Shows
What WorksDrifting Toward the Status QuoIf you’ve ever chosen an ambitious, unconventional, or deeply meaningful aim only to see your plan devolve into something far more run-of-the-mill, this one is for you.Footnotes:Read the essay version of this episode."AI Can't Even Turn On the Lights" on The VergecastAbout OpenAI"Applying Systems Archetypes" via The Systems ThinkerSam Altman saying we've "surpassed" the definition of AGI from 5 years agoMore from Tara on AI:"What is a search engine? Or, Anne Leckie versus the 'Well, Actually' Bros""Always Be Optimizing""Black Box Thinking"
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2025-10-2318 minWhat WorksDelightful Misdirection (Or How to Rethink Your Options)How we think about a problem or goal really matters. The variables we include, the relationships we draw between them, the flows of influence or resources—they change the interventions we choose. They change what interventions might even be possible.Today, an episode about crosswords, coffee shops, and rethinking your assumptions.☞ By the way, just 3 spots remain in this cohort of Making Sense! Registration closes September 12, but I expect those spots will be spoken for by then. If you want to communicate with more clarity, help others rethink their assumptions, and make a bigger impact with...
2025-09-0421 minWhat WorksWe Can't Quit Turning Leisure Into More WorkI'm pretty sure The New York Times is trolling me.Footnotes:Read the written version of this episode."Hobbies Too Relaxing? Try 'Leisure Crafting'" by Lora Kelley in The New York Times"Research: How 'Leisure Crafting' Can Help You Recharge" by Alexander B. Hamrick, et al., in Harvard Business Review"Our Yearning for Competence" by Tara McMullin"Always Be Optimizing" by Tara McMullinSelf-Help, INC by Micki McGeeTurn your meaningful ideas into remarkable media—and help others make sense of chaos. Join me for Making Sense. We start September 16!
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2025-08-2108 minWhat Works3 Ways I Make Sense of the Unexpected & PerplexingIn the last episode (written version), we talked about how "sensemaking starts with chaos" and that chaos arises when our expectations don't match reality. That mismatch occurs because the mental model we have that creates our expectations doesn't work for the situation at hand. To alleviate the frustration (or at least make sense of it), we need a new mental model.Well, in this episode, I want to share 3 mental models that I use to make sense of things that frustrate people I care about.These models aren’t even the tip of the iceberg wh...
2025-08-0730 minWhat WorksEP 499: Reduction in ForceNo job is safer than a government job, right? Well, not anymore. At least not in the US. I’m paying special attention to the fight over government jobs (or, as the administration might put it, “bloat and inefficiency”) because it’s part of a more comprehensive narrative project—one that shapes how we think and talk about work, and therefore think and talk about who we are and how we fit into society. Questioning the narrative that government workers are lazy or that bureaucracy is bloated and unnecessary is one way to question the narratives we perpetuate...
2025-07-1719 minWhat WorksINTERLUDE: The Pleasure & Promise of Re-ReadingI wanted to drop in with a quiet interlude about re-reading (or re-watching, or re-listening) and its value in a world obsessed with new and different.Footnotes:Read the essay version of this episode."Murderbot Gets Us In Ways Humans Don't" by Tara McMullin on Motley Bloom"Broken Links" by Tara McMullinLiquid Modernity by Zygmunt BaumanCapital is Dead: Is This Something Worse? by Mackenzie Wark
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2025-06-2611 minWhat WorksEP 498: Breaking The Validation SpiralWhy is it that it seems like no amount of work, accolades, or achievement is enough? Why do we keep signing up for more, even as our capacity becomes ever more depleted? Why do we settle for mediocrity when we yearn for excellence?In today's episode, I revisit an idea from my book—the validation spiral—and provide a framework for understanding why we become stuck in it and how we can break free. Add to that a healthy dose of Audre Lorde's feminist theory, and you've got a satisfying mental model for rethinking your commitments.Summ...
2025-06-0524 minWhat WorksEP 496: What to Do When Things Get MessyNo matter how fastidious you are about creating and executing a plan, working toward any big goal will require adjustments. No matter how diligent you are about documentation and maintenance, any process will break down over time. The work we do is always changing—whether because of the people we work with, the market we operate in, or the cultural context our work is received in. Even when it seems like smooth sailing is just one standard operating procedure away, things will shift.That can feel like failure, or at least like you're not doing quite as we...
2025-05-2220 minWhat WorksEP 494: How Structure Transforms Ideas"I have so many thoughts and not enough time to think them," I recently blurted out to my husband. For me, "thinking thoughts" means scribbling notes or writing messy paragraphs about whatever is on my mind. Of course, no one wants to read my scribbles or suffer through my unrefined musings. So once I've spent some time thinking thoughts, I have to figure out how to organize them. To structure them. To narrate them.That's what today's episode is all about. Whether or not you're a writer, content creator, or other media maker, I know that thinking...
2025-05-0123 minWhat WorksEP 492: How We Realize Higher Values Through Enabling StructuresIntractable challenges are often the result of a lack of imagination. That is, our solutions are constrained by existing systems and structures that likely created the problem in the first place. To dream up novel solutions that allow us to realize higher values, we need to build structures that enable and extend our imaginations.And sure, I'm talking about macroeconomic, climate, and political challenges. But I'm also talking about our day-to-day work and family lives.Footnotes:Read the written version of this episode."The WPA Federal Music Project in New Mexico"...
2025-04-0326 minWhat WorksEP 489: Temporal BandwidthThis episode is about the long term—the commitments, projects, and relationships we can work on when our "temporal bandwidth" widens. How we perceive time and our ability to do what's meaningful to us in time does have to be constrained by the urgency of now. There are ways to feel more grounded and create more possibilities at the same time.Footnotes:Read the essay version of this episode.The Steerswoman by Rosemary KirsteinOn Freedom by Timothy SnyderBreaking Bread with the Dead by Alan JacobsHow to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell"Practicing the Future" by Tara Mc...
2025-03-0615 minWhat WorksEP 488: Honeydew (Or, 3 Biases That Derail Remarkable Projects)Most of the work I do that's not this revolves around coaching, editing, and/or thinking with people who have meaningful ideas they want to better express to the world. In this work, the question I hear most often is about making sense of a complex idea—the kind of idea that contains many smaller, supporting ideas and stories and research. The sort of complex idea best expressed in a lengthy essay, a book, a podcast series, or a documentary.How does one make a plan for tackling that kind of idea? How does one get started wr...
