When Hunger Meets Experience • Lessons Over Coffee

Every woman entrepreneur has that moment. You’re on a call, giving an estimate for your products or services, and before you even finish your sentence your brain whispers to you with this nagging-sounding voice, “Make it sound nicer.” You want to soften the blow, throw in a discount, or add a freebie because heaven forbid someone thinks you’re too much. Yeah… that little voice whispering in your ear? It’s the sound of profit packing its bags and walking out the door. Profit Doesn’t Care About Being Liked Somewhere along the line, women in business were handed an invisible script: Be polite, be pleasant, be patient, and for the love of mascara, don’t make waves. Meanwhile, many men with the same work-credential are over there charging triple, high-fiving their accountant, and sleeping just fine at night. When women chase approval, we unintentionally build businesses on compliments instead of contracts. It feels safe, but it’s expensive. “Being liked” has overdrafted more business bank accounts than bad marketing ever will. You don’t need to be liked to be respected. You need to be respected to be paid. The “Likeability Trap” Let’s talk about what I call The Likeability Trap. It’s when a brilliant woman entrepreneur starts making decisions based on how she’ll be perceived instead of what’s profitable. She undercharges because she doesn’t want clients to think she’s “too expensive.” She overdelivers because she doesn’t want to seem “selfish.” She avoids setting boundaries because she doesn’t want to “sound mean.” And just like that, she’s building a business around other people’s comfort zones instead of her own bank account. I see it all the time. A woman launches a service, nails her marketing & pitch, and then she sabotages the sale because she wants to sound nice. Being nice is beautiful in life. But in business, being strategic is how you stay in business. The $25,000 “Nice Girl” Discount Let me tell you about the time I gave a $25,000 discount without realizing it. A few years ago, I was coaching a client who owned a construction company. Tough industry. Hard bids, tight margins, zero sugarcoating. I quoted her a full project rate - $165,000, and she gave me the look. You know the one. The look that says, “Wow, that’s more than I thought.” And because my inner Miss Congeniality wanted her to like me, I started justifying my price. Within 45 seconds, I’d dropped $5,000. Then another $10,000. Then I threw in weekly extra sessions “just because.” By the end, I had shaved twenty-five thousand-dollars off my profit because I was uncomfortable sitting in my value. She paid happily. I smiled. Then I sat in my car, eating drive-thru french fries, doing the math on how much I had just given away for free. I felt like I’d just won Miss “Nice Girl, No Profit” 2023. That was the day I decided I’d rather be respected for my results than liked for my discounts. Why “Being Liked” Costs So Much W hen you prioritize being liked, you:

Success is not a dirty word. It’s not arrogance. It’s not bragging. Success is the receipt that proves your sacrifices, sleepless nights, and bold decisions worked. Yet far too many women keep whispering “sorry” after every win, as if they’re afraid someone’s going to revoke their membership card to polite society. Here’s the truth, sister, no one’s handing you that card. You built the table, you brought the chairs, and you spiked the punch. So why are you still apologizing for pouring yourself a glass? The Sneaky Apology Habit It starts small. You land a new client, and instead of celebrating you say, “Sorry, I don’t mean to brag.” You raise your rates, and the first words out of your mouth are, “Sorry if that’s too high.” You hire your first employee, and you half-whisper, “Sorry, I’m still figuring it out.” What you’re really doing is dialing yourself down to make other people comfortable. And let me tell you, comfortable people aren’t building empires. They’re scrolling Instagram while you’re cashing checks. Women, we all need to take the word “sorry” out of our vocabulary. Stop apologizing. I stopped saying, “I’m sorry” years ago, and it’s been honestly a breakthrough for me. Why Women Apologize for Success Women are taught early that being “too much” is a crime punishable by side-eyes and whispers. We’re taught to share credit, downplay achievements, and smooth