Natalie Franke
This is a bonus episode for my data nerds. Let me tell you, you are going to love today’s conversation. We are talking about the nine statistics that every independent business owner needs to know. A couple of weeks ago, my colleague Akua Konadu. She is a storytelling strategist who empowers creatives to use their voice to grow their business on social media. And she’s also the co founder of Ama and Akua, a gift boxing brand, featuring bipoc LGBTQ and women owned businesses. And we were looking through the pre release of this data kind of going stat by stat and talking about it on a zoom call, when we realized that there was a need to more broadly share and talk about the findings that have come from the latest honey book and Harris Poll survey. So in today’s episode of the podcast, we are unpacking the nine statistics that you need to know, we’re also adding a little bit of our own lived experiences and storytelling throughout, I really hope that you enjoy it. And as always, let us know if this is a conversation that you want to be a part of. And if there’s more data that you think we should be bringing to the table, we’re always open to growing this podcast alongside your feedback. And we invite you to join us for this bonus episode, and hopefully many more bonus episodes to come. Hey, everyone, this is your host, Natalie Frank, and you’re listening to the independent business podcast, more people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process. So on this show, I sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs and creators to break down the science of self made success so that you can achieve victory.
Natalie Franke
This episode could either be the best thing we have ever done, or the most epic disaster in the history of time. But either way, it is going to be something is it not a q&a?
Akua Konadu
I mean, 1,000% I mean, it’s gonna I mean, here, we’re just gonna wing it. Okay, y’all, we’re
Natalie Franke
doing it with an outline, we do have an outline. And we do have some amazing data to bring to the table. But what is funny is that we were supposed to start recording this like 45 minutes ago, and we just have not been able to stop talking. So finally, I was like, Okay, fine. We’re just gonna hit record. And we’re just going to start recording this part of it, because this is ultimately how we got here. Is it not like, this is how we actually got to this point of wanting to do this episode? Yes,
Akua Konadu
I know, I’m super, super excited about just these key key critical pieces of statistics that are so important for business owners to know, because I think just being fully aware of it, it just lets you know that you’re not alone, but also to really utilizing these things to empower you and how you want to move forward in your business, I think is why we’re we’ve just been so excited about the stats, and just everything that we’ve learned from this study. So yeah, we were on
Natalie Franke
a call it was maybe a couple of weeks ago. And we got to glance at this data prior to it being released by the Harris poll and honey book. And we were looking through the data. And it was one of those moments where we just kept going, oh, did you see that? And did you see that. And, you know, then we were like, oh, we should do a podcast episode on that. And then Alas, like, fast forward, here we are. And so we’re diving into it. Today, we’re going to be sharing this data with all of you. And I guarantee there are going to be some affirmation of what you already may be expected. But then also some really surprising statistics, at least for me, that made me you know, dig in a little bit deeper to what’s happening in the world, and the infrastructure gaps that exist in the United States for independence and things like that. So we’re going there today, we’re definitely go in there today.
Akua Konadu
I mean, we’re gonna be real about it. I mean, that’s, that’s how we are. We are inviting you all in this space for us to have an honest and real conversation about just the state of independent business owners. I think with the past few years since the pandemic, to now, so many drastic things have happened and changed, and really evolved in the way that business owners function the way that we operate. And so I’m really, really excited for us to be having an honest and real discussion about it today. So the purpose of the study was to understand and highlight the state of independent business owners, right. So 509 independent business owners in the US were surveyed, and then 2052 adults were also surveyed, and 932 of them were employed, but are currently not independent business owners. So if that kind of gives you the background of the gist of this survey, that’s kind of what it was. So we’re gonna start hopping into some of the key statistics that we learned from this study. And let’s just hop on in so key statistic number one nally, you kick it off. Here we go.
Natalie Franke
Alright, statistic number one, more than half of employed adults who are not currently self employed, say they’ve considered leaving their current job to work for themselves. Okay. Think about that for a second. Over half of people with a W two job are ready to leave Do something on their own, that’s a, that’s a big deal. Now 44% of them say they’ve considered that within the past year. So within the past 12 months, that consideration to go independent has been top of mind. And Akua, you mentioned, you know, the pandemic, you mentioned that we’ve been through a lot in the past three years, one of the things that you and I have talked about, and I want to dig into this, honestly, is the fact that we have had to become a little bit more self reliant, in this experience of going through the pandemic, I can at least attest personally, my trust and reliance on larger institutions to protect and save me and, you know, keep things going. It’s been shaken like that trust has been shaken a little bit. Things as simple as you know, I couldn’t find formula to feed my daughter, for months, I couldn’t find formula to feed my daughter, there were periods where we’d go into the grocery store, and I couldn’t find what I needed on the shelves, something that’s simple can cause a chain reaction, I think within us where we want to feel this sense of autonomy and independence. And we want to build a life on our own terms, we want to kind of take charge over our future. And that trickles into things like work, like our jobs, I do think that is something that potentially could be pushing a lot of people to just look beyond the traditional w two work to imagine what else could be out there for them.
Akua Konadu
Yeah, 1,000%. And to your point, right, like, of course, some of these recent events have caused people to realize to become much more self reliant, but I think there’s also people even before the pandemic, that were also feeling that way, right. And really these barriers, because society in general, is not built to support business owners. And I think even from like the government aspect, like still playing catch up, and now more than ever, the great resignation, which is clearly like people are still considering so it’s still there, people are still leaving their nine to five to become independent business owners. And so it’s people want more for themselves. And I think that was before the pandemic. And I think it just revealed that even more, I think it just was like, it just was an open wound that just ripped wide open, where people were finally, like, I have had enough, I want more for myself, this is not what life is supposed to look like, especially right now. And all of the trauma that everybody’s enduring, I want more, and I want more control over my life and how I choose to live it. And so I think that’s kind of where it’s just really highlighted, like I said, events before, and then like to knit and then during and then now, and the number is gonna keep growing. And so I guess to like, what I’m really curious of why people are wanting to start independent businesses that was also in the study, which I thought was really, really interesting. And, of course, one of the main things right 68% wanted to start a business because they wanted to make more money for themselves. Who doesn’t want to make more money? Of course, right? We naturally already know that. But also to is that 66% said that their overall quality of life would improve.
