The Entrepreneur's Blueprint

Courtney Cook
  • 5.0 (17)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or a business owner looking for inspiration? Join Courtney Cook on The Entrepreneur's Blueprint as she dives into the stories of passionate entrepreneurs and small business owners. Discover what sparked their entrepreneurial journey, the challenges they faced, and how they stay motivated through it all. Whether you're just starting out or already managing your own business, this podcast reveals that entrepreneurship is more attainable than it appears, while offering moments of connection for those already on the journey.

  1. Jul 14

    59. From Corporate Sales to Mission-Driven Agency: Mike Farag from Fervor Marketing

    Mike Farag did not set out to run a marketing agency. He was 30, newly divorced, jobless, and on a mission trip to Haiti when a kid named Daniel changed the trajectory of his life. That moment, and the obedience that followed, became the foundation for Fervor, a Kansas City agency that has now served nearly 1,000 faith-led organizations.   In this episode, Mike and Courtney get into the operational reality of running a mission-driven agency, including what it actually takes to build a niche, what happens when clients graduate out of your services, and why the marketing in the pro-life and nonprofit space has been, in Mike's words, absolutely horrid.   They also talk through what Mike calls the agency swings, the unpredictable revenue and client cycles that can steal your focus for a whole quarter, and what he has learned after 17 years about how to weather them without pulling everything back in and going it alone.   What you will hear in this episode: The three-question marketing framework from his book Marketing with Fervor: who's it for, what are you going to tell them, how do you get more of the right ones. Why Mike gave away the framework in a book instead of keeping it as proprietary agency strategy. The Two Lines Pregnancy Clinic case study, including 40% donor growth and more than doubling clinic volume in 15 months, and what made that possible. Why Fervor intentionally builds clients toward graduation rather than long-term dependency on the agency.   Resources and Links:   Fervor: www.createfervor.com The Bonhoeffer (event space in Kansas City): www.thebonhoeffer.com Marketing with Fervor by Mike Farag (available wherever books are sold) Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefarag/ Monarch COO: www.monarchcoo.com Follow Courtney on Instagram: @monarch_coo Monarch COO Inquiry Form

  2. Jun 30

    58. Small Team, Big Mission: How Karen Stubbs Operates Birds on a Wire

    Karen Stubbs is the founder of Birds on a Wire, a ministry built to equip and encourage moms with practical, biblical wisdom. What started as a small group of seven moms in her basement has grown over 15 years into a worldwide ministry with a podcast, curriculum, books, and a conference. In this episode, Karen joins Courtney for a candid conversation about the real operational challenges of running a lean faith-based nonprofit, from managing a small team to diversifying revenue to launching a brand-new curriculum for grandmothers.   Karen shares how she learned to read her team's temperaments and adjust her leadership accordingly, why she started a Patreon subscription tier to offset podcast production costs, and how she thinks about the generational ripple effect of pouring into moms. She also opens up about what she prays every single morning and the season she chose her family over her biggest fundraising window, and what happened as a result.   If you are building something with purpose and feeling the weight of wearing a lot of hats, this conversation will encourage you and give you a few things to think about practically.   In this episode:   How Birds on a Wire grew from a basement small group to a worldwide ministry Managing a small team and knowing when to pump the brakes on new ideas Balancing the roles of founder, grandmother, and mom in the same season The Patreon model Karen built to offset podcast production costs Why Birds on a Wire is launching a grandmother-focused curriculum What Karen talks to God about in her business every single morning   Episode Links:   Birds on a Wire: www.birdsonawiremoms.com Wire Talk Podcast: Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Wire Talk Plus (Patreon): Available through the Wire Talk podcast feed Monarch COO: www.monarchcoo.com Instagram: @monarch_coo

