What if the thing that keeps your business alive for four decades isn't a niche, a funnel, or a framework — but plain curiosity? Lisa Bastian has been working for herself since the late 1980s. She started Bastian Public Relations while raising a young son, back when a woman who worked from home was too corporate for the playgroup moms and too domestic for the corporate clients. She's written for national magazines across 30 industries, flown to the Netherlands and northern France on economic development press trips, carried a federal badge as a background investigator for 10 years, held a Texas PI license, served as an IABC chapter president, and — a year and a half ago — launched Tropics Lifestyle Coffee, a niche gifting brand she describes as home decor disguised as coffee. In this episode, you'll hear why she stopped chasing money and started chasing fit, and what that decision cost her before it paid off. You'll get her actual tech stack, including the lifetime-deal platform she's used for three years to run a Shopify business on a solopreneur budget. And you'll hear her take on AI: use it hard on the back end, keep it far away from your customer. If you've been waiting to feel qualified before you try something new, Lisa's answer is simple. Rush right in. You're not going to break it. Lisa Bastian is an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, publisher, and public relations professional whose career spans more than 40 years. She has written more than 1,000 published articles, earned numerous communications awards, served as a magazine editor, operated a long-running public relations agency, conducted federal background investigations supporting some of America's most sensitive missions, and founded multiple businesses. Throughout her career, she has interviewed leaders across industries ranging from healthcare and economic development to travel, tourism, and business. Known for her curiosity, research skills, and ability to identify emerging trends, Lisa brings a unique perspective on reinvention, storytelling, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning. She believes some of the most valuable business lessons come not from theory, but from decades of observing how successful people think, adapt, and solve problems. THEN SUGGESTED short intro from this: Today's guest is Lisa Bastian, an award-winning journalist, publisher, entrepreneur, and former federal background investigator. Over a career spanning four decades, she's written more than 1,000 articles, earned dozens of professional honors, interviewed leaders from around the world, and built businesses across publishing, communications, and e-commerce. Lisa joins us to discuss reinvention, using AI without fear, entrepreneurship, curiosity, and what she has learned from a lifetime spent studying successful people and organizations. Website https://www.tropicslifestylecoffee.com Social Media Links: LinkedIn / https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabastianfacebook / https://www.facebook.com/Tropicslifestylecoffee/instagram / https://www.instagram.com/tropicslifestylecoffee/
