Make More Money without Selling Your Soul

Hosted by Polly Lavarello

Business Entrepreneurship Education

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194

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

I am Polly Lavarello, an evergreen marketing expert, and welcome to Make More Money without Selling Your Soul. If you are a coach, consultant, or an online service provider, then this podcast is perfect for you. On this podcast, you can expect to learn how to make money in your business with sales AND look after your wellbeing at the same time. So sit back, get comfortable, and enjoy the show.

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60 recent

August 20, 202629 min

Six-Figure Boundaries: The Rules That Protect Your Business From You

I'm talking about the six-figure boundaries that protect your business from you — and why boundaries that bend are just suggestions in disguise. This episode is about what actually happens when you don't enforce the limits you set. We get into why over-delivering can quietly become a liability, why "instant messaging" doesn't mean you owe anyone an instant reply, and the moment a throwaway comment from a fellow ads manager changed how I run my entire business. We also talk attention as a boundary in its own right — screen time, phone fasting, and creating before you consume — because protecting your business starts with protecting your own headspace. The pattern is always the same: undefined boundaries don't create freedom, they create a slow-burning resentment that eventually shows up as burnout, and burnout is the real threat to your revenue, not your client load. A boundary isn't a boundary unless you enforce it. Until then, it's just a suggestion. Highlights: (01:10) - Why perimenopause changed how Polly thinks about boundaries around health (04:37) - The moment Polly realised her "boundaries" were actually just suggestions (06:38) - What over-delivering was really costing her (and why her copywriter called it out) (07:44) - "That doesn't happen to me" — the conversation that changed everything (11:36) - Boundaries around attention: what The Dose Effect got right about screen time (16:32) - Why Polly stopped checking her inbox until midday (18:54) - Boundaries around client access, and why instant doesn't mean immediate (24:16) - Boundaries around your calendar, and why Friday off starts on Monday (27:00) - Boundaries around opportunity — the real question to ask before saying yes To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

August 13, 202617 min

Niche Down, Cash Up: Building 10K Months Without Burnout

In this week's episode, I'm talking about how to make launch-size revenue without launching — and the real-life predicament that comes up on nearly every discovery call I take. So many of the people I speak to have something demanding, non-negotiable, happening outside their business — caring for elderly parents, recovering from illness, raising young children. There's no shame in choosing to step back during that season if that's what's needed. But for most people, there isn't a backup plan, so the work still has to happen. And what a lot of them discover is that their 2–3K months, with the occasional surprise 5K month, don't actually hold up once you work out what they're earning per hour once marketing, admin and taxes are factored in. This is where the advice from bro marketers falls apart. Cancel your holidays, work through your kids' childhood, hustle now so you can rest later — it's not sustainable, and it's not necessary once you understand the actual mechanics of getting to a consistent 10K month. That comes down to three things: a strong, hyper-specific personal brand, one clear premium offer with a defined client journey, and a simple offer suite underneath it — a freebie, a workshop, and eventually a mini offer — that does the selling for you without a live launch every quarter. The takeaway: simplicity isn't a nice-to-have here. It's the whole strategy. Highlights: (00:35) - The real predicament behind so many discovery calls (06:15) - Why "working smarter" beats finding more hours (06:45) - The three things you actually need for a 10K month (11:00) - Building a group programme without exhausting live launches (13:00) - How your offer suite fits together (and why order matters) (14:30) - Inside the mini offer funnel (15:30) - The one word Polly wants you to remember: simplicity To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

August 7, 202615 min

Execution Is Cheap Now. Here's What Still Isn't

I'm talking about AI, and why it isn't replacing your business - it's replacing average service. This episode is about what happens when execution gets cheaper every month and judgement becomes the thing people actually pay for. We get into why your clients aren't hiring you for what you know anymore, they're hiring you for what you do with it. We'll talk about protecting your pricing when AI makes your work faster, not slower, the ethics conversation most small businesses haven't had yet, and why irrelevance, not AI, is the real risk over the next five years. The goal isn't to out-tool the robots. It's to become impossible to replace. Highlights: (00:50) - Why "why would they hire me when they can use ChatGPT" is a fear worth sitting with (02:05) - How AI has quietly changed what clients are actually paying for (03:59) - Why clients are buying your judgement, not just your strategies (06:31) - The question to ask yourself if AI got twice as good tomorrow (07:25) - Why doing something faster with AI doesn't mean charging less for it (08:21) - The AI ethics questions most small businesses haven't asked yet (10:33) - Why average has become free, and what that means for you To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

July 30, 202619 min

How I Built A Multi-Six-Figure Business Without Missing My Kids Childhood

I’m sharing what it really looks like to run a multi-six-figure business while protecting quality time with my children. From rebuilding my life as a single mum to learning how to use tiny pockets of time well, this episode is about creating a business that can hold real life, not one that expects you to behave like a productivity robot. We’ll talk about prioritising the work that genuinely moves your business forward, asking for support, lowering expectations where needed and designing your business around your life. The goal is not to stop dropping balls. It is to make sure one dropped ball does not bring everything crashing down. Highlights: (01:38) - Why I refused to build success at the expense of my children (04:08) - How rock bottom revealed my resilience (05:16) - Learning to focus on the 20 per cent that truly matters (07:32) - Why constraints can create clarity instead of stress (10:53) - Designing your business around your real life (17:19) - Building a business that survives the occasional dropped ball To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

