Breaking the Golden Handcuffs: How to Finally Leave Corporate and Start Your Own Thing | Grow With Kepo Ep. 30

The Exact Method I Used To Make My First 5K With No Website, Logo, or Audience

The first real money I made in my business was $5,190. No website, no logo, no hot social media following. And in this episode, I'm walking you through the exact steps I took to get there, while still working my 9-to-5... and with zero complicated tech, funnels, or online audience. If you're a six-figure corporate professional who knows they're meant for more but you're stuck in the research-rabbit-hole stage (you know the one: 47 saved reels, 13 webinars, and still no clients), this is the episode that's going to get you moving. This is Part 3 of 3 in "The Good Job Lie" series. If you haven't watched Parts 1 and 2, go back and watch them first. They're linked right here on the channel. Part 1 is about why your company is making millions off your exact skillset (while paying you a fraction). Part 2 is about the invisible cage most corporate professionals live inside, and why the door was never actually locked. Part 3 is the execution. This is where I show you what I actually did. I was delusional for a long time. I spent over $137,000 on programs, courses, and ventures before I figured out that the thing I was looking for was already inside me, and that the people around me were my first (and best) clients. If this episode hits, do two things: 1. Join the free newsletter: Paid in Full (link below). I go in-depth every week with practical tools for getting started. 2. Sign up for the paid live workshop: You're Sitting On Gold. I host it about every month. The links are below. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The $5,190 moment (no website, no logo) 01:18 Why this is Part 3 of the series (go watch Parts 1 and 2 first) 02:21 The busywork trap (47 saved reels, 13 webinars, zero clients) 07:06 When you stop obsessing over perfection and just START 09:12 How I actually used my network to land my first clients 12:23 The voice note strategy that worked better than any funnel 13:58 Simple beats ego every single time 15:32 How real conversations drive sales (not Instagram) 🔗 Join my free Paid in Full newsletter and access a free members-only community here: https://onikepos-newsletter.beehiiv.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2g2TExNQk40WGJXQVd4dmhSejJJMk11ZTVuQXxBQ3Jtc0ttd0pMZWRJVHdodGNmVjc1RGRFdGM5X1BhN0tMSW5yTmUwdS1NZ0kyQmE3U0NwdzFmS3VGSEdSRm1GTDhpLUJ2VW9LY181TGRzYmpjWmkyZnJtbV9pNWVBM21xUmluSUpKcWlvRXVKdHAxR3Q1WkZjaw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fonikepos-newsletter.beehiiv.com%2F&v=5IQbuCCKy5Q] 🎧 New episodes of Grow With Kepo drop every Monday at 6AM GMT-7. Don’t miss a moment of clarity, confidence and aligned action. ❤️ If this episode spoke to you, please like, comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

The Cage Door Was Never Locked — Why Corporate Professionals Don't Leave

I told my boss I was building a business on the side. He didn't threaten me. He didn't ask me to stop. His response completely blew my mind. If you're exhausted from living a double life (one person at work, a completely different person at home), this episode is going to shift something in you. Because the cage you feel trapped in? You built it in your head. And the door was never locked. This is Part 2 of 3 in The Good Job Lie series. If you missed Part 1, go watch it first. This is like Game of Thrones, y'all. You can't skip episodes. 👉 Part 3 drops next, where I walk you through the exact steps I took to make my first $5,000 on the side WITHOUT quitting my job, WITHOUT a hot online audience, WITHOUT a website or a logo. In this episode: • The exhausting double life you're probably living right now • The wig story: why I wore something that made me "ugly" for a whole YEAR • The moment I told my boss the truth (and his 4-word response) • Why your cage is imaginary (and how to walk out of it) • The 3 things to do when you're finally ready to own what you're building Resources mentioned: 🔗 Paid Live Workshop: "You Are Sitting on Gold" (link in description / show notes)📧 Newsletter: growwithkepo.com/newsletter ▶️ Part 1 of The Good Job Lie: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5hBaaxCjYzxwLvc3f1XOJV?si=285bc2460ac44953 ▶️ Part 3 of The Good Job Lie is coming soon! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — I told my boss I was building a business on the side 01:45 — The double life: one person at work, a different person at home 03:30 — Why hiding is draining you (your limiting beliefs are lying to you) 05:15 — The wig story: I wore something that made me ugly for a year 07:00 — Practicing on Zoom: the week I finally planned to tell my boss 09:00 — "Kepo, that is amazing" — his 4 words that changed everything 11:45 — Why owning what you do commands respect (the entrepreneurship test) 14:00 — 42 years of pretending (why you feel dragged down on paper) 16:30 — The 3 things to do when you're ready to walk out of the cage 19:00 — The cage door was never locked 21:00 — Workshop CTA: You Are Sitting on Gold 22:00 — Part 3 preview: how I made my first $5,000 on the side

