Marketing Without Strategy Is Costing You More Than You Think

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

Marketing Without Strategy Is Costing You More Than You Think

If you’re a small business leader juggling roles and drowning in “random acts of marketing,” this one’s for you. In our latest episode of Scale Smart, Grow Fast, Harley Green sat down with Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, to talk about why marketing strategy must come before tactics and technology—especially AI.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

🎯 Why Most Marketing Fails Small Business Owners

Many founders approach marketing with a to-do list: “We need a new website, some paid ads, maybe some SEO.” But as Sara shares, without a clear strategy, you risk spending thousands with little return—and a lot of frustration.

Her team often steps into companies spending $10K+ monthly on marketing with no idea what’s working. Sound familiar?

🧭 What Strategic Marketing Actually Looks Like

Sara breaks down a proven process that includes:

  • A marketing and brand audit
  • Ideal client interviews
  • Competitive research
  • Messaging development
  • Customer journey mapping
  • A focused execution calendar

This foundational work brings clarity, confidence, and control—and often helps businesses do less with better results.

🤖 Don’t Just “Do AI” — Train It on Strategy

With AI tools like ChatGPT trending, Sara warns against adopting them without intention. Instead:

  1. Align business and marketing goals.
  2. Identify your team’s gaps.
  3. Choose AI tools based on specific objectives.
  4. Train AI with your brand voice, values, and strategy.

Smart AI integration enhances your marketing—it doesn’t replace strategy.

🧠 From Doers to Managers: Elevating Your Marketing Team

Sara also emphasizes helping teams evolve by:

  • Auditing their roles
  • Identifying tasks AI can support
  • Upskilling them into strategy-focused roles

Bringing in a fractional CMO (like Duct Tape Marketing offers) can help founders stay in their zone of genius while giving their team the guidance and structure to succeed.

🚀 Take Action: Start with Strategy

If you’re scaling a business and overwhelmed with marketing decisions, here’s Sara’s advice:

“Don’t rush into AI or shiny tools. Start with your business goals, then build a marketing strategy that supports them. Everything else should flow from there.”

🔗 Resources from Sara Nay:
 • Duct Tape Marketing
 • The Unchained Model
 • Connect with Sara on LinkedIn

⏳ Ready to Focus on Growth, Not the Grind?

Schedule a free discovery call to see how an ultimate executive assistant from Workergenix can free up your time to focus on what really drives growth.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Transcript

Harley Green: Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Scale Smart, Grow Fast podcast. Now in today’s fast-paced business world, growth without intention leads to exhaustion and missed opportunities. In this episode, Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, shares how leaders can scale strategically by aligning their marketing efforts, leveraging AI, and building a team that thrives. With over a decade of experience advising thousands of business owners, Sara offers a grounded, actionable approach to sustainable growth that protects your energy and maximizes your impact.

So thank you for being on the podcast today. How are you doing?

Sara Nay: I’m doing well. Thank you for having me on. Excited to be here.

Harley Green: Tell us a little bit more about your background. What brought you to Duct Tape Marketing in this role of helping other people with their marketing?

Sara Nay: Duct Tape Marketing as a business has been around for about 30 years. I actually joined the team back in December 2010 as an intern. I had graduated college, done some traveling, was a ski bum and went to South America for a while, four months or so, and came back and didn’t really know what I was going to pursue. So I started honestly as an intern saying, “Marketing sounds interesting. Let’s see where this goes.” Obviously, it stuck. I’ve been around for about 15 years now in the company. Even though I started as an intern back in the day, I’ve moved throughout the company through multiple different roles. I was community manager for a while, account manager. I served as fractional CMO to our clients for a while, COO, sales. Most recently, last year, I moved into the seat as CEO. I’ve been involved in all the different areas of a marketing agency at this point and have learned a lot along the way.

Harley Green: I can imagine. That is quite the journey and I think it speaks to a great business if it’s able to keep someone as talented as you there that long and have all this experience. That’s really impressive.

Sara Nay: Thank you. I caught the bug. Our founder, John Jantsch, is really passionate about serving small businesses. So back when he started Duct Tape Marketing, he saw that marketing was really complicated and confusing for small businesses to buy because they just really didn’t even know what they were buying in a lot of cases. So he set out on a mission to make marketing as simple and practical to the small business space as possible. I’ve really been passionate about that myself now over the years. As I said, I’ve been in the sales role for a while and I’ve seen so many small businesses come to us frustrated that marketing doesn’t work. They’ve tried to hire different agencies. They’re spending all this money. They’re getting complicated reports with no actual customers and all that stuff. So I’ve heard all of these stories myself. I’ve also then walked through taking someone from frustrated with marketing to then creating a strategy, to them understanding the what and the why behind the things they’re doing. I’ve seen that transformation. So that’s caused me to become very driven and passionate to help those small businesses as well.

Harley Green: I think you really are speaking to a lot of the pain points people feel with marketing there. What are some of the examples of strategies that you employ that help marketing stay simple and still impactful?

Sara Nay: A lot of times people will come to marketing companies and they’ll say something like, “I need a new website” or “I need to launch paid ads” or “I need tactics,” essentially. What we’ve always said is strategy needs to come before any tactics. Now we’re even shifting to say strategy needs to come before tactics and technology, because now people are diving into AI without the proper strategy in place. Marketing strategy has so many definitions. We usually work with clients in an initial 30 to 45-day engagement where we are doing things like a marketing and brand audit to get a baseline of their marketing and brand today. We’re interviewing some of their best clients. We are doing competitive research to ultimately develop ideal client profiles or personas and then core messaging. Step one and two of marketing is you need to understand who you’re talking to and what message resonates with them. Then we move more into the planning phase of strategy, which is mapping out the customer journey, mapping out a content strategy, identifying the four to six biggest growth priorities over the next quarter, and putting that all into an execution calendar. A lot of times when I talk to businesses, they’re like, “Yeah, I have a marketing strategy,” and they have a list of tactics. Like, “We’re going to do this, this and this.” That’s a piece of marketing strategy. It’s an important piece, but you need all of the stuff that goes on the front end. If you’re telling me you need to be focused on Meta ads, but your clients aren’t on Facebook, it probably doesn’t make sense. Also, you need to understand what messaging actually resonates with them as well. That’s where I see a lot of people waste money on marketing. They’re just on these channels spending. They don’t have any idea if it’s working or not, but they haven’t put the work in on the front end. A lot of times when you go through creating a marketing strategy, you can actually simplify what you’re doing from a marketing perspective and focus on the right channels with the right message at the right time to your ideal clients.

Harley Green: What are some of the biggest surprises people you’ve worked with have had as they’re going through this process and having this strategy developed, whether it’s finding details about that ideal client or what technologies or platforms they should be using? I’m curious, what are some of those aha moments they’ve had when working with you?

Sara Nay: It’s maybe less “aha moments” and more so clarity is what they’re getting. A lot of small businesses out there are just spending money on marketing. Then I ask them, “Are these channels working for you? Are you hitting specific goals? What are you tracking? Should you keep doing these things?” A lot of times they don’t know. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started working with a small business when we back up and do strategy, and maybe they’re spending $10,000–$15,000 a month across all of these different channels. When I ask them why, they say, “Because we’ve always done it and we don’t know what’s working and we need to be on these things.” It’s not always ah-has, it’s more about putting clarity behind the why. Analyzing and actually getting metrics and tracking set up. Then understanding what’s working and shifting the budget towards that versus being spread thin across all the channels. So it’s really more of a clarity, confidence, and control thing than anything.