Natalie Franke
Yes, yes. But you mentioned that the system has been very much imperfect, and for many very broken for a very long time. I mean, I genuinely have can’t imagine I truly can’t imagine commuting an hour to an hour and a half to an office as a parent of two. And then commuting an hour and a half back to an office which I live in Annapolis for reference for folks. So a lot of people live where I live, and then work in DC with traffic that is about an hour to an hour and a half. During those rush hour periods. It just depends if you get lucky or not. Now, that is something that the pandemic revealed for a lot of folks, folks that had accepted that as a standard that they had to continue doing that long commute losing three hours a day, suddenly, they’re able to do that exact same job for some people, not all obviously, but for some from home. That alone, when we talk about quality of life, that realization of wait, I can, you know, spend an extra three hours doing things other than sitting in a vehicle, right like or on a bus or you know, like whatever it is, that is it’s eye opening. It’s game changing. And so quality of life, I think spans so many different aspects the moment people were able, some of them were able to do the job that they had been doing from an office back at home.
Akua Konadu
1,000% I think again, it just it’s rooted in like people want more for themselves, it goes beyond money. I think for me, I just think of when I finally took the leap, I left my full time job, I did not have a plan. It was not intentional. I was so sick of my current quality of life that I was like, whatever happens on the other side has to be a lot better than where I’m currently at now. And I know that’s not for everybody, right? Like I know, that’s not however, I just know, for me, I wanted something more than myself. And I did not care how much money I made as long as I got to live a life on my own terms that is rooted in joy, peace and content.
Natalie Franke
That’s it for many of us that’s worth more than money. Yeah, I was like, everything you just described is worth more than money, at least if you can make a certain amount to keep things going. Right like and when you realize, oh, I could do that outside of a traditional job. The world sort of opens up and I do think over the past couple of years. There’s, it’s become easier and easier to make a living, separate of an employer with more access to technology. And we’ve seen things like, you know, we’ve talked about pandemic psychology, we’ve seen rapid adoption of these new technological advances, because we had to work from home, I was joking with you yesterday, you know, my grandfather, who’s almost 90 learned how to FaceTime during the pandemic, you know, like 2019, G dad was, we call him G dad was not FaceTiming 2020 That man learn technology really quickly, okay, God on FaceTime, it was fan FaceTiming, the grandkids and the great grandkids. And why that’s important is that that was a huge kind of overall collective shift for a lot of people, people who hadn’t needed to lean into things like zoom prior to 2020 suddenly couldn’t work without it. And so this also then opened up this new world of like, what else can I do online? How else could I, you know, leverage these new skills, and people started to uncover all of these potential independent businesses and the ability to do things like consulting, or, you know, freelancing. And it just, it’s, it’s like a gateway drug. Truly it is, it’s an economic financial freedom gateway drug, when you start to realize, Wait, these talents that I have, can be monetized. And people really need me, and they will pay me really well to do these things. They can change everything.
Akua Konadu
In 1,000% 100%, I like even with this statistics of why people are starting independent businesses, I feel like it adds another layer for people of color. You know, I think I like this specific statistic here. 14% of individuals who started their business was because to avoid workplace discrimination, it was more common, which was really interesting, among younger, independent business owners 18 to 25, and black independent business owners 24%. And so for me with my own experience, that also was a heavy contributing factor as to why I wanted to start my own business was because the micro aggressions that I was experiencing on a daily basis, in my last job, and especially working in a corporate space, not just corporate, just any job in general, especially I think, for people of color, we I feel like I have to act a certain type of way, we cannot be fully and truly ourselves, and who we authentically are. Because in a lot of these spaces that is predominantly white, certain things maybe just not are understood or accepted. And so you do have to kind of put on kind of a different mask, which is extremely exhausting, who wants to live that way. I want to be free to be myself and my gifts, I want to be in spaces where I am celebrated, not tolerated. And a lot of these jobs reflect that. And I was like, I don’t have to live this way. And I don’t want to, I don’t and so I thought that was a really, really interesting thing. And same thing with even Yeah, I was shocked with younger, like Gen Z. I was really surprised by that.
Natalie Franke
Yeah. Well, I wonder if their threshold for putting up with that is much lower, much like I yeah, like I wonder if and we’ve seen that, by the way across the board with Gen Z. I, they actually that’s a lot of what I was thinking about, like all the Tick Tock memes. But, you know, they say like Millennials are the mom and dad, you wish you had very sweet, very warm when they your boss. But for Gen Z, like they’re not going to put up with a lot. They’re not going to put up with it. They have this like bold, brave courage to be like, I’m out. Goodbye. I’m not going to deal with being disrespected. I’m going to set boundaries with my work, I’m going to actually take the PTO that I’m given. Whereas as a millennial, I still feel bad taking PTO. Anyway, it’s still so bad. My manager, Dan will like Natalie, you need to take I mean, he will, he’ll be like, You need to take your time. This was stupid. I remember 2021 He’s like, I see how much PTO you’re taking in, you need to take more Gen Z doesn’t have it, at least from the folks I’ve worked with. They don’t have that problem. They’re going to take what is theirs, rightfully theirs, and they’re not going to put up with being treated horribly in the workplace. So I do wonder if for the younger generations, that is a factor or Yeah, it’s so far. It’s so that that really stood out to me too. I’m glad we touched on that.
Akua Konadu
Yeah, well, I think to even like Gen Z in general, they just come from a place of curiosity, you know, because we all grew up and we were told this is the way to success. And some of us who were independent business owners, right like we questioned it eventually but they just doing it out the gate you know, they’re like, Well, why why is that the only road to success? You know what I mean? They are truly defying getting inspired all the time by Gen Z because they are truly changing the world. Honestly, I mean, you know, millennials, we set them up you know, let’s let’s least give credit where credit is due y’all. But you know, they’re taking it you know, they are they’re taking it to a whole new level and I love that they they question everything, they come from a place of curiosity. And I think that’s such a good reminder for us to always be coming from that always question it’s okay to question it’s okay to be curious and just ask, it’s always because what sometimes we are presented with is not the end all be all, but that was how society literally molded us so She militants. That’s what we’re all in debt. We went to college, we did the thing. I’m not using a degree that I went to school for it. And you know what I mean? Like, that’s life, which I’m grateful for the journey I truly am. But again, it was because I thought that was the right thing to do. And that wasn’t the best fit for me. So that’s my
Natalie Franke
grateful for the journey could have done without the student loans. But 1,000%
Akua Konadu
Yeah,
Natalie Franke
yeah. Ah, gosh, that’s good. Alright, statistic to you. Are you ready?
Akua Konadu
Here we go. Here we go. Okay, statistic to 72% of independents didn’t start their careers are aspiring to become a business owner. The benefits won them over and they chose to become entrepreneurs. So I just had to ask this question, Did you always know that you were going to become an entrepreneur? Or like, what nudge you towards becoming an independent business owner?