2025-02-2719 minWhat WorksEP 486: How Knowledge Really Does Become PowerWhat does my new website, the TikTok "ban," and the ongoing purge of "woke" from government websites have in common?The power to decide what content counts and what doesn't—and use that power to shape the knowledge and experiences of others.In this episode, I continue to examine the state of The Website today. Amidst a backdrop of diffuse epistemic violence, the website is both an archive and a communication tool we can use to preserve the knowledge and ways of knowing we care about. In the second half of the episode, I share a...
2025-02-1326 minWhat WorksEP 485: Broken LinksI'm back! Maybe you noticed or maybe you didn't—but the show (and my newsletter) has been on its longest hiatus since its inception. In the final quarter of 2024, I decided I wanted to (re)consolidate my web presence, abandon most "platforms," and breathe some new life into my work. This episode reflects on both my own challenges with wrangling my online presence and the ways the state of the web has made it extra challenging. While there’s a lot to complain about when it comes to social media platforms and the billionaires wreaking havoc in onli...
2025-02-0641 min
The Divorce Survival Guide PodcastEpisode 286: Autism and Relationships with Tara McMullin (Neurodivergence in Relationships)Tara McMullin, creator of What Works and the co-founder of YellowHouse.Media, shares her journey of receiving an autism diagnosis at 38 and its profound impact on her relationships. She explores the concept of 'biographical illumination,' revealing how understanding her diagnosis has brought clarity and validation to her life. Tara also discusses the intricate dynamics of 'masking' and emotional communication in relationships. Together, we explore the importance of recognizing and respecting personal boundaries, advocating for mutual understanding, and navigating the complexities of being autistic. Featured topics: How being diagnosed with Autism at 38, transformed Tara's p...
2024-08-2253 minWhat WorksEP 469: Building Solidarity in the Creator Economy with Kate Tyson & Charlie Gilkey"How do I want to live?" Philosopher Rahel Jaeggi says this question is bound up in the concept of alienation. Our disconnection and dissatisfaction keep us from answering that question—but they also keep us from asking it in the first place.So in this episode, Kate, Charlie, and I ask that question—and five more. We examine how work in the creator economy can reinforce competition and individualism when what we really need is solidarity and collective action. If you're curious what you can do to join with others for your own success and theirs, this epis...
2024-04-1834 minWhat WorksEP 468: Figuring Out the Creator Economy with Charlie Gilkey & Kate TysonIt seems the creator economy is booming. Or is it?And what even is the creator economy??Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TechTalk are quite happy to advertise the ways they support creators with features and advice. Their aspirational creator hubs give the distinct impression that becoming a creator is akin to getting paid to be yourself.But that said, when Kate Tyson told me that she doesn’t think the creator economy should exist but that she couldn’t put that in writing, I told her she was wrong—about not be...
2024-04-1150 minWhat WorksEP 459: Sorry, self-promotion doesn't workLast week, Vox published an article by internet culture reporter Rebecca Jennings about how everybody needs to be a self-promoter now—and we all hate it. Then, I read a response by writer and book coach Leigh Stein, who was quoted in the Vox piece, in which she admitted to actually enjoying creating her social media content. Stein said that she was considerably more optimistic about the state of things than Jennings article was.I found the exchange fascinating. I find it hard to disagree with either of their perspectives! And Stein wasn't really disagreeing with Jennings ei...
2024-02-0628 minWhat WorksEP 456: Reprogramming Our Source CodeWhy is it that our bodies and brains tend to function on so much outdated code? Our personal algorithms and mental shortcuts are often stuck in a different time and place. We jump to conclusions or inadvertently flood our systems with cortisol because some stray line of code gets triggered.In this episode, I examine the tricky way that our beliefs have a way of creating our reality—not just describing it. What we believe ends up being what we see. Case in point: work-life balance.Footnotes:"Religion as a Cultural System" by Clifford Gee...
2024-01-1620 min
What WorksEP 451: An Inbox Full of LiesOver the next few weeks, I've got something a wee bit different for you! This is the very first edition of Cold Pitch, an experimental media project from YellowHouse.Media. Cold Pitch explores media, curiosity, and identity through a variety of forms and methods. In this first edition, Sean McMullin (my husband & partner at YellowHouse.Media) and I talk about, well, cold pitches. A cold pitch, simply put, is a request to a stranger to do something for you. Podcasters deal with cold pitches every single day. Most are terrible. Not only are they irrelevant and poorly...
2023-11-3030 min
Strange New WorkThe Time to Change with Jordan Maney and Joanna L. CeaToday's work happens in tiny slivers of time. And we try to optimize each minute or hour for all its worth. But remarkable work? Well, that takes time. And lots of it. The kinds of work that are central to our evolving economy—care work, maintenance work, creative work—require more time rather than more optimization. In this episode, I consider how viewing work through the long-term lens can help us reimagine projects and systems in a way that's more just, equitable, and beneficial for all involved.Footnotes:Find out more about Jordan Maney Follow Jordan on Su...
2023-09-2834 min
Care Work with Alida Miranda-WolffAdding Value: Care Work Within the Digital Information Economy with Tara McMullin - EP 13What’s the last digital product you wish you hadn’t bought? From paid newsletter subscriptions to full-fledged how-to guides on making your first million, too few online offerings these days are created with enough care to be helpful to those who consume them.In this episode of Care Work, Tara McMullin—host of the What Works podcast, author of the book of the same name, speaker, and business strategist—discusses her exploration of how we make a living in this digital age, the continued corporate disinterest in paying for care work, and how entrepreneurs can incorporate intentio...
2023-09-2633 min
Strange New WorkWorld-Building a More Sustainable Work Environment with Morgan Harper NicholsArtist and writer Morgan Harper Nichols is a world-builder. She says, "Worldbuilding, for me, [is] a form of expansive hope—a necessary imagination for being alive." What is world-building? It's the process of creating secondary, fictional worlds. There's world-building in all sorts of fiction—but especially science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy.And world-building as a practice—a necessary imagination—can be a tool for mapping a better work environment, too.Footnotes:Find out more about Morgan Harper Nichols on Substack, her website, and Instagram.Read the piece that inspired this conversation.The Years of Rice...
