She Built Success

101: Season 4 Finale + Bloopers | 100 Episodes of She Built Success

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 04:00:00 -0000

We made it to 100 episodes. And Season 4 went places I didn't plan for. This is the Season 4 Finale: clips from the top performing episodes of the season, behind-the-scenes bloopers from the studio, and a moment to just stop and celebrate what we built together. Thank you for being here. Bold Move Besties, this one is for you. New episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, Fridays on all audio platforms.

100: 100 Episodes of She Built Success. Here's What I Know Now.

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Y'all, we did it. 100 episodes of She Built Success. This one is a milestone and a moment to just stop and reflect. I'm talking about what this podcast was always meant to be, what I've learned across four seasons, and what it's meant to share more of myself along the way than I ever planned to. If you've been here since season one, thank you for rocking with me. If you're just now finding me in your own middle, hey. Let's go. New episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, Fridays on all audio platforms.

99: The Books That Built Me: 5 Reads That Shifted Everything

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 04:00:00 -0000

There's a difference between reading a book and a book reading you.

This episode is personal. Every book I talk about found me at exactly the right moment and shifted the way I think about business, about faith, about who I am and what's been holding me back from the next level.

If you're in a season of transition and you're looking for what to read next, start here.

New episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, Fridays on all audio platforms.

98: Is Your Definition of Success Making You Miserable?

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 04:00:00 -0000

I ask every guest on She Built Success the same question: what is your definition of success? This episode I'm answering it myself, decade by decade. 20s. 30s. 40s. The money, the loss, the pivot, the pause, and what I'm actually building toward now. This one is personal and it covers a lot of ground. If your definition of success looks different than it did five or ten years ago, you're in the right place. New episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, Fridays on all audio platforms.

97: The Systems Behind the Business You Actually Want to Run

Fri, 29 May 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Frameworks sound boring until you realize you can't run a business without them. This episode is a real look at how I think. The systems, frameworks, and processes I've built over the years, how I use them in my own business right now, and why I think every entrepreneur needs to take a honest look at where their gaps are. If you've ever felt like something in your business is off but you can't quite name it, this one is worth your time. New episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, Fridays on all audio platforms. Follow: @shebuiltsuccess | @boldlyclaudia

96: 20+ Unscripted Interviews in One Day. Here's What Happened.

Fri, 22 May 2026 04:00:00 -0000

I said yes to something I had never done before. And then I showed up with cameras, plants, gift bags and absolutely no script. This episode is my full behind-the-scenes breakdown of the Women Rock Wings Sky Queen Luncheon at BWI Airport — what I packed, what went sideways, what I'd do differently and why I'd do every bit of it again. If you've ever said yes before you felt completely ready, this one is for you. New episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, Fridays on all audio platforms.

95: The Build Continues: What I Learned About Studio Production This Season

Fri, 15 May 2026 04:00:00 -0000

The idea was simple: show up, sit down, hit record. No friction. And honestly? The studio part delivered. The makeup part did not. In this episode I'm breaking down what I've been using, what I bought and barely touched, what surprised me, and what I'd do differently. If you're thinking about building a content space, even just a corner in a room, this one is for you. We're in the second half of Season 4 and this is my mid-season update on what it's actually been like to record from my in-home content studio. The goal when I built it was to remove as much friction as possible between me and pressing record. And for the most part it worked except I didn't account for what it takes to do a full face of makeup under studio lights and HD cameras. Started at an hour. I'm down to 40 minutes. The lashes still don't cooperate. I also walk through the equipment I use every time, the gear I bought thinking I'd use it constantly and barely touch, and a couple of purchases I didn't plan that ended up being the most useful things I own for mobile shoots. New episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, Fridays on all audio platforms.

94: None of This Was on My Bingo Card.

Fri, 08 May 2026 04:00:00 -0000

At the top of 2026 I had a plan. Good Morning Washington was not on it. Twenty-three pink couch interviews at an aviation luncheon were definitely not on it. And yet — here we are. This is my Q1 hot take: a personal, unscripted reflection on two things that happened this quarter that I didn't plan, what they meant for me, and what it's making me think about as I head into Q2. No real notes for this one. Just me being real with you about what showing up for unexpected opportunities actually looks like — including bringing Black Girls Fly back to the forefront after pausing it for a while, and what it feels like when God starts moving faster than your plan. Tune in to She Built Success out on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts

93: You Don't Have to Be Loud to Be Known

Fri, 01 May 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Performance is not equal to authority — and once I really sat with that difference, it changed how I show up entirely. Especially in the middle of a business transition. This episode is about a question I hear experienced entrepreneurs asking privately but almost never out loud: how do I move in my authority while I'm still in transition — without performing? Without the trendy content, the constant proving, the algorithm chasing? I talk through what made me realize I was confusing the two, why I pulled a full government contracting course rather than promote it louder when the market shifted, and the three things that define what authority looks like for me in practice right now. If you're in a season of transition or repositioning and you're done with showy — this one is for you. Tune in to She Built Success out on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts

92: Building After 40 Looks Different. Nobody's Talking About It.

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Building after 40, business evolution, and what it actually looks like when ambition shifts — for entrepreneurs and consultants who don't want to start over, just build differently.

You've already proven yourself. The clients are there. The revenue is holding. And something still feels off.

Not wrong. Not broken. Just not quite fitting the season you're actually in.

In this solo episode, Claudia gets honest about where she is right now — over 14 years into her consultancy, two careers deep, and in a phase of building that doesn't have a clean name yet. It's not a pivot. It's not starting over. It's evolving from experience, and figuring out what meaningful impact looks like when you're done chasing the next credential or title.

This one is for the person who's been building long enough to know what they don't want anymore — and is still working out what they do.

Tune in to She Built Success out on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

91: Inside the Sky Queen Luncheon 2026 | Women Share Their Unscripted Journeys

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:00:00 -0000

Women in aviation share what they’re building, navigating and learning in real time. Recorded live at the Sky Queen Luncheon, these pink couch conversations highlight the real stories behind leadership, entrepreneurship and legacy.

In collaboration with Women Rock Wings, this episode captures 23 women reflecting on career transitions, growth seasons, visibility, confidence and what it takes to keep building when the path is still unfolding.

These conversations offer insight into what it looks like to lead with clarity, evolve through change and define success on your own terms. Whether you're building in aviation, leadership, business or your next chapter, you’ll hear perspective that reminds you you’re not the only one navigating the tension of what's next.

Featuring voices from the Women Rock Wings community, the Sky Queen Luncheon brings together women committed to expanding representation and access in aviation and beyond. Tune in to She Built Success out on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

90: She Left a $370K GovCon Investment Behind and Finally Found Alignment

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:00:00 -0000

GovCon pivot, entrepreneurship transitions, and building a business in alignment with Tasha Jones, government contracting expert, founder of Twenty39, and former intelligence analyst turned executive. Tasha Jones has spent over two decades inside the government contracting ecosystem, from active duty Navy intelligence analyst to GS-15 at the FBI, to beltway circuit executive, to independent consultant. This episode is the unfiltered version of that journey. She and Claudia get into what it felt like to watch an 18-month pipeline built on seven teaming agreements and $370,000 of investment simply evaporate. They talk about grief as a real response to business loss, why pivoting always costs more than people admit, and how Tasha finally found alignment, not by staying the course, but by reading the room early enough to build something new. Tasha is now building a consultant collective model that lets independent experts scale revenue, share infrastructure, and serve both public and private sector clients without losing ownership of their work or their clients. This conversation is for entrepreneurs who are tired of hearing "you just need to diversify" from people who don't understand what diversification actually costs. Tune in to She Built Success out on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts

89: Your Planning System Should Fit Your Season. Mine Didn't.

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:18:00 -0000

When Planning by the Numbers Stops Working (ft. Claudia) S4|E89 Planning system 2026, linear calendar, and why Claudia walked away from years of 12 Week Year planning — because the system stopped fitting the season she's actually in. This is Part 2 of my planning series for 2026, and this one gets into the why behind the shift. I'm a type A person. Color coding, metrics, percent complete, team dashboards in Airtable — that was my normal. And it worked, until it started creating stress that had nothing to do with whether things were actually moving. I was watching numbers instead of making progress, and I finally had to admit I had over-engineered my own planning. So I stopped. Stepped back. And built something different. In this episode I walk through what that actually looked like: letting go of the 12 Week Year for the first time in nearly a decade, building a linear planning suite in Google Sheets, and what it means to have a system that can see your whole year — capacity, life, business, downtime — in one view. If you've ever kept a planning system running out of habit instead of because it was working, this episode is for you. New episodes every Wednesday on YouTube, Fridays on all audio platforms. #PlanningSystem #LinearCalendar #ProductivityTools #SheBuildSuccess #EntrepreneurPlanning #12WeekYear #GoogleSheets #BuildingInPublic

88: I Quit the 12 Week Year. Here's What I'm Using Instead.

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 04:00:00 -0000

I've been using the 12 Week Year since about 2016. It worked — until it didn't. This year I needed something less rigid, more fluid, and built for the actual season I'm in: a daughter heading to college, a business in real-time transition, and a desire to plan without feeling like I'm being graded on my own life. In this solo episode, I'm walking you through exactly what my planning ecosystem looks like right now — the tools, the workflow, the reasoning, and the honest truth What's in the stack: — Linear calendar (all 12 months, one view, built in Sheets) — Day One as the connective tissue across devices — Boox Note Air4 C for journaling (and why I moved away from the SuperNote for this use case) — Pocket recorder for AI-assisted notes, mind maps, and episode ideas — Airtable brain dump > weekly rack and stack No guest this week — just me, the road, and what's actually working right now. Mentioned In This Episode: 🛠️ Airtable

🛠️ Day One

🛠️ Supernotes

🛠️ Notion

🛠️ Pocket 🛠️BOOX

🛠️ Google Sheets Tune in to She Built Success out on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts

87: 4 Things Destroying Your Business Right Now

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:00:00 -0000

When things start to feel chaotic in your business, it’s easy to assume you need to work harder or move faster. But often, the real issue is broken systems.

In this episode of She Built Success, I walk through four signs your business systems may be breaking down. From lack of team cohesion to scrambling for documents, repeated client questions, and weak follow-up processes, these breakdowns quietly cost time, money, and energy.

Drawing from decades of experience across corporate, government, and small business environments, I explain how these issues show up, why they matter, and what they signal about how your business is being managed.

This episode isn’t about doing more. It’s about recognizing where structure, clarity, and workflow are missing so you can build with longevity instead of constant friction. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

86: What Actually Keeps Me Organized in Business

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 04:00:00 -0000

If you’ve been feeling disorganized, inconsistent with content, or unsure where your time is going, it might not be a discipline problem. It might be a systems problem.

In this episode of She Built Success, I walk through the three tools that anchor my business operations day to day and how they work together to support consistency without overwhelm. I share how my tech stack has evolved with me, why it doesn’t need to be perfect to be effective, and how simple systems can change how you show up for your business and your team.

This conversation isn’t about tools for tools’ sake. It’s about removing friction, creating visibility, and building workflows that respect your time.

If you’re tired of feeling scattered or managing everything manually, this episode will help you reframe where to start.

Subscribe if you want to keep building alongside these conversations.

85: What It Really Takes to Build What You Believe In

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:24:00 -0000

Building a dream comes with a cost most people never talk about. In this episode of She Built Success, Nadine Vatel shares the real story behind building Sensory Sentiments, the fight no one sees, and why peace became her definition of success.

What does it really cost to build the dream you believe in?

In this Season 4 conversation of She Built Success, Claudia sits down with Nadine Vatel, founder of Sensory Sentiments, a luxury spa built from vision, faith, and resilience in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Nadine shares the unglamorous realities of entrepreneurship. From investing personal savings, navigating setbacks, facing unexpected opposition, and questioning everything when the pressure peaked. This episode isn’t about the highlight reel. It’s about what happens when the fight shows up and you decide whether to keep going.

They talk about partnership in marriage and business, community support, protecting your peace, and redefining success beyond revenue.

If you’re building something meaningful and finding out it costs more than you expected, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Episode Chapters

00:00 – When the dream begins with a need for quiet
03:00 – From vision to action and choosing to build
07:00 – Building with a partner and shared responsibility
11:00 – Early entrepreneurship lessons and returning to corporate
15:00 – The breaking point and feeling like you failed
19:00 – Community support and unexpected protection
25:00 – Opposition, competition, and unseen battles
29:00 – Creating an experience rooted in peace
36:00 – Redefining success and protecting what matters
40:00 – The fight, the faith, and what comes next

84: What No One Tells You About Choosing Entrepreneurship

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Entrepreneurship is a choice, not an accident. In this episode of She Built Success, I reflect on why I chose entrepreneurship, how that decision has evolved, and what it means to keep choosing it. Entrepreneurship didn’t happen to me by accident. It was a decision. And it’s a decision I’ve had to keep making as my business and life evolved. In this episode of She Built Success, I share why I chose entrepreneurship, how my definition of it has changed over time, and what I’ve learned from building in different seasons. From corporate work to consulting, from solo execution to building a team, this is a reflection on agency, responsibility, and letting the business evolve alongside you.

This conversation isn’t about glamorizing entrepreneurship. It’s about telling the truth about what it requires, how it changes you, and why choosing it looks different at different stages of the build. If you’re questioning your path, rethinking what success looks like, or realizing that entrepreneurship keeps asking you to choose again, this episode will meet you where you are. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

83: Consistency Wasn’t the Problem. This Was.

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Building a content studio wasn’t only about aesthetics. It was about consistency, reducing friction and showing up without resistance. In this episode of She Built Success, I share why I built my studio and what changed.

In this solo episode, I talk through the real reasons I built the She Built Success content studio, how mess and setup friction killed momentum, and why having a ready space made it easier to press record and stay consistent.

I share how I designed the studio for flexibility, multiple looks and ease of use, why it doesn’t have to be expensive or perfect, and how consistency comes from removing barriers, not adding pressure. If you struggle to show up consistently on video or social media, this episode will shift how you think about your setup. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

82: I Didn’t Change the Goal. I Changed the Timeline.

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Timelines in business are not always fixed. In this episode of She Built Success, I talk about fluid timelines, pausing plans, government contracting shifts, and what it looks like to build community instead of forcing offers.

In this solo episode, I share how my timelines for 2025 have changed, why I stepped back from rigid planning, and how learning to ebb and flow has required me to release structure I normally rely on.

I talk about being type A, loving the 12 Week Year, and what it means to operate with loose guardrails instead of hard deadlines. This episode is about flexibility, patience, community-building, and staying present when certainty isn’t available yet.

If you’re struggling with timelines that no longer make sense or feeling uneasy because your plan needs to shift, this conversation will meet you where you are. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

81: The Person Behind the Advocacy | Why Presence Matters

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Small business advocacy is more than access or programs. In this episode, Reggie Mitchell shares what real support, empathy, and relationship building look like behind the scenes and why showing up matters. Press play to join a grounded conversation about empathy, access, and what it really means to support entrepreneurs beyond transactions. Reggie shares his journey from government contracting to advocacy, how listening became a leadership skill, and why responding, showing up, and trying matters more than perfection. This conversation is about service, responsibility, and redefining success without ego. If you have ever felt invisible in systems that were supposed to support you, this episode will feel validating. 🎧 New episodes drop Wednesdays on YouTube and Fridays on audio platforms. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

80: How to Build a Community You Love | Why Community Is More Than a Group

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Building community isn’t about platforms or groups. It’s about connection, encouragement and finding your people. In this episode of She Built Success, I share how I’m building community in real time.

This is a grounded conversation about what community really means, why it starts in comments and DMs, and how building collaboratively matters more than building loudly.

I talk through real examples of online engagement, why I’m not pushing offers right now and how this season is focused on serving, listening and building alongside you.

If you’re craving genuine connection, rethinking how you engage online or building something that needs community to thrive, this episode will resonate. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

79: When the Plan Falls Apart and the Build Shifts

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0000

2025 did not go as planned. In this episode of She Built Success, I reflect on business pivots, burnout, government contracting changes and what happens when the strategy you built no longer fits the landscape.

I talk openly about how I planned 2025, why government contracting and coaching offers had to pause, how constant change led to burnout and why I chose to slow down instead of forcing outdated strategies.

This is a real-time conversation about business uncertainty, alignment, community-building and giving yourself permission to rethink what comes next.

If your year didn’t turn out the way you expected and you’re sitting in the tension of what’s next, this episode will feel familiar. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

78: 3 Signs It’s Time to Pivot in Business

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0000

Knowing when to pivot in business isn’t always about strategy. Sometimes it shows up as burnout, misalignment and tension with work that once felt easy. In this episode of She Built Success, I share the signs I noticed when it became clear it was time to pivot.

This is a real-time conversation about business burnout, alignment, timing and navigating the space between staying and shifting. I talk through the internal signals that showed up for me, why being tired can be data and how acknowledging tension can lead to clarity without rushing the next move.

