Profit by Design

Hosted by Dr. Sabrina Starling

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431

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Oct 2026

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About the show

You work hard in your business. On the Profit by Design Podcast, we ask the BIG question: What has your business done FOR YOU lately? Join Dr. Sabrina Starling, The Business Psychologist™ and founder of Tap the Potential weekly, as she brings you tips, tools and strategies to support YOU in making intentionally profitable AND sustainable business decisions to live the lifestyle you desire. After all, work supports life, not the other way around. Dr. Sabrina is the author of the The 4 Week Vacation® and the How to Hire the Best Series. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential Production.

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November 5, 202627 min

426: Your Business Was Supposed to Give You Freedom. What Happened?

What if your business could give you back 10 hours every week while putting more money in your pocket? Imagine having evenings and weekends to yourself, taking a vacation without constantly checking your phone, and knowing your team can keep things running without you. For many entrepreneurs, that kind of freedom feels impossible. You've worked hard to grow your business, but somewhere along the way, you became responsible for every decision, every problem, and every detail. Revenue may be increasing, yet your workload keeps growing, and your take-home pay doesn't reflect the effort you're putting in. In this episode of Profit by Design, Dr. Sabrina Starling kicks off a new series, How to Cut 10 Hours From Your Workweek and Pay Yourself More . She challenges business owners to reconsider what success really means and introduces the Profit and Time Treasure Hunt, a practical approach to uncovering opportunities for greater profitability and personal freedom. You'll also hear from Tammy Little, a business owner who once believed working nights and weekends was simply part of being an entrepreneur. Through her work with Tap the Potential's Better Business Better Life program, Tammy has built a stronger team, improved systems, set boundaries, and reclaimed time she never imagined having. Dr. Sabrina also shares how her family's entrepreneurial history shaped her beliefs about hard work and why she eventually realized she was recreating the very lifestyle she had started her own business to escape. This episode invites you to stop measuring success by how busy you are and start defining what you want your business to make possible. With a simple exercise from the free Jumpstart workbook, you'll identify what your business has been costing you, envision what greater freedom could look like, and take the first step toward creating meaningful change. Because your business should support your life—not consume it. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights Why growing revenue doesn't automatically lead to more freedom, greater profitability, or higher take-home pay How becoming the chief problem solver keeps business owners trapped in daily operations Tammy Little's journey from working constantly and controlling every decision to building a team that takes greater responsibility Why changing your beliefs about work is often the first step toward changing how your business operates How Dr. Sabrina's family history influenced her understanding of entrepreneurship, hard work, and personal freedom What the Profit and Time Treasure Hunt reveals about opportunities already hiding inside your business Why identifying potential profit and reclaimable hours is only the beginning—and what it takes to turn those opportunities into results How stronger systems, team autonomy, and healthier client boundaries can create more capacity for business owners Why getting clear on what you want your business to make possible is essential before making operational changes Your $10,000-an-hour move: Complete pages 3–4 of the Jumpstart workbook, choose one meaningful goal, and identify the biggest obstacle standing in your way Resources Ready to reclaim your time and create a more profitable business? Start with the free Jumpstart workbook, your companion guide to the Profit and Time Treasure Hunt. Complete pages 3 and 4 to identify what your business has cost you, envision what an additional 10 hours each week could make possible, and clarify one change you want to make. Download your free Jumpstart workbook: https://tapthepotential.com/jumpstart Dr. Sabrina Starling and the Tap the Potential team help business owners build profitable, sustainable businesses through the Better Business Better Life program. Discover how simplifying operations, developing your team, and focusing on what matters most can help you create a business that supports your life. Book a conversation with the Tap the Potential success team: https://tapthepotential.com

October 29, 202633 min

425: From Stress and Inconsistent Sales to a Profitable Business That Supports Your Life with Adam McKee

