I build brands that redefine how we experience food.

As Founder & CEO of Three Mills Bakery, I’ve spent over a decade turning a small Canberra bakery into one of Australia’s most respected challenger food brands known for its world-class sourdough, pastries, and bake-at-home range that’s changing how people eat at home.

After nearly two decades in the food business, my obsession is with what happens behind the scenes: the systems, supply chains, and storytelling that separate lasting food brands from the ones that fade. I believe the future of food will be built by founders who master all three: craft, tech, and culture.

Through Fix Before You Scale (my weekly newsletter), I share what I’ve learned with operators trying to grow without losing their soul. 

And through upcoming ventures, I’m building an ecosystem designed to back the next generation of challenger food brands.

My mission is simple:

To help ambitious founders build better food businesses. Ones that nourish people, reward craft, and respect the planet.

As for LinkedIn, I share the behind-the-scenes journey along the way. 

Thanks for reading.

Jarrod Deaton

Yesterday I got asked how we grew to 130 people. Here's the quick answer: 
 
The food industry is known for being challenging to find people. 
 
The good ones rarely stay in the industry long enough to coach the next generation. 
 
We knew we had our work cut out for us if we were going to attract all the talent and keep growing. 
 
So we built a magnet. 
 
A business that attracted people to it instead of always chasing. 
 
It all starts with a big problem. 
 
In our case, no one wanted to service our area with good bread and pastries. Certainly not in the wholesale space. 
 
So we focused on: 
 
𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧 
 
Something world class that people couldn't help but talk about and share with others. 
 
When you nail it, it becomes your best marketing weapon for finding clients and employees to join the cause. 
 
 
𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 
 
Wrap a good product nicely and it's like giving it a superpower. 
 
I'm not just talking physically wrap them. 
 
I'm saying: 
 
- How you make people feel 
- Your online customer experience 
- The time you take to solve problems 
- Your outreach strategies to gain clients 
 
Everything customers see, smell, touch, taste and hear needs to represent you. 
 
And when it does, people you never thought would join you come knocking. 
 
Next is... 
 
𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 
 
Everyone goes on about it in the corporate world. 
 
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀. 
 
You can have all the ping pong tables and perks imaginable but still have crappy culture. 
 
So find interesting problems to solve, start working on them, and talk to other people about it. 
 
The right people hear about it and come and find you to help. 
 
--- 
 
Obviously there's more to it than that. 
 
But it's about building a business that attracts people so you're not always chasing. 
 
Make your brand, products and culture magnetic.

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Curious Founders NL

I share stories and tips from growing my business to 140 people in an email every Sunday.

You might like to join 1677 other business owners already reading it.

Here's where to find it:

www.jarroddeaton.com.au

three-mills-bakery

Founder & CEO, Three Mills Bakery | Building the next generation of food brands through craft, tech & culture | Writer of Fix Before You Scale

I baked these in my home oven on the weekend. 

They're a new version of our bake-at-home croissants.

Stored frozen. 

Ready to bake in one hour instead of doing them overnight.

You just gently egg-wash the top. 

And bake for 15 minutes. 

Pretty spectacular results in the home oven.

My house smelled so damn good.

I used to be afraid of sucking at things. 
 
Always practicing in private before revealing a skillset in public. 

But the problem is, when you keep it a secret, you miss out on rich feedback that can help you level up faster. 

Most people genuinely want to help you succeed.
 
The key is to switch to a student mindset, and not an expert.

Being prepared to suck at something first and make tiny rapid improvements using loads of feedback. 

That type of vulnerability has helped me so much in my career. 

Not to mention the accountability it's added to my life as an entrepreneur.

Apart from the occasional idiot who laughs at you from behind the screen, it's been all upside.

I'd encourage you to put yourself out there, openly try new things and be prepared to ask for help along the way.

No alternative text description for this image

This is the reason I exercise as much as I can. 

The more I work out, the more of these I can eat!

It's that simple.

Here's how growth can make a business better:

For years I watched other food businesses grow and sacrifice quality to achieve scale. 

Not wanting to fall into the same trap we started asking how growth could make us better.
 
- Better product 
- Better team culture 
- Better customer experience 
 
Instead of the alternative where all joy is lost and money is the only objective.
 
I've always felt that there's an opportunity to do the opposite. 
 
It's more of a feeling of responsibility. 
 
The bigger you grow, the more resources you have to do good with. 
 
Things like: 
 
- attracting better talent 
- hearing more customer feedback 
- utilising access to excellent equipment 
 
And that last one -optimising industrial equipment has changed the game for us. 