If you’re questioning your pace, feeling irritated by work that once energized you or sensing that something needs to change but you’re not sure how yet, this episode will resonate. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

77: From Corporate Burnout to Building Gym Hooky

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0000

What does it look like to build success without burning yourself out in the process? In this episode of She Built Success, Claudia sits down with Ariel Belgrave—founder of Gym Hooky—for a real conversation about career pivots, wellness, and building a business that actually fits your life. Ariel shares how climbing the corporate ladder led to burnout, why she started Gym Hooky as a side hustle for five years, and how a community built around skipping the gym and working out at home grew alongside her full-time career in HR and tech. Ariel also shares what’s next—including her upcoming climb of Mount Kilimanjaro—and how fulfillment now drives every decision she makes. Season 4 is about The Build Continues—and this episode reminds us that how you build matters just as much as what you build. 🎧 Listen in if you’re navigating a pivot, rethinking success, or learning how to build sustainably. Tap subscribe so you can stay with the conversations as the build continues.

76: Season 3 Finale of She Built Success

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 04:00:00 -0000

We did it, Bold Moves Besties — Season 3 of She Built Success is officially a wrap! This season, we went deep into: 💥 How to start, shift, and scale in government contracting 💥 Building systems that actually make business sustainable 💥 Balancing faith, family and entrepreneurship 💥 The behind-the-scenes stories that remind us: you can build success your way In this recap, I’m sharing the most-watched episodes, your favorite moments, and yes — plenty of bloopers.

75: The 3 Business Systems I Use Every Day | CRM, Tasks & Content

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 04:00:00 -0000

What systems help keep a business moving when you're managing clients, relationships, a team and content? In this episode, I'm sharing three of the workflows I use regularly behind the scenes of Capital Consulting Group and She Built Success. We're getting into my CRM, task management system and digital content calendar, including how I've built these workflows using Airtable. I explain how we track relationships and follow-ups, connect team tasks to quarterly objectives and manage digital assets throughout the production process. We also discuss why documenting repeatable work matters, even when you're a business of one, and why your systems should support the way you operate rather than create more work. You don't need to use Airtable to apply these ideas. The goal is to identify what your business needs and create a process you can actually maintain. In this episode: 00:00 The three systems behind my business 01:00 Why every business needs repeatable workflows 02:00 How I use our Airtable CRM 04:00 Tracking agency and partner relationships 06:00 Connecting contacts to our opportunity pipeline 08:00 Capturing information for future conversations 09:00 Introducing our TEAM task-management system 10:00 Connecting tasks to quarterly objectives 11:00 Tracking team performance and capacity 12:00 Adapting task management to your business 13:00 Measuring progress toward business goals 14:00 Our digital media and content calendar 15:00 Managing assets throughout production 16:00 Improving systems through team feedback Let's talk: What's one workflow in your business that still needs a proper system? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

74: From Target to Tech: The Jobs That Shaped My Entrepreneurial Journey

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Before government contracting and Capital Consulting Group, there were quite a few other jobs that helped shape my professional journey. In this episode, I'm sharing some of the career experiences you probably haven't heard me talk about, from administrative internships and working at Target to corporate IT, help desk support and even a beauty specialist role. I also share the story of a manager who gave me an internship opportunity when my college grades weren't where they needed to be and how that experience helped establish my path in technology. We get into learning how I actually study, exploring different professional interests, transitioning into consulting and eventually building my own company. Looking back, it's interesting to see how experiences that seemed unrelated at the time contributed to the work I do today. In this episode: 00:00 The jobs I had before government contracting 01:00 My early interest in organization 02:00 Administrative internships 03:00 Working at Target 04:00 My first corporate IT internship 05:00 Navigating college and learning how I study 07:00 The manager who gave me an opportunity 08:00 A memorable help desk experience 11:00 Moving into global IT and development 12:00 My unexpected interest in the beauty industry 14:00 Considering a different career path 15:00 Transitioning into consulting 16:00 Building Capital Consulting Group Let's talk: What's a job from your past that taught you something you still use today? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

73: Books That Changed How I Approach Faith, Life & Business

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Some books change how you think. Others make you reconsider how you're living, making decisions and approaching the things you're building. In this episode, I'm sharing several books and devotionals that have influenced my faith journey over the years and, in turn, how I approach business and life. From The Power of Your Dreams by Stephanie Ike Okafor and The Garden Within by Dr. Anita Phillips to studies on Elijah and several books by Priscilla Shirer, I'm talking about what drew me to these readings and the reflections that came out of them. We also get into prayer, learning to discern God's voice, journaling dreams and why I've become more intentional about continuing to grow spiritually. This is a personal conversation about the reading and reflection practices that have helped shape my perspective. In this episode: 00:00 Books that shaped my faith journey 01:00 The Power of Your Dreams 03:00 Dream journaling and reflection 04:00 The Garden Within 05:00 Studying Elijah and Priscilla Shirer's books 06:00 Discerning the Voice of God 07:00 The Prayer of Jabez 08:00 Studying Psalm 23 and reading the Bible 10:00 Why continued personal growth matters Let's talk: What's a book that changed the way you approach life, faith or business? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

72: How to Use the Federal Register for Government Contracting Research

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 04:00:00 -0000

If your government contracting research begins and ends with searching for available contracts, there's another resource worth understanding: the Federal Register. In this episode, I'm walking through the Federal Register and showing how I approached it as a source of information about federal agency activity. We explore notices, rules, presidential documents and ways to browse information by agency or subject area. I also explain why I pay attention to developments within the agencies I'm researching and how that information can lead to additional questions about their priorities and potential business needs. This is not about finding a contract directly in the Federal Register. It's about understanding the broader environment in which federal purchasing decisions take place. In this episode: 00:00 Introducing the Federal Register 02:00 Why it belongs in your research process 03:00 Exploring the website and current issue 04:00 Browsing documents by federal agency 06:00 Connecting agency activity to market research 08:00 Creating an account and exploring documents 09:00 Reviewing presidential documents 10:00 Additional Federal Register resources 11:00 Reader Aids and announcements 12:00 Your Federal Register research assignment Your assignment: Visit federalregister.gov, explore its introductory resources and consider how information from your target agencies could fit into your research process. Archive note: The website walkthrough reflects the interface and documents available when this episode was recorded. Federal policies, notices and website functionality change over time. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

71: GovCon Resources & Organizations Small Businesses Should Know About

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Government contracting research doesn't have to happen in isolation. There are organizations and resources intended to help small businesses understand and navigate the federal marketplace. In this episode, I'm discussing different organizations that support small-business participation in government contracting. We explore resources associated with the Small Business Administration, certification programs and other organizations that provide education, advocacy and opportunities to build relationships. I also share why I believe it's important to understand what each organization actually offers instead of simply collecting a list of resources. The goal is to help you become more intentional about where you seek information, guidance and professional connections. In this episode: 00:00 Organizations supporting small businesses 02:00 Understanding certification-related resources 04:00 Exploring additional business designations 06:00 Finding assistance with government contracting 08:00 Events and relationship-building opportunities 10:00 Connecting with small-business specialists 12:00 Choosing organizations strategically 14:00 Building relationships beyond events 16:00 Certification considerations and final thoughts Let's talk: What organization or business community has helped you navigate something new in entrepreneurship? Archive note: Programs, certification criteria, websites and organizational services discussed reflect information available when this episode was recorded. Confirm current details directly with the relevant organizations. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

70: Building a Makeup Artistry Business With Bigger Ambitions | Aubrielle Tillman-Francisco

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 04:00:00 -0000

What happens when a creative interest becomes something you want to build a business around? I sit down with Aubrielle Tillman-Francisco of Karma's Creations Artistry to talk about her entrepreneurial journey, getting started in makeup artistry and developing her vision for the future. From initially considering a career in computer forensics to exploring beauty content and creative work, Aubrielle shares how her interests evolved into business ownership. We also discuss building client relationships, establishing boundaries, learning through experience and what it means to have ambitions that extend beyond your current business model. It's a conversation about creativity, ownership and giving yourself permission to pursue a different professional path. In this episode: 00:00 Meet Aubrielle of Karma's Creations Artistry 02:00 From computer forensics to makeup artistry 04:00 Discovering a creative direction 06:00 Developing her makeup portfolio 08:00 Makeup as creative expression 10:00 Building client relationships 12:00 Learning through experimentation 14:00 Developing your artistry 16:00 Exploring new creative interests 18:00 Personal interests beyond the business 20:00 Recognizing your passion 22:00 Setting client boundaries 24:00 What success means to Aubrielle 26:00 Her vision for global makeup artistry 28:00 A reflection on your future ambitions Let's talk: Have you ever pursued a career or business that looked completely different from your original plan? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

69: 6 Key Steps Behind a Federal Government Solicitation

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 04:00:00 -0000

What happens before a government contract opportunity reaches the marketplace? In this episode, I'm breaking down six components of the acquisition process to help small businesses better understand how government requirements are developed. We discuss requirements identification, market research, acquisition strategy, requirements documentation, internal coordination, funding and the preparation of a solicitation package. I also explain why relationships with program offices, contracting personnel and small-business offices can be relevant when you're learning about an agency's needs. Understanding the process from the buyer's perspective can help you ask better questions when researching potential opportunities. In this episode: 00:00 Understanding simplified acquisitions 01:00 Requirements identification and market research 02:00 Developing an acquisition strategy 03:00 Preparing requirements documentation 04:00 Internal coordination and agency relationships 05:00 Funding and approval considerations 06:00 Preparing the solicitation package 07:00 The people involved in federal acquisitions 08:00 Recap and your research assignment Let's talk: Have you ever looked at a government solicitation and wondered what happened before it was published? Archive note: This episode references simplified acquisition and micro-purchase thresholds at recording. Those figures and applicable procedures may have changed. Consult current federal acquisition guidance. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

68: Find Government Contracts Without the Overwhelm

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Want another way to research historical federal contract awards without relying exclusively on FPDS? In this episode, I'm walking through USAspending.gov and showing how I use its search tools to investigate government purchasing activity. We explore filters such as keywords, fiscal years, award types, agencies, recipients and award amounts. I also demonstrate how to examine individual award records and use the information to ask better questions about potential government customers and contracting partners. Using historical workshop-related purchases as an example, we discuss why reviewing more than one fiscal year can provide additional context. This is a screen-share episode, so watching on YouTube will help you follow the demonstration. In this episode: 00:00 Introducing USAspending.gov 02:00 Exploring available search filters 04:00 Narrowing your research 06:00 Reviewing historical workshop-related awards 08:00 Opening an individual award record 10:00 Understanding NAICS and contract details 12:00 Using award data for market research 14:00 An alternative way to explore federal spending Your assignment: Choose a keyword relevant to your business, select a historical fiscal year and investigate the results. Archive note: This demonstration uses historical award records and the USAspending.gov interface available at recording. Current search features, records and contract statuses may differ. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

67: Do You Need a Certification to Win Government Contracts?

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Do small businesses need federal certifications before pursuing government contracts? And how do agency small-business contracting goals fit into the picture? In this episode, I'm discussing federal small-business contracting goals, the SBA scorecard and certifications such as Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), HUBZone and 8(a). Using FY2023 information available when this episode was recorded, I explain how I approached researching agency performance and why small-business owners should understand what a certification does and doesn't provide. I also share parts of my experience with women-owned business certification, including preparing ownership and business documentation. One important distinction: certification is not a guarantee of receiving a contract. In this episode: 00:00 Certifications and government contracting 02:00 Understanding the federal fiscal year 04:00 Small-business contracting goals 06:00 Researching SBA agency scorecards 08:00 Exploring certification options 10:00 Preparing for the application process 12:00 Ownership and supporting documentation 14:00 Certification assistance and resources 16:00 Understanding eligibility considerations 18:00 Choosing a path that fits your business Let's talk: Have you researched whether a particular certification is relevant to your business strategy? Archive note: This episode includes FY2023 figures and certification processes available at recording. Federal goals, eligibility criteria, application systems and documentation requirements may change. Verify current details with the SBA. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

66: How to Land Your First Government Contract (Without Experience)

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 04:00:00 -0000

There isn't one universal path into government contracting, and your first step doesn't necessarily have to be pursuing a large federal solicitation. In this episode, I'm discussing different entry points small businesses can research when exploring the government marketplace. We touch on capability statements, communicating relevant experience, understanding agency requirements and purchasing methods such as government purchase cards. I also discuss why past performance and how you position your existing work matter when introducing your company to potential government customers. The goal is to help you think more strategically about where your business fits before deciding which opportunities to pursue. In this episode: 00:00 Exploring different GovCon entry points 02:00 Understanding micro-purchasing 04:00 Translating your existing experience 06:00 Researching what agencies purchase 08:00 Positioning your capability statement 10:00 Understanding agency-specific needs 12:00 Choosing a practical starting point Let's talk: What's the biggest question you have about translating your existing business experience into government contracting? Archive note: Procurement thresholds, purchasing procedures and federal requirements discussed in this recording are historical. Consult current official guidance before acting on specific dollar amounts or processes. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

65: Inspiration Isn't Implementation | How to Start Taking Action

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 04:00:00 -0000

You can consume all the business advice in the world, but what happens after the video ends? In this episode, I'm talking about the difference between being inspired and actually implementing what you've learned. We explore why information alone doesn't create progress, how to move from an idea into execution and the importance of making practical decisions about what you're going to do next. I also share a few everyday examples of the difference between encouraging someone to act and seeing that action happen. Whether you're building a business, working toward a personal goal or learning something new, this conversation is about moving beyond collecting information. In this episode: 00:00 Moving from inspiration to implementation 02:00 Recognizing the steps before the goal 04:00 When everyday life interrupts your plans 06:00 Using a brain dump to organize your thoughts 08:00 Choosing an action you can actually execute Let's talk: What's one thing you've learned recently that you still haven't put into practice? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

64: Finding Your Spiritual Gifts in Business My 3 Life-Changing Discoveries

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 04:00:00 -0000

How do you know when the direction you're pursuing in business is aligned with what you're called to do? In this more personal episode of She Built Success, I'm talking about my faith, the process of identifying my spiritual gifts and how those discoveries have influenced the way I approach business and life. I share parts of my own journey, including moments of reflection, emotion and learning to pay closer attention to alignment rather than simply continuing down a path because it's available. This isn't a government contracting tutorial. It's a conversation about the person behind the business and the beliefs that inform my decisions. In this episode: 00:00 Faith and business alignment 02:00 My journey toward understanding my gifts 04:00 Career decisions and personal reflection 06:00 Navigating loss and responsibility 08:00 Prayer and learning to trust God's direction 10:00 How I recognize spiritual guidance 12:00 Discovering my spiritual gifts 14:00 Understanding exhortation 16:00 Applying these discoveries to my life 18:00 Reflecting on your own gifts A journaling question for you: Are your business decisions aligned with what you're ultimately trying to build? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

63: The GovCon Systems I Use to Manage Relationships & Opportunities

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 04:00:00 -0000

What does the operational side of government contracting look like when you're managing multiple relationships and potential opportunities? In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of Capital Consulting Group to discuss the systems we use to organize our business-development efforts. We're talking about managing government contacts, tracking vendor and partner relationships and maintaining a pipeline of potential contract opportunities. I also explain why these pieces need to work together. Researching opportunities is only part of the process. You also need a way to retain information, manage follow-ups and understand where your business stands. Whether you're working alone or with a team, the underlying principle is creating a repeatable process instead of keeping everything in your head. In this episode: 00:00 Behind the scenes of our GovCon systems 02:00 Tracking contracts before they expire 04:00 Managing potential opportunities 06:00 Moving opportunities into our proposal pipeline 08:00 Tracking solicitation changes 10:00 Why we retain historical opportunity records 12:00 Our proposal workflow and bid decisions 14:00 Reviewing requirements before responding 16:00 Building a resource and contractor bench 18:00 Managing agency relationships 20:00 Preparing for meaningful conversations 22:00 Connecting market intelligence to opportunities 24:00 Tracking potential business partners 26:00 Building relationships intentionally Let's talk: What part of your business-development process still depends on you remembering to do it? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

62: Can Online Businesses Get Government Contracts? 4 Services to Explore

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 04:00:00 -0000

If you run an online service-based business, you might be overlooking how your existing expertise could translate into the government marketplace. In this episode, I'm discussing four types of online businesses and how their services can be considered through a government contracting lens. We explore areas such as executive coaching, operations consulting and other professional services, with an emphasis on understanding the actual business problem an agency needs solved. I'm also talking about why the way you describe your services matters. Sometimes the language you use to market to private clients isn't the same language you'll encounter in a federal requirement. This conversation is intended to help you start researching possibilities, not assume that an existing online offer automatically translates into a government contract. In this episode: 00:00 Four online business categories to explore 02:00 Registration and initial research 04:00 Translating your existing services 06:00 Executive coaching and organizational needs 08:00 Productivity and business consulting 10:00 Financial and budgeting services 12:00 Documenting financial workflows 14:00 Operations consulting and workflow analysis 16:00 Identifying process gaps 18:00 Connecting your services to agency requirements Let's talk: How would you describe your business if you had to focus entirely on the problem you solve? Archive note: Examples are educational and do not establish current agency demand, procurement eligibility or contract availability. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

61: I Was in LinkedIn's Creator Program - Here's What I Learned

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 04:00:00 -0000

LinkedIn can be more than a place to post professional accomplishments. It can also be a space to build relationships around your experience, interests and expertise.

