Do You Need to Be a Workaholic to Succeed in Business? Honest Insights from Two Female Founders

Marketing, Mindset, Podcast

Do You Need to Be a Workaholic to Succeed in Business? Honest Insights from Two Female Founders Marketing Duo Podcast with host Jen Vazquez and Cinthia Pacheco

Do You Need to Be a Workaholic to Succeed in Business?

Is it really necessary to be a workaholic to run a successful business? In this candid and powerful conversation, Cynthia and Jen dive deep into the myths and truths surrounding workaholism, especially among female entrepreneurs. From their own corporate pasts to building thriving businesses, they share what it really takes to succeed—without sacrificing your health or happiness.

The Workaholic Myth

Many people think that in order to succeed, especially in entrepreneurship, they must work around the clock. The glorification of hustle culture, often portrayed in media and by successful figures, can make it seem like being constantly busy is the only way forward.

But Cynthia and Jen disagree. Success doesn’t mean exhaustion. They both left high-stress corporate jobs in search of more fulfilling, balanced lives. And while they admit to moments of hustle, they emphasize that consistent overworking leads to burnout, not sustainable success.

Passion Over Pressure

One key takeaway from their discussion is the importance of doing something you love. Passion keeps you going through tough times. However, even passion has limits—especially when it begins to overtake your life.

Loving your work doesn’t mean you should work all the time. Cynthia shared how loving a corporate job still led her to unhealthy hours after having a baby. Jen opened up about reaching a point of burnout that forced her to create better systems and boundaries.

Do You Need to Be a Workaholic to Succeed in Business? Honest Insights from Two Female Founders Marketing Duo Podcast with host Jen Vazquez and Cinthia Pacheco

Creating Space for Success

Rather than working more, both women advocate working smarter. They’ve built businesses that allow them time with family, days off, and moments to breathe. It starts with discipline—blocking off your calendar, protecting your downtime, and learning how and when you work best.

They emphasize the need to plan your lifestyle first, then build your business around it—not the other way around. Whether it’s scheduling reading days or limiting podcast recordings to certain hours, they’ve crafted routines that serve both their business and their well-being.

The Role of Boundaries and Systems

Systems and boundaries are the backbone of a sustainable business. Jen discusses how blocking her schedule and batching similar tasks together increased her efficiency dramatically. Cynthia shares her approach to movement and health—recognizing that unless something is scheduled and structured, it often gets pushed aside.

Both founders agree that having supportive people around you, like coaches, team members, or family, can help keep you accountable to rest and recovery.

Do You Need to Be a Workaholic to Succeed in Business? Honest Insights from Two Female Founders Marketing Duo Podcast with host Jen Vazquez and Cinthia Pacheco

Know Yourself and Work With It

Understanding your personality type—whether through human design, Enneagram, or other assessments—can help you tailor your work habits in a way that plays to your strengths. Cynthia and Jen explore how knowing themselves has improved their productivity and helped them avoid burnout.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to be a workaholic to succeed. In fact, the most sustainable businesses are often built by those who prioritize ease, balance, and joy. Dedicate time to what matters, create space for rest, and align your business with the lifestyle you truly want.

Are you a workaholic or a recovering one? What’s worked for you? Share your tips with Cynthia and Jen on Instagram—they’d love to hear from you!

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Scaling Smarter: How to Build a Life-Focused Business Without Burning Out with Courtney Terrant

Marketing, Podcast

Scaling Smarter: How to Build a Life-Focused Business Without Burning Out with Courtney Terrant

With Guest Expert Courtney Tarrant on the Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast

What if scaling your business didn’t mean working harder or chasing goals that don’t align with your life? That’s exactly what Jen Vazquez explores in her powerful conversation with Courtney Tarrant, COO and co-owner of The Ad Girls.

Courtney’s journey is anything but conventional—filled with odd jobs, a stint as an English teacher in Europe, and eventually a DIY leap into entrepreneurship. From that spark, she built not one, but three successful businesses, all anchored by her commitment to profitability, freedom, and a results-only work environment.

The Myth of Scaling = Overworking

Courtney busts the myth that scaling requires long hours and sacrificing your life. Her boutique agency runs on a system where team members are evaluated by results, not hours. This unique culture creates sustainability, boosts retention, and keeps everyone focused on value—not busywork.