  3. Jun 23

    57. Productivity for Founders

    Most productivity advice was written for people with too much free time. In this solo episode, Courtney cuts through the noise and shares seven of her most important productivity practices, the ones that have actually moved the needle for her as a founder and fractional COO working inside other founders' businesses.   Courtney breaks down not just what to do, but why your current approach is probably costing you more than you realize.   In this episode, Courtney covers:   Why your brain is your biggest productivity killer and what to do about it Why running your life across multiple systems creates gaps that cost you How to block focus time before anyone else can take it Matching your work to your energy, not just your schedule Why a weekly planning session is the single highest-leverage habit for founders   Want all 14 productivity tips? I've pulled together the full list — including how to use AI as your admin layer, how to build a real shutdown routine, and how to guard your calendar like a business asset. Download it free: Productivity Tips   Episode Links   Full Productivity Download: Productivity Tips Monarch COO: www.monarchcoo.com Instagram: @monarch_coo

  4. Jun 16

    56. Jacob Willis: Running Lean, Giving Big, and Trusting God With the Rest

    Jacob and Christin Willis are the founders of We Heart Nutrition, a research-backed supplement company on a mission to help people live energetic, joyful lives. They are also pro-life and proudly donate 10% of all sales to pregnancy care centers across the country.   Jacob is back for a second conversation, and a lot has changed. He and Courtney dig into the team and agency structure that is keeping the business lean but functional, what it actually took to fix a manufacturing and fulfillment crisis that was tanking customer experience, how Christin is managing creative direction as the brand scales, and the decision to launch a nonprofit to create sustainable, multi-year support for pregnancy care centers instead of one-time donations.   There is also a real conversation about faith and what it looks like to release the pressure of growth targets and trust that the labor is yours but the increase belongs to God.   Episode Links We Heart Nutrition: weheartnutrition.com Monarch COO: monarchcoo.com Monarch COO on Instagram: @monarch_coo monarchcoo.com/ops-health-check

  5. Jun 9

    55. What Your Onboarding Process Says About Your Business

    You closed the deal. You made the hire. Everyone's excited. And then the first two weeks happen and something feels off. Files are coming from three different places. The kickoff call agenda is being built in real time. Your new hire is spending their first three days tracking down login credentials that should have been ready before they walked in the door.   Most founders file this under "we'll get better as we go." This episode is about why that's a mistake.   Courtney breaks down why your onboarding process isn't just a logistics task. It's the first time someone experiences your business from the inside, and what they find either confirms or contradicts everything you showed them to get them to yes.   In this episode: Why onboarding is a brand moment, not an admin task The four messages a chaotic onboarding sends, whether you intend to or not How disorganized client onboarding creates doubt before you've delivered a single result How disorganized employee onboarding trains your team to operate in ambiguity The three honest reasons founders haven't fixed this yet What it looks like when onboarding actually works, and what it makes possible for your business   If your process lives in your head and gets reconstructed from memory every time, it's time to make some changes. This episode is your push to fix it.   Ready to build an onboarding process your clients and team members actually rave about? Fill out a quick intake in the link below and let's talk about what that looks like for your business specifically.   Episode Links Work with Courtney: www.monarchcoo.com Instagram: @monarchcoo Monarch COO Inquiry Form

  6. Jun 2

    54. The Shepherd Doesn't Run Ahead: Josh Menold on Pace, People, and Leading Well

    Josh Menold is the CEO and owner of CHE Companies, an exterior construction platform serving the Carolinas and Virginia. Before CHE, he spent two decades in finance and operations leadership, including CFO roles at Bobbitt Design Build and Faulkner Hays. He's also the founder of ITABWODI LLC, a parent brand for several ventures rooted in a question his grandfather taught him on the farm: Is there a better way of doing it? He's an elder at Summit Church in Apex, North Carolina, holds an MBA from Campbell University, and lives in Raleigh with his wife, Jen, and their five kids.   Josh came into ownership through a management buyout, not a startup, not an inheritance. He saw an opportunity, led with a question about how he could help, and eventually stepped into the seat. In this conversation, he and Courtney get into what two decades of being the operator behind other people's visions actually taught him, why he stopped believing the leader's job is to drive hardest, and what it looks like to run a 68-person company with a stewardship framework instead of an ambition framework.   They cover: How nonprofit leadership in the Dominican Republic, across three languages, became an unexpected training ground in communication and cultureWhat ITABWODI means and why the question behind it is the thing keeping Josh curious every dayHiring for hungry, humble, and smart, and why one of those three being off is usually enough to derail a teamHow Josh built a custom AI-powered field tool for CHE that beats anything available on the market, and what that process actually looked likeThe stewardship framework he uses to decide which of his 15 AI-built apps actually get his timeWhy he says the leader's job isn't to drive harder than anyone in the room, and the shepherd metaphor that replaced that beliefThe daily posture of trust he starts every morning with, even when cash flow, family, and business pressure are all hitting at onceWhat he'd say to the founder quietly pretending they have it all together  Episode Links ITABWODI.com www.monarchcoo.com @monarchcoo on Instagram   Monarch COO Inquiry Form