Natalie Franke
Yeah, no, I am very much in the 72% of folks that didn’t think they were going to start a business and then ended up starting a business, I would say, for the majority of you know, growing up, I thought I would go into some sort of professional fields. But no, never start my own thing. Now, that changed for me when I discovered photography, and simultaneously, the economy took a nosedive not to reveal my age too much. But I graduated from high school in 2008. And for folks that remember, you know, 2007 2008 2009, that is when we sort of entered that really, at least at the time, it was very scary, but that really swift recession in the economy. And I remember graduating from high school, heading into college and just witnessing layoffs, after layoffs after layoffs, and feeling sort of like, there might not be a job for me at the end of college, again, challenging these narratives that we had sort of been taught as millennials, like, if you go to college, you will have a job, that job will be better paying than if you didn’t go to college. Like that was sort of the, you know, the rule of thumb that was passed on. Now, we know that’s not inherently true. But I had believed that for a very long time. So the photography business that I started, kind of the end of high school, going into college, I thought would be a side hustle for me. But then as I’m going through college, I started to realize rather quickly, I don’t want to rely on, you know, going into a W two career path in this economy, like in this economy. In this economy. I didn’t, I didn’t want to deal with it. And I think I started to realize, Wow, maybe I don’t have to if I bet on myself, and I’m willing to do a little bit of hustling while I’m still going to school, which is what I did. You know, I’d study Monday through Friday in college. And then I would take the train home Friday evening, photograph weddings on Saturday, photographed engagement slash family sessions on Sunday and take the train back from 9am. On Monday, I did that for years. And because I did that I built a six figure business before I graduated. And when that time came to graduate, I was making more in my business than I would have gotten paid, you know, right out of school for a career in a multitude of different fields that I was potentially lined up to work in. So I didn’t always think I’d be an entrepreneur. But I do think that the economic headwinds kind of pushed my hand a little bit kind of nudged me in that direction.
Akua Konadu
Yeah. Oh, I love that. Also, too. I love her. You’re like, let me not age myself and you graduated in 2008. I graduate in 2006. So there was that?
Natalie Franke
I mean, I know. I know. Well, we’re lucky to be getting older, aren’t we? We’re lucky. That’s right. Exactly. changing how we talk about it. We’re lucky and you know, there we are lucky to be getting older. Let’s keep moving forward. Because we’re gonna be like a four hour episode. I love it. Yeah, I know. Statistic three, I want to do this one statistic three. Okay, out for a second, we’re gonna talk about the concerns that people have who have thought about going independent, you have thought about starting an independent business that came out of this survey, I find this so fascinating. So 62% of people who considered leaving their W two job to work for themselves. We’re worried about not making enough money. So over half of folks that are thinking about, okay, I want to go independent, they’re in that like, you know, percentage of the workforce that’s made that consideration 62% have been worried about not making enough money, and I get that as a business owner. I mean, I don’t have you experienced that. I feel like you’re always a little bit worried about cashflow
Akua Konadu
that I feel like that feeling never goes away. And you know, even when you are like you’re doing well, right, things are lining up and you’re having the income and but someday, you know, you have seasons seasons, are there times when you’re busy. And there are times where business is slow. And so I feel like that just never leaves but you adjust Right? Like you prepare your business for those seasons. So okay, I mean, of course, it’s always gonna be in the back of my mind, but I have a plan in place that’s gonna get me through the season. So then, you know, I’m ready for the next season. I think just like with the proper planning, but you just never it’s always there. It’s always in the back of my mind. What about you?
Natalie Franke
I have a hot take. I have a hot take on this. I think there’s a misperception that w two work is is guaranteed income. I think there is too much of a belief that this is reliable and safe to stay with the W two work. Whereas people view running a business as the biggest risk of all time, when we think about the fear of not having enough money in my head, I go, Well, I mean, when you run your own business, you can have five to six streams of revenue. I mean, it’s going to take a while to build that. Yeah. But if you needed to, you can have five or six streams of revenue. So if you’re not making enough money in stream one, you still have 23456. Whereas if you have one paycheck coming in, and you get laid off tomorrow, by no fault of your own, you now have zero streams of revenue coming in.
Akua Konadu
Yep. And that, and that is a it’s a mindset shift. It really is. Because there were times especially at the beginning of my business where I was like, Am I making the right decision here? Like, maybe I should go back to a job because I have a guaranteed paycheck, I have guaranteed benefits. And this is just something I just don’t have to worry about. Bo, especially when you’re not making enough, and you have to make ends meet. And you’re like, Okay, well, this paycheck, you’re like, you know, nickel and diming this paycheck, and then you’re trying to figure out, okay, well, I’m XYZ, I’m this amount short, what am I going to do? And as a business owner, we I don’t have to worry about that. Because I do I have different streams of income, to where I’m like, Okay, I now have two businesses. So I’m like, Alright, if this isn’t making a lot of money, it’s okay, like, I have something else to wear, I’m still fine. So it truly is a mindset shift that again, it’s a narrative that society has placed on us. And it is not easy to break out of it. Because we’re so comfortable with what’s being presented to us. And it’s hard to see what’s on the other side, unless you finally just take the leap and walk through it.
Natalie Franke
Yeah. And it’s been told to us by people that we love and often that we trust. I mean, you know, I think one of the things I have to remind myself of, especially when we have conversations around things like AI, right, is that the jobs of the past are not going to be the jobs of the future. Yes. And what worked in the past is not what’s working for millennials today. And it’s not going to be what works for my kids. My I have a four year old and I have a one and a half year old and things like college for us. Like we’ve had conversations where with my husband, we’re like, I don’t know if they’re going to need to go to college. Or if they do, it might be on the internet. And they might be like working and going to school at the same time. Or maybe it’s a totally different type of educational process for them. It may not make sense for them to take on student loans at all whatsoever. Gosh, I never had those conversations with my mom. Like that wasn’t a question. It was like, education is your only path? Yes. Take it, do it. Yep, do the thing. So I think that’s a huge part of this is right, we’re seeing these shifts, where it’s like the way we used to make money is no longer the way we’re making money, the way we’re making money today may still not be the way that two generations from now that they’re earning an income, we have no idea what’s down the road. But what we do know is that we can either cling to the comfortable of what others, even those that we’ve trusted, have said works for them. Or we can also keep our eyes open and reevaluate the possibilities for ourselves. And I think that’s what we’re starting to see with some of these statistics. Now, I do want to note some of the other concerns that people had. So concerns in leaving their job and becoming independent included things like, you know, 43%, were concerned about finding work or clients 41% were concerned about not knowing where to start or feeling overwhelmed, that’s relatable, I get that. Yeah, like a decade and a half in, I still feel that way. Sometimes. 36% said, the burden of administrative responsibilities that come with running a business, again, that’s a little over a third, I get that, you know, finance, marketing, taxes, accounting, all the things like it’s a lot to take on. And then 36% worried about the loss of health insurance, and benefits.