over tension. We say sorry when someone bumps into us. We say sorry when we take up space. We even say sorry before asking a question, like we need permission to speak. So when success shows up, that same reflex kicks in. Instead of celebrating, we soften. Instead of standing tall, we quiet our presence. And here’s where I need to step in like your business bestie who’s had one too many lattes. Stop apologizing. Speak boldly. Own the damn spotlight. I once overheard two men whispering behind me in a conference room at an Executive Retreat. One said, “She only got promoted because the company’s trying to rack up diversity points.” I turned around, smiled, and said, “You’re absolutely right—it couldn’t have been the 70-hour weeks, the highest revenue numbers on the team, and the fact that I refused to quit when it got tough.” Then I blew a bubble with my chewing gum, popped it, and walked out like I owned the place. That’s not luck. That’s unapologetic success. Women who apologize for success are forgettable. Women who stand in their power are remembered, respected, and paid. The Power of Owning Your Wins Every time you own your success without apology, you give another woman permission to do the same. That’s not bragging. That’s leadership. Think about it. When you tell your story unapologetically, a woman in the back row of your networking event hears it and thinks, “If she can, I can.” When you own your revenue milestone, your daughter hears it and starts plotting her own empire. When you say, “Yes, I built this, and I’m proud of it,” you normalize women winning big. Three Shifts to Stop Apologizing 1. Replace Sorry with Thank You Instead of saying “Sorry I’m late,” say, “Thanks for waiting, I appreciate your patience.” It reframes the conversation and positions you as grateful, not guilty. 2. Celebrate Publicly Share your wins on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. You’re not bragging, you’re setting an example. Every time you post unapologetically, you plant a seed in someone else’s head that it’s possible for them too. 3. Practice Saying the Number Out Loud Your revenue. Your price point. Your profit. Say it out loud until it rolls off your tongue like ordering a latte. The more comfortable you are, the less room there is for an apology to sneak in. Why this Matters. When women apologize for success, we reinforce the lie that success is abnormal. That success is rare. That success belongs to someone else. And when women own success unapologetically, we shift culture, open doors, and inspire an entirely new wave of women entrepreneurs to rise. Your apology does not make people like you more. Your unapologetic leadership makes people respect you more. Ask yourself this: Where have you been apologizing for success in your business? Then decide today to stop. Replace sorry with thank you, replace downplaying with celebrating, and replace quiet with bold leadership. And if you want to dive deeper into building an unapologetic empire, I’d love to grab a coffee with you because the best conversations happen over caffeine.

If you’ve ever looked at your business bank account and thought, “Where did all my money go?” You’re not alone. I’ve coached women who hit seven figures and still felt broke. They were working like CEOs but paying themselves like interns. I used to be one of them too, until I learned the secret to building a profitable business that pays you first without tanking your growth. Spoiler alert, it’s not magic. It’s math, mindset, and a little bit of management discipline wrapped in a glass of sauvignon blanc and a spreadsheet. The Coffee-Table Confession That Changed Everything Years ago, I was sitting at my favorite café, laptop open, pretending to work while silently arguing with my bank balance. I had clients. I had contracts. I had invoices out. And yet, my business account looked like it had just been mugged by my expenses. So I did what every rational woman would do. I ordered another coffee, opened QuickBooks, and said out loud, “Okay, who’s stealing my money?” The barista gave me the kind of side-eye reserved for people who talk to spreadsheets, but I didn’t care. That moment changed everything. Because the thief wasn’t my business, it was my behavior. I was waiting to “have enough left over” to pay myself, like I was a leftover. And leftovers are fine for dinner, but not for women running empires.