2023-09-2128 min
What WorksEP 444: World-Building a More Sustainable Work Environment with Morgan Harper NicholsThis is the second episode in my new series, "Strange New Work." Artist and writer Morgan Harper Nichols is a world-builder. She says, "Worldbuilding, for me, [is] a form of expansive hope—a necessary imagination for being alive." What is world-building? It's the process of creating secondary, fictional worlds. There's world-building in all sorts of fiction—but especially science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy.And world-building as a practice—a necessary imagination—can be a tool for mapping a better work environment, too.Footnotes:Find out more about Morgan Harper Nichols on Substack...
2023-09-2128 min
Make It KickassReimagining Digital Communities with Tara McMullinHow do we honor our humanness when engaging with others, especially in an increasingly anti-human landscape? Join us as we welcome Tara McMullin, a renowned writer, podcaster, and producer who has spent over a decade investigating the future of work. Tara shares her evolving perspectives on work, business, and how she navigates this complex landscape through her writing. From the challenges of leading an online community to reimagining community in a digital age, Tara offers valuable insights on fostering connection in today's world. Guest BioTara McMullin is a writer, podcaster, and producer who has...
2023-09-1851 min
What WorksStrange New Work Starts September 14!Join Tara McMullin for a journey into the far future of work, and consider how we can create more humane, inclusive, and supportive work environment. The first episode of Strange New Work drops September 14! You can find Strange New Work wherever you listen to podcasts—and each new episode will drop in the What Works feed, too!Support the show at: whatworks.fyi Strange New Work is brought to you by What Works with Tara McMullin and YellowHouse.Media.
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2023-09-0802 minStrange New WorkIntroducing Strange New Work from What WorksJoin Tara McMullin for a journey into the far future of work, and consider how we can create more humane, inclusive, and supportive work environment.The first episode of Strange New Work drops September 14! Support the show at: whatworks.fyiStrange New Work is brought to you by What Works with Tara McMullin and YellowHouse.Media.
2023-09-0702 minWhat WorksEP 437: Leaving the Cult of Never Enough with Manisha ThakorAt age 50, Manisha Thakor realized that she'd sacrificed her life at the altar of work. How did that happen? And what was she to do about it? Manisha's new book tackles how to unwind a toxic relationship with work and money.Footnotes:MoneyZen: The Secret to Finding Your Enough by Manisha ThakorFind out more about Manisha ThakorAlienation by Rahel JaeggiCapitalism and Desire by Todd McGowanWhat Works by Tara McMullinNEW: I’m teaching a 12-week training program for coaches, managers, consultants, and guides of all kinds starting in September. The program is called Work In Pr...
2023-08-0329 minWhat WorksEP 430: Why Does Authenticity So Often Feel Fake?What gets labeled as "authentic" is often quite predictable. It's a market-compatible expression of what was once something unique or personal. Authenticity is a vibe—and a valuable one at that."Predictably unique" is how David A. Banks defines authenticity in his book, The City Authentic. Authenticity, or what's "predictably unique," describes how culture, place, and style are packaged to become recognizable—and, therefore, consumable—to a general audience.And while Banks's interest is in the politics of urban planning, his analysis spoke to a question I've pondered for almost as long as I've been a V...
2023-06-1524 minWhat WorksEP 429: Maybe bigger isn't better?On June 8, Skye Pillsbury opened the latest edition of her newsletter, The Squeeze, with the header RIP Gimlet. She continued:I’m heartbroken over the news that Spotify has laid off another 200 podcast employees, though I’m not shocked.— Skye Pillsbury, The SqueezeI devoured Alex Blumberg's Startup when it first came out, which was about a year before I started podcasting. Then, I inhaled Reply All when it launched, and despite its later troubles, was genuinely moved by its final episode. I lapped up Blumberg's earnest interviews with entrepreneurs on Without Fail. I even had the pr...
2023-06-1215 min
What WorksEP 424: How the Game We Play Changes Our Work“This cancerous economic principle means that executives and venture capitalists have abandoned the concept of value within a business. Through decades of corporate greed, production has become almost entirely separated from capital, meaning that executives (and higher-ups) are no longer able to understand the nature of the businesses they are growing.”— Ed Zitron, “Absentee Capitalism”This might sound weird—but most companies today aren’t in the business it appears they’re in. Netflix isn’t really in the content business. Facebook isn’t in the social media business. Etsy isn’t in the handmade marketplace business...
2023-05-1123 minWhat WorksEP 423: This is Not Advice: What can I do to grow my audience?Today’s quick episode is a sample of something I’m creating for paid subscribers to What Works. I’m calling it my “This is Not Advice” column. Or, TINA for short. Not to be confused with TINA a la “there is no alternative”—if you know, you know.Paid subscribers not only receive this subscriber-directed content, but they also have the chance to, well, direct the content! When you’re a paid subscriber, you can write in with a question, topic, or observation that you’d like my take on—some added context here and some sideways...
2023-05-0814 min
What WorksEP 422: The "Risks" of Losing What You Never Had with Nathalie LussierWhat does a bad movie from 1992, loss aversion, Steinbeck, pizza, farm animals, and the founder of a software company have in common? Well, you’ll find them all in this episode.This episode will take you places. I don’t want to spoil it. So suffice it to say, this episode is all about questioning why we act the way we do when it comes to how we scale up (and scale down) our dreams. Footnotes:Learn more about Nathalie Lussier and AccessAllyFar and Away (1992 film)Oklahoma land rush...
2023-05-0437 min
What WorksEP 413: The Economics of Getting (And Paying) Attention: Part 2This is Part 2 of The Economics of Getting (and Paying) Attention. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, I highly recommend starting there!In today’s episode, I explore the “right to publicity” and the value of celebrity as an economic condition. From there, we get into how audience-building businesses gain efficiency by vertically integrating media, ads, and offers and how micro-media creators often leverage monopoly power to charge exorbitant prices.Footnotes:“New wellness price point just dropped” Conspiratuality Instagram postThe World After Capital by Albert Wenger (available free)“The Audience Commodity and...
