Stop Guessing Your Way Through 2027. Prepare For It Instead - MM 277

Women own about 40% of businesses in the US, yet those businesses bring in only about 4.5-6.2% of revenue. In this episode, Maggie shares what she learned and was reminded of at two recent events for women in business: a pre-conference workshop in downtown Toronto and a two-day EVOLVE women's retreat. Five lessons on visibility, values, leadership, challenge, and community, plus why she is so passionate about helping women entrepreneurs scale sustainably, without burnout.Chapters:0:00 Why these two women's events inspired this episode3:00 The stats on women-owned businesses in the US and Canada9:00 Lesson 1: Promote yourself and the value you bring13:00 Lesson 2: Get clear on your values16:00 Lesson 3: You are the CEO of your life and business22:00 Lesson 4: Take on the challenge27:00 Lesson 5: Conversation, connection and community32:00 How to join EVOLVE and Design Your Success 2027Join the community and plan your 2027Join EVOLVE: https://www.evolvewomensnetwork.com/Register for Design Your Success 2027 (free goal-setting and planning event with Maggie, options in November, December, or January): https://designyoursuccess2027.pagebuilder.gg/

  Do goals motivate you or stress you out?Setting goals shouldn't be about putting more pressure on yourself. It should be about challenging yourself in a healthy way, growing your skills, and intentionally creating the business and life you want.In today's Maggie's Moment, I share why your relationship with your goals matters, how a realistic plan can make ambitious goals feel achievable, and why personal growth is often the key to better business results.Ready to take the first step toward your 2027 goals?Join me for Design Your Success 2027, my complimentary two-day virtual strategic planning event for service-based entrepreneurs.Choose your dates: November 17–18, December 8–9, 2026, or January 6–7, 2027. Each day runs from 1:00–3:30 PM Eastern.Register here –  https://designyoursuccess2027.pagebuilder.gg/

 What does it really mean to run a lean business? It's not about cutting costs at all costs or doing everything with fewer people. It's about using your resources wisely, eliminating unnecessary work, and creating the capacity to grow sustainably.In this episode, I share a story from my corporate career about turning around a dysfunctional team and how improving staffing, processes, and leadership helped save $250,000 while creating capacity to support business growth.You'll discover:Why a lean business isn't necessarily the one with the lowest costs.How better processes and leadership reduce mistakes and wasted capacity.Why adding people to broken processes can make problems more expensive.How to identify what's really holding your business back.Why performance data and strategic planning are essential for sustainable growth.Ready to plan your next level?Join me for Design Your Success 2027, my complimentary two-day virtual strategic planning experience for ambitious service-based entrepreneurs. We'll review what worked in 2026, identify the gaps holding you back, clarify your goals, and create an actionable plan for 2027—during the event, not as homework afterward.📅 Choose your session:November 17–18, 2026December 8–9, 2026January 6–7, 2027🕐 1:00–3:30 PM Eastern each day🔗 Register here -  https://designyoursuccess2027.pagebuilder.gg/

 What can small business owners learn from Rogers and Amazon? A lot about customer loyalty.In this Maggie’s Moment, I compare two very different approaches to customer experience (what to do and what NOT to do) and share a personal Amazon story that reminded me how powerful convenience and value can be in building lasting customer relationships.You'll learn why customer loyalty shouldn't be confused with customer dependence, how to make doing business with you easier, and why fair pricing and consistently delivering value matter.Your takeaway: What's one thing you could make easier for your customers this week?Ready to strengthen your customer relationships and plan your next level of growth? Join me for Design Your Success 2027, my complimentary two-day virtual strategic planning experience for ambitious service-based entrepreneurs.📅 Choose your session:November 17–18, 2026December 8–9, 2026January 6–7, 2027🕐 1:00–3:30 PM Eastern each day🔗 Register here:  https://designyoursuccess2027.pagebuilder.gg/ 

Success doesn’t come to the business owners who hope the next year goes better. It comes to the ones who prepare for it. In this episode, Maggie shares why annual planning is one of the highest-return things you can do for your business, why most plans are forgotten by February, and what a plan that actually gets followed looks like. She also answers the most common reasons business owners put planning off, including “I don’t have time,” “things change too fast,” and “I’ll do it over the holidays.” She also invites you to Design Your Success 2027, her complimentary 2-day live event (2.5 hours each day, on Zoom): ·       Nov 17-18, 2026 (Tue-Wed) ·       Dec 8-9, 2026 (Tue-Wed) ·       Jan 6-7, 2027 (Wed-Thu) ·       1:00-3:30 PM EST on all dates Save your spot HERE  -  https://designyoursuccess2027.pagebuilder.gg/ 