Harley Green: One thing you mentioned is having that strategy before technology, especially with AI coming in and everyone being like, someone said I should use AI in marketing. What kind of advice do you have for people when it comes to making those marketing decisions and staying focused when there are shiny tools everywhere?

Sara Nay: We have a process that I think makes sense for that. A lot of small businesses right now are bringing in AI solutions like ChatGPT. Everyone on their team is doing it differently. There’s no consistency, there’s no proper training for the AI or for the team on how to use it effectively. There are no systems and processes in place. All of a sudden, these teams are confused and creating noise. It’s really important to take a step back. Just like bringing in technology and tools without a reason complicates things. We often say: take a step back, understand the business strategy. What’s the business trying to accomplish? Then map the marketing strategy from there, then analyze your team strategy. Then you can start to say, okay, if these are our specific goals and priorities for the next quarter, here’s who we have in place already as humans. What AI systems can we layer below them? Then you’re bringing in AI to accomplish a specific goal versus just bringing in AI for the sake of it. Once you’ve identified the right tool, say ChatGPT for content repurposing, then you need to train AI on your business—your vision, mission, values, ideal clients, your messaging, how you want to be seen in the world. You give AI that context so when it starts creating or helping with repurposing, it’s on-brand. Your tone of voice matches. You create the strategy, train AI on it, and then have systems in place so your team uses AI consistently rather than everyone doing their own thing.

Harley Green: So having that strategy upfront actually makes it easier to leverage these tools then, because you’re able to take that information that you’ve already developed, feed it into tools like AI, and get much better outputs.

Sara Nay: Yes, and you can even use something like ChatGPT to help with strategy creation on the front end. The important thing is that you’re giving AI the context on your business. I see a lot of stuff on LinkedIn or different platforms where it’s clearly AI-created and generic. That’s a problem when businesses use AI without direction. But if you give AI the context of your business, your viewpoints, values, stories—then it can help you create content that still tells your story. One of our favorite uses of AI is to create a video on a topic you want to be known for, then feed that into AI to repurpose it into different formats. It’s still coming from you. AI just helps you turn that video into emails, blog posts, social posts, and all the things. You’re getting more bang for your time spent, but the core is still you, not generic AI filler.

Harley Green: Great advice. You talked earlier about the business goals and strategy and aligning those things. Where do you see most businesses getting stuck when trying to align marketing with business goals?

Sara Nay: Unfortunately, too many businesses think of them as separate things. They think, we have business objectives and goals over here, and marketing is over there. It’s all siloed. We have a marketing strategy pyramid and the bottom layer is the business strategy. We can’t think about marketing until we understand what the business is trying to accomplish. One example: in sales and onboarding with new clients, I’m always asking things like, what’s your current revenue? Your one-year goal? Your three-year goal? Hopefully, they know the answer. If not, they need to figure that out before we move forward. If I don’t know how aggressive their growth goals are, I don’t know how aggressive we need to be in marketing. If they’re aiming for fast growth, we need a bold marketing push. If they want to streamline and grow steadily, we can be less aggressive but more focused on systems and stability. We also factor in their mission, vision, and values—those need to be part of the marketing strategy and content production because we should represent the brand how they want to be seen. So again, I don’t think of them as separate. It’s business strategy first, then layer marketing strategy on top.

Harley Green: That’s absolutely right. They’re totally connected. Now, many of our listeners are probably wearing multiple hats in their business. What is your approach to building these systems and helping marketing teams that actually support that visionary at the top?

Sara Nay: One of my favorite exercises is having everyone on the team—including the business leader—do a time audit. People don’t love it, but it’s important. Write down everything you’re doing consistently: tasks, priorities, skills. Then analyze: are these things increasing in value because of AI, staying stable, or decreasing? From there, focus your time on the increasing-value work. Bring in AI to support the stable or decreasing tasks. It’s a great way to assess how AI fits in your business. It’s also powerful for your team. There’s a lot of uncertainty when AI enters: “Am I being replaced?” “Will I have to work harder?” If you walk them through this, they’ll see you’re using AI to elevate their role, not erase it. You’re helping them focus on strengths and future-proof their careers. When you identify skill gaps, you know where to invest in training. Marketing teams especially are going from doers to managers. They used to write everything, run SEO, manage ads themselves. Now they manage AI platforms. They’re not managing people, but they are managing systems—which is a different skillset. We’ve invested in helping our team become better communicators, strategic thinkers, and leaders.

Harley Green: I love that. That’s something we always recommend with our clients as well. It’s the exact same process—where can you leverage AI, and maybe there are some things that AI can’t do just yet. That’s where an executive assistant can come in, and maybe they can be the one who helps manage the AI tools as well to help those visionaries stay in that strategic space.

Sara Nay: Yes, exactly. And one thing that I think helps tremendously is bringing in a fractional CMO. That’s something we offer. A fractional CMO creates the strategy, oversees execution, and owns the budget and metrics. Often, in small businesses, the CEO becomes the default CMO because they can’t afford a full-time one. They may not have marketing experience, but they’ve learned enough to get by. Maybe they have one marketer under them who they’re trying to manage. When we come in, we work alongside the CEO so they can stay in the CEO seat. We run the marketing department with them. We spend the first 30 to 45 days mapping out the business strategy, marketing strategy, and team strategy. Then we move into a long-term retainer where we’re really running the department, ensuring execution, and up-leveling any internal marketers who are doing the hands-on work.

Harley Green: Do you work with companies who already have in-house marketers? Do you help manage and guide them as that fractional CMO, or does it have to be your team doing the work?

Sara Nay: We provide a lot of flexibility because every team structure is different. In some cases, we’re the fractional CMO and we have a full execution team—so we’re acting as a fractional marketing department. In other cases, the client has one or two marketers already. We stay in the fractional CMO role and up-level those internal marketers by layering AI systems below them and plugging any gaps. Maybe they don’t have a technical developer—we can fill that need with project-based support. We’re flexible and adapt to the team’s needs.

Harley Green: Very nice. I imagine that’s a huge relief for a lot of those leaders who are wearing all those hats. Maybe you could share some examples of the positive changes those leaders have experienced working with you—when they no longer have to wear that CMO hat themselves.

Sara Nay: I’m really big on the idea of staying in your zone of genius. A lot of people start businesses not because they want to be marketers, but because they’re passionate about something else. Yet they end up becoming the marketer by default. When we come in, we ask strategic questions—what lights you up? What does success look like a year from now in your role? If we can get clarity on that, then we do everything we can to take marketing off their plate. They still need to be involved in key decisions, understand the metrics, and do quarterly planning. But we handle the daily grind so they can focus on what they do best.

One recent example: we worked with a home service company. The CEO had one marketer on staff, but it was a friend with little marketing experience—eager and growth-minded, which was great. They hired us to create the strategy and partner with the CEO while taking over managing the marketer. We helped upskill her and built an AI system underneath her to support content production—landing pages, ad copy, email campaigns, eBooks. She went from doing things manually without guidance to having a fractional CMO mentor above her and an AI content system below. Now she can grow her skills and work at a higher capacity.