Akua Konadu
That one I thought was going to be a lot higher, I’m not gonna lie. I mean, that’s still a good chunk. But I definitely thought I was gonna be a lot higher because I even had a friend that said that she knows people who have gone back to w two were like working nine to five because of benefits, because it is the price to have health insurance is insane. And it truly, really is crazy. I mean, how much I pay per month for health insurance. Truly, it’s, it’s wild. And I know that there’s so many of us out there. And so I thought that one was going to be a I mean, 38. Like I said, 36% is still a big chunk, but I thought that it was gonna be way higher, because it is it’s hard trying to get health insurance as an independent business owner. And when you’re first starting out that is not at the top of your list, you are just trying to make money that is your main objective. So even trying to figure out the resources of how to get insurance is very overwhelming. And usually, for me, it was the last thing on my like buck on my list. I was like, I could care less. And it wasn’t until my family was like, No, you need to make this a priority. Like what are you doing? And I was like, okay, and I’m glad I did. But even just to find it was a little tricky, and I did eventually find a resource. But that’s again, going back to the fact of like government and society just can’t keep up with the evolution of entrepreneurship because these resources should be accessible immediately and it should not be difficult for me to find. But it took me a while to find it and so yeah, that’s just my two cents on that piece. I definitely I was gonna be way higher, but really into all of these things different, like you get nervous, like who’s gonna want to work with me, right? Finding clients like how do you start? It’s, it’s always hard. But when you get your first one though, you it’s like a snowball effect, you feel that momentum and you’re like, Alright, I got this. And so it’s again, just not knowing where to start, you just got to start, and then you it’ll direct your next step. That’s also too but so like, we’ve all been there, these steps like 100, and 1,000% relate to it. I think we all still experienced these throughout our journey, but you just have to go, just go. And like I said, people ask me, what’s the future, my business, I mean, I have no idea. And because I’m like, I’m just taking it a step at a time. And it’s led me through this beautiful journey hard, but beautiful journey. And I’m just gonna keep going that way, because I experience all these all the time.
Natalie Franke
Yes, and but I think you’re nailing something to here, which is like, people, I think all of us, you know, when we go especially if you’ve ever worked a full time job, you have all these benefits baked in. And so something like health care, which by the way, I would be curious to see that statistic parsed out between people who are married to a partner with with benefits, versus people who are not married in the United States, basically not having access to the benefits of their partner, which is like, I would be really curious to see if that, you know, 36% changed among those two populations. So that’s one that I’ll pass back on to the team. So I think we should look into that in future surveys. But speaking of benefits, you’re assuming all of those as an independent business owner, because as we’ve touched on, I feel like numerous times, this system was not built for you, as a business owner, this system was built for w two workers in the United States period. It has not kept up with the future of work. It’s one of the reasons we advocate so fiercely for the rights of independence, because we acknowledge things like you know, health care, insurance, you know, disability insurance, workers compensation, parental leave, retirement savings plans, all of those things are often attached to that w two work now, not for everyone, of course, but for a lot of people, the United States, they’re looking to their employer to give them access to all those perks and benefits. Which brings us to statistic number 480 4%
Akua Konadu
of independent business owners think there should be more government resources and financial assistance dedicated to supporting them. Do you agree? 1,000%. And I just I still don’t understand, I think for me, I don’t understand why these resources still aren’t available. Yes, a lot of these resources are known
Natalie Franke
to exist. We just don’t know, there’s not a wealth of like that awareness about it’s kind of hidden and hard to access.
Akua Konadu
Well, I feel like to, given the like, the amount of all of the issues the United States has, I feel like small business owners are just never a priority, which should be a priority, because small business owners truly feel the economy, they build communities, they are a core part of just the functionality of this country. And so I don’t understand, I think for me, that’s where I struggle, where I’m not understanding as to why the needs of small business owners are just not a priority for the government. But then it’s like, well, capitalism, obviously, right. Like, that’s just a whole a whole discussion within that. But it makes me sad. It’s really it’s frustrating. It really is because so many of us are still trying to figure it out, like and we learned, but it’s it’s overwhelming. It’s hard. And there’s so many different circumstances where people just need the resources. And again, they’re just not available, or they just don’t know. Yeah, so
Natalie Franke
yeah, we have a future episode coming up with Sharon McMahon of Sharon says so and also one with Danielle Coke. Oh, happy Dani, both episodes are so good. And they touch on this a little bit. And so I don’t want to take too much away from that episode. But one thing I’ll add here is, I think a lot of business owners don’t realize the power that they wield simply by having a business in their area. And when, you know, we sat down and had I had both of those conversations. And Miss Sharon, specifically, that whole episode is about how you have power. And so when we talk about, you know, we want our government resources, I do think it’s an opportunity for us to really call in our politicians, especially on the local level. And I mean, like literally calling them but also inviting them into discussions. If they’re going to pose with small business owners on Main Street and shake our hands for their ads, then they better have our back when it comes to legislation. And I think they need to know that we’re watching, I think they need to know that we need them to have our backs because the reality is we’re not a marketing ploy for a political campaign. We are the backbone of this country. And it is critical that our representatives understand what our needs are and understand that we are a diverse group of individuals with a diverse array of lived experiences, who are contributing to the health of this economy. And so, you know, we do so much that we need to ensure that our representatives know and so in these episodes, we talk about like what does it look like advocating for yourself? So this is something if you are one of those 84% of people that wishes that the government would do more for you, or even just you know, it’s basically like Giving you more visibility into what resources do exist. You know what laws are being updated things like that, then this is a great opportunity for you to remember you have power and you have a voice and that voice needs to be used. One of the things occurred that I want to touch on too in this section here on to the statistic around, you know, government resources. I found this really interesting from the Harris Poll 62% say the government does not do enough to improve access to affordable childcare.
Akua Konadu
I was gonna ask you a question about that. So just let him do it. Yeah. Because this was what I was saying, you know, I don’t have children. But I have a sibling who has four kids. And he has a W two worker, and but it just made me think about independent business owners, because are ready when the pandemic hit, and childcare was already a struggle, right. And I was already thinking about independent businesses who were already struggling before the pandemic, and then the pandemic happened. And I was like, how are they doing? I guess, what are you like? Do you have any insight in that just even share, because I just was like, childcare was already a big issue before. And so how people were weathering the storm throughout the pandemic? And now I don’t know. So I was really curious to know more of your thoughts on that.
