Big Brave Business: Revolutionary Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Millennials with Sarah Heeter

One thing I've always been adamant about (and will *literally never stop talking about*) is that when you first start a business, your priority should be making money—not building an audience. Building an audience is a long game. It takes time to see significant returns. Meanwhile, rent is due. Big influencer business coaches always give advice about what they would do if they were starting over today, but it's so out of touch to anyone who hasn't been making $100,000+/month! But... eventually... you reach a point where you have no choice but to prioritize audience building in order to grow. Aaand if I'm being really honest? That's where I am in my business. And my guest this week, AnnMarie, feels that way, too!

When I asked today's guest (my friend Dee Ntšala) what was on her heart to talk about during this episode, she mentioned a really intense, staggering statistic about the mental health challenges that entrepreneurs face. Did you know that founders are more likely to have suicidal ideation? I didn't, so this conversation floored me.

This episode introduces the business audit framework I use in my own work: a two-score system for assessing every single asset in your business. 1) Does it work, and 2) Is it aligned? Not as yes/no questions, but on a sliding scale, through four specific lenses each. Because good and bad, ethical and unethical, working and broken — none of it is actually binary. Some of what I share might open a can of worms for you. That's kind of the point.

Sometimes I see a small business owner on Threads post something so evocative and aligned with my core values that I can't help it and I just reach out and invite them on the podcast. That's because with one really high impact post, I can tell that we could have an interesting and big, brave conversation about business. And really, that's the power of leveraging your core values to create human connection online and what my guest today, Fopsy, calls "creating superfans." We are talking all about this on the podcast today--and yes, we met on Threads.

In 2020, corporations couldn't post their black squares fast enough. DEI statements flowed like wine. Budgets materialized overnight. Promises were made with the conviction of zealots. And now? Those same companies are scrubbing DEI language from their websites faster than you can say "political backlash." In this week's episode with DEI and Learning & Development leader Noelle Johnson, we confronted this disturbing reality head-on: the rapid dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts happening across American business.