Profit by Design

What if your business could grow without demanding more of your time and energy? Imagine attracting better clients, building a stronger team, and finally creating a profitable business that supports your life instead of consuming it.In 2021, Adam McKee, owner of Contemporary Woods, was struggling with inconsistent sales, tight cash flow, and the constant pressure of keeping his custom cabinetry business afloat. Like many business owners, he had created a demanding job rather than a business that could thrive without him.In this episode of Profit by Design, Dr. Sabrina Starling welcomes Adam back for a special "Where Are You Now?" conversation. A former participant in Tap the Potential's Better Business Better Life program, Adam shares how the changes he began making five years ago continue to transform his business and his life.The results are remarkable. Contemporary Woods increased sales by 70% in the first year and 96% over two years. Today, the company generates approximately $1.3 million annually and is completing a nearly $600,000 project—more than twice the size of its previous largest project. Adam has also built a team of approximately 90% A-players, dramatically improved employee onboarding, and implemented 285 new standard operating procedures since January.But Adam's greatest achievement isn't just financial. By focusing on ideal clients, company values, and continuous improvement, he's reduced his stress, strengthened his team, and created a business that increasingly operates without his constant involvement.If you're tired of putting out fires and feeling like everything depends on you, Adam's story demonstrates how small, intentional improvements can lead to extraordinary results, and a business that truly supports the life you want.Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production.Show HighlightsChanges that helped Contemporary Woods achieve 70% sales growth in its first year of coaching and 96% growth over two yearsWhy identifying both ideal clients and ideal projects is essential for creating repeatable systems and attracting more profitable workThe remarkable progression from struggling to find enough work to completing a nearly $600,000 custom cabinetry projectWhy "your wealth is in your waste" and how eliminating inefficiencies can improve profitability without requiring additional salesHow implementing 285 new SOPs since January is helping Adam's team reduce mistakes, improve quality control, and operate more independentlyHow a structured onboarding process reduced the time required for new employees to become productive from approximately six months to four weeks—and helped build a team of 90% A-playersWhy Adam believes the return on coaching extends far beyond financial results, and how small, consistent improvements can create a business that truly supports your lifeAdam’s Bio.Adam McKee grew up in the trades, where he learned to appreciate good craftsmanship—and saw how hard people could work without much profit to show for it. Today, he owns Contemporary Woods, a custom cabinetry shop in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a mission of Serving Craftsmanship. He loves standing back and seeing what his team built. He’s putting that same care into building a business that rewards the work, helps his team grow, and leaves time for family.ResourcesReady to build a business that works for you instead of one that depends entirely on you?Dr. Sabrina Starling and the Tap the Potential team help business owners create profitable, sustainable businesses through the Better Business Better Life program. By focusing on the right clients, strong teams, repeatable systems, and intentional leadership, you can begin creating a business that supports both your financial goals and your quality of life.Visit www.tapthepotential.com to schedule a conversation and explore whether the Better Business Better Life program is right for you.Connect with Adam and Contemporary Woods!Email - [email protected] WoodsLinkedInFacebookInstagram

What if the secret to growing your sales isn't finding more leads, spending more on marketing, or working harder to attract new customers? What if your next big sales opportunity is already hiding in your existing client relationships?When sales slow down, most business owners immediately look for ways to generate more leads. But more leads don't necessarily mean more profitable sales—or a better business. The real opportunity may be identifying the clients who value your expertise, appreciate your team, and contribute most to your profitability, then intentionally attracting more clients just like them.In this episode of Profit by Design, Dr. Sabrina Starling explains how the 80/20 principle can transform your sales approach. She challenges business owners to stop chasing every potential customer and focus on the relationships, referral sources, and sales activities that consistently deliver the best results.You'll also hear the remarkable story of Mitch Genda, president of Paragon Homes of Charlotte, whose company went from an extended sales drought to more than $13 million in contracted sales across seven sales in just six weeks after beginning Sales Explosion coaching. The breakthrough wasn't a complicated new marketing strategy. It was a shift from relying on intuition to building an intentional, repeatable sales process around what was already working.If you're tired of unpredictable sales, lengthy buying cycles, and constantly searching for your next lead, this episode will help you rethink what sustainable sales growth can look like. Discover how to attract better-fit clients, strengthen your referral relationships, shorten your sales cycle, and grow revenue without adding unnecessary complexity to your business.Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production.Show HighlightsWhy generating more leads isn't always the solution to sluggish salesHow the 80/20 principle reveals which clients contribute the greatest value to your businessWhy your most profitable clients—not necessarily your biggest spenders—should shape your sales strategyHow attracting more ideal clients can improve profitability while reducing stress on your teamThe $10,000-an-hour question: Which of your existing clients would you love to clone, and why?How Paragon Homes of Charlotte went from a sales drought to more than $13 million in contracted sales in six weeksWhy moving from sales intuition to intentionality is essential for consistent, repeatable resultsHow to identify your most valuable referral sources and the people who influence buying decisionsWhy documenting successful sales activities can help shorten lengthy sales cycles and improve cash flowA practical exercise using your last five great sales to uncover opportunities for sustainable growthResourcesReady to stop leaving sales to chance?Dr. Sabrina Starling and the Tap the Potential team are offering four Sales Explosion 1:1 Coaching spots. This personalized coaching is designed to help you identify your best clients, strengthen valuable referral relationships, and build an intentional, repeatable sales process around what already works.Book a coffee chat to learn more:www.tapthepotential.com/coffee