In this episode, I'm sharing lessons from my participation in LinkedIn's Creator Accelerator Program and how I used content to connect with people in technology, data analytics and business.

From my Can We Talk Data series to Carline Chronicles, I talk about showing up in ways that felt natural to me and how those experiences helped people remember and connect with my work.

We also explore practical ways small-business owners can approach LinkedIn as a relationship-building platform rather than simply another place to publish content.

In this episode:

00:00 Five ways to approach LinkedIn strategically

02:00 My Can We Talk Data content series

04:00 Lessons from LinkedIn's Creator Accelerator

06:00 Creating content around your expertise

08:00 Building relationships through conversations

10:00 Making your professional presence memorable

Let's talk: What do you want people to associate with you when they come across your content?

Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

60: How I Research Federal Agencies Before Pursuing Government Contracts

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Finding a government contract is one thing. Understanding the agency behind it is another. In this episode, I'm sharing research approaches I use to learn more about federal agencies, their priorities and potential contracting activity. We discuss the value of looking beyond solicitation listings and using additional sources of information to understand what's happening within the agencies you're interested in pursuing. I also share a simple research assignment involving Google Alerts for three target agencies. The larger lesson is that government contracting research should be an ongoing part of your business-development process, not something you only do when it's time to submit a proposal. In this episode: 00:00 Researching beyond open solicitations 02:00 Using targeted agency search terms 04:00 Reviewing fiscal-year information 06:00 Finding agency contacts and relevant events 08:00 Turning research into an ongoing process Let's talk: Which federal agencies have you spent time researching and what made you interested in them? Archive note: The examples and agency information discussed reflect the period in which this episode was recorded. Verify current federal priorities and procurement activity through official sources. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

59: How I Manage My Time as a Business Owner | Time Blocking & Systems

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Managing multiple responsibilities as a business owner requires knowing where your time is going and creating systems that support the work. In this episode, I'm sharing how I approach time management, including time blocking and the planning systems I use to organize my responsibilities. We're talking about being intentional with your calendar, creating structure around your priorities and recognizing that having a system doesn't mean every day will unfold exactly as planned. This is a look at how I manage my own time while navigating the different responsibilities that come with business ownership. In this episode: 00:00 My approach to time management 02:00 Planning around different responsibilities 04:00 Family routines and shared responsibilities 06:00 How I structure my calendar 08:00 Protecting personal and family time 10:00 Using workflows to manage recurring work 13:00 Managing content and team responsibilities 16:00 Creating space for focused work 18:00 Strategic time blocks 20:00 What happens when plans change 22:00 Capturing ideas and managing tasks 24:00 Delegation and reviewing the workload Let's talk: What's one responsibility you need to make more intentional space for in your week? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

58: Think GovCon Starts With SAM.gov? Here's a Better Place to Begin

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Getting started in government contracting involves more than creating a SAM.gov registration and waiting for an opportunity. In this episode, I'm sharing some of the less obvious ways small businesses can begin researching the federal marketplace. We discuss why understanding agency activity, identifying potential customers and gathering information before pursuing contracts can make your efforts more intentional. I also share how I think about incorporating different research resources into a government contracting strategy so you're not relying exclusively on open solicitations to decide where to focus. In this episode: 00:00 Uncommon ways to enter government contracting 02:00 Looking beyond direct federal awards 04:00 Researching existing contract holders 06:00 Exploring subcontracting relationships 08:00 Using agency procurement forecasts 10:00 Understanding alternative entry points 12:00 Exploring additional federal resources Let's talk: When you're researching a new market, what's the first place you go for information? Archive note: Government websites, available research tools and their functionality may have changed since this episode was recorded. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

57: Finding Government Contract Opportunities Across Different Industries | FPDS Part 2

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Government contracting isn't limited to the industries most people associate with federal work. In Part 2 of my FPDS walkthrough, we're continuing the research process by exploring less commonly discussed business categories, including commercial real estate and other products and services purchased by federal agencies. I demonstrate how historical award data and procurement classifications can help you investigate purchasing activity within a particular industry. The goal is to get you thinking more broadly about what your business offers, how agencies describe their requirements and where additional research might lead. In this episode: 00:00 Continuing the FPDS walkthrough 02:00 Researching commercial real estate 04:00 Sorting historical award records 06:00 Understanding modifications and contract dates 08:00 Identifying agencies and award recipients 10:00 Exploring the purchase description 12:00 Using contract details for additional research 14:00 Investigating prime and subcontracting relationships 16:00 Looking beyond large contract awards 20:00 Researching smaller purchasing needs 22:00 Reviewing equipment-related awards 26:00 Exploring additional business opportunities 30:00 Understanding the volume of historical awards 34:00 Applying the research to your business Let's talk: What industry would you like to investigate using historical federal award data? Archive note: This episode demonstrates the procurement research process available at recording. Federal platforms, search functionality and award classifications may change. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

56: How I Use FPDS for Winning Contracts A Hands-On Guide (Part 1)

Fri, 30 May 2025 04:00:00 -0000

How do you research what the federal government has already purchased before deciding which agencies to pursue? In Part 1 of this FPDS walkthrough, I'm sharing how I approached historical federal contract research using the Federal Procurement Data System. Rather than simply searching for an open solicitation, we're looking at how historical award information can help small businesses better understand purchasing patterns, potential customers and how their products or services fit into the marketplace. Follow along as I demonstrate the research process and explain why looking across multiple fiscal years can provide additional context. In this episode: 00:00 Introduction to FPDS research 02:00 Preparing for the walkthrough 04:00 Understanding NAICS classifications 06:00 Navigating the FPDS search interface 08:00 Reviewing contracting agencies and results 10:00 Understanding modifications and award records 12:00 Refining your search 16:00 Examining individual contract information 20:00 Working through additional search filters 22:00 Exploring purchase-card records 24:00 Identifying agencies behind purchases 28:00 Returning to NAICS research 30:00 Reviewing award details 32:00 Using the findings in your GovCon research Let's talk: Have you researched historical government spending for your industry or are you primarily searching for open opportunities? Archive note: This walkthrough reflects FPDS and related procurement tools at the time of recording. Interfaces, data access and federal reporting systems may have changed. Verify current procedures through official government sources. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

55: Building a Luxury Home Staging Business on Your Own Terms | Erica Martin

Fri, 23 May 2025 04:00:00 -0000

What does it take to turn an interest in real estate and design into a growing home staging business? I sit down with Erica Martin of Staging Solutions to discuss her transition from property management into entrepreneurship, building her staging business and creating a brand around the experience she wants clients to have. We get into the operational realities behind beautiful spaces, including managing furniture inventory, moving from home storage into a warehouse and navigating business growth. But this conversation goes beyond staging. Erica shares her perspective on motherhood, personal fulfillment and making decisions that reflect what success actually means to you. In this episode: 00:00 Meet Erica Martin of Staging Solutions 02:00 Leaving corporate America for entrepreneurship 04:00 What professional home staging involves 07:00 The business behind the design 09:00 Growing the company and managing inventory 12:00 Expanding into new creative services 14:00 Navigating client relationships and boundaries 17:00 Motherhood, family and entrepreneurship 21:00 Recognizing when to pull back 24:00 Erica's definition of success 27:00 Building the team and managing operations 30:00 Creating more room for what brings you joy Let's talk: Are you building toward something you genuinely want or something you've been conditioned to pursue? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

54: The Federal Government Buys That? Weird Contracts You Need to See

Fri, 16 May 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Government contracting goes well beyond IT, construction and professional consulting services. In this episode, we're exploring some of the more unusual purchases associated with the federal marketplace. From wildlife-related services and specialty products to purchases you probably wouldn't think to associate with a government contract, I'm using examples to challenge how small businesses think about what they sell. We also touch on NAICS codes, Product Service Codes (PSC) and why researching historical purchases can broaden your understanding of the marketplace. The point isn't that every unusual purchase represents an opportunity for your business. It's to encourage you to look beyond the obvious categories when researching government customers. In this episode: 00:00 Government purchases you might not expect 01:00 Exploring unusual contract categories 03:00 Cheese manufacturing and federal purchasing 04:00 Whale removal contracts 05:00 Live animals and other specialty purchases 07:00 Specialized training and services 09:00 What these examples mean for small businesses Let's talk: What's the most unexpected product or service you've heard of a government agency purchasing? Archive note: The examples discussed reflect research presented when this episode was recorded. Verify historical award details, classifications and current purchasing activity through official federal sources. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

53: Don't Let Politics Distract You—Here's How to Land the Contract

Fri, 09 May 2025 04:00:00 -0000

What happens to your government contracting strategy when federal priorities shift? In this episode, I'm talking about how small businesses can approach uncertainty through research rather than assumptions. Using examples from the federal contracting environment at the time of recording, I discuss why I pay attention to executive orders, agency decisions and changing operational needs. We also explore how a change in direction can affect the types of products or services an agency needs and why understanding your customer's actual requirements matters when positioning your business. The larger lesson is about being informed, remaining adaptable and not building your entire business strategy around one expectation. In this episode: 00:00 Adapting your business to changing priorities 02:00 Looking beyond political headlines 04:00 How workforce changes can create different needs 06:00 Exploring potential service requirements 08:00 Why your strategy needs to remain adaptable 10:00 Researching agency purchasing activity 12:00 Positioning your business intentionally Let's talk: How do you stay informed when changes outside your business could affect your next move? Archive note: This episode discusses federal priorities and circumstances at the time it was recorded. It is not an assessment of current administration policies or contracting opportunities. Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

52: This Podcast is Changing—And It's All About Winning Government Contracts

Fri, 02 May 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Why dedicate a season of She Built Success to government contracting? I'm sharing the thinking behind the shift and what I wanted this next chapter of the podcast to accomplish. After two seasons exploring different definitions of success, I wanted to bring more of my own business experience into the conversation, including what I've learned building a consulting company in the government marketplace. We're talking about the questions small businesses were asking, why I wanted to make GovCon more approachable and what you can expect from this season. The mission of She Built Success hasn't changed. We're still talking about the wins, the lessons and the real experiences behind what we build. This season, we're spending more time inside government contracting. In this episode: 00:00 Why Season 3 is changing direction 02:00 My background in government contracting 04:00 Looking back at Seasons 1 and 2 06:00 Why I want to make GovCon more approachable 08:00 The realities of building a contracting business 11:00 Moving from an idea to a GovCon strategy 15:00 The mission behind She Built Success 19:00 Finding opportunities for your existing business 23:00 What to expect from this season Let's talk: What part of your professional experience do you wish more people understood? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel, exploring business, leadership and personal growth.

51: Season 2 Finale of She Built Success

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:56:00 -0000

Bold Moves Besties, the She Built Success Season 2 FINALE is here!

We’re closing out the season with the TOP episodes you couldn’t get enough of:

Avoid This Big Mistake As A Small Business Charging 5+ Figures
The Man Behind The Lens (ft. Jason Lapointe)
Crafting Your Vision A Step-By-Step Guide for 2025
Don't Skip These 3 Business Financial Tips (ft. Kendra James Anderson)
FPDS vs. SAM.gov Which One Really Matters in 2025
Real Mom Talk From Claudia —plus the bloopers 😆 I definitely planned to share.

From powerful conversations to the moments that had us cracking up behind the scenes, this finale is packed with everything that made Season 2 unforgettable.

Hit play, enjoy the highlights, and let’s wrap up this season in style!

50: Psychological Safety Starts With All of Us | Amanda Muhammad

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 04:00:00 -0000

When we talk about psychological safety at work, we usually ask one question: Do I feel safe here? My guest Amanda Muhammad asks us to consider another one: Am I contributing to an environment where other people feel safe too? Amanda is a psychological safety consultant whose work grew from her own experience with stress, mindfulness and workplace wellness. She shares how yoga and mindfulness first became tools for managing stress in her own life, then eventually became part of the work she brought into schools and organizations. Over time, that work evolved into a deeper focus on psychological safety and the role each of us plays in creating it. We talk about what happens when organizations collect employee feedback but don't act on it, why that can erode trust and why checking the box on another training isn't the same thing as understanding what your people actually need. Amanda also explains why she prefers scenario-based learning that allows people to apply ideas to situations they actually encounter instead of simply being talked at. But this conversation doesn't stay inside the workplace. Amanda shares the faith journey behind her business, including leaving her job, watching money leave faster than it was coming in and landing an early contract after finding a creative way to get herself in front of potential clients. We talk about prayer, surrender, entrepreneurship, difficult seasons and continuing to move even when moving forward doesn't look fast. And when I ask Amanda how she defines success, her answer brings the conversation together: fun, faith and freedom. Her definition has evolved from primarily financial success toward having agency in her life, enjoying what she does and knowing that her work has an impact. In this episode: 00:00 Psychological safety isn't only about how you feel 01:00 Meet Amanda Muhammad 02:00 What a psychological safety consultant does 03:00 How mindfulness entered Amanda's life 05:00 What she noticed about stress in the workplace 07:00 From workplace wellness to psychological safety 08:00 The role each of us plays in workplace culture 10:00 What psychological safety can look like 11:00 Why organizations need to understand their actual gaps 13:00 Moving beyond cookie-cutter workplace training 14:00 Why scenario-based learning works differently 16:00 Being proactive instead of reactive 18:00 What happens when employees give feedback and nothing changes 20:00 The faith journey behind Amanda's business 22:00 Starting a business when the money wasn't coming in 24:00 The contract that helped change things 25:00 Prayer, surrender and entrepreneurship 27:00 Continuing to deepen her work 30:00 Moving through difficult seasons 33:00 How Amanda defines success 34:00 Faith, wellness and staying in motion Join the conversation: Think about the environments you're part of. What is one thing you do that helps other people feel heard, respected or safe enough to speak? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

49: Can Your Business Sell to the Government? Here's How I Researched It

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 04:00:00 -0000

Could the work you already do translate into something the government buys? That's the question I'm testing in real time in this episode. Instead of starting with the usual government contracting terminology, I went to LinkedIn and pulled ordinary professional titles. Then I used those titles and capabilities as starting points for researching historical federal contract awards. Culture and leadership expert. Event manager. Technical writer. Makeup artist. Personal stylist. Graphic designer. I even move beyond services and look at a physical product. The point isn't that finding a keyword match automatically means you've found a contract you should pursue. In fact, some of my searches demonstrate exactly the opposite. A keyword can appear in an award for a completely unrelated reason, which means you still have to research what you're looking at. What I wanted to demonstrate was a different way of thinking about market research. Instead of assuming the government doesn't buy what you offer because you don't immediately recognize your exact title, start with the actual work you perform. Look at related language. Explore how similar services and products have historically been categorized and purchased. The research can help you begin asking better questions about where your business might fit. In this episode: 00:00 Using professional titles to research government buying 01:00 Starting with real LinkedIn profiles 02:00 Researching a culture and leadership expert 05:00 Looking beyond the first search result 07:00 Researching event management services 10:00 Understanding what you're seeing in award data 13:00 Researching technical writing 16:00 Can the government buy makeup services? 19:00 Researching personal styling services 23:00 Looking at graphic design 27:00 Moving from services to physical products 29:00 What this research exercise is really meant to show 30:00 Try the research with your own business Join the conversation: Describe what your business actually does in a few words. Is that the same language your potential customers would use when searching for it? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. Archive note: This episode demonstrates the research process and tools available when it was originally recorded. Federal procurement systems, terminology, classifications, award data and search functionality can change. Use current official government sources when conducting your own research.

48: Why Government Agencies Struggle to Reach Small Businesses

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 04:00:00 -0000

There's a gap between the information government agencies provide small businesses and the information small businesses actually need to take their next step. In this episode, I'm looking at that gap from both sides. I've spent years working in government contracting, and one thing I've noticed is that small-business offices have an opportunity to make their outreach much more useful. Success stories are valuable. General information sessions have their place. But what if agencies also broke the process into smaller, actionable pieces? What are your priorities? What industries are you focused on? What should a small business understand before approaching your agency? What does an industry day actually look like? What should a business do after attending one? Those are the kinds of conversations that can help small businesses move beyond simply knowing an opportunity exists and begin determining whether they're actually positioned to pursue it. I also get into something that was becoming increasingly important to me at the time: how agencies use content and social media to communicate. Video, podcasts, short-form content and behind-the-scenes storytelling can help make government information more accessible when the content is built around what the audience actually needs rather than simply checking a communications box. And that idea extends beyond government contracting. Whether you're an agency, company or entrepreneur, putting information online isn't the same thing as communicating effectively. In this episode: 00:00 Why small-business outreach could be more useful 01:00 Where agency content can miss the mark 02:00 Turning common questions into practical education 03:00 Connecting agency priorities to small-business opportunities 04:00 Using video and podcasts to reach small businesses 05:00 Making government content easier to discover 06:00 Bridging the gap between agencies and small businesses 07:00 Breaking complex information into actionable pieces 08:00 Why presentation and production quality matter 09:00 Creating content that actually gets attention 10:00 Moving beyond information without a next step 11:00 How agencies can use social media differently 12:00 The bigger opportunity for government communications 13:00 A question for organizations creating content Join the conversation: When an organization says it wants to engage its community, what actually makes you feel informed enough to take the next step? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. Archive note: This episode reflects my perspective and the government contracting environment at the time it was recorded. Government programs, procurement systems, agency priorities and digital platforms can change. Verify current information through official government sources.