2023-02-1435 min
What WorksEP 408: The Economics Of Big (and Small) Decisions with Hillary ReaWelcome to “The Economics of…”—a new series from What Works. In this series, I’ll be exploring how economic concepts and frameworks can help us run our businesses or manage our careers. Each episode will have some fundamental economics education and a case study to make each concept tangible. Today, we’re tackling a pretty fundamental economic concept: opportunity cost. Opportunity cost helps us understand what we have to give up in order to get what we want. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, it is. But opportunity cost asks us to dig deep to discover t...
2023-01-1032 min
Unleashing YOUR Great WorkWhat Works for Great Work With Tara McMullin | UYGW053Join Tara McMullin and Dr. Amanda Crowell as we discuss:How our culture creates a need for more, more, moreHow to help our children avoid the burnout and overworking programming from the startHow to use technological tools as tools, instead of as further indications that we aren’t doing things rightHave you ever felt like you needed more? More money, more prestige, more status, and more accomplishment? In this week’s podcast episode Tara McMullin, the author of What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal-Setting, helps us peek behind the curta...
2023-01-1041 min
What WorksEP 403: Have your values been hijacked?The shelves are full of products that promise to fulfill your values: ecofriendly, independent, cooperative, woman-owned, Black-owned, sustainable, etc. And right on! Unfortunately, not every product that claims to align with your values really does. Often, values-marketing is more about maintaining the status quo than it is about doing things differently. That’s what I call “values hijacking.”Values hijacking occurs on the consumer level, but it also occurs on the cultural and political levels. Marketing, government policy, incentive structures, and cultural norms can all short circuit our critical thinking about what action to take.On tod...
2022-11-221h 12
What WorksEP 402: How do you crack the code on goal-setting?What is a goal really? What purpose does a goal really serve? And is that purpose truly benefiting us, the goal-setters?These are big, messy questions. But they are far from abstract. Our answers to these questions—whether we know it or not—shape the way we work and live on a daily basis. This intermediary space—the space between philosophical questions and practical implications—is a place I happily hang out in all day long. Luckily, I know someone who likes hanging out in that place as much as I do!His name is Charlie...
2022-11-151h 03
Free Time with Jenny BlakeExploring Time, Money, and Energy Capacity with Tara McMullin and Charlie Gilkey (Replay)Do we really all have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé? That’s our tongue-in-cheek title, pulled from Tara McMullin’s new book, What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal Setting, for a recent Spotify Live conversation.In this replay, Charlie Gilkey, Tara McMullin, and I explore the nuances of calculating time, money, and energy capacity so that we don’t tip into boredom or burnout. We share strategies for saying no, and discuss the costs of saying yes when we shouldn’t.One caveat: pardon our less-than-perfect audio quality! Because we’re cal...
2022-11-0858 min
What WorksEP 401: Do we really all have the same 24 hours?Do we really have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé? Yes. And no. And… it’s complicated.There is a never-ending stream of advice about how to make the most of your time. And honestly? Most of it is just bullsh*t. That’s because there is no way to hack yourself or your work to produce more in less time if your emotions are fried, your energy is drained, or you’re dealing with the effects chronic illness.This conversation—originally broadcast as a Spotify Live—is an unflinching look at what it means to consider our...
2022-11-081h 02
Free Time with Jenny BlakeProcess, Permission Slips, and Business Pivots with Tara McMullinWhat do you do when your business model is no longer working for you? When your current income streams and activities are not just tiring but draining you to the point of exhaustion? My guest today, Tara McMullin, is someone I have long admired for her willingness to question dominant narratives about how things should be done, instead emphasizing what works for each individual person and business.In this conversation, Tara shares her journey of making one of the toughest decisions in her business. As heart- and gut-wrenching as it was to make, it freed her energy...
2022-11-0158 min
What WorksEP 400: The Power of PracticeIt’s been almost exactly 7 years since this podcast first launched as Profit. Power. Pursuit. Since then, we’ve produced 400 regular episodes (with some bonuses here and there). You know, I’ve written many more than 400 blog posts and emails. But we don’t number those—plus, they are published across different sites on the web, so I never have a handled on just how many times I’ve hit “publish.”400 episodes is a lot. It’s more than the vast majority of podcasters will ever make. The only reason I bring that up is because today’s episode is about t...
2022-11-0127 minWhat WorksEP 389: Context Clues: Does everyone need a personal brand?Personal brand development is now a mainstay of college career preparation. Young social media influencers are well-versed on the language of personal branding. It seems cultivating your personal brand is a prerequisite for navigating the 21st-century economy. Public image has a long history, of course. But how has our relationship with ourselves changed since we started to put so much effort into emphasizing the most marketable parts of our identities? This episode tackles the history of personal branding, the labor of self-branding, and why so much value is being created in the “social factory.”Footnotes:“Sentimental ‘Greenbac...
2022-07-0530 min
What WorksEP 388: Extra Context: Not Getting Paid“You could make money with that!” That’s probably the first thing you hear when someone discovers you’re an excellent baker, or designer, or potter. Even if your hobby is collecting super hero figurines, someone has probably suggesting “monetizing” that interest. There is all sorts of historical, economic, and sociological context for this. But in this episode, I talk with someone who typifies not getting paid for what you love to do: my husband, Sean McMullin. You’ll hear how Sean’s extended family in Utah and Montana, as well as his time living in an Iñupiat village in rural...
2022-06-2821 min
Time & MoneyWhy do we choose squeezing more in instead taking time off?In the final episode of Time & Money: why we choose to squeeze more in over taking time off. I share how The Squeeze works, why work gets more intense over time, and some of the economic incentives that keep us from making different choices.Resources:“Feeling The Squeeze? Why Your Business Feels So Tight” by Tara McMullin“Busy vs Squeezed: How To Tell The Difference & Why It Matters” by Tara McMullin“Economic Possibilities For Our Grandchildren” by John Maynard KeynesCapitalist Realism by Mark FisherProtestant Ethic & The Spirit Of Capitalism by Max Weber“When Time Is Money: Contested Rati...
2022-05-0228 min
Time & MoneyWelcome to Time & Money: A What Works Special Series“Time is money.” It’s a phrase we take for granted in the 21st century. Every hour of the day is a potentially monetizable unit. It’s another client you can serve, another social media post you can create, another trip you can drive, invoice you can send, or errand you can run.Ben Franklin penned the phrase “time is money” back in the 18th century. It’s a sort of semiotic turning point from the piety of vocation—the heart of the Protestant work ethic—to the pragmatic striving of industrialized capitalism. Both t...
