Services Are the Fastest Path to Cash (Samantha’s $500 to $80K Story)

Let me say it loud for the people in the back. Services are the fastest path to cash, and they always will be. I will die on that hill.

In this episode, I sit down with Samantha Fine, a longtime student and Strategist Society member who has been through every phase of business. She started during the pandemic, shut it down for a dream job at Coca-Cola, got discriminated against for being a mom, had her second baby, and relaunched with one goal: pick her son up from kindergarten every single day.

She spent most of 2024 chasing the passive income dream and made $500. Then she went all in on services and finished 2025 at nearly $80,000, all while working a full-time job for eight months of the year. This is the real math on services versus digital products, and the framework that scales it.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why digital products are never as passive as you were sold, and the two things you need before you build one
• The exact moment services beat a course (and the $500 vs $80K math behind it)
• The Strategist Trifecta: how to scale past your retainer ceiling without adding hours
• How Samantha signed a new client almost every month at $3K retainers and a $5K ads intensive
• Why being willing to ask questions and be vulnerable is the real growth hack
• The discovery call teardown that taught the whole room where deals get lost
• Why your business is not your hobby, and the "choose your hard" mindset that changes everything

Mentioned in this episode:

• Strategist Society (apply if you are at $3K+/mo): https://thestrategistsociety.com
• Conversions For Clients (start your ad management business): https://conversionsforclients.com

Ready to scale past $10K months?

If you are already doing $3,000 or more with your service business and you want to be in the room with women like Samantha, head to thestrategistsociety.com and apply for a call. We will look at exactly where you are and what your next step is. No million-dollar-agency pressure, just real strategy that fits your real life.

Loved this episode?

Screenshot it, share it to your stories, and tag @brandimowles so I can cheer you on. It helps another service provider find this exact lesson before she wastes a year on the wrong thing.

Now go do the dang thing.

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Transcript

Samantha Fine Spotlight

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Brandi: [00:00:00] Welcome, welcome back Serve Scale Soar fam.

I am so excited about today's guest. We have one of our Strategy Society students, but not only that, a longtime student who has went through many, many different phases of her business, and I can't wait to dive into that. So Samantha, welcome to the podcast, and tell my listeners who you are as a person and then about your business.

Samantha: Yes. Thank you so much for having me, Brandi. So I'm Samantha Fine. I am a mom of two boys, and I have worked in digital marketing for over 15 years. I'm in round two of my business. I had my first business back during the pandemic. Was very much in Brandi's world back then. Took a break to go back to corporate in 2022 and 2023, really through, through much of, of last year as well.

But restarted my business in 2024 after having my second child. Really going into my business was all [00:01:00] about my kids. I had been working in digital marketing, landed what I thought was my dream job back in 2017, and got pregnant with my first in 2019, and was then discriminated against for being a mom.

Something unfortunately every time I tell my story, I hear from so many other women who went, were in corporate and then something was taken away from them or a missed opportunity or they were let go because they became a mom, and it's just so infuriating. And that was my case. I was passed over for a promotion because they didn't think I would return from maternity leave.

And I started my own business as an ads manager, taking my expertise from my corporate career- Bringing it to the online space back then helping mostly mom-owned businesses, which is who I've continued to mostly support. And then I went back to corporate when I got pregnant with my second child. And he was again, like my kids are, are why I do what I do.

When I went back from that maternity leave, realized that [00:02:00] it just wasn't, wasn't what I wanted anymore. This whole climbing of the corporate ladder was not working for me as a mom of two kids. And my oldest was gonna be going into kindergarten, he's now in kindergarten. And I had this goal of relaunching my business and being able to pick him up from school every day when he went, once he was in kindergarten.

And that was something that was really important to me, and it always been something that I struggled with while I was climbing that corporate ladder and looking at the women above me and not understanding how they could be there at this full-time job, and then also be present for their kids, especially when school gets out at, 2:00, 3:00 o'clock, and the workday doesn't end there.