When you select the right piece, it not only makes the product better and increases efficiency, it removes unnecessary load on the team's body.

It's especially important in an industry like ours where you're lifting 25kg bags of flour and dough all day. 
 
This is our Rheon stress-free divider from Japan. 
 
It helps us cut precise dough weights without lifting the 20kg tubs or over-handling the dough. 
 
It means less load on the team and less impact on the dough which drives up our quality. 

Indirectly, a piece of equipment like this then improves culture by making the day better. 

And a better culture attracts better people. 
 
You start to realise that focusing on quality and team culture as you scale a business is always the best route. 

What are your thoughts?

I spent years behind the coffee machine. 
 
I miss the action and daily connections. 
 
These days I'm in the office for hours. 
 
-Meeting 
-Planning 
-Deciding 
-Documenting 
 
Sometimes I think it's such a shift away from the idea of building a hospitality business. 
 
But it's about empowering, training and trusting others to do it in your absence. 
 
It's also something I've seen other food entrepreneurs struggle with. 
 
"Getting off the tools" so to speak. 
 
Office work and corporate life are something we're all probably trying to avoid by staying in this world in the first place! 
 
Thought work 
People work 
Strategy 
Culture 
 
Are often things that are put on the 'To-Do' list as you prioritise opening the store and serving customers. 
 
But there's a responsibility for owners to change their role as the company grows. 
 
Even though it'd be great to get back on the machine and pump out some coffees, I know it'd take my focus away from other important things that need doing. 
 
Things the rest of the team are expecting will get done at a high level so they can do their best work.

We had a fierce competitor land on our doorstep a few years back who threatened to gobble up a huge part of our business.

They were:

- Bigger
- Well funded
- Aggressive on sales
- Undercutting us on price

They were relentless.

Our strategy?

𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

So here's what we did:

- Increased consistency
- Extended our contact hours
- Rapidly fixed problems for clients
- Treated people like our best mates and bent over backwards to help them.

The result?

We only lost 3 clients over 12 months.

And two of them came back within the first 30 days due to crappy service.

We used it again this year to grow instead of retaining clients and it worked just as well.

There's literally no downside to over-servicing your clients by building a culture around long-term customer delight.

If your company is struggling to retain clients or hasn't seen enough growth over the past 2 years, I'd love to understand more.

Drop me a DM sometime.

Maybe I can help.

My company didn’t fail. But it almost did.

Three Mills scaled faster than we were ready for.

Culture frayed. 
Margins eroded.
Ops got complex.

And the story that once inspired our team stopped working as well.

I could’ve raised more capital or blamed the market (or covid again)...

Instead, the team dug in. 

Together we:

→ Rebuilt our margins
→ Fixed the financial foundations
→ Reconnected our team to the mission
→ Rewrote the future story from the inside out

And after 2 decades in business, learning how to fix instead of just grow has been one of the biggest learning experiences of my life. 

Easily the most valuable thing I've ever done.

If you've followed my content before, you'll know that I keep things practical.

But recently, I made the decision to start sharing more about fixing. Not building. 

It's less sexy, but way more valuable. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

And as always, if you want to go deep on this topic, you can jump on my weekly newsletter. 

(link in the comment section)

Let’s get to work!

After recruiting over 1000 people, here's one insight that's transformed how we hire going forward:

When we started, we would recruit for tasks. Jobs that needed to be done. 

This sounds obvious, but the result is everyone reported to a handful of highly organised leaders. 

They were expected to think strategically, align teams, and ensure that everyone was working on the right thing at the right standard. 

It can get overwhelming for those people to wear so many different hats and lead big teams.

Instead, we flipped our approach. 

We stopped recruiting for frontline roles and started recruiting leaders.

We gave them the freedom to select their own team and align on what needed to be done.

At that point, everything clicked up a gear. 

- We started to distribute the leadership responsibility. 

- Our best people got to focus on their core strength instead of being spread thin

- And we noticed that those new A players started to recruit other A players. 

I can't say if we should have done this earlier or not. We often didn't have the cash for high-level roles back then. 

But I do know that we'll always be looking to recruit the team leader first from here on. 

What are your thoughts on recruiting key roles first or later?

If your margin is thin, your standards are about to get thin too.

When there's no cash left over, you have no choice but to make tough calls that crush your standards. 

No cash for training, repairing, recruiting, marketing. being generous. 

It's a crappy game from there. 

The fix is simple, 

Increase your margin

Often you've just got to start the journey before setting a goal. 
 
Here's what I mean: 
 
This afternoon I missed the gym because I was held back at work. 
 
