My Google Ads dashboard has a standing suggestion: spend a few thousand more dollars and watch my leads go from a trickle to a slightly larger trickle. Most small business owners I know have some version of this story. Visibility is never finished. The platform always has one more lever to pull, one more budget increase to recommend, one more quiet reminder that being findable is expensive. Then a few weeks ago, I came across a passing Instagram post about a simple file calle

There's a particular kind of stress that comes with being someone who stresses over decisions. The post-mortems. The mentally relitigating days after the email was sent. The quiet belief that if you'd been more thorough, the outcome would have been better. A lot of people carry this. I do. The permission to put it down comes from a place that might surprise you.

December feels like the pause button in much a long story. Whether the year unfolded like a well-planned plot or an unpredictable series of twists and turns, we all hit this moment where we ask ourselves: How did we get here? And where are we going next? It’s a time to reflect on where we’ve been, but also to acknowledge that the story isn’t over yet. This year, my story has been about choices—some that felt exhilarating, others that kept me up at night, staring at the ceilin

One of the lessons I’m learning as a small business owner is that scale isn’t about doing the same thing, just bigger, once you have more money. It’s about getting crystal clear on the core of what you’re creating and being incredibly creative in how you modify, adapt, and problem solve so it still works when the context changes.

Who’s in your corner? Not just the people who endorse your skills on LinkedIn or send you job leads, but the ones who see you for who you really are—not just a title or a résumé, but a whole person. Ten years ago, I didn’t know I needed people like that. I thought networking was about exchanging business cards, impressing the right people, and staying on their radar. Then I went to a conference that changed everything. It was one of the premier events for minority professiona

If you’re in a place where you feel successful on the surface but sense something is missing underneath, you’re not alone. Purpose doesn’t always arrive in a lightning-bolt moment.

It’s time we normalize talking about all the qualities it truly takes to run a business. Not just the sexy, aspirational qualities that fill headlines and social media feeds, but the less glamorous ones that actually keep the wheels turning. The qualities like humility, compassion, and patience.

There’s something bittersweet about watching a great employee leave. On one hand, you know it’s a sign they’re growing, and that’s something to celebrate. On the other, it stings to lose someone who’s brought so much value to your team. This has been on my mind recently because one of my best employees—someone who has been with me since the day I opened Embers + Apothecary—is moving on. She’s not just leaving; she’s stepping into a role that aligns perfectly with her long-ter