Harley Green: Speaking of building those skills, it sounds like you’ve got a great program for helping people level up. How do you help teams adopt a growth mindset, especially when they’re navigating all the change and uncertainty with marketing, tech, and AI?

Sara Nay: I think growth mindset is something people usually either have or don’t. But you can create an environment that encourages it. That’s one of our company values, and we hire for it. We design our interviews to determine whether someone is growth-minded. That’s crucial in marketing—it changes so fast. Once they’re on the team, we support that mindset through things like our bi-weekly “Lead and Learn” meetings where we present new topics on AI and discuss how we can apply them. We also do a monthly book club, reading books on various topics and talking about implementation. So it starts with hiring the right people and then giving them space and tools to grow continuously.

Harley Green: Nice. What is one leadership habit that’s helped you scale with clarity and calm, and how might our listeners apply it to their own businesses?

Sara Nay: Communication. I started as an intern, so I’ve been in a lot of roles. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in leadership is the power of communication. When assigning a task, don’t just say, “I need this done.” Explain why it matters. How does it connect to other goals? How does it impact the team or client? Also, meet with your team regularly. Be available. Do thoughtful quarterly reviews. Really invest in those conversations. Listen. That kind of open, consistent communication is what’s made our company culture strong. We support each other, and that starts with how we communicate.

Harley Green: I love that. That’s something we’ve observed too. Leaders who have regular check-ins and clear communication get the best results. The ones who don’t delegate, just dump tasks with no context, tend to get frustrated with poor outcomes.

Sara Nay: Exactly. And there’s a saying: “Don’t throw good people at bad systems.” That’s why, in our onboarding process, we start with daily meetings no matter the role—even part-time contractors. We do daily check-ins during onboarding, then move to every other day, then twice a week, and eventually once a week. The more time and attention you give someone in their first 30 days, the better set up they are for long-term success.

Harley Green: That’s so smart. I’m a huge fan of a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan. It’s been a game-changer in our business. It helps leaders stay clear on what they’re handing off and helps team members know what’s coming. It’s super powerful.

Sara Nay: Absolutely.

Harley Green: As we wrap up, what’s one thing you’d like to share with leaders today—something they could take action on this week to make a big impact on their marketing?

Sara Nay: What we talked about earlier. AI is here. You should be using it in your business, no matter your industry—but don’t rush in. Take a step back. What are your four to six biggest business priorities for the next quarter? Hopefully, you’re doing quarterly planning. Look at your team, then decide which AI tools make sense. Don’t just sign up for everything. Breathe, analyze, and bring it in strategically.

Harley Green: Love it. Sara, if people want to continue the conversation or learn more about your business offerings, what’s the best way to connect?

Sara Nay: We have a page on our website: https://dtm.world/growth. There are a bunch of free resources there. I’m also very active on LinkedIn—just search for my name, Sara Nay.

Harley Green: Awesome. Thank you so much, Sara. And for those of you listening, if you got value from this episode, do one quick thing—hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes to help you scale smarter. And if you know a business owner who could use this information, share this episode with them. It might be exactly what they need. And if you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a quick rating. It helps us reach more leaders just like you. Thanks again, and we’ll see you in the next episode.

From Burnout to Breakthrough: The Mindset Shift Behind $100K Months

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

From Burnout to Breakthrough: The Mindset Shift Behind $100K Months

What happens when you’ve done everything right — invested in every course, joined the masterminds, bought all the tools — and you’re still not where you want to be?

For Sara Chevere, founder of She Prospers Her, that was her exact wake-up call after losing her entire Facebook ecosystem to a hack. Years of effort… gone in a moment.

But instead of spiraling, she took a hard look at her business. And what she saw changed everything.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

🎯 The Problem: Too Many Offers, Not Enough Clarity

Sara realized she was caught in what many entrepreneurs experience: doing more without getting further. Despite spending over $300,000 on trainings and certifications, her business lacked alignment, scalability, and a clear transformation.

Her breakthrough? Building a business around premium, high-value offers that are deeply aligned with her purpose — and deliver real transformation, fast.

🔑 The Key Shift: From Hustling to High-Value

Here’s what Sara now teaches entrepreneurs ready to grow:

✅ Premium offers > Low-ticket hustle.
 People want transformation — not another 12-month grind. Your offer should deliver clarity and results in a short, focused window.

✅ Clarity is Queen.
 You must be clear on your vision, values, audience, message, and offer. Without clarity, your energy is scattered, and your audience confused (and confused people don’t buy).

✅ Confidence comes from action.
 You don’t need to “feel ready” to charge more. If your offer solves a painful problem and delivers real results, it deserves a premium price.

✅ Your offer needs emotional resonance.
 People buy with emotion and justify with logic. Speak to their pain, their desire, and the freedom they’re looking for — not just your features.

⚙️ Systems That Scale Without Burnout

Sara’s delivery model is built around intensive transformation over extended time drain — like 2-3 day focused sessions with 90-day support. This high-touch, low-burn model gives both her and her clients freedom and results.

She also encourages entrepreneurs to hire help early — especially when they start hitting higher revenue months. Delegating low-value tasks creates space for true leadership.

💭 Final Thought: Burnout Isn’t the Badge of Success

If you’re tired of doing all the things and seeing minimal returns, this episode is a must-listen. Sara’s journey is proof that when you align your business with purpose, clarity, and premium value, success becomes not only possible — but sustainable.

🎁 Want to learn how to build premium offers that scale?
 Check out Sara’s free masterclass at SheProspersHer.com

🚀 Ready to scale smarter — not harder?

If you’re tired of doing everything yourself and know it’s time to step into real leadership, let’s talk.

👉 Schedule your FREE discovery call and find out how Workergenix can help you build the systems, team, and clarity you need to grow without burnout.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Transcript

Harley Green: All right, everybody, welcome back to the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast. What if your offer did more than convert? It multiplied your profits while aligning with your purpose. In this episode, Sara Chevere, founder of She Prospers Her and visionary behind Women’s Table Global, shares how entrepreneurs can design and deliver premium offers that reflect their highest value. With over 17 years of coaching and a deep background in finance, Sara breaks down how to shift your message, offer and systems to unlock true wealth without burnout or compromise. Sara, welcome to the podcast. How are you today?

Sara Chevere: I am amazing, Harley. Thank you so much for having me here. I’m super excited to be chatting about this topic.

Harley Green: Love it. Sara, can you maybe elaborate a little bit more about your background, what’s brought you to what you’re doing today?

Sara Chevere: Well, here’s the thing. Last year, my Facebook account got hacked and I lost everything. I lost my personal Facebook account, my Facebook ads account—that’s how they got in because I was doing ads—and I lost my Facebook group. Basically, I lost my main point of improving, increasing, and attracting my audience. If it wasn’t for my email list, it would have been very different. But that gave me the opportunity to ask myself if the trajectory of what I was doing was really allowing me to reach my goal, my vision. Soon enough, I realized no, this was the slow path to where I wanted to go. So, I realized that I needed to find another way.

The other thing I did was account for all of the courses, programs, masterminds, certifications, trainings, and software that I had been involved in—the ones I finished and the ones I had not. Again, I realized that, my gosh, over $300,000 later, and I was not where I needed to be. That took me into a journey of finding a better way. That’s where She Prospers Her was born. I aligned with my vision. I don’t want to just play in the sandbox; I want to build the sandbox. That’s where I realized that the best way to grow and scale your business is through premium offers.