47: What Small Businesses Get Wrong About Government Contracting | Akiesha Foster

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Knowing government contracting from the inside and building a business that sells to the government are two very different experiences.

My guest Akiesha Foster learned that firsthand. After more than two decades working in government contracting and acquisition, Akiesha moved to the other side of the table as a contractor and business owner.

She knew contracting.

What changed was having to build relationships, understand new agencies, develop the business and experience what it's actually like to enter the market as a small business.

In this episode, we get into some of the mistakes we were seeing small businesses make when pursuing government work.

Trying to sell everything.

Contacting agencies without understanding what they buy.

Expecting relationships to happen immediately.

Operating without the back-office systems needed to support the work.

And focusing so heavily on winning a contract that you haven't thought enough about what happens after you win it.

Akiesha also shares why she recommends getting to know the customer before pursuing them, how industry events can help you evaluate fit and why subcontracting can give a smaller company an opportunity to build experience without immediately trying to become the prime contractor.

We talk about pricing, capacity, systems, business development and the reality that government contracting isn't a shortcut to revenue. And toward the end, the conversation moves beyond contracts altogether.

For Akiesha, entrepreneurship created something she'd spent years without: the ability to be more present with her husband, children, grandchildren and the people she loves.Her definition of success isn't a contract value.

It's waking up happy about the work she's doing and being able to answer the phone when her family calls.

In this episode:

00:00 Meet Akiesha Foster

01:00 Moving from government acquisition to the contractor side

03:00 What small businesses often get wrong

05:00 The systems businesses need behind the scenes

06:00 Start by getting to know your customer

08:00 How industry events can help build relationships

10:00 What a capabilities brief is

12:00 The work behind pursuing government contracts

13:00 Understanding pricing and your numbers

15:00 Why GovCon requires a long-term strategy

17:00 Building relationships and past performance

18:00 Managing GovCon when you have a very small team

20:00 Certifications and strategy

22:00 Understanding smaller-dollar opportunities

25:00 Starting with opportunities your business can actually perform

27:00 Responding to market research opportunities

29:00 Staying focused on your area of expertise

31:00 How entrepreneurship changed Akiesha's life

32:00 Akiesha's definition of success

35:00 Final advice for small businesses

Join the conversation: What's one part of your business you know needs to be stronger before you pursue a bigger opportunity?

Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel.She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

Archive note: This episode reflects the government contracting environment at the time it was recorded. Procurement thresholds, certifications, acquisition procedures, websites and other requirements can change. Verify current requirements directly through official government sources before relying on specific procedural guidance.

46: Government Contracting Isn't for Every Business

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Government contracting isn't for every business. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. In this episode, I'm talking about something I didn't think was being said enough at the time: the difference between being interested in government contracting and actually being prepared to pursue it. If you're expecting to register your business today and land a multimillion-dollar contract tomorrow, you're probably approaching this with the wrong expectations. Government contracting requires research. It requires patience. It requires learning how your target agencies actually buy. It requires relationships. And even after you've been doing it for years, there's still more to learn because regulations, policies and procurement priorities change. I also talk about why business owners need to understand this space themselves before completely outsourcing the work. You may eventually build a team around business development, capture or proposals, but you still need enough understanding to know what makes sense for your company and recognize when something doesn't. We get into subcontracting, certifications, relationships, industry events, past performance and why winning the contract isn't the end of the work. But there's a larger business lesson underneath all of it: Don't build a strategy around the best-case scenario. Understand what the opportunity actually requires from your business first. In this episode: 00:00 Why government contracting isn't for every business 01:00 Unrealistic expectations about winning large contracts 02:00 Why you have to remain a student of the industry 05:00 Understanding your own business before outsourcing GovCon 06:00 Researching what agencies actually buy 08:00 Knowing when an opportunity fits your company 10:00 Why shortcuts can cost you 11:00 Free resources and learning the process 12:00 What certifications can and cannot do 14:00 Relationships versus handing out business cards 15:00 Winning the contract is only the beginning 17:00 Why you need to vet the people you hire for help 18:00 Patience, research and longevity 20:00 Why subcontracting can be a smart entry point 22:00 Capacity and business development 25:00 Building relationships even when you don't win 28:00 Is government contracting right for your business right now? Join the conversation: Have you ever realized that an opportunity could be good, but still not be right for your business right now? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. Archive note: This episode reflects my experience and the government contracting environment at the time it was recorded. Procurement thresholds, certifications, programs, policies, websites and other requirements can change. Verify current information directly through official government sources before making business decisions.

45: Being Good on Camera Starts With Being Yourself | XayLi Barclay

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Being comfortable on camera isn't only about learning what to say. Sometimes it's about becoming comfortable enough with yourself to be seen. In this episode, I sit down with XayLi Barclay, video coach and founder of Brave On Video, for a conversation that goes much deeper than cameras. I've watched XayLi's work for years, and one of the things that always stood out to me was the way she showed up. There was an ease to it, but more importantly, there was a genuine connection with the people watching. XayLi shares how that developed over time. She talks about growing up in Trinidad, moving to the U.S. and initially trying to erase parts of herself to fit in before eventually becoming more confident in who she was. She also shares how writing, blogging and documenting her own experiences eventually translated into storytelling on camera. We talk about why connection can't simply be a social media strategy, building community by actually acknowledging the people in it and why authenticity requires knowing who you are before trying to emulate what you see someone else doing online. XayLi also walks through her approach to finding stories in your everyday life and explains why business owners need a story bank they can continue pulling from as they build their brands. And for anyone still hesitant to get on camera, her advice is simple: figure out what feels most natural to you, understand why you want to show up in the first place and start there. In this episode: 00:00 Meet XayLi Barclay 02:00 Trinidad, identity and embracing where you come from 05:00 How XayLi's confidence evolved 06:00 Writing, blogging and learning to tell her story 08:00 Why genuine connection matters online 10:00 Treating your online community like real people 13:00 The story behind XayLi's Camera Confidence Cards 16:00 Building a business around the way you actually work 21:00 Authenticity and resisting the urge to become someone else 22:00 Where to start if you're uncomfortable on camera 26:00 How XayLi defines success 30:00 Building a story bank for your brand 31:00 XayLi's UNIQUE storytelling method 35:00 Why brands struggle to feel human 39:00 Helping more women confidently show up 40:00 Start where you are Join the conversation: What part of yourself have you become more comfortable letting people see? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

44: How I Researched Government Contract Opportunities

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Finding a government contract opportunity was never just about searching for an RFP and deciding whether we wanted to bid. There was a research process behind it. In this episode, I walk through how I used tools including SAM.gov and FPDS as part of the government contracting research process at the time this episode was recorded. I talk about how I researched opportunities and previous awards, then connected that information to something equally important: our internal systems. We maintained a pipeline tracker for potential opportunities, including things like the opportunity itself, agency, response dates, question deadlines and other information our team needed to keep track of. And yes, I learned the importance of tracking the time and time zone of a deadline the hard way after we missed one. We also used a CRM to track the relationships surrounding those opportunities, including potential partners and government contacts. The two systems worked together. If an opportunity aligned with a relationship we'd already been developing, we could see that connection and determine how it affected our priorities. You'll also hear how I approached historical contract research, vendor research and looking for patterns in how agencies bought the kinds of services we provided. The specific government systems and interfaces discussed in this episode may have changed since it was recorded. But the larger principle still matters: Research the market. Track the opportunity. Track the relationship. And don't wait until a solicitation appears to start figuring everything out. In this episode: 00:00 Why tracking opportunities and relationships matters 01:00 The government research tools I was using 02:00 How I researched previous contract awards 04:00 Building a government contracting pipeline tracker 05:00 The information I tracked for each opportunity 06:00 The deadline mistake that changed our process 07:00 How we used SAM.gov in our pipeline process 08:00 Why we also tracked relationships 10:00 Connecting the CRM to contract opportunities 11:00 Researching contract history 13:00 Free research versus paid tools 14:00 Looking for patterns in how agencies buy 15:00 Using research to expand your search 16:00 Resources and support available at the time 17:00 Starting your own research process Join the conversation: When you're pursuing new business, do you have an actual system for tracking opportunities and relationships, or is most of it still living in your head? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. Archive note: This episode reflects the government contracting systems, websites and processes available when it was recorded. Federal procurement platforms, interfaces and requirements can change. Verify current information directly through official government sources before relying on specific procedural guidance.

43: Sometimes You Need to Stop Moving Long Enough to Think

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0000

When I get inspired, my instinct is to move. There isn't much walking involved. I get the idea and I'm ready to go. But I've learned that sometimes the best thing I can do before taking action is give myself enough room to actually think. In this episode, I'm talking about what that looks like in real life. Not disappearing for a week. Not booking some elaborate retreat. Sometimes it's literally sitting on my deck and asking myself a few questions. Where is the business going? Where do I want it to grow? Do I actually have the capacity for what I'm considering? What has worked before? And what are we absolutely not doing again? At the time of this recording, I was considering new ways to serve small businesses and needed space to decide whether I had the capacity to do it well. That thinking time helped me look at where I'd been, where I wanted the company to go and what actually deserved a yes. I also talk about how I capture ideas from conversations and communities, then come back to them later instead of immediately turning every spark into a new initiative. Because taking action matters. But so does giving yourself enough space to decide whether the action you're about to take actually belongs in the life and business you're building. In this episode: 00:00 Why action isn't always the immediate answer 01:00 Making space to think 02:00 When the vacation isn't an option 03:00 Creating reflection time in regular life 04:00 Looking back at what has worked before 05:00 Why constant movement can work against you 06:00 Capturing ideas without immediately acting on them 06:30 Checking in with yourself 07:00 What I learned when my planned break didn't happen 07:30 Knowing when inspiration needs a little restraint 08:00 Creating your own version of thinking time Join the conversation: Where do you go, physically or mentally, when you need enough quiet to hear yourself think? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

42: The Man Behind The Lens: Family, Focus and Winning Federal Contracts Part 2 | Jason Lapointe

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0000

For Jason Lapointe, success comes down to one word: Options. The ability to look at what's in front of you and make a decision instead of feeling like your back is against the wall. That definition comes near the end of this conversation, but it connects so much of what we talk about in Part 2. We pick up our conversation with Jason talking about fatherhood and what it's like watching his sons reach the ages he was when he lost his mother and later no longer had his father around. He's now experiencing fatherhood from the other side, trying to give his sons the guidance, love and support he didn't always have while also recognizing that he can't protect them from every mistake. Sometimes they have to figure it out themselves. We talk about his relationship with his wife, how her family pushed him to think differently about his future when he was young and why they're intentionally thinking about the life they'll have together after their sons are grown. Then we move into business. Jason shares how skills from an earlier career unexpectedly prepared him for entrepreneurship and government contracting, particularly case management, communication and relationship building. We also talk about learning a new industry, why relationships matter, building systems, trusting a team and creating a business that doesn't require you to stay at the center of everything. This is Part 2 of my conversation with Jason. If you haven't watched Part 1, start there for the story behind how he became the man behind the camera. In this episode: 00:00 Picking up our conversation with Jason 01:00 Fatherhood through the lens of his own childhood 04:00 Letting your kids learn from their own mistakes 05:00 Modeling healthy relationships for his sons 07:00 How Jason met his wife 09:00 The family that pushed him to think bigger 11:00 What Jason and his wife want for their next chapter 13:00 How his previous career prepared him for business 15:00 Communication and relationship building 17:00 Learning the government contracting space 19:00 Why focus matters when pursuing opportunities 21:00 Reading and understanding what's actually being asked 23:00 Building the team and systems needed to grow 25:00 Why Jason defines success as having options 26:00 Learning from what didn't work 27:00 The 30-day challenge Join the conversation: If success meant having more options, what option would you want your life or business to give you? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

41: The Man Behind The Lens: Family Focus and Winning Federal Contracts Part 1 | Jason Lapointe

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0000

You've seen his work throughout She Built Success. You just haven't seen much of him. In this two-part conversation, I'm bringing my videographer Jason Lapointe from behind the camera and putting him in front of it. And Part 1 took us somewhere I wasn't expecting. Jason shares how photography and videography became part of his life, but the story goes much deeper than learning how to use a camera. After losing his mother as a child, there was a point when the family photos largely stopped. Years later, when his first son was born, Jason knew he didn't want his child to ever wonder what he looked like at a certain age or not have the photograph someone was asking for. So he bought a camera. What began as documenting his own family eventually became photographing someone else's wedding, then dozens of weddings, videography, corporate work and small-business content. Jason also shares another experience that shaped the way he approaches his work: despite having a large wedding with multiple photographers, he and his wife ended up with only a few professional images after life got busy and the photography company eventually closed. Those experiences changed what documenting someone else's memories meant to him. We also talk about relationships, how former wedding clients led him into corporate work, why the everyday parts of your business can actually make good content and what he's learned helping people get comfortable showing up on camera. Then we begin the story of how Jason added an entirely different line of business: government contracting. In this episode: 00:00 Meet the man behind the She Built Success camera 01:00 How Jason got started in photography and videography 03:00 The creativity that was there from childhood 05:00 Why becoming a father changed the meaning of photography 07:00 Jason's first paid wedding 08:30 The deeper reason he documents everything 09:00 What happened to Jason's own wedding photos 13:00 Weddings, corporate work and small-business content 15:30 How Jason and I met 16:30 His introduction to government contracting 19:30 Which part of the business he enjoys most 22:00 Why the everyday parts of your business can become content 24:00 Getting more comfortable in front of the camera Join the conversation: Is there something you do differently in your work today because of something you experienced personally? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

40: You Can't Give Everything 100% at the Same Time

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0000

You can't give everything in your life 100% at the same time. And I've stopped expecting myself to. In this episode, I'm talking about why I don't believe in work-life balance and what I think is actually happening instead: there's always a give and a take. There have been seasons when work needed more of me. Seasons when my daughters and their schedules took priority. Times when I had to pull back from my nonprofit. Times when exercise slipped further down the list. And times when I deliberately put one part of the business down so I could strengthen another. None of that means those things stopped mattering. It meant I had to be clear about what mattered most right then. We also get into multitasking, asking for help, making time to think and giving yourself some grace when you simply cannot show up at full capacity everywhere. Because sometimes work wins. Sometimes family wins. Sometimes you need to close the door, get some rest and let somebody else handle what's usually yours. The goal isn't to perfectly divide yourself across every responsibility. It's to know what you're prioritizing in this season, what you're intentionally giving less attention to and why. In this episode: 00:00 Why I don't believe in work-life balance 01:00 The give and take of different seasons 03:30 Deciding what gets your attention right now 05:30 Why I question multitasking 06:30 Why I sometimes choose silence 07:30 When exercise falls down my priority list 09:00 Putting one part of the business down to strengthen another 11:00 Where do you need to pull back or give more? 12:00 Giving yourself grace when you can't do everything 14:00 Why sometimes work wins 16:00 Choosing fewer priorities and actually finishing them Join the conversation: What's getting more of you in this season, and what have you intentionally decided can get less? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

39: Why Making More Money Doesn't Mean Your Business Is Healthy | Kendra James Anderson

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Your business can make more money than it ever has before and still leave you wondering: Where did all the money go? In this episode, I'm sitting down with Kendra James Anderson, founder of The Finance Femme and my CFO, for a conversation about what business owners need to understand beyond revenue. Kendra started her company after working in corporate finance and seeing something interesting. Inside larger companies, CEOs weren't making major decisions without understanding the financial picture. Meanwhile, she knew entrepreneurs generating substantial revenue who were still struggling to understand why they didn't have cash available or whether they could afford their next hire. That's where this conversation starts. We talk about revenue, spending, profit and cash flow, but we also get into something I think matters just as much: your numbers have to support what you're actually trying to build. There isn't one financial strategy that fits every entrepreneur. Your goals matter. Your family matters. Your plans for the business matter. And as those things change, the financial conversations around them should change too. Kendra and I also talk about our own relationship. Years before I hired her, I had already identified her as the CFO I wanted on my future team. When the business reached the point where that relationship made sense, I came back. We get into why having people around you who understand more than the numbers matters, how to know whether your business is actually moving you toward the life you want and why sometimes pivoting is the healthier decision. And toward the end, we talk about another piece of building a company: operations. Because eventually the question isn't simply, "How much money are we making?" It's also, "How does this business work without me doing everything?" In this episode: 00:00 Meet Kendra James Anderson 01:30 How The Finance Femme started 02:30 Why high revenue doesn't always mean financial health 04:00 Looking beyond revenue to spending, profit and cash flow 05:30 How Kendra became my CFO 07:00 Getting comfortable talking honestly about your numbers 10:00 Business, family and defining success for yourself 13:00 Why your definition of success can change 14:00 Motherhood, entrepreneurship and the value of time 16:30 Knowing when entrepreneurship may no longer fit 18:00 Connecting your financial decisions to your actual goals 20:00 Why you need trusted people around your business 21:30 The first operational role Kendra recommends 23:30 Taking action instead of waiting for the perfect plan Join the conversation: Beyond revenue, what number or part of your financial picture do you need to understand better in your business? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. Financial disclaimer: This episode shares general educational information and personal experiences. It is not individualized financial, accounting, tax or investment advice.

