In this episode, Michelle Warner, a business strategist and designer, shares her transition from building venture-backed startups to creating a smaller, more sustainable business. After ıexperiencing intense burnout, she stepped away from the traditional growth-at-all-costs model and began designing a business that aligned with her life. She reflects on how working with single mothers in a social impact startup revealed a growing wave of online entrepreneurship and inspired her consulting work.

Michelle also breaks down her core philosophy of relationship marketing vs traffic marketing, explaining why most service-based businesses struggle when they rely on audience growth alone. She shares how building intentional relationships, instead of chasing scale, leads to better clients, more aligned growth, and a more sustainable business model.

(00:00) Intro

(00:39) Leaving startups after burnout

(02:46) Shift to a smaller business

(02:56) Discovering online entrepreneurs

(06:59) Offers evolve over time

(12:32) Relationship vs traffic marketing

(28:00) Real vs transactional networking

(29:37) Connection avatars strategy

(32:59) Using a podcast to network

(35:23) Small, specific asks

(46:12) Defining what’s enough

Follow Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warnermichelle/ Check out Networking that Pays: https://www.themichellewarner.com/

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Build a repeatable inbound motion and stabilize your revenue: ⁠https://duoconsulting.co/⁠

Each week, we share a new framework, concept, or example of how solopreneurs are scaling from $25,000 to $60,000+ per month: ​​⁠https://www.howsolosscale.com/⁠

In this episode, Evan Kubitschek, founder of The Ops Gap and Grow Rogue, shares how an unexpected layoff from Pendo pushed him into independent consulting. He talks through the moment he realized he had been laid off, why the severance gave him the runway to go all in, and how he quickly turned that opportunity into a real business. Evan also reflects on why the traditional path in operations was starting to feel less appealing, especially as senior roles pulled him further away from the systems work he enjoyed most.

Evan also breaks down how he found his first clients, how he used experimentation to shape his business model, and what helped him avoid building a consulting practice that took over his life. He shares practical lessons on pricing, scope, pipeline, LinkedIn, and the value of protecting his time. Throughout the conversation, Evan makes the case that a successful service business is built less on follower count and more on clarity, consistency, and designing the business around the life you actually want.

(00:00) Intro

(00:30) Evan shares how he learned he was laid off

(02:47) How severance gave him runway to try consulting

(04:47) Why he chose going solo over in-house roles

(07:03) How he landed his first clients and niche

(13:02) Treating the business as a series of experiments

(25:36) His daily pipeline-building routine

(25:51) Using LinkedIn comments to start conversations

(29:26) Cleaning up his LinkedIn network intentionally

(33:20) Why follower count doesn’t equal revenue

(35:50) Stop overthinking and test more ideas

(39:08) Growing the business while protecting time

(43:20) Reflections on growth and long-term priorities

Follow Evan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evankubitschek/

Check out Grow Rogue: https://www.growrogue.com/

Check out The Ops Gap on Substack: https://theopsgap.substack.com/

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Build a repeatable inbound motion and stabilize your revenue: ⁠https://duoconsulting.co/⁠

Each week, we share a new framework, concept, or example of how solopreneurs are scaling from $25,000 to $60,000+ per month: ​​⁠https://www.howsolosscale.com/⁠

In this episode, Jessica Lackey, a business strategist and educator, shares her remarkable career journey from high-level roles at McKinsey and Nike to building her own thriving business. Jessica reflects on the turning point when she realized corporate life wasn’t for her, leading her to become an entrepreneur. She discusses the challenges of transitioning from corporate roles to consulting and how she leveraged her personal networks to build a successful business.

Jessica also talks about her unique approach to business growth, emphasizing the importance of focusing on revenue first, rather than simply growing an audience. She explains how she deliberately optimized for profit and has continued to scale her business without relying heavily on social media or viral content. Jessica shares her thoughts on building authority over time, discussing how it takes years to establish a reputation that truly drives long-term success.

(00:00) Intro

(00:52) Two career-changing breaking points

(01:07) Nike burnout story and realization

(02:50) Rebuilding identity after corporate life

(03:17) COVID wake-up call for Jessica

(04:45) Side hustle reality: lessons learned

(06:01) First clients acquired through networks

(07:18) Juggling three part-time consulting gigs

(11:01) Building authority through strong relationships

(12:33) Developing an ecosystem of offers

(16:25) Serving the mid-market for success

(22:42) Prioritizing foundational business frameworks

(26:15) Building a five-year business flywheel

(43:13) Building authority takes time and consistency

(46:44) Small audience driving big revenue

Follow Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-lackey/Check out Deeper Foundations: https://deeperfoundations.com/

—

Build a repeatable inbound motion and stabilize your revenue: ⁠https://duoconsulting.co/⁠

Each week, we share a new framework, concept, or example of how solopreneurs are scaling from $25,000 to $60,000+ per month: ​​⁠https://www.howsolosscale.com/⁠