E #550: You Can’t Build a Business on Effort: Output vs. Outcome

What if you’re measuring how hard you’re working instead of whether the work is actually producing an outcome? In this episode of Built for the Edge, Kehla unpacks the difference between output and outcome — and why posting more, emailing more, launching again, or doing more of anything doesn’t necessarily mean your business is moving forward. She shares why she’s started treating business more like an experiment: looking at the data, figuring out which activities actually produce results, and being willing to change direction when they don’t. You’ll hear why Kehla is deprioritizing Instagram after seven years of posting, why podcasting and email are becoming bigger priorities, and the question she’s now using to evaluate where her energy goes: If you’ve been doing more, posting more, changing your messaging, launching again, or trying another marketing strategy without being able to clearly identify what’s actually moving the needle, this episode will give you a different question to work with: What did the business do because you did that? And if you don’t know what you should be looking at in your business right now, Kehla’s complimentary Signal Diagnostic GPT is linked in the show notes. It takes you through eight questions about what’s actually happening in your business and identifies the strongest structural signal showing up right now: your Center, Path, or Constraint. Kehla's website Kehla's IG Follow Kehla on LinkedIn

What if the thing keeping your business stuck isn't a lack of strategy—but the work you're using to avoid doing the thing that actually matters? In this episode of Built for the Edge, Kehla sits down with Brad Walsh, founder and host of Empowerography, to talk about entrepreneurship, building a podcast and personal brand, overcoming self-doubt, and what it actually takes to stay committed to a business for the long haul. After nearly six and a half years and 800 podcast episodes, Brad has built a global community around amplifying women's voices. But behind that growth have been plenty of moments where he questioned himself, delayed ideas, got attached to outcomes, and even used the work he loved—podcasting and editing—as busy work to avoid focusing on monetization and business growth. Brad shares why one business email sat in his drafts for five and a half months, what happened when he finally sent it, why he nearly cancelled his first women's empowerment conference, and how taking a summer away from podcast interviews forced him to confront where his time and energy were actually going. Kehla and Brad also unpack the difference between patience and avoidance, why confidence is built through action, how comparison can derail entrepreneurs, and why returning to service has repeatedly helped Brad move through fear and self-doubt. In this episode, you'll hear: How Brad grew Empowerography from a podcast into a global community and movement Why building a successful podcast, brand, or business is often a slow burn How comparison and self-doubt show up even after years of entrepreneurship Why busy work can become a form of business avoidance What happened when Brad finally sent an offer he'd been sitting on for months Why he almost cancelled his first women's empowerment conference How to stop getting in your own way and take action before you feel confident Why relationships, collaboration, and being of service have been foundational to Brad's growth How to recognize when you're attached to an outcome instead of focused on the work in front of you If you've been telling yourself you need more confidence, more clarity, or more information before you make your next move, this conversation might make you question whether that's actually true. Follow Brad on LinkedIn Follow Brad on IG Brad's website Empower your message gift from Brad Follow Kehla on IG Follow Kehla on LinkedIn Grab the Signal Diagnostic GPT

What happens when intuition gives you the idea, but you still have to build a business around it? In this episode of Built for the Edge, Kehla sits down with D. LeD, transformational business coach, founder of Sourced™, and bestselling author of Shift the Field and Retreat and Grow Rich, for a conversation about intuition, self-trust, frameworks, and the structure required to turn transformational work into a business. D shares why she doesn't believe in formulas, but does believe in frameworks — and what she learned from following someone else's business formula alongside experimenting with what felt more natural and intuitive to her. They talk about D's definition of “magic,” how she recognizes the intuitive ways people create transformation for their clients, and why self-trust doesn't mean removing action from the equation. Kehla also shares how her own relationship with spirituality in business has changed over the years. Earlier in her business, feelings, alignment, and energetic interpretations often governed how she moved — sometimes at the expense of measurement, structure, and looking at what the results were actually showing her. This opens up a larger conversation about where intuition belongs in business, what happens when you experiment before systematizing, and D's perspective that structure can actually give your magic somewhere to live. They also get into the difference between frameworks and formulas, D's Anatomy of a Transformation framework, how ideas move into offers and experiences, and why building the thing isn't a substitute for talking to actual humans. In this episode, you'll hear: Why D prefers frameworks over formulas in business How to recognize and put language around your own “magic” Why intuition still needs experimentation and evidence The relationship between self-trust and external results How old patterns can be mistaken for intuitive guidance Why you may want to test something before building a system around it How structure can give your best work somewhere to actually live D's Anatomy of a Transformation framework Why talking to actual humans still matters more than endlessly building behind the scenes If you've ever felt caught between trusting yourself and doing what your business actually requires, this conversation offers a much more nuanced way to think about the two.   Follow D on LinkedIn Follow D on Instagram Sign up for The Welcome (Starts August 17th, 2026) Follow Kehla on LinkedIn Follow Kehla on Instagram Kehla's website

