
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

Sep 10, 2018 • 27min
#125: Organizing Your Business with Alaia Williams
If your biz looks picture perfect on the outside but is actually a hot mess behind the scenes, you’re probably due for a little backend biz overhaul. Whether it’s the filing you keep putting off, the systems you need but don’t have, or just a straight up gong show, you can’t go on like this forever.For this episode, I got in touch with my friend Alaia Williams, an organization and systems expert, and she’s sharing tips on how to get organized once and for all. Get the inside scoop:https://smallbusinessboss.co/organizing-your-business/

Sep 3, 2018 • 11min
#124: Power Move: Consults that Convert
Consults calls are a great way to seal the deal on some new biz, but if you find yourself having conversations that never amount to anything, it’s time to change your strategy. Check out this episode for tips on how to do consults calls that actually convert and stop giving away all of your trade secrets. Get the inside scoop:https://smallbusinessboss.co/consults-that-convert/

Aug 27, 2018 • 20min
#123: Mandi Holmes on Building Your Support Squad
When you run your own services biz, hiring someone can seem like a big (and scary!) step, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you need a VA to get you out of your inbox or a billing subcontractor to ease the load of your client work, the principles of hiring and building a kickass team are the same. That’s why if you’ve ever found yourself ruminating over whether or not it’s the “right” time to hire, this episode is just what you need. In this episode, I’m getting into the nitty-gritty of hiring with Mandi Holmes, owner of She Can Coterie. Mandi has helped over 100 biz owners get started with outsourcing, and she shares her journey from being a one-woman show to becoming a jack of all trades and building her very own support squad. Get the inside scoop here: https://smallbusinessboss.co/building-your-support-squad/

Aug 20, 2018 • 12min
#122: The Recap: July 2018
Summer may usually be a time to slow down and enjoy some quiet time in your biz, but not here at Small Business Boss. Not only did July bring us new clients, it also forced us to look at our big picture and make some adjustments to help us in meeting our long-term goals. Get the inside scoop here: https://smallbusinessboss.co/july-2018-recap/

Aug 13, 2018 • 19min
#121: Sandy Sidhu on Managing Clients and Valuing Your Expertise
Have you ever felt undervalued and like managing clients was a big old challenge? There’s a sweet spot between valuing our expertise and underpricing our services. Sandy Sidhu, FB ads expert extraordinaire, learned how important this really was for her business. In this episode, we’re going behind the scenes of business as she shares all the things about working with clients. Get the inside scoop: https://smallbusinessboss.co/valuing-your-expertise/

Aug 6, 2018 • 8min
#120: Power Move - Creating Your Signature Service
If you’ve ever thought about creating a signature service but decided not to, think again! A signature service is how you can show your expertise and puts everyone on notice that you’re a total boss who’s got it going ON. In this episode, I’m sharing everything you need to know about creating a signature service and how it can transform your business. Get the inside scoop here:https://smallbusinessboss.co/creating-your-signature-service/

Jul 30, 2018 • 19min
#119: Adding Services for Stability with Hailey Dale
If you look at the world of online businesses, it often seems like everyone and their dog is talking about their new signature product or program. Services get forgotten about or worse yet, completely bashed, when really, they can be the thing you need to create consistent income in your business. In this episode, I’m chatting with Hailey Dale from Your Content Empire to talk about what goes on behind-the-scenes in her biz, how to find the right balance between having products and services, and some of the biggest lessons she’s learned along the way. Get the inside scoop here:https://smallbusinessboss.co/adding-services-for-stability/

Jul 23, 2018 • 12min
#118: The Recap: June 2018
If you’ve been following Small Business Boss, you know that May was one hell of a tough month. So imagine my surprise when June completely surpassed my expectations!Check out the latest episode where I’m giving you the June 2018 recap and sharing some big wins. Get the inside scoop here: https://smallbusinessboss.co/june-2018-recap/

Jul 16, 2018 • 24min
#117: Managing Growth and Giving Up Control with Danielle Liss
I’m kicking off a new series of interviews where I’m taking you behind-the-scenes of different service businesses and chatting about what running a biz REALLY looks like, warts and all. In this episode, I’m taking to Danielle Liss, partner at Hashtag Legal. We’re talking candidly about managing growth, hiring, giving up control when you’re Type A and what you MUST handle on the legal side as a services boss. Get the inside scoop here:https://smallbusinessboss.co/giving-up-control/

Jul 9, 2018 • 13min
#116: How to Get Paid On Time, Every Time
We’ve all been there. You send a client an invoice and...it’s crickets. You wait days and days, and no payment materializes. Now you’re frustrated and have the icky feeling you get when you have to chase down a client. But guess what? It doesn’t have to be this way. In this episode, we’re going to talk about how to get paid on time, every time and what to do when the payment is late. Get the inside scoop here:https://smallbusinessboss.co/get-paid-on-time/