How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss

Episode 9: MTNA Recap: Conversations, Questions, and … Crabs?

Episode 9: MTNA Recap: Conversations, Questions, and … Crabs? What happens when two business coaches attend a major national music conference? In this episode, Michelle and Sara share their experience from the 2026 Music Teachers National Association conference in Chicago. From the fun and energizing moments to the deeper patterns they observed in how musicians approach business, money, and growth. They go beyond the highlight reel to unpack the mindset shifts required to move from “artist” to confident business owner. 💡 In This Episode: * The highs (and exhaustion) of attending a national conference * The problem with vague goals like “more students” * Scarcity mindset and fear around investing in your business * The shift from “pick me” to taking ownership of your career * Why financial literacy is a game changer for music teachers You don’t just have a business – you need to learn how to run one. 🎧 About the Podcast How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss is the podcast for creative entrepreneurs and service-based business owners who want to thrive professionally without sacrificing their values, peace, or creative integrity. Michelle and Sara share the hard-won wisdom you won’t find in generic business coaching or “just follow my simple formula” advice. ➡️ Join SECO [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/] ⭐ Support the Show If this episode resonated with you: * Rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen * Share the episode with a fellow business owner who needs to hear it * Let us know what topics, myths, or rants you want us to tackle next — we love hearing from you Mentioned in this Episode: * Dr. Joe Welch [https://blackburn.edu/dr-joseph-welch-professor-of-music-named-ismta-teacher-of-the-year/] doing amazing work at Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois. Blackburn is the only work college with a student-managed work program.

Episode 8: Is Your Business Eating You Alive?

🎙️ Episode 8: Is Your Business Eating You Alive? The problem isn’t your workload. It’s who’s in charge. In this solo episode, Michelle gets real about what it feels like when the business you built starts running you. Not always in dramatic, burnout fashion, but in the quieter, more dangerous ways: constant mental load, reactive decisions, and the slow erosion of your time, energy, and identity. Including one very real moment: trying to take a break over Christmas, visiting family, intentionally leaving the laptop behind… and coming back to a messy business. When your business is running you, it follows you, quietly taking up space in your mind no matter where you are. If you’ve ever felt like your business owns you, like you can’t step away, can’t think clearly, and definitely can’t “just take a break” this episode is for you. In This Episode, We Explore: * What it really looks like when your business is “eating you alive” * How lack of clarity turns your business into a reactive machine * The identity trap of creative entrepreneurship — and why it’s so hard to separate yourself from your work * Why over-giving and under-protecting your energy leads to long-term burnout * The difference between reacting to your business and actually running it This is about taking back control. Because the truth is, most business owners were never taught how to run a business. You were handed a machine with no manual and expected to figure it out while also doing the work itself. Grab your notebook and pencil, grab your coffee, your tea, or whatever else helps you cope with your business-induced anxiety… and let’s get started! 🎧 About the Podcast How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss is the podcast for creative entrepreneurs and service-based business owners who want to thrive professionally without sacrificing their values, peace, or creative integrity. Michelle and Sara share the hard-won wisdom you won’t find in generic business coaching or “just follow my simple formula” advice. ➡️ Apply for the Accelerator Program: https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/how-to-run-your-business-without-hating-your-boss-accelerator/ [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/how-to-run-your-business-without-hating-your-boss-accelerator/] ➡️ Join SECO: https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/ [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/] ⭐ Support the Show If this episode hit home: * Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next * Leave a rating or review to help other creative entrepreneurs find the show * Share it with someone who needs this reminder Boa Constrictor by Shel Silverstein Oh, I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor A boa constrictor A boa constrictor I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor And I don't like it - one bit. Well, what do you know? It's nibblin' my toe. Oh, gee, It's up to my knee. Oh my, It’s up to my thigh. Oh, fiddle, It's up to my middle. Oh, heck, It's up to my neck. Oh, dread, It's upmmmmmmmmmmmfffffffffff…

Episode 7: Getting Off the Hobby Horse (and Building Something Stable)

🎙️Episode 7: Getting Off the Hobby Horse (and Building Something Stable) At some point, every self-employed creative has to decide: Is this a hobby… or is this a business? In this episode, Michelle and Sara unpack what really happens when you treat your business like a side project instead of the legitimate, revenue-generating entity it actually is. From loosey-goosey bookkeeping to guessing at pricing, ignoring legal responsibilities, and hoping taxes will magically sort themselves out, these “little” habits can quietly sabotage your success. And if you’ve ever had someone imply your work isn’t a “real job”? Yeah. We’re talking about that too. This episode is a loving but firm wake-up call, as well as practical, no-nonsense steps to move from “holy crap, what have I done?” to “I am an official badass business owner!” In This Episode, We Talk About: * The difference between hobby energy and CEO energy * Why “I just want to help people” is not a business strategy * Getting surprised by taxes (and why that keeps happening) * The realities of liability, insurance, and data responsibility * Why independent teachers, coaches, and creatives deserve real business respect * How subtle self-sabotage becomes habitual * The mindset shift required to move into legitimate business ownership If you want sustainability, respect, and actual profit, you have to act like a business owner. It’s time to step out of “hobby land” and into real ownership. Grab your notebook and pencil, grab your coffee, your tea, or whatever else helps you cope with your business-induced anxiety… and let’s get started! 🎧 About the Podcast How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss is the podcast for creative entrepreneurs and service-based business owners who want to thrive professionally without sacrificing their values, peace, or creative integrity. Michelle and Sara share the hard-won wisdom you won’t find in generic business coaching or “just follow my simple formula” advice. ➡️ Join SECO: https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/ [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/] 📝 Mentioned in This Show: * Blog: How to Know if You Should Become an LLC [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/blog/how-to-know-if-you-should-become-an-llc/] * Apply for The How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss Accelerator Program [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/how-to-run-your-business-without-hating-your-boss-accelerator/] ⭐ Support the Show If this episode resonated with you: * Rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen * Share the episode with a fellow business owner who needs to hear it * Let us know what topics, myths, or rants you want us to tackle next — we love hearing from you

