
Staying Solo
Growing a solo service business is tough. It’s even harder when you’re bombarded with BS advice that steers you away from your values and why you started your business in the first place.
This is the podcast for solo creatives and consultants who want to remain as a team of one and have zero interest in the hustle and grind of typical business teachings.
Most podcasts for solopreneurs and freelancers, hosted by out-of-touch celebrity entrepreneurs who haven't offered one-to-one services in years, miss the mark on today's market realities.
Maggie Patterson, a service business owner for 20 years, understands that to stay solo, you need to know what matters to you, what works for you, and what you should completely ignore.
In each episode, she examines one piece of conventional business advice to discover how it may hurt your business or be completely wrong for you as a solo business owner.
Join Maggie for real talk to help you avoid burnout or the desire to entirely burn down your business to open a flower shop, book store, or cat cafe. (Because those cats won’t pay the bills.)
(Formerly the BS-Free Service Business Show)
Latest episodes

Aug 23, 2021 • 13min
How I Really Work With Clients
Have you ever had a coach try to jam you and your business into a cookie-cutter system or blueprint? I have, and guess what? IT DIDN’T WORK! While there’s nothing wrong with looking to “experts” to provide some guidance, the reality is that these one-size-fits-all solutions are rarely going to yield the results we’re looking for. In this episode, we’re looking at the problem with these blueprints, and how when we work with clients of any kind we need to embrace the complexities of their unique business. Get the inside scoop right here: smallbusinessboss.co/work-with-clients

Aug 16, 2021 • 33min
Trust First Pricing Principles
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before…It’s time to raise your prices. Raising your prices is one of the most common, yet potentially problematic pieces of advice in the online business world. Pricing is complex and layered, and the way it’s taught typically only serves one person - the seller. The goal of so many of these strategies is to help the seller amass wealth, even if it does harm to the buyer. It’s so not okay. That’s why in this fresh new episode of the BS-Free Service Business podcast I’m sharing common pricing problems in this industry, along with my 4 trust-first pricing principles. You can check it out here: smallbusinessboss.co/pricing-principles

Aug 9, 2021 • 12min
Introducing Trusted: Alternatives to the BS of Online Business
I’m back from my content sabbatical and I have news.**A NEW LIMITED SERIES PODCAST**Introducing: Trusted: Alternatives to the BS of Online Business. Are you tired of the BS? ME TOO. When it comes to how we market and sell our businesses, and what we buy, we’ve got choices. The people marketing and selling to us just don’t want us to know it. In the new limited series podcast Trusted, we’re going to dive into the alternatives to the BS of online business by breaking down five specific tactics. Learn more at betrusted.online

Aug 2, 2021 • 52min
DUPED: The Predatory Culture of Plagiarized Content
If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. __ Have you ever seen something online and felt like it looked awfully familiar? Then comes the sinking feeling that you’ve been copied. Without citation or credit. The unfortunate reality is that in an industry that rewards people for simply being one step ahead, it’s zero percent surprising that people would engage in some shady practices. That said, knowing it happens all the time doesn’t make you feel any less frustrated that your hard work is being used as “inspiration”. In this episode, we’re diving into the predatory culture of plagiarized content — what forms this takes, how it makes us feel when it happens, and why the culture of online business that’s built on plagiarized ideas is fundamentally messed up. Learn more at duped.online

Jul 26, 2021 • 57min
DUPED: The Luxury Life
If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. __ Want to buy a Ferrari? Use a private jet? Stay in 5-star hotels? According to the aspirational luxury lifestyle we’re constantly being sold in the online business world, “you too can easily have these things if you just do X, Y or Z!”. But after running your biz for a hot minute, it’s probably become increasingly clear that attaining these things is not anywhere as easy as the people selling us these dreams make it sound. How do we avoid falling into this trap and chasing a dream that’s usually built on total BS? In this episode of Duped, we’re looking at the luxury lifestyle that’s inescapable if you work in the online business world. Learn more at duped.online

Jul 19, 2021 • 1h 2min
DUPED: The Very Tired Tropes of Online Business
If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. ______________ The seven-figure income. The passive income dream. You have to spend money to make money. If I can do it, so can you! Any of those sound familiar?You’ve probably heard all of those and more when it comes to the world of online business, and most of us can probably agree on one thing:I’m totally over it, and I bet you are too! These tired internet marketing tropes are pushed in our faces repeatedly, yet it’s actually pretty rare that they actually ring true. Which is exactly why we need to know how to spot them when we see them. On this episode of Duped, we’re breaking down these internet marketing tropes so you can avoid them both in and out of your business. Learn more about Duped at duped.online

Jul 12, 2021 • 59min
DUPED: The Culty Side of Online Business
If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. ___________ If you’ve ever looked closely at the tactics used in the online business world, you may have been shocked to notice some parallels with something completely unexpected — a cult. The power dynamics. The focus on mindset. The endless investing in yourself. The worry that if you speak up against the status quo you may find yourself completely ostracized. But then you think….that will never happen to ME. Well guess what? Nobody is immune to these tactics, Which is exactly why we need to know how to spot them when doing business online. In this episode, we’re exploring the cult-like side of online business, and what you need to know to protect yourself. Learn more about Duped at duped.online

Jul 5, 2021 • 41min
DUPED: The Bro Marketing Binary
If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. _____________ If you’ve been in the online biz world for a hot minute, you’ve probably experienced what’s called bro marketing. Bro marketing is the use of psychological triggers and other persuasive hacks to shut down critical thinking without our consent. The goal is to sell more products through manipulation and coercion. Sounds pretty shady, right? Even if you don’t look like a bro, or think you’re doing any bro marketing, it doesn’t mean bro marketing hasn’t found its way into your biz. It is everywhere…..which is why on this episode of Duped we’re diving in. We’re breaking down the bro marketing binary — what it is, how to recognize it, and what you can do to keep it out of your biz for good. Learn more about Duped at duped.online

Jun 28, 2021 • 46min
DUPED: The Truth About Influencers & Experts
If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. ___________ Remember when the word expert next to someone’s name actually meant that they were, in fact, an expert in their field?Yeah, so do we.Now, in a world where people can literally create any persona they want on the internet, the designation of “expert” can be incredibly misleading. These self-declared experts are out there, giving advice, selling you products and in many cases, they’re influencers — NOT experts. So how do you parse out the real from the fake? In this episode of Duped, we’re breaking down the difference between influencers and actual experts, and talking about the dirty truth of what we’re seeing on social media. Learn more about Duped at duped.online

Jun 21, 2021 • 46min
DUPED: Ethical Businesses - In Name Only
If you're a fan of the BS-Free Service Business Show, check out Duped. Duped is a limited series podcast hosted by myself and Dr. Michelle Mazur, where we talk about the dark side of online business that you need to know about, and more importantly, how to protect yourself from falling prey to these tactics and tricks. _____ Have you noticed that “ethical” has become the buzzword-du-jour in the 2021 online business world?Listen. Running an ethical business is important, but doing that can seem pretty challenging when so much of what we’ve been taught about sales and marketing is contrary to ethical practices. There’s also now a whole cohort of biz owners hopping on the bandwagon and *saying* they’re ethical when they are changing a thing about how they do business. So it’s pretty clear that label themselves as such are ethical in name only. This is the newest way celebrity entrepreneurs are duping their customers, and that’s what we are breaking down on this episode of Duped. Learn more about Duped at duped.online