Hey Reader,

The first time I heard Jereshia Hawk's story, I had to put my phone down for a minute.

Then I picked it back up and listened again.

She built a business that made a million dollars in profit (as in take-home pay) in a single year. And then she chose to make it smaller. On purpose.

That part stuck with me. Because I know the voice she walked away from.

It's the one that says there's always more. There's always a next step.

I call myself an ex-workaholic, and that voice still finds me. Work has always been a really good place for me to hide. Busy feels productive. Busy feels safe.

We just came out of what our family calls a sprint season. We hosted a retreat at our house, with two kids, a husband, and a brand new puppy in the mix. I know how to do sprints. What I'm still learning is how to stop when the sprint is over. 😳

So when Jereshia started telling me what she gave up, and what she got back, I leaned all the way in.

Full honesty? I was fangirling the entire time. I could have asked her 100 questions. She graciously went deep on every single one I did ask, even the personal ones.

​Jereshia is a strategic advisor and business coach, and she talks about money more plainly than almost anyone I know. She works about 20 hours a week now, and none of those hours start before 10am. Her mornings belong to her seven-month-old daughter.

THIS WEEK'S EPISODE

Episode 650: How to Scale Down a Profitable Business Without Losing Your Ambition

with Jereshia Hawk, strategic advisor and host of Jereshia Said

Jereshia spent 18 months planning a sabbatical, took a full year off, and came back with one rule. The business had to fit inside 10am to 3pm, four days a week. Then she built it.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How Jereshia plans front stage, backstage, and off stage weeks so she recharges before she burns out
• What she cut and what she kept when she rebuilt her business around part-time hours
• Why about 70% of her clients now pay through a revenue share model, and how it works
• How she stays visible on 20 hours a week by building everything from one hero piece of content
• The sales call exercise that turns the questions you answer privately into months of public content

Or listen on Spotify · Apple · YouTube​

Grab this from Jereshia

If her messaging advice hits home (it did for me), start with Market Like a CEO, her messaging course. Module 1 is free.

And since we're in Q4, her Money Date Kit is a good nudge to sit down with your numbers before the year closes.

Want more Jereshia? Her podcast is Jereshia Said.

Here's the part I keep thinking about.

When Jereshia finally stopped, it took her body about four months to adjust. She was sleeping 12, 13, 14 hours a day. Her doctor told her nothing was wrong. She had finally slowed down enough for her body to heal.

I don't want that to be what it takes for any of us.

So this week, open your calendar and find one sprint you can call finished. Then actually let it be finished. Don't fill that space with a new project. Leave it empty for a week and see how it feels.

If nobody else has told you today, you're allowed to want a business that fits inside the hours you actually have.

Know a friend who's crushing it on paper but hasn't had a slow morning in months? Forward this to her. She needs to hear about Jereshia's front stage, backstage, off stage calendar.

XO,
Holly

P.S. Jereshia rebuilt her business around the season she's actually in. That's the work we do together inside The Collective Co-Op, with a room of established founders building businesses that fit their lives. We only open the doors once a year, and applications close 11/25. Apply here.

PRESS PLAY WHEN READY

This week's playlist

Four episodes. Binge in order, or grab the one you need most.

• ​Ep 646 Why Most Business Books Get Forgotten with Holly Ostrout
• ​Ep 647 What Actually Turns Freebie Subscribers Into Buyers with Danielle Klemm
• ​Ep 648 Fewer, Better Things: Raising Your Prices and Slowing Down with Carol Gavhane
• ​Ep 649 Seen + Sought After: A Live Visibility Panel From Fall Fest

Every episode lives on the podcast page.