38: When Life Doesn't Follow the Schedule

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0000

This episode was not supposed to be recorded in the car. But schedules changed, sports mom duty called and instead of waiting for everything to line up perfectly, I decided we'd roll with it. Literally. I'm taking you with me through DMV traffic on the way to cheer practice for a conversation about motherhood, flexibility and giving yourself grace when the calendar doesn't cooperate. I'm someone who likes structure. I like things organized. Our family calendar is basically command central because between school, volleyball, competitive cheer, work and everybody needing to be somewhere, there's a lot happening. But no amount of planning prevents life from changing the plan. I talk about what I've learned raising my daughters, giving them enough independence to make their own decisions and mistakes and supporting interests I never expected would turn me into a full-fledged sports mom. I also talk about the harder part. Sometimes two things happen at once and I can't be at both. I've had to miss volleyball games because another daughter had cheer. Even when I knew she was supported and understood why I couldn't be there, I still had to work through my own feeling that I should have been there. That's where grace comes in. Motherhood, work, family, relationships and everything else aren't always going to fit neatly into separate boxes. Sometimes there's a conflict. Sometimes you pivot. And sometimes you record the podcast from the car. In this episode: 00:00 Recording She Built Success from the road 01:00 When the schedule changes unexpectedly 02:00 How we manage a very full family calendar 04:30 What being a mom means to me 06:30 Giving my daughters room to make decisions and mistakes 08:00 Celebrating their wins 09:00 Reflecting on our family's journey 10:30 How I unexpectedly became a sports mom 13:00 The flexibility that allows me to show up 14:00 Giving myself grace when I can't be everywhere 16:00 Supporting my daughters through wins and disappointments 17:00 The possible return of Carline Chronicles 18:00 Mom life, work life and all the slashes 19:00 Knowing when to pivot Join the conversation: When life disrupts the schedule you carefully planned, are you good at pivoting or does it take you a minute to adjust? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

37: I Didn't Take the Vacation I Said I Needed. Here's What I Learned

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0000

I believe in making time for yourself. I also had a "me vacation" on my calendar that I kept moving until eventually...I didn't take it. Family commitments came up. Sports schedules changed. Work still needed to happen. And the five days I originally planned for myself became something I kept trying to squeeze somewhere else on the calendar. So this episode isn't me telling you that prioritizing yourself is as simple as booking the trip. I'm talking about what happens when you know you need the time and life still doesn't cooperate. I share what a me vacation looks like for me, why you'll probably find me in the mountains instead of on a beach and why solitude doesn't mean I'm sitting somewhere completely disconnected from the world. But the deeper conversation is about recognizing what I actually need. Sometimes that's a few days away. Sometimes it's quiet. Sometimes it's journaling. And sometimes it's slowing down enough during my devotional time to sit with a question instead of rushing to finish what I started. I share how a seven-week devotional took me two quarters to complete because I stopped treating finishing as the goal and gave myself time to reflect. Even without the vacation, I realized that time had become another form of making space for myself. Because I've learned to recognize what happens when I haven't taken that time. I'm not necessarily burned out. I'm just tired, less focused and sometimes a little shorter than usual. That's usually a sign that something needs my attention. In this episode: 00:00 Why I wanted to talk about downtime 01:00 The vacation I planned but didn't take 03:00 Why I can't just drop everything and go 05:00 What my ideal "me vacation" actually looks like 07:00 The difference between getting away and getting work done 08:00 Faith, devotionals and creating room to reflect 10:00 When slowing down changed the way I approached my devotional 13:00 How my reading changed over the years 15:00 How I know when I haven't had enough time for myself 17:00 Putting your own time on the calendar 18:00 Paying attention to how you're showing up 22:00 Motherhood, reflection and giving my daughters room to grow 27:00 Finding your own way to pause and process Join the conversation: What does real time for yourself look like when you're not trying to make it productive? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

36: What My Daughters Taught Me About Success

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0000

What does success look like through the eyes of your kids? For this episode, I handed some of the conversation over to two people who know me very differently than you do. My daughters. We talk about school, sports, their future plans, what they're interested in and their definitions of success. And because they're teenagers, the conversation goes in several directions I absolutely did not plan for. One of my favorite moments comes when I ask what it means to show up as your best self. The answer was simple: be yourself. Because when you're comfortable being who you actually are, you give yourself the opportunity to build relationships with people who know the real you. We also talk about their evolving interests, what they're learning through volleyball and competitive cheer and what they imagine their futures might look like. Then the tables turn. They start asking me questions. Including what I actually do with my free time, whether I finally have hobbies and, naturally, what I'm saving from my closet if there's a fire. This episode is less structured than most She Built Success conversations, and that's exactly what makes it special. It's a look at success from inside my family, through the voices of the two people I'm also trying to give enough room to become themselves. In this episode: 00:00 Meet my daughters 01:00 What they're enjoying right now 03:00 School, growing up and what's next 06:00 Volleyball, cheer and learning through sports 10:30 How my daughters define success 12:00 What it means to be yourself 13:30 Our very different music tastes 15:30 What we actually do in our free time 18:00 How their personal styles are evolving 22:00 What they think they want to do when they grow up 25:00 Independence, adulthood and calling Mom anyway 26:00 The important questions. Clothes, purses and what we're saving from a fire 29:00 A little more of our family dynamic Join the conversation: If you asked your kids, parents or the people closest to you to define success, how different do you think their answer would be from yours? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

35: How to Start Building Relationships in Government Contracting

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Finding a government contract opportunity is one thing. Building the relationships that can eventually help position your business for those opportunities is another. In this episode, I'm continuing the government contracting conversation by walking through some of the foundational pieces small businesses should understand when exploring the federal market. I talk about NAICS codes, SAM.gov, solicitations and ways businesses can begin identifying opportunities. But the bigger conversation is about relationships. That includes relationships with other businesses that may become teaming partners, relationships within the small-business contracting community and relationships with the agencies you're interested in serving. Instead of looking at every other company pursuing an opportunity as competition, I talk about what I called "co-opetition." Some of those companies could become collaborators or partners. And when you're attending industry events, the goal isn't to collect as many business cards as possible. It's to understand who you're trying to meet, why the conversation matters and what you can contribute. I also talk about capability statements and why simply listing everything your company does isn't necessarily the most memorable way to introduce yourself. Sometimes the better starting point is demonstrating that you've paid attention to the organization you're speaking with and understand something about the problems they're trying to solve. And before adding government contracting as another line of business, I raise another question that's still worth considering: How stable is the business you already have? At the time of recording, I cautioned that if the existing business was already struggling, adding another complex line of business might not be the right immediate move. In this episode: 00:00 Government contracting starts with relationships 01:00 Common misconceptions about getting started 02:00 Understanding NAICS codes 03:00 Using SAM.gov to explore opportunities 05:00 Searching for opportunities strategically 06:00 Teaming partners and joint ventures 07:00 Finding businesses interested in the same opportunities 09:00 Building relationships with government agencies 11:00 Understanding the role of agency small-business offices 13:00 How to approach government networking events 15:00 Capability statements and introducing your company 17:00 Leading with the problem instead of your résumé 19:00 Getting clear on the agencies you want to serve 21:00 Being cautious about GovCon misinformation 22:00 Is your existing business ready for another market? 23:00 Where to begin your research Join the conversation: If you're exploring government contracting, which feels harder right now: understanding the process or building the right relationships? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. This episode reflects my experience and the government contracting environment at the time it was recorded. Government contracting rules, programs, certifications, terminology and requirements can change. Verify current information through official government sources before making business decisions.

34: Building A Brand on Faith and Friendship | Dorian & Morgan of The Rooted Life Podcast

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0000

What happens when you build a business with one of your closest friends and the friendship itself starts struggling? In this episode, I sit down with Dorian and Morgan of The Rooted Life Podcast for a conversation about faith, friendship, creativity, business and everything that happens beneath the surface when you're building something together. The Rooted Life started because they couldn't find the kind of faith-centered conversations they wanted to hear from women who reflected their own experiences. So they created them. What started as conversations between friends eventually became a podcast, community and brand. But building something together changed the friendship too. At one point, business conversations were bleeding into their personal conversations. They were spending time together primarily to work. They even stopped speaking for a few days after an argument over an Instagram caption. Their eventual realization? They needed systems and boundaries. They created separate communication for The Rooted Life, intentionally made time to be friends without discussing the business and started recognizing which responsibilities aligned with each person's strengths. Then the conversation goes deeper. Dorian and Morgan talk about a period when The Rooted Life stopped feeling like an authentic overflow of their friendship and faith. Instead of continuing to push through, they eventually had to address what was happening underneath the brand. We talk about pausing, accountability, apologizing, self-reflection and what happens when the work you're doing internally starts changing how you show up everywhere else. And toward the end, we talk about success. For Morgan, it includes being able to go to bed at peace with how she showed up that day. For Dorian, it's about impact and building something that can continue beyond her. The conversation ultimately comes back to being present enough to recognize the joy that's available now instead of always waiting for whatever comes next. In this episode: 00:00 What happens beneath the surface 01:00 Meet Dorian and Morgan of The Rooted Life 02:00 How The Rooted Life started 04:00 Creating the representation they wanted to see 05:30 Turning a creative project into a business 07:00 Monetizing creativity without losing the mission 08:00 The Instagram caption argument that exposed a bigger problem 09:00 Learning to work within their individual strengths 10:00 When friendship problems started affecting the brand 13:00 Why the messy part of the journey matters 15:00 Accountability and learning to own your part 17:00 How growth in one relationship changes other areas of life 18:00 What's next for The Rooted Life 23:00 How Morgan and Dorian define success 26:00 Faith, waiting and learning to be present 30:00 Finding joy where you are now Join the conversation: What relationship, project or season of your life might need more attention beneath the surface? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

33: Your Client Experience Should Match What You're Charging

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0000

If someone is paying you five or six figures, what does it actually feel like to be your client? I'm not just talking about the quality of the final deliverable. I'm talking about everything that happens around it. In this episode, I'm breaking down how I think about client experience, communication and the systems behind delivering higher-value services. Because a client shouldn't have to chase you to figure out what's happening with the work they paid you to do. I share an example from a data-conversion project where we discovered that the client's data was much messier than we could have known during the initial scope. That meant the original timeline needed to change. The client wasn't going to love hearing that. But because we already had regular communication built into the project, we could explain what we'd found, where things stood and what needed to happen next instead of waiting until the original due date to tell them their project wasn't finished. That's part of client experience too. Not perfection. Communication. I also talk about workflows, automation, deliverables and why your backend operations have to support the experience you're promising on the front end. Then I take the conversation outside of consulting because great experiences aren't limited to service businesses. I share examples of restaurants that created such memorable experiences that I voluntarily talked about them, posted about them and left reviews afterward. That's what a strong experience can do. It gives people something worth remembering. In this episode: What client experience actually includes Why communication matters as much as the deliverable Setting expectations before the work begins What to do when a project timeline changes Being proactive instead of reactive Building systems behind higher-value services Creating smoother workflows for your clients and team What restaurants taught me about memorable experiences Why people naturally talk about experiences that make them feel something Chapters: 00:00 The experience should match the price 01:00 What client experience actually means 03:00 What happens after someone becomes a client 05:00 Communication throughout the project 07:00 Setting expectations around deliverables 09:00 The project where we discovered a bigger problem 11:00 Being proactive when something changes 12:00 Building systems behind higher-value services 14:00 Creating an experience people remember 18:00 Why a great experience gets people talking 21:00 Looking at your business from the client's perspective Join the conversation: If you experienced your business as the client today, what part would feel great and what part might need more attention? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

32: How to Think About Wealth Beyond Just Making More Money | Phillip Washington Jr.

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0000

Building wealth isn't only about making more money. It's also about understanding what you're building for. In this episode, I sit down with Phillip Washington Jr. for a wide-ranging conversation about money, investing, ownership, work, family and how our ideas about wealth can change as we get older. Phillip shares how he thinks about investing and why curiosity plays such a big role in how he spots potential opportunities. We talk about paying attention to cultural shifts, looking beyond what's already obvious and being willing to learn about spaces you may not immediately understand. But this isn't a conversation about chasing the next investment. It's about how you think. We also get into the relationship between money and time, what younger generations may be teaching us about work and why building wealth can mean thinking beyond your own lifetime. Some of Phillip's investment examples reflect the market and emerging technologies at the time this episode was recorded. Rather than treating those examples as recommendations today, I think the more interesting question is the one underneath them: Are you paying attention to where the world is changing? In this episode: How Phillip thinks about wealth Investing with curiosity Recognizing cultural and generational shifts Thinking about ownership differently Money, work and the value of your time Learning to trust your instincts while continuing to learn Family and generational wealth Why younger generations may approach success differently Building something that extends beyond you Join the conversation: When you think about building wealth now, what matters to you beyond simply making more money? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. This conversation is for general educational purposes only and is not investment or financial advice. Investment markets, products and technologies discussed in this archived episode may have changed substantially since it was recorded.

31: Your Version of Entrepreneurship Doesn't Have to Look Like Everyone Else's

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0000

For a while, I questioned whether I was really an entrepreneur. I owned a company. I had a multiple six-figure contract. But my business didn't look like the entrepreneurship I kept seeing online. I wasn't running funnels with thousands of leads coming through. I wasn't building the kind of business everyone seemed to be talking about on social media. My work still had structure and hours, and sometimes it felt a whole lot like being an employee. Eventually I had to stop comparing what I was building to what entrepreneurship looked like for somebody else. And then a couple of teenage entrepreneurs showed up at my front door. In this episode, I'm talking about authenticity, entrepreneurship and why there's no single version of what building a business is supposed to look like. I share the story of two young men who knocked on my door offering to wash my windows and proceeded to give me a miniature masterclass in communication, customer experience, branding and simply taking action. They had a process. They communicated when weather changed their schedule. They came back to finish the job. They even showed up in embroidered company shirts. And watching them reminded me of something important. You can spend a lot of time trying to look like an entrepreneur. Or you can get out there and do the work. In this episode: Why entrepreneurship isn't for everyone Questioning whether I was a "real" entrepreneur Comparing your business to what you see online Bringing your full self into the work The teenage entrepreneurs who knocked on my door What they taught me about communication and customer experience Taking action before you have everything figured out Making room for the highs and lows of entrepreneurship Showing up authentically in business, work and life And this isn't only about entrepreneurship. Whether you're building a company, working inside one, raising a family or figuring out what's next, constantly filtering yourself to fit someone else's expectation gets heavy. That's ultimately where this conversation lands. Chapters: 00:00 You don't have to look like everyone else 01:00 Entrepreneurship isn't for everyone 02:00 When I questioned whether I was really an entrepreneur 04:00 Tuning out what entrepreneurship looked like online 05:00 The teenage entrepreneurs who knocked on my door 07:00 A customer experience I wasn't expecting 09:00 Communication when things don't go according to plan 11:00 They came back to finish the job 12:00 Then they showed up branded 13:00 What they reminded me about taking action 14:00 Preparing for the highs and lows of entrepreneurship 17:00 What does authenticity look like for you? Join the conversation: Where in your life are you giving yourself more permission to show up as yourself instead of who you think you're supposed to be? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

30: The $3.5 Million Business Mistake That Changed Our Systems

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0000

We had a potential $3.5 million opportunity in front of us. The team had spent weeks preparing the proposal. Then, during my final review, I found one requirement we'd missed. And we couldn't submit. In this episode, I'm taking you inside one of the most expensive lessons I've experienced as a business owner. A required subcontracting provision had been overlooked earlier in our proposal process and by the time I caught it, we no longer had enough time to meet the requirement. I was frustrated. There were team consequences. But I also had to look at my own role as the leader. That mistake led us to tighten our proposal workflow, clarify responsibilities, build additional checkpoints into our systems and rethink how we capture lessons learned. Because sometimes the lesson isn't simply, "someone made a mistake." It's: What does the business need to change so this particular mistake is harder to make again? In this episode: The $3.5M opportunity we couldn't submit The requirement our team missed Making a difficult team decision My responsibility as the business owner Why CEOs still need visibility into the work Building stronger checkpoints into a workflow How we changed our lessons-learned process Turning an expensive mistake into a stronger operating system The mistake hurt. But the systems that came from it made the company stronger, and we hadn't experienced that same breakdown again at the time this episode was recorded. Chapters: 00:00 The multimillion-dollar mistake 01:00 The $3.5M opportunity 02:00 How our proposal process worked 04:00 Reviewing the proposal before submission 06:00 The requirement we missed 08:00 What changed after the mistake 09:00 Making a difficult team decision 11:00 Why I still need visibility as the CEO 12:00 Building lessons learned into the process 14:00 Relationships and the long-term play 15:00 The systems we put in place afterward 16:00 What has a mistake taught you? Join the conversation: What's a mistake you've made in business or life that caused you to change the way you operate? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

29: How I Actually Got Started in Government Contracting

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 04:00:00 -0000

I didn't start in government contracting by finding a solicitation online and suddenly winning a huge contract. My path started years earlier as a W-2 consultant working with government clients. I learned how larger consulting companies operated, eventually started my own company and later transitioned work I had been performing as an employee into subcontracting through my business. In this episode, I walk through that journey and some of the things I had to learn once I was operating on the business side, including payment terms, subcontracting, prime contractors and why having corporate experience didn't mean I automatically understood how the contracting side worked. I also share examples of how existing services can translate into government work. The bigger point is that government contracting isn't simply about finding an opportunity and submitting a bid. Relationships, positioning, patience and understanding how your business can solve a real need matter. Government contracting is a long-term play. In this episode: How I was introduced to government contracting Moving from W-2 consultant to business owner My first experience as a subcontractor Payment terms and lessons I didn't expect Prime vs. subcontracting opportunities Translating commercial services into government work A product contract I pursued simply to test what was possible Why relationships matter in GovCon By the end of the episode, I challenge you to look at what your business already does and consider how those capabilities might translate into another market. Chapters: 00:00 The truth about getting into government contracting 00:50 How I first entered the government contracting world 02:00 Closing one company and eventually starting again 04:00 Returning to government work before going out on my own 05:00 How I became a subcontractor 06:00 The payment terms I didn't know to expect 08:00 Prime contractors vs. subcontractors 10:00 What I learned about agreements and contract structure 12:00 Translating your existing services into government work 15:00 How financial and consulting services can translate 18:00 My unexpected product contract experiment 21:00 Why GovCon is a long-term play Join the conversation: What service or capability does your business already have that you've never considered offering in a different market? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. Note: This episode reflects my experience and the government contracting environment at the time it was recorded. Contracting rules, thresholds, programs and requirements can change. Verify current requirements through official government sources before acting.

