Streamlined Solopreneur: Tips to Help Business Owners Grow Without Burnout

Save 30-50% on Learn Dash, GiveWP, The Events Calendar, and more: https://streamlined.fm/friday

Every year, I put together a massive gift guide for small business owners — but this year, I wanted to do things differently. Instead of rattling off every gadget and tool I’ve ever tried, I’m sharing the handful of products that actually made my life easier in 2025.

From sleep earbuds that help me get more rest (even with kid...

Well, we're in the holiday gauntlet now. I've gotten several emails from small, service-based business promoting Black Friday sales, and I'm not sure that's a very good approach. I share my experience with successful, and less successful BF/CM deals I've run.

I also talk about my approach to affiliates,  and what I'm thinking about for that strategy in 2026.

Check out the 3 tools I'm actually promoting for Cyber Week: http...

Save 30-50% on Learn Dash, GiveWP, The Events Calendar, and more: https://streamlined.fm/friday

My oldest daughter loves asking me to tell her a funny story about my wife from when we were dating... and I almost always freeze. It's not because there aren't any funny stories. It's because there are too many to pick from.

This is exactly what happens when you open Zapier without a plan. You're faced with a "blank canvas" a...

Save 30-50% on Learn Dash, GiveWP, The Events Calendar, and more: https://streamlined.fm/friday

Remember diagramming sentences back in school? I always thought it was pointless, but the real goal wasn't the diagram itself—it was understanding the structure of a good sentence.

The same exact logic applies to building automations. It's tempting to just jump into a tool like Zapier or Make and start connecting things, but t...

Save 30-50% on Learn Dash, GiveWP, The Events Calendar, and more: https://streamlined.fm/friday

Ever wonder if your newsletter should be the product…or just promote the product?

I’ve been treating mine more like a magazine than a sales tool — and it’s cost me. So I sat down with Dylan Bridger, who helps course creators and coaches turn their newsletters into profit machines.

We talk about:

• The difference betwee...

Save 30-50% on Learn Dash, GiveWP, The Events Calendar, and more: https://streamlined.fm/friday

When I was a kid, I said things like, “I won’t forget,” or “When I’m a dad, I won’t get mad.” Or…”I’m bored.”

But as you get older, and life puts you in various, unforeseen situations, it’s easy to get blindsided and react in a way you hoped you wouldn’t.

I think about this a lot when I consider what’s changed between t...

Save 30-50% on Learn Dash, GiveWP, The Events Calendar, and more: https://streamlined.fm/friday

Nine years. 500 episodes. And one big question I've asked since the beginning. Do you have any trade secrets for us?

When I started this show (back when it was How I Built It), I was a newly married web developer with a side hustle and a curiosity for how others built their businesses. Ten years and three kids later, I’ve real...

We turned productivity into a fantasy draft! 🏆

Four small business owners battle it out, picking the apps and tools we cannot live without — with some surprise steals, hot takes, and even a bonus round for our favorite analog gear.

Looking for new ways to save time, systemize your business, and actually enjoy the tools you use? This draft is packed with ideas you’ll want to steal.

Draft Order: 

1. Mike Schmitz
2. Layla Pompe...

Can you really delegate out when you are your business? Don’t people hire you to work with…well, you? 

That’s the question Justin Moore and I wrestle with. We talk about the challenge of running personality-driven businesses, why it’s so hard to step away, and how to build a company that serves your life instead of consuming it.

Justin shares how he’s built a coaching business with a team he trusts, why impact is his North S...

It seems like every day there’s a new tool designed to help us be more productive. They promise to help us to more, faster, better, with fewer resources. And it’s easy to get shiny object syndrome. So how do you know when it’s time to switch, or when it’s a waste of time and energy?

Luckily, as a chronic tool switcher, I’ve thought a lot about this very problem. And I have a framework to help you decide.

We’ll go thr...

Running a business while raising kids feels impossible some days. Between checking emails at the playground and working after bedtime, it's easy to feel like you're failing at both. But what if there was a better way?

Amanda Goetz has cracked the code on building an authentic business without the hustle culture nonsense. As a single mom of three who's built multiple six-figure income streams, she's learned that success isn'...

Ever go to do something – a task for your business, yard work, cooking – and suddenly realize you’re not sure where to start? 

It’s not that you don’t know what to do…you just need a little help organizing your thoughts. It would be a lot easier if everything is written down, step-by-step. That’s where SOPs come in. 

Most solopreneurs think SOPs are only for big companies with teams of 50+. But the truth? Even if you...

Ever stumble into entrepreneurship by accident? Dylan Redekop did — and he’s built a business that lets him spend time with his family, stay fit, and still grow his newsletter. 

We get into freelancing vs. solopreneurship vs. contracting, why balance matters more than hustle, and the little systems that keep ideas from slipping through the cracks (while still allowing us to be present parents). 

Looking for a way to find...