And launching my business and really seeing that I was able to take my corporate experience and turn it into this business, and now pick my kids up, that was, that was something that I had no idea was possible until I actually like, till, till I saw an ad and found out about it. 

Brandi: So with that being [00:03:00] said, a lot of people, 2020 was an interesting year because- It 

Samantha: was

Brandi: people either thrived, we saw ad managers like completely thrive even as brand new, and then we saw ad managers, their entire business crumble because they relied on local businesses and, things like local closed, they didn't need ads. 

Samantha: Yeah. 

Brandi: And they either pivoted or they closed down their business.

And then the ones who prospered, we then start to saw- see the market correct back to how it was, and then it wasn't like... I feel like in 2020 you could just get any client at any time. It was easy pickings if you were working with online businesses. 

Samantha: Yeah. 

Brandi: And then when we get to 2022, 2023, we start to see the market re-correct to how it was before 2020.

So d- you said that you shut your business down, went back to corporate, and then you decided to come back, and I get that you came back because you had another [00:04:00] child now, that goal was reignited. But a lot of people would've seen shutting down a business as a failure, and clearly that wasn't yours because you came back.

So- Yeah ... what was happening in 2022 or 2023 where you did shut your business down? What were some of the reasons why that happened? 

Samantha: Yeah. So when I started my business, I didn't think I wanted to do a service. I thought I w- I had started learning about the online business space and was like, "Oh, I'm gonna teach people how to run ads."

That's... I was a manager at the time, I was like, "This is something I do. I teach my team. I can take those skills and I can teach people." And then I heard, "Oh no, you need to start as a service even if you have the experience, and then you can create these courses." So I was like, "All right. I'll do that." And so I started to do this, be a service provider and, and get clients as an a- for, as an ads manager.

But then I also at the same time, while trying to build this business, this brand new business, was like I'm also gonna [00:05:00] try to build a course." And Brandi, I joined Beta to Biggie, I was in Serve Scale Sore, I did, I, I was trying to do both. And you warned me and said when you need money you focus on your services, and I was like, "No, no, I can do both.

I can do both." And by doing both, I was getting up at the crack of dawn and staying up super late and working around the clock, and I got to a point where I was like... And I wasn't marketing, I was not listening, I was not doing my marketing minutes. And it got to the end of the year, I'd had my best month.

We had recorded a, a Serve Scale Sore podcast back then, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, I've exceeded my corporate income. It was this amazing." And then January came and one of my consistent clients was taking a break, another one needed to transition to done with you. An agency I was white labeling with- hired an in-house team.

And it was like, oh my gosh, this course that I've been saying I wanna do has sold five, five people. Nobody's finished it. It was not working. And I needed to [00:06:00] start all over with building the service side of my business, and I was really burnt out. And I had to make this decision about what to do. We were moving to the suburbs.

We were, like I think a week before we moved, found out we were pregnant And I was like, "This is too much. I can't. I'm so burnt out. I, I did way too much at once. I can't rebuild this, move into a house, like from an apartment into a house, big change, and I'm pregnant and I feel like I'm gonna die." And I just was like, "This is too much."

And it at the time felt like this will just be easier if I just look for a job, and I actually got one really fast. I didn't just get an easy job. I took a job as the paid social group director on a, at a massive agency for Coca-Cola. "

Brandi: That is so impressive."

You're working with such a massive company, like a world company, and we're big fans here in [00:07:00] Georgia of Coca-Cola. Yes. If it was Pepsi, I wouldn't be as impressed, 

And so one of the things about you, Samantha, is we have been...

I've seen your business thrive, and then I see how you burned out. And one of the things that you said is, "I always say, if you need cash, you focus on services." Services is the fastest path to cash, and it always will be. I will die on that hill, that services is the fastest path to cash. And when you need cash, go sell your services.

But people want to jump and create digital products. Yeah. And I had a whole program that showed people how to do that. I've done that very successfully for the last seven years. But what happens is people don't understand that you have to have cash to fund digital products. Yeah. Digital products, so there's a course membership, group coaching, all that, because it takes a different strategy.

Samantha: Yeah. 

