My Kind of Business

In this solo episode, I’m doing something a little different. Instead of talking you through strategy, I’m taking you on a guided future self visualisation, made for small business owners, freelancers and solopreneurs who are tired of running on autopilot.Running a business can feel lonely and heavy. There are money worries, there’s the comparison trap, and there’s that nagging feeling you should be further on by now. So many of us spend the year reacting rather than choosing. This meditation gives you space to put all of that down for a while, meet the version of you who is twelve months further along, and hear what they want you to know. You’ll come out of it calmer, clearer and with one honest first step for 2027.If you’ve been wondering whether this is really the business you want, or you’re ready to plan next year in a way that fits around your life rather than swallowing it, I’d love you to give yourself these fifteen minutes. Find somewhere comfortable and press play when you can close your eyes.In this episode:- Why a future self visualisation is such a powerful mindset tool for goal setting and business planning- Letting go of the guilt, comparison and not-enoughness so many business owners carry- Stepping into a day twelve months from now, with work that lights you up, clients who value you and money that finally feels steady- A heartfelt conversation with your future self about what to let go of and what to do first- Why you haven’t been failing, you’ve been learningAfter you listen, write down the first step your future self gave you and keep it somewhere you’ll see it every day. If something big came up, spend ten minutes journalling about it. Those feelings are worth listening to.BOOK YOUR 2027 BUSINESS PLANNING WORKSHOPIf this episode stirred something, my annual business planning workshop is where we turn that feeling into a real plan. It’s a relaxed, practical morning to look back on 2026 and plan your next 12 months with clarity, without the hustle. All stages welcome. Every ticket includes:- A pre-workshop mini audit- My simple goal-setting and planning framework- Guided visualisation- A panel of three business owners sharing their planning habits- A bonus online accountability session in mid-JanuaryChoose your date:Shrewsbury: Tue 24 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Lion & Pheasant Hotelhttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningshrewsburyWoburn Sands: Fri 27 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Frostshttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningwoburnOnline: Wed 2 Dec, 10am to 12pmhttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningonline- In-person guests also get a printed workbook, pen, surprise goodies, pastries and refreshments.- Tickets: £48 in person, £38 online, or add £100 to go VIP and get a 60-minute 1:1 with me.- Spaces are limited, so book your place soon.- Business training can often be tax deductible, so check with your accountant.

In this solo episode, Alex explores how being "too nice" can quietly cost your business time, money and capacity. From underpricing and discounting to over-delivering and blurry boundaries, she shares how to protect your profit without losing the kindness and care that make your business yours.If you're working hard but your bank balance doesn't reflect it, this one is for you.In this episode:How being "too nice" shows up as underpricing, discounting, over-delivering and saying yes when you mean noPricing on value and what your business needs, not just timeWhat to say when someone tells you "that's a bit pricey"The hidden work that turns a profitable package into an underpaid oneWhy low average sale values create a capacity problemWhy you and your future self are stakeholders in your business tooThe "nice tax audit" to find where your time and profit are leakingTry the nice tax audit:Look at your last five clients. Compare what you invoiced with everything you actually delivered, including calls, messages, revisions and extras. Work out your real hourly rate and ask yourself, would I knowingly agree to this price again?BOOK YOUR 2027 BUSINESS PLANNING WORKSHOPA relaxed, practical morning to look back on 2026 and plan your next 12 months with clarity, including your pricing and numbers. All stages welcome.Every ticket includes:A pre-workshop mini auditAlex's simple goal-setting and planning frameworkGuided visualisationA panel of three business owners sharing their planning habitsA bonus online accountability session in mid-JanuaryChoose your date:Shrewsbury: Tue 24 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Lion & Pheasant Hotelhttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningshrewsburyWoburn Sands: Fri 27 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Frostshttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningwoburnOnline: Wed 2 Dec, 10am to 12pmhttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningonlineIn-person guests also get a printed workbook, pen, surprise goodies, pastries and refreshments.Tickets: £48 in person, £38 online, or add £100 to go VIP and get a 60-minute 1:1 with Alex.Spaces are limited, so book your place soon.Business training can often be tax deductible, so check with your accountant.Timestamps00:10 The price of being too nice in business03:02 Why hardworking business owners still struggle financially04:57 Where "too nice" gets expensive: pricing08:24 Why pricing by time undervalues your expertise12:14 Discounting and "that's a bit pricey"15:04 The hidden work eating your profit17:27 When "easy to work with" means no boundaries20:09 Average sale value and capacity22:57 Using your numbers to make pricing decisions26:06 The nice tax audit28:19 Why boundaries are part of your pricing31:20 Three actions to take after listening33:00 The 2027 Business Planning WorkshopsQuotes"You can be kind and profitable.""Your boundaries are part of your pricing.""The answer, rather than being less kind, is to become more aware."Connect with AlexWebsite: alexmccarthycoaching.comInstagram: @alexmccarthycoaching

