#10: Part 1: The Part of My Business I Almost Shut Down… Ended Up Saving It

#11: Part 2: Burnout Doesn't Always Feel Like Burnout

After surviving COVID, being featured in the New York Times, landing corporate clients like Microsoft and Google, and finally signing my first warehouse lease, I thought I had made it. Instead, I found myself crying almost every day, applying for jobs, trying to sell my business, and wondering how the hell I got here. The crazy part? I thought I had a money problem. Looking back, it had almost nothing to do with money. In Part 2 of the pivot series on Pop-Up to Powerhouse, I'm pulling back the curtain on the season of business that looked successful from the outside and was quietly breaking me on the inside, the debt, the tears, the really hard conversation with my new full-time employee, and the moment I realized I was trying to escape a life I had built myself. Inside this episode, you'll hear: * What the "success" season really looked like behind the scenes * The moment I hired a full-time employee and had to have the hardest conversation of my career a month later * How I ended up $100,000 in debt * Why I was applying for jobs, trying to sell my business, and asking friends to buy me out * How I got out of my five-year warehouse lease * The uncomfortable realization that my identity was tangled up with my business * Why "spend money to make money" almost took me under * The shift from trying to grow a business to trying to escape one * How I finally figured out that this wasn't a money problem, it was burnout in disguise If you've ever looked successful on paper but felt like you were falling apart underneath, if you've ever wanted to sell your business, walk away, or start over — this episode is for you. Burnout doesn't always look the way we think it does. Sometimes it looks like a warehouse, a full inbox, and a growing revenue line. But before I could rebuild myself, there was one more uncomfortable truth I had to face and that's exactly what we're getting into in next week's episode. Hit subscribe so you don't miss Part 3. Jamie Taylor on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/] Charge Your Worth Free Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thejamietaylor.com/freeguide⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.thejamietaylor.com/freeguide] Luxury Balloon Academy:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ luxuryballoonacademy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www. luxuryballoonacademy.com] Subscribe, review and follow the podcast on your favourite platforms ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@Pop-uptoPowerhousepod] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/01WET4ul7gtkZZT9pVhQrT] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-up-to-powerhouse-with-jamie-taylor/id1896133918]

#10: Part 1: The Part of My Business I Almost Shut Down… Ended Up Saving It

There was a moment when I had decided to shut down part of my business and ironically, it ended up being the part that saved us. In this episode of Pop-Up to Powerhouse, I'm finally sharing the story I've been quietly sitting on: the pivot. From accidentally building a balloon business out of a party box brand, to nearly closing the party box side of things right before March 2020, to a single inquiry from a woman named Peggy that changed everything. This is the behind-the-scenes look at how Confetë went from almost shutting down to getting picked up by The New York Times, working with brands like AARP, Microsoft, and Deloitte, and signing my first warehouse lease. But this story isn't the highlight reel. It's the honest one. Inside this episode, you'll hear: * The exact moment I decided to shut down the party box side of my business * How one cancelled weekend in March 2020 changed everything * The "virtual party box" pivot that nobody else was doing * The single client inquiry that became a business model * How a college graduation order landed us in The New York Times * What it really felt like to "make it" during a pandemic * The lie I told myself about when a business becomes "real" * The five-year warehouse lease I signed right before the faucet turned off If you're a small business owner who's ever felt like you're just trying to stay alive, who's pivoted out of survival instead of strategy, or who's wondered whether the thing you were about to quit might actually be the thing, this episode is for you. And next week, we go deeper into the part of the story I've never told. Hit subscribe so you don't miss Part 2. Jamie Taylor on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/] Charge Your Worth Free Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thejamietaylor.com/freeguide⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.thejamietaylor.com/freeguide] Luxury Balloon Academy:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ luxuryballoonacademy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www. luxuryballoonacademy.com] Subscribe, review and follow the podcast on your favourite platforms ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@Pop-uptoPowerhousepod] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/01WET4ul7gtkZZT9pVhQrT] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-up-to-powerhouse-with-jamie-taylor/id1896133918]

#9: The Biggest Networking Mistake Founders Are Still Making with Alisha Kumar

If you've ever walked out of a networking event wondering why it didn't lead to anything… this episode is going to reframe how you show up to every room you walk into. In this episode of Pop-Up to Powerhouse, Jamie sits down with the founder behind Good Time Media and The Founders' Table, Alisha Kumar to unpack what it really takes to build community, grow a business with grit, and stop chasing approval disguised as ambition. From the truth about "proximity" being the word of 2026, to the networking mistake almost every founder is still making, to the brutally honest reality of founder loneliness, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what actually moves the needle for women building real businesses. Inside this episode, you'll learn: * Why proximity alone is never enough (and what to do instead) * The #1 networking mistake costing you clients and referrals * How to spot the difference between strategy and insecurity when saying yes * Why the "if you're lonely, you're doing it wrong" advice misses the point * The mindset shift that separates founders who scale from founders who stall * What the Jessi Jean $1.2M viral launch actually teaches us about overnight success * Why delegating too soon (before you understand the work) backfires * The Mel Robbins quote that will change how you talk to yourself * How to stop "cutting your own flowers" to show everyone online * The real reason small, curated rooms are outperforming big networking events Whether you're early in your entrepreneurship journey or scaling into your next phase, this episode is a reminder that the real growth happens in the rooms where you're seen, heard, and challenged — and that you have permission to want more without burning out chasing it. Connect with Alisha - Good Time Media Website [https://wearegoodtimemedia.com] - The Founders Table Website [https://atthefounderstable.com] - Alisha’s Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alishakumar/] Jamie Taylor on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/] Charge Your Worth Free Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thejamietaylor.com/freeguide⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.thejamietaylor.com/freeguide] Luxury Balloon Academy:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ luxuryballoonacademy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www. luxuryballoonacademy.com] Subscribe, review and follow the podcast on your favourite platforms ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@Pop-uptoPowerhousepod] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/01WET4ul7gtkZZT9pVhQrT] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-up-to-powerhouse-with-jamie-taylor/id1896133918]

