Send us a text We’re coming up to the beginning of a new year. I often hear “I will when” around this time of the year. Oh, but you’re waiting for the economy to get better, holding on until the new year, or hoping the timing will be better when the kids are grown. There’s so many excuses to not do it. The question I have to ask you is, “If not now, when?” The “I’ll do this later” mindset quickly turns into procrastination. That’s exactly when we lose the opportunities that are pr...

Send us a text This might be the shortest episode of the Stern Truth yet, and maybe even one of the most important. 2026 is right around the corner. This is your wake-up call. It’s a Stern Truth, and it’s saying, “It’s not your goals that are causing you to fail; it’s the unmanaged chaos in your business.” I’m introducing you to the Kickstart Growth Lab 2026. It’s a new six-week group experience to build a powerful 90-day growth plan. Kickstart will give you the momentum, accountability...

Send us a text Grit. Determination. A little bit of delusion. These are the things that our guest, Melissa Guenette, says help make businesses successful. On the other side of the coin, self-doubt was one of the things that Melissa initially faced when she created her company, A-List Media Solutions. But she didn’t let that stop her from growing. Melissa also started her business quite suddenly, without laying down a foundation first. As we all know, small businesses have to strike when...

Send us a text What holds you back in your business? I bet that the first thing that comes to mind is money. But often, that’s not what’s really holding you back. In today’s episode, I go over the two things that stall your business - perfectionism and procrastination. As a small business owner, of course you want everything to be perfect. You want your business to look great online. You want your processes completely finished. You want to give your clients the perfect product or service. But...

Send us a text In this powerful episode, I sit down with Elle Jimeno of Ellevate Creative. I have to say, this conversation absolutely blew me away. Elle shares her journey of building a business after being laid off. Her former employer actually ended up becoming her first client. Talk about life handing you lemons! The real, unfiltered challenges of being a small business owner while raising children don't seem to be obstacles for Elle. It’s more like a guiding force and an oppo...

Send us a text It’s another entrepreneur deep dive in this Business Therapy Thursday session. On this episode, we sit down with JC Valeros to see where her blocks are and how we can unblock them. JC had been in the world of business operations for years. She launched her new business last year. When I ask JC what she thought was holding her back, her answer was the lack of belief in herself. JC tells us how it starts with doubt, and it goes further down this rabbit hole of uncertainty. Life g...

Send us a text Before I recorded this episode, I was in a Momentum Accountability group session. This group of business owners always amazes me with their support and their stories. This session was no different and actually had me change gears about the topic of the episode. The conversation we had was around time blocking, boundaries, and being intentional with your time. Specifically, saying “no.” One of our members was having to cancel plans to service their client. This member didn’t wan...

Send us a text Flora Gordon has always been creative. As a child, she started off drawing, and that led her to become a graphic designer. She drew her entrepreneurial inspiration from her aunt and ended up launching her own business in 2015. We get into how she got started with her graphic design business and wind up talking about the challenges that can come with entrepreneurship, like operating while dealing with health issues, bringing on new team members, and having a vision vs. being a l...

Send us a text I’m going to get real with you. Businesses are struggling right now. Brick and mortars are having a challenging time with their sales. You have probably seen how the economy is struggling, and you’re experiencing that struggle too. Or maybe you’re thriving. That’s awesome, and I really applaud you for that. Small business growth is something to be proud of. In this episode, I talk about the three D’s that can get you through those dark times and even through the good times. The...

Send us a text Today's episode is completely different from our regularly scheduled podcast. Recently, I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Coala Studio Podcast with Rounak Sardesai. Rounak and I talked about all things small business and entrepreneurial growth, the “Ted Lasso” way. I liken myself to Ted Lasso because his coaching philosophies are always true golden nuggets.I do encourage you to Google Ted Lasso before this episode to understand the reference. Even if you don’t, you’ll...