Today is my birthday. I’m sitting here, realizing that birthdays have a way of creating space for reflection. The kind that invites you to pause for a breath, glance around, and feel genuine gratitude for where life has led. Every year brings its own rhythm - new lessons, new laughter, and a few reminders that life works best when you mix focus with a sense of humor. For example, I can coach women entrepreneurs to grow multi-million-dollar companies, design streamlined systems that multiply profit, and help leaders think with precision. Yet somehow, I still find myself calling my husband for directions on how to turn on the television. And when technology pushes my patience, I call my kids to translate the language of The TikTok. They find my questions entertaining, and I find their explanations fascinating. Somewhere between the remote control, the dishwasher buttons, and the constant parade of new technology, I’ve learned that mastery isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about knowing what truly matters, and who to call when something doesn’t. This birthday, I’m celebrating progress, peace, and the kind of wisdom that comes from living boldly. Here are the lessons I’m carrying into another beautiful trip around the sun. 1. Clarity Is Created Through Action The best plans unfold through movement. Each decision, each test, each experiment adds a layer of understanding. Every action sharpens direction. Momentum breeds insight. Each bold step forward clears the path for the next one. 2. Rest Multiplies Results When the mind is rested, creativity expands, strategy flows, and solutions appear with ease. Rest has become one of my most productive states of being. A calm, clear mind creates results that frantic energy never could. Quiet restores power, and peace restores precision. 3. Influence Grows Through Integrity People remember how you make them feel. They notice consistency, generosity, and grace under pressure. Building a business rooted in values attracts respect and loyalty that no marketing tactic can replace. The most magnetic women I know lead through character, not noise. Their presence fills rooms before their titles do. 4. The Remote-Control Principle Every new project, tool, or opportunity presents more buttons than you expect. Exploration leads to discovery. The willingness to press a few wrong buttons leads to mastery. Curiosity always reveals the right channel. Every experiment holds a lesson that sharpens intuition. 5. Confidence Grows With Repetition Each presentation delivered, each proposal sent, each idea shared, every single one builds strength. Repetition transforms uncertainty into assurance. Confidence is a collection of experiences stacked high enough to see over doubt. 6. Circles Create Success The people beside you determine the pace ahead of you. A supportive circle brings accountability, perspective, and laughter when life gets heavy. Surround yourself with women who inspire movement, speak vision, and celebrate every milestone as if it were their own. Shared energy amplifies ambition. 7. Systems Elevate Freedom Structure invites stability, and stability opens room for creativity. Systems give business owners time to think, dream, and lead. Automation and organization are forms of generosity toward your future self. They build consistency that allows growth to feel peaceful instead of frantic. 8. Courage Expands Possibility Every decision built on courage unlocks another layer of strength. Each risk accepted in faith becomes evidence that progress loves action. Bravery builds momentum. Every courageous choice invites opportunity that comfort zones never meet. 9. Joy Sustains Momentum Joy keeps the engine running when strategy alone feels heavy. Laughter restores energy and keeps perspective bright. When you create space for joy, work becomes lighter and results become stronger. The most effective leaders carry humor and heart wherever they go. 10. Legacy Defines Impact True success lives in the lives you influence, the people you empower, and the businesses you help thrive. Legacy outlives applause. Every genuine connection, every lesson shared, every woman empowered to build her empire adds to a ripple that keeps expanding. 11. Gratitude Strengthens Growth Gratitude builds resilience. It grounds every achievement in appreciation and turns challenges into lessons worth remembering. The most fulfilling success stories are written by those who pause to say thank you along the way. 12. Simplicity Magnifies Power Simplicity focuses attention on what delivers results. When goals are clear and steps are defined, progress accelerates. Refinement turns overwhelm into flow. The simplest structure often produces the strongest impact. 13. Milestones Reflect Motion Each year represents movement, new relationships, new lessons, new opportunities discovered through persistence. Milestones are markers of momentum. They remind us how far we’ve come and how much possibility still stretches ahead. 14. Humor Keeps You Grounded A good laugh clears the mind faster than any motivational quote. Humor turns frustration into perspective. Every time the remote wins, it’s a gentle reminder that humility and humor build balance. I still call my husband for help, and I still text my kids when TikTok surprises me again. These moments keep me human. They keep me joyful. 