How to Make Big Business Decisions Without Letting Fear Make Them For You

How to Make Big Business Decisions Without Letting Fear Run the MathLori Kennedy shares her worst case scenario decision-making process for business investments, using the real example of a 25,000 US dollar program she bought while raising two kids as a single mom. This episode is for business owners who are trying to decide whether to invest, scale, or stay put as the year ends and next year’s goals come into focus. The core message is simple: make decisions from your future business owner identity, not your current fear, current cash flow, or present circumstances. Key topicsIn this episode: Lori explains why practitioners and coaches should not make business decisions from their practitioner or coach hat, because that identity is for serving clients, not running a company. She shares how she trained herself between 2011 and 2015 to think like a business owner and why that shift was the difference between struggling and building a sustainable business. Lori breaks down the difference between current circumstances and future potential, arguing that where you are now should not determine whether you invest in growth. She uses her own story of seeing six figure and million dollar online businesses in 2012 as the moment she realized bigger outcomes were possible. She explains the first filter for any investment: make sure the offer includes actual deliverables, not just calls and inspiration. Lori gives her worst case scenario test: if the investment fails, can you live with the payment plan, and can you live with the regret of never trying? She walks through the math she used on a 25,000 US dollar investment, including accepting roughly 210 dollars a month over 10 years if needed. Lori emphasizes that she did not make the money back in 12 months, but still saw the investment as worthwhile because she gained skills like sales pages, launches, copywriting, email marketing, and audience building. She warns against being short sighted about 6 month or 12 month time frames, especially when the payoff of a decision may take years. The episode closes with a reminder that no one else can get you out of your current circumstance, even if others can support you. Timestamps: 00:00 - Live intro and why big business decisions matter now 01:46 - The end of year mindset for business owners 03:11 - Train your brain to think like an owner 06:32 - Why the practitioner hat should come off for business decisions 08:00 - Why making business decisions from expertise alone backfires 10:21 - The moment Lori realized she was not qualified to run the business side 12:16 - Seeing online income as possible for the first time 16:14 - Facing a 25,000 US dollar investment decision 17:36 - The reality of being a single mom with no savings and big goals 19:33 - Why fear and current circumstances cannot lead the decision 22:31 - First check: do the deliverables actually exist 24:22 - Why many people invest and get nothing tangible back 25:21 - The worst case scenario test for expensive programs 27:09 - Running the payment plan math and asking what you can live with 28:20 - The cost of never trying 30:15 - What happened after the investment and why it still paid off 31:55 - Why not to be short sighted about business growth 33:15 - Why time, friends, and opinions should not run the decision 35:05 - The only standard that matters is whether you did everything you could