Solopreneur CEO

Carin Kilby Clark and Marcia Sheehan
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

The Solopreneur CEO Podcast is for established solopreneurs who have built something real but are tired of carrying the entire load alone. Hosted by Carin Kilby Clark and Marcia Sheehan, the show explores mindset, systems, structure, and support to help you step out of reactive solopreneur mode and into CEO-level leadership. No hustle culture. No burnout glorification. Just honest conversations and practical insights for building a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.

  1. 6d ago

    You Don’t Need to Focus on One Thing

    One offer. One platform. One audience. One goal. One thing at a time. That can be really good advice when you’re starting a business. But what happens when your business is actually… a business? You have clients to serve. Marketing to do. Maybe you’re writing a book, preparing for a speaking engagement, developing a new offer, managing contractors, planning an event, or working on whatever the next stage of growth looks like for you. At some point, “just focus on one thing” stops being particularly helpful. In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about the difference between divided focus and intentional focus. The goal isn’t to somehow eliminate everything else happening in your business. It’s learning how to decide what deserves your attention right now, give that thing your full attention, and then intentionally move to the next thing. Because once your business is established, having multiple irons in the fire isn’t necessarily a sign that you’re scattered or doing something wrong. It might actually be a sign that your business is growing. The challenge is learning how to manage those competing priorities without carrying all of them in your head at the exact same time. We talk about using quarterly planning, time blocking, data, intuition, and good old-fashioned discernment to decide what needs your attention now. We also get into what happens when you CAN’T make the decision and find yourself ruminating, making another pros-and-cons list, changing the plan again, or getting stuck because you’re too close to the business to see clearly. That’s also why outside perspective matters. Sometimes you need other smart humans who can hear what you’re weighing, reflect back what they see, connect dots you’ve missed, and help you make the decision so you can stay in motion. And that conversation leads us to a little update inside the Success Secret Society: our Hot Seat Coaching sessions are becoming Boardroom Briefings, which much more accurately reflects the advisory and strategic decision-making support happening in those rooms. And because no Solopreneur CEO conversation stays neatly inside its original topic 😂, we also get into the emotional side of running a business. Entrepreneurship can take you from “I am AMAZING at this” to “I should burn the whole thing down” and back again before lunch. When you’re the person personally driving nearly every part of the business, business growth and personal growth become pretty difficult to separate. But here’s the bigger reminder: You’re not doing it wrong just because you have a lot going on. You also don’t have to keep growing simply because entrepreneurship culture tells you that you should. You get to decide what success looks like, how much you want to grow, what deserves your attention, and how you want to run the business you built. The goal isn’t to have only one thing happening. The goal is to know which thing needs you right now.

  2. Oct 6

    You Don’t Need to Be More Productive. You Need to Do the Right Work.

    There is ALWAYS something you could be doing in your business. Emails to write. Funnels to tweak. Systems to build. Graphics to create. Automations to set up. A website page that suddenly feels VERY important to redesign. And when you’re a solopreneur doing all the things, it’s easy to think: I just need to be more productive. Maybe not. Maybe you don’t need to figure out how to cram MORE into your day. Maybe you need to figure out which 20% of what you’re doing is actually creating results… and ask yourself: What the hell am I doing with the other 80%?  In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about the 80/20 principle and what it looks like when you apply it to the reality of running a business by yourself. Because not all work deserves the same amount of your time. And sometimes the work that makes you FEEL the most productive is actually the work keeping you comfortably hidden in the backend of your business. We’re talking about: Identifying the 20% of your work that actually creates resultsWhy your highest-value work probably involves PEOPLEThe difference between useful systems work and backend busy workHow “getting ready” can become a sneaky form of procrastinationWhy relationship building, follow-up, marketing, and conversations need protected timeCreating systems that continue paying dividends after the initial work is doneWhy solopreneurs get trapped doing work that feels easier to check offStaying visible and marketing even when your client roster is fullHow batching and automation can make selling feel easierBuilding a business that doesn’t require you to babysit every processBecause there’s nothing wrong with working on the backend of your business. Build the welcome sequence. Create the follow-up system. Set up the automation. Document the process. But make sure that work is eventually freeing you to spend MORE time on the work only you can do, not creating an endless supply of new busy work.  If you’ve been ending your days exhausted with a checked-off to-do list but wondering why the business still isn’t moving the way you want it to, this conversation is for you.

