Profit by Design

392: Why Most Small Businesses Plateau — And How to Start Growing Again

When you go into business, you work really hard to get things going, but as you achieve success, the business takes over your life, right? You want to keep growing your business, but you can’t work more. You’re already exhausted and stretched too thin. If you’re tired of being the fixer, the one with the fallback plan, and the one who holds it all together, you are not alone! If you’re like most business owners we work with, you have revenue coming in, but you are still not profitable. You struggle to make payroll and attract profitable clients that you enjoy working with. This is why we created the Tap the Potential solution: a step-by-step, simple framework to increase your profitability while working fewer hours so that you can take your life back from your business. On average, our clients experience a 716% increase in time off, a 215% increase in profit, and a 55% increase in owners’ pay—all within 12 months. In this episode, Melissa Kay and Dr. Sabrina Starling reveal why most small businesses hit a growth plateau, the hidden reason revenue increases don’t lead to profit, why entrepreneurs stay stuck in survival mode, how working less can actually increase profitability, and the simple framework successful business owners use to reclaim their time. If you’re ready to take your life back from your business, this episode will show you the path forward. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: 1. Reasons for a growth plateau in small businesses: trying to do it alone, hiring the wrong people, and mishandling the revenue needed to grow 2. Understanding the hidden costs in payroll for the wrong people 3. Design your business to be sustainably profitable. 4. The business owner’s blind spots contribute to growth plateaus. 5. Revenue doesn’t equal profitability. Apply the 80/20 rule. 6. Identify your PITA (“Pain in the assets”) clients. 7. Our Better Business Better Life https://www.tapthepotential.com/jumpstartJumpstart [https://www.tapthepotential.com/jumpstart] reveals the best profitability secrets! 8. We are not like typical business coaches! The Tap the Potential solution teaches you how to work fewer hours with a focused intention that frees up your time. 9. From Dr. Sabrina, the one action business owners can take today: “Do less. Ask, what’s the one thing I can do today that will have the greatest impact to make other things easier or unnecessary while driving the profitability of my business?” 10. Sign up for the Better Business Better Life https://www.tapthepotential.com/jumpstartJumpstart [https://www.tapthepotential.com/jumpstart] today! Resources: Join our https://www.tapthepotential.com/jumpstartJumpstart [https://www.tapthepotential.com/jumpstart] beginning April 7th! Learn how to: 1. Free up 10 hours per week. 2. Pay yourself an additional $50K this year. 3. Take an extra week of vacation. Enroll now for https://www.tapthepotential.com/leadership-bootcampLeadership Bootcamp [https://www.tapthepotential.com/leadership-bootcamp]! The next session begins in April. Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life. https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessmentClick here! [https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessment] Ready to take your life back from your business? Want more time for what matters most and more money in your bank account than ever? https://tapthepotential.com/Book a call [https://tapthepotential.com/] with us today! Mentioned in this episode: Registration Is Open for Leadership Bootcamp! Turn your A-players into your strategic thinking partners who are taking one thing after another off your plate. You don't have to do this alone. Register here: https://tapthepotential.com/leadership

391: Emotional Burnout in Entrepreneurs: How to Build a Successful Business Without Losing Yourself with Robin Berning