15. Alignment Creates Ease When values, vision, and daily actions align, business feels like harmony instead of hustle. Decisions become effortless because every choice fits the bigger picture. Alignment is success in motion. It’s the rhythm that carries both calm and growth together. 16. Grace Is a Superpower Grace transforms leadership. It softens challenges, calms tension, and invites trust. The more grace you give, to yourself and others, the easier it becomes to sustain excellence. Grace turns ambition into artistry. It’s the quiet force that holds empires steady. 17. Perspective Is Everything Moments of pause reveal the bigger view. Stepping back helps you see patterns, connections, and possibilities that constant motion hides. Perspective refines priorities. It shows what deserves energy and what deserves release. 18. Growth Feels Beautiful When It’s Intentional Progress without peace is pressure. Progress with purpose is fulfillment. Intentional growth balances ambition with appreciation. It builds legacies that feel meaningful, not exhausting. 19. Connection Builds Confidence Every conversation that uplifts, every collaboration that inspires, every partnership rooted in respect multiplies confidence. Connection reminds you that you’re part of something bigger, a community of women who lead with wisdom and build with heart. 20. Celebration Is Currency Every milestone deserves acknowledgment. Celebration infuses gratitude into growth and joy into achievement. When you celebrate your wins, you signal to your mind that progress is the norm, not the exception. Celebration keeps momentum alive. Each birthday feels like a personal board meeting between the woman I was, the woman I am, and the woman I’m still becoming. The conversations are honest, hopeful, and full of plans for expansion, both in business and in life. So here’s what this trip around the sun feels like: peaceful ambition, purposeful progress, and plenty of laughter when technology reminds me that no one has it all mastered. To the women building businesses with courage and heart - keep going. Your vision, your voice, and your victory matter more than you know. If this is your year to elevate your systems, strengthen your strategy, and create a business that supports the life you love, I’d love to help you map it out.

Confidence is the currency of business. You can have the sharpest pitch and the most brilliant strategy, but when you walk into a room like you own it, you change the entire energy. The women who win are the ones who know they belong at the table and claim their chair without hesitation. Confidence Is Your Business Strategy Every contract signed, every deal closed, every client won, it all traces back to confidence. The grounded kind of confidence that comes from knowing who you are, what you offer, and why people should trust you with their money. Confidence sells faster than discounts and sticks harder than any ad campaign. Confidence Starts With Action Confidence builds every time you keep a promise to yourself. When you commit to waking up early to prep for that pitch, when you follow through on building your funnel, when you finally step out from behind busy work and go live on video, that’s when your confidence grows roots. The Day My Confidence Got Tested I once tripped walking onto a stage. Full “knees buckled, arms flailing, microphone squealing” entrance. The room went dead quiet. I could’ve melted into the floor. Instead, I laughed and said, “Now that I’ve fallen for you, let’s talk about how to make money.” The audience exploded. I closed more deals after that speech than I had in months. Confidence means owning the moment so powerfully that people can’t look away. Confidence Grows With Clarity When you’re clear on your offer, your numbers, and your next move, your confidence stands tall. Clarity is power. Know your pricing. Know your story. Know what problem you solve. When clarity lines up, confidence comes along for the ride. Build Your Confidence Muscle Confidence is a muscle, and it strengthens with every rep. Speak up in meetings. Ask for bigger deals. Pitch to companies that scare you. Every rep makes you stronger until one day you look around and realize, “Damn, I run this room.” Surround Yourself With Confidence Builders Confidence multiplies when you’re around the right people. Hang around women who hype you up and hold you accountable. Stay close to people who push you to stretch. Be around the ones who clap when you win and remind you of your crown when you forget. Your environment sets the stage for your empire. Confidence Is Contagious Unshakable confidence has ripple effects. Clients trust you faster. Teams follow you quicker. Partners respect you deeper. You don’t have to announce it, because it’s written all over the way you move, speak, and sell. Confidence is built one bold move at a time. Every action adds another brick to your empire wall. Fall, laugh, stand taller, and keep going. That’s the recipe for unshakable confidence. And if you’re ready to talk about building an empire where confidence and profit go hand-in-hand, grab a coffee with me. Ask, because I’ll show you how to multiply visibility, credibility, and profitability while keeping your crown steady.