Define Your Own Success

“I just wanted to order wine without checking the price,” Courtney admits, reminding us that personal goals are just as valid as revenue milestones. She encourages entrepreneurs to reverse-engineer their business based on the life they want—not a cookie-cutter model.

Profit First, Always

Courtney reveals her golden ratio: Delivering client results should cost no more than 35% of your total package price, plus another 15% for internal leadership support. The remaining 50% fuels profitability and client delight. This clear structure makes surprise bonuses and premium experiences possible—without draining the business.

Avoiding Burnout Starts with Boundaries

From not taking Friday calls to building buffer time into every project, Courtney emphasizes intentional scheduling. And when burnout looms, she urges entrepreneurs to act early rather than wait for the breaking point.

Top Tools and Tactics

  • Ad Funnels: 90% of their growth came from a scalable ad system.
  • Grit: Success isn’t about speed—it’s about staying in the game.
  • EOS System: The Entrepreneurial Operating System provided the structure to grow creatively, not chaotically.

Get the Free Calculator

Want to know exactly how much revenue you need to live the life you actually want? Courtney’s free calculator lets you plug in your ideal hours, lifestyle, and team structure to build a custom path forward.

👉 Download the free calculator now

Where can you find Courtney Tarrant

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Scaling Smarter: How to Build a Life-Focused Business Without Burning Out with Courtney Terrant on Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast with Jen Vazquez
Scaling Smarter: How to Build a Life-Focused Business Without Burning Out with Courtney Terrant on Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast with Jen Vazquez
Scaling Smarter: How to Build a Life-Focused Business Without Burning Out with Courtney Terrant on Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast with Jen Vazquez
Scaling Smarter: How to Build a Life-Focused Business Without Burning Out with Courtney Terrant on Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast with Jen Vazquez
Scaling Smarter: How to Build a Life-Focused Business Without Burning Out with Courtney Terrant on Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast with Jen Vazquez

From Burnout to Badass: How Pia Silva Scales Small Agencies to $30K+ Months Without Employees

Marketing, Podcast

From Burnout to Badass: How Pia Silva Scales Small Agencies to $30K+ Months Without Employees

What if you could scale your agency to $30K months, cut your workload by 80%, and never hire an employee? That’s exactly what branding strategist, author, and coach Pia Silva helps small business branding agencies achieve.

In this interview, Pia shares her no-BS formula for building a highly profitable agency while working less, avoiding employee headaches, and maximizing freedom. Whether you’re an established agency owner or just getting started, her insights will help you increase revenue, streamline your processes, and charge premium rates with confidence.

Pia’s Journey: From Freelancer to Agency Owner

Pia always knew she didn’t want to work for someone else. After dabbling in various jobs—including real estate and consulting—she joined forces with her husband, a talented graphic designer, to start their own branding agency.

The Big Shift: Ditching Traditional Agency Models

Like many agency owners, Pia and her husband followed the traditional agency model—big projects, long timelines, and employees. But soon, they found themselves overworked, underpaid, and in debt.

The solution? A simplified, streamlined approach:

✅ Offering high-value branding services in a single day
✅ Eliminating complex, long-term projects
✅ Focusing on profitability over revenue

Within months, they paid off debt and became highly profitable—all without hiring a team.

Why Most Agencies Struggle With Profitability

Many agency owners focus too much on:

❌ Chasing big revenue numbers instead of profitability
❌ Spending too much time on projects without maximizing value
❌ Writing custom proposals for free instead of charging for strategy

Pia’s no-BS approach teaches agency owners how to work smarter, not harder—and that starts with better pricing, packaging, and saying NO to the wrong clients.

The Power of Saying No: Stop People-Pleasing & Start Profiting

A common mistake entrepreneurs make? Trying to please every client.

✅ Successful businesses repel as much as they attract. If you’re trying to serve everyone, you’re diluting your brand.

✅ Clients respect leaders, not order-takers. Charging premium rates means you set the strategy—not the client.

✅ Time-wasting clients hurt your business. Saying “no” frees you to focus on ideal, high-value clients.

👉 Lesson: The best brands are bold, decisive, and confident in their unique positioning.