Brandi: You have to have- Cash 

Samantha: and an audience ... 

Brandi: cash and an audience, and a lot of people don't have either of those- Yeah ... and they [00:08:00] wanna jump in 'cause they want something that's passive, and there's nothing about the business I've built that is passive. Like- 

Samantha: There's nothing about any type of course or low ticket or high ticket or anything that is passive.

Yeah, maybe once you've built it and it's running on its own, but even then there's still cha- there is nothing- No, there's support- ... passive ... 

Brandi: there's marketing. Conversions for clients doesn't take a lot of my energy, like from a month-to-month standpoint. Yes- 

... 

Brandi: When we do a launch or we're updating and stuff like that, that does take energy, but it's still not passive.

Janessa's still dealing with failed payments and collections and support. There's, and I have to be marketing. There's always something. Yeah. And people don't understand that. But I also have the cash flow To support the marketing and hiring and all that kind of stuff. And so you got burned out because you were trying to do- I did

too many things. You were saying yes to everyone, and so you left, you got this dreamy job, and then what happens? [00:09:00] 

Samantha: So I was working around the clock. I will never forget sitting on my couch in my office having contractions, an entire day, having contractions, and working. And at I think like 3:30 or 4:00 I pinged my boss, and I was like, "I just want you to know I've been having contractions all day, so we might be done.

But like also I need to lay down." And she was like, "Why have you continued working?" "What is going on?" And I didn't end up having my baby then, but I like powered through, gave a presentation to like massive leadership at Coke, and then the next day went in for my 22-week appoint- or 22-week, 4, 38-week appointment.

38-week appointment. And I was supposed to just take a half day, and I texted my boss and was like, "They're keeping me, and this is, most likely this is, we're done." And like when I gave this presentation I remember everybody being like, "I [00:10:00] cannot believe you're still here." But it was, I was building this team for them.

It was n- the Coke was new to the agency, and I was building up the entire social team, leading everything for a social strategy, and I just felt I have to do this. And I think because of what had happened to me before with getting discriminated against for being pregnant and them saying, "You're probably not gonna come back, so we're not gonna tell you about this opportunity," I was pushing myself, and I was like, "I am gonna show them that it doesn't matter if I am, 12 weeks pregnant or 38 weeks pregnant.

I'm gonna, you're gonna get the same Sam, and I'm gonna do this." And I, I, like it was so much. And even coming back, like I got, I actually got a nice amount of time off. I got six months off, and I came back, and week two they were like, "Could you come down to Atlanta?" I said no. But I had to like really jump back in.

There was no easing back into things. And I remember taking my son on a walk in our [00:11:00] new neighborhood. So we had we had just bought a new house, and w- I was walking around our new neighborhood. We lived down the street from everyone in our family. It was like dream location. I'm in this, dream job.

And I was miserable. And I was like, I've never thought I didn't wanna work. I- I've always been super driven, super career-oriented. The thought of not working had never crossed my mind. And I'm on this walk and thinking, "I don't wanna do this. I'm not... I don't wanna do this anymore." I'm not happy, I don't want to miss out on things.

I now have two kids. My time is, my limited time with them in the evening is split. I, when I came back, I was much more like I had to h- I was holding better boundaries, and I told them I'm not working to 11:00 every night. I'm not, logging back on after bedtime. Like, when I'm done, I'm done. And I really pushed them to give me more support with the team, which they did, but it wasn't enough.

I just felt like [00:12:00] this is still, I'm giving so much of me to something that I don't love, and not enough time for my family. And that was the moment I knew that the only way for me to have control over the work I was doing, the amount of time I was working, what I was making, I... With what I was making, I remember telling them what I wanted in my promotion salary, and they were like, "That shouldn't be a problem," and they came in 5,000 short.

And I was like, "5,000? Why?" And so all of these things, all happened right after I returned, and I just knew the only way to do this was to build my- something on my own again. And I never really looked at leaving as a failure and tur- shutting it down. I definitely had a lot of moments of, "Oh, if only I had kept some things going," or other, whatever.