You know you’re doing something right when people start complaining about you. Because, deep down, we all know, nobody wastes energy gossiping about the woman blending in. They save their whispers, their side-eyes, and their bathroom gossip for the one making waves, raising standards, and doing the extraordinary. If you’ve ever ugly-cried in your car after someone criticized you, complained about you, or talked about you behind your back, welcome to the club, sister. You’re in the right place. I have been there - on more than one occasion. Pour a glass, pull up a chair - this article is for you. The first time I got a complaint in the past two-months, I took it personally. By the sixth? After speaking with a client who explained what was really going on - I made myself a girlie-cocktail and thought, “Well, damn… I must be doing something big enough to rattle people.” I’ll be straight with you - yesterday, I was in a funk… like with a Capital F. A deep, messy, unproductive FUNK. The kind where you sit at your desk staring at the wall thinking, “ Why can’t I lose more weight? Should I just book the Botox appointment already? What am I even doing with my life? And is a margarita at 2 PM socially acceptable?” Why? Because I had just been recently hit with six complaints (about me) from people in one of my work environments over the past two months. Six. Line them up like little gremlins, cackling at me, all coming from the same organization. And look, as confident as I am, I’m still human. By the time that sixth complaint landed, I was rattled. No shame in admitting it. I even caught myself thinking, “Maybe this isn’t the right place for me. Maybe I need a different environment to flourish.” It reminded me of something my mom always said. If a rose bush isn’t growing, you don’t throw it out. You move it. You give it better soil, more sun, and the right conditions to bloom. Well, here’s what’s been happening over the past two months -

Scaling thrives on simplicity, clarity, and smart moves. Every empire grows faster when you strip away the nonsense that eats your time and energy. Too many women entrepreneurs pour themselves into busy work that feels important but steals their profit and peace. I’ve done it all - said yes to the wrong things, buried myself in endless tasks, ignored my numbers, and it left me frazzled with cold coffee and a brain fried like a late-night waffle. The day I quit those habits was the day my business scaled, my stress dropped, and my mornings stopped feeling like a sprint to nowhere.

Lean Six Sigma sounds like the kind of thing that lives in a dusty corporate manual locked in some CEO’s office, but let me spill it for you. It’s a system designed to make businesses leaner, faster, and more profitable, and if you’re running a small business, there are a handful of secrets in here you’ll want to snatch up right now. Because if you’re smart, you don’t need more on your plate. You need less. Less wasted time, less back-and-forth, less rework, less “didn’t we already solve this?” moments. What you do need is more profit, more freedom, and more space to think like the CEO you are instead of the office firefighter putting out daily chaos. And trust me, I learned these lessons the hard way. I once tried to launch a coaching program while managing client certifications, updating QuickBooks, and setting up email automation – all on the same day. It was chaos. My team was sending me messages like “Jo, where’s the Zoom link for tonight’s session?” while my husband asked me why the smoke alarm was going off. Long story short, I put the lasagna on the air fry setting, forgot about it, and ended up with charcoal dinner while trying to explain to a client why she had two Operating Agreements in her client portal. That’s when I stopped trying to juggle so much, went back to my Lean Six Sigma Black Belt roots, and started systemizing. Lean Six Sigma saved me from becoming the crazy woman eating burned pasta in her office while the business went up in flames. Here’s what you can steal from Lean Six Sigma and apply today.