Episode 6: Ideal Clients or Endless Hustle

🎙️ Episode 6: Ideal Clients or Endless Hustle “Ideal client” is one of the most talked about (and most avoided) concepts in small business. In this episode, Michelle and Sara dig into what an ideal client truly is, why the idea makes so many business owners uncomfortable, and how skipping this work quietly leads to burnout, resentment, and hating your own business. An ideal client isn’t a perfect unicorn or your new best friend. It’s a tool — a made-up but intentional construct that gives you clarity, language, and boundaries so you can call in the people you serve best and stop saying yes out of fear, ego, or exhaustion. This is unsexy, foundational work, and it affects everything: marketing, pricing, boundaries, emotional energy, and how you feel when you open your calendar. In This Episode, We Talk About: * What an “ideal client” really is (and what it is not) * The myth that you need to serve everyone to survive * “Warm body syndrome” and why it leads to burnout * Why avoiding ideal client work leads to resentment in your business * Why clarity around your ideal client makes marketing easier * How vague messaging (“all genres, all ages”) repels the right people * Not all money is good money The new year is a powerful time to reassess relationships, energy, and how you want your business — and your life — to feel. Getting honest about your ideal client is one of the most effective ways to build a business that’s sustainable, ethical, and doesn’t make you dread showing up. 🎧 About the Podcast How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss is the podcast for creative entrepreneurs and service-based business owners who want to thrive professionally without sacrificing their values, peace, or creative integrity. Michelle and Sara share the hard-won wisdom you won’t find in generic business coaching or “just follow my simple formula” advice. ⭐ Support the Show If this episode resonated with you: * Rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen * Share the episode with a fellow business owner who needs to hear it * Let us know what topics, myths, or rants you want us to tackle next — we love hearing from you Mentioned in this Episode APPLY FOR HOW TO RUN NOW! https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/how-to-run-your-business-accelerator-application/ [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/how-to-run-your-business-accelerator-application/] The Art of the Inquiry – Michelle Markwart Deveaux https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/art-of-inquiry-revenue-relationships-retention/ [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/art-of-inquiry-revenue-relationships-retention/] ICA as “best case scenario” – Minal Sampat https://www.minalsampat.com/ [https://www.minalsampat.com/] Join The SpeakEasy Cooperative® today! https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/ [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/]

Episode 5: Listener Questions and Stories Volume 1

In this episode of How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss, Michelle and Sara do something a little different: they open the mailbag. If you’ve ever reread an email five times before hitting send, replayed an awkward conversation in the shower, or laid awake wondering whether you handled a business situation wrong — this one’s for you. Drawing on years of experience helping hundreds of performing arts entrepreneurs thrive professionally without sacrificing their values, peace, or creative integrity, Michelle and Sara tackle real-world scenarios that keep coaches, teachers, and performing artists up at night. No gimmicks. No “just follow my simple formula.” Just grounded, hard-won insight from people who refuse to hang out on business-coach island. Key Topics: * Common business situations that trigger second-guessing and stress * How to tell the difference between a real misstep and normal business discomfort * Why spiraling over emails, boundaries, and conversations is so common for creatives * How to approach tricky situations with clarity, confidence, and integrity Perfect for: * Creative entrepreneurs and accidental business owners * Business owners in the performing arts or service-based sectors * Anyone navigating people-pleasing, boundaries, or hard conversations in their business If you’ve ever wished for a trusted sounding board when business gets messy, this episode delivers exactly that. 🎧 Press play and let’s get into it. 👉 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. 👉 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more creative entrepreneurs find us. 👉 Share this episode with a friend or colleague who might be struggling with scaling pressure. Connect with us: Website: thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy [https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy] Facebook: facebook.com/thespeakeasycooperative [https://facebook.com/thespeakeasycooperative] Instagram: @thespeakeasycooperative Mentioned in this episode: Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High View on Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/p/books/crucial-conversations-tools-for-talking-when-stakes-are-high-al-switzler/e5dde0f31d435c93?ean=9781260474183] Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most View on Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/p/books/difficult-conversations-how-to-discuss-what-matters-most-bruce-patton/0b50c34f473b90e9?ean=9780143137597]