Hiring the right people isn't about finding the perfect resume. It's about learning how to recognize potential before everyone else does. In this episode, Kehla sits down with Mark Guest, Managing Director of ActionCOACH Canada, to unpack what he's learned after hiring hundreds of employees across high-growth companies, including Absorb LMS, Neo Financial, Humi, and Granify. Instead of chasing "unicorn" candidates with years of experience, Mark shares why the best hires are often hiding in plain sight—and how business owners can identify the behaviours, mindset, and agency that actually predict long-term success. Together, they explore why recruiting should be treated like business development, how to find A-players before they ever apply to your job posting, and why empowering employees starts long before you delegate responsibility. If you're building a team, preparing to hire your first employee, or wondering why your current hiring process isn't producing the people you hoped for, this conversation will change the way you evaluate talent. In this episode, you'll learn: Why experience isn't the best predictor of a great hire. How to identify "diamond in the rough" candidates. What agency is and why it matters more than credentials. How to recruit proactively instead of waiting for applicants. Why your hiring process should look more like your sales process. How to empower employees without micromanaging them. What business owners can do today to build a team that eventually runs without them. Whether you're hiring your first employee or scaling an established business, this episode will help you make stronger hiring decisions, develop better leaders, and build a business that doesn't depend on you doing everything yourself. Follow Mark on LinkedIn Follow Kehla on LinkedIn

AI isn't just changing how businesses create content—it's completely transforming how entrepreneurs operate behind the scenes. In this episode, Kehla sits down with business backend architect Jill for a practical conversation about the AI workflows that are helping them reclaim hours every week. Together, they explore how tools like Claude, Claude Cowork, ChatGPT, and AI-powered automations are simplifying everything from organizing emails and files to analyzing client calls, tracking KPIs, generating leads, auditing content, and building CEO dashboards that would have previously taken days to create. Rather than focusing on surface-level AI prompts, Jill shares why specificity is the real superpower and how creating custom skills and automations allows business owners to step out of daily operations and into true leadership. Kehla also shares how she's using AI across her own business to create a more cohesive brand, streamline sales outreach, and eliminate repetitive tasks without sacrificing authenticity. If you've been wondering how to move beyond using AI for content creation and start leveraging it as a strategic business partner, this conversation will leave you with practical ideas you can implement immediately to work smarter, create more capacity, and spend more time doing the work that actually grows your business. Follow Jill on IG Jill's Website The Intuitive Diagnostic Questionnaire Follow Kehla on IG Follow Kehla on LinkedIn Kehla's Website

If you had just 30 days to build a stronger business, where would you start? Not with another strategy. Not with another certification. And not by trying to do more. In the final episode of A Business That Makes Sense, Kehla G walks through the exact four-step framework she'd use to help an entrepreneur build a business that creates consistent momentum instead of constant confusion. Drawing together everything from the previous three episodes, Kehla shares why clarity must come before marketing, why messaging is only powerful when it's built on a solid foundation, how to create a client pathway that actually makes sense, and why every business owner needs a clear 90-day plan before chasing the next opportunity. In this episode, you'll learn: Where Kehla would start if she had just 30 days with your business. Why clarity is the foundation every other business decision depends on. How to strengthen your messaging without relying on gimmicks or trends. Why understanding your client pathway creates more predictable revenue. Where Human Design and Gene Keys fit into building a sustainable business. Why intentional planning creates more momentum than constant hustle. If you've been following this series and recognizing yourself in these conversations, this episode brings everything together and shows you what implementation actually looks like. Because before a business can scale, it needs to make sense. Built to Hold is Kehla's live 30-day business intensive designed for ambitious entrepreneurs who are ready to stop guessing, strengthen the foundations of their business, and build consistent momentum with intention. Doors close Sunday, August 9, and the program begins Monday, August 10. 🔥 Join and Built to Hold.  Connect with Kehla: Website Instagram LinkedIn Work with Kehla