Natalie Franke
Yeah, a couple of things. One, a couple of months ago, I posted on Instagram stories, and I just asked people to share with me what is keeping them up at night as a business owner? And I know we actually have some of those in this survey. But what was interesting is that at that point in time, inflation was number one. So inflation and economic headwinds. Now granted, this is like right at the start of those conversations being very top of mind. But number two was child care. And it just caught me off guard. I mean, I know it’s hard for me, I know it’s hard for a lot of folks I know with kids, I did not expect it to be such a vocally concerning concept for independent specifically. And when I double clicked in and I started to ask I posted the, you know, fill in the blank question box saying like, okay, a lot of people said child care, why did you say child care, I uncovered what is maybe very obvious to many, which is that if you work from home, you take on a disproportionate amount of the child care. So anytime a child is sick, you become the default, right to watch that child and juggle your work accordingly. You also have the most flexible schedule, which we’ve talked about people like want, and that’s why they go independent. But then the double edged sword of having that flexible schedules again, you become the one doing pickup and drop off. And when a kid gets sick, or you need to run something to school, like you become that default parent, because you’re not the one in an office. And when you add in the added cost of childcare, a lot of parents, especially for young kids, just decide, I’m not going to spend three quarters of the salary that I’m earning to have somebody else watch my child, I guess I’ll figure out how to do both. And I know a lot of business owners who do both and that it’s very, very, very difficult. It’s emotionally and physically very, very difficult to be a phenomenal parent and a phenomenal business owner at the exact same time. And so you don’t need to get into the mental health issues that I’ve experienced having too, you know, signing myself up for too much juggling too many things on my own. But I know it’s a shared experience. And so, you know, at first I was surprised. And then when I started to lean in, I realized, oh, wait, not just me. Like this is really a struggle for a lot of people, and especially a lot of people in the US. And so I get it, I really I really, really do get it.
Akua Konadu
Yeah, I’ve Well, number one small business owners, we deserve more. And honestly, if just even hearing that whole experience is just super eye opening. And if that’s you that’s struggling, as you’re listening to this, just know that you’re seen throughout this, like, you know, these these are the reason why we wanted to share these statistics with you guys is because you’re not the only person that’s going through this and we want more for small business owners, we know you do too. So really using this to empower and equip yourself even just what you shared about the two episodes that are coming out with Sharon and Danielle have like there is power in your voice. So we this that’s what the purpose of this podcast is here for to equip you these resources that weren’t here when we first started. They’re here now for everybody to access, like, it is accessible to everybody. So I’m just excited for this podcast. I am excited for the stats. And if you’re listening, I hope you feel just as excited as we are as well because you deserve more. You deserve more. You deserve to be able to have it all to be a present parent, and to be an amazing badass business owner. You deserve it. You shouldn’t have to choose we shouldn’t have to choose. It shouldn’t have to be or if you know what I mean, like this or that it should not have to be that and we don’t and we deserve more. That’s that’s uh, I’m on my soapbox y’all. Sorry. I’m just it makes me mad. Just want to drop
Natalie Franke
this mic without breaking it. But I know Akua done. Yes.
Akua Konadu
It’s so true. Like we deserve more. And again, like that’s, that’s something even just with my own journey. I’m really thinking about it. I don’t I don’t have to choose. I can have everything that I desire. And every single one of us deserve that no matter what our life looks like. And so I’m really, really excited for this podcast because we go there we talk about these issues that are present that we’re all experiencing currently. And together we You’re just much more powerful. So we are in this together, you are not alone. And I’m excited to for all of these episodes to roll out so
Natalie Franke
much goodness coming. There’s so much good timing. But speaking of like deserving better, one of the statistics that made me feel really hopeful out of this survey, like very, very, very hopeful was the fact that 92% of independent business owners agree that their overall quality of life has improved, since they started working for themselves. 92% of business owners agree that their quality of life improved. That’s huge, huge.
Akua Konadu
I’m in that 92%
Natalie Franke
What do you think changed for you? Like, what were just some of the quick things that looking back, you’re like, Wow, that was a huge shift for me on a quality of life level. Oh, my gosh, I
Akua Konadu
think just number one, just being myself, that was just freeing for me, like I said, as just with my experience with experiencing micro aggressions in the workplace, and just constantly being dismissed, it was just exhausting. And to be working with clients who saw my gifts and saw what I brought to the table, and I didn’t have to fight to be seen. It was just such a freeing experience. And some that we just really take for granted, especially in you know, working in corporate spaces, you gotta get the approval of so many things and people and I don’t have to re like I get to choose with the people that I want to work with. And they are people who appreciate me, my personality, my quirks, the way that I view things, they believe in me and the services that I provide, because they know that it’s going to be able to help them. And so it also to really built up my confidence and my mental health in that sense, as well of just being much more sure and who I am and how I want to show up in this world. I’m just like, who is Akua. And like, I, my our businesses are an extension of who we are, right. And so I just, it’s just all around, I feel so much more confident in how I show up in all of my relationships. And I’ve just been much more intentional with the people that I care about. Because it’s even with my business, right, you have to pay attention to more client details, that client relationship, those things really matter. And it’s like literally flowed into my own personal life of how I want other people to be seen, just like how I make my clients feel seen. And I mean, it just it just trickles down into so many different things when you have one good thing that’s going so well. It trickles down into other areas of your life. And it’s such a beautiful thing. So for me and just having more time just having more time to do the things that truly bring me joy that fill up my cup. I like that and I all I need is my laptop, to go and travel to go do different things that I want to do. I’m not limited by my you know what I mean being hunkered down at my desk every day or in an office, I can go live a life that I want to live and still be able to make the impact that I want to make. So I love it.
Natalie Franke
That alone though is like a little bit of I feel like an unlearning. Like, yeah, what I mean by that is if you come from, you know, any kind of structured environment where like, this is how it’s supposed to be, you almost have to untrain yourself as a business owner to be like, I don’t have to work at a desk in front of my computer all day. I could work from a coffee shop, I could co work with a friend, I something as simple as that is just like when you actually start to realize I work remotely I could work from anywhere, you know, like Yeah, what it is game changing for so many people who otherwise have felt very trapped by this, like homogenous like you show up at this time you work at this desk till this time you get 30 minutes for lunch. When you run your own business. You do get to make those decisions. Right. And unless, you know the other double edged sword of that, though, is that a lot of us the meanest bosses we’ve ever had. So yeah, it also comes with some need for some personal development on loving yourself and giving grants and not making yourself skip lunch. Like at least give yourself a 30 minutes of lunch because some of us I’m looking at you if you if you feel personally attacked by this are the bosses that push ourselves a little bit too hard. But the point being, you know, having that freedom and unlearning some of those like this is how it’s supposed to be don’t run your business like a corporation.