Five minutes into my day I realized my brain was fried, and it wasn’t even 9AM yet. Why? Because I spent the morning chasing passwords, answering the same “Can you resend that link?” email for the third time, and manually updating a spreadsheet that I swore I was going to automate last year. That’s when it hit me, systems aren’t just sexy, they’re vital! They’re sanity savers, profit builders, and freedom makers. Every woman entrepreneur I know is juggling ten flaming batons while riding a unicycle uphill in heels. And the crazy part? Most of us signed up for it willingly. We said yes to building a business because we wanted freedom, creativity, and impact, but somewhere along the way the dream turned into inbox babysitting and spreadsheet purgatory. Let’s get one thing straight right now, systems are definitely not boring. They are the lingerie of business. Systems make your operations smooth, your clients swoon, and your bank account very, very happy. They are the silent operators running behind the scenes so you can focus on the empire-building moves that actually bring in money. And let me tell you, I learned this the hard way. My Wake-Up Call A couple years ago, I had a morning meltdown in front of my husband. I was in the kitchen, coffee cup in one hand, laptop in the other, swearing at an invoice that wouldn’t send. Brett walks in like the calm fighter pilot he is, and says, “Jo, maybe the problem isn’t the invoice. Maybe the problem is the system.” Cue my eye roll the size of Texas. But he was right. I didn’t have a system. I had duct tape. And duct tape is fine if you’re fixing a Halloween costume, not if you’re building a million-dollar business. So I went all in. I systemized my scheduling, automated my invoicing, and created flows so my content and emails went out while I was sipping wine with friends. And you know what? Life got fun again. Clients stopped chasing me. My team stopped asking the same questions over and over. And I stopped waking up in a cold sweat at 3AM because I forgot to follow up with a lead. What Automation Really Does For You When you automate the busy work, three magical things happen: 1. You buy back your brain space - No more decision fatigue from tiny repetitive tasks. 2. You scale without extra staff - Systems let you serve more people without cloning yourself. 3. You free up energy for big moves - That course you’ve been meaning to launch? That partnership you’ve been avoiding? Suddenly you’ve got the bandwidth. Automation is like cloning your most reliable employee, except she never gets sick, never complains, and never asks for a raise. Where Women Entrepreneurs Lose the Most Time Here’s where I see my clients drowning every single week: • Email overwhelm - Spending hours answering repetitive questions that could be solved with canned responses, auto-responders, or even a simple FAQ link. • Client scheduling - Going back and forth with “Does 2PM work for you?” instead of using a tool like Calendly. • Invoicing and payments - Manually creating invoices, chasing late payers, and forgetting to send receipts. Automate it. QuickBooks, Thryv, Stripe—take your pick. • Content distribution - Copy-pasting the same post to ten platforms like a hamster on a wheel. Use schedulers. Use repurposing tools. Or hire me to yell at you until you do. • Lead follow-up - Leads fall through the cracks when you don’t have a nurture system. Automate text reminders, email drips, and pipeline stages. The Exciting Side of Systems Let’s stop pretending that systems are boring. Systems are like Spanx - you don’t always see them, but damn they make everything look good. When your systems are tight, here’s what happens: • You walk into a meeting looking polished because you’re not frazzled by tech fires. • Clients think you’re a goddess because everything runs like clockwork. • Your team feels empowered because they’re not guessing at processes. • Your bank account grows because you’ve removed the bottlenecks. And let’s talk about confidence for a second. Nothing makes a woman feel more powerful than knowing her business can run without her staring at her laptop every second of the day. My Calendar Catastrophe I once double-booked myself for two speaking gigs on the same day. One was virtual, one was in person, and I thought I could juggle both. Spoiler alert: I couldn’t. Halfway through the live keynote, my phone buzzes with a panicked text: “Jo, you’re supposed to be on Zoom right now with 75 entrepreneurs.” I had to duck into the ladies’ room, heels clicking, hair sweating, trying to log into Zoom on my phone while keeping a professional smile on my face. Do you know how hard it is to look credible when you’re speaking from a bathroom stall? That disaster taught me something huge ➝ my calendar was running me instead of me running my calendar. I fixed it by automating bookings through my system. Now double-bookings are impossible, and I’ll never keynote from a bathroom again. Where to Start If the word automation makes you feel like you need an IT degree, breathe. Start small. • Automate your calendar. Let people book without emailing you. • Automate your invoicing. Let payments run without you lifting a finger. • Automate your client onboarding. A simple email sequence can save you hours. Start with one, then stack. Within a few months, your business will feel unrecognizable, in the best way. Systems are Vital, but the best part is the freedom they give you. Freedom to scale. Freedom to breathe. Freedom to enjoy the empire you’re building. Look, if you’re reading this and your brain is screaming “YES, I need this,” then grab coffee with me. Ask me about automation, because I’ll show you the exact tools and flows that saved me 78 hours a month and over $340,000 a year in wasted time.