In this solo episode, Alex reframes Q4 as a bridge into 2027, not a time to coast, panic or write the year off. With around twelve weeks left, she shares a calm, practical approach to finishing the year with clarity, cash flow and momentum, without running yourself into the ground.If you're feeling behind, flat or tempted to "start properly in January", this one is for you.In this episode:Why "coasting mode" feels safe but often leads to a stressful JanuaryFive reflection questions to audit your year using real data, not just feelingsRedefining growth beyond "more": fewer hours, higher prices, better clients, stronger systemsChoosing one priority per month and one action per weekSix Q4 growth opportunities: past clients, pre-selling January, raising prices, the festive season, tidying your finances and one simple offerVisibility, testimonials and aligned collaborationClearing open loops, simplifying systems and setting Christmas boundaries earlyWhy the best January starts with planning in NovemberBOOK YOUR 2027 BUSINESS PLANNING WORKSHOPA relaxed, practical morning to look back on 2026 and plan your next 12 months with clarity. All stages welcome.Every ticket includes:A pre-workshop mini auditAlex's simple goal-setting and planning frameworkGuided visualisationA panel of three business owners sharing their planning habitsA bonus online accountability session in mid-JanuaryChoose your date:Shrewsbury: Tue 24 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Lion & Pheasant Hotelhttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningshrewsburyWoburn Sands: Fri 27 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Frostshttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningwoburnOnline: Wed 2 Dec, 10am to 12pmhttps://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningonlineIn-person guests also get a printed workbook, pen, surprise goodies, pastries and refreshments.Tickets: £48 in person, £38 online, or add £100 to go VIP and get a 60-minute 1:1 with Alex.Spaces are limited, so book your place soon.Business training can often be tax deductible, so check with your accountant.Timestamps00:00 Why this episode was recorded twice02:45 Why Q4 shapes this year and next04:03 What coasting mode looks like09:31 Five questions to audit your year15:00 Redefining growth beyond "more"18:28 Defining a high finish19:34 One priority per month, one action per week22:02 Six Q4 growth opportunities27:21 Visibility and relationships29:00 Why collaboration speeds up growth29:38 Clearing open loops33:10 Christmas boundaries and front-loading Q434:25 Why the best January starts before January35:25 Inside the 2027 planning workshops37:24 Dates, locations and pricing39:46 Don't write off the rest of the yearQuotes"Q4 is not the end of the year. It is a bridge.""Focus trumps effort every single time.""You are not behind. You are exactly where you need to be to start."Connect with AlexWebsite: alexmccarthycoaching.comInstagram: @alexmccarthycoachingShare your "I'll know I've finished 2026 on a high if..." sentence with Alex on Instagram.