Akua Konadu
Right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. And that’s the unlearning is such a critical piece because for me, I do not function early in the morning. I do not work early in the morning. And for the longest time, I would force myself to get up at eight, like 7am Trying to be at my desk at eight wouldn’t even start working till noon. So then I finally clicked to me, I’m like, Akua, you were much more productive in the late afternoon. So I just had to let that go. I literally was in therapy. And I was like, I’m trying so hard to my therapist was like, you work for yourself, don’t you? And I was like, Oh my gosh. What? Right? It just was like a big aha moment. And I was like, You are right. So then now I don’t take meetings on a certain day anymore. And now I don’t my day starts literally at 10am That’s when all of you guys get my voice notes. Natalie, you do get early ones like alright, like
Natalie Franke
9pm I love ya 9pm ones where you’re like Iris We’ve already I
Akua Konadu
know, I’m like, I’m sorry, but I’m working right now. So but it works for me because and that’s how I’m most productive. And so again, it’s this narrative that in order to be successful, you ha ve to get up at 4am. Or, you know, you have to be at work by 8am. And not everybody functions that way. And I don’t. But I’m curious for you, what was your unlearning moment like your aha moment that you had,
Natalie Franke
in your, all of this, all of this, I mean, we’re touching on it. Look, I’m neurodivergent, I have ADHD, if you listen to the show, you’re gonna hear me, you know, share some of that experience, time and time again, because it’s so critical to both what makes me successful, but also how I’ve had to navigate the world. And one of those things, because we were talking right for this podcast, I said, I had to go for a walk today, I had to stop my meetings, and physically move my body, I now have a standing desk with a walking path. And no, it’s not just for physical health, like, my brain requires a different way of working, I have to be constantly moving, I will sometimes have like, white noise in the background, while I’m working. I, you know, have specific playlists and rituals that helped me to get into the groove. And all of that, for me was, I think, you know, I had a unique experience, from the sense of I went from independent to then working for a company. So I almost went the other way, where I never learned how you’re supposed to do things. And I’ve been really fortunate to be able to work somewhere now where I can say to my boss, like, Hey, I’m gonna step out and I’m gonna go for a walk, because I need the mental space. And he’s like, good for you. Sounds great. Amazing, thank you, you know, but in my bed, just the permission, I think a lot of us just need that reminder that when you run your own business, you don’t need to wait for somebody else’s permission to run it the way that you need it to be run. And that can mean taking more rest. You don’t have to work nine to five, Monday through Friday period, you could if you can accomplish your tasks in three days a week, there are business owners that run very successful, very profitable businesses three days a week, you also don’t have to set the same revenue goals that somebody else has to set that was an eye opening one for me like you don’t the chase the six figure mark the seven figure mark the eight figure mark? No, if you only you know, set a mark that other people, it doesn’t matter, you choose it, choose to set a revenue mark that you can live with that brings you the holistic life you want. And that might mean, you know, success for you could look like working three days a week and bringing in, you know, 50k a year. And that is exactly what you want. And that is success. And it’s about defining it on your own terms and not, you know, deciding that you have to hit a certain revenue number, because so and so said, that’s what you have to hit to be successful as a graphic designer, or a consultant or a photographer. No, no, no. Again, like we got this keeps coming up. But like we touched on, sometimes there are things in our lives that are far more important to us than money. For me, it’s time time is my most precious currency. You’ve heard me say this. And so when I have to choose between money and time, I have goals with money, where I’ve gotta hit it. But once I hit that for my family, and we can support ourselves, the choice tips to time. So, you know, I think it’s about redefining success. Maybe that was the biggest learning was redefining success. And then also, you know, not having to feel this pressure to be perfect all the time was exactly still is a work in progress every year still is a journey.
Akua Konadu
Exactly. I think I this just popped into my head too. We wanted to start our businesses because we wanted to stand out in some way. And for some odd reason, when we become business owners, and we see what other business owners are doing, all of a sudden, now we want to be just like them, right? We start comparing and all of this and that. But it’s like, isn’t the reason why we started in the first place was because we wanted to stand out. But it’s so just again, how we are just that mindset, how we end up getting in these mind traps of all of a sudden now that we have our own business, and we’re like, okay, great, I’m starting out. This is me, I’m out here doing my own thing standing out. And then all of a sudden, we instantly want to fall back, make ourselves small and do what anybody else is doing. Right? Like it’s just, it’s wild to me how we think that way. And because I just think of like in my nine to five, I just I wanted to do what everybody else is doing all constantly. And I was like, I’m tired of that. I’m starting my own business. And I found myself right back in that mental trap. It’s a cycle. And that’s something I’ve also had to learn defining success in your own way. That also too is like a lot of unlearning as well, but that just popped into my head.
Natalie Franke
Well, speaking of the pain points, this is a perfect segue that independent business owners are facing statistics 670 8% 78% of independent business owners said running a business comes with more challenges than they anticipated. Doesn’t it? But yes, yep. Oh, some of the most common challenges faced are 41% Say staying on top of all the administrative tasks that go into running a business that for me personally was a struggle 36% Say pricing their services who big when they’re 35% Say finding and booking new leads 32% setting and maintaining work life boundaries and 23% say clients ghosting them. The big kind of like too long don’t read to Dr overview of this as it is so much harder than you think it’s going to be even when you expect it to be hard.
Akua Konadu
Yes. Because the curveballs, like what you thought was going to be hard, or what you thought was going to be roadblock is not even the roadblock at all, I will say for myself, the admin task and just you know, getting organized, that was like the last on my list, again, just trying to hurry up and make money to supplement my income. And I knew I needed to do these things. But I didn’t want to do them. But my business suffered for it. And the thing is to like, it’s not sexy being or like, you know, the organization, client flows, those types of things. That’s not the sexy popular topics. But it is the most crucial topics to build a sustainable business. And I had to learn that the hard way. And now I am all about client flows, all of different types of things of how can I make my experience with my client the best as possible, because I want them to come back. And also to I don’t, I shouldn’t have to be tied to my desk and my computer every single day to send a simple email. So just knock out these admin tasks as quickly as possible and go live your life because your business will thank you for it. making that a priority, then you realize when you finally do it, and like automate your business and do these different types of things get organized. You were like, Why didn’t I do this sooner, I suffered for nothing, for nothing. So if that is you put that at the top of your list, please, you will save yourself later. And your business will thank you.