Do you ever feel like anxiety is running your life and business? From the outside, your business may look successful, yet internally, you feel exhausted, stretched thin, and disconnected from yourself. Entrepreneurship doesn’t just demand strategy; it demands your energy, heart, capacity, and sometimes, your identity. In this deeply personal episode, Melissa Kay shares what the past year has taught her about recovering from emotional burnout and why self-care for entrepreneurs isn’t selfish, it’s strategic. Melissa is joined by her personal life coach, Robin Berning, who has helped her set boundaries with clarity and peace while staying aligned as a leader. You’ll learn the hidden cost of emotional burnout in entrepreneurship; how anxiety impacts leadership, decision-making, and profitability; why boundaries are a leadership skill, not a weakness; and how emotional health strengthens business growth and sustainability. If you’ve ever over-given to your team or clients, said yes when you meant no, carried everyone else’s emotional weight, or kept pushing when you felt exhausted, this conversation is for you! Robin Berning has over 30 years of experience in the wellness industry, serving as a life coach, speaker, and spiritual mentor recognized for creating spaces of deep clarity and safety. People always feel calm, heard, and understood in her presence. From her lived experience, passion, and grounded spiritual wisdom, she helps audiences reconnect to their authenticity, sovereignty, and inner power. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: 1. Melissa’s experience of facing emotional burnout and beginning her journey with Robin Berning about one year ago 2. Transformation is real and possible when you stop carrying others' emotional weight. 3. Living in authenticity vs. living in learned behaviors (survival skills) 4. Melissa’s perspective on experiencing peace and calm in every area of life 5. Most entrepreneurs today are living in a perpetual state of emotional burnout. 6. Delegation mode vs. codependency; empowering vs. enabling 7. Overcoming overthinking (Don’t live in “the tornado”!) 8. Tips to implement today: 9. Reframe self-care with intention. 10. Learn to “habit-stack.” (From https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299Atomic Habits [https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299] by James Clear) 11. Use boundaries to create more time, space, and reconnection with yourself. 12. Be fully present with yourself. 13. Need help in assessing your level of emotional burnout? Take the Tap the Potential [https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessment] Assessment [https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessment]today! Resources: Connect with Robin Berning: https://www.livingyourbliss.netWebsite for events, workshops, and coaching; [https://www.livingyourbliss.net] https://www.robinberning.netWebsite for speaking engagements [https://www.robinberning.net]; and Email. Enroll now for https://www.tapthepotential.com/leadership-bootcampLeadership Bootcamp [https://www.tapthepotential.com/leadership-bootcamp]! The next session begins in April. Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life. https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessmentClick here! [https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessment] Ready to take your life back from your business? Want more time for what matters most and more money in your bank account than ever? https://tapthepotential.com/Book a call [https://tapthepotential.com/] with us today! Mentioned in this episode: Registration Is Open for Leadership Bootcamp! Turn your A-players into your strategic thinking partners who are taking one thing after another off your plate. You don't have to do this alone. Register here: https://tapthepotential.com/leadership

390: Stop Being the Bottleneck: How to Build a Self-Managing Business Model

Does your business slow down the moment you step away? If every decision, approval, or problem still funnels through you, you’re not alone, but YOU are the bottleneck. In this episode, Melissa Kay and Dr. Sabrina Starling break down how you can stop being the bottleneck and start building a self-managing business model that doesn’t depend on you for every decision. You’ll learn why capable teams still wait for the owner’s approval, the hidden ways business owners unintentionally create bottlenecks, what a self-managing business actually looks like, and practical leadership shifts that empower your team to take ownership. If you’re tired of being the single point of failure in your business and want growth without burnout, this episode will show you where to start. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: 1. Relief, flexibility, and freedom: Don’t you want more of these? 2. A-players want autonomy to take initiative; we need to empower them to do so. 3. The shift in asking your team, “What ideas do YOU have about this?” 4. Be careful not to shut out your A-players’ ideas; encourage them to bring those forward. 5. Melissa’s tips to empower your team: share your vision, give clear parameters for decision-making, look for measurable results (KPIs), and provide opportunities for autonomy 6. Tracking clear results through KPIs gives pride and ownership to A-players. (This is THE biggest A-player perk we can build into our businesses!) 7. Highlights of our clients’ recent wins 8. Relationships and work connections will help skyrocket A-player retention on your team. 9. Do you need to stop being the bottleneck in your business? Join the Better Business Better Life program by booking a call [https://tapthepotential.com/] with us today. Spaces are now available! (Melissa offers to write a custom-crafted vision statement and your immutable laws, a $7500 value!) Resources: Enroll now for https://www.tapthepotential.com/leadership-bootcampLeadership Bootcamp [https://www.tapthepotential.com/leadership-bootcamp]! The next session begins in April. Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life. https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessmentClick here! [https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessment] Ready to take your life back from your business? Want more time for what matters most and more money in your bank account than ever? https://tapthepotential.com/Book a call [https://tapthepotential.com/] with us today! Mentioned in this episode: Registration Is Open for Leadership Bootcamp! Turn your A-players into your strategic thinking partners who are taking one thing after another off your plate. You don't have to do this alone. Register here: https://tapthepotential.com/leadership

389: How to Stay Grounded as a Business Owner (No Matter What’s Going On)