What if your business could grow without demanding more of your time and energy? Imagine attracting better clients, building a stronger team, and finally creating a profitable business that supports your life instead of consuming it. In 2021, Adam McKee, owner of Contemporary Woods, was struggling with inconsistent sales, tight cash flow, and the constant pressure of keeping his custom cabinetry business afloat. Like many business owners, he had created a demanding job rather than a business that could thrive without him. In this episode of Profit by Design , Dr. Sabrina Starling welcomes Adam back for a special "Where Are You Now?" conversation. A former participant in Tap the Potential's Better Business Better Life program, Adam shares how the changes he began making five years ago continue to transform his business and his life. The results are remarkable. Contemporary Woods increased sales by 70% in the first year and 96% over two years. Today, the company generates approximately $1.3 million annually and is completing a nearly $600,000 project—more than twice the size of its previous largest project. Adam has also built a team of approximately 90% A-players, dramatically improved employee onboarding, and implemented 285 new standard operating procedures since January. But Adam's greatest achievement isn't just financial. By focusing on ideal clients, company values, and continuous improvement, he's reduced his stress, strengthened his team, and created a business that increasingly operates without his constant involvement. If you're tired of putting out fires and feeling like everything depends on you, Adam's story demonstrates how small, intentional improvements can lead to extraordinary results, and a business that truly supports the life you want. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights Changes that helped Contemporary Woods achieve 70% sales growth in its first year of coaching and 96% growth over two years Why identifying both ideal clients and ideal projects is essential for creating repeatable systems and attracting more profitable work The remarkable progression from struggling to find enough work to completing a nearly $600,000 custom cabinetry project Why "your wealth is in your waste" and how eliminating inefficiencies can improve profitability without requiring additional sales How implementing 285 new SOPs since January is helping Adam's team reduce mistakes, improve quality control, and operate more independently How a structured onboarding process reduced the time required for new employees to become productive from approximately six months to four weeks—and helped build a team of 90% A-players Why Adam believes the return on coaching extends far beyond financial results, and how small, consistent improvements can create a business that truly supports your life Adam’s Bio. Adam McKee grew up in the trades, where he learned to appreciate good craftsmanship—and saw how hard people could work without much profit to show for it. Today, he owns Contemporary Woods, a custom cabinetry shop in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a mission of Serving Craftsmanship. He loves standing back and seeing what his team built. He’s putting that same care into building a business that rewards the work, helps his team grow, and leaves time for family. Resources Ready to build a business that works for you instead of one that depends entirely on you? Dr. Sabrina Starling and the Tap the Potential team help business owners create profitable, sustainable businesses through the Better Business Better Life program. By focusing on the right clients, strong teams, repeatable systems, and intentional leadership, you can begin creating a business that supports both your financial goals and your quality of life. Visit www.tapthepotential.com to schedule a conversation and explore whether the Better Business Better Life program is right for you. Connect with Adam and Contemporary Woods! Email - adam@contemporarywoods.com Contemporary Woods LinkedIn Facebook Instagram

October 22, 202614 min

424: You Don't Need More Leads. You Need More of the Right Clients.

What if the secret to growing your sales isn't finding more leads, spending more on marketing, or working harder to attract new customers? What if your next big sales opportunity is already hiding in your existing client relationships? When sales slow down, most business owners immediately look for ways to generate more leads. But more leads don't necessarily mean more profitable sales—or a better business. The real opportunity may be identifying the clients who value your expertise, appreciate your team, and contribute most to your profitability, then intentionally attracting more clients just like them. In this episode of Profit by Design , Dr. Sabrina Starling explains how the 80/20 principle can transform your sales approach. She challenges business owners to stop chasing every potential customer and focus on the relationships, referral sources, and sales activities that consistently deliver the best results. You'll also hear the remarkable story of Mitch Genda, president of Paragon Homes of Charlotte, whose company went from an extended sales drought to more than $13 million in contracted sales across seven sales in just six weeks after beginning Sales Explosion coaching. The breakthrough wasn't a complicated new marketing strategy. It was a shift from relying on intuition to building an intentional, repeatable sales process around what was already working. If you're tired of unpredictable sales, lengthy buying cycles, and constantly searching for your next lead, this episode will help you rethink what sustainable sales growth can look like. Discover how to attract better-fit clients, strengthen your referral relationships, shorten your sales cycle, and grow revenue without adding unnecessary complexity to your business. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights Why generating more leads isn't always the solution to sluggish sales How the 80/20 principle reveals which clients contribute the greatest value to your business Why your most profitable clients—not necessarily your biggest spenders—should shape your sales strategy How attracting more ideal clients can improve profitability while reducing stress on your team The $10,000-an-hour question: Which of your existing clients would you love to clone, and why? How Paragon Homes of Charlotte went from a sales drought to more than $13 million in contracted sales in six weeks Why moving from sales intuition to intentionality is essential for consistent, repeatable results How to identify your most valuable referral sources and the people who influence buying decisions Why documenting successful sales activities can help shorten lengthy sales cycles and improve cash flow A practical exercise using your last five great sales to uncover opportunities for sustainable growth Resources Ready to stop leaving sales to chance? Dr. Sabrina Starling and the Tap the Potential team are offering four Sales Explosion 1:1 Coaching spots . This personalized coaching is designed to help you identify your best clients, strengthen valuable referral relationships, and build an intentional, repeatable sales process around what already works. Book a coffee chat to learn more: www.tapthepotential.com/coffee

October 15, 202622 min

423: How to Fix a Business That Isn’t Working for You Anymore

“This sounds exactly like my business. I’m exhausted. Everything still depends on me. I know something has to change.” If you’ve responded with any of these realizations while listening to this series, this conversation is for you. Awareness matters, but awareness alone won’t change anything if you’ve tolerated stress, carried too much weight, stayed stuck in operational chaos, or hoped things would improve over time. Eventually, you realize your business can’t keep operating this way—not if you want sustainable growth, freedom, and a business that actually supports your life. Most entrepreneurs weren’t taught how to reduce owner dependency, build leadership, create operational accountability, develop scalable systems, and step out of daily firefighting. As a result, they stay stuck in patterns that slowly become unsustainable, and most don’t seek support until they are completely overwhelmed. In this episode, Melissa Kay and Dr. Sabrina Starling explain why awareness alone doesn’t create change, the hidden reason owners stay stuck for years, what sustainable business growth actually requires, how to stop carrying the full weight of the business alone, and what happens inside our Jumpstart program. Most business owners stay stuck because they try to solve structural problems with more personal effort. There is a better way to create real freedom inside your business. Join us to learn more! Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: Your overwhelm creeps up on you. We can make a difference by offering the support you need. An example of Dr. Sabrina’s work with a client in getting to the root of the problem. A breakdown of common hiring mistakes — and how to get it right Having the right systems in place helps your operations flow smoothly and effectively. Understanding A-players, the sweet spot, and their key results — while watching for communication gaps Think of Tap the Potential as a comprehensive solution for your business. Resources: Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life.

October 8, 202620 min

422: How to Stop Your Business From Taking Over Your Life

You started your business to create a better life and to have more freedom, flexibility, and time with your loved ones. But somewhere along the way, the business started consuming more of you than you ever expected. Even when you’re physically present with others, your mind is still at work because you’re answering messages at dinner, thinking about work problems during family time, and mentally carrying the business everywhere you go. The hardest part is that most business owners don’t realize how much their relationships are being affected until they are already exhausted. You may try to rationalize and normalize the takeover of your life until you realize that you are missing special moments that you can’t get back. You can’t solve this problem with better boundaries alone; the real issue is that your business relies too heavily on you, both emotionally and operationally. You don’t need to care “less,” but you need stronger leadership inside your team, operational clarity, defined ownership, scalable systems, and reduced owner dependency. This is what sustainable success looks like: a business that supports your life rather than consuming it. In this episode, Dr. Sabrina Starling and Melissa Kay break down why entrepreneurs struggle to truly unplug, how owner dependency affects relationships, the hidden emotional cost of carrying the business alone, and what actually creates more freedom and presence. Sustainable success should allow you to enjoy your life — not disappear inside your business. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: Melissa’s look back at how things used to be in hustle culture The truth: Our kids know; we can’t hide it from them. Dr. Sabrina’s experience of prioritizing family first after trying it the other way “Our limits force innovation and creativity.” Do you need to refine your to-do list? Download your chart of $10,000 an hour activities now! Dr. Sabrina’s story of experiencing trauma, grief, and living a life of no regrets. Lessons learned from burnout about reconnecting with yourself FIRST Being aware of the neglected side of business Your next step? Join our next Jumpstart and find out how to free up 10 hours of your week right away! Resources: Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life.

