Staying Solo

Hosted by Maggie Patterson, BS-Free Business

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504

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Aug 2026

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About the show

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)

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60 recent

August 31, 202618 min

What If There's Another Version of Success?

What if you've been channelling your ambition towards the wrong thing? We're taught to aim our ambition at more: more money, more success, more growth, more everything. But what if you don't actually want more of those things? What if there are other things you'd rather have more of like time, freedom, creativity, connection, ease, or simply a life you actually enjoy? In this next episode in the Paid and Peaceful series, we're talking about what happens when you stop assuming business growth is the obvious place to put your ambition and start asking a much more interesting question: What's actually worthy of my ambition? Topics discussed in this episode include: Why we're taught to equate ambition with more money, growth and success. The difference between desire-driven and proving-driven ambition. How hustle culture keeps us chasing an endless finish line. Why ambition isn't a meritocracy and the role privilege and circumstances play. Redefining success with a new scoreboard focused on your life, not just your business. How to decide what's actually worthy of your ambition and what you're willing to trade for 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

August 24, 202625 min

The Money Goal Nobody Talks About: Comfy Money

What if being wealthy isn't about having more money, but about having enough money to live the life you actually want? Enough to feel secure, have options, enjoy your life and to plan for the future. All while not working yourself into the ground to afford it. I call that Comfy Money. And it starts with one critical question: How much money is actually enough for you? Your answer might completely change the business you're building, and what you're working toward. In this episode of the Paid and Peaceful series, we're talking about wealth and why entrepreneurship keeps telling us the answer is always "more." Topics discussed in this episode include: Why online business has distorted our perception of wealth and success. The difference between revenue, income, and actual wealth. What "Comfy Money" means and why your number is deeply personal. How to calculate the money you actually need to fund the life you want Why money is more complicated than mindset or math, and how shame can keep us stuck. Using your Comfy Money number to make better business decisions—and redefine what "enough" means. 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

August 17, 202619 min

Enough Is a Radical Business Strategy

What if success isn't about building more, but rather deciding what's enough? That might be the most radical choice you can make as a business owner. The moment you define enough for yourself, you stop chasing someone else's scorecard and start building a business that helps you feel both paid and peaceful. That's exactly what this new podcast series is about. Over the next six episodes of our new Paid & Peaceful series, we're challenging everything we've been taught about success, ambition, money, and what it really takes to build a business that's worth having. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why defining "enough" changes the way you build your business. How hustle culture keeps us chasing more without questioning why. Why your business should support your life—not the other way around. How to redefine ambition and success on your own terms. What it means to build a rich life that leaves you both paid and peaceful. The simple question that can transform every business decision: More... for what? 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 r Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

July 27, 202615 min

The Offer Dream Team: Your Easy Yes and Next Yes Offers

The '90s Chicago Bulls. The Spice Girls. The Golden Girls. Whatever your idea of a dream team, none of them became iconic by having everyone off doing their own thing. Your offers could learn a thing or two from them. Because the reason you're constantly looking for your next client may not be your marketing; it might be what happens after someone says yes to working with you. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why your offers should work together instead of standing alone. How an Easy Yes Offer builds trust and creates momentum. How to create a logical Next Yes Offer for existing clients. When and how to introduce your Next Yes without feeling salesy. How repeat business reduces your marketing and sales workload. 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

July 20, 202628 min

How to Make Your Offers POP (A Framework)

The best offers aren't built by adding more calls, bonuses, or Slack access. They're built by understanding why people buy. In this episode, I'm sharing the buyer psychology behind Easy Yes Offers and the POP Framework I use to create offers that your clients want to buy. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why most service providers build offers backwards, and what to do instead. The psychology behind Easy Yes Offers. Including what we can learn from a milkshake. How Positioning, Outcome, and Process work together to make your offer more desirable, distinctive, and credible. The ways a well-designed Easy Yes Offer creates a ripple effect across your business. 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

July 20, 202628 min

How to Make Your Offers POP (A Framework)

July 13, 202615 min

The Real Reasons Your Offers Aren't Selling

An offer not selling can send any business owner into a full-blown spiral. Suddenly everything feels questionable: pricing, positioning, marketing, even the whole business. But here's the real question: is the offer actually the problem? When I hear "it's not selling," my next question is always: why? And the answer is rarely what people expect. Welcome back to the Easy Yes Offer series where we're digging into why some offers take off while others stall—and why "not selling" is often just the starting point of the wrong diagnosis. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why offers don't sell isn't always obvious. How to validate real demand before creating new offers. The role of clarity, positioning, and specificity in sales. Why promotion and visibility matter more than most people think. How to use poor sales as feedback instead of failure. 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

July 6, 202615 min

The Offer Edit

Before you create another offer, ask yourself one question: What job will it do? Because the right offer makes your business easier to market, sell, and grow. The wrong one creates confusion, complexity, and more work for you. In this episode, we're doing an Offer Edit—a simple process to evaluate your existing offers, cut through the clutter, and ensure every offer in your business has a clear purpose. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why creating more offers often makes your business harder to market, sell, and run. The hidden costs of a cluttered offer suite and how complexity hurts referrals and conversions. How to conduct an Offer Edit using the Recommit, Refine, and Retire framework. The difference between Easy Yes Offers and Next Yes Offers—and why every offer needs a clear role. How to evaluate your offers for client fit, business fit, and overall fit within your offer suite. 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

June 9, 20260 min

Staying Solo is Taking a Summer Break

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

June 1, 202614 min

How to Think About Business Support in 2026 (Because "Invest in Yourself" is BS)

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