“This sounds exactly like my business. I’m exhausted. Everything still depends on me. I know something has to change.” If you’ve responded with any of these realizations while listening to this series, this conversation is for you. Awareness matters, but awareness alone won’t change anything if you’ve tolerated stress, carried too much weight, stayed stuck in operational chaos, or hoped things would improve over time. Eventually, you realize your business can’t keep operating this way—not if you want sustainable growth, freedom, and a business that actually supports your life. Most entrepreneurs weren’t taught how to reduce owner dependency, build leadership, create operational accountability, develop scalable systems, and step out of daily firefighting. As a result, they stay stuck in patterns that slowly become unsustainable, and most don’t seek support until they are completely overwhelmed.In this episode, Melissa Kay and Dr. Sabrina Starling explain why awareness alone doesn’t create change, the hidden reason owners stay stuck for years, what sustainable business growth actually requires, how to stop carrying the full weight of the business alone, and what happens inside our Jumpstart program. Most business owners stay stuck because they try to solve structural problems with more personal effort. There is a better way to create real freedom inside your business. Join us to learn more!Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production.Show Highlights:Your overwhelm creeps up on you.We can make a difference by offering the support you need.An example of Dr. Sabrina’s work with a client in getting to the root of the problem.A breakdown of common hiring mistakes — and how to get it rightHaving the right systems in place helps your operations flow smoothly and effectively.Understanding A-players, the sweet spot, and their key results — while watching for communication gapsThink of Tap the Potential as a comprehensive solution for your business.Resources:Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life.

You started your business to create a better life and to have more freedom, flexibility, and time with your loved ones. But somewhere along the way, the business started consuming more of you than you ever expected. Even when you’re physically present with others, your mind is still at work because you’re answering messages at dinner, thinking about work problems during family time, and mentally carrying the business everywhere you go. The hardest part is that most business owners don’t realize how much their relationships are being affected until they are already exhausted. You may try to rationalize and normalize the takeover of your life until you realize that you are missing special moments that you can’t get back. You can’t solve this problem with better boundaries alone; the real issue is that your business relies too heavily on you, both emotionally and operationally. You don’t need to care “less,” but you need stronger leadership inside your team, operational clarity, defined ownership, scalable systems, and reduced owner dependency. This is what sustainable success looks like: a business that supports your life rather than consuming it.In this episode, Dr. Sabrina Starling and Melissa Kay break down why entrepreneurs struggle to truly unplug, how owner dependency affects relationships, the hidden emotional cost of carrying the business alone, and what actually creates more freedom and presence. Sustainable success should allow you to enjoy your life — not disappear inside your business.Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production.Show Highlights:Melissa’s look back at how things used to be in hustle cultureThe truth: Our kids know; we can’t hide it from them.Dr. Sabrina’s experience of prioritizing family first after trying it the other way“Our limits force innovation and creativity.”Do you need to refine your to-do list? Download your chart of $10,000 an hour activities now!Dr. Sabrina’s story of experiencing trauma, grief, and living a life of no regrets.Lessons learned from burnout about reconnecting with yourself FIRSTBeing aware of the neglected side of businessYour next step? Join our next Jumpstart and find out how to free up 10 hours of your week right away!Resources:Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life.

Does your business slow down the moment you step away? If every decision, approval, or problem still funnels through you, you’re not alone, but YOU are the bottleneck. In this episode, Melissa Kay and Dr. Sabrina Starling break down how you can stop being the bottleneck and start building a self-managing business model that doesn’t depend on you for every decision. You’ll learn why capable teams still wait for the owner’s approval, the hidden ways business owners unintentionally create bottlenecks, what a self-managing business actually looks like, and practical leadership shifts that empower your team to take ownership. If you’re tired of being the single point of failure in your business and want growth without burnout, this episode will show you where to start. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential production. Show Highlights:Relief, flexibility, and freedom: Don’t you want more of these?A-players want autonomy to take initiative; we need to empower them to do so.The shift in asking your team, “What ideas do YOU have about this?”Be careful not to shut out your A-players’ ideas; encourage them to bring those forward.Melissa’s tips to empower your team: share your vision, give clear parameters for decision-making, look for measurable results (KPIs), and provide opportunities for autonomyTracking clear results through KPIs gives A-players pride and ownership. (This is THE biggest A-player perk we can build into our businesses!)Highlights of our clients’ recent winsRelationships and work connections will help skyrocket A-player retention on your team.Resources:Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to determine your level of burnout and receive a complimentary call with the next steps you need to take in your business to support your life.