  3. Sep 29

    You Hired a Coach. But Is That Actually Coaching?

    There are a lot of people online right now who are SALTY about coaching. They invested $5K, $10K, $20K or more in a coach or program, didn’t get the results they expected, and walked away wondering: What exactly did I pay for? And honestly? Part of the problem might be that we’ve started calling almost EVERYTHING coaching. Coaching. Consulting. Mentoring. Programs. Frameworks. Blueprints. They’ve all gotten mixed together under one giant “coaching” umbrella, even though they’re not the same thing.  In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia unpack what coaching actually is, how it differs from consulting and mentoring, and why understanding the difference matters whether you’re BUYING support or SELLING it. Because sometimes you need someone to ask the right questions, reflect your thinking back to you, and help you uncover what’s getting in your way. And sometimes? You don’t need another question. 😂 You need somebody to tell you what the heck to DO. We’re talking about: What actual coaching looks likeThe difference between coaching, consulting, and mentoring• Why marketing has blurred those linesHow service providers can be clearer about what they’re actually sellingWhy screening clients matters just as much as attracting themHow to decide whether a coach or program is actually right for youWhy testimonials aren’t the only thing you should considerThe responsibility you have when you invest in supportWhy nobody will ever care more about your results than YOU doAnd why selling someone a strategy doesn’t mean they’ll get the result if they never implement itBecause there are absolutely situations where the provider did not deliver what was promised. But there are also plenty of programs collecting virtual dust while the buyer wonders why nothing changed. Hiring support doesn’t outsource your responsibility for the result.  Whether you’re the person making the investment or the person selling the service, this conversation is about getting much clearer on what’s being promised, what’s being delivered, and what each person is responsible for bringing to the relationship. Because if we’re going to spend thousands of dollars getting help building our businesses… We should probably know what the heck we’re actually buying.

  4. Sep 22

    Getting in the Room Isn’t Enough

    We hear it all the time in business: You need to get in the room. Go to the networking event. Join the community. Attend the conference. Meet more people. Make more connections. And yes, getting out of your business bubble matters. But what if you’re getting into the wrong rooms? Or what if you’re finally in the right room… but you’re sitting in the audience when you should be on the stage? In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about what they’ve learned from a summer of getting OUTSIDE, attending events, networking, joining communities, making connections, and figuring out which opportunities are actually worth their time and energy. Because when you’re a solopreneur, every yes costs you something. That event takes time away from something else. That new community needs your attention. That networking opportunity might mean less energy for your clients, your business, your family, or yourself. And saying yes to everything because you’re afraid you might miss an opportunity isn’t a strategy. We’re talking about how to evaluate the rooms you’re entering, recognizing when you’ve outgrown being an attendee, trusting yourself enough to decline opportunities that don’t fit, and getting clear about what you actually want from the spaces you choose to enter. Plus, we get into the rooms that don’t require you to leave your house at all: online communities. Because whether the room is physical or virtual, the question is the same: Why are you here? Are you there to learn?Build relationships?Find clients?Get support?Be visible?Teach?Lead? You don’t need to be in every room. You need to be intentional about the rooms that deserve your limited time, attention, and energy… and make sure you’re showing up in the right position once you get there.

  5. Sep 15

    Everything Still Works. So What Should You Focus On?

    YouTube is having a moment. Everyone wants evergreen content. Instagram is showing up in Google search. Blogs are apparently still alive and well. 😂 And depending on who you follow, there’s probably another platform or marketing strategy you’re being told you absolutely NEED to be using right now. But here’s the thing: Everything still works. In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about the marketing trends we’re seeing right now, including the shift toward searchable, long-lasting content and why more business owners are reconsidering where they invest their time, money, and energy. But this conversation quickly turns into something bigger. Because you don’t have to be on Instagram. You don’t have to start a YouTube channel. You don’t have to chase the newest marketing strategy just because everyone else seems to be doing it. You need to figure out what works for your business, your goals, and the way you actually want to work. We’re talking about evergreen content, search-based platforms, human connection, production quality vs. message quality, word-of-mouth marketing, and why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is stop overcomplicating everything and EXECUTE. Plus, as we head toward Q4, we’re challenging you to take a look at your digital footprint. If someone discovered your business today, where would your digital breadcrumbs lead them? An outdated offer?A broken link?A challenge that ended three months ago? 😬Or a clear next step toward working with you? Because choosing the right marketing strategy matters. But so does making sure the path you’ve already created is actually leading people somewhere. Let business be simpler. Pay attention to what works. And put your energy there.