28: Protect Your Business Before It's too late | Yasmine Salem Hamdan

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 04:00:00 -0000

You found the perfect business name. The Instagram handle is available. The domain is available. But does that mean you're legally in the clear? In this episode, I sit down with intellectual property attorney Yasmine Salem Hamdan to talk about the legal side of building a business that entrepreneurs sometimes put off until there's a problem. Yasmine breaks down trademarks vs. copyrights, what the TM and registered trademark symbols actually mean and why researching a name should happen before you invest heavily in building a brand around it. We also talk about contracts, making legal protection more accessible for entrepreneurs and why it's not necessarily too late to address the legal pieces you may have overlooked. And because business doesn't happen in a vacuum, our conversation also moves into motherhood, capacity and what it looked like for Yasmine to enter a new season of her business as her son started school. In this conversation: Trademarks vs. copyrights What TM and ® actually mean Why an available domain or social handle isn't enough Trademark clearance before investing in a brand Contracts and foundational legal protection Making legal information easier for entrepreneurs to understand Motherhood, capacity and changing seasons in business Chapters: 00:00 Why protecting your business can't wait 01:00 Meet Yasmine Salem Hamdan 02:00 How Yasmine found intellectual property law 05:00 Why entrepreneurs put off the legal side of business 07:00 Trademarks, copyrights and protecting what you create 10:00 The mistake entrepreneurs make when choosing a brand name 13:00 How a forced rebrand can happen 15:00 Motherhood and a changing season of business 17:00 Creating educational content with more capacity 19:00 Making legal information accessible to entrepreneurs Join the conversation: Have you ever thought about the legal protection behind the brand you're building, or is it something you've been putting off? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way. Note: This conversation is for general educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Intellectual property laws and requirements can change. Consult a qualified attorney about your specific circumstances.

27: What It Actually Means to Make a Bold Move

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 04:00:00 -0000

I call you a Bold Moves Bestie all the time. But what exactly is a bold move? For me, it isn't about making the biggest decision in the room or taking unnecessary risks. Bold moves are a way of life. They're how you show up. How you make decisions. How you speak up. How you respond to fear. How you allow yourself to take up space instead of shrinking back. And sometimes, a bold move looks surprisingly ordinary. In this episode, I'm unpacking what "bold moves" means to me through business, motherhood and everyday life. I share stories about watching both of my daughters make decisions for themselves. One chose to take an AP Government exam and earned a five. What mattered to me wasn't simply the score. It was that she chose the challenge for herself and got to experience what happened when she stepped into it. My younger daughter made a different kind of bold move. She researched a new cheer gym, decided she wanted to switch and eventually moved from being a flyer into a role she wanted as a side base. Again, my job wasn't to make the decision for her. It was to give her room to make it. And then there's business. Because bold decisions are much harder to make when everything behind the scenes is chaos and confusion. I talk about why your systems, communication, financial information, team management and backend operations matter. Not because having systems is the goal, but because having them gives you the ability to move when it's time to move. Being bold doesn't mean never being afraid. It means fear doesn't automatically get to make the decision. In this episode: 00:00 Why decisiveness matters 01:00 What "bold moves" actually means to me 02:00 Bold doesn't always mean revenue 03:00 Borrowing confidence when you need it 04:00 Making decisions even when you're not 100% certain 05:00 What bold moves look like in motherhood 07:00 Letting my daughter take on her own challenge 09:00 Giving my kids room to make their own decisions 12:00 What bold moves look like in business 12:30 How chaos and confusion slow down decision-making 13:00 Building a backend that allows you to move faster 14:00 Your next bold move Join the conversation: What's one bold move you've been thinking about that you know it's time to start making? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

26: How to Create a Vision That Actually Fits Your Life

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 04:00:00 -0000

You can have a big vision for your life and still have no idea how to turn it into something you can actually act on. In this episode, I'm breaking down how I think about vision planning and the eight areas I use to make a big vision more tangible. Because I'm naturally someone who wants things to move quickly. And one thing I've had to learn is that everything in the vision doesn't have to happen immediately. Some things carry over. Some things get paused. Some things change completely. And that's okay. Instead of starting with what someone else says your three-year, five-year or ten-year vision should look like, I walk through a framework you can use to think about what your life actually looks like. The eight areas I use are physical, spiritual, professional, desires, mental, relationships, financial and personal. Throughout the episode, I share what those categories have looked like in my own life, from creating realistic physical goals and being more intentional about my devotional time to growing my businesses, cultivating deeper friendships, thinking about finances as a tool for quality of life and pursuing personal goals like aviation. I also talk about something that doesn't get said enough in conversations about vision: It's okay to come back to something. There was a period when I intentionally paused one area of my business so I could focus on another. Later, I was able to revisit it. The fact that something isn't happening right now doesn't automatically mean it no longer belongs in the larger vision. Your vision can evolve with you. In this episode: 00:00 Why having a vision isn't enough 01:00 Turning the vision into something actionable 02:00 The eight areas I use to organize my vision 03:00 Why everything doesn't have to happen immediately 04:00 Physical goals and making them realistic 05:30 Creating a spiritual practice that doesn't feel like a checkbox 07:00 Setting professional goals that actually stretch you 08:00 Choosing a vision timeline that works for you 09:00 When pausing something is part of the plan 11:00 Making room for desires that don't fit neatly anywhere else 12:00 Mental health, rest and giving yourself space 13:00 Being intentional about your relationships 14:00 Thinking about money and quality of life 15:00 Personal goals that are just for you 16:00 Letting your vision evolve Join the conversation: Which area of your life feels clearest right now, and which one needs a little more vision? Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel. She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

Season 2 Extended Preview: Business Success with Expert Insights from CFOs, IP Attorneys & More

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Welcome back Bold Move Besties to She Built Success, where we’re leveling up and breaking through limits. I’m Claudia—entrepreneur, student pilot, business coach for small businesses in government contracting and passionate advocate for women defining their own success.

This season, we’re diving deep into strategies and stories that will push you to redefine what success looks like—on your terms.

I’m sharing more of my personal journey this season, from family life to the reality of taking off the cape as a woman who juggles it all. Plus, I’ll be joined by powerhouse guests—a video coach, IP attorney, CFO, wealth manager and acquisition strategist—who’ve built their legacies, navigated business challenges and are ready to share how they did it.

Whether you're an entrepreneur looking to scale, a small business aiming to break into government contracting or someone turning dreams into action, this season is packed with raw, unfiltered conversations and actionable strategies.

If you're ready for bold moves, real talk and insights that get results, hit subscribe. She Built Success is back—and we’re not holding anything back.

Season 2 Sneak Peek: Master Business Strategy, Wealth and Growth

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:20:12 -0000

In Season 2 of She Built Success, we’re diving deeper into actionable strategies, government contracting for small business and real talk that fuel long-term success.

Expect conversations with top industry experts—a video coach, IP attorney, CFO, wealth manager, and acquisition strategist—covering everything from scaling your business, protecting your intellectual property, managing finances and building generational wealth.

Whether you're an entrepreneur or small business owner, this season is packed with insights to help you redefine success and take your business to the next level.

Don’t miss out—subscribe now!

25: Season Finale: Best of She Built Success

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 04:00:00 -0000

In this "Best of" season finale episode of She Built Success, Claudia puts a spotlight on the top five most impactful episodes that have inspired our community. These episodes highlight moments where Claudia and her guests challenged the status quo, embraced authenticity, and redefined success on their terms.

Whether you’re a CEO, a busy mom, or someone navigating multiple roles, these standout moments will empower you to embrace your full potential and chart your unique path to success. Tune in as we revisit these game-changing conversations and reignite the drive to push beyond limits.

KEY POINTS:

- 1: Life According To Plan, Until It’s Not: My Untold Story

- 2: Why She Built Success

- 5: Deeper Into Claudia - My Gifts vs Good At

- 3: Personal Brand Strategy For Working Professionals with Stephen A. Hart

- 12: Building A Legacy Through A Luxury Travel Brand Part I with Lola Banjo

RESOURCES

[BLACK GIRLS FLY INC.] Ready to soar? Join us at Black Girls Fly as we reignite your passion for aviation and support you on your journey back to the skies. Follow us on Instagram at @BlackGirlsFlyInc and let's catch you in the sky!

[EXCLUSIVE] Ready to ditch the fluff and take action? Visit SheBuiltSuccess.com for exclusive downloads, resources, and bonuses to fuel your journey towards real success in both business and life. Let's grow and build together!

[VIP STRATEGY DAY] Ready to shift to scale? Visit SheBuiltSuccess.com and sign up for VIP strategy days to unlock your business potential and build a firm foundation for success.

[GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING] Ready to conquer government contracting without the overwhelm? Visit SheBuiltSuccess.com to explore our done-for-you service and let's make your success happen together.

Unlock your own successful story. Follow Claudia for more!

Claudia

LinkedIn | @claudia

IG | @boldlyclaudia

She Built Success is produced by EPYC Media Network

24: How I Decide What Gets My Attention in Each Season

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 04:00:00 -0000

“How do you do it all?”

I get asked that question a lot.

CEO. Mom. Partner. Nonprofit founder. Student pilot. And whatever other comma happens to come after my name in a particular season.

But the truth is, I don't do it all at the same time.

I prioritize.

In this episode, I’m walking you through one of the frameworks I was using to decide what actually needed my attention during a 12-week cycle.

I created a nine-box grid covering eight areas:

Physical.

Mental.

Spiritual.

Professional.

Relationships.

Financial.

Personal.

Desires.

The ninth box is where I track dates and progress.

But here's the part I had to learn.

When I first started doing this, I tried to fill every category.

Because apparently my interpretation of prioritization was still: Let's make everything a priority.

That didn't work.

Eventually I realized that some categories may get more of me during one 12-week cycle while something else gets less. A priority may even stay with me for multiple cycles.

That's the give and take.

At the time of this recording, for example, I had put flying on pause because my daughters' sports schedules needed more of my time. Becoming a private pilot still mattered to me. It simply wasn't getting the same attention in that season.

I also share how I use monthly reviews to look at what I intended to do, what actually happened and what needs to change.

Sometimes the answer isn't complicated.

Sometimes I didn't do something because I simply didn't feel like doing it.

And I think there's value in being able to admit that too.

A system shouldn't exist to make you feel bad about everything you didn't accomplish. It should give you enough visibility to decide what comes next.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:28 How I answer “How do you do it all?”

02:16 The nine-box prioritization grid I use

02:36 The eight areas I consider in each season

04:13 Why I stopped trying to prioritize everything at once

05:22 The category I added for my desires

06:21 How I review and track my progress

07:33 When something important has to go on pause

08:25 Adjusting when the plan doesn't actually happen

10:19 Choosing your priorities and getting started

If everything can't be the priority right now, what actually deserves more of your attention in this season?

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

23: Your Career Doesn't Have to Follow a Straight Line | Brittany Coleman

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Sometimes the pieces of your career don't make sense until years later.

In this episode, I sit down with Brittany Coleman, content studio owner, communications strategist and photographer, to talk about career changes, motherhood, entrepreneurship and what happens when skills you thought you'd left behind suddenly become useful again.

Brittany originally thought she was headed toward politics and law.

Then came communications and more than 15 years working across PR, branding and digital communications.

Eventually, the pace and demands of PR stopped fitting the life she wanted. She had become a mom. She didn't want the same travel schedule, late hours and constant pressure of asking, “What's next?”

So another version of her career started taking shape.

Photography. Digital content. Branding.

And then a skill from college resurfaced.

Brittany had minored in radio, television and film at Howard University, largely because changing her major would have delayed graduation. Years later, those lessons about video, lighting and production became directly relevant to the business she was building.

That's when we get into one of my favorite ideas from this conversation: the puzzle pieces.

Something you're doing today may not make sense yet.

It may simply be a piece you haven't had to place.

We also talk about Brittany's year-long process of opening her content studio, including going after the same space multiple times, losing it to another applicant and eventually getting the call that it was hers.

Then we get into raising a family without local family support, allowing different seasons of your life to require different things from you and Brittany's evolving definition of success.

For her, success stopped being primarily about what she could buy.

It became about owning more of her time.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:35 Meet Brittany Coleman

01:47 Being a woman with multiple roles and interests

04:24 How PR burnout led Brittany in a different direction

06:21 Moving from traditional PR into digital content

07:27 The college minor that became useful years later

08:38 The long road to opening her content studio

11:16 When the space finally became hers

12:51 Raising a family without family nearby

16:01 Why time became Brittany's definition of success

18:31 Bringing the pieces of her business together

20:12 What to do when you can't see how your own puzzle pieces fit

21:51 Closing thoughts

What's a skill, job or experience from your past that makes more sense now than it did when you were going through it?

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

22: You Are More Than One Title | Embracing Every Part of Who You Are

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 04:00:00 -0000

You are allowed to be more than one thing.

A mom. A partner. A CEO. A friend. A founder. A woman figuring something out. A woman who's really good at something else.

All of it can belong to you.

In this episode, I’m talking about what being multifaceted means to me and why I don't believe we have to shrink ourselves into one title just because it makes us easier for other people to understand.

And naturally, I start with a story about middle-school Claudia falling in front of an entire school bus while dressed like Dionne from Clueless.

I can still picture the outfit.

I can also still picture the fall.

But what I remember most is getting up and laughing.

That story may seem completely unrelated to business, motherhood or leadership, but there's something about that version of me that I've carried into every other part of my life.

I bring my personality with me.

That's part of being multifaceted.

I talk about how that shows up in motherhood, in my relationship, as a CEO, as a nonprofit founder and as someone who was learning to fly. I also talk about why being a CEO isn't only about strategy, systems and numbers. The relationships I have with the people on my team matter too.

Then we get into vision.

My goals have never existed in only one category. I think about business, family, relationships, faith, health, personal interests and the other pieces that make up my life.

That doesn't mean everything gets equal attention at the same time.

There is always give and take.

The goal isn't to have every part of my life operating at full capacity simultaneously. It's to understand what matters in the season I'm in without pretending the other parts of me stopped existing.

And there's a line from this episode that still captures it for me:

I am not defined by my life's circumstances. They only contribute to who I am.

We're a tapestry, not a single thread.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:27 What being a multifaceted woman means to me

00:44 The middle-school story I still remember

03:07 Why we don't have to fit into one title

03:47 Motherhood, relationships and bringing all of yourself

05:47 What being multifaceted looks like in leadership

07:47 Building a vision for your whole life

09:16 Being vulnerable and allowing yourself to be a work in progress

12:00 Why I chose entrepreneurship

13:15 The life circumstances that contribute to who we become

14:17 Showing up fully as yourself

Finish this sentence in the comments: I'm more than a ________.

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

21: The Tech Talent Gap Is Bigger Than Hiring | Jasmine Waring

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Getting people into tech is one thing. Creating an environment where they can actually succeed is another.

In this episode, I sit down with Jasmine Waring, CEO and co-founder of WinBridge Consulting, to talk about the tech talent gap, leadership, representation and what companies need to think about beyond simply hiring more people.

Jasmine didn't start her career in tech. After ten years in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry, she entered the tech industry during the pandemic and quickly noticed something.

There weren't many Black people around her, and even fewer Black women.

But representation wasn't the only issue.

She saw people from different backgrounds entering tech without necessarily having the support, development and infrastructure they needed to succeed once they got there.

That experience eventually became part of the reason she built WinBridge Consulting.

We talk about identifying skill gaps before someone is expected to perform, why talent development needs involvement from business leaders and how succession planning becomes increasingly important when experienced employees are leaving without a strong pipeline behind them.

