Episodes
496
Latest episode
Jun 2026
Language
EN
Growing a solo service business is tough. It's even harder when you're bombarded with BS advice that steers you away from your values and why you started your business in the first place. This is the podcast for solo creatives and consultants who want to remain as a team of one and have zero interest in the hustle and grind of typical business teachings. Most podcasts for solopreneurs and freelancers, hosted by out-of-touch celebrity entrepreneurs who haven't offered one-to-one services in years, miss the mark on today's market realities. Maggie Patterson, a service business owner for 20 years, understands that to stay solo, you need to know what matters to you, what works for you, and what you should completely ignore. In each episode, she examines one piece of conventional business advice to discover how it may hurt your business or be completely wrong for you as a solo business owner. Join Maggie for real talk to help you avoid burnout or the desire to entirely burn down your business to open a flower shop, book store, or cat cafe. (Because those cats won't pay the bills.) (Formerly the BS-Free Service Business Show)
We're taking a short summer break from Staying Solo, but don't worry—we'll be back on July 6th with a brand-new season. In the meantime, if you want a sneak peek at what we're covering, join the waitlist for The Squad. You'll get access to The Easy Yes Files, a special email series, plus the opportunity to submit your sales page for a complimentary review from yours truly. bsfreebusiness.com/squad
The online business industry completely broke people's brains around paying for support. For years, we were told that if you really believed in yourself, you'd invest. So people spent thousands on all kinds of coaching and courses that didn't actually help, got burned, and now they don't trust anything. Which is understandable. But if you're an experienced service provider, that skepticism can so easily turn into isolation… and what looks like discernment means you end up trying to figure everything out alone. In this episode, we're exploring how to think about business support in the year 2026 and why sometimes there's no substitute for getting the support you need when you need it. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why do so many business owners no longer trust online support? The hidden cost of trying to do everything alone. How to make smarter, more strategic support decisions. The difference between discernment and isolation. What kind of support do service providers actually need right now? For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please:. Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
When you're over your business, it's not that you don't know what's wrong…because you totally do. In this final episode of the Over It series, we're talking about how to stop living in that stuck-in-between place — and start feeling genuinely into your business again. Topics discussed in this episode include: The real reason experienced service providers end up feeling "over it." How survival mode keeps you stuck in reactive business decisions. The difference between strategic change and impulsive reinvention. Small shifts that can make your business feel sustainable again. What it actually takes to feel INTO your business instead of being drained by it. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
At a certain point, the question isn't whether your business works, but whether the way you're running it is destroying your quality of life. In this next episode of our Over It series, we're talking about what happens when your business is technically working, but the way you're running it is quietly wrecking your quality of life — and how to recognize when you've outgrown the survival version of your business. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why do experienced service providers get stuck in survival mode? The difference between burnout and a productivity problem. How people-pleasing and playing it safe exhaust businesses. Signs you've outgrown your current business model. Building a business that better supports your life and goals. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
You're booked, busy, in demand. And completely over it. Either you're not making enough, or you ARE, but it's costing you your time, energy, and sanity. Either way, the math isn't working. This is the time-vs.-money trap—and no amount of tweaking is going to fix it. In this next installment of our Over It series, we break down why you're stuck here and the shift that actually gets you out. Topics discussed in this episode include: The "time vs. money trap" (and why being fully booked still feels terrible). Why you're stuck at the same revenue level despite working nonstop. How overdelivering, scope creep, and undercharging are killing your margins. Why small tweaks (pricing, efficiency, boundaries) aren't fixing the real problem. The shift that lets you make more without working more. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
Ever feel like nothing's "wrong," but you're dragging your feet, avoiding things, and quietly wondering how long you can keep doing this? So you try to fix the feeling. But the feeling isn't the problem. It's the signal. You're not burnt out—you've just outgrown your business. In this first episode of our new Over It series, we're breaking down what's actually going on and what your next move needs to be. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why "over it" isn't burnout — and what it really means. The Tinkering Trap keeping you stuck. Signs you've outgrown your business (even if it works). Why does nothing you try fix the problem? How to evolve your business without starting over. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
When did running a business start meaning it takes over your entire life? Somewhere along the way, "success" became more clients, more offers, more everything… and a lot less time, energy, and sanity. The truth? You've been sold a version of business that was never built for how you actually want to live. In this episode, we're getting to why, if things are technically working but still feel off, it's all the bullshit, and what shifts you can make in your business to combat it. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why "more" (clients, offers, visibility) isn't the answer. The difference between real burnout and misaligned business expectations that mess with us. Why the "myth of more" doesn't work for solo service businesses. What the shift to a boring business that's peaceful, predictable, and profitable looks like in practice For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
Your business isn't hard to sell; you're just making it harder than it needs to be. When your capacity is maxed, "do more" isn't a strategy. It's the problem. In this episode, I'm breaking down the mismatch between your capacity and generic advice—and what to fix so your business becomes an easy yes for your clients (and not a no for you). Topics discussed in this episode include: Why "do more" isn't the fix. The real issue: too hard to say yes. How positioning and offers create friction. What Easy Yes Energy looks like. How to simplify and work within your capacity. 🔥Join the Squad through April 23, 2026🔥 For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
Most service providers think they need to be everywhere, all the time, just to stay visible. So they either force it or avoid it completely. Both paths lead to the same result: not enough clients. In this episode, I'm breaking down the marketing mistakes that keep you stuck and how to shift to an approach that actually creates easy yeses. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why doing "more marketing" isn't the problem and what your marketing should actually be doing. Why showing up everywhere isn't turning into clients. 5 key marketing mistakes blocking your easy yeses, and how to fix them. What it takes to move someone from "interested" to "ready to work with you." 🔥Join the Squad through April 23, 2026 🔥 For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please:. Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
Despite what conventional business advice may tell you, if you're not booking clients, it's probably not a visibility problem. More marketing won't fix what's broken underneath. In this episode, we're breaking down the four Easy Yes Energy blocks that stop clients from saying yes and how to fix them so your more of your consults convert into paying clients. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why more marketing won't fix a conversion problem The 4 "Easy Yes" blocks that stop clients from booking. The journey of attention, interest, desire and action you need to take your clients on with Easy Yes Energy. How to deal with these blocks if you're identifying with what I'm sharing. Join the Staying Solo Squad wait list. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
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