In this sixty-eighth episode of My Kind of Business, Alex is joined by Chardét Ryel, a behaviour change specialist, serial entrepreneur and Forbes-featured Top 200 podcaster who helps female founders use their voice to build authority and trust without relying on algorithms or constantly proving themselves online.Chardét's story is a winding one, from childhood performance instincts and dreams of diplomacy, through building and losing a wellness business, to finding a new direction in business and podcasting. It's an honest conversation about how failure, fear of visibility and big life disruptions can reveal what you actually want, and what shifted when she stopped forcing a fixed identity and let her business evolve with her.If you've ever felt like you should have it all figured out by now, this is one to sit with.In this episode Alex and Chardét explore:The childhood creativity and performance instincts that hinted at her futureFailing the Foreign Service exam and what it set in motionThe messy, non-linear route into entrepreneurship, and why feeling "not ready" doesn't mean you can't beginLeaving a toxic workplace and learning to trust her intuitionStarting her first wellness business, and facing imposter syndrome and a fear of being visibleMoving from New York to London and rebuilding her business modelLosing her in-person business when COVID hit, and rebuilding onlineStarting a podcast, and realising a successful business can still feel misalignedLosing her voice just before a launch, and the link between stress and physical symptomsPivoting into visibility, and why a business doesn't have to stay fixed foreverKey HighlightsWhy failure can create permission to change direction, rather than proof you've gone wrongThat feeling "not ready" isn't a reason to waitHow visibility is a skill you grow into, not something you're born comfortable withWhy a business that looks successful can still feel misaligned, and that feeling is worth listening toWhy you don't have to build alone, because no one is truly self-madeTimestamps:00:00 - Welcome and introducing Chardét's story02:56 - Studying politics, languages, and failing the Foreign Service exam03:44 - How failure created permission to change direction09:16 - Why entrepreneurship began to feel possible13:35 - Leaving a toxic workplace16:32 - Starting a wellness brand after job rejection17:33 - Early imposter syndrome and feeling too old at 2718:44 - Avoiding visibility and staying off camera22:14 - Opening day in London with no attendees25:25 - Losing the business when COVID hit27:15 - Starting a podcast and reconnecting with her voice33:25 - Turning the podcast into the business itself34:49 - Losing her voice just before launch40:02 - Choosing visibility as a new business focus45:03 - Chardét's advice: don't do it alone46:27 - My kind of business is open endedConnect with Chardéthttps://chardetryel.com/instagram.com/chardetryelConnect with Alexalexmccarthycoaching.cominstagram.com/alexmccarthycoaching

In this sixty-seventh episode of My Kind of Business, Alex is joined by Rebecca McCloskey, founder of Weave Interiors, a residential interior designer based in Tring whose story is a lovely reminder that the things we loved as children often hold the clues to what we're meant to do.In this episode Alex and Rebecca explore:The childhood passions and creative traits that hinted at her future workGrowing up around entrepreneurial grandparents and business-owning parentsThe transferable skills teaching gave her, from planning to client careHow moving into her own home reignited her love of designThe long fertility journey and how it shifted her focus and prioritiesDeciding to pursue interior design seriously and completing her courseNavigating those first projects and imposter syndrome during COVIDHer nature-led, biophilic approach and love of zoning open-plan spacesCreative, local marketing and the challenge of promoting yourselfLandmark projects and the fulfilment of transforming clients' spacesBuilding support networks and the second business, White and WeavePrioritising family, slow growth and protecting her own wellbeingKey HighlightsWhy the hobbies you loved as a child can quietly shape the work you're meant to doHow teaching skills like planning, communication and empathy translate beautifully into running a businessWhy home should be a sanctuary, and creating it should feel just as joyful as living in itWhy authentic client care matters far more than perfect contentHow repeat clients and referrals are a truer measure of success than any metricWhy slow, considered growth can be the healthiest way to build a business around your lifeConnect with RebeccaWeave Interiors: www.weaveinteriors.co.uk / @weave.interiordesign / Weave Interiors on FacebookWhite and Weave (rental property design, installation and home staging): www.whiteandweave.co.uk / @whiteandweave.homestagingConnect with Alexalexmccarthycoaching.cominstagram.com/alexmccarthycoaching