Ten years of running an agency, and everything was still in her head.

Natasha Golinsky, founder of On Purpose Projects, a custom web and e-commerce development agency, didn't plan her exit from the day-to-day. A stage two breast cancer diagnosis gave her six weeks to hand over a business she'd been running for a decade, while everything lived in her head.

What came out the other side is one of the most honest, human stories about building a business that can run without you that I've heard.

In this episode, Natasha shares what it really took to build and lead a strong remote contractor team, why the freedom she worked toward came with an unexpected identity shift, and what she wishes she'd done differently long before the crisis hit.

Here's what we cover:

• What the handoff actually looked like when the timeline wasn't strategic, it was survival
• The emotional side of stepping out, the loneliness, the grief, and learning to let go of being needed
• The multi-phase hiring process Natasha uses to find contractors who are the right fit beyond technical skill
• How to start loosening your grip by identifying the work you already avoid

You don't have to go through a health crisis to build a business that doesn't depend on you. But you do have to be intentional about it.

Let's dive in.

Show Notes:

-Natasha's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/natashagolinsky

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep154

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

A lot of small business owners are feeling the pressure to keep up right now.

AI is changing how we work. New tools and platforms keep showing up. Buyers are behaving differently, and the market feels harder to read than it used to.

And I get it.

When things feel uncertain, it’s very easy to start adding more.

But for small but mighty business owners, more is not always what creates momentum. Sometimes it just makes the business heavier.

In this episode, I sit down with Lydia Lee, business strategist and work reinvention coach, for a conversation about what it really means to grow in this season.

This is not a tidy framework conversation. It’s more of a real talk about the pressure small business owners are carrying, what is changing in the market, and why some of the most important growth moves right now might actually be quieter ones.

We talk about simplifying, getting clearer on what you actually need, and building a business around your real season of life instead of someone else’s version of success.

We also get into why relationships matter more than ever. AI can give you ideas, outlines, and tactics, but it cannot replace trust.

In this episode, we cover:

• why experienced small business owners are feeling overwhelmed right now
• how AI is creating both urgency and distraction
• why adding more is not always the best response to uncertainty
• what it means to define growth based on the season you are actually in

This conversation is for you if you have been feeling the pressure to do more, but some part of you knows the answer might be to pause, simplify, and ask a more honest question:

What do I actually need right now?

Show Notes:

Website: screwthecubicle.com ​

YouTube: youtube.com/screwthecubicle

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lydiallee

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep153

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

A lot of agency owners think about selling one day. But selling is not something you prepare for at the last minute.

And here's what most people miss: the things that make an agency attractive to a buyer are the same things that make it stronger, more stable, and more enjoyable to run right now.

Whether an exit is on your radar or not, this conversation is worth your time.

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Guberman, M&A advisor for agency leaders, to get into what owners are building well, what they're avoiding, and what it really takes to run a business you could sell if you wanted to.

Here's what we cover:

• The difference between building a team and building a team that can run without you
• What "panic selling" looks like and why so many owners end up there
• Why the goal isn't to sell. It's to have the option.

You don't build a great agency to sell it. You build it well, and selling becomes an option.

Show Notes:

-Website: agencyoutsight.com

-Get the Operators Audit Worksheet: agencyoutsight.com/resources

-LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/agencycoach

-Podcast: agencyoutsight.com/podcast

Hey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one.

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep152

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis