Small Business Simplified

Setting Summer Hours as a Solopreneur - Ep. 25

If your summer schedule is “I’ll try to take Fridays off (but probably won’t)”, this episode is going to change that. Karin Velez, founder of the Growth Table Small Business Collective, walks you through how to set real summer hours as a solopreneur or microbusiness owner: the three decisions you need to make to design your container, three schedule models that work, and the three scripts you’ll need to communicate the change to your active clients, your potential clients, and your general audience without apologizing or losing business. You’ll also learn how to hold the line when the first push-back comes (and it will), and what to do when you break your own rule. Pull up a seat at the table and let’s get into it. --------------------------------------------------------------- If you want a place to do this work alongside other solopreneurs, supporting each other in building sustainable businesses that don’t burn us out, come join me in the Growth Table Small Business Collective. It’s a private community off social media with monthly workshops, virtual coffees, mentoring and more. You can find us at GrowthTableSBC.com [https://growthtablesbc.com]. References 1. 4 Day Week Global — Research and Case Studies on Reduced Workweek Trials https://www.4dayweek.com [https://www.4dayweek.com] 2. John Pencavel — Stanford University, Research on Working Hours and Productivity https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/working-paper/productivity-working-hours [https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/working-paper/productivity-working-hours] 3. Microsoft Japan — Work-Life Choice Challenge 2019 Microsoft Japan’s widely reported four-day workweek trial — in which employees worked four days per week with full pay — resulted in a reported 40 percent productivity gain and significant reductions in operating costs. This is one of the most-cited corporate examples of compressed-week scheduling and informs the practical case for the four-day week model. https://news.microsoft.com/en-cee/2019/11/04/microsoft-japan-experimented-with-a-4-day-workweek-and-productivity-jumped-by-40/ [https://news.microsoft.com/en-cee/2019/11/04/microsoft-japan-experimented-with-a-4-day-workweek-and-productivity-jumped-by-40/] 4. Harvard Business Review — Articles on Flexible Scheduling and Knowledge Worker Productivity https://hbr.org/topic/flexible-work [https://hbr.org/topic/flexible-work] 5. Cal Newport — Slow Productivity and Deep Work Newport’s research and writing on focus, slow productivity, and the cost of always-on communication directly informed the framing of summer hours as a focused work strategy rather than a productivity loss. His emphasis on doing fewer things at a higher quality applies precisely to the four-day workweek logic. https://calnewport.com [https://calnewport.com] 6. American Psychological Association (APA) — Burnout, Recovery, and Decision Quality Research https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/work-stress [https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/work-stress] 7. SCORE — Small Business Time Management and Operations Resources https://www.score.org [https://www.score.org] 8. Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) — Business Operations and Scheduling Advising https://americassbdc.org [https://americassbdc.org]

Why You Can't Take a Week Off (and How to Fix That) - Ep. 24

If your business can’t survive a week without you, this episode is going to feel personal. Karin Velez, founder of the Growth Table Small Business Collective, walks you through the Step-Away Stack, a four-layer system that lets solopreneurs and microbusiness owners take real time off without their business falling apart. You’ll learn how to communicate your absence in a way that protects relationships, capture what matters without staying tethered to your inbox, build the five automations that keep your operation moving while you’re gone, and protect your re-entry so the first day back doesn’t undo the entire benefit of being away. This is a build-it-with-you episode - Karin is building her own Step-Away Stack right alongside listeners, because summer is here and rest isn’t optional! Pull up a seat at the table and let’s get into it. -------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want a place to keep building, alongside other solopreneurs and microbusiness owners doing the same work, come join us in The Growth Table Small Business Collective. We host monthly workshops, keep a growing library of practical resources, peer support, and direct access to Karin when you need a nudge or a next step. No noise, no hustle culture, just a table full of people who are genuinely rooting for each other. Head to GrowthTableSBC.com [https://growthtablesbc.com]

Your Mid-Year Business Check-In - Ep. 23

We are at the tail end of Q2 and that means you have five months of real business data behind you and seven months left in the year to work with. This is the perfect moment to stop, look at the scoreboard honestly, and make one smart adjustment before summer arrives. In this episode of Small Business Simplified, Karin Velez guides you through a 30-minute mid-year check-in built around five simple questions: What came in? What went out? What made the most money? What cost the most time? And what’s the one thing to do differently next quarter? She walks you through the four numbers you need to pull, the benchmarks to compare them against, and exactly what to do with what you find, whether you’re ahead of target, behind it, or somewhere in the middle. Pull up a seat at the table and let’s get into it. Quick Notes • The Four Numbers: Total revenue / Total expenses / Annual target / Revenue-to-date percentage • The Five Questions: What came in? / What went out? / What made the most money? / What cost the most time? / What’s the one thing to do differently? • Quick Benchmark: At 4 months in, a consistent business should be near 33% of its annual revenue target. References 1. U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) — Business Planning, Goal Setting, and Mid-Year Reviews https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/strengthen-your-business [https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/strengthen-your-business] 2. SCORE — Business Review Templates and Small Business Planning Resources https://www.score.org/resource/business-planning-financial-statements-template-gallery [https://www.score.org/resource/business-planning-financial-statements-template-gallery] 3. Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) — Financial Review and Business Advising https://americassbdc.org [https://americassbdc.org] 4. Harvard Business Review — Goal Setting, Business Reviews, and Performance Management for Small Business https://hbr.org/2021/10/make-your-goals-smarter [https://hbr.org/2021/10/make-your-goals-smarter] 7. Babson College — Entrepreneurship and Small Business Performance Research https://www.babson.edu/academics/centers-and-institutes/blank-center/ [https://www.babson.edu/academics/centers-and-institutes/blank-center/] ------------------------------------------------------------- If you want more mini systems like this you can implement in your business, plus deep-dive workshops that we spend an entire month nurturing you through, come join us in The Growth Table Small Business Collective. No noise, no hustle culture, just a table full of people who are genuinely rooting for each other. Head to GrowthTableSBC.com [https://GrowthTableSBC.com]

The Yes Trap: When Saying Yes to Work Is Costing You Money - Ep. 22

Have you ever said yes to a client or a project and known almost immediately that it was a mistake? That’s the Yes Trap, the habit of accepting work without honestly evaluating whether it fits your pricing, your capacity, or the direction you’re trying to grow. And it is one of the most common and most costly patterns in early-stage business. In this episode, Karin Velez breaks down exactly what the Yes Trap is, why early-stage business owners are especially vulnerable to it, and what a bad-fit client or project actually costs you in time, margin, energy, and reputation. She walks through a simple three-question filter to run before accepting any new work, and gives you practical, real-world language for saying no gracefully, communicating a not-yet with warmth, and restructuring an offer when the terms don’t work, all without burning a relationship or apologizing for having standards. If you’ve ever taken on work you shouldn’t have, this episode is for you. Pull up a seat at the table and let’s get into it. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Resources: 1. U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) — Pricing, Scope Management, and Small Business Profitability https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/manage-your-finances [https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/manage-your-finances] 2. SCORE — Client Management, Boundaries, and Business Sustainability https://www.score.org/resource/business-planning-financial-statements-template-gallery [https://www.score.org/resource/business-planning-financial-statements-template-gallery] 3. Project Management Institute (PMI) — Scope Creep Research https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/pulse-profession [https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/pulse-profession] 4. Harvard Business Review — The Cost of Bad Clients and Misaligned Work https://hbr.org/topic/entrepreneurship [https://hbr.org/topic/entrepreneurship] 5. Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) — Client Agreements and Scope Definition https://americassbdc.org [https://americassbdc.org] 6. Cornell University ILR School — Negotiation and Professional Boundaries https://www.ilr.cornell.edu [https://www.ilr.cornell.edu] ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want a supportive, no-noise community of business owners who are building real businesses without the hustle-culture pressure, come join us in The Growth Table Small Business Collective. Monthly workshops, a growing resource library, peer support, and direct access to me. Head to GrowthTableSBC.com [GrowthTableSBC.com]

Stop Chasing New Customers: Why Retention Is the Fastest Path to Profitability - Ep. 21

Most early-stage business owners pour almost all of their marketing energy into finding new customers. But the fastest, most affordable path to profitability is often already sitting in your customer list. In this episode, I break down the real math behind customer retention: why keeping an existing customer costs a fraction of what it takes to find a new one, and how a small improvement in retention can dramatically impact your bottom line. I walk you through a simple three-step routine for keeping customers coming back plus a practical, low-pressure framework for asking for referrals that feels natural rather than pushy. Whether you have five customers or fifty, this episode will help you build a foundation of loyalty and word-of-mouth that grows with your business. Pull up a seat at the table and let’s get into it. ------------------------------------------------------------ if you’re looking for a calm, supportive place to keep building, off social media, without the noise, come join us in The Growth Table Small Business Collective. Monthly workshops, a resource library, peer support, and access to me for questions and guidance. Head to GrowthTableSBC.com [https://GrowthTableSBC.com]