  6. Sep 8

    You Don’t Need More Content. You Need Better Marketing.

    You Don’t Need More Content. You Need Better Marketing. You don’t need to post three times a day. You don’t need every Reel to have the perfect hook. And you definitely don’t need to turn yourself into a full-time content creator just to get clients. Because as a solopreneur, your job isn’t to win at content. Your marketing needs to help the right person recognize that you understand their problem and can help them solve it. In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about what happens when we overcomplicate marketing and start measuring ourselves against creators whose business models, goals, and audiences may look nothing like ours. We’re getting into the difference between creating content for attention and marketing a business for sales, why conversations with real people are still some of the best market research you can do, and how to stop guessing about what your audience wants. We also talk about using your clients’ actual language, telling stories they can see themselves in, testing your ideas, paying attention to your numbers, and letting the data tell you what to do more of. Because you might not need more followers, more content, or a more complicated strategy. You might just need to get a whole lot clearer about who you’re trying to reach, what they need to hear, and what you actually need your marketing to do.

  7. Sep 1

    The Client Boundary Problem That’s Costing You More Than Time

    You take on one little extra task because you want to be helpful. Then another. Then another. And suddenly, the project you agreed to isn’t remotely the project you’re actually doing. If you’ve ever looked back at a client project and realized you basically made $10 an hour after everything you did for them, this conversation is for you. In this episode of Solopreneur CEO, Carin and Marcia are talking about boundaries, and why they’re about so much more than telling clients when you’re available. Carin shares the story of a nightmare client relationship that went completely off the rails and the uncomfortable realization she had afterward: the client wasn’t the only problem. There were red flags she ignored, work she kept accepting outside the original scope, and boundaries she should have enforced but didn’t. We’re getting into scope creep, client communication, protecting your capacity, setting expectations from the beginning, and why being endlessly available doesn’t actually create the amazing client experience you think it does. We also talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention: what happens when one bad-fit client takes up so much of your energy that you stop showing up for the right ones. Because boundaries aren’t about being difficult, rigid, or less helpful. They’re part of running a business that works for you AND delivers a better experience for the people you’re there to serve.

  8. Aug 25

    Are You Actually Ready for the Success You Want?

    Solopreneur CEO is back for Season 2, and we’re kicking things off with an honest conversation about what happens when life changes, your priorities shift, and the way you’ve been running your business doesn’t quite fit anymore. In this episode, Carin and Marcia catch up on what the summer taught them about success, capacity, taking care of yourself, and giving yourself permission to build differently in different seasons of life. But the conversation takes an interesting turn: We spend so much time thinking about how to create the success we want… but are we actually prepared to receive it? What if the growth you’ve been working toward happened tomorrow? What would break? What would need to change? And are you building your business from a place of expecting that success, or quietly preparing for it not to work? We’re talking about defining success on your own terms, protecting your capacity, building a business that can flex with your real life, and becoming the kind of CEO who is actually ready for what she says she wants. Season 2 is here. And we’re just getting started.

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About

The Solopreneur CEO Podcast is for established solopreneurs who have built something real but are tired of carrying the entire load alone. Hosted by Carin Kilby Clark and Marcia Sheehan, the show explores mindset, systems, structure, and support to help you step out of reactive solopreneur mode and into CEO-level leadership. No hustle culture. No burnout glorification. Just honest conversations and practical insights for building a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Information

  • Creator
    Carin Kilby Clark and Marcia Sheehan
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Carin Kilby Clark and Marcia Sheehan
  • Show Website
    Solopreneur CEO