2022-05-0202 min
What WorksEP 379: Why do we choose squeezing more in over taking time off? (Time & Money 8)
I’m bringing our Time & Money series to a close this week by exploring why we choose squeezing more in over taking time off. I share how The Squeeze works, why work gets more intense over time, and some of the economic incentives that keep us from making different choices.
Resources:
* “Feeling The Squeeze? Why Your Business Feels So Tight” by Tara McMullin* “Busy vs Squeezed: How To Tell The Difference & Why It Matters” by Tara McMullin* “Economic Possibilities For Our Grandchildren” by John Maynard Keynes* Capita...
2022-03-2928 min
Work Less, Earn MoreEP 102: 7 Simple Business Models For Small Business Owners with guest host, Tara McMullinWhen I started working on starting my online business, it was because I was running away from the business that I already had.Essentially, I was breaking up with my current business and my online business was a bit of a rebound. What I wanted out of my online business was flexibility and freedom. I wanted to know how to make as much money with as little effort as possible and in those rebound days, I was susceptible to anything that sounded like what I was looking for.It...
2022-01-1751 minWork Less, Earn MoreEP 100: What I've Learned and What's Changed About Podcasting Over 100 Episodes with Tara McMullinWelcome to Episode 100!For this milestone episode, I thought it would be fitting to share some of the things that I’ve learned over the course of the last hundred episodes.I took on this project with some knowledge and strategy, and I’d been creating content on the internet for years, but I still had a lot to learn. So today, I’m going to share the top three things I’ve learned over the last two years of running the podcast.And I’ll be...
2021-12-201h 01
What WorksEP 364: The Abundant Value of Virtual Assistants with Janice Plado Dalager
In This Episode:
* Consultant and virtual assistant Janice Plado Dalager joins Tara for a conversation about the unique skill set that virtual assistants and other support professionals bring to small businesses* How VAs end up mistreated by entrepreneurs—and the gendered and racialized components of these relationships that make mistreatment more likely* Why emotional labor is an undervalued skill for support pros, as well as why it should be a key part of how this work is compensated* How small business owners can check their own behavior to make these working re...
2021-11-2354 min
What WorksEP 355: Cash Flow Is A Feminist Issue
In This Episode:
* Tara explains how using a system-thinking approach to money makes it easier to invest in the growth of your business* Why cash flow is a 3-dimensional way to think about your business’s money* How the different components of a cash flow system work together to create a desired outcome* Why managing for cash flow creates the conditions to live out feminist values in your business
It’s easy to think 2-dimensionally about the money in your business: revenue and expenses. But 2-dim...
2021-09-2125 min
What WorksEP 354: Making Sales A System With Coach Pony Founder Christie Mims
In This Episode:
* Why Coach Pony founder Christie Mims uses 2 “competing” sales funnels to accommodate for different ways of buying* How she melds both sales automation and a human approach to produce 7+ figure sales* The nuts & bolts of what both sales funnels entail and how they actually work together* Plus, why Christie’s approach is inspiring but, ultimately, might not be the best approach for you
How reliable are your sales?
How steadily do new customers buy? How loyal are your retain...
2021-09-1448 min
What WorksEP 353: Dancing With Systems In Clickup With Lou Blaser & Sean McMullin from YellowHouse.Media
In This Episode:
* Why Sean McMullin & Lou Blaser, from YellowHouse.Media, switched their project management software from Notion to Clickup (and why it’s not the right move for everyone!)* How they’ve reduced their podcast management procedure from 75 sub-tasks to 11 umbrella tasks* Why streamlining the procedure has allowed them to bring a more customized approach to each podcast they produce* How focusing on the system behind podcast production has helped them create a lot more capacity for new clients
A couple of months back, I re...
2021-09-0759 min
What WorksEP 347: Carving Out Space For Creative Work With The Autonomous Creative Founder Jessica Abel
In This Episode:
* Why Jessica Abel believes carving out space to work on experimental and creative projects is key* The strategy she recommends for buying the time you need to do creative work* How she measures creative projects in “developmental markers” and “success markers”* And why she’s committed to building a team that helps her make room for big picture thinking and creative projects
It’s one thing to get your business to a point that’s stable and sustainable.
It’s another t...
2021-07-2057 min
What WorksEP 346: Finding The Right Blend With Financial Behaviorist Jacquette Timmons
In This Episode:
* Why financial behaviorist Jacquette Timmons is more interested in finding the right blend that finding a balance between work and life* How she approaches the way she engages with work to stave off burnout* Why rest is part of the work she does* How the structure of a business contributes to whether we’re able to find the right blend for ourselves
Reminder, this month, Tara is taking a break from hosting and handing the mic over to her husband & business partner, Sean McMullin:
2021-07-1339 min
What WorksEP 345: Putting Your Business In Maintenance Mode With ScaleSpark Founder Susan Boles
In This Episode:
* Sean McMullin asks Break The Ceiling host Susan Boles what she’s learned about creating a business that runs itself* Why maintenance mode is key to creating the space to experiment and try out new ideas without breaking your business* How to view your business in smaller pieces to create your own minimum viable maintenance mode* Why creating the systems you need to take a break before there’s a crisis is critical
This month’s series is all about “taking a break”—so Tara is taki...
2021-07-0637 min
What WorksEP 340: Managing As An Introverted, Anxious, and Autistic Boss: Tara’s Interview On The Rebel Therapist With Annie Schuessler
In This Episode:
* How I decide what roles to hire for (and why understanding our team structure is key)* When it’s time increase capacity by hiring versus fixing messy operations* Why you don’t want to clone yourself to get more done* How product and operations can overlap to creating some really exciting opportunities
When I say I’m an introvert, I mean I’m a hardcore introvert.
People don’t believe me when I say that because I’m loud and ent...
2021-06-0852 min
No BS Agency PodcastEP 55: Tara McMullin on What Simplification in Business Looks Like in Practice and Playing the Role You Want to Play While Having Fun With It
What have you overcomplicated in your business recently?
Are you trying to solve problems by adding more to your plate rather than taking something off?
It’s not just you. There’s a human tendency to add and look for more things to do whenever we have a problem that needs solving, when subtraction might be the best solution.
Add a culture where what we do is who we are, and overwork is treated as equivalent to good work, and it’s easy to see how that t...