What if your business doesn't need another strategy? What if it needs a stronger structure? In Part 3 of A Business That Makes Sense, Kehla G explores why so many entrepreneurs stay stuck—not because they lack ambition or discipline, but because they're trying to build on foundations they don't fully understand. Building on the first two episodes, Kehla introduces the three elements she believes every business owner needs to understand before adding more tactics, content, or offers: your constraint, your path, and your center. From there, she explains the four business foundations that create clarity, consistency, and sustainable momentum. In this episode, you'll learn: Why businesses are designed—not accidentally built. The difference between your business's constraint, path, and center. Why tactics don't solve structural problems. The four foundations every business needs to create consistent growth. How clarity leads to better decisions, stronger momentum, and greater self-trust. If you've been feeling like you're constantly rebuilding your business, chasing the next strategy, or wondering why nothing seems to stick, this episode will help you see your business through a completely different lens. Because a business that makes sense isn't built by adding more. It's built by understanding how every piece works together. In the final episode of this series, Kehla shares why she created Built to Hold, who it's designed for, and why she believes the future belongs to entrepreneurs who build businesses with intention instead of reaction.   🔥 Join and Build to Hold. We start August 10th until the 7th of September, 2026.  Connect with Kehla: Website Instagram LinkedIn Work with Kehla

Revenue isn't random. It's reporting. If you've ever wondered why one month feels effortless and the next leaves you questioning everything, this episode is for you. In Part 2 of A Business That Makes Sense, Business Performance Coach Kehla G explores one of the most misunderstood concepts in entrepreneurship: inconsistent revenue. Rather than treating revenue as the problem, Kehla explains why it's simply evidence—and how learning to interpret that evidence can completely change the way you make decisions in your business. In this episode, you'll learn: Why inconsistent revenue is a symptom, not the root problem. How to stop reacting emotionally to the numbers in your business. Why every result—and every lack of result—leaves clues. The difference between knowing what happened and understanding why it happened. How understanding the mechanism of your business creates greater self-trust, confidence, and better decision-making. Instead of chasing the next strategy every time revenue changes, this episode introduces a different way of thinking—one that replaces guesswork with observation and emotional reactions with thoughtful diagnosis. Because a business that makes sense gives you somewhere to investigate before you have a reason to blame yourself. This is Part 2 of A Business That Makes Sense, a four-part series exploring what it actually takes to build a business that creates consistent momentum instead of constant confusion. 🔥 Join and Built to Hold. We start August 10th until the 7th of September, 2026.  Connect with Kehla: Website Instagram LinkedIn Work with Kehla

Entrepreneurs are no strangers to advice. Raise your prices. Launch again. Work on your mindset. Become more magnetic. Heal your money blocks. But what if none of those are actually the problem? In Part 1 of this four-part series, Kehla G challenges one of the biggest patterns in the online business space: prescribing solutions before diagnosing the real issue. In this episode, Kehla explores why so many entrepreneurs mistake symptoms for root causes, how that cycle slowly erodes self-trust, and why even the best strategies, mindset work, or identity work can fall flat when they're applied to the wrong problem. Listeners will learn: Why so many business owners feel like they've "tried everything" without making meaningful progress. The difference between symptoms and root causes in business. Why the quality of any solution depends on the quality of the diagnosis. What it really means to build a business that makes sense. How understanding the mechanics of a business changes the way decisions are made. This episode marks the beginning of A Business That Makes Sense, a four-part series exploring the foundations of sustainable business growth and why clarity—not complexity—is often the missing piece. Connect with Kehla: Website Instagram LinkedIn Work with Kehla

Most business owners assume the next stage of growth requires more capacity—more time, more hires, more systems, or more leads. But what if that's the wrong problem to solve? In this episode, Kehla G explores the difference between capacity and capability, and why confusing the two can quietly turn founders into the biggest bottleneck in their own business. Through practical examples from hiring, sales, leadership, and delegation, she unpacks how businesses become increasingly dependent on their owners despite adding more people and resources. If you've ever felt like your business can't move without you, this conversation will challenge the way you think about scaling. Because sustainable growth isn't built by doing more—it's built by creating a business that's capable of more. Kehla's Website Work with Kehla Follow Kehla on IG Follow Kehla on LinkedIn