And we clear up something I think is still worth saying:

Working in tech does not automatically mean coding.

Jasmine didn't come from a technical background. We talk about the importance of communication, collaboration, leadership and other transferable skills alongside learning the technology required for a particular role.

Then we take the conversation beyond business.

Jasmine shares what entrepreneurship looks like while raising teenagers, what she hopes her children learn from watching her make bold decisions and why her definition of success includes making an impact, solving meaningful problems and getting paid for the value you create.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:35 How Jasmine and I reconnected after more than a decade

01:19 The experiences that led her to build WinBridge Consulting

03:03 The skills gap she saw inside tech

04:34 Why talent development isn't only an HR responsibility

06:28 Representation, leadership and bringing different perspectives into tech

08:12 Succession planning and building the next talent pipeline

10:12 Why working in tech doesn't necessarily mean coding

12:06 How Jasmine defines success

15:20 Entrepreneurship, motherhood and letting your children see the journey

20:21 What Jasmine wants the next generation to understand about tech

22:13 Closing thoughts

What skill or experience do you already have that could transfer into an industry you've never considered?

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

20: The Systems I Use to Run My Business and Life

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Apparently, I have an operations brain.

I didn't know that was a thing.

I've always loved frameworks, systems, processes, data and knowing what happens next.

To me, structure has always felt like a natural part of getting things done.

Then I started talking to friends who work in operations and realized that the way my brain works isn't necessarily how every CEO's brain works.

So in this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of mine.

I share some of the systems I use to run my business, manage my team, track goals, capture ideas and create enough structure that everything doesn't have to live inside my head.

And yes, we need to talk about Airtable because I use it for almost everything.

Podcast management. Team information. Time entry. Company purchases. Goals. Content. Brain dumps. Workflows.

But this episode isn't really about convincing you to use Airtable.

It's about understanding what a good system is supposed to do for you.

For me, systems create visibility. They help my team know what's happening without needing me to repeat the same information. They help us track progress, move work through different stages and create a consistent experience for the people we serve.

I also talk about my data background and why I naturally look for patterns, trends and information that can help me make decisions.

And the systems don't stop at business.

I use structure in my personal life too. From family routines to grocery lists and household communication, there are small systems that reduce the number of things everyone has to remember.

That's really the point.

You don't need to systematize your entire existence.

But there may be one thing you're constantly remembering, repeating, chasing or rebuilding that could use a little more structure.

In this episode:

00:00 Why I wanted to talk about systems and frameworks

00:38 Discovering that I have an operations brain

01:45 What operations means to me

02:07 Why Airtable became one of my primary tools

03:53 How my data background shapes the way I build systems

05:12 How I track goals and ideas

07:34 Using systems to manage work across a team

09:00 Turning ideas into repeatable processes

10:45 Why writing things down matters to me

12:00 How systems create more flexibility, not less

16:01 The systems and routines I use at home

21:01 One place to start

What's one thing in your business or personal life that you're tired of having to remember, repeat or recreate? That's probably a good place to start building a system.

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

19: What Business Owners Need to Know About Tax Planning | Erica Whatley

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Tax planning shouldn't start when it's time to file your return.

In this episode, I sit down with my tax strategist, Erica Whatley, to talk about how business owners can think more strategically about taxes as their companies grow.

We start with newer businesses and the importance of understanding the foundation you've created. Why did you choose your business structure? What actually qualifies as a business expense for your company? Do you understand what came in, what went out and what the numbers are telling you?

Then we move into what changes as revenue grows.

Erica explains why tax planning becomes more involved as the business gets larger, why forecasting matters and why there isn't one magic revenue number that determines the right strategy for every entrepreneur.

A million-dollar company with two employees can look very different from a million-dollar company with nine.

And the business owner's personal circumstances and goals matter too.

We also talk about LLCs, S corporations and C corporations, what business owners should understand before making structural decisions and why educating yourself matters even when you have professionals helping you.

This conversation connects directly to the money-team discussion from the previous episode because having experts around you doesn't mean handing over responsibility for understanding your own business.

You still need to know enough to ask good questions.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:24 Meet my tax strategist, Erica Whatley

01:02 Tax planning at different stages of business

03:33 How tax planning changes as your company grows

06:07 Planning for revenue increases and decreases

07:17 Why forecasting matters

09:08 Product-based versus service-based businesses

10:44 Understanding different business structures

13:42 How Erica defines success

20:12 Building the right financial team around your business

25:28 Preparing for changes and continuing to educate yourself

What part of your business finances do you know you need to understand better instead of simply handing it off to someone else?

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18: The 3 People I Have on My Business Money Team

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0000

My money team didn't appear overnight.

I built it over time as my life, family and business changed.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the three people I have on my money team, what each person helps me think through and why I wanted my financial conversations to connect my business decisions with what I was building personally.

My money team includes a tax strategist, CFO and wealth manager.

But the story of building that team goes back much further.

After my husband passed, I knew I needed to think differently about finances, estate planning and what I wanted to build for my daughters. I met with a wealth manager, but I eventually realized I wanted something more cohesive than conversations about individual accounts or goals.

I wanted to be able to look at the full picture.

Years later, as I was rebuilding Capital Consulting Group, I started researching the people I knew I would eventually need around me.

One of those people was a CFO.

At the time, I wasn't ready to hire the person I wanted. So I literally put her name and role on a Post-it as part of the team I was working toward building.

Then I told her I’d be back.

A year later, I was.

In this episode, I explain how I think about the different roles on my money team, the kinds of conversations we have and why those conversations extend beyond simply looking at what came in and what went out.

We talk about projections, new business opportunities, taxes, personal goals, retirement, family planning and whether a potential opportunity actually makes financial sense for the Company.

I also share why my money team meets together quarterly.

Because I don't want three financial professionals giving me advice from three completely separate perspectives. I want us to be able to look at where we're going together, compare that against what we planned and adjust when something changes.

And if you're nowhere near having all three of these people yet, that's okay.

I didn't start there either.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

01:09 The three people on my money team

01:49 Why I started thinking differently about financial planning

03:19 How I chose my CFO before I could afford to hire her

05:00 What my CFO helps me think through

06:38 The role of my tax strategist

08:32 Finding the right wealth management relationship

11:00 Connecting personal and business financial decisions

13:59 Why my money team meets together quarterly

15:30 The relationships behind the numbers

17:15 Starting with the team you actually need

18:00 Closing thoughts

Who is already on your money team, and what financial perspective might still be Missing?

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17: When To Pivot in Business | Ava Williams

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0000

What happens when the business you never planned to start grows into something much bigger than you?

In this episode, I sit down with Ava Williams for a conversation about entrepreneurship, leadership, fear and what it takes to keep evolving as the business changes.

Ava didn't set out to become an entrepreneur.

She was questioning whether the work she was doing was what she wanted to be remembered for. She eventually took a sabbatical, went to flight school and started trying to figure out what was next.

Then former clients started asking if they could continue working with her.

The business essentially happened to her.

What started as a way to do meaningful work on her own eventually became a company with a team, multiple offers and a very different level of responsibility.

We talk about the shift from solopreneur to CEO, including learning how to manage people when you've never managed employees before, dealing with imposter syndrome and recognizing that growing a team also means knowing other families now depend on the company you're building.

Ava also shares something I think a lot of entrepreneurs need permission to consider: you get to decide what kind of entrepreneur you actually want to be.

A larger team isn't automatically the goal. Neither is staying solo. The question is what you're trying to build and what you want your life to look like alongside it.

And after years of pushing for more, Ava talks about entering a season where going slower started to feel like progress too.

In this episode:

00:00 Meet Ava Williams

00:33 How Ava found aviation

01:52 Moving through fear after a life-changing experience

02:29 Ava's connection to the beginning of Black Girls Fly

03:33 Bringing an engineering lens to organizational strategy

04:05 How Ava accidentally became an entrepreneur

08:52 Going beyond surface-level organizational change

12:22 Redefining success as the company grew

15:30 Why entrepreneurship exposes your weak areas

15:54 Going from solopreneur to leading a team

18:20 When flexibility becomes part of success

19:58 How relocating affected Ava's business

23:17 Entering a season of going slower

27:24 What Ava wants other entrepreneurs to remember

28:44 Closing thoughts

Has the business you have today become different from the one you originally thought you were building?

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

16: Why I Started Black Girls Fly | Turning a Personal Dream Into a Bigger Mission

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Black Girls Fly started with a dream.

Literally.

About ten years before I founded the nonprofit, I had a dream that involved two things that probably won't surprise anyone who knows me: a purse and travel.

But the part I couldn't forget was being driven across a tarmac toward a private jet.

Years later, I was sitting around the dinner table with my family when my daughters could easily name my partner's hobbies but couldn't name mine.

That conversation eventually led me back to aviation.

At first, this was personal. I wanted something that was mine, and learning to fly became that thing. But while researching aviation and becoming a student pilot, I started looking more closely at representation in the industry.

That's when the idea became bigger than me.

In this episode, I’m sharing the story behind founding Black Girls Fly, Inc., why I wanted to focus on women who may have put aviation on hold for family, career, finances or life and the vision I had for creating more than a one-time scholarship.

I wanted to help create a path.

I also talk about something that nearly delayed the nonprofit longer than necessary: my own fear.

I had formed companies before, but establishing a nonprofit felt different. I got caught up worrying that one decision on the paperwork could limit what Black Girls Fly could eventually become.

The vision wasn't the problem.

I was afraid of getting the execution wrong.

Eventually I had to submit the application anyway.

This is the story of how something that began as a personal interest became a mission I knew needed to extend beyond me.

In this episode:

00:00 Reigniting dreams in aviation

00:56 The dream that eventually led me back to flying

02:20 How a family conversation changed something for me

03:36 When my aviation hobby became a bigger mission

05:26 The original vision for Black Girls Fly

06:00 Building the nonprofit and getting stuck in my own head

08:24 When fear delayed action

10:01 Why I wanted women to reconsider the dreams they'd paused

12:20 Building something that wasn't supposed to happen overnight

13:35 Representation and the impact of seeing someone who looks like you

15:00 Why your “why” matters

What dream or interest have you put down because life took you in another Direction?

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

15: What No One Tells You About Building a Creative Business | Keshia White

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Sometimes the year after your best year doesn't go the way you thought it would.

In this episode, I sit down with Keshia M. White, founder of White House Branding Studios, for a transparent conversation about what building a creative business actually looked like behind the polished websites and branding.

Keshia started learning web design while she was still working in corporate. What began with creating a website for her own lifestyle blog eventually became a skill she developed, practiced and turned into a business.

But it wasn't an overnight transition.

She shares what those early years looked like, why she financially prepared before leaving corporate and how it took several years of full-time entrepreneurship before the business really started performing the way she wanted.

Then came a year that challenged the formula she'd built.

After a strong year, Keshia expected to keep doing what had been working. Instead, leads slowed down and she had to rethink how she was generating business. That meant adding cold outreach, taking on agency work, networking differently and finding new ways to create opportunities.

We also talk about the lessons that don't always make the entrepreneurial highlight reel: overspending on coaching, learning to manage business finances, understanding your numbers and realizing that good work, strong client experiences and relationships can matter more than constantly looking for the next strategy.

And because Keshia is a UX designer, we get practical too. She explains what user experience actually means and why a good website should make it easy for visitors to understand what to do next.

In this episode:

00:00 Meet Keshia White of White House Branding Studios

00:55 How Keshia defines success

02:12 Learning web design while working in corporate

04:39 Preparing financially to leave her job

06:02 When the business formula that worked stopped working

11:07 What UX design actually means for a website

14:10 Learning to manage the money behind the business

18:25 Thinking about what comes next for the agency

22:06 Keshia's advice for other small business owners

25:33 Closing thoughts

Have you ever reached a point where what used to work in your business suddenly stopped working? What did you change?

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14: How I Built My Consulting Business and Got Into Government Contracting

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0000

I knew I wanted to own a company before I really knew what owning a company meant.

In this episode, I’m taking you back through the path that eventually led me to consulting, government contracting and building Capital Consulting Group.

And it definitely wasn't a straight line.

I talk about going from being the student who rarely had to study to struggling academically when I got to college. I share how someone took a chance on me for an internship even though my GPA didn't meet the stated requirement and why I reached back out years later to thank him for seeing something beyond the numbers.

That internship also became part of a much larger strategy for me.

I knew I eventually wanted my own company, so while I was working inside a Fortune 500 company, I was paying attention. I watched how they hired, onboarded people, built systems, managed projects, worked globally and structured teams.

I wasn't only doing my job. I was studying how companies worked.

Eventually that path took me into consulting and then government contracting, where I had another learning curve waiting for me.

I also talk about something I believed then and still think is important now: government contracting can be simple to understand without being easy to execute.

There is research, relationship building, strategy, patience and infrastructure behind the contracts people sometimes make look effortless online.

This episode is less about a formula for winning contracts and more about the experiences, decisions and lessons that shaped the business I ultimately built.

In this episode:

00:00 Why government contracting isn't as easy as it can look

00:33 Knowing I wanted a company from an early age

01:25 Why I chose corporate before entrepreneurship

02:39 The internship that changed my trajectory

05:48 What I learned inside a Fortune 500 company

08:00 My move from corporate into consulting

11:46 How I entered government contracting

14:29 The realities behind pursuing government contracts

17:41 How those experiences shaped Capital Consulting Group

24:51 What I'd tell someone considering this path today

25:33 Closing thoughts

What experience from an earlier part of your career are you still using in the way you build today?

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

Note: This episode reflects my experience and perspective at the time it was recorded.

Government contracting requirements, programs and processes can change, so always verify current requirements with the appropriate government source.

13: Building A Legacy Through A Luxury Travel Brand Part II with Lola Banjo

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0000

What does it take to build a brand you hope will still matter long after you’re gone?

In Part 2 of my conversation with Lola Banjo, founder and creative director of Silver & Riley, we get into the story behind building the luxury travel brand and the kind of legacy Lola wants it to leave.

First, she tells me where the name Silver & Riley actually came from.

“Silver” connects to her mother, who called Lola her “silver baby” after going out of her way to find the silver jewelry Lola wanted as a child. “Riley” represents the future and the family Lola hopes to build. Together, the name connects the legacy she inherited with the one she’s creating.

Then we get into what building the company has really required.

Lola shares how she approached more than 100 manufacturers trying to find someone willing to produce her designs. When emails and phone calls weren't working, she went to Italy eventually hired a translator and started showing up at factories.

It took 136 rejections before she found the right manufacturing partner.

And that wasn't the end of the hard parts.

We talk about manufacturing problems, financial losses, lessons she had to learn through experience and why those setbacks strengthened her commitment to building a company rooted in quality and integrity.

Lola also shares her vision for Silver & Riley becoming a legacy brand, why supporting other women entrepreneurs is part of that vision and what changed when her brother decided to leave what he was doing to help build the company alongside her.

Because there’s building a successful business.

And then there’s building something you hope can exist beyond you.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:21 Continuing my conversation with Lola Banjo

00:45 The story and legacy behind the name Silver & Riley

04:39 What it really took to build a luxury brand

08:24 136 rejections and choosing to keep going

13:54 Lola's vision for creating a legacy brand

16:44 Supporting and investing in women entrepreneurs

19:43 When building the company became a family legacy

24:03 Making room for life while building something big

28:18 Why self-belief matters when other people can't see the vision

33:07 Closing thoughts

What are you building today that you hope can live beyond you?

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She Built Success explores the stories behind what we build through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth.

12: Building A Legacy Through A Luxury Travel Brand Part I with Lola Banjo

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 04:00:00 -0000

What happens when your definition of success changes while you’re still building?

In this episode, I sit down with Lola Banjo, founder and creative director of luxury travel brand Silver & Riley, for a conversation that starts with business but quickly becomes something much bigger.

And I came into this one as a real customer.

I discovered Silver & Riley on Instagram before I knew Lola. I bought the Convertible Executive Bag, experienced the brand for myself and eventually got to know the woman behind it. So we start there.

Then Lola takes us into how her definition of success has evolved.

She talks about reaching a point where constantly being busy no longer felt like something worth celebrating. She began questioning what she wanted her life to represent, what actually mattered to her and what she needed to remove to make room for the things connected to her purpose.

We also talk about what makes a brand feel human.

From handwritten notes to carefully considered packaging, Lola explains the intention behind creating a customer experience where people can actually feel the care that went into it. And she shares what it means when customers stop long enough to tell her they Noticed.

That leads us into a larger conversation about connection, kindness and how something incredibly small can have an impact you may never know about.

Because sometimes building something meaningful isn't only about the product.

It's about how people feel because they encountered you.

In this episode:

00:00 Meet Lola Banjo of Silver & Riley

00:25 How I discovered Silver & Riley before meeting Lola

02:01 How Lola defines success

07:02 When your definition of success and purpose evolves

15:59 The impact and growth of Silver & Riley

17:42 Why Lola still writes handwritten customer notes

24:04 Human connection, kindness and the small things people remember

29:06 Closing thoughts

She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

Has your definition of success changed as you've gotten older? What matters now that didn't matter as much before?

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11: Success Is More Than Achievement | My 7-Part S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Framework

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Success means something different depending on the season of life you're in.