Natalie Franke
If you take one thing away from this entire podcast be let it be what Akua just told you just take her advice and run with it. Because the excuse we are all the time is I don’t have time, I don’t have time to get organized. I don’t have time to set up automated workflows, I don’t have time to streamline my client flow. I don’t have time I don’t have time. The point here is you can’t afford not to you don’t have the time to not do it. Because if you don’t do it today, what actually happens is you’re seeing a compounding effect. And you know, I talked about this a couple weeks ago, if you waste 45 minutes a day on inefficient client flow aspects of your business. So we’re talking organization, it can be anything, any aspect of your business that you are wasting 45 minutes a day, which doesn’t sound like a lot. I mean, and we and a lot of us do waste well more than 48 hours or 45 minutes, sorry a day. Because we’re you know, not automating something that could be automated. We’re not creating a template that could be templatized. We’re not outsourcing or, you know, thinking like the CEO, we’re still trying to cling to every responsibility and task and do it manually. 45 minutes a day over the course of your career is over a year of your life, you will never get back. Woof. So don’t tell me you don’t have time to fix it today. You don’t have time to spend your entire career wasting those 45 minutes a day and lose a year with the people that you love. We’ll leave it there and keep flying into you know, statistic number seven, you want to take this one
Akua Konadu
stat Yeah. Yep. So what is really keeping independent business owners up at night, more than three in 10 independent business owners say that making an error that causes them to lose business, keep them up at night. Slightly more this was this is like this was who was really good slightly more than one quarter 27% Say dropping the ball and letting clients down. Also make them toss and turn. And I felt like that. That’s me too. That’s the worst. The worst.
Natalie Franke
I still have nightmares I still. So I haven’t photographed a wedding now in four years, but I did it for almost a decade. For folks who don’t know my background. I was a wedding photographer for eight years. And it’s been four years since I photographed my last wedding. I still have nightmares. I still have nightmares of waking up and like I missed a wedding or showed up without memory cards or I dropped the ball because I double booked myself I still it’s like the you know, the classic pop quiz nightmare that people have years later after school and maybe it’s just me firstborn child. Enneagram three overachiever. But I have those nightmares that I dropped the ball even now, years later, like it really haunts us, it really weighs us down.
Akua Konadu
Yes, because we want to do a good job right? Like we want to be able to just I want people to say good things about me and my brand when I’m not in the room. So I really want to make sure that I’m providing the best experience but I have dropped the ball like the reason why I automate now is because I hate emails. And I do not respond quickly to emails. And it’s true. I do not enjoy anybody who knows me and who has worked with me I send voice notes. Family Friends, everybody shaking their head because it’s just quick for me. I send ridiculous amount of voice notes and so for me emails are just not my thing. But that was why I had to automate it because I have lost business because I have not responded quickly to voice notes. Not her looking at how sorry not to not to I’m about to call you out emails, not her looking up to see how many voicemails I’ve sent her recently.
Natalie Franke
Can we get that on the screen? Hold on one important way. Okay, this is my texts read with a Cuba for those of you who are watching this on YouTube are important. It is a full screen from top to bottom, okay of a tank top to bottom. Okay, one minute and 56 seconds, 49 seconds, two minutes, 15 seconds, one minute, 59 seconds, two minutes and 15 120 240-651-4029 One minute I could literally and I also can keep scrolling and there’s more. So she’s not messing around. She’s a voice I’m not.
Akua Konadu
But I just want to say it was really quick. And yes, that actually could have been an email Honestly, when I really thought about it. So that’s my bad. But
Natalie Franke
also notice I still haven’t listened to them.
Akua Konadu
She has not I eventually had to tell her in person what they were. And so when you’re not able to do that, to me, people are like, Girl, just just tell me what you said. And I’m like, Alright, fine. Have chat. JpT do it for you. Oh my gosh, that would be amazing. Yes, there we go. But that’s my point, right? Like being organized emails are not my thing. So now I automate certain certain things with emails, right? I create those templates that I can just hit a button and send and boom, done. And that has been such a game changer for my business. It is aided in just the client experience, because they’re like, oh, my gosh, you’re responding so quickly. And I’m like, Yeah, because I already had this template created. I mean, I don’t say that to them. But it makes me feel super good. And I’m not dropping the ball anymore on something that was so simple, like a lot of time for very simple things, minor tweaks in our businesses that can just make all the world of a difference. And so yeah, emails. Oh, you just put my business out there girl like that. I’m cackling
Natalie Franke
Hey, you told me to keep it real. So I’m just very good. You’re telling the truth when you say
Akua Konadu
she gets a lot. She deals with a lot. Girl. That was the
Natalie Franke
only time I haven’t listened. I was just too many. I think my brain went into like, you know, i What is it called procrastination mode. I’m like, I’ll listen to it eventually. And then we had a call and
Akua Konadu
recapped it but I just let it go. You just let them go.
Natalie Franke
We keep going all day statistic. Eight statistic a one in five independent business owner speaking of organization has lost money due to a lack of organization, one in five has lost money.
Akua Konadu
I have I absolutely have I think all of us have at some point in time. And you learn your lesson, right? Like, when these types of things happen. You have to have grace for yourself. Because I think being a business owner, I have learned so much about myself as a person, and just how I operate and how I show up in the world. So that has happened to me and I felt like crap, sobbed, felt horrible. But then I realized I’m like, okay, a COA. Like this was a minor setback. This was a failure. What will I do better this next time? And how can I make it up to that client, but then also moving forward for future clients to make sure that they don’t, nothing like this ever happens again, it’s a hard pill to swallow. But it’s a really humbling experience. And it’s so so important client relationships, truly, because a lot of my inquiries are word of mouth. That’s how I truly get a lot of my business because people like me, and I like them. And so it’s great. It works out, you know what I mean? But it’s because I invested in those relationships. I’ve been intentional with organizing, to be able to communicate to them effectively. So
Natalie Franke
yeah, can I share something really embarrassing with you that I haven’t even told my husband? Oh, my gosh, yes. About this about being one in five because I’m also one of the one in five and as you
Akua Konadu
were 20 He’s gonna humble you again. He will listen,
Natalie Franke
he’s gonna He’s gonna listen to every episode of this podcast with a notepad and give me feedback. Very honest feedback. We like to say who keeps me humble, very humble. So this is really embarrassing. Whew, I love you. Please don’t get mad at me. Um, I am one of the one in five who’s lost money due to lack of organization. So like I mentioned, it’s been four years since I photographed my last wedding. And I was recently going through a camera bag getting ready to sell it, like basically trying to sell off some of my old gear. And I found an $800 Check in the pocket in my camera bag.