Instead, I decided to walk up a gnarly part of a nearby hill I'm used to running around. 
 
Halfway up I noticed that the sun would be setting any minute and thought it's be cool to see it from the top. 
 
So I pushed hard and caught it just before it dipped over the horizon. 
 
(freaken beautiful) 
 
But my point is, I didn't set out to catch the sunset. 
 
The goal became clearer after I started. 
 
In the beginning, I just started walking. 
 
And this same thing applies to nearly any goal worth pursuing. 
 
1. Start moving in the general direction 
2. Goals and milestones become clearer. 
3. Lock in on a goal 
4. Adjust your direction, movements and speed to get there. 
 
Get after it!

“We’re scaling” is often code for we haven’t fixed the business model. 

In a world where revenue gets more attention than profit, most entrepreneurs are still chasing the applause (revenue) instead of the proof (profit). 

Unless that was just me up until a few years ago...?

Growth doesn’t fix margins. It hides them until it kills you.

(hindsight's a wonderful thing)

Most founders only tell the story after they’ve won.

I’d rather share mine before the ending gets too shiny.

We were losing $40K cash a week and I thought selling more would fix it.

It didn’t.

If you’re in the messy middle, this one’s for you.

Swipe through these lessons would’ve saved me years.

ieK89pvfI

Most founders try to be better.

Faster. Cheaper. Louder.

That’s a race to nowhere.

The best brands don’t compete. They create. 

They name the problem. They try to own the language.

If your customers can swap you for a similar option, you’re not building a brand. You’re building a commodity with a logo.

This is a reminder (to self) to stop competing and start creating new categories with less competition. 

Love to know if this resonates?!

When I started my bakery, I was done being a “small business.”

I wanted to build something bigger. 

Something that could thrive without me doing it all.

But somewhere between 30 and 40 employees, I hit a wall.

I was still solving every problem.

Still the one everyone came to.

What changed everything wasn’t working harder... it was finding the right person to take the reins operationally and empowering them to lead.

If you’ve been stuck in the grind, wondering how to scale without burning out, this one’s for you.

Swipe through to see how one hire changed everything.

One hire multiplied our growth overnight

Busy doesn’t mean effective.

Stacked calendars look productive, but they’re a dreadful way to operate.

Lunch gets skipped. The gym gets pushed.

And the worst part? There’s no time left to think.

Thinking isn’t a perk. It’s the job.

If this sounds familiar, read the carousel.

Carving out time to think. Here's what happens.

Here's how our team changed as we grew: 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 (𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗨𝗽): 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 
 
Everyone is doing anything and everything to growth the business, handle challenges and find a way to deliver on the work. 
 
It's important that the people on the team can jump into any role. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝘄𝗼: 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 
 
You need an extra layer of management so you start to pull in a few more high level team members to share the load and gain greater leverage. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲: 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 
 
At this point hyper specific people become very important for doing the work that needs to be done. 
 
You shift from generalists to a team of specialists. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 
 
You begin to invest in other people who can unlock growth. 
 
Up to this point there's only room for one or two people looking externally and everyone else is looking internally at things to be done. 
 
Intrapreneurs are like entrepreneurs who want to find new things that can help the business grow, diversify, vertically integrate and create new opportunities. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 
 
I'm not there yet so I'll keep you posted... 
 
--- 
 
Each one has been linked to the team size and the revenue. 
 
It's different for each business and how it's structured but based on a few conversations with other entrepreneurs, every business seems to go through these phases in some form.

You know those big faceless companies that grow nicely but sacrifice product quality and culture along the way? 

I'm trying to avoid that as I grow.
 
Instead, we're growing something that unlocks greater potential for good and impacts the world positively. 
 
(permission to kick me in the shin if I get off track) 
 
I love the idea that a business can get better with age. 
 
You move from the selfish days of bootstrapping and pure survival, to a place where you can flourish and contribute to leaving this world better than we found it. 
 
I believe businesses can be a platform to do so much good. 
 
Not only for the people who engage with it, but the communities around it, and the people who contribute to it. I doubt it's easy to manage or maintain at scale but I'm all in.
 
And there are some key reasons why I like trying: 
 
𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 - Many hands make light work. 
 
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 - Solve something bigger than our own. 
 
𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 - Nudging the world in the right direction means having a bigger reach. 
 
There's plenty more. 
 
But for many business owners, growth scares the pants off them. 
 
It means: 
 
- More people to deal with 
- Greater complexity 
- Bigger problems 
- More risk 
 
And I get it...But for me, just the reward of flexibility and freedom that comes with having more people to help carry the load is enough of a reason to grow a little. 
 