  7. May 26

    53. The Hard Conversation You've Been Avoiding

    You know exactly who it is. You have rewritten the conversation in your head a hundred times, and you still have not had it.   In this solo episode, Courtney breaks down why founders avoid hard conversations, what that avoidance is actually costing their teams, and two practical frameworks you can use right now, whether you need to correct someone or challenge them to step up. In this episode:   Why avoidance does not protect your team member, it protects you from a moment of discomfort What your silence signals to everyone else on the team The difference between a cheerleader and a coach, and why your team needs the latter Framework 1: The Accountability Conversation (Observation, Interpretation, Standard) Framework 2: The Growth Conversation (Affirm, Name the Next Level, Ask the Unlocking Question) What Ephesians 4:15 actually requires of leaders, not just permission to stay soft Word-for-word examples of both frameworks in a real conversation   Free Resource: Courtney is providing a free digital download with both frameworks covered in this episode. Grab the link in the show notes and go into that conversation prepared. https://monarchcoo.myflodesk.com/hardconversations   Episode Links: Monarch COO: www.monarchcoo.com Instagram: @monarchcoo

  8. May 19

    52. How Scott Woods Built a Consulting Business Entirely on Relationships

    Scott Woods is back. If you caught his first appearance on the show, you already know the depth he brings. This time, we got into the operational and spiritual realities of running a values-driven consulting business for over a decade, including the stuff most business owners never talk about out loud.   Scott leads Advocatus Consulting and Silverback Ventures, where he helps companies unlock growth through operational clarity, strong culture, and financial health. He has over 30 years of C-suite experience, has mentored more than 100 students through Clemson University's College of Business, and speaks regularly to entrepreneurs across the Southeast.   In this episode, we covered:   How Scott built a thriving consulting pipeline for 10 years with zero paid advertising. His entire model is built on referral relationships with trusted advisors, and he walks through exactly how he identifies the right partners, nurtures those relationships, and gives before he ever expects to receive.   What it actually looks like to fire a client. Scott ended an engagement when the client's values shifted from solving a problem to chasing profit at any cost. He talks about the financial fear of walking away from a significant revenue source and how God provided something better within two months, at double the rate.   The Conquering Everest framework. Scott's onboarding process uses a mountain climbing analogy to help business owners identify the problem they exist to solve, build backward from that destination, and use their core values as the guardrails that keep them on the path even when obstacles appear.   Ikigai. The ancient Japanese concept that translates to "reason for being." Scott breaks down what it means for founders and how it applies directly to building a business with clarity and purpose, not just revenue.   What founders are getting wrong right now. With AI disruption and economic uncertainty pulling attention in every direction, Scott has a direct message: lead with a servant's heart, take care of your people, and do not stop moving.   Episode Links Advocatus Consulting: www.advocatusconsulting.com Silverback Ventures: www.silverbackventures.org Scott Woods on LinkedIn: Scott Woods, Advocatus Consulting Monarch COO: www.monarchcoo.com Courtney on Instagram: @monarchcoo Get your Roadmap here

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5
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About

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or a business owner looking for inspiration? Join Courtney Cook on The Entrepreneur's Blueprint as she dives into the stories of passionate entrepreneurs and small business owners. Discover what sparked their entrepreneurial journey, the challenges they faced, and how they stay motivated through it all. Whether you're just starting out or already managing your own business, this podcast reveals that entrepreneurship is more attainable than it appears, while offering moments of connection for those already on the journey.

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