605 - From Corporate to CEO: How I Built a Sustainable, Profitable Business as a Female Entrepreneur
Mon Feb 02 2026
In this week’s pep talk, I am sharing the origin story behind the business, the podcast, and the life-first philosophy that shaped everything, why it didn’t start polished or planned, and how small, aligned decisions built something sustainable over time.
In today’s episode, I share:
01:48 – Why it took 600 episodes to finally tell the origin story03:36 – How the podcast became the anchor for the entire business05:36 – The Jenny’s Ice Cream moment that changed how I thought about impact and work07:15 – What the “bus stop dream” is and why it became the real metric for success09:47 – Starting a business in the margins while working full-time and raising twins12:01 – How the pandemic forced a life-first business model before it was trendy14:10 – Why community beat courses and shaped the direction of the business16:08 – Making the leap from corporate with clarity, support, and imperfect timing18:56 – Building systems around energy, capacity, and real life21:01 – Why SEO, relationships, and the podcast outperform constant visibility24:15 – Hiring specialists instead of trying to do everything yourself26:48 – Using AI as a support tool without losing voice or humanity29:13 – Three prompts to define your own bus stop dream and non-negotiables
🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:
👉 Join the Anti-Social Reset Challenge →www.hollymariehaynes.com/reset (starting March 3rd, 2026)
🎙️ Listen to the Ditch the Social Drama Workshop and Private Podcast → www.hollymariehaynes.com/workshop (after March 3rd, 2026)
🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com
📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes
🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat
🔗 FREE RESOURCES:
https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme
More
In this week’s pep talk, I am sharing the origin story behind the business, the podcast, and the life-first philosophy that shaped everything, why it didn’t start polished or planned, and how small, aligned decisions built something sustainable over time. In today’s episode, I share: 01:48 – Why it took 600 episodes to finally tell the origin story03:36 – How the podcast became the anchor for the entire business05:36 – The Jenny’s Ice Cream moment that changed how I thought about impact and work07:15 – What the “bus stop dream” is and why it became the real metric for success09:47 – Starting a business in the margins while working full-time and raising twins12:01 – How the pandemic forced a life-first business model before it was trendy14:10 – Why community beat courses and shaped the direction of the business16:08 – Making the leap from corporate with clarity, support, and imperfect timing18:56 – Building systems around energy, capacity, and real life21:01 – Why SEO, relationships, and the podcast outperform constant visibility24:15 – Hiring specialists instead of trying to do everything yourself26:48 – Using AI as a support tool without losing voice or humanity29:13 – Three prompts to define your own bus stop dream and non-negotiables 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED: 👉 Join the Anti-Social Reset Challenge →www.hollymariehaynes.com/reset (starting March 3rd, 2026) 🎙️ Listen to the Ditch the Social Drama Workshop and Private Podcast → www.hollymariehaynes.com/workshop (after March 3rd, 2026) 🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com 📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes 🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat 🔗 FREE RESOURCES: https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme