The Life-First Solopreneur

Hosted by Joe Rando and Carly Ries

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347

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Nov 2026

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About the show

You didn't become a solopreneur to build a business that runs your life. You did it so your business could serve it. The Life-First Solopreneur is the twice-weekly podcast at the heart of the Life-First Movement. It's for solopreneurs who believe the business should be designed around life, not the other way around. Hosts Joe Rando and Carly Ries, co-authors of Solopreneur Business for Dummies, sit down each week with solopreneurs who are building Life-First Businesses and experts who are helping others do the same. Every episode explores what it really takes to design, run, and evolve a one-person business with your life at the center. Basically, what we're trying to say is: Life First. Then Business.

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60 recent

November 10, 2026Episode 34826 min

Your Books Are the Answer Key Every Solopreneur Has Been Missing

When was the last time you reconciled your books? If you just winced, you’re not alone. Shawn Kuehn, founder of Work Faster Play Longer, says that one date tells him more about a business owner than any number on the page. In this episode, Carly Ries and Joe Rando talk with Shawn about why your numbers aren’t a report card but an answer key, and how they can predict the slow months and surprise bills that keep catching solopreneurs off guard. Shawn shares the steakhouse story that perfectly sums up avoidable surprises, the $35,000 lesson from his 26 years in a family business, and his simple framework of numbers, then systems, then freedom. Plus, you’ll learn how giving your profit a name (like a family trip to Disney) changes the decisions you make every single day. In this episode, you’ll learn Why the date of your last reconciliation says so much about your business How to use a month-by-month profit and loss statement to spot expenses before they ambush you Why freedom only comes after numbers and systems How to break a big life goal down into a daily profit target The smallest first step to take tonight if you’re behind on your books How to tell the difference between a genuine partner and someone just selling you something Connect with Shawn Website and socials at workfasterplaylonger.com If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a five-star review, share it with a fellow solopreneur who’s been avoiding their books, and subscribe so you never miss an episode of The Life-First Solopreneur.

November 5, 2026Episode 34712 min

Blast From The Past: The Counterintuitive Key to a Life-First Solopreneur Business

When is enough, enough?! This topic is so important that we wanted you to hear it again, so we're re-releasing it! We obsess over income minimums (rent, bills, the baseline we need to survive) but treat the top end as infinite. In this episode, Carly and Joe challenge the "always more" mentality and make the case for setting an income ceiling in your life-first business. They dig into why more money almost always comes with strings attached, and why "enough" isn't a number, it's a measure of what each next level of income will cost you in time, health, and relationships. Carly shares a practical way to calculate what a genuinely good life actually costs (vacations, retirement, the coffee shops and live music you love...no yacht required), and Joe tells the story of turning down a million-dollar deal at his last startup because it didn't fit the focus. You'll learn: Why an income ceiling matters as much as an income floor How to define "enough" without picking an arbitrary number A framework for weighing new income opportunities against what they'll cost your life How a ceiling unlocks the freedom to say no, take risks, and choose meaningful work The honest caveat: a life-first business still takes hard work and sacrifice to build This isn't anti-money; it's anti-earning-at-the-expense-of-everything-you-value. If your business exists to support your life (not the other way around), this episode is for you. If this resonated, share it with a fellow solopreneur, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, and leave us a five-star review; it helps other life-first soulpreneurs find the show.

November 3, 2026Episode 34631 min

AI Skills Explained for Non-Technical Solopreneurs

Are you trying to automate your business but feel stuck before you even start? You’re not alone. Most solopreneurs stall at the automate step, and it usually isn’t because they picked the wrong tool. It’s because they’re automating a process that was broken to begin with. In this episode, Carly and Joe sit down with Corey Ganim, who built and stepped away from a $16 million e-commerce business and now helps non-technical entrepreneurs implement practical AI systems. Corey shares his AOA framework (audit, optimize, automate), shows how to train AI to write in your own voice, and explains how he built a one-person AI services business charging $2,000 per assessment and up to $2,000 a month per retainer client. In this episode, you’ll learn: What AI “skills” and reference files are, and how they help AI write like you instead of a robot Why a brand voice skill is 80% of getting great AI writing The AOA framework and why automate always comes last How one client’s 25-step onboarding process became a 19-step skill that runs in minutes Two easy automations to start with: a daily email brief and a weekly sales pipeline check The three ROI levers every AI tool must pull before it earns a spot in your business How to set AI permissions so an agent never sends an email you didn’t approve How Corey prices AI assessments and AI concierge services as a solopreneur Why knowing your goal and working backwards is the simplest life first advice there is Resources mentioned Free AI assessment report template at audittemplate.ai The Build with AI podcast by Corey Ganim If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a five-star review, share it with a solopreneur friend who could use some AI help, and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

October 29, 2026Episode 34512 min

Back By Popular Demand: Is Your Life-First Business Just Lazy Solopreneurship in Disguise?

We had such a big response to this episode, we thought we'd bring it back! Does choosing a life-first solo business mean you're lazy? Carly and Joe say absolutely not, and in this episode they explain why. They dig into where the lazy story really comes from, tracing hustle culture from chill seventies hippie vibes to the money-obsessed yuppies of the eighties, and how that conditioning taught us to equate visible sacrifice with worth. From the outside, a life-first business can look like doing less, fewer hours, no team, no big launches. But the truth is the opposite. Laziness is the avoidance of effort. Life-first is the intentional allocation of effort. Carly shares a personal story about her and her husband seeing downtime completely differently, and how fifteen years of his perspective reshaped how she views rest and efficiency. Joe brings his own history of sleeping in the lab and feeling accomplished for it, and why he calls that mindset a warped one he still works to overcome. The conversation also gets honest about the flip side. Sometimes life-first becomes a costume for fear or procrastination. The hosts share the gut-check questions every solopreneur should ask to make sure a boundary is really a boundary and not just avoidance of something hard. The takeaway is simple. Lazy has no plan. Life-first is all plan, all design. In this episode Where hustle culture actually came from The real difference between lazy and life-first Why dinner with your family can count as your work The gut check to know if you're avoiding hard things How to redefine success on your own terms If this episode spoke to you, share it with a fellow solopreneur and leave us a five-star review!

October 27, 2026Episode 34437 min

The Worst Sales Advice Solopreneurs Keep Following

What if the content you’re already writing could close clients for you, no sales calls required? In this episode of the Life-First Solopreneur, Carly sits down with copywriter and author Kendall Cherry for a candid conversation about why storytelling belongs in your sales strategy, not just your marketing plan. Kendall shares how she accidentally wrote a sales book (she thought it was a marketing book until year two), why buyers need to see how the sausage gets made before they invest, and why the old-school “always be closing” mindset doesn’t work for so many of today’s solopreneurs. She also opens up about running a business with inattentive ADHD and the simple structures that free up her creativity. In this episode, you’ll learn Why storytelling is a sales mechanism and not just a way to get people to know, like, and trust you Where to find stories in your business, even if you think your work is boring How to share your values through stories instead of buzzwords Why more content isn’t the answer and what to focus on instead The most damaging piece of hustle culture sales advice Why sales is really a crash course in self-worth How Kendall designs her content and sales systems around her ADHD Her Life-First tip for better ideas and better content Connect with Kendall Preorder Here to Sell (out November 10, 2026) Learn more about the book at heretosellbook.com Explore Kendall’s copywriting services, podcast, and newsletter at kendallcherry.com Love the show? Leave a five-star review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform (including YouTube), and share this episode with a solopreneur friend who needs to hear it. And grab a copy of Solopreneur Business for Dummies by Carly Ries and Joe Rando!

October 22, 2026Episode 34113 min

Do We Practice What We Preach? A Solopreneur Reality Check

Do Joe and Carly actually run life-first businesses, or do they just talk about it? After a community member asked that exact question, the hosts of The Life-First Solopreneur decided to show their work. In this episode, Joe Rando and Carly Ries share how they each design their solopreneur businesses around the lives they want to live. Joe keeps it simple with a hard stop at dinnertime, protected weekends, and the freedom to take off for a cycling trip through Europe or a long weekend in Iceland. Carly juggles young kids, early mornings, and a weekly planning ritual that lets her be fully present from mid-afternoon to bedtime while still crushing her deadlines. You’ll learn: Why a life first business doesn’t mean you stop working How Carly plans her week every Thursday around workouts, family, and focus time Why there’s no one-size-fits-all schedule for solopreneurs How flexible hours and real accountability can live side by side Joe’s longtime advice to hire people smarter than you and why it ends micromanagement The LifeStarr app is now available to everyone. Visit lifestarr.com to explore free courses, videos, the community, and the app. If this episode helped you, share it with a friend, follow the show, and leave a five-star review. It helps us reach more Life First solopreneurs.

October 20, 2026Episode 34328 min

The 4 Step Authority Formula Every Solopreneur Needs

Feeling stuck on the content treadmill? You’re not alone, and according to George Wright III, more content isn’t the answer. Authority is. George is the founder and CEO of Authority Media Network and the host of The Daily Mastermind, a Top 50 Apple Entrepreneurship podcast with more than 1,300 episodes. After 30+ years building multimillion-dollar businesses and working alongside names like Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, and Brian Tracy, he knows what actually moves the needle for solopreneurs, and it isn’t posting five times a day. In this episode, Carly and George talk about: The surprising behind-the-scenes habit George picked up from some of the biggest names in personal development The difference between being visible and being an authority Why talented experts stay invisible and how to control your narrative George’s four-step authority formula (strategy, authority, technology and automation, distribution and marketing) How to think like a media company even if you’re a one-person business The content engine strategy that turns one recording into podcasts, blogs, YouTube videos, and reels Smart ways to use AI without losing your authenticity The one question that helps you build a business around your life instead of the other way around Whether you’re an HVAC pro, a coach, a consultant, or a baker who never signed up to be a content creator, this conversation will help you build authority that keeps working long after you hit publish. Connect with George: dailymastermind.com authoritymedianetwork.com (ask about a free feature in Valiant CEO magazine) Follow @DailyMastermind or George Wright III on all social channels Loved this episode? Leave a five-star review, share it with a fellow solopreneur, and subscribe to The Life-First Solopreneur wherever you listen.

October 15, 2026Episode 34215 min

[Re-Release] Commitments vs. Communication: The Mindset Shift Every Solopreneur Needs

In light of our LifeStarr Academy and Lifestarr App launches, we thought we'd re-release a very relevant conversation. Enjoy! Ever open your inbox on a Monday morning, spend two hours responding to everything, and realize you haven't actually moved your business forward? You're not alone. In this episode, Carly and Joe break down the crucial difference between communication and commitments, and why confusing the two is quietly killing your productivity as a solopreneur. You'll learn the simple three-part structure (What + Who + When) that turns vague promises buried in email threads into trackable, actionable commitments. Joe shares his own journey from losing entire mornings to his inbox to building a paper-based system inspired by David Allen's Getting Things Done, and how that evolved into something even more streamlined. In this episode, we cover: Why treating every message as equally urgent keeps you busy but unproductive The difference between communication (talking about work) and commitments (owning the work) The What, Who, When framework for creating clear, trackable commitments Why every commitment needs exactly one owner, never two How to track commitments others make to you (the ones most likely to fall through) Using tags and separate lists to filter by context so you only see what's relevant The 60-second recap habit that prevents miscommunication before it starts Joe's analog card-and-notebook system that kept projects on track for years Whether you use a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a dedicated app, the tool doesn't matter, the habit does. Hit play and learn how to build it. Big news: The Aspiring Solopreneur podcast is now in the top 2% of all podcasts globally! Thank you for listening, now help us hit the top 1% by sharing this episode.

October 13, 2026Episode 34033 min

What to Automate and What to Keep Human in Your Solopreneurship

Spending five or more hours a month on invoicing makes you nearly three times more likely to face cash flow problems. That’s just one of the eye-opening stats Faye Pang of FreshBooks brings to this episode of The Life-First Solopreneur. Faye grew up watching her immigrant parents run a small wholesale meat business, tracking every dollar in a blue ledger book at the kitchen table at midnight. Today she spends her career helping solopreneurs and small business owners adopt technology that gives them time back. She joins Carly Ries and Joe Rando to talk cash flow, automation, AI, and why she believes we’re entering the era of the solopreneur. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why admin tasks like invoicing and chasing payments act as a handbrake on your cash flow The first thing solopreneurs should automate to win back hours every month Where AI genuinely helps and where it’s still overhyped Why AI output is only as good as the context you give it How to start with AI when you feel behind (spoiler: everyone feels behind) Why 86% of solopreneurs turn to AI before hiring a person What to automate and what should always stay human What solopreneurs really want to do with five extra hours a week Connect with Faye Pang on LinkedIn Learn more about FreshBooks Enjoyed this episode? Leave a five-star review, share it with a fellow solopreneur who is wrestling with AI and automation, and subscribe so you never miss an episode of The Life-First Solopreneur. 🌟 Featured Resource: LifeStarr Intro for Solopreneurs Are you building a business on your own and feeling like you’re going it alone? That stops today. LifeStarr Intro is a free, forever membership built especially for solopreneurs who want real support, real resources, and real community. When you join LifeStarr Intro, you unlock: A vibrant community of like-minded solopreneurs for feedback, encouragement, and connection The LifeStarr productivity app (coming soon) , built to support your workflow using GTD principles (that’s Tasks, Projects, Inbox that works) Live problem-solving meetups , expert sessions and strategies...and you don’t pay a thing Total value: $65/month. Your cost? Zero . 👉 Ready to stop struggling solo and build a business that works for you? Join LifeStarr Intro for Free

October 8, 2026Episode 33920 min

Flying Solo Without Being Alone: Our Journey Serving Solopreneurs

Ever wonder what really goes on behind the scenes of a business built for solopreneurs? In this episode, Joe Rando and Carly Ries pull back the curtain on the LifeStarr journey, from a simple app idea in 2020 to a full ecosystem designed to help solopreneurs build life-first businesses. Joe shares how a frustration with task management tools sparked the original idea, why their first launch during COVID didn't go as planned, and how the search for a solopreneur community came up nearly empty (except for one newsletter in Australia). They talk about writing Solopreneur Business For Dummies, creating the Solopreneur Success Cycle, and why switching to the phrase "life-first business" changed how people responded to them almost overnight. Plus, they share what's coming on October 13th, including the launch of LifeStarr Academy, where previously paid courses and Solopreneur Success Sessions will be available for free. In this episode, you'll hear Why the original LifeStarr app was inspired by Getting Things Done, and Facebook friend requests The real lessons from launching before a product was ready How LifeStar evolved from an app into a community, courses, and a book What a commitment management system is and why solopreneurs need one How a small language shift can dramatically change how your audience responds What solopreneurs need most, including community, accountability, systems, and vision Everything included in the free LifeStarr Academy launch Resources Gain access to all of our solopreneur resources at https://www.lifestarr.com/lifestarr-intro-for-solopreneurs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a five-star review, share it with a fellow solopreneur, and subscribe so you never miss an episode of The Life-First Solopreneur. 🌟 Featured Resource: LifeStarr Intro for Solopreneurs Are you building a business on your own and feeling like you’re going it alone? That stops today. LifeStarr Intro is a free, forever membership built especially for solopreneurs who want real support, real resources, and real community. When you join LifeStarr Intro, you unlock: A vibrant community of like-minded solopreneurs for feedback, encouragement, and connection The LifeStarr productivity app (coming soon) , built to support your workflow using GTD principles (that’s Tasks, Projects, Inbox that works) Live problem-solving meetups , expert sessions and strategies...and you don’t pay a thing Total value: $65/month. Your cost? Zero . 👉 Ready to stop struggling solo and build a business that works for you? Join LifeStarr Intro for Free