The 50-25-25 Rule: How to Make More While Working Less

One of Pia’s signature strategies is her 50-25-25 Rule, which helps entrepreneurs balance profitability and freedom.

🔹 50% of your time → Client work (Max: 80 hours/month)
🔹 25% → Working on your business (Marketing, systems, strategy)
🔹 25% → Flex time (Growth, vacations, or reinvesting in your business)

👉 Key takeaway:  By focusing on high-value offers and charging premium prices, you can work less while earning more.

How to Stop Writing Free Proposals & Start Charging for Strategy

Instead of writing custom proposals for free, Pia recommends using a Lead Product—a paid strategy session that clients invest in upfront.

How It Works:

✅ Charge for a deep-dive strategy session (1.5 – 2 hours)
✅ Provide a clear, actionable roadmap
✅ Include a custom proposal only after being paid

👉 Why it works: Clients value what they pay for. Plus, by deeply understanding their real challenges, you can position premium solutions that they’ll happily invest in.

Final Advice: Take Action & Simplify Success

🔹 Stop undercharging. Raise your rates based on value, not hours.
🔹 Simplify your services. Streamline your processes and focus on high-profit offers.
🔹 Say NO more often. Work with clients who respect your expertise.

Meet Pia Silva: The No-BS Branding Expert

Pia is a partner at Worst of All Design and the founder of No BS Agency Mastery. She has been featured on MSNBC and Entrepreneur Magazine, and is the author of Badass Your Brand.

She also hosts the No BS Agency Podcast, where she shares her strategies for helping solopreneurs and small agencies scale without a traditional team structure.

Check out her two freebies:

Where to Find Pia:

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The 5th Week Miracle: How to Create More Space, Focus, and Freedom in Your Business

Marketing, Podcast

What is the 5th Week Miracle?

Imagine a week with no meetings, no deadlines, and no commitments—a built-in buffer that lets you catch up, strategize, or simply rest. That’s the power of the 5th Week Miracle.

Some months naturally include an extra (5th) week—typically 3-4 times per year. Instead of cramming it full of tasks like every other week, you block it out on your calendar ahead of time and use it intentionally.

This week becomes a strategic pause—a buffer for catching up, planning, or even resting.

In 2025, months with five weeks include:

✅ January
 ✅ March
 ✅ May
 ✅ August
 ✅ October

Many entrepreneurs spend every single week grinding—chasing deadlines, fulfilling client work, and handling day-to-day operations. The 5th Week Miracle is about reclaiming time and ensuring your business serves YOU—not the other way around.

Why Should You Implement the 5th Week Miracle?

The biggest issue entrepreneurs face? Not enough time. We fill our schedules with calls, deadlines, and client projects, leaving little space for big-picture thinking, creativity, or personal time.

By pre-scheduling your 5th Week Miracle, you unlock:

  • A Mental Reset – Step away from daily work to recharge, refocus, and gain clarity.
  • Catch-Up Time – Finish outstanding projects, clean up your to-do list, or tie up loose ends.
  • Strategic Planning – Use this week to set new goals, refine your marketing strategy, or prep for a big launch.
  • Personal Time – Spend the week with family, on hobbies, or doing things that bring you joy.
  • Burnout Prevention – Regular breaks keep you energized, motivated, and productive in the long run.

This isn’t about avoiding work—it’s about working smarter and making room for what truly moves your business forward.

How to Implement the 5th Week Miracle

  • Plan Ahead: Look at your calendar right now and identify which months have a 5th week. Mark these weeks as “unavailable” before the year gets busy.
  • Block the Week: Set your availability to “do not book” for that entire week. No calls, no meetings, no deadlines—just white space on your calendar.
  • Communicate Boundaries: Tell your team, clients, or business partners that you’ll be unavailable during your 5th Week Miracle. If needed, set up an auto-responder or an email signature update letting people know.

Stick to It: Resist the urge to schedule last-minute appointments. This time is non-negotiable, just like a client booking or a business deadline.

Decide How You’ll Use It

Each 5th week might look different. Some options include:

💡 Business Deep Work – Brainstorm new ideas, write content, or refine your offerings.
 💡 Personal Projects – Spend time with family, take a trip, or dive into a hobby.
 💡 Learning & Growth – Read business books, take a course, or attend an event.
 💡 Total Rest – Unplug, sleep in, and allow yourself guilt-free downtime.