But I've, I've always felt like you can't have regrets. You can have... there are no mis- mistakes. There's lessons. You- ... you learn from everything. I [00:13:00] didn't always learn the right things, but everything was a lesson. And so for me, that was the moment. It was like probably halfway through 2023, like q- late Q3 2023 that I was like, "Okay, I'm gonna start this up again, but I've got to figure out a way to do this while working full time."

Brandi: Yep. So you started doing that, and then you joined us in Strategist Society the end of 2024. I think it was like December of 2024. Yeah, November, yeah. So going into 2025. And so at that point, where was your business? 

Samantha: So when I said I was gonna start it over, I knew from last time I couldn't do both course and services at the same time.

And in my head, I wasn't ready to let go of the course piece, 'cause I had been sold on that whole passive situation. And I thought it would be easier for me to create and try to sell something at night while I was working than it would be to serve clients. [00:14:00] So I spent most of 2024 trying to sell digital products teaching people how to run ads.

I made $500 And I spent a lot of post-bedtime nights working. I was daytime working for Coke, post-bedtime until 9:00 at most nights I was working on this. And we reconnected in Q4, and I signed my first client, I think, within a month of... Not, It was, like, right after I we started talking again, and then really went all in on services throughout 2025 after joining Strategist Society, and I signed a new client every single month except for December.

Brandi: I think that's so incredible. And it says something to, And people can be successful with digital products. Yeah. I don't wanna say we have seven income streams, and a course is a big, big chunk. Conversions for clients is a big old chunk of that. Actually, it's our biggest chunk. But that's also [00:15:00] been s- six years at this point, six years in the making, a lot of ad dollars, a lot of promoting and marketing and effort.

And so I... They do work with time and money. Yes. And audience growth. Yeah. That's the thing. And but it's so interesting that you come in, you- you're like, "I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna have a digital product, $500." Then you're like, "Okay, I'm gonna go to my services," and you land a client. That's what I'm talking about.

The fastest path to cash is always services. 

Samantha: Yes. 

Brandi: So then we did reconnect in December. January, I remember the Vox, you were like, "I landed a client." And then it was, like, every single month after that you had clients. So tell us what 2025 looked like. How much were you charging, and how many clients were you working with at a time?

And you were still working your 9:00 to 5:00 for eight months of that. 

Samantha: For most... Yeah, so I, I was still working my 9:00 to 5:00. Coke left that agency in March, so [00:16:00] three months I was fully in it, and then from March to August I was, like- Still working for them and partially in it, but I wasn't associated with a team, so I did have a lot more time and got a taste of what it was like to be fully in my business.

But I... Yeah, so I landed new clients every month, a combination of done with- or done for you ads management clients. My fee was $3,000 a month and minimum of four-month clients four-month commitments. And so that was, I landed... Within Q1, I had two people who signed up for m- ads management, and then I also had a launch client that came to me in, it was like February, March, and then again in August through October we started working together again.

And then I also started doing done with you clients, and so I was getting a lot of those. Every month I was getting a new done with you client. Most of them were done with you ads. I was testing a couple of different done with [00:17:00] you services from VIP days to now I have my ads intensive, which is a little bit longer and more expensive.

And that's become one of my core services with my ads management. But yeah, every month it was something... I, I felt like this is... I was getting more validation on what I was doing, how I was doing it, who I was talking to and the types of offers I really wanted to focus on. I think, I think I had always thought that I needed the course or something to help me scale and reach the numbers I w- I wanted to hit.

But once I started seeing what I was getting for my done with you my ads intensive is six weeks and it's $5,000 and it's not a ton of my time. They get up to six hours and Voxer access, but it's not... It doesn't take nearly as much of my time as my managed service clients, and even then, it's, that's not like a huge, huge chunk.

I realized that I can actually scale and hit my, my goals, my, my good, better, and best goals [00:18:00] by balancing these done with you and done for you clients, and I think that's where I started to see what's actually possible with all the testing I did with my services last year. 

Brandi: And I think that's one of the biggest things that we implement when people come into Strategist Society is we wanna create a base.