#8: The Hidden Cost of Being “Too Much”

If you've ever worried that you're too much, too direct, too emotional, too ambitious, or simply too different, this episode is for you. In this episode of Pop-Up to Powerhouse, we explore the hidden exhaustion that comes from constantly editing yourself to make other people comfortable. From childhood labels like "bossy" and "too intense" to the pressure women face to be successful without being threatening, this conversation uncovers how self-censorship slowly disconnects us from who we really are. Drawing from my own experiences with grief, entrepreneurship, and launching this podcast, I share why authenticity isn't about becoming louder, it's about becoming less edited. Because maybe the problem isn't that you're too much. Maybe you've just spent too much time trying to be less. Inside this episode, you'll learn: * Why so many women learn to shrink themselves from a young age * How self-editing creates disconnection from your authentic voice * The surprising relationship between authenticity and rejection * Why universal approval and authenticity rarely coexist * How people-pleasing can quietly shape your identity * The difference between being authentic and oversharing * Why the most magnetic people stop asking permission to be themselves * Questions to help identify where you're performing instead of showing up authentically * How entrepreneurship forces you to discover who you really are * Why being disliked isn't always a bad thing If you've been feeling disconnected from yourself, afraid to speak your mind, or exhausted from trying to be everything to everyone, this episode will challenge you to stop shrinking and start showing up as the person you already are. Because the people who are meant for you can't find you if you're hiding. Jamie Taylor on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/] Charge Your Worth Free Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thejamietaylor.com/freeguide⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.thejamietaylor.com/freeguide] Luxury Balloon Academy:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ luxuryballoonacademy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www. luxuryballoonacademy.com] Subscribe, review and follow the podcast on your favourite platforms ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@Pop-uptoPowerhousepod] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/01WET4ul7gtkZZT9pVhQrT] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-up-to-powerhouse-with-jamie-taylor/id1896133918]

#7: When a Trademark Threatened My Business with Lynnae Pompeo

What would you do if someone told you that after five years of building your business, you could no longer use your company name? In this episode of Pop-Up to Powerhouse, Jamie sits down with Lynnae Pompeo, founder of Reverie Photobooth Co., to discuss the trademark dispute that forced her to rebrand an established business from the ground up. From losing her Instagram account and navigating legal challenges to rebuilding her brand and finding new clarity in her vision, Lynnae shares the mindset shifts that helped her turn a devastating setback into an opportunity for growth. But this conversation goes far beyond trademarks and rebrands. Together, Jamie and Lynnae dive into building a scalable business, leading a team, creating a luxury brand, overcoming entrepreneurial challenges, and why every setback can become a catalyst for your next level of success. Inside this episode, you'll learn: • How Lynnae transitioned from family therapy into entrepreneurship • Why she pivoted from event styling and balloons into the photo booth industry • The realities of building a luxury-focused brand • What happened when a trademark dispute forced a complete rebrand • The hidden costs of changing your business name after five years • Why community matters more than followers during difficult seasons • The mindset that helped Lynnae view this challenge as an opportunity rather than a failure • How to decide whether trademarking your business name is worth it • The lessons every entrepreneur can learn from unexpected setbacks • Why business is one of the greatest personal growth tools you'll ever experience • What Lynnae's next chapter looks like as she builds Reverie Photobooth Co. If you've ever faced a setback in business, questioned your next move, or wondered whether you have what it takes to start again, this episode will remind you that your greatest challenges often become the foundation for your biggest breakthroughs. Connect with Lynnae Pompeo and follow the journey of Reverie Photobooth Co. as she builds the next chapter of her business from the ground up. Connect with Lynnae: Website [https://reveriephotoboothco.com/] - Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/reveriephotobooth.co/] Jamie Taylor on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jamietaylorcreates/] Charge Your Worth Free Guide: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thejamietaylor.com/freeguide⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.thejamietaylor.com/freeguide] Luxury Balloon Academy:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ luxuryballoonacademy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www. luxuryballoonacademy.com] Subscribe, review and follow the podcast on your favourite platforms ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@Pop-uptoPowerhousepod] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/01WET4ul7gtkZZT9pVhQrT] - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-up-to-powerhouse-with-jamie-taylor/id1896133918]