How to Build a Business That Runs Without You with Jessica Millhiser

How to Build a Business That Runs Without You with Jessica Millhiser

In this episode of A Category of One, I sat down with Jessica Millhiser, the founder of J.Mills Consulting and an operations strategist who helps service-based entrepreneurs build businesses that are clear, organized, and intentional. Jessica's work sits at the intersection of structure and intuition, and that combination is rare. We talked about what it actually takes to build a business you can step away from. Jessica took nine weeks off last year and her business grew 34%. That number tells you something, but the conversation underneath it tells you more. It's about how you design a business in the first place, what you stop chasing, and what you let yourself want. Jessica wants to bring hospitality back to the forefront of how entrepreneurs run their businesses. Not hospitality as an industry, but as a posture. The way you treat people. The way your back-end operations show up as front-end client experience. She also opens up about a single intuitive decision she made years ago that changed the entire shape of her life. It's one of those moments in a conversation that you don't see coming. In this episode: * Why slowing down is the actual prerequisite for sustainable growth * What it means to bring hospitality back into a service-based business * How operational clarity creates space for you to step away from your business * The difference between time-for-money pricing and value-based pricing, and how to make the shift * Why your ideal client is probably not you, and what that means for what you charge Connect with Jessica Millhiser: Website: https://www.jmillsconsulting.com/ [https://www.jmillsconsulting.com/] Operations Audit (Free Resource): https://www.jmillsconsulting.com/operations-health-check [https://www.jmillsconsulting.com/operations-health-check] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamillhiser/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamillhiser/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB:  https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:49 Strategies for Building Intentional Businesses 01:06 Introduction to Jessica Millhiser's Work 04:02 The Importance of Intentionality in Business 07:00 Defining Success on Your Own Terms 09:57 Client Journey and Strategic Planning 13:09 Systems and Operations in Business 16:01 Bringing Hospitality into Business 18:44 Navigating Client Relationships and Pricing 21:53 The Shift from Time to Value-Based Pricing 24:52 Trusting Intuition in Business Decisions 27:49 Personal Stories and Life Lessons 30:44 Conclusion and Resources

How to Reconnect to Your Inner Child Through Creativity with Kelly O'Connell

In this episode of A Category of One, I sat down with Kelly O'Connell, founder of the brand studio Kind & Funny, to talk about creativity, self-expression, and what it looks like to stay connected to the version of yourself that existed before the world started shaping you. Kelly is one of those people who walks into a room and gives everyone else permission to take up more space. She runs a brand studio. She paints over fashion ads. She hosts a monthly Self-Expression Club. She wears a tutu in public sometimes. And underneath all of it is a real practice of meeting herself where she is, of treating creativity as a way home rather than a performance. We talked about how fashion became her daily check-in with who she is, why we don't see other people in our industry as competition, and what changed when she started building a business around being a human first. We also went into her ADHD diagnosis, what she's learned about shame and self-acceptance, and why parts work has been a quiet game-changer. This one moves between the playful and the tender. Kelly is luminous, and the conversation reflects it. In this episode: * Why self-expression starts with asking "how do I want to feel today" * The shift from scarcity to abundance with peers in your industry * What an inner child has to do with how you show up at work * ADHD, shame, and the practice of not doing it alone * How parts work creates more grace and more room * Building a business that sustains you as a human Connect with Kelly O’Connell: Website: https://www.kindandfunny.com/ [https://www.kindandfunny.com/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/bekindandfunny/ [https://www.instagram.com/bekindandfunny/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB:  https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:49 The Kind and Funny Brand Shop: Empowering Women-Owned Businesses 01:09 Introduction to Kelly O'Connell and Her Vision 01:33 The Art of Self-Expression 04:17 Fashion as a Personal Brand 07:16 The Power of Community and Collaboration 09:53 Embracing Authenticity and Individuality 12:49 The Self-Expression Club Experience 15:39 Creativity Beyond Boundaries 18:41 Navigating the Entrepreneurial Journey 21:36 Understanding ADHD and Self-Care 24:17 Vulnerability and Connection 27:07 The Journey of Self-Discovery

How to Let Your Authentic Voice Lead in Business and on Stage with Paula Friedland

