What does scaling actually mean?

Not the Instagram version. Not the “seven figures or bust” version. Not the build-a-team-of-20 version.

In this conversation with Shaina of Dawn & Delight, we unpack what scaling really looks like for service providers who care more about depth than width.

If you are a one-on-one service provider who has hit your revenue ceiling and you’re thinking, “Maybe I’ll just launch a membership,” this episode is your intervention.

There is a version of “growth” that gets pushed on service providers that quietly strips away the very thing that made us start our businesses in the first place.

In this episode, I sat down with Eva Couto to talk honestly about scaling as a one-on-one service provider, especially if you are a creative who actually likes doing the work. We talked about the pressure to build agencies, the obsession with seven-figure milestones, and the myth that success means removing yourself from delivery.

There’s a version of productization that service providers keep overlooking because it gets lumped in with things they do not want. Group programs. Cohorts. Courses. Low-ticket chaos.

In this solo episode, I walk you through my favorite way to productize a one-on-one service without losing intimacy, quality, or control, turning a fully done-for-you service into a done-with-you container.

I see this pattern constantly with one-on-one service providers. You get incredible results for your clients, but the moment someone mentions metrics, data, or proof, your nervous system goes into fight-or-flight.

If you’ve been in the service space long enough, you’ve probably heard some version of this message: automate everything, remove yourself from delivery, never send a custom proposal again, and if you do, your business is not scalable.

I want to clear that up right now.

That voice is not yours.

There is a very specific moment almost every service provider hits.

You are booked out.
You are making money.
From the outside, it looks like it is working.

And internally, you are exhausted, resentful of your calendar, and quietly wondering how long you can keep this up.

This episode is for the service provider who has built something impressive and realizes the structure holding it up is the very thing burning them out.

One of the fastest ways to burn out in a service business is attracting clients you were never meant to work with.

Not because they are bad people, but because your positioning accidentally invited the wrong identities, expectations, and energy into your world.

Most service providers know their systems are a mess.
Not because they’re bad at business, but because they built their business by doing the work first and figuring out the backend later.

The problem is that “later” eventually catches up to you.

If you are a service provider who has spent way too much time fiddling with systems, automations, workflows, templates, and tools, and it still feels like nothing is clicking, this episode is for you.

I’m talking with Marissa Lawton (host of The Experienced Entrepreneur), and we went straight into the stuff that actually matters in 2026, profit margins, expense audits, and learning how to be present with your business instead of operating on vibes and denial.

It’s that time of year.

We’re looking ahead at the next 12 months, staring at revenue goals, auditing our current offers, and letting that running list of “things I could sell” start to feel very real again. Q1 is quiet for a lot of people. It’s winter. We’re slower. We’re thinking. We’re ideating.

And honestly, this is the most fertile season for ideas that should never see the light of day.

My guest is Heidi Yarger, the woman behind Spitfire Girl Design, and she’s been a designer for 30 years. Thirty. Which means she has seen every trend, every platform, every “new” marketing idea recycled with a fresh Canva template. These days, she works with authors (mostly high-performing women) to build personal brands and launch books, and her clients are landing real results, like USA Today bestseller lists, Publishers Weekly rankings, the whole deal.

I’m coming to you slightly sick and slightly late, so let’s just call this episode what it is, short, sweet, and honestly kind of perfect for the conversation I want to bring into Sold Out Services in 2026.

Over winter break, I had big domestic goddess dreams. Homemade marshmallows, cookies, bread, reorganize the house, the whole cozy fantasy. Instead, I got taken out by the flu and spent my time horizontal, miserable, and questioning every life choice.

10 out of 10 don’t recommend.

I love a good spicy internet claim as much as the next person, but if I see one more “I hit $XX,XXX months!” post with zero context, I’m going to start asking people to drop their profit margin in the caption like it’s their rising sign.

Because revenue is loud. Profit is honest.

In this guest episode, I’m yapping with Geily (Haley) Romero (aka the numbers queen) about what actually matters when you’re building a service business: understanding your numbers, planning before January, having a cash runway, and not hiring or investing based on vibes.

We talk about why VIP Days are such a smart move this time of year, how bookkeeping and CFO advisory are really about peace of mind (not spreadsheets), and the uncomfortable truth that avoiding your finances is usually what makes things worse.

Also, I share a very real story about literally laying on the floor during a financial meeting years ago, yes, I was that unwell, and why I regret opting out instead of building the skill.

If you’ve ever said, “I’m just not a numbers person,” this episode is for you.

I’m not going to pretend this is my most polished episode. I recorded it sick (scratchy voice, coughing, the whole vibe), and I’m still publishing because I care about consistency more than I care about sounding cute. Also, the timing is rude. I was supposed to be out of office right before Christmas, and instead I got knocked out, cancelled a bunch of meetings, and spent the week doing the bare minimum while my brain refused to stop thinking about work (classic business owner problem).

Today’s conversation with my friend Morgaine went places. We started with queso and girl lunch energy and somehow ended up unraveling the emotional, psychological and operational roots of bookkeeping, money shame, childhood conditioning, nervous system patterns, the accounting industry collapse, digital nomadism and why most business owners are absolutely avoiding the one thing they say they want: clarity.

If you’ve ever felt like bookkeeping is confusing, overwhelming or “I’ll figure it out later” energy, this episode is going to hit. And if you’ve been telling yourself your messy books are a personal failure, I need you to hear this clearly: nope. There’s a whole ecosystem of systemic, emotional and operational things that collide inside your profit and loss statement.

Morgaine is one of the few bookkeepers I’ve met who gets the financial side and the psychological side. Today we unpack both.

If you’re a service provider who’s tired of guessing your way into your goals, this episode is the permission slip you didn’t know you needed. I’m walking you through the behind-the-mic version of how I use real data from my actual business to map out my goals for 2026. And I’m not talking about fluffy goal setting or manifestation Pinterest boards. I mean looking at your actual product pie, seeing what’s pulling weight, what’s dead weight, and what needs to shift so you can grow in a way that feels aligned, sustainable and actually doable.

Most people think they have a goal setting problem, but what they really have is a data avoidance problem. I’m here to help you fix that.

If you’ve ever looked at your service business and thought, “I love this… but also… I cannot keep doing this forever,” this episode is going to hit you right in the gut in the best way. Today I’m sitting down with Tania from Soulful Story Co, and we deep dive into the messy, nonlinear, beautifully human journey of starting as a photographer, adding digital products, building a membership, burning out on in-person work, and ultimately pivoting into copywriting.

Let’s talk about 2026. Not in the fluffy, “new year, new me” kind of way, but in the actually-sit-your-butt-down, get-your-numbers-out, map-your-capacity, and build-a-plan-that’s-realistic kind of way.

So many service providers skip the part where the math informs the strategy. They jump straight into wishful thinking, vision boarding, and manifesting a 500% revenue leap because it would be “nice.” But what I care about — and what I walk you through in this episode — is a grounded, data-backed approach that still leaves room for flexibility, alignment, intuition, and, yes, a little woo.