Harley Green: Premium offers. Tell us more about what the difference is between a premium offer versus what someone might have today.

Sara Chevere: There are a lot of entrepreneurs, coaches, and service-based businesses that offer one product and give one result. When you offer a premium offer, you offer high value and a transformation. People don’t have time to wait a whole year to get a transformation. We are in the AI era, things are happening quickly. This is a time when people want results now. I’ve been able to solidify and shorten the period where you can have that transformation in less than 90 days. With just two or three days of focused time, you can get everything you need to create a high-value, high-premium offer.

Harley Green: When we talk about the premium offer, how do you help people uncover that true value that they bring in their business?

Sara Chevere: There’s something I teach in my masterclass, which is the six C’s. I’ll mention a couple, because going through all would take too long. The first one is all about having clarity. That’s what I realized in my own case. The first step is having clarity with your vision, knowing whether what you’re doing is aligned with your priorities and values. Then, clarity on who your ideal client is. Who are you serving? And third, clarity on your message. Is it clear enough? I learned this from Russell Brunson: confused people never buy. Clarity equals consistent revenue. When you have a clear audience, a clear vision, a clear message, and a clear offer that provides a transformation, then you can scale. Clarity is queen.

Harley Green: Love it. Speaking of clarity, we talk about clarity, alignment, vision, and purpose of the entrepreneur. How can they ensure that their offer supports both personal fulfillment and profitability?

Sara Chevere: It’s funny that you mention that because I was just coaching one of my clients this week. One of the questions I asked was: what transformation do you provide that makes you happy? You have to be excited about what you do. That could be a great question for the audience: what is the value, the result, the breakthrough, and the transformation you provide to your audience that really gets you excited?

Harley Green: Yeah, excitement’s really important in staying motivated and having momentum too. Now, part of having the premium offer you talk about is also pricing the service higher. What are some of the mindset shifts and strategy shifts that are required to confidently price at a premium?

Sara Chevere: I was thinking about this the other day. A lot of people lack confidence and think they need to work on confidence before offering premium services. Yes, there’s some internal work involved, but the main thing is action. Take action and be clear about your offer. It’s not about you; it’s about the offer and the high value you’re providing. If your message and offer can deliver transformation and you’re actively sharing it with the world, that builds confidence. Take action even if it’s imperfect. Keep showing up. Consistency makes a difference.

Harley Green: Speaking of taking action, what are some first steps you recommend people take when working on improving their offer?

Sara Chevere: The first thing I teach is to understand your audience’s pain points. What keeps them up at night? What makes them cry in the shower? What has them eating ice cream in the kitchen? Once you understand those pain points, define the result you provide. People care about their transformation. They want to know how you’ll take their pain away and give them what they’ve been looking for.

Harley Green: Once they have a solid offer in place, what kind of systems or processes are essential to scale the delivery without sacrificing their quality?

Sara Chevere: One of my secrets is using masterclasses or challenges. Some people prefer challenges, others prefer one focused session. Decide what your audience prefers, or alternate. From there, lead them to an event where they can be 100% focused on their transformation. Then offer support—90-day or longer, depending on your niche. For example, in weight loss, people may need longer support. But those two or three-day intensives really set them up for success. It’s high-touch and high-value without taking over your life. It gives you quality of life and fulfillment.

Harley Green: That’s really important. Now, messaging is a major part of your work. What are some of the common mistakes you see when entrepreneurs are trying to communicate their value through the offer?

Sara Chevere: When it comes to messaging, people are too general. They’re not clear, specific, or emotionally resonant. Are you connecting emotionally with your audience? People connect through emotion and justify with logic. Speak to their pain, offer a solution, and they’ll emotionally decide they need it. Then, they’ll justify it logically.

Harley Green: What are some tips you recommend people use to make sure that their messaging considers emotion?

Sara Chevere: Are you getting results? If not, you may need to audit your messaging. That’s what I do with clients. I look for gaps. Recently, I coached someone who had a great brand but was missing in delivery. After auditing and refining, she made sales at her next event. That’s the power of clarity in messaging.

Harley Green: Can you share one or two examples of shifting messaging to appeal more to client emotions?

Sara Chevere: It comes back to pain. For example, in weight loss, many coaches teach giving up carbs. But what if you teach people to lose weight without eliminating carbs? That’s more emotionally appealing. In my masterclass, I teach how to build a million-dollar business without guesswork or burnout. People want success without sacrificing their wellbeing.

Harley Green: Talking about using these systems and avoiding burnout, when does it make sense to bring on help like an assistant?

Sara Chevere: As soon as you’re making sales, be open to help. If I teach someone to make $100K months, they need an assistant to keep growing. Delegate low-value tasks so you can focus on high-value ones, like connecting with your audience. Eventually, you might even delegate sales closing so you can stay focused on delivering transformation.

Harley Green: What’s your advice for business leaders who are still too involved in the low-level delivery and struggling to step into visionary leadership?

Sara Chevere: Ask yourself how big you want to grow. If you’re still holding on to everything, it might be a trust issue. You need to trust that delegating will expand your business. There’s real power in delegation.

Harley Green: I imagine you get this a lot from people who want to scale their offer but fear what success might bring. That fear can cause self-sabotage. Have you seen that?

Sara Chevere: Absolutely. I can’t teach my strategies without teaching mindset. Many entrepreneurs have internal stories they don’t even realize are holding them back. It might be something a parent said like, “You’ll never make money doing that,” or “Money is evil.” One client feared making more than $40K a month because she didn’t want to pay more taxes. These stories create subconscious resistance. I help clients uncover and rewrite those narratives.

Harley Green: What would you say to someone who has that fear or story? How can they move past it?

Sara Chevere: One client worried about taxes. I told her she was thinking like an employee. Entrepreneurs get deductions, and the tax code is mostly about how to minimize your liability. Get a great accountant who understands entrepreneurs. Also, invest your money so it works for you and reduces tax liability. It’s not about saving—it’s about investing smart.

Harley Green: Often, people get distracted by shiny new trends or offers. How do you help people stay focused on refining their core offer?

Sara Chevere: If your offer is working and you’ve created a system around it, then yes, explore new ideas or additional offers. But keep the core premium offer running and profitable. If you want to serve a wider audience, you can create a lower-tier offer or a retention program to keep clients engaged long-term. Just don’t lose focus or burn yourself out.

Harley Green: If someone wants to grow quickly without burnout, what’s one strategy they should implement today?

Sara Chevere: Collaboration. That’s what we’re doing here, Harley. There’s so much power in aligning with others instead of competing. Be generous, contribute, and collaborate. It’s one of the fastest ways to grow without reinventing the wheel.

Harley Green: Absolutely. Sara, you’ve shared incredible value today. If people want to connect or learn more, where should they go?

Sara Chevere: Just go to sheprospersher.com. You can join my free masterclass, learn how to create premium offers, and connect with the community.

Harley Green: Thank you for offering that to our audience. If you got value from this episode, hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss future strategies. Share this with a business owner who needs it. And if you’re on a podcast platform, leave us a rating. Thanks for tuning in!