2021-05-271h 09
What WorksEP 333: Simplifying Social Media Content Creation With Andréa Jones and Tara McMullin
What Works is all about exploring what’s really working for small business owners.
Because there are a lot of assumptions and misconceptions about what it takes to build a stronger business.
This week, I’m bringing you something a little different. It’s an interview that I did for Andréa Jones’s podcast, The Savvy Social Podcast.
Andréa and I are both on a mission to bust some of the assumptions that people have about what’s good for business...
2021-04-2754 min
What WorksEP 325: When Opportunity Meets Sustainability With Tara McMullin
What if your biggest opportunity didn’t involve doing more but doing less?
What if scaling back and simplifying wasn’t only a way to make your life better but a way to build a more successful business, too?
This month on What Works, we’re exploring opportunity—how we discover it, how we decide to pursue it, and what we do to take advantage of it.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how we are prone to waiting until “opportunity” comes to us ni...
2021-03-0224 min
What WorksEP 315: How I’m Planning For 2021 at What Works & YellowHouse.Media
In This Episode:
* What Works founder Tara McMullin shares how she’s planning for 2021 at both What Works & YellowHouse.Media, as well as how she’s allocating her resources to better serve her teams* The 3 commitments she’s made to guide her personal and leadership choices throughout the year* The Strategic Priorities her companies are focusing on to move forward and what projects she’s working on to make it all happen!* Plus, Tara’s unconventional take on goal-setting & sticking with her plans
Welcome to the first...
2021-01-0531 min
What WorksEP 302: Connecting With Confidence with Brand Builders Academy Creator Suz Chadwick
I started my very first blog back on Xanga in 2003.
I might be your internet grandma.
I used my Xanga blog to share what I was thinking about my senior year of college and process a lot of the reading that I was doing about my field of study, contemporary and postmodern Christian theology.
It was also full of personal updates and the musings of a 21-year-old young woman.
Through my Xanga blog, I got to connect...
2020-10-1346 min
What WorksEP 300: Celebrating A Milestone With Emily Thompson, Elsie Escobar, Jessica Kupferman & Tara McMullin
This is our 300th episode of What Works!
To celebrate, What Works host Tara McMullin and top podcasters, Emily Thompson (Being Boss), Elsie Escobar (The Feed, She Podcasts), and Jessica Kupferman (She Podcasts) came together for a live podcast recording.
We looked back at 2020 and shared what we’ve learned about ourselves, our shows, and our businesses.
Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us over the last 5 years!
***
Emily Thompson, ho...
2020-09-291h 06
What WorksBONUS: Refining How I Offer Business Support Over The Long-Term
Hey, it’s Tara McMullin, and this is a special bonus episode of What Works, the show that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how small business owners take decisive action to build a stronger business.
This is the third and final episode in a series on how I’ve approached creating and delivering value through the products and services I’ve offered over the years.
In the first episode of the series, I shared how my most recent offer, a live program called The Commit...
2020-08-2016 min
What WorksBONUS: Why We Chose Productized Services For YellowHouse.Media
In This Episode:
* Why Sean and Tara McMullin chose to “productize” their full-service podcast production offer at YellowHouse.Media… and what productized services actually are* What’s included in the package they offer–and why they don’t often custom or a la carte services* How the productized service model allowed them to quickly create a small group coaching program to increase their capacity and serve more clients
Hey! It’s Tara McMullin and this is a special BONUS episode of What Works—the show that takes you b...
2020-08-1313 min
What WorksBONUS: How I Created 2 New Offers When People Asked Me, “What’s Next?”
In This Episode:
* How a significant life change for What Works founder Tara McMullin turned into an idea and then several iterations of offers* The process Tara used to turn The Commitment Blueprint process into a free webinar, then a paid template, and finally a live paid program* How a similar process is helping Tara and the What Works team continue to evolve how The What Works Network is structured* And why asking “What’s next?” doesn’t have to mean creating a brand-new offer but, instead, iterating on what you’re already...
2020-08-0613 min
What WorksEP 283: Taking Stock Of Our Evolving Relationships To Money with Tara & Sean McMullin
In This Episode
* The single most important lesson Tara McMullin learned about money in the last 5 years* How that lesson rippled through her business and personal development as a leader* Why this lesson also led with taking stock of how much her sense of credibility was tied to the money she makes* How Sean McMullin is asking new questions about money and his relationship to it now that he’s a business owner, too* What his experience with collectivism has inspired him to consider as the business (and bank account) grows
2020-06-021h 06
What WorksEP 273: The Tools We Use To Run a Podcast Production Agency with YellowHouse.Media Co-Founders Sean and Tara McMullin
In This Episode:
* Sean and Tara McMullin, co-founders of YellowHouse.Media share the tools they use to run their podcast production agency* Sean shares the value of templates across a variety of tools* Tara sheds light on some of the “magic” tools that help them make standout podcasts* And they both share what’s working when it comes to tools for managing stress & anxiety right now
When I started my business over 11 years ago, the only tool I worried about was WordPress.
My...
2020-04-071h 11
What WorksEP 272: Making Your Brand Personal With Stasia’s Style School Creator Stasia Savasuk
My brand is more “me” than ever.
Which is funny because, up until 2017, my brand was my name.
That year, I made a conscious effort to move away from my personal brand and build out a company brand, something that could represent an idea that was much bigger than me.
At that same time, I started to do some significant personal work. I drank less. I ate better. I started moving my body. Later, I did a heap ton of mindset work...
2020-03-3143 min
What WorksEP 271: Brand-Building Is More Important Than Ever
People are still spending money.
It’s a message I’ve shared over and over again over the last 2 weeks. Not everyone is spending money… and not everyone has the money to spend. But plenty of people are still investing in goods and services that will make their lives and businesses better.
And along those lines, my friend Mark Butler shared some great insight with his audience last week after investing in a program–even in the midst of our current economic situation.
...
2020-03-2624 min
What WorksEP 257: End-Of-Year Mailbag Episode With Tara McMullin
We’ve had a helluva year here at What Works. We’ve talked to over 100 small business owners, published more than 80 episodes, and tackled 12 different themes this year.
What Works is special because we focus on the people who are making their businesses work every single day.
We believe we all have a lot to learn from each other—and the more honest & transparent we are about how our marketing, operations, tools, product development, or sales processes work, the better chance we all have for succes...