Your floor is your retainers. That money that we can guarantee every single month, that creates stability. But then we have the Strategist Trifecta, which incorporates these other offers that are gap fillers that help you make more money Also convert more clients on sales calls, and it fills the gap.

So you don't have to only be offering retainer, but you can have these other offers that act as a gap so you can hit your revenue goal without adding more time to your schedule. Yes. And that's exactly what you've done, Samantha. 

Samantha: Yep. Yeah, absolutely. 

Brandi: So tell me what has been the one thing or multiple- or a few things [00:19:00] that have, inside of Strategist Society, that's made the biggest impact on your business?

Samantha: I would say definitely the s- the trifecta and the workshops that you've done to help us see how we can expand our services. That has been huge for me 'cause I, I really didn't know how I wanted to structure things, and seeing the different options has really helped me craft the services that I have today.

That has been huge. And then the community also. You've curated incredible women in this, in this program, and we all have each other's back. There's no competition. We're brainstorming, we're connecting. It's just, those two things have made such an immense impact, and especially from my, my side of things I came from, from corporate and having a team and having people to bounce ideas off of, and I think that was something I've always feared a bit, and it was something that I was always hesitant to do with my last round of my business in, even in, in Serve Scale Soar.

I was afraid to ask [00:20:00] questions. I was afraid to be vulnerable because of my background, and I had this feeling of I should know these things, so I, why should I ask people? I shouldn't be asking people." But I never felt that way when it was, I was leading a team and I asked somebody more junior than me about something.

And I, I just, I felt like I was holding myself back before when I when I wasn't being vulnerable and asking questions and connecting with the other people that were doing the same thing I was. In Strategist Society we're all there to support each other. It doesn't matter if it's someone brand new or somebody who's been doing this forever we are all there to support each other.

There are no bad questions. And I have really put myself out there with the group and had you, use my discovery calls to help, give me feedback and train everybody, and that has been incredibly helpful. Your feedback on everything has been so helpful in, in helping me refine how I talk about my [00:21:00] offers, how I do my discovery calls.

And and also just having those opportunities that you've given us, it's like I've really taken advantage of them so that I could put myself out there and get over my, that mindset that I had before of every... We're all, we're all peers together, and we're all doing this together. It doesn't matter what my background is.

We are all growing these businesses together. 

Brandi: And I think that's something, like all of my communities are amazing, and I'm not taking credit for that. I think I just bring, attract very incredible people because it doesn't matter what program we've ever had, any student that we've ever had, they always say community.

But I do think there is something magical about Strategist Society because it is a capped application only. So I know the people who are getting in the room I've invited, I know that they're gonna mesh with the group, I know that they're bringing value, I know they're someone who wants to take action, and because it is capped, it keeps the group [00:22:00] very, very special and safe.

And that doesn't mean when we bring in new people, those people aren't welcome. They're welcome with open arms, and they add so much to the community. But there is something special about a smaller group, and 60 compared to 1,000 is a smaller group. 

Samantha: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. 

Brandi: So Samantha, it's been so fun. So let's talk about 2025, 'cause that was like your first year, like really taking on clients.

Samantha: Yeah. 

Brandi: So we're starting the year at pretty much zero. Where do we end the year? 

Samantha: Just shy of 80,000. 

Brandi: While eight months working a full-time job. 

Samantha: Yes. 

Brandi: And two b- two littles. 

Samantha: Yes. 

Brandi: So that is so stinking exciting, and I'm excited. It was so fun to see your growth. And one thing I will say is you made the comment, you said, "I take advantage of those opportunities to get my feedback on discovery calls, to ask questions, even if you feel like you should know something."

And I will say because your willingness to be [00:23:00] open, vulnerable, and ask questions is probably one of the reasons you've been able to grow so fast this past 12 months, is because when you're open, you don't stay stuck. 

Samantha: Yeah. 

Brandi: You get feedback, you run with it, and you go. People who aren't willing to ask questions, are not willing to get support, those are the people who stay stuck 

Samantha: Yeah.

