Ever find yourself paying for a coaching program, joining a business community, or signing up for a course... only to sit there struggling with something you could probably get help with if you just ASKED? 😂

Or maybe you're the solopreneur who has gotten so used to figuring everything out yourself that asking for support feels like admitting you don't know what you're doing.

We get it. Because we've been there, too.

This week on Solopreneur CEO, we're bringing back a conversation from our Honest Convos with Carin and Marcia archives that feels just as relevant today as it did when we first recorded it.

We're talking about what real business support looks like, why so many experienced solopreneurs struggle to ask for help, and how trying to do everything alone can quietly hold your business back.

Here's the thing: Being capable of doing something yourself doesn't mean you should have to do everything yourself.

Sometimes we don't ask questions because we're afraid we'll look inexperienced. Sometimes we don't want to bother our coach or admit we haven't completed the modules. And sometimes we've convinced ourselves that if we were really good at running a business, we'd already have all the answers.

Meanwhile, we're paying for memberships, courses, and coaching programs we're barely using. 😩

But this conversation isn't just about getting support. It's also about GIVING it.

As coaches, consultants, and service providers, we have a responsibility to make sure our clients can actually use what we're delivering. That might mean going beyond a step-by-step plan to demonstrate implementation, checking in when clients disappear, or creating an experience where people feel comfortable asking questions.

Because real support isn't just providing access to information. It's helping people make meaningful progress.

We also explore the difference between transactional networking and genuine business relationships, the importance of surrounding yourself with people who understand your goals, and why you shouldn't wait until you're completely overwhelmed to build a support system.

You don't have to be struggling to benefit from community. You can be doing incredibly well and still need people who challenge you, celebrate your wins, share their experiences, and remind you of the bigger vision when you lose sight of it.

And sometimes, you're the person who gets to provide that support for someone else.

The bottom line? You can be a successful, capable business owner and still need other people.

In fact, having the right support might be exactly what helps you reach your next level without burning yourself out along the way.

🎧 Tune in for an honest conversation about asking for help, getting the most from your business investments, creating better client experiences, and finding the kind of community that makes entrepreneurship feel a whole lot less lonely.

WANT TO FIND YOUR PEOPLE?

Join our FREE Solopreneur CEO community, where we're bringing together experienced solopreneurs who want to grow their businesses without doing everything alone.

Come connect with us at thesolopreneurceo.com.

This episode originally aired on Honest Convos with Carin and Marcia in summer 2025. We're bringing it back because the conversation is too important to leave in the archives!

It’s business planning season! Time to pull out the planners, review the numbers, set those revenue goals, and start dreaming about everything we’re going to accomplish next year.

But before you decide you’re going to double your revenue, triple your client roster, and launch three new offers…

Can we talk about whether you actually WANT all of that? 🤔

Because there’s a difference between planning for the business you have, planning for the business you want, and planning for the business somebody on the internet convinced you SHOULD want.

In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about strategic business planning, setting realistic growth goals, and why your revenue targets are only one piece of a much bigger picture.

It’s easy to look at the numbers and decide you want eight coaching clients every month. But what happens when you get to four and realize you’re already stretched thin? What happens when you double your revenue but don’t have the systems, time, or energy to deliver the experience your clients deserve?

Sometimes the answer isn’t to push harder or think bigger. Sometimes it’s to rethink what growth should actually look like for YOU.

And that means taking a more holistic approach to business planning.

As solopreneurs, our businesses don’t exist separately from our lives. Our health, relationships, family responsibilities, personal priorities, and the seasons we’re moving through all influence what we’re realistically able to accomplish. When we create business plans without accounting for those things, we set ourselves up for frustration, guilt, and that familiar cycle of moving the same unfinished goals from one month to the next.

We’re also talking about the pressure to scale. Just because someone tells you that you could serve 30 clients a month doesn’t mean that’s the business you want. Maybe three to five clients is your sweet spot. Maybe your current revenue goal is enough to support the lifestyle you want. Maybe growing bigger would actually move you further away from the freedom you started your business to create.

Do you really need to think bigger? Or do you need to get clearer about what enough looks like for you?

Of course, having a vision matters. We believe in setting goals that stretch you. But those goals also need to be supported by your business model, your capacity, and the systems required to make them happen.

That’s why we’re digging into what effective quarterly business planning actually looks like. It’s not just writing down an exciting revenue number and hoping everything works out. It’s reviewing your offers, client delivery, marketing, lead nurturing, conversion process, and the actual steps required to achieve your goals.

If you want to double your revenue, what needs to change about how your business operates? If you want more clients, can your current systems support them? And if your goals require more time and energy than you have available, what needs to shift before you pursue them?

We also share how we’re approaching our own planning retreat, why planning alongside other business owners can be so valuable, and how to turn aspirational goals into practical action plans.

Because the goal isn’t to create the most impressive-looking business plan.

It’s to create a plan you believe in, have the capacity to execute, and actually WANT to live with once it succeeds.

🎯 Ready to plan your next quarter with us?

Our Q1 2027 Strategy Planning Workshop is happening December 11!

The workshop is included for Success Secret Society members, and we’re opening registration to solopreneurs outside the membership who want support creating an intentional, actionable plan for the new year.

Join our FREE Solopreneur CEO community at thesolopreneurceo.com to access the calendar and register.

Let’s build a business that works for your actual life, not just one that looks good on paper.

It’s October, and apparently we’re supposed to be done with 2026 already.

Everywhere you look, people are talking about 2027 goals, 2027 business planning, new offers, new strategies, and everything we’re going to do “next year.” Meanwhile, we’re over here wondering: Can we finish THIS year first? 😂 Because the fourth quarter isn’t just a waiting room for January.

In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about Q4 business planning, year-end goals, and why solopreneurs shouldn’t mentally write off the last few months of the year just because everyone else has moved on to planning for the next one.

Three months is enough time to make meaningful changes in your business. Even if you’re listening with only 60 or 75 days left in the year, you can still finish the website, improve your client onboarding, fix a bottleneck, build a system, make an offer, reconnect with your audience, or finally implement something that has been sitting on your business goals list for months.

That doesn’t mean ignoring your business data or refusing to plan for 2027. In fact, Q4 is a great time to review what happened during the first nine months of the year. Which offers worked? Which didn’t? What happened with your revenue goals? Which marketing channels are still producing results? What did you say you wanted to accomplish back in January, and does it even still matter?

The difference is using that information to make better decisions now, instead of automatically deciding that every change, project, or new goal has to wait until January.

We also talk about Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing and whether discounting your services is actually an effective Q4 sales strategy. We discuss the difference between throwing another generic discount onto the internet and strategically creating an offer for the people already in your ecosystem.

Most importantly, we’re talking about how to close out the year in a way that actually supports the business and life you want to build. You can start planning for 2027 while still giving your 2026 goals enough space to mature. You can decide what still deserves your attention, what you can realistically complete before December 31, and what you’re intentionally choosing to release.

You don’t need to hustle your way through the end of the year or manufacture some dramatic “finish strong” moment. But you also don’t need to give away the time you still have.

Use Q4 intentionally. Finish what matters. Release what doesn’t. And give your future self a much better starting point for the year ahead.

🎙️ Episode 32: Stop Acting Like the Year Is Already Over

Want more support building a sustainable business that grows without consuming your life? Join the free Solopreneur CEO community to connect with other experienced solopreneurs, continue the conversations from the podcast, and get support as you build a business that works for your life.

Join us at thesolopreneurceo.com