When business slows, many owners instinctively blame their offer or marketing. But often, the real bottleneck is in fulfillment, delivery, or the systems supporting the work. In this episode of The Business You Really Want, Gwen Bortner and Tonya Kubo take you inside a behind-the-scenes review of Gwen’s own offers—a process that uncovered not a failing product, but one that had quietly become clunky, confusing, and harder to explain than it needed to be. Using their accountability and quarterly planning process, they reveal how to spot friction points, highlight what’s working, and restructure strategically—without scrapping what already succeeds. If you’ve ever felt the urge to tweak your offer, overhaul pricing, or rebuild your systems without really knowing what’s broken, this episode shows you how to slow down, ask smarter questions, and make changes that actually move your business forward.

It's time to learn how to pivot without starting over when your initial, beautiful plan meets reality. Tonya Kubo and Gwen Bortner explore the classic trap of the sunk cost fallacy, which often causes leaders to resist necessary changes and dig in their heels. They also tackle the opposite extreme: the modern temptation to pivot too easily because of accessible technology, often leading to confusion and a lack of real plan. Drawing on uncomfortable, tactical examples—from addressing poor employee performance to navigating business model shifts—they clearly distinguish a minor adjustment from a major pivot. Listen for their best advice on how to stay grounded, keep your team aligned, and inform customers during any level of change.

How do you know if your business strategy is still working for your benefit, or it is time to do something new and different? Gwen Bortner and Tonya Kubo discuss how to evaluate your strategies in real time to avoid sticking with something that does not actually serve your goals. They explain how to determine the best course of action by paying attention not just to your data but also to your intuition. Gwen and Tonya also talk about the differences between qualitative and quantitative data, as well as panicked and proactive reactions. Find out how to refine your strategies by being wary of your numbers and what your gut is telling you.

Most CEOs don’t have a motivation problem — they have an alignment problem. And nothing derails alignment faster than sparkly tactics that feel productive but don’t actually move the business forward.

In this episode, Gwen Bortner and Tonya Kubo dig into the real difference between strategy and tactics, why entrepreneurs so often confuse the two, and how to avoid being seduced by the “new, shiny thing” everyone else seems to be doing. Learn how to focus on real strategy, define your constraints, and spot the signs of a non-productive, "sparkly tactic."

Every CEO knows the sting of doing everything right – following the plan, staying consistent, putting in the work – only to watch the results fall painfully flat. When that happens, most leaders spiral into self-blame, questioning their strategy, their work ethic, and sometimes even their calling. In this episode, Gwen and Tonya unpack what’s really happening in that uncomfortable gap between effort and results. Together, they break down the three places you must examine when diagnosing a disappointing outcome:

• Your plan – Was it strategic or just a bundle of tactics? Were your assumptions sound?
• The environment – What shifted around you that you couldn’t have predicted or controlled?
• Your execution – Did the work actually get done the way you believe it did?

Everything referenced inside this episode:

Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

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Operations strategist Ashlee Berghoff, founder of Smooth Operator, joins Gwen Bortner to talk about the evolution from independent consultant to agency owner—and what it took to make her business sustainable as her life and family grew.

Ashlee shares how she shifted from doing everything herself to building a team of fractional COOs and operations managers, and how becoming a parent forced her to rethink her time, energy, and definition of success. Together, she and Gwen dig into the emotional side of operations, from accountability without shame to learning how to work with your own motivations (including gold-star brains!).

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How Ashlee recognized the business she built wasn’t aligned with the life she wanted
• The mindset shifts required to stop overworking and design a calmer rhythm
• Why constraining her time actually helped her do better deep work
• How she uses idea lists, capacity triggers, and clear constraints to stay on track
• What it looks like to grow sustainably—even when opportunities abound

If you’re a consultant, strategist, or service provider looking to grow without drowning, this conversation is filled with wisdom, practical systems, and honest reflection on what sustainable success requires.

Links and Mentions

Connect with Ashlee (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleeberghoff/)

In this episode, Gwen Bortner talks with paper artist Abigail McMurray of YEIOU Paper Objects about what it really looks like to achieve sustainable success in running a business without burning out. Abigail shares how she went from making flat-pack craft kits to designing intricate 3D house portraits, map art, and collage-based pieces that honor the idea of “home” – and why she’s intentionally kept her business small and deeply personal.

You’ll hear how Abigail:

• Recovered from the burnout of years spent making labor-intensive commissions
• Identified what she didn’t want her business to become – and used that to find clarity
• Protects her creative well through play, community classes, and intentional scheduling
• Uses the Weekly Course of Action to build structure without sacrificing freedom
• Navigates selling across multiple channels, from local markets to custom commissions

This is an honest look at crafting a business that supports your creativity rather than consuming it. If you’re a maker or artist trying to balance demand, creative energy, and real-life context, this conversation offers grounded insight into sustainable success.

Check out Abigail’s work

Consultant-turned-agency-owner Nicole Serena joins Gwen Bortner to talk about her journey from a one-woman consulting practice to leading a thriving healthcare operations agency. Nicole pulls back the curtain on the early days—juggling every client, deadline, and inbox herself—and how she knew she needed to make a change before something important broke.

She and Gwen walk through the pivotal decisions that allowed her to scale sustainably, including hiring her first consultant instead of a VA, shifting from doing everything herself to leading a team, and learning the art of transferring trust (even when it’s uncomfortable).

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Nicole’s first hire wasn’t admin support—and how that changed everything
• How she manages rapid growth without burning out her team
• What “stability quarters” are and why they matter during fast scaling
• How quarterly planning and weekly accountability transformed her business
• The difference between being the expert and becoming the CEO

If you’re a consultant or service provider dreaming of building an agency—or even just wanting more breathing room—Nicole’s story offers a clear, honest look at what it really takes to scale sustainably.

If you want support creating your own version of sustainable success, let’s chat. (http://everydayeffectiveness.com/clarity)

Links and Mentions

Connect with Nicole (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-serena-876a1913/)