Final Thoughts: Permission to Rest & Grow

Too many entrepreneurs fill every available moment with work. But more hours don’t always mean better results.

By planning your 5th Week Miracle, you create intentional space to breathe, reflect, and reset. This simple strategy helps you stay ahead, prevent burnout, and create more sustainable success.

✅ Will you try implementing the 5th Week Miracle in 2025? Let us know in the Marketing Duo Podcast Instagram DMs!

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258 | From Burnout to Balance: How to Achieve Career Success Without Overworking with Monique Helstrom

Marketing, Mindset, Podcast

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Have you ever felt like the harder you work, the further you are from success? Many entrepreneurs and business owners push themselves to the limit, only to face burnout and exhaustion. But what if working less could actually make you more successful?

In this episode of the Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast, host Jen Vazquez speaks with Monique Hellstrom, an expert in human development and organizational growth. Monique shares her journey from workaholism to sustainable success and offers actionable strategies to help business owners break free from burnout while achieving long-term growth.

Recognizing Workaholism: The Warning Signs

Monique’s wake-up call came in the form of a health crisis—rushing from a doctor’s office to the emergency room, convinced she was having a heart attack. She was working even while hooked up to medical equipment, unable to step away from her responsibilities.

So how can you recognize the signs of workaholism before reaching that breaking point?

Common Signs of Workaholism

  • Device Obsession – If you can’t eat a meal without checking your phone, it’s a red flag.
  • Working on Weekends & Vacations – True downtime becomes nonexistent.
  • Ignoring Your Body’s Needs – Skipping meals, sacrificing sleep, and feeling constantly exhausted.
  • Feeling Guilty About Rest – If taking a break makes you anxious, it’s time to reassess.

Recognizing these patterns early can help you avoid burnout and reclaim balance in your work and personal life.

Setting Boundaries: How to Take Back Control of Your Time

For solopreneurs and small business owners, setting boundaries can feel impossible—after all, the business depends on you. But without boundaries, you risk long-term damage to your health and productivity.

Practical Ways to Set Boundaries

  1. Define Your Work Hours – Clearly communicate to clients when you are available (and stick to it).
  2. Take a Weekly Break – Even one dedicated day off can boost your energy and creativity.
  3. Turn Off Notifications – Reduce distractions by setting phone-free zones and times.
  4. Delegate and Outsource – Focus on what you do best and get help with the rest.

Jen shared her own experience of taking Tuesdays off to spend with her grandchildren—initially fearing client loss but ultimately realizing that setting boundaries made her business stronger.

Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Success

Many entrepreneurs equate working more with earning more, but real success comes from working smarter.

Key Mindset Shifts to Embrace Balance

  • Success Isn’t About Hours Worked – Your impact, not your time, determines success.
  • Confidence Comes From Doing What You’re Good At – Focus on tasks that align with your strengths and delegate the rest.
  • Rest Fuels Productivity – Stepping away often leads to breakthroughs and creative solutions.

Monique suggests finding non-work activities that bring the same sense of achievement. Whether it’s gardening, exercising, or learning a new skill, having a productive outlet outside of work is essential.

Practical Steps to Reduce Work Stress

1. Use a Project Management System

Whether it’s Asana, Trello, or an old-school notebook, keeping all tasks in one place prevents overwhelm.

2. Schedule Regular Breaks

Monique’s method:

  • Take three deep breaths every hour
  • Step outside for three minutes of sunlight every three hours

Jen also follows the Pomodoro technique, walking around her house every hour to reset her focus.

3. Get Help Where You Need It

If a task isn’t moving your business forward, outsource it. Monique struggled with social media before hiring help—freeing her to focus on what she does best.

Final Thoughts: Take Back Your Power

As a female entrepreneur, you have the power to design your own business and life. Instead of feeling trapped by work, take control by setting healthy boundaries, delegating wisely, and prioritizing well-being.

Ready to take action? Download Monique’s free Positive Feedback Guide to start fostering a more supportive, balanced work environment.

Where to find Monique Helstrom

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