2019-12-241h 02
What WorksEP 240: Leveraging Commitment To Find What Works With Tara McMullin And Big Dreams Bold Moves Host Malia Russell
The Nitty-Gritty:
* How What Works founder Tara McMullin realized that business had gone off track* Why she chose to pivot to a building community-oriented business support network instead of offering coaching or online courses* What mistakes she made along the way and how she changed course to correct them* Why “steadfast commitment” is her barometer right now
I turned 37 last month.
I certainly don’t get worked up about getting older nor am I one for big birthday celebrations or rituals.
2019-10-011h 06
What WorksEP 232: Scaling From The Start With Yellow House Media Co-Founders Sean & Tara McMullin
The Nitty-Gritty:
* Why Sean & Tara McMullin are starting a second company, Yellow House Media, and keeping scale in mind from the get-go* How they’ve prioritized doing every task like they’ll have to do it again tomorrow* Why they’re keeping future hires in mind while they document processes* The importance of considering an exit strategy earlier than you’d ever expect
Big businesses start small, too.
Today, we’re kicking off a month focused on...
2019-09-0351 min
What WorksEP 226: Showing Up With Confidence With Tell Me A Story Founder Hillary Rea
The Nitty-Gritty:
* How Hillary Rea, founder of Tell Me A Story, discovered her love of rich and nuanced storytelling* What she does to help new storytellers find more confidence in themselves and their ability to perform* What triggered a recent crisis of confidence and how its helping her move forward with growing her company* Why she’s channeling the confidence she feels in other aspects of life to provide the support she needs
I shared my own crisis of confidence a few months back on In...
2019-08-1342 min
What WorksEP 223: Confusing Confidence and Status With What Works Founder Tara McMullin
I opened my email and saw the message that brightens the spirit of any cross-country traveler: my upgrade was confirmed.
Even better, this upgrade included my daughter.
Lola has always loved flying but this was her first First Class flight.
Of course, she had no idea what to expect when we boarded the plane.
She was 6 at the time and small enough to sit quite comfortably in economy so she was dwarfed by the faux leather lounger...
2019-08-0112 min
What WorksEp 218: How I Build Flexibility Into My Business With Tara McMullin
As you’re listening to this, I’m somewhere between the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Acadia National Park in Maine. Sean and I are celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary in the only way we how: in a National Park!
That’s right, I’m on vacation—but that doesn’t mean the business comes to a standstill.
We’ve worked hard to improve the operational efficiency and predictability of our business over the last few years and that means that I get to enjoy both my...
2019-06-2711 min
The Get Paid Podcast: The Stark Reality of Entrepreneurship and Being Your Own BossTara McMullin: Where Are They NowTara McMullin (formerly Gentile) is back for our very first Where Are They Now episode. Tara's the founder & host of What Works. She's been connecting small business owners through mastermind groups and online community for over a decade. Whether on the podcast or in the online network, her goal is to facilitate the free flow of ideas, information, and inspiration between entrepreneurs. She believes that no one person has the answer to "what works" in small business–but that, together, we can create a living, breathing knowledge-base of real-world solutions to all of our small bus...
2019-06-201h 26
What WorksEP 211: Building An Audience With Tara McMullin
A year ago this week, I deleted about 12,000 people off my email list.
That meant that my audience shrank by about 80% with the push of a button.
GDPR was going into effect and, while I wasn’t caught up in the mass hysteria happening in the digital marketing world around compliance, I did look at the regulations as an opportunity to take a new approach to building an audience for my brand.
Quick aside—pro tip: never get caught up in any...
2019-05-3017 min
What WorksEP 209: 7 Surprising Things Small Business Owners Learned When They Ran The Numbers
Imagine the open rate on the last email you sent to your subscribers.
Think about the net profit your business has generated already this year.
Consider how many people viewed your last video, clicked on your blog post, or listened to your last podcast episode.
Those numbers aren’t just numbers for a lot of us.
At best, they can be subtle points of validation that we’re headed in the right direction. At worst, they can be e...
2019-05-2342 min
What WorksEP 206: Choosing Between Two Businesses With Grace & Vine Founder Madison Wetherill
The Nitty-Gritty:
* Why Madison Wetherill found herself the owner of two small businesses—and how she knew something had to change about the way she was managing them* How Madison came to think of herself as a “busy person” and why that impacted the way she structured her time* What she noticed about the way she was spending her time and how it related to the results she was creating* The way she restructured her priorities and found a new—more productive—set of responsibilities that help her drive revenue
2019-05-1438 min
What WorksEP 205: What’s Working In Traffic & Analytics With Rita Barry
The Nitty-Gritty:
* Why Rita Barry chose to focus on helping clients understand the numbers when it comes to their website traffic* The mistakes small business owners make that prevent them from taking advantage of the information they have* The first step Rita takes with every new client* Why Rita maps the customer journey and how it helps her make recommendations to clients* What Rita looks for when she opens up her clients’ Google Analytics dashboards
Let’s cut to the chase: how confident are you in y...
2019-05-0941 min
What WorksEP 203: Running Your Business By The Numbers With Tara McMullin
When I signed off on my taxes last month, it was the first time in 10 years that I didn’t owe any money to the IRS.
In fact, I got a refund.
Now, I’d love to tell you that’s because I was much more diligent with my financial planning. And, that is partially true.
But the main reason I’m getting a refund is that I personally made a lot less money last year.
Not...
2019-05-0207 min
What WorksEP 199: Leveling Up Using A Simple One-Day Event With The CEO Retreat Creator Racheal Cook
The Nitty-Gritty:
* How Racheal Cook scratched her own itch and created a 1-day event without a “grand plan”* Why the CEO Retreat helped her overcome a persistent challenge for her clients* How the event evolved to become a key part of how her business has leveled up over the last year* What Racheal did to overcome her greatest fear about hosting an in-person event
“Meet me in Astoria, Oregon. No charge to you. Let’s talk business for 2 days.”
That was the invita...
2019-04-1644 min
What WorksEP 198: Finding A New Opportunity To Serve With Abundance Practice Building Founder Allison Puryear
The Nitty-Gritty:
* How a conversation at a networking event planted a seed for Abundance Practice Building founder Allison Puryear* What the first business coaching program Allison led looked like* Why she knew this opportunity was the right thing to pursue* How Abundance Practice Building has grown and evolved since that first group
I’d like to introduce you to Shannon Paris.