Do you ever feel like your mind is running faster than your business can keep up? When everything feels urgent, noisy, and heavy, staying grounded can feel impossible. In this episode, Dr. Sabrina Starling and Melissa Kay share their #1 grounding ritual: the simple, repeatable practice they return to–no matter what’s going on in business or life. This kind of grounding is all about creating a moment of steadiness that helps you lead with clarity rather than reacting from stress. You’ll learn why grounded leaders make better decisions under pressure, how one small daily ritual can calm your nervous system and sharpen your focus, how to stay centered when your business feels chaotic, and why consistency matters more than complexity when it comes to mindset. If you’re tired of being pulled in a hundred directions and want a leadership rhythm that actually supports you, this episode is for you! Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: 1. Unique challenges for business owners that bring pressure 2. The #1 muscle entrepreneurs need to build is the ability to ground ourselves. 3. Melissa’s #1 tip for time management: Create a time block every day in your schedule to connect with yourself. 4. We aren’t good at slowing down and allowing space for nothing-ness. 5. The benefits of journaling to make time for yourself 6. Breathwork is valuable in grounding and calming yourself. (Use cues and smells to train your body to do deep breathing and slow down.) 7. Self-talk is critical! We need to celebrate our wins! 8. Ground yourself with essential oils, powerful affirmations, artwork, plants, low light in the evening, intentionally planned healthy dinners, and focused efforts to promote good sleep. 9. Give yourself permission to put your phone down. 10. A good night’s sleep is the doorway to much calmer, grounded, fully present mornings. 11. Taking care of yourself models to your team members that it’s okay for them to take care of themselves. 12. Your clear, compelling vision for your business should help keep you grounded as you make all the decisions that follow. (“Does this decision take me toward or away from my vision?”) 13. Take ONE of our tips and implement it today to better ground yourself and experience more calm. Resources: Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business so that it supports your life. https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessmentClick here! [https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessment] Ready to take your life back from your business? Want more time for what matters most and more money in your bank account than ever? https://tapthepotential.com/Book a call [https://tapthepotential.com/] with us today! Mentioned in this episode: Registration Is Open for Leadership Bootcamp! Turn your A-players into your strategic thinking partners who are taking one thing after another off your plate. You don't have to do this alone. Register here: https://tapthepotential.com/leadership

388: The Hardest Boundary I Ever Set in My Business

Do you ever say yes in your business when every part of you wants to say no? Boundaries are easy to discuss, but incredibly difficult to live out, especially when payroll, clients, and team expectations are on the line. In this episode, we get real about the hardest boundaries we’ve ever set in our businesses and why setting them changed everything. Dr. Sabrina Starling and Melissa Kay share personal stories of boundaries they resisted, feared, and finally enforced, ranging from client expectations to time, availability, and scope of work. You’ll learn why business owners struggle so much with boundaries; the hidden cost of not setting them; the ripple effect boundaries create for your team, clients, and leadership; and the surprising benefits that come after you hold the line. If you’re feeling stretched thin, resentful, or as if your business is running your life, this episode will give you permission and practical insights to reclaim your time and energy. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: 1. The hardest thing about setting boundaries 2. Highlights of Dr. Sabrina’s most effective boundaries over the years 3. Melissa’s perspective on setting boundaries 4. Boundaries increase clarity, focus, and production for you AND your team. 5. The difficulties that come with setting boundaries at home and with family members 6. The challenges with setting hard boundaries with clients around payment plans 7. Understanding the far-reaching ramifications of today’s decisions 8. Setting boundaries (and giving grace) around accomplishing your lofty goals 9. Immutable laws are key in establishing boundaries in your business. 10. Need help establishing your immutable laws? We can help! Take the Better Business Better Life Assessment [https://www.tapthepotential.com/assessment]today! (It only takes a few minutes.) Resources: Ready to take your life back from your business? Want more time for what matters most and more money in your bank account than ever? https://tapthepotential.com/Book a call [https://tapthepotential.com/] with us today! Master your time and profit! Give us 20 minutes of your time, take the Better Business Better Life https://tapthepotential.com/assessmentAssessment [https://tapthepotential.com/assessment], and receive a free paperback copy of my book, The 4 Week Vacation [https://www.tapthepotential.com/pledge]®️. Mentioned in this episode: Registration Is Open for Leadership Bootcamp! Turn your A-players into your strategic thinking partners who are taking one thing after another off your plate. You don't have to do this alone. Register here: https://tapthepotential.com/leadership