July 23, 202620 min

The Secret To Having A Spacious Business

I’m sharing ten principles for creating a business that gives you room to breathe while still making brilliant money. We’re looking at simple offers, premium clients, realistic capacity and why a membership might be the exact opposite of the freedom you’re trying to create. I also talk about the sneakiest threat to spaciousness: anxiety dressed up as productivity. When we feel uncomfortable, we often add more instead of improving what already works. Your business doesn’t need more noise. It needs clearer decisions, stronger foundations and a model designed around your actual life. Highlights: (01:47) - What a spacious business really looks and feels like (04:18) - Build for the premium clients you genuinely want (06:02) - Why cheaper offers can demand far more marketing (08:15) - Create one obvious invitation and a clear path to grow (11:27) - Design your business around your real capacity (14:59) - When anxiety puts on a productivity costume To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

July 16, 202622 min

What My Fear of Public Speaking Taught Me About Growth

In this episode, I’m sharing the very honest story of doing my first public speaking event in ten years. Despite running a successful personal brand and talking for a living, standing in front of a room still made me physically shake. I’ll explain where that fear came from, why I kept avoiding it, and what finally helped me step forward. I’m also exploring the stories we tell ourselves to stay safe in business. Sometimes the next level is hiding behind the thing we keep putting off. Mine was public speaking, complete with train delays, questionable outfit choices and a deeply inconvenient childhood memory. Highlights: (04:12) - Realising my protective ‘no year’ had stopped serving me (06:18) - The childhood public speaking disaster I never fully forgot (09:25) - Why confidence on a podcast does not mean confidence everywhere (12:10) - Arriving late, underprepared and very tempted to run away (16:02) - The mindset shift that helped me see the room differently (17:32) - The moment I admitted I was scared and the fear disappeared To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

July 9, 202625 min

The Hidden Trap of Being Great at Content

If your content is flying, your audience is growing and people already trust you, you might assume the hard part is done. But visibility alone can leave your business feeling surprisingly fragile, especially when sales depend on constant posting, launches or your energy being at full capacity. In this episode, I’m exploring what brilliant content creators often need next: strategy, structure and a client journey that turns attention into consistent revenue. I’m also sharing why emotional resilience matters as you grow, how to avoid sabotaging what is already working and what it really takes to become a cushy CEO. Highlights: (01:52) - How to recognise when you are genuinely brilliant at content (04:10) - Why emotional sensitivity can make your content magnetic and vulnerable (07:32) - The hidden risk of building a business around content alone (13:58) - Why the best time to invest in support is before things go wrong (17:38) - The push before the cush, and why strategy creates more freedom (21:06) - How successful entrepreneurs accidentally sabotage their own growth To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

July 2, 202620 min

How to Stop Your Revenue Dictating Your Mood

What happens when your business income dips and your nervous system immediately decides everything is falling apart? In this episode, I’m talking about how to stay emotionally resilient when your bank balance is not behaving the way you want it to. I share how to zoom out, look at revenue patterns, identify where safety already exists, and focus on the fastest routes back to cash flow. We also look at why frantic energy hurts your marketing, how to separate your identity from one difficult month, and why building a business means learning to dance with risk. Highlights: (02:18) - Why financial pressure does not disappear as your business grows (04:32) - When one slow month starts to feel like total failure (08:08) - Where to look for immediate revenue and business safety (10:28) - The “what next?” exercise that calms financial fear (11:53) - Why desperation can quietly damage your marketing (16:58) - Learning to dance with risk and keep going through the wobble To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

June 25, 202620 min

The Business Advice I Ignored That Made Me More Money

There is always another platform, trend, funnel or shiny strategy promising to transform your business. In this episode, I’m sharing the advice I ignored, and why doing less, with more intention, helped me make more money without diluting my brand. I talk about choosing one platform, nurturing a smaller audience, keeping your tech simple and resisting the pressure to chase every new idea. Because the businesses that last are not built on constant reinvention. They are built on trust, consistency and a clear understanding of what you stand for. Highlights: (02:37) - Why adaptability matters more than chasing every trend (04:10) - The danger of blindly trusting confident business advice (05:42) - Why being everywhere online can weaken your results (09:03) - How a small audience supported £30k to £40k months (12:18) - Why simple funnels and basic tech can work brilliantly (15:13) - The real power of consistency, trust and repeat clients To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook

June 18, 202622 min

The Truth About Building A Personal Brand When You're Introverted AF

In this episode, I’m talking about personal branding when you’re introverted, visibility feels wildly uncomfortable, and the internet is getting noisier by the second. With AI-generated content, bots, misinformation, and a whole lot of online doom, it’s becoming even more important to build a brand that actually feels human. I share my own journey with visibility, why confidence comes after showing up, not before, and why the parts of you that feel messy, awkward, or too much might actually be the most powerful parts of your brand. This one is for the brilliant business owners who know they need to be seen, but would also quite like a lie down first. Highlights: (01:52) - Why personal branding matters even more right now (06:47) - The kind of brand that makes people feel something (08:04) - Why visibility comes before confidence (10:40) - The B-roll overthinking spiral, and why relatability matters (15:03) - Why the content you hesitate to post often performs best (17:32) - The more automated content gets, the more human connection matters To find out more: Website Instagram Download the FREE 3 every day sales systems playbook