Today, Shannon is our Director of Product for What Works. But when I hired her, I was hiring a community ma...
2019-04-1135 min
What WorksEP 196: Building An Empire One Piece of Content At A Time With Bonnie Gillespie
The Nitty-Gritty:
* How Bonnie Gillespie started building her content empire before she even started a business* Why a 3-ring binder was all the evidence she needed to know it was time to write her first book* How she used an automated Twitter account to build her audience and produce a new product from repurposed content* And, why Bonnie doesn’t buy into guru culture—despite being a leader thousands of people look to for guidance
Writer’s block—most people who write have experienced that crushing...
2019-04-0247 min
What WorksEP 195: How Small Ideas Lead To Big Success With Tara McMullin
The Nitty-Gritty
* Tara shares the story of how the seeds she panted at the beginning of her business journey have grown into The What Works Network* How a small action now can turn into big success for your small business down the line * Why your next big idea will probably come from the small ideas that you are planting today* And a sneak peek at the candid conversations coming up in April
Well before he was a New York Times bestselling author...
2019-03-2809 min
What WorksEP 192: Creating What You Love Using Patreon With Real Talk Radio Host Nicole Antoinette
The Nitty-Gritty:
* How Nicole Antoinette pivoted her business to focus solely on her podcast, Real Talk Radio* The question she asked herself to ensure the longevity of the podcast once she started it* Why she chose a community-funded business model through Patreon* How she structures her Patreon tiers, pricing, and rewards* What’s working to grow the number of patrons supporting the show
Fill in the blank: I wish I could just get paid to __________.
Maybe you said “make art,” “have great co...
2019-03-1956 min
What WorksEP 191: Your Business Is A Mess–And That’s Okay With Tara McMullin
The Nitty-Gritty:
* Tara shares why it’s important to clean things up–but not get caught up in making things perfect* Why the mess exists–and how that’s a feature, not a bug* How to use hypotheses instead of discrete goals to learn more about what works for you* How to create adaptable plans based on your particular mess and your goals
Businesses get messy—old products, defunct systems, cluttered inboxes.
And we’re talking about how to clean up you...
2019-03-1409 min
What WorksEP 190: Getting It Done In Just 3 Days Per Week With Oasis Center For Craniosacral Therapy Founder Mindy Totten
The Nitty-Gritty:
* Why bodywork practitioner Mindy Totten decided to take her 6.5-day per week business and turn it into a 3-day per week business* How specializing on a single modality helped her earn more while working less* The internal shift Mindy needed to go through to make the 3-day work week possible* The process she used to put her clients on her schedule—instead of theirs
I started my business when I was a stay-at-home mom.
I had to fit my wo...
2019-03-1234 min
What WorksEP 188: Streamlining Your Business Model To Just One Offer With Services That Sell Creator Jereshia Hawk
The Nitty Gritty On Streamlining Your Business Model:
* Why Jereshia Hawk quit trying to build a suite of products and streamlined her business model to just one offer* The mindset challenge she had to overcome to make the decision to retire her old offers* The exact process she used to retire her offers and pivot her business* How Jereshia markets and sells her only offer to insure she has a steady stream of sales
More is more when it comes to building products and making...
2019-03-0539 min
What WorksEP 187: Spring Cleaning Your Small Business
The Nitty Gritty:
* Why taking the time to tidy up your business is so important * The 3 ways Tara has cleaned up her business over the last few years* Information on The What Works Network Spring Cleaning Virtual Conference* Plus, a sneak peek of interviews coming out in March
Does your business spark joy?
Or are you overwhelmed by the piles of business clutter that have grown up around you over the years?
Maybe you have...
2019-02-2814 min
What WorksEP 186: Finding Clients On LinkedIn With Career Stories Founder Kerri Twigg
The Nitty-Gritty on Finding Clients on LinkedIn:
* How career coach Kerri Twigg is using LinkedIn to find clients and generate more than 30 requests for services per day* The process she uses to vet new connections and establish a relationship with the people she connects with* How she creates content that immediately communicates who she is and what makes her different* How she manages a waitlist of prospective clients who want to work with her
What if there was a social media platform that’s main mi...
2019-02-2639 min
What WorksEP 185: Finding Your Personal Networking Style
You might think of me as a fairly gregarious entrepreneur who delights in inviting strangers on to this very podcast for conversations about life and business. But…
In many ways, I’m a walking, talking introvert meme.
I’m a bit of a loner.
I would much rather do things on my own than rely on others for help. Parties, conferences, and even coffee dates make me anxious and sweaty.
And yet… the relationships I’ve developed as a small...
2019-02-2122 min
What WorksEP 184: Taking Your Small Business Seriously With Lauren Caselli Events Founder Lauren Caselli
The Nitty-Gritty:
* The moment Lauren Caselli knew her event planning business (and her life) needed a fresh approach* Why she chose “seen” as her word for 2018 and how that philosophy helped her make significant changes to the way she does business* Why taking her business seriously has allowed her to rest more, take on fewer events, and receive more support* How her mindset has changed now that she’s taking her small business seriously
There’s what you think your business will be when you start it...
2019-02-1937 min
What WorksEP 183: What’s Working In Professional Networking With Rebelle Con Founder Shannon Siriano Greenwood
The Nitty-Gritty:
* Why Shannon Siriano Greenwood decided to explore lifestyle design by bringing people together at Rebelle Con* How she is currently expanding her professional network and meeting new people to support her* The #1 mistake Shannon sees people make while networking for their small businesses* What surprised her about the way attendees network and build relationships at Rebelle events* How Rebelle Con is expanding this year to help even more small business owners near Richmond, VA build their personal networks
Behind every major or minor...
2019-02-1429 min
What WorksEP 182: Launching A Brand On A Mission With Fear Her Fight Athletics Founder Maria Rodriguez
The Nitty-Gritty:
* Why Maria Rodriguez started Fear Her Fight Athletics–and the surprising results of her initial product launch* How Maria centers her mission to empower people of all shapes, sizes, and identities in the gym* The key question Maria asks of herself and her community before designing new products* How Maria is doubling-down on her mission and exploring new territory with her 2019 business goals
Many businesses get started because someone asks what they want from a business. Plenty of other businesses get started because so...
2019-02-1242 min