How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Start Scaling Smarter Featuring Eden Lovejoy, Creator of the Virtual GM Matrix

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Start Scaling Smarter
Featuring Eden Lovejoy, Creator of the Virtual GM Matrix

If you’re a founder or business leader feeling buried in the day-to-day, chances are—you are the bottleneck. And that’s not a weakness. It’s a signal that you’ve outgrown your current structure, and it’s time for your next level of leadership.

In a recent episode of the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast, Harley Green sat down with Eden Lovejoy, fractional COO and creator of the Virtual GM Matrix, to talk about how leaders can finally step out of the weeds and lead with clarity.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

🔑 Key Takeaways from the Episode:

1. Leadership Begins with Mindset
 Most operational pain stems from a mindset block. Eden explains that many business owners are hesitant to delegate because they fear losing their value or control. The first step? Trust your team—and accept that leadership is about thinking, not just doing.

2. Delegation ≠ Abandonment
 Letting go doesn’t mean walking away. Delegation should come with structured feedback loops. Whether that’s weekly check-ins, data dashboards, or regular reporting, your systems should empower—not isolate—your team.

3. The Virtual GM Matrix: A Framework for Freedom
 Eden’s framework has helped countless companies streamline operations and build performance cultures. It’s built on three pillars:

  • Cultural Alignment: Mission, vision, and values that guide decisions.
  • Organizational Clarity: Defined roles, accountability, and authority.
  • Feedback Loops: Real-time insights and growth mechanisms.

4. Scaling Isn’t Just “More”
 Scaling isn’t doing more of what got you here—it’s often doing things differently. Eden urges leaders to audit their systems and ask: “Will this still work at 10x the volume?” If not, it’s time to evolve.

5. Work With Your Business
 Forget the outdated “on vs. in” dichotomy. Eden champions a new approach: work with your business by distributing leadership across your team. That’s where freedom and growth really begin.

🎯 Final Thought:

Scaling smart isn’t about hustle—it’s about systems, mindset, and trusting your team to lead. If you’re ready to reclaim your time and unlock sustainable growth, this episode is a must-listen.

🎁 Don’t forget to grab your free copy of Eden’s book at freebusinessbook.com

Schedule a discovery call to stop being the bottleneck and start building a business that runs without you.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Transcript

Harley Green:
 Hey everybody, welcome back to the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast. Scaling a business shouldn’t require you to be the bottleneck. In this episode, Eden Lovejoy, creator of the Virtual GM Matrix and fractional COO to high-growth companies, shares how leaders can transition out of day-to-day operations by empowering their teams, installing scalable systems, and embracing a true visionary mindset. With over 30 years of business leadership and a track record of helping companies generate millions in revenue, Eden’s going to deliver a practical framework for delegation, leadership development, and sustainable growth. Eden, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Thanks Harley, I’m doing great. Thanks for having me. Glad to be here.

Harley Green:
 Eden, for our audience that isn’t familiar with your background, could you share what brought you along in this journey to what you’re doing today?

Eden Lovejoy:
 My journey really starts from being a child in a very chaotic environment. I was the oldest of four kids, and my family was in a lot of chaos in San Francisco in the 70s. I developed a preference for organization, structure, and consistency. Years later, I realized that’s what drives me.

As a young woman, I started working, took a gap year before school, and realized I wanted to work in small to mid-sized business environments. I liked the diversity, challenge, and entrepreneurial energy. Over the years, I found myself in operational, organizational, and streamlining roles. I’m a general manager by craft and inclination—GM or COO depending on the structure.

I always wanted to impact more companies than just one. I tracked what made the most difference in operational leadership and pulled those insights into the Virtual GM Matrix. My goal is to translate that operational leadership skill set into a strong team, diversify the skill set, lean out overhead, improve operations, and build high-performance cultures.

Harley Green:
 Before we started recording, we talked a bit about mindset. You mentioned how it’s usually a big challenge when people step into new roles. Can you elaborate?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Mindset is everything. I can only coach someone so far until they hit an internal mindset block. Many of my clients have built a team, but even with growth, they don’t get relief. Often it’s because they haven’t delegated authority. Everyone still comes to the owner for answers. They haven’t shifted into trusting their team.

To delegate effectively, you must learn to trust, let people make mistakes, and not fear losing your value as a leader. When owners begin delegating, they often feel awkward—like “what am I supposed to be doing now?” The opportunity is to move into strategic visionary leadership.

Harley Green:
 Right, and sometimes there’s guilt around delegation. How do you help people address that?

Eden Lovejoy:
 We reassure them. That guilt shows up in leaders who care deeply about their people. They don’t want to be on a pedestal. But leadership is a practical skill set. Teams want to be trusted and they want their leaders to be visionary. It’s about shifting the perspective on leadership’s contribution.

Also, it’s easier to do small tasks. I remember one day realizing everything easy had been delegated and all that remained were the thoughtful things. I had to learn how to work differently.

Harley Green:
 What are early signs someone is the bottleneck?

Eden Lovejoy:
 One sign is feeling overwhelmed despite having a team. Another is when people ask questions and your first thought is “you should be able to answer that.” These are signs you haven’t empowered your team’s leadership.

Harley Green:
 Tell us about the Virtual GM Matrix. How does it work?

Eden Lovejoy:
 It has three components. First is the cultural framework—mission, vision, and values that drive decision-making. It’s not just having them, but making them actionable.

Second is organizational structure. We identify overlaps, clarify roles, assign decision-making authority, and create accountability. This shifts pressure from top leadership to the team.

Third is feedback loops and growth patterns. Delegation is not abandonment. We build feedback mechanisms and growth plans so the leader isn’t the only idea generator.

Harley Green:
 How do you make mission, vision, and values stick so the team can make decisions like you would?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Culture is a contact sport. We integrate values into daily conversations, development reviews, and even contests. It may seem awkward at first, but over time it becomes the team’s language. Like knowing what country you’re in by the language—values become the company’s language.

Harley Green:
 Let’s talk about feedback loops. What do they look like in practice?

Eden Lovejoy:
 It depends on the company’s culture. The matrix isn’t a cookie-cutter—it’s tailored. We identify key indicators, then build reporting, meeting cadences, or technology around them. One company may focus on receivables, another on POS trends—it must fit the business.

Harley Green:
 You talk about working with your business, not just in it. What does that mindset shift look like?

Eden Lovejoy:
 The old idea is to work “on” not “in” the business. But now we need to work with the business—building leadership across the team. We move from needing one GM or COO to distributing operational leadership.

Working with the business means giving your team a voice and decision-making power, based on shared values and mission. It’s not managing by consensus—it’s aligning through principles.

Harley Green:
 When leaders are scaling, what process do they often skip or underestimate?

Eden Lovejoy:
 They think scaling means doing more of the same. But real scaling requires different systems. Sometimes the people or processes that got you here won’t get you there. Leaders must leapfrog beyond what worked and build new structures for the next level.

Harley Green:
 What red flags show a system isn’t ready to scale?

Eden Lovejoy:
 If you haven’t reviewed your systems recently, that’s a red flag. Businesses grow by patching things together, but at scale, you need cohesive systems. Take time to evaluate and redesign.

Harley Green:
 Any simple stress tests or questions you use with clients?

Eden Lovejoy:
 I focus more on teaching people how to think. The matrix includes a decision-making framework for growth—helping teams vet ideas thoroughly and ask the right questions, not just chase shiny tools.

