me
Did I actually complete disconnect from business
What was the biggest challenge / biggest joy
Lessons learned that I'll apply going forward 

Amanda's Resources: 
Free Clarity Plan: https://www.amandamckinney.com/clarity 
Profit Intensive: https://www.amandamckinney.com/profit 
Accountability Coaching: https://www.amandamckinney.com/accountability-coaching 
Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book 
All Podcast Episodes: https://www.amandamckinney.com/podcast 

It's goal setting season! As business owners who are tackling a lot of decisions in our business, this is a big one that often comes with a lot of pressure. In this episode I'm sharing a snippet from a live planning series I hosted all about Resilient Business Planning and I don't want anyone to miss out on this part. Setting a realistic-for-you goal is critical to your business success and I'm sharing the step-by-step process.

How to approach goal setting in a realistic way 
The two mistakes we make when goal setting 
Step-by-step process to setting a realistic-for-you goal
The #1 thing that will help your chances of success

Let's Work Together: 
Get the entire planning course: https://www.amandamckinney.com/plan 
Profit Intensive: https://www.amandamckinney.com/profit 
Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book 
All Podcast Episodes: https://www.amandamckinney.com/podcast 

Today we're learning from entrepreneur and fashion stylist, Jessica Pappineau. While she's a successful business owner now, her journey to success included working retail and collecting food stamps for a while when her family was going through a hard time. Too often we see the end result for business owners and think it was an easy journey but Jessica shares her journey to living her dream. Plus she shares fashion tips with us so we can find confidence through clothes even though it's "so much bigger than clothes". During this conversation we discuss:

The twisty road of entrepreneurship 
Finding confidence through clothes
Jessica's 3 F's to help you do a fashion edit today 
How our style (and entrepreneurship) changes over time

Resources Shared: 
Jessica's Website: https://csjstyling.com/
Jessica's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejessicapapineau 
Jessica's Free Fashion Blueprint: https://csjstyling.com/about/ 
Jessica's Free Styling Call: https://csjstyling.com/private-styling-sessions/ 

Let's Work Together: 
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching 
90 Day Business Planning Course: https://www.amandamckinney.com/plan 
All Podcast Episodes: https://www.amandamckinney.com/podcast 
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book 

In this episode we sit down with the fabulous Barb Betts, who is shaking up the traditional approach to referrals! Barb spills the tea on why she hates that word and reveals her genius strategy for building genuine relationships that lead to a steady stream of business, in any industry. Get ready to learn how to make trust your secret marketing weapon and discover the power of unexpected deposits in people's lives. In this episode we discuss: 

How word of mouth is an unsteady referral base
Creating a repeatable referral system that leads to clients
How to sell through your network, not to your network 
Specific examples of making delightful deposits into your relationships 

Resources Shared: 
Barb's Website: www.barbbetts.com 
Barb's Podcast: 
Barb's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbbetts/ 

Let's Work Together: 
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching 
90 Day Business Planning Course: https://www.amandamckinney.com/plan 
All Podcast Episodes: https://www.amandamckinney.com/podcast 
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book 

Thinking of transitioning from your corporate life to entrepreneurship? Or maybe your in a season of uncertainty of whether you can really cut it as an entrepreneur. This episode was recorded for you! My guest, Nicola Mercer navigated the journey from working at Nike to starting her own business. 

Nicola candidly discusses the challenges and rewards of being an accidental entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and making decisions for oneself. We also explore the transition from a structured job to the freedom and uncertainty of running a business. Additionally, Nicola highlights the significance of health and wellness in their journey, and they share valuable insights on maintaining overall well-being while pursuing entrepreneurial success. 

Enjoy this honest conversation about the joys, struggles, and personal growth that come along with being a purpose-driven entrepreneur. 

Resources Shared: 
Nicola's Website: https://lifenow.uk
Nicola's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifenow_coaching/
Nicola's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolamercer/
Nicola's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lifenowcoaching 

Let's Work Together: 
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching 
90 Day Business Planning Course: https://www.amandamckinney.com/plan 
All Podcast Episodes: https://www.amandamckinney.com/podcast 
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book