Akua Konadu
You weren’t gonna hear from this man immediately.
Natalie Franke
Yeah. Oh. But I’m telling it. Okay. That’s like really embarrassing. But yeah, must have it was an it was for like a portrait shoot. It was. And I must have just put it in the camera bag being like, Oh, I’ll run to the bank later. And it’s like, five, six years old. I didn’t even I just forgot. And so it’s so embarrassing, because you’re like, how do you forget? Well, if any, any photographer by the way, who’s been in the midst of wedding season, doing 39 weddings a year and shooting a bajillion portrait sessions probably is going to at some point, I’m mortified. But that’s because I didn’t back then. Like I was still accepting checks back then things weren’t automated clients weren’t setting up auto pay, and breaking up everything into payment plans. My cash flow was like seasonality, you know, like they were prone to the year where I wouldn’t get a check for, you know, two months at a time and seasons where it was like, that’s when I got paid. It wasn’t this world we live in now where your client flow can be so automated that, you know, you’re breaking something up into micro payments, you’re getting cash flow throughout the year, you have so much more visibility and flexibility into where your money is coming from. I know again, I’m dating myself as a business owner, but that is so mortifying. So I’m one of the one in five and that and I I was not going to go awkward to share that you reminded me and I was like, You know what? We’re gonna go there? We’re gonna do it. Yeah, if you’ve ever done something really dumb like that,
Akua Konadu
but have grace for yourself. I mean, you know what I mean? Like, I mean, you ain’t getting them $100 back, but you know. But you know. I mean, why don’t want to say that could never be me, but
Natalie Franke
I’m gonna get a bill. I’m gonna get a bill from my husband for his half of that watch right now. He’s gonna invoice me for 400 He’s gonna be like you right?
Akua Konadu
Anything that you knew I stand by you for that. All right, my school support. But I mean, yes. You know, at the end of the day, you’re human. Thank you for sharing. Number one
Natalie Franke
that’s gonna get me blasted. I’m going to be put on blast for that one. We know that’s going to happen. But look, I promise to be honest. And that’s something that I did. And you know, we can blame it on whatever busy nose Yeah, HD but it got shoved deep into some pocket in a camera bag. And, you know, five years later, I’m realizing that I but that was my fault. I thought no one else is that’s me. Yes. Running a business. Like that stuff. Yeah.
Akua Konadu
And, and despite the fact that you just figured it out, like you just found it recently. You still learn regardless. Adolescence, you think you’re, you know,
Natalie Franke
Year three or four. You’re like, I’ve learned it all. Year 15 you’re still uncovering that unique technology, maybe a little bit more than you did.
Akua Konadu
Yeah. So Okay, girl, we love you still regardless.
Natalie Franke
All right, let’s let’s lean in here to statistic nine closing out our top statistics you need to know as an independent businessman, so fun. You want to cover the last one?
Akua Konadu
Yes. So how are business owners feeling about the current state of their business and the economy. So nearly two thirds about 65% anticipate that their net revenue will increase in the next year. And the majority of independents 82% have taken or plan to take steps to ensure that it does. So the different areas that they’re investing in their business, which I flippin loved this social media and or advertising, 39% hiring staff or additional support 26% 26% of independent business owners as well are outsourcing more tasks. And 23% are securing external financing. Yes, yeah. makes me so excited.
Natalie Franke
I love this. I think you know, this is something that there, look, there’s always going to be a lot of uncertainty about the future. And you know, the fact that nearly two thirds expect their business to grow their revenue to increase even though we’re having conversations around a recessionary period and inflation. You know, I it just shows you how resilient and adaptable this community is, like how truly optimistic and skilled and talented and hardworking and it’s just, it’s an inspiring space to be where people truly have the ability to, you know, carve out their own corner of the world and their own impact.
Akua Konadu
Well, just the fact that resiliency, I’m like a recession where because people are out here making their money, you know what I mean? Like building a sustainable business that is here five years from now, 10 years from now. And like, the things that people are investing in even myself, I just finally hired a VA and I know that such like a small thing like outsourcing. But she’s amazing. And it’s already making such a big impact on my business to where I’m literally thinking, why didn’t I do that sooner? You know what I mean? It’s like, I can’t do everything myself. And if I want to continue a business that’s making an impact and changing lives, I can’t do it alone. So these are things that I’m valuing also to people that are investing more on social media just as a storytelling strategist, that brings me joy of like, how people are seeing the benefits of it, even despite throughout the throughout the challenges that social media right now currently has, people are still investing and still showing up to get their voice out there. So like, I love seeing just all of these things of the action and the plan that people are taking to ensure that their business is going to be here tomorrow.
Natalie Franke
I love it. It’s like Donald Miller said in one of our first episodes, he said, You know, there’s never really a bad time to start a good business. And, you know, leaning into this idea of like, if you have a good business idea, if you’re serving your clients, well, if you’re prioritizing, creating that like really extraordinary experience. The world is your oyster, like you really have the ability to go out and to generate the revenue you want to generate to grow the business to bring build a team and bring others up with you like the possibilities are endless when you have a good business. And it’s just an encouraging way to close out this little bonus episode.
Akua Konadu
Yeah, this has been a blast. I hope you enjoy just as much as we have. And hopefully that you feel good about hearing these statistics and just take this and run with it. You know, keep moving forward in your business and know that we got you we are here supporting you and cheering you on. And let’s continue to just make an impact with those around us in our communities.
Natalie Franke
Absolutely. And as always, you know, we’re gonna include all of these stats in the show notes to the show. So if you go to podcast at honey book.com You’ll be able to To see all of these stats, pull them, use them, feel free to let us know if there are other areas you want us to research. This is another, you know, kind of open ended question that I have for everybody let us know let us know if there’s an area today they’re like, I want to double click in there. I think we need more research here. This would help me in my business helped me to feel less alone. We’re here for you. That’s what this podcast is all about where your champions and your advocates as a suicide and we’re fighting for you. So I really hope this gave you a little bit of hope and also an understanding that you’re not alone. This was fun. We got to do this again. ACOA.
Akua Konadu
Yes, thanks for having me out.
Natalie Franke
That ends our episode of The Independent Business Podcast. Everything that we’ve discussed today can be [email protected]. Head to our website for access to show notes, relevant links and all of the resources that you need to level up. And if you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss our future content. Drop us a review and leave our guests some love on social. Thanks again for listening.