Harley Green:
 For leaders feeling stuck, what’s one question they should ask themselves?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Ask: What am I doing that I don’t want to be doing? What isn’t aligned with my heart, strength, passion, or vision? Then ask: Where does that task belong instead?

Harley Green:
 If people want to connect with you or get your book, where should they go?

Eden Lovejoy:
 Visit freebusinessbook.com. You can download a free e-book copy. I want to get this info to as many business owners as possible.

Harley Green:
 Thanks again for the insights and the generous gift. If this episode brought you value, hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss future strategies to help you scale smarter. And share it with someone who needs it!

From Burnout to Peak Performance: How Aligned Leaders Scale Smarter

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

From Burnout to Peak Performance: How Aligned Leaders Scale Smarter

In today’s fast-paced world, success is no longer just about working harder — it’s about working with intention. On a recent episode of the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast, Harley Green sat down with Alan Lazaros, founder of Next Level University, to unpack what it really takes to build a business that thrives — without sacrificing your health, relationships, or sanity.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Alan’s story is raw, real, and transformational. After a near-fatal car accident at 26, he shifted from chasing external achievements to aligning his life and business with internal fulfillment. Today, he leads a global coaching business and hosts a top-ranked podcast — but it’s the systems behind his success that every ambitious leader needs to hear.

🔹 The Four Life Buckets

Alan broke down what he calls the “four buckets of life”:

  1. Unfulfilled and unsuccessful
  2. Externally successful but internally empty
  3. Fulfilled but broke
  4. Fulfilled and successful — the rarest and most powerful place to be

Most people get stuck in the middle two. Alan’s mission? Help them reach that fourth, transformational stage.

🔹 The P3 Target System: Simplify Without Slowing Down

For founders and CEOs constantly juggling priorities, Alan’s “P3 Target” system is gold. He teaches his clients to identify their top three glass ball priorities — the areas they must protect at all costs — and design their days around them. It’s time management, energy management, and values alignment all rolled into one.

🔹 Fear of Failure and Fear of Success

While most of us are aware of our fear of failure, Alan reveals an often overlooked truth: many high performers are equally afraid of success. Why? Because success can mean outgrowing your circle, facing new expectations, and dealing with discomfort. Understanding which fear is holding you back is step one to overcoming it.

🔹 Peak Performance, Not Just Productivity

Alan redefines peak performance through the lens of optimal decisions — not just doing more, but doing what matters most, at the right time, for the right reasons. His engineering background shines through as he challenges leaders to design their life and business like a world-class product.

🚀 Want to Lead with More Clarity—and Burn Out Less?

You don’t have to carry it all. At Workergenix, our AI-enhanced executive assistants help you optimize your habits, track your goals, and free up your time so you can focus on what truly matters: aligned growth.

👉 Schedule a discovery call to design a life and business that scales with your values — not your stress.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Transcript:

Harley Green:
Hey everybody, welcome back to the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast. Success without alignment leads to burnout. But when you build consistent habits rooted in purpose, everything changes. In this episode, Alan Lazaros, founder and CEO of Next Level University and host of a global top 100 self-improvement podcast, shares how he went from a near fatal accident and personal low point to leading a global team and helping others unlock peak performance. With a heart-driven but no BS approach, Alan’s going to reveal how tracking habits, staying consistent, and aligning with your true values can transform both your business and your life. Alan, welcome to the podcast.

Alan Lazaros:
Thank you so much for having me. I don’t take it lightly. In the 21st century, there’s a lot of noise. What you pay attention to matters tremendously. I appreciate it, and I also will not waste a second of your time.

Harley Green:
Thank you for that, Alan. For our audience out there, can you elaborate a little more on your background? What brought you to what you’re doing today?

Alan Lazaros:
Absolutely. I’m 36. I often joke that I’m about to hit puberty at 37 because I look young, which doesn’t help in business. It started off tough. My birth father passed away when I was very young, in a car accident. I was two, he was 28. I had an older sister and my mom was 31. A stepfather came into my life named Steve Lazaros. My real last name is McCorkle. I took his last name around age seven. From age three to 14, he was in my life. At age 14, he left and took his entire extended family with him. I’ve never seen or spoken to any of them since. That same year, my mom had a falling out with my aunt, and we were ostracized from her side too. So by 14, I had lost three families. My sister moved out that same year.

I developed two trauma responses. One was fawning—appeasing everyone around me. I hung on to friends, from high school through college and into corporate. The second was fight—behind the scenes, I was aiming higher, working harder, and getting smarter. Achievers are often rooted in pain or trauma. I had no dad, no generational wealth, no trust fund. I knew I was in trouble if I didn’t do something. I got straight A’s, earned a bachelor’s in computer engineering, then a master’s in business. I worked in tech and eventually landed at Cognex, where I became a global 1% earner in my early twenties. I paid off $84k in debt in a year, invested the rest, and rode the post-2008 recovery.

Then came the turning point: a car accident at 26. That’s when I shifted from external achievement to internal fulfillment. I liquidated my assets, went broke, and started focusing on self-improvement. Now in my thirties, I’m both externally successful and internally fulfilled. That’s what I help clients with today. I currently coach 20 individuals with various levels of frequency.

What I’ve found is that few people reach the fourth bucket of life. The first is unfulfilled and unsuccessful. The second is externally successful but unfulfilled. The third is fulfilled but broke. The fourth, which few reach, is both externally successful and internally fulfilled.

Harley Green:
You take a holistic approach to helping people and teams. Why is that multidimensional strategy so essential, especially for business owners?

Alan Lazaros:
I’ve always been contemplative and a bit existential. I grew up around people who seemed to be escaping their lives rather than designing them. I worked at a golf course at 14 and was told, “These are the best years of your life.” I remember thinking, “God, I hope not,” because I was bullied in high school. I was surrounded by people who lived for Fridays, and that scared me.

As an engineer, I asked: Why not engineer a future you love? I studied at WPI, a top engineering school. I noticed brilliant people weren’t applying engineering principles to their own lives. So I created a model: health, wealth, and love. Health includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Wealth is how you earn, how profitable it is, if it’s sustainable, and where you invest. Love includes relationships with your partner, family, team, clients, and mentors. If you’re top 1% in each of those, you’re one in a million.

Harley Green:
What other patterns have you noticed in individuals and teams that limit growth?

Alan Lazaros:
I’ve crossed 10,000 hours of coaching, training, and podcasting. I’ve worked with people across the world and noticed most people are afraid of one of two things—or both: failure and success. Everyone knows fear of failure. But fear of success is more subtle and just as powerful.

Some people are great at success but struggle with relationships. Others are great at relationships but avoid systems and discipline. My business partner Kevin is the people person; I’m the engineer. He once rated my intimidation score a 9.5 out of 10. Direct communication, high standards, and deep knowledge can be intimidating.

Success often means you outgrow your circle. Compliments go down, rocks go up. You’re either afraid of failure or success, and both keep you stuck.

Harley Green:
What advice would you give to someone trying to build consistency?

Alan Lazaros:
Start by checking your self-belief. You need to believe it’s possible, that it’s possible for you, and that it will be worth it. Our podcast has over 2,000 episodes. That takes massive belief.

Kevin struggled with self-belief but had humility. I had belief but had to develop humility. You need both to succeed long term.

Harley Green:
How do you define peak performance, and why is it so important for leaders?