October 1, 202627 min

421: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Business

Does your business slow down the moment you step away? If every decision, approval, or problem still funnels through you, you’re not alone, but YOU are the bottleneck. In this episode, Melissa Kay and Dr. Sabrina Starling break down how you can stop being the bottleneck and start building a self-managing business model that doesn’t depend on you for every decision. You’ll learn why capable teams still wait for the owner’s approval, the hidden ways business owners unintentionally create bottlenecks, what a self-managing business actually looks like, and practical leadership shifts that empower your team to take ownership. If you’re tired of being the single point of failure in your business and want growth without burnout, this episode will show you where to start. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: Relief, flexibility, and freedom: Don’t you want more of these? A-players want autonomy to take initiative; we need to empower them to do so. The shift in asking your team, “What ideas do YOU have about this?” Be careful not to shut out your A-players’ ideas; encourage them to bring those forward. Melissa’s tips to empower your team: share your vision, give clear parameters for decision-making, look for measurable results (KPIs), and provide opportunities for autonomy Tracking clear results through KPIs gives A-players pride and ownership. (This is THE biggest A-player perk we can build into our businesses!) Highlights of our clients’ recent wins Relationships and work connections will help skyrocket A-player retention on your team. Resources: Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life.

September 24, 202622 min

420: Why your Business Can’t Run Without You

This episode is part of the Best of The Profit by Design Podcast series. It is one of our most requested and downloaded episodes, and we've heard that it's helped business owners with some of their biggest challenges. Is your business completely dependent on you? If you take a vacation, will everything fall apart? If so, you are in the Business Owner Dependency Trap, and today’s episode reveals how to get out of it, change everything, and take your life back from your business. Business owners can escape survival mode by identifying the sweet spot of their business—the point at which profitability, freedom, and sustainability finally align. We have proven that working with fewer clients often increases profit, letting go of the wrong work creates growth, and systems (not hustle) create freedom. Melissa Kay and Dr. Sabrina Starling will teach you about the Business Owner Dependency Trap and help you build systems that enable your business to run without you. The truth is that working less and serving fewer clients often leads to greater profitability and sustainable growth. Join us to learn how to change everything and take your life back from your business! Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: Work less with fewer clients to INCREASE your profitability! The beautiful facts about what our clients are achieving in the Better Business Better Life program: 95% achieve more time off and more money in their bank account in the first 12 months! Identifying the sweet spot of your business is essential. One recent client more than quadrupled their profit in only 12 months by identifying their sweet spot! Melissa explains the process to identify the sweet spot of your business and build the right systems to support you. Spending marketing dollars without a clearly defined sweet spot is like “throwing spaghetti at the wall.” Determine who your ideal clients are. Melissa shares an example of a recent client call and how they worked together to reduce her work week to 15 hours ! Resources: Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life.