In this episode of A Category of One, I sat down with Paula Friedland, licensed counselor, certified life coach, actress, singer, and creator of Soul Speaks, a program she's been teaching in some form for nearly 20 years. Paula's work starts with public speaking but doesn't stay there. It opens into something most people don't expect: a practice of being fully yourself, with one person, in any room. We talked about where Soul Speaks came from. A stand-up comedian with stage fright, a grassroots method, and Paula's own background in musical theater and therapy that she eventually stopped trying to keep separate. We got into what it actually means to find your voice versus find your words, why experienced speakers are often the hardest to teach, and what happens when a room full of people breathes together. There's also a moment in this conversation about showers of appreciation, a practice Paula uses where an audience reflects back the essence they see in a speaker, not the content. It's about receiving. And how hard that is. And why it matters. In this episode: * Why finding your voice matters more than finding your words * The Soul Speaks method: speaking to one person at a time, even in a crowd * How the "landing breath" changes everything about presence * What showers of appreciation reveal about self-worth and receiving * Why experienced speakers are sometimes the hardest to reach * How authentic networking and authentic speaking come from the same place Connect with Paula Friedland: FB: https://www.facebook.com/paula.friedland [https://www.facebook.com/paula.friedland]LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulafriedland/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulafriedland/] Website: https://www.soulspeaks.biz/ [https://www.soulspeaks.biz/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB: https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:00 The Birth of Soul Speaks 02:45 The Intersection of Performance and Authenticity 06:00 Transformational Experiences in Public Speaking 09:02 The Journey from Acting to Coaching 11:52 Growth Mindset and Self-Expression 14:48 The Role of Breath and Somatic Practices 17:50 Receiving Appreciation and Building Connection 21:00 The Importance of Self-Love and Positive Self-Talk 23:44 Competing in Speaking Contests 26:51 Finding Your Voice Over Your Words 29:55 Soul Speaks Salons: A New Networking Approach

How to Stop Outsourcing Your Worth and Feel at Home in Your Body with Gabby Jockers

Gabby Jockers is a boudoir photographer based in Colorado, but that description doesn't really cover it. What she actually does is help women figure out what's standing between them and feeling at home in their own bodies, and then create an experience built around that. Not around what a boudoir shoot is supposed to look like. Around what each person actually needs. This conversation goes a lot of places. We talk about how Gabby built a business by asking different questions than her industry was asking: the cookie-cutter shot lists, the heavy editing, the assumption that every woman wants to feel "sexy" in the same way. We talk about body neutrality versus body positivity, and why the difference matters more than most people realize. And we talk about something Gabby brings into her work that most photographers don't: the embodiment practices that help women quiet the inner critic long enough to actually be present for the experience. We also get into what Gabby figured out when she scaled back her bookings. More space didn't mean less. It meant more energy, more creativity, and more passion for the work itself. And why she thinks the pressure to constantly produce is something worth questioning, not just managing. In this episode: * Why "empowering" became a word Gabby stopped using and what she does instead * The difference between body positivity and body neutrality, and why it matters * How meditation and embodiment practice became part of a photo shoot * What happens when women see their images and realize the session was for them all along * Why your worth isn't measured by your output and how to actually live that way Connect with Gabby Jockers: Website: https://embodiedartboudoir.com/ [https://embodiedartboudoir.com/] The Body Deck: https://embodiedartboudoir.com/the-body-deck/ [https://embodiedartboudoir.com/the-body-deck/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/embodiedartboudoir/ [https://www.instagram.com/embodiedartboudoir/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB:  https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:00 Understanding Boudoir Photography 03:13 The Unique Approach to Boudoir 06:02 Gabby's Origin Story 12:14 Empowerment and Body Image 17:56 The Body Deck and Affirmations 25:00 Work-Life Balance and Intentional Living

How to Grow Your Business Through Strategic Partnerships and Referrals with Marie Mack

Marie Mack showed up to one online networking event, and that's where Leslie met her. One time. The universe was paying attention. In this episode of A Category of One, Leslie sits down with Marie Mack, a business strategist, partnerships expert, and operations consultant who runs two complementary businesses entirely remotely. This conversation covers a lot of ground: how Marie went from blogging in 2014 to building a partnerships methodology, why she stopped copying what worked for other people, and what it actually looks like to show up as yourself in business when the platforms and strategies everyone else is using feel flat. Marie's two businesses reflect two sides of the same instinct. Powerful Online Partnerships (POP) helps consultants, coaches, speakers, and authors grow their visibility through strategic referral partnerships, not ad spend, not cold outreach. Her consulting firm works at the operations level inside larger companies, where she functions more like a chief of staff than a COO: getting the whole orchestra to play together. What runs underneath both is a specific kind of thinking: the belief that abundance is the operating system, not scarcity. That a referral you send out comes back. That the right collaboration doesn't cost you a lead; it multiplies them. In this episode: * Why Marie tried every business model that was working for others, and why none of them fit * What strategic partnerships actually are (and what they're not) * How referrals, list swaps, and podcast swaps work as a visibility strategy * The difference between a chief of staff and a COO, and why it matters * What it takes to be ready for partnerships, and the honest signs you're not yet Connect with Marie Mack: Website: https://powerfulonlinepartnerships.com/ [https://powerfulonlinepartnerships.com/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-mack/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-mack/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB:  https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:00 Embracing Change: The Move to Idaho 04:57 The Power of Purging: Creating Space for New Beginnings 08:02 Building a Business Ecosystem: Marie's Entrepreneurial Journey 14:00 Finding Your Flow: The Importance of Intuition in Business 19:56 Powerful Online Partnerships: Collaborating for Success 26:53 Navigating Business Relationships: Referrals and Collaborations 31:45 Conducting Business: The Role of Operations in Success