Alan Lazaros:
Peak performance is about finding the optimal point—like an upside-down horseshoe on a graph. Too little or too much effort both reduce performance. Life is about making the optimal decision at the right time.

In business, that means being in a peak state when it matters. Everything in life is built on statistical probabilities. Most leaders fail because they don’t understand themselves, others, or how to make optimal decisions.

Harley Green:
You teach people to stay optimized without overcomplicating things. What are some practical systems they can use?

Alan Lazaros:
I use something called the P3 Target. Everyone on my team has one. It’s a target with three levels: P1, P2, P3. For me: coaching, training, and podcasting. These are my “glass balls.” If I drop anything, it won’t be those.

We also track time in four columns: date, time in minutes, what you accomplished, and which priority it maps to. This helps align effort with values.

Harley Green:
With everything people are managing—business, family, health—how do you stay aligned and avoid overwhelm? And where does executive support come in?

Alan Lazaros:
I have an executive admin named Laura. Her #1 priority is saving me time. Our leadership team all has clear top priorities and defined roles.

We use the DRI (Directly Responsible Individual) system from Apple. Everyone owns outcomes. Leadership is the hardest thing in business. I once had a 24-person team; now it’s 18. That cut wasn’t fun but necessary.

Ultimately, you need a team. But more importantly, you need to be the most aware, skilled, and resourceful person in the room to lead effectively.

Harley Green:
Alan, you’ve shared incredible insights. How can people connect with you?

Alan Lazaros:
Thank you. If you have humility, work ethic, and a love for personal development, you’ll love Next Level University. Google us or search the podcast on any platform. I’m also on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. If you’re seeking big rewards for minimal effort, don’t reach out. We work with strivers, not arrivers.

Harley Green:
Perfect. For those watching or listening, if you got value from this episode, hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss future strategies to help you scale smarter. And if you know a business owner who could use this, share it with them.

Thanks for tuning in. See you next time.

Scaling Without the Burnout: Andy Reinhold’s No-Hustle Blueprint for Business Owners

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

Scaling Without the Burnout: Andy Reinhold’s No-Hustle Blueprint for Business Owners

 In the latest episode of the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast, we welcomed Andy Reinhold, founder of Studio Spark and former Deloitte executive turned automation strategist. Andy shared a deeply personal journey—from burning out in corporate life to overcoming cancer—and how these experiences inspired his no-hustle approach to entrepreneurship. If you’re a solopreneur or small business owner juggling growth with sanity, this is your roadmap.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

1. Redefining Success Post-Burnout

After managing $55M in corporate projects, Andy realized that health and happiness are non-negotiable. Therapy and values-based decision-making helped him pivot toward building a business aligned with freedom, authenticity, and self-care.

2. Designing a Business That Fits Your Life

Using frameworks like Designing Your Life by Stanford professors Burnett and Evans, Andy helps clients create “Odyssey Plans” for their businesses—clear five-year visions that prioritize both financial goals and personal fulfillment.

3. The Studio Spark 12-Step Framework

Andy walks clients through a comprehensive system that includes values alignment, capacity and revenue math, offer refinement, and automation. His approach balances strategy with soul—building businesses people are proud of, not burned out by.

4. Smart Automation: Amplify, Don’t Replace

For teams running lean, Andy recommends starting with content creation and lead generation. By pairing AI with virtual assistants, small teams can operate with the efficiency of enterprise-level businesses, without losing their personal touch.

5. The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

“Will I be happy with how I lived when it’s all said and done?” This question drives Andy’s choices today. His advice to overwhelmed founders: align decisions with your values, invest in what truly matters, and use technology to amplify—not override—your humanity.

Final Thoughts:
 Andy Reinhold’s no-hustle blueprint is a timely reminder that scaling smart doesn’t mean sacrificing your well-being. For business owners striving to do more with less, his mix of automation, strategy, and self-awareness is a masterclass in sustainable growth.

Connect with Andy:
 Visit Studio Spark to explore Andy’s frameworks, tools, and community.

Ready to Scale Smarter?
 If you’re inspired by Andy’s approach and wondering how you can apply these principles in your business, let’s talk. At Workergenix, we specialize in helping founders and lean teams scale with strategy, systems, and smart delegation.

👉 Schedule your free discovery call today and take the first step toward a business that grows without grinding you down. Book a call now!

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Is Unhealed Trauma Blocking Your Business Growth? Here’s What Every Entrepreneur Should Know

by Harley GreenScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

Is Unhealed Trauma Blocking Your Business Growth? Here’s What Every Entrepreneur Should Know

In this episode of the Scale Smart, Grow Fast Podcast, host Harley Green is joined by trauma recovery coach and business mentor Amy Lloyd, who breaks down a topic not often discussed in the boardroom—but crucial for sustainable success: the link between unresolved trauma and business performance.

Whether you’re leading a team or running solo, how you show up every day is influenced by what you’ve experienced—and what you haven’t addressed.

🎧 Want to hear the full conversation? Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Here’s what stood out from the conversation and why it matters to growth-minded entrepreneurs:

1. Trauma Doesn’t Always Look Like Trauma

Amy shared her personal journey of realizing that trauma doesn’t always mean extreme, visible harm. Subtle messages from childhood, like “successful people are greedy” or “asking for help is weakness,” can quietly drive how you show up in leadership, marketing, and decision-making.

2. Self-Sabotage Wears Many Hats

Undercharging, overworking, procrastinating, or struggling with visibility? These aren’t just strategy issues—they’re signs of deeper emotional patterns. Amy explained how imposter syndrome and burnout are often rooted in these hidden beliefs.

3. Boundaries Are a Business Growth Strategy

Entrepreneurs often stretch themselves thin believing it’s “just part of the job.” But without healthy boundaries, burnout is inevitable. Amy emphasizes that learning to say no, delegate, and protect your energy isn’t selfish—it’s what allows you to scale sustainably.

4. Delegation Is Emotional Work, Too

Hiring help—especially for the first time—can be deeply emotional. Amy highlights how resistance to delegation often stems from past programming around control, trust, or worth. But letting go of the small things is often the first big leap toward working on the business, not just in it.

5. Practical Tools Help Rewire Mindsets

From using gratitude as a daily nervous system reset, to batching tasks and setting up automation, Amy shared tangible ways entrepreneurs can reduce overwhelm and reclaim their energy. Her advice: Stop reinventing the wheel. Use templates. Repurpose content. Build systems that support ease.

Bottom line: If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or questioning your next move—it may not be about the strategy. It might be time to take a deeper look within.

As Amy says, “You didn’t build your business to work 80 hours a week. You built it for freedom. So build it that way.”

Ready to stop doing everything yourself and finally scale with support? Schedule a discovery call to meet your Ultimate Executive Assistant.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

People, Profits, and Progress: A Business Owner’s Framework for Sustainable Growth

by Harley GreenScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

People, Profits, and Progress: A Business Owner’s Framework for Sustainable Growth

Growing a business isn’t just about increasing revenue—it’s about building the right foundation to support it. In this episode of the Scale Smart, Grow Fast podcast, host Harley Green sits down with Cameron Montgomery, Principal Consultant at Equipricity, to talk about how successful leaders scale without compromising team alignment, profitability, or execution.