September 17, 202625 min

419: How to Build a Business That Runs Without You

What if the reason you feel exhausted isn’t that you’re doing too much, but because your business is designed in a way that requires you to do everything? You’ve tried taking time off, hiring more people, and getting more organized, but nothing has changed. You’re still the one solving problems, making decisions, and holding everything together. You’re not doing anything wrong, but you’re stuck. Your business is structured around you, and when everything flows through you, you don’t get relief, space, or time to lead. The key isn’t working less, but it’s about redesigning how your team operates. When that shifts, your team will step up, problems will stop stacking up, and you will get time back. In this episode, you’ll discover why burnout is a symptom (NOT the root problem), the hidden ways businesses become owner-dependent, why high-performing entrepreneurs become the bottleneck, what needs to shift to create real time freedom, and how sustainably profitable businesses are intentionally designed. Trust us–no amount of rest will fix a business that still requires you to carry it all. If your business looks successful on paper but feels exhausting in real life, this conversation will help you understand why—and what to do next. Ready to build a business that supports your life? Join Kaitlyn Beaver and Dr. Sabrina Starling now. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: Stepping out of the weeds to redesign your business From Dr. Sabrina: An example of a business owner stuck in fear-based leadership. Treating surface-level problems doesn’t help you get unstuck. Our action plan supports you in real time. One step at a time gets you closer to change. There is no magic pill. The difference between entrepreneurs who burn out vs. profitable businesses with a thriving, healthy business owner (It all comes down to systems and a willingness to invest in coaching.) Info about our upcoming free workshop, How to Reclaim 10 Hours per Week (and pay yourself more! ) Click here for more info! Understanding the dangers of unprofitable revenue Resources: If you’re realizing this isn’t burnout—it’s structure, join us in our workshop, How to Reclaim 10 Hours per Week (and pay yourself more!) We’ll show you exactly how to redesign your business so it no longer depends on you. Register here.

September 10, 202621 min

418: How to Build a Self-Managing Team That Doesn’t Depend on You

Are you stuck feeling like your business can’t run without you? Wouldn’t you love to have a team that manages itself? In this episode, you’ll hear what happened when Dr. Sabrina stepped back, and Melissa Kay took full ownership of delivery. Spoiler alert: the coaching didn’t just stay on track, but it got even better! You’ll discover why giving your team autonomy is the key to growth and freedom and how stepping back creates space for innovation and improvement. We’re providing practical steps you can follow to build your own self-managing team. If you’ve ever worried about losing control by stepping back, join us to learn how your business can actually grow stronger without you. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: Dr. Sabrina’s insights from Melissa Kay’s extended vacation: A self-managing team IS possible! A-players are intrinsically motivated and are whole, competent, capable, and complete. Building your self-managing team requires specific action steps, such as asking, “What is most important?” as part of your structured approach. The environment you want is a calm, curiosity-driven, well-oiled machine powered by a learner mindset. Our programs, Leadership Bootcamp and Coach Approach, are designed for A-players who are ready to be equipped to support your vision. Our clients want step-by-step instructions. Building your self-managing team takes a clear vision, specific expectations, targeted KPIs to track progress, and a delivery promise. Exceeding your clients’ expectations is classic A-player thinking. Building trust in your team Check out our courses on hiring, leadership, and team development. Book a call with us if you don’t know where to start! Resources: If you're ready to build a business that gives you more profit AND more freedom, join me for the FREE Better Business Better Life Jumpstart Workshop: How to Reclaim 10 Hours per Week (and Pay Yourself More!). https://www.tapthepotential.com/jumpstart . We will begin September 22nd.

September 3, 202622 min

417: You Love Your Business. But It’s Taking Too Much From You. Part 2

When we go into business as an entrepreneur, there almost always comes a point when it starts to take over our lives. We began our dive into this topic in our last episode, and we’re continuing in this second part of the discussion. Kaitlyn Adelle and Melissa Kay begin this episode by offering a behind-the-scenes look at Tap the Potential’s Better Business, Better Life program. If you’re on the fence about joining the program, this is the episode you need to hear! Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights: What it feels like to begin the Better Business, Better Life program: “I’m no longer alone on an island.” The problem when a business owner tries to do “all the things” Being with like-minded people who understand your struggles but want you to succeed is everything to an overwhelmed entrepreneur. Work fewer hours and achieve better results! It IS possible! Our results are unmatched: 95% of our clients achieve the promised results. (Our proven results are based on client feedback.) Imagine getting back a chunk of your time and spending it with your family. Our Better Business, Better Life Assessment is the place to get started! Melissa and Kaitlyn share stories of hope from real clients. We exist to give business owners hope again. What is it costing you to wait? Giving us five hours a week could give you your life back. Book a call with Kaitlyn today! Resources: Ready to build a business that supports your life instead of consuming it? Book a call with Kaitlyn at www.tapthepotential.com .