Send us a text Grab a pen and piece of paper. You’ll want to get all the golden nuggets from this episode. It is my pleasure to have my good friend, David Greaves, on this episode of the Stern Truth. We have known each other for nearly 50 years and have seen each other go on some amazing journeys. David and I were in the lawn care business together at one point. Throughout his journey in business, David found his way to his current position as the Executive Director of Friends of JNF Canada. ...

Send us a text Should you focus on your local community or scale online to reach a broader audience with bigger budgets? This is the crossroads many small business owners face, and it's what this Business Therapy Thursday session is all about. I sit down with Alicia McKee this episode. Alicia is a digital marketing specialist, and she’s been toying with this decision for over a year. In her previous job, she learned how Facebook ads helped get people to see the videos they made. Alicia...

Send us a text Are you showing up in your business and in your life? I recently hosted a masterclass about the ONtrepreneur Method. In that masterclass, we went over the four shifts and the foundation for this method. The participants were wonderful, but there were multiple people who signed up and were no-shows. It happens. Life happens. It was a free event. But at the end of the day, it’s their loss. They didn’t show up to get that knowledge. The replay is always there, and the insights are...

Send us a text Karnye Bailey started Oceanside Entertainment from $20 and a dream. 20 years later, she has two stores, 5 employees, and is still growing her business. When Karyne started her journey, she asked herself, "What’s my passion? What do I love to do?" She was inspired to start something out of what brought her joy. Not only is she an expert in games, but she’s also an expert at gamifying her business. We go over how working towards the goal of winning with the proper steps makes bus...

Send us a text I spent almost an hour and a half on hold with my cable company the other day. Marshall, what a waste of time, you might be thinking. But it was costing me and my family an extra $20 a month. I was cancelling an extra channel. It just isn’t something we need anymore. I prepared myself, put the phone on speaker, and waited almost an hour and a half to talk to someone. They need to take a note out of Amazon’s customer service playbook. Whether you love them or not, Amazon h...

Send us a text Megan Fraser has got it maid. Yes, you read that right – M-A-I-D. She’s the owner and CEO of Maid Fantastic, a cleaning company that services the Fraser Valley. I sit down with Megan to see how she’s faring in business six years on. It’s a huge milestone for her as an entrepreneur. We dive into how she grew up with entrepreneurs in her life as role models and how that set her on her path. Megan was previously in a sales job but found it too difficult to balance with motherhood....

Send us a text I sit down with Bonnie Fitz, founder of Differentiate Marketing, in this Business Therapy Thursday session. We define what would move the needle most for Bonnie and her business. She's unsure of where to take her marketing agency and turned to me for help to find the best place to start. She’s been in business since 2022 because she wanted to make an impact while feeling free as an entrepreneur. Bonnie knows she wants to adjust her pricing to create more of that freedom. It’s t...

Send us a text What is Business Therapy, really? If you’ve listened to the Stern Truth before, you may have listened to a Business Therapy Thursday episode before. The long and short of it came from a deep coaching session months ago. I was with a client, and she mentioned how it felt like “business therapy” and not just coaching. What a compliment! I got to thinking after this. As business owners, and even as people, we get in our own way. Our habits dictate our thoughts, and our thoughts di...

Send us a text My guest on this episode is Sandra Flora of Sandra Flora Home Design. Sandra wears many hats as a business owner and interior decorator. It was during the pandemic when she had that lightbulb moment of starting her own business. She initially had doubts when starting out and even kept it a secret from her family and friends. Since then, she’s been off and running. Sandra navigated the challenges that are all too familiar when it comes to running a business—social media, p...

Send us a text I share a rather interesting story on this episode of the Stern Truth. It’s the true story of when I went to a horseback riding ranch years ago. The day started off with the instructor teaching us how to guide the horse. As we ride, I’m in the middle of the pack. We reach a big open field, and I end up passing a big oak tree to the right. I wanted to go into the field, but the horse turned right, straight into the tree, which had a huge, dangerous branch sticking out. The branc...