Your Company Charges Clients Millions For What You Do. You Get a Fraction

Your company charges clients millions for the exact thing people come to you for at work. And what do you get? A salary that feels okay but leaves you restless at 2am wondering "is this it?" This is Part 1 of 3 in The Good Job Lie series. I pull back the curtain on why your salary has NOTHING to do with your actual worth. I spent years at Deloitte, Bain, and Wood Mackenzie climbing the ladder, negotiating for a six-figure salary like it was the finish line. Then I realized my company was charging MILLIONS for the same work I was doing. And they paid me a fraction. This episode is the fire. Not the fluffy motivational kind. The real kind that makes you stop wondering "when" and finally start building something of your own. 👉 Join the free newsletter "Paid In Full" for practical tools on getting started: https://onikepo.com/paid-in-full-opt-in 👉 Or sign up for the live workshop "You're Sitting On Gold" where we turn your skills into a business concept you can actually launch. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — The One Thing Everyone Comes to You for at Work 01:30 — The Good Job Lie (3-Part Series Intro) 02:45 — My Corporate Background (Deloitte, Bain, Wood Mackenzie) 04:00 — Negotiating My Six-Figure Salary Like It Was "The Goal" 06:00 — My Company Charges Millions. They Pay Me What? 08:15 — Your Salary Is NOT Your Worth (It's What They Say You're Worth) 10:30 — The Busywork Trap: Quizzes, Archetypes, and Logo Obsession 12:30 — You Don't Have a Business Until Someone Pays You 15:00 — Stop Renting Out Your Genius 18:00 — Two Things You Can Do Right Now (Newsletter + Workshop CTA) 20:30 — The Real Goal Was Never the Job

They're Replacing You With AI Unless You Do This First | Grow With Kepo Ep. 32

Episode Summary: Your safe job is cooked. AI is reshaping the professional landscape and the people pretending otherwise are running out of runway. But the flip side is bigger: AI is also the tool that can free you. Gary Henderson, founder of Gary Club, has helped businesses generate over a billion dollars by building systems that liberate people from the grind. In this conversation he shares the exact playbook for reclaiming your time, starting with a pen and paper and ending with a fully automated personal workflow. He also explains why becoming AI fluent is the highest leverage career move you can make this year. Key Takeaways: * The pen and paper exercise: list every task you do, then ask AI what it can take off your plate * How Gary's AI agent handles podcast outreach, scheduling, and follow ups and how to build your own * Using AI to personalize resumes and cover letters for a 20 to 30 percent pay bump * The million dollar meal prep business: how one person turned a simple PDF into an empire * Why AI needs to be a line item on your budget and how to shift from tool user to power user * Building a business with enterprise value that does not collapse when you step away * AI fluency as career insurance: why ignoring AI is the biggest risk in your professional life Connect with Gary Henderson: Join Gary.Club [https://gary.club/]

I Made $250K Year and Was Miserable | Grow With Kepo Ep. 31

Kepo shares her raw, unfiltered journey from VP-level strategy roles at Bain & Company and Deloitte to walking away and building her own coaching business. She unpacks the reality of golden handcuffs: the ego, the coping mechanisms, the quiet misery and the specific mindset shifts and self-investments that made leaving possible.  If you're a high-earning professional who knows you're capable of more but feels stuck, this episode gives you both the permission and the push to start now. Key Takeaways: * What golden handcuffs actually feel like beyond the paycheck * The question Kepo asked herself that changed her internal dialogue overnight * Why comparison steals both your joy AND your confidence * The Ed Mylett principle: "You don't get your goals, you get your standards" * How raising her personal standards led directly to her first $5,000 in coaching revenue * Why the best time to start was five years ago and the next best time is now