So instead of defining success only by money, titles or achievements, I created my own framework for thinking about the bigger picture.

And because I love a good acronym, of course it spells S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

In this episode, I’m walking through seven things I believe contribute to a successful life:

S: Self-awareness

Know who you are, what matters to you and what success actually means to you.

U: Unplug

Create space to step away, get quiet, pray, reflect or simply slow down long enough to hearyourself think.

C: Commitment

Decide what matters in this particular season and give it enough time to see what happens

instead of immediately moving on when something gets difficult.

C: Community

Success isn't built alone. Think about the faith, family, friends and people who make up your support system.

E: Effectiveness

Look at what's working. Measure your progress, make adjustments and focus on getting better rather than using the numbers to beat yourself up.

S: Sacrifices

Everything can't have equal priority at the same time. Sometimes one thing has to pause so something else can receive more of you. I think about this as give and take rather than trying to make everything perfectly balanced.

S: Sow Seeds

Success isn't only about what you achieve for yourself. It's also about how you give back, mentor, encourage, help and pour into other people.

In this episode:

00:00 Why I created my own definition of success

00:59 Self-awareness

01:51 Unplugging and finding what brings you peace

03:37 Committing to what matters in this season

04:56 Building your community and support system

05:47 Measuring effectiveness without tearing yourself down

06:56 Understanding sacrifice and give and take

08:51 Sowing seeds and giving back

10:15 Putting your own definition of success into practice

If you had to define success for the season you're in right now, what would make your list?

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10: The 5 Types of Friends You Need as You Grow

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Making friends as an adult is different.

And if you’ve experienced disappointment in friendships before, opening yourself up to new relationships can be even harder.

In this episode, I’m talking about adult friendship, reciprocity and something I’ve had to examine in my own life: Who do I actually need around me as I grow?

Some of my experiences with friendship go all the way back to childhood, and those experiences affected how I approached relationships as an adult. I talk about the hesitation that can come from being disappointed before, why meaningful friendships require intentionality and why I don't think one friend has to fulfill every role in your life.

Instead, I break down five types of friends I believe we need:

The praying friend. Someone who supports you spiritually.

The check-in friend. The person who genuinely wants to know how you're doing.

The business growth friend. Someone who understands what you're building and can support your growth.

The vision-sharing friend. Someone you can safely share your ideas, dreams andaspirations with.

The cross-check friend. The person willing to challenge you, tell you when you're wrongand give you honest feedback.

Because building success is one thing.

Having meaningful people around you while you build it is another.

We also talk about reciprocity, communication and the reality that healthy friendship can'tconsistently be one person doing all the reaching, checking and giving.

For this one, I would skip timestamps unless you still have the original episode transcript. The file we have is your Success Notes rather than the full transcript, so I don'twant to manufacture chapter times that aren't supported by the source.

She Built Success goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the stories behind what we

build. Through conversations about business, leadership and personal growth, we talk about the decisions, challenges and experiences that shape success along the way.

Which of these five friends do you have in your life? And which one might be missing? Tell me in the comments.

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9: Why Estate Planning Matters for Your Family, Business & Legacy | Shakisha Morgan

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Estate planning isn’t only about what happens when you die. It’s about protecting the people, responsibilities and life you’re building right now.

In this episode, I sit down with estate attorney Shakisha Morgan, also known as The Legacy Counselor, to talk about estate planning, family, faith and what it really means to be intentional about your legacy.

Shakisha was actually my estate attorney, so this conversation is personal for me too.

We talk about why estate planning isn’t reserved for people who are wealthy or older.

Shakisha explains how the process forces you to think about the people who matter to you, your finances, your health, your children, your business and the decisions that would need to be made if you weren’t able to make them yourself.

But this conversation goes beyond legal documents.

Shakisha also shares what entrepreneurship, motherhood and marriage have taught her about priorities. One of my favorite parts of our conversation is her definition of success in this season: becoming comfortable with disappointing people.

Not because other people don’t matter, but because everything that matters to them doesn’t have to become a priority for you.

In this episode:

00:00 Meet Shakisha Morgan, The Legacy Counselor

01:10 Why estate planning matters for everyone

02:30 Protecting the life you’re already building

05:02 Entrepreneurship, motherhood and being intentional with your time

07:18 Getting comfortable with disappointing people

09:19 When to revisit your estate plan

10:30 Why so many people avoid estate planning

11:43 The connection between faith and legacy

14:04 Closing thoughts

This conversation is for general educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Estate planning laws and requirements vary. Consult a qualified attorney about your individual Circumstances.

What are you building today that you want to make sure is protected tomorrow?

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8: How I Built a Team That Could Grow With My Business

Wed, 29 May 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Building a team isn’t simply about finding people who can do the work.

I learned that the people you bring into your business need to make sense for where the company is now, where it’s going and the culture you’re trying to build along the way.

In this episode, I’m sharing how I approached building my team as my company moved from startup toward scale, including some of the decisions I got right and some I had to learn through experience.

I talk about hiring contractors versus employees, building systems around the team, using goals to create visibility without micromanaging and why I believe relationships matter just as much as roles.

Because your team isn't a collection of job descriptions.

These are people helping you carry a vision.

I also get into the less comfortable parts of leadership: realizing someone may no longer be the right fit, having difficult conversations, allowing roles to evolve and dropping the ego enough to hear when your team sees something you don't.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:42 How I think about building an A+ team

03:13 Systems, processes and accountability

05:18 Hiring for the stage your business is actually in

06:38 What I learned from hiring too quickly

07:49 Building a team that can evolve with the company

09:00 Why leaders need regular conversations with their team

11:03 Celebrating people beyond their performance

12:40 Handling conflict and difficult team dynamics

14:11 Why your team has to support the larger vision

19:57 A three-month exercise for evaluating your current team

At the center of all of this is something I still believe strongly: business relationships shouldn't become completely transactional. Your people matter.

Look at the team you have today and where you're trying to go next. What role, relationship or responsibility may need to change?

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7: When Did You Stop Doing Things Just for You?

Wed, 22 May 2024 04:00:00 -0000

My kids could name my partner’s hobbies. Then I asked them to name mine.

Crickets.

That dinner-table conversation made me realize something: somewhere between motherhood, business, family and everyday responsibilities, I had gotten away from doing things simply because I enjoyed them.

So I went looking for a hobby.

And somehow I ended up learning to fly.

In this episode, I’m talking about why I chose aviation, what having something that belongs to me has given me and why I think we sometimes lose pieces of ourselves inside the roles and responsibilities we carry.

This is especially for the moms. Being a mom can be one of the most important parts of who you are without being the entirety of who you are.

I’m also challenging you to think beyond what we sometimes label as self-care. A manicure, bubble bath or night on the couch may give you a chance to relax. But what do you genuinely enjoy doing? What interests you?

What gives you something to learn, explore or look forward to that isn't attached to work or someone else's needs?

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:23 The dinner-table conversation that made me rethink my hobbies

01:25 Why family dinners matter to me

02:20 How aviation became my hobby

04:25 When motherhood and responsibility consume your interests

06:23 Remembering who you are beyond your roles

09:14 How to start rediscovering what you enjoy

11:33 Making space for yourself on the calendar

15:19 Hobbies I've loved throughout different seasons

21:37 Why everything you enjoy doesn't need to become productive

23:40 Finding something that belongs to you

So I’m asking you the same question I had to ask myself: What’s your hobby? Tell me in the comments.

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6: The Importance of Mental Health & Relationships As Leaders with Marilyn Dyson

Wed, 15 May 2024 04:00:00 -0000

What happens when achievement keeps moving forward but your mental health doesn’t get the same attention?

In this episode, I sit down with mental health and wellness professional Marilyn Dyson for a candid conversation about mental health, leadership, relationships and what it means to protect your inner peace.

Marilyn shares her journey from working as a psychotherapist to consulting with leaders and organizations. We talk about what she has seen among high-achieving professionals, including stress, burnout, difficult workplace conversations and the tendency to keep climbing without knowing when to step away.

We also get into something that extends well beyond work: knowing who you are as your life changes.

Marilyn shares her experience as a single mom entering the empty-nester stage, why she believes everyone needs a North Star and how giving yourself permission to change can be part of growth rather than evidence that you’ve gotten off track.

And when I ask Marilyn what success looks like for her, her answer is simple: inner peace.

In this episode:

00:29 A candid conversation about mental health

01:31 Marilyn's journey from psychotherapy to consulting

03:15 Mental health, leadership and workplace wellness

05:14 Understanding the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

12:47 Why inner peace is part of Marilyn's definition of success

16:52 Identity, changing seasons and finding your North Star

19:39 Giving yourself grace when your direction changes

23:19 Why the people around you matter

24:07 What it really means to love yourself

Mental health resource: If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health, suicide or substance use crisis in the U.S., call or text 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

What does protecting your inner peace look like in this season of your life? Tell us inthe comments.

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5: Are You Living in Your Gifts or Just Doing What You’re Good At?

Wed, 08 May 2024 04:00:00 -0000

What if the thing you’re really good at isn’t actually your gift?

In this episode, I’m getting more personal about a question I was wrestling with at the time:

What’s the difference between what I’m good at, what I’ve been gifted to do and what I’m actually called to do?

I know I’m good at strategy, systems, data, research and finding patterns.

Those skills have shaped my career and business. But I was beginning to question whether being good at something automatically meant I was supposed to keep building my life around it.

That led me into a much bigger conversation about purpose, faith, control and learning to listen when the path ahead isn’t completely clear.

I also share some of the experiences that have shaped the way I think about purpose, including being born four months premature, my tendency to want everything structured and what I was learning about surrendering some of that control.

Because sometimes the question isn’t, “Can I do this?”

It’s, “Is this actually mine to do?”

In this episode:

00:00 Getting to know me beyond the titles

02:40 The difference between gifts and what I’m good at

04:24 How my story shaped the way I think about purpose

06:31 When your skills and your gifts aren't the same thing

08:32 Faith, control and learning to surrender

09:21 What I was learning about purpose and alignment

13:04 Following what keeps pulling at you

16:09 An exercise for identifying what you actually enjoy

What are you good at that you’re beginning to realize may not actually be your gift?

Tell me in the comments.

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4: How to Get Started in Government Contracting | Small Business Strategy

Wed, 01 May 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Thinking about government contracting but not sure where to begin?

In this episode, I’m breaking down some of the strategy behind getting started in government contracting and sharing lessons from my own experience building a company in the federal contracting space.

We’re getting into NAICS codes, registrations, certifications, agency research, past performance, subcontracting and some of the resources you can use to better understand the government market.

But there’s a bigger point I want you to take away from this conversation: government contracting is not easy money.

It takes research, strategy, relationships, persistence and a willingness to play the long game. I’m walking you through some of the things I considered when deciding which agencies to pursue, why I believe relationships matter and how you can start thinking more strategically about whether government contracting makes sense for your business.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:47 Getting started in government contracting

02:17 Understanding NAICS codes and registration

04:25 Certifications and where they fit

07:13 Resources for researching opportunities

10:22 Identifying agencies strategically

13:32 Why relationships matter in government contracting

17:24 Prime vs. subcontracting opportunities

18:50 What it really takes to pursue government work

Note: Government contracting programs, requirements, thresholds and online resources can change. Use this episode as a strategic starting point and verify current requirements with the appropriate government agency before taking action.

If you’re building something of your own, subscribe and join me for more conversations beyond the highlight reel.

3: How to Build a Personal Brand While Working a 9-to-5 with Stephen A. Hart

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0000

You may already be the go-to expert at work. The question is, do people outside your company know it?

Personal brand strategist Stephen A. Hart joins Claudia to talk about building visibility around the expertise you already have, especially when you're still working a 9-to-5.

They unpack what personal branding actually means, why it isn't simply a logo or polished profile and how working professionals can use LinkedIn and content to make their expertise more visible without pretending to be someone they're not.

You'll also hear practical ways to identify your content pillars, share your expertise in bite-sized ways, create consistently without posting every day and begin thinking about how your knowledge could eventually create opportunities beyond your job.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

02:53 Stephen's personal brand journey

06:06 What personal branding actually means

10:55 Creating authentic content on LinkedIn

12:45 Building a brand while working a 9-to-5

16:20 Making content creation simpler

16:40 Why consistency matters more than complexity

21:16 Using LinkedIn to increase your visibility

24:12 Turning expertise into an offer

26:54 Defining success beyond money

What expertise are you known for at work that more people should know you for? Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe for more conversations about business, leadership, personal growth and everything that happens behind the build.

2: What Does Success Actually Look Like for You?

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0000

What does success look like when you stop defining it by someone else's standards?

In this episode, I’m digging into the reason I created She Built Success and why I wanted a space where we could talk about more than one dimension of who we are.

I’m a CEO, mom, partner, student pilot and nonprofit founder. Those parts of my life don’t exist independently of one another. And I don’t believe success does either.

So we’re talking about what it means to define success for yourself, both personally and professionally. I share why I don’t believe in balance, what I’ve learned about asking for help and why the version of success you’re pursuing today doesn’t have to be the version you pursue forever.

I also give you an exercise you can use to get clear about where you are, where you want to go and whether the life you’re building actually reflects what success means to you.

In this episode:

00:00 Welcome to She Built Success

00:32 Why I created She Built Success

01:39 The multifaceted approach to success

02:03 Building community and making bold moves

04:01 Redefining personal and professional success

08:27 Creating your own path

10:51 Getting clear about what success looks like

13:56 Why your definition of success should evolve

So here’s my question for you: What does success look like for you right now? Tell me in the comments.

Subscribe to She Built Success for more conversations beyond the highlight reel.

1: When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan | My Untold Story

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0000

What happens when the life you planned changes in an instant?

In this first episode of She Built Success, I’m sharing a deeply personal part of my story. At 28, with two young daughters, I unexpectedly lost my husband and found myself navigating grief, motherhood and a future that suddenly looked nothing like the one I had planned.

But this conversation isn’t only about loss. It’s about what happens after life changes the plan.

I’m sharing what moving forward looked like for me, why I’ve never wanted my circumstances or titles to define me and how some of the hardest moments in my life shaped the way I think about purpose, family and success today.

Because one thing I’ve learned is that our circumstances can contribute to who we become without getting to define who we are.

In this episode:

00:00 Welcome to She Built Success

00:23 From marriage to unexpectedly becoming a single mom

01:09 The day everything changed

06:37 Navigating grief and moving forward

13:03 Embracing life's unexpected turns

14:30 Living purposefully beyond titles and circumstances

20:09 Why She Built Success exists

If this conversation gave you something to think about, subscribe and join me for more conversations beyond the highlight reel.

Find more from She Built Success at SheBuiltSuccess.com.

She Built Success | Extended Trailer

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0000

Welcome to She Built Success! I'm your host, Claudia, your Bold Moves Bestie through this adventure of embracing our multifaceted selves.

Do you ever find yourself questioning if there's more to life and business than just grinding through the motions? I know I have. That's why I'm thrilled to invite you on this transformative journey, where we'll explore what it truly means to step boldly into our full potential.

In this trailer episode, I want to introduce you to the essence of She Built Success. It's more than just a podcast—it's a movement. As a CEO, mom, partner, student pilot, and nonprofit founder, I understand the complexities of balancing various roles and aspirations. And guess what? You're not alone.

She Built Success is a platform where we break free from surface-level conversations and dive deep into actionable strategies that lead to tangible results. Together, we'll challenge the status quo and redefine success on our own terms.

I firmly believe that as women, we are inherently multifaceted. We're not limited to just one role or identity. We have the power to be CEOs, comedians, partners, friends, confidants, and so much more—all at once. So why confine ourselves to a narrow box when we're capable of so much more?

Join me as we embrace our authenticity, celebrate our diversity, and support each other's journeys toward success. Together, let's shatter stereotypes, push boundaries, and pave the way for a brighter, bolder future.

Are you ready to make bold moves? Then let's embark on this empowering journey together. Welcome to She Built Success.

RESOURCES

[VIP STRATEGY DAY] Ready to shift to scale? Visit SheBuiltSuccess.com and sign up for VIP strategy days to unlock your business potential and build a firm foundation for success.

[GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING] Ready to conquer government contracting without the overwhelm? Visit SheBuiltSuccess.com to explore our done-for-you service and let's make your success happen together.

Unlock your own successful story. Follow Claudia for more!

Claudia

LinkedIn | @claudia

IG | @boldlyclaudia

She Built Success is produced by EPYC Media Network

She Built Success Trailer

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 15:36:00 -0000

Welcome to She Built Success! I'm your host, Claudia, your guide through this adventure of embracing our multifaceted selves.

Are you ready to make bold moves? Then let's embark on this empowering journey together. Welcome to She Built Success.

RESOURCES

[VIP STRATEGY DAY] Ready to shift to scale? Visit SheBuiltSuccess.com and sign up for VIP strategy days to unlock your business potential and build a firm foundation for success.

[GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING] Ready to conquer government contracting without the overwhelm? Visit SheBuiltSuccess.com to explore our done-for-you service and let's make your success happen together.

Unlock your own successful story. Follow Claudia for more!

Claudia

LinkedIn | @claudia

IG | @boldlyclaudia

She Built Success is produced by EPYC Media Network