I, everything that you have reviewed of mine, I've taken and, and really tried to implement right away, and I have seen that difference. 

Brandi: And I will say Samantha, you are s- like, the discovery call, I'm just thinking about the discovery call, y'all. We did it at the summit, and I asked Samantha I said, "I wanna do a discovery call tear down."

That's what we call them. It's an awful name. I don't think I actually called them that, but in my head, that's what I call them, discovery call tear downs. And our strategist society members are allowed to submit these, and they submit them, but I privately review them and privately give [00:24:00] back feedback on their discovery calls.

I wanted to do this at our summit, 'cause they are so valuable. The people who have implemented the discovery call feedback, like they see higher conversion, so I was like, "This would be so cool." And I ask all of our strategist society members and anyone who was coming to the event to submit one, and I would pick one.

Samantha, you were the only person who submitted a discovery call. And y'all, this woman was so nasty. It is, was... It, and I hadn't listened to it before. I grabbed the audio and everything, and we played it, and everyone, I feel like, was staring at me while I was listening, because my face says everything.

You can always know what I'm thinking by just looking at my face. And it was one, but it was everyone loved it. Yeah. They were so grateful you did it, because there was things that you didn't realize that you were doing- Oh ... that other people didn't pick up on, that I was able to be like, "Oh, this is the moment you lost her.

You did- ... this because of [00:25:00] this belief that you have around yourself." And it was so powerful, and the fact that you were willing to open up and share that, and then grow from that and help other people grow, that is such a beautiful gift and quality that you have, Samantha. 

Samantha: Thank you. Thank you, Brandi.

Brandi: And so I want to... You've had an amazing year. We're going into 2026. What are you most excited about with your business? 

Samantha: I built so much momentum last year. And I, one of the things that I, I didn't mention that, financially that was great, but the biggest win for me last year was that I w- I now shut down at...

My son is now in kindergarten. I shut down every day at 3:00, and I pick him up from school, and I take him to his activities, and I get to really dedicate that time to my kids. And, and something you and I have talked about is I sometimes struggle with that. I wanted that. That was one of my big goals, and then I struggle because I feel like I'm scrambling [00:26:00] a lot at the end of the day.

I always feel like I have to do more, I have to do more. And I think I've really grown a lot from that, and I'm excited to be able to not only continue shutting down and being there for my kids, but being really present when I am there. And I built so much momentum. I'm so excited for 2026 and seeing all of that come to fruition.

I'm really focused on, doing podcast interviews this year and really connecting with clients that are a little bit further along in their business than some that I've worked with. I've also been, last, in 2025, I did a lot of presentations, and I'm looking to do more. I've already been accepted into a number of summits for 2026, so I'm really looking forward to those.

And really just seeing the, the growth that can come from all the momentum. That's something you and I talk about quite a bit is it's, even w- the work that goes into things, like nothing is just done. It's not if something doesn't end, it's, it's done. It's, it's momentum building.

All, everything I'm [00:27:00] doing, all of the outreach I'm doing, all of the networking I'm doing, the presentations in different communities, the follow-ups I do, it's all leading towards things. And I've seen that happen in 2025, and I've continued to build that. So I'm really excited to see it come to fruition in 2026 

Brandi: I love that.

And Samantha, there are some people listening to this right now, and they're like, "Gosh, I wanna be in rooms with people like you," and our other Strategist Society members, but they're nervous. It's an investment in time, money, just am I good enough to be in the room? All those things go through people's heads, and it holds them back from taking on new opportunities and taking a chance on themselves.

So for those women that are sitting there "I don't know." "What if I fail? What if Strategist Society isn't for me?" What would you tell them? 

Samantha: Yeah. Here's the thing. Like, when I was... decided to relaunch my business, my father-in-law said to me running a business is hard, and so is working for someone [00:28:00] else.

You have to choose your hard." There's always going to be something that's challenging, whether it's staying in a corporate career that isn't giving you the life you wanted or starting a business or investing in something to learn something new. All of these things are hard. There's risks to all of them.