 Are you guessing your way through business decisions or learning what actually works?In this Maggie’s Moment, discover how thinking like a scientist can help you make better business decisions, learn from what works (and what doesn’t), and prepare your business for sustainable growth in 2027.✨ Ready to turn your goals into an actionable plan? Join Design Your Success 2027, my complimentary two-day virtual strategic planning experience for ambitious service-based entrepreneurs.📅 Choose your dates: November 17–18, December 8–9, 2026, or January 6–7, 2027.🔗 Register here:  https://designyoursuccess2027.pagebuilder.gg/ 

Is business feeling harder than it used to? If sales are taking longer, costs are rising, and clients are becoming more selective, you're not alone.In this episode of the Diamond Effect Podcast, Maggie explores what economic forecasts for 2027 could mean for small service-based businesses in Canada and the United States and, more importantly, how to respond strategically.Economic uncertainty doesn't mean opportunity disappears. Maggie shares real examples of clients who are finding new markets, turning strategic relationships into business, and creating offers around changing client needs.In this episode, you'll discover:What economic forecasts suggest about the business environment in Canada and the U.S. in 2027.Why understanding your value and delivering a great client experience matters when buyers become more selective.How to protect profit margins without compromising the quality of your services.Why changing markets can create new opportunities for your business.How strategic relationships can lead to business months after you start building them.Why you should stop guessing and start thinking like a scientist in your own business.You'll also learn why tracking what happens, measuring the numbers that matter, testing your assumptions, and learning from the results can help you make better decisions.Ready to plan your next level?Join Maggie for Design Your Success 2027, a complimentary, two-day virtual strategic planning experience for ambitious service-based business owners.You'll review what worked in 2026, set meaningful goals, identify your business's capacity gaps, and build a practical strategic roadmap for 2027—with live coaching and support from other business owners.Choose your dates:November 17–18, 2026December 8–9, 2026January 6–7, 2027Both days run from 1:00–3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, live on Zoom.👉 Register for Design Your Success 2027: https://designyoursuccess2027.pagebuilder.gg/Remember: You can't control everything the economy will throw at you. But you can decide how you prepare, how you respond, and what kind of business you build.Build something bigger without making your life smaller.

 It's hard to build a business right now. I won't pretend it isn't.But I'm watching my clients find real opportunities, and it's never the ones who wait for things to feel easier. It's the ones who stay connected, get strategic, and go out and create them.So if the outside world has been getting into your head lately, come back to what you can control. Then take one proactive step this week.You can still grow your business. Keep going.If you want help getting strategic about finding your opportunities, you can book a complimentary consultation here:  https://calendly.com/maggie-s2l/consultation-call-1 

 Gratitude is more than feeling thankful—it's an intentional practice that can shift your perspective, strengthen relationships, and help you become a more effective leader.In this episode, Maggie explores how a simple daily gratitude practice can help you recognize your progress instead of focusing only on what's missing, why expressing appreciation matters in our personal relationships, and how leaders can use genuine, specific recognition to reinforce the behaviors that build stronger teams and businesses.You'll also get a simple seven-day challenge to put gratitude into practice.In this episode, you'll learn:How gratitude can help you see the bigger picture on difficult days.Why high achievers need to pause and recognize their progress.How expressing appreciation strengthens personal and professional connections.How leaders can recognize ownership, initiative, and problem-solving to build a stronger team culture.Mentioned in this episode: The Dream-Plan-Do Journal, featuring daily prompts for five things you're grateful for and three things you're proud of.Listen in and discover how a small daily practice can make a meaningful difference in your life and business.

You don't need a business coach just to tell you what to do.You need someone who helps you see what you can't see, solve what’s holding you back, and move forward faster.Because sometimes, the biggest obstacle isn't a lack of knowledge or a bad strategy.It's being too close to your own business to see the opportunities in front of you. Spending weeks trying to solve a problem someone could help you untangle in one conversation. Or letting day-to-day fires push your most important business goals to the bottom of the list.The right coaching relationship can change that.✨ See more.✨ Solve faster.✨ Move forward.Imagine where you could be six or twelve months from now with the right perspective, support, and focus.🎧 Listen to this week's Maggie's Moment to learn more.Book a complimentary consultation with Maggie HERE - https://calendly.com/maggie-s2l/consultation-call-1