🎧 Prefer to listen on the go? Catch this episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Cameron’s 3-part framework—Align People, Amplify Profits, Accelerate Execution—is built for businesses that want to grow with intention.

Here are the key takeaways for business owners ready to scale:

1. Align the Right People

Your growth depends on the people you hire. Surround yourself with team members who believe in the mission and bring skills you don’t have. Hire for strengths. Don’t wait to find the “perfect” candidate—start by identifying passion and potential. Interns, apprentices, or fractional help can be a powerful way to delegate as you grow.

2. Amplify Your Profits by Expanding Your Market

Too many entrepreneurs get stuck selling to just one segment. Instead, look at the multiple levels where your product or service solves a problem—B2C, B2B, and even government. Diversify your revenue streams and make your offer work harder without adding complexity.

3. Accelerate Execution with Systems & Automation

Don’t let the work bury your vision. Use tools like CRMs, automated dialers, and AI (strategically) to simplify operations. Cameron warns: automation should support your quality, not replace the human element. Know when to lean into tools, and when to delegate to a real person.

4. Revisit Your Business Plan Quarterly

Scaling requires regular recalibration. Cameron recommends reviewing your business plan every quarter to stay aligned with your mission and performance goals. What worked 6 months ago may no longer serve your direction. Don’t wait until things break to optimize.

5. Don’t Burn Out Trying to Do It All

Leaders who try to be everything to everyone eventually stall. Delegation is a growth strategy, not a luxury. Whether it’s sales, admin, or client onboarding, outsource the right tasks so you can focus on high-impact decisions.

Final Thought:

If you’re stuck in the grind and not sure how to scale without burning out, it may be time to rethink your people, your systems, and your execution. Cameron’s approach is simple, strategic, and actionable—exactly what growth-minded entrepreneurs need to hear.

Ready to build a people-first, profit-smart business that runs with clarity and purpose? Schedule a discovery call to see how our Ultimate Executive Assistants can help you scale without the burnout.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

How to Stop Leaking Profits: Financial Strategies Every Business Owner Needs

by Harley GreenScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

How to Stop Leaking Profits: Financial Strategies Every Business Owner Needs

Are your finances holding back your growth?
Many business owners unknowingly bleed money due to inefficient processes, scattered systems, and lack of clarity around financial data. In a recent episode of the Scale Smart, Grow Fast Podcast, host Harley Green sits down with Ali Swart—Partner and Managing Director at Waldron Private Wealth—to unpack the most common financial blind spots and practical strategies to help entrepreneurs scale without financial strain.

🎧 Prefer to listen on the go? Catch the full episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for expert insights.

Here are the top takeaways every business owner should know:

1. You Can’t Scale What You Can’t See

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is not knowing where their money is going. Many operate without clear insight into expenses, profitability, or customer lifetime value. Swart explains that having clean, segmented data across your personal and business finances is essential to making informed growth decisions.

Pro Tip: Use tools like QuickBooks or industry-specific software—and ensure your financial team (accountant, attorney, advisor) is actually communicating.

2. Stop Mixing Business and Personal Finances

Too many owners blend personal and business transactions, creating confusion, inaccurate reporting, and missed tax-saving opportunities. Clear separation enables smarter forecasting and helps identify unnecessary spending or duplicate payments.

Solution: Delegate your bookkeeping to a trained professional or virtual assistant who understands how to track and categorize every expense.

3. Catch Profit Leaks Before They Hurt

Swart shared real stories where clients lost money from unchecked expenses, like pool leaks or excessive aircraft costs. Regular account reviews—even monthly—can prevent minor issues from becoming major financial drains.

Simple Fix: Schedule recurring financial reviews with your VA, CFO, or bookkeeper. Look for discrepancies, track expenses, and reconcile accounts proactively.

4. Know Your Numbers—or Risk Bad Decisions

Revenue and expenses are obvious metrics—but understanding profit margins, industry benchmarks, and per-client cost-to-serve can drastically improve decision-making. In Swart’s firm, they even track internal hours spent per client to improve efficiency and prevent burnout.

Smart Scaling Tip: Leverage data to right-size your team, justify hiring support, or eliminate low-ROI activities.

5. Use Bookkeeping as a Strategic Growth Tool

Bookkeeping shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought. When done well, it becomes your roadmap for smarter budgeting, forecasting, and scaling.

Turn It Into a Win: Partner with someone who doesn’t just report numbers—but analyzes them with you and flags problems before they cost you.

Final Thought: You Can’t Scale in the Dark

Whether you’re running lean or rapidly expanding, understanding your financials is non-negotiable. Delegating operational tasks to an expert—like an ultimate executive assistant—frees up your time to focus on strategic financial oversight and growth.

Want a financial system that supports your scaling goals?
Schedule a free discovery call with our team and see how a dedicated executive assistant can help streamline your finances, reclaim your time, and drive profitable growth.

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How High-Performing Entrepreneurs Scale Without Burning Out

by Harley GreenScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

How High-Performing Entrepreneurs Scale Without Burning Out

What if scaling didn’t mean sacrificing your health, sanity, or time?

That’s the question Nathan Baws—entrepreneur, Shark Tank Australia alum, and Guinness World Record holder—answers in his conversation with Harley Green on the Scale Smart, Grow Fast podcast. After building and scaling 15+ businesses (many to 7 figures), Nathan shares how business owners can grow sustainably by mastering two core disciplines: smart delegation and dopamine-driven leadership.

Listen to the full episode on your favorite platform:
👉 Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Here’s what stood out for growth-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to scale without burnout:

1. Growth Follows Energy—Not Just Strategy

Most entrepreneurs burn out because they obsess over revenue and neglect their energy. Nathan breaks his day into two categories:

  • Business Growth Activities (3+ hours/day): Lead generation, PR, team building.
  • Dopamine-Boosting Habits: Ice baths, fasting, gym, sun exposure—designed to optimize energy, focus, and execution.

High performance is a function of health. If your body and mind are depleted, your business will be too.

2. The First Hire? Someone Who Frees Up Your Energy

One of Nathan’s biggest turning points came from hiring team members he could trust to take ownership. But he emphasized that delegation only works if you:

  • Hire people with proven performance and the right attitude.
  • Let go of perfection and micromanagement.
  • Focus on building systems and structure so your team can succeed without constant oversight.

Workergenix’s Ultimate Executive Assistants were built for this exact challenge: giving founders back time without compromising quality.

3. AI & Automation Are Not Job Killers—They’re Force Multipliers

Nathan is clear: he didn’t replace his team with AI—he empowered them. With automation handling repetitive tasks (like LinkedIn outreach or email follow-ups), his team can focus on high-value work. Result? More output, less cost, and no burnout.

4. Stop Hiding Behind Product Development—Start Selling

One of Nathan’s biggest mistakes early on? Spending too much time perfecting his product and not enough on marketing. Revenue solves most business problems—so focus on sales, lead generation, and consistent outreach.

5. Leadership is Contagious

High-performing leaders create high-performing teams. When Nathan optimized his own lifestyle and mindset, his team followed. As he puts it: “Leadership by example wins every time.”

If you’re a business owner stuck working in the weeds, overwhelmed with day-to-day operations, and ready to scale without sacrificing your life—this episode is a masterclass in what it takes.

Ready to scale without burning out? Schedule a discovery call today and let’s build the systems and support your business needs to grow smarter.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.