You, even if you don't invest financially in something, you're investing in time to figure it out on your own. And when you invest financially in something, especially in a community where you can learn and have collaboration and have people who are going through the same things, it makes it so much easier for you to grow.

So I highly recommend it. It's the best decision that I made for my business. It's why I renewed again. I can't imagine my business without Strategist Society 

Brandi: Oh, I love that. And I am someone as well who's I will always invest if it's gonna get my butt moving quicker. 

Samantha: Yes. 

Brandi: That's like- ... I know when I pay, I play out.

Yeah. I will be the A student, and that's [00:29:00] why a lot of the coaching programs I'm in, at this point I don't get new knowledge. It's the fact that it keeps me motivated to keep moving along and hitting my goals. Yeah. So I love that. Choose your hard, as you just said. So Samantha, tell us, what does success look like for you?

Samantha: So s- first, 2026, my s- success for me this year is going to really be about continuing to build up my, my clients, really honing in on that Done With You service and growing my income, while also making sure I have that balance. I think I really am working on that separation and getting out of that corporate mindset of, I need to be constantly on or constantly working on something.

And that, for me, is if I can break from that mindset and really be able to focus when I shut down for the day while still growing my income, that to me, that's success. 

Brandi: I love this, and this is what [00:30:00] you're gonna box me about. Yes. Because y'all, if you can't shut down, I tell our Strategist Society members, there's a lot of you who have bought back a lot of time.

Like, when you're in the program, you go from working like a mad person, 40 hours, to buying back so much of your time, 'cause we have you track it, and we want you working less than 25 hours. When you're working less than 25 hours, you have all this empty space, and then our our initial thought is we just need to fill it with more busy work.

If I work more, I'm gonna be s- more successful. And y'all hear me say all the time, if you're using your business as your hobby, you need to get a hobby. Your business is not to entertain you, and so go find a hobby. And if you need suggestions, I have so many hobbies that I'm, like, halfway in, just because I have the same thing.

I wanna work. I love what I do, but also, I know that that's not the healthiest habits, and we need to shut down. We need to learn to do that. So I'm shut down every day, most days by 2:30, some days [00:31:00] by 3:00, and mine looks like Procreate drawing, and I'm doing hand embroidery now, and I do puzzles. And just...

I'm reading 75 books a year. So pick up a new hobby, but our business isn't there to entertain us. Yeah. And when we can find those routines that help us shut down, it also helps us be more present with the family that we wanna be with in the first place. 

Samantha: Yeah, absolutely 

Brandi: So Samantha, thank you so much for sharing your story.

I know it's gonna influence so many women and help them see what's possible for them, whether they're in corporate, two littles at home, or they've had a business before and shut that down and now they wanna start it back up. And so thank you so much for sharing your story with my audience, and we are cheering you on this year.

Samantha: Thank you for having me, Brandi

Brandi: y'all, how good was Samantha's story? From going from having a business to shutting the business down, to then trying [00:32:00] to launch a digital product, to then getting her dream job, having a baby. Oh my goodness. Then to finding that services, as I always say, are the fastest path to cash, and being able to give up a corporate job that she thought she wanted, but when it came down to it, she just wanted to be with her kids.

She wanted to be able to shut her laptop at 3:00 PM and be a mom. And the most beautiful thing about this is we can do that. In 2026, we have the option to create flexible, freedom-based businesses where we can make money, help our families financially, and be present with our kids.

It's not an either/or situation. We can have them both. So if you want to be in rooms with people like Samantha, and you're already doing $3,000 plus with your service-based business, head to thestrategistsociety.com and apply for a call with me, where we can look at your business and find out where are you right now and what is your next step.

And then if I feel like I can [00:33:00] support you, I'll tell you more about what Strategist Society looks like. And if you're just getting started and you're listening to this, head to conversionsforclients.com and learn what it looks like to start your very own freelance ad management business, and how you don't have to be techy or have any experience to land your first client.

So until next week, y'all, go out, serve your clients, scale your business, and soar into the success you deserve.