PodcastsBusinessStaying Solo

Staying Solo

Maggie Patterson, BS-Free Business
Staying Solo
Latest episode

486 episodes

  • Staying Solo

    Considered vs Chosen: Why You're Stuck in the Maybe Pile

    06/04/2026 | 14 mins.
    Clients are interested—but they're not choosing you.
    If you're stuck in the "maybe" pile, it's not a sales problem. It's an Easy Yes Energy problem.
    In this episode, we're getting into why clients hesitate, what most people get wrong, and how to become the clear yes instead of just another option.
    Topics discussed in this episode include:
    Why interested clients don't convert and what keeps you stuck in the "maybe pile."

    Why it's not a sales problem and what you need to do instead.

    How clients actually decide: the 5-step "consideration journey."

    The key positioning gaps that cause you to lose leads you never even see.

    Join the Staying Solo Squad wait list. 
    For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. 
    If you enjoyed today's episode, please:
    Leave a positive review or rating at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo

    Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.

    Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
  • Staying Solo

    Creating Your Easy Yes Offer

    30/03/2026 | 16 mins.
    If your bigger packages have stopped selling, it's not your work; it's your entry point.
    Clients aren't ready to make big decisions right now. They want something simple, clear, and low-risk to start.
    That's where your Easy Yes Offer comes in.
    In this episode, we break down what it is, why most offers miss the mark, and how to create one that your clients actually say yes to.
    Topics discussed in this episode include:
     Why are bigger packages harder to sell in today's market?

    What an Easy Yes Offer is and how it reduces buyer risk.

    3 common reasons offers don't sell. 

    The POP framework: positioning, outcome, and process.

    How to design a simple, high-value starting offer (without underpricing).

    For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. 
    If you enjoyed today's episode, please:
    Leave a positive review or rating at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor

    Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.

    Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
  • Staying Solo

    The Ego Trap (And Why It's Costing You Clients)

    23/03/2026 | 13 mins.
    When you've been running a business for a long time, experience can quietly turn into ego. You start believing certain things are beneath you, like following up, reaching out to your network, or sending a simple check-in email.
    In this episode of the Easy Yes Energy series, we explore how the Ego Trap shows up for experienced service providers and how it can block the very things that bring clients into your business. 
    Because sometimes the biggest obstacle to booking work isn't strategy—it's the story you're telling yourself about what you "shouldn't have to do anymore."
    Topics discussed in this episode include:
    The "I shouldn't have to do that" mindset.

    Why simple actions still bring in clients.

    How experience can become rigidity.

    Ego disguised as perfectionism.

    Why staying scrappy still matters.

    For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. 
    If you enjoyed today's episode, please:
    Leave a positive review or rating at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor

    Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.

    Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
  • Staying Solo

    Becoming an Easy Yes in 2026

    16/03/2026 | 14 mins.
    If potential clients keep saying "let me think about it," show interest but never follow through, or seem confused about what you actually do, your business may be missing what I'm calling Easy Yes Energy.
    In this episode, we're kicking off a new podcast series about making your service business easier for the right clients to confidently say yes to. I explain why today's skeptical market requires greater clarity than ever—and the subtle ways experienced service providers accidentally make their businesses harder to buy from.
    Topics discussed in this episode include:
    Why busy, skeptical buyers won't "figure out" how you help them,

    The concept of Easy Yes Energy and why it matters right now.

    Common signs your business is harder to say yes to than you think.

    Why prospects say "let me think about it" or never follow through.

    How confusing offers, educator-mode marketing, and unclear positioning hurt sales.

    What this new series will teach you about making your business easier to buy from. 

    For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. 
    If you enjoyed today's episode, please:.
    Leave a positive review or rating at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor

    Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.

    Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo
  • Staying Solo

    The Revenue You're Leaving Behind After Clients Say Yes

    09/03/2026 | 15 mins.
    You did the work. You delivered. The client was happy.
    And then… the relationship ended.
    Not because anything went wrong, but because there was no plan for what came next.
    That's the Deliver-and-Disappear cycle — and it's quietly costing you revenue.
    In this episode, I'll show you where it's happening in your business and how to restructure your client relationships so projects lead somewhere instead of ending in silence.
    Topics discussed in this episode include:
    The "Deliver & Disappear" cycle that's quietly capping your revenue.

    Why finishing the project shouldn't be the end of the relationship.

    5 missed opportunities hiding in your current client experience.

    How to turn completed work into renewals, expansions, and retainers.

    A simple shift that makes retention, referrals, and revenue more predictable.

    For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. 
    If you enjoyed today's episode, please:.
    Leave a positive review or rating at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor

    Subscribe for new episodes every Monday.

    Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

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About Staying Solo

Growing a solo service business is tough. It's even harder when you're bombarded with BS advice that steers you away from your values and why you started your business in the first place. This is the podcast for solo creatives and consultants who want to remain as a team of one and have zero interest in the hustle and grind of typical business teachings. Most podcasts for solopreneurs and freelancers, hosted by out-of-touch celebrity entrepreneurs who haven't offered one-to-one services in years, miss the mark on today's market realities. Maggie Patterson, a service business owner for 20 years, understands that to stay solo, you need to know what matters to you, what works for you, and what you should completely ignore. In each episode, she examines one piece of conventional business advice to discover how it may hurt your business or be completely wrong for you as a solo business owner. Join Maggie for real talk to help you avoid burnout or the desire to entirely burn down your business to open a flower shop, book store, or cat cafe. (Because those cats won't pay the bills.) (Formerly the BS-Free Service Business Show)
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Staying Solo: Podcasts in Family