Whatever your business goals are, my hope is that by sharing some insights with you along the way we can grow together and learn from each other. 
 
If you're reading this, I appreciate you. 
 
Thanks for being here. 
 
--- 
 
Drop me a comment if you're heading in the same direction and building something bigger.

We spend so much of our time at work trying to get on the same page as each other. 

Meetings, slack, email, presentations, offsites, briefings all geared towards making sure a few people understand what good looks like, align on how to get there, and deciding what happens when you don't. 

When you think about it, that's pretty silly.

No action required here. Just an observation that we're pretty inefficient communicators. 

Makes sense why a company vision needs to be so clear and so messaging simple. 

If you do that, everyone gets on with it sooner. 

Thoughts?

Not many people share the tough times in business... It's always the postcard moments and winning photos.

I completely understand what drives it. 

All the normal mindsets are at play:

- No one wants to back a losing horse.
- It's not good for business.
- Weakness is a flaw.

Not to mention the whole 'fake it 'til you make it' approach that most entrepreneurs subscribe to in the early days.

(That included me)

But fast-forward two decades and I've always learned more during the rough patches that the good bits.

The hardest moments in business taught me more about myself, my business and the people around me. 

And you don't just magically learn things without going through the crappy bits, yet the business world still doesn't value talking about them openly.

When I shared our bumpy journey in front of a few hundred distillers, brewer and bakers at a recent event, a remarkable thing happened. 

It opened the door for so many amazing conversations and new connections. By opening up, others did too. 

Since the event, I've received loads of emails and DMs from really incredible people. 

Easily one of the best things I've ever done. 

But, you don't need to speak in front of hundreds of people to make the same thing happen.

You can start small, group coffee meets with other business people. A nice dinner with a dozen like-minded folks in industry. It's always worht it.

Business can be a lonely game. But that's also a choice.

At A Better Jones, I help startups, small businesses, and solopreneurs accelerate their growth. 

A Better Jones

At the end of 2024, I made one small, almost silly, decision, that changed the trajectory of my life and business.
 
I now make this same decision every year. 
And the results keep compounding.
 
Let me give you some context.
 
At the time, I was running a business that was fun, fast, and exciting—at first.
 
But eventually, I saw the ceiling.
 
And I wanted more.
 
• More impact.
• More intention.
• And yes, more revenue.
 
My business partner and I were winging it. 

Yeah, we were seeing some success, but it felt chaotic and stressful.
 
And winging it doesn’t scale.
 
So, going into 2025, I picked a theme for the new year: 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽
 
The idea was to transform my work from scattered, shoot-from-the-hip, throw-shit-at-the-wall and hope something sticks…
 
To something that I build with intention, care, and love. A craft.
 
That one word changed everything.
 
→ Every decision ran through the lens: Does this reflect craftsmanship? 
→ Am I building something I’m proud of—or just getting through the day?
 
By March, the partnership ended.
 
Not because I set a goal to leave.
 
But because she loved the hustle, grind, and winging it. 

And I didn’t. At least not anymore.
 
I yearned for something more stable, more scalable, and more impactful.
 
Neither is better—truly. And I’m grateful for that chapter in my life and everything it taught me.
 
But they are different.
 
• Different goals.
• Different values.
• Different styles.
 
The misalignment became impossible to ignore.
 
That’s what themes do. 
They quietly, powerfully, shape your future.
 
And they stick.
 
Craftsmanship didn’t end in 2025. It’s still baked into everything I do and the results continue to compound.
 
Have you ever made one small decision that changed your life? Let me know in the comments!

XOXO,
Kasey

Kasey Jones 🏔

I Help Consultants Scale End Referral Reliance and Reach Systematic, Predictable $30k+ Months Revenue via Strategy & Leverage, Not People & Time | 41k+ News Subs | Mix of Jocko Willink & Mr. Rogers

2025 hit me like a freight train.
 
Health issues forced me to scale back to 25–40% capacity.
 
And for a high-achiever like me? That was brutal.
 
But it also forced clarity.
 
Because when you can’t do everything, you finally get honest about what actually matters.
 
So I chose a theme I’ve held onto for years:
 
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆
 
Just like chefs who make better meals under pressure… 
Just like creators who thrive within boundaries…
 
I realized the constraints weren’t my downfall.
 
They were my freedom.
 
→ To say no. 
→ To build around what I want , not what I “should.” 
→ To create art, not just output.
 
This is my slow season.
 
But it’s also my most creative one yet.
 
What’s a constraint in your life that might actually be a gift?

It’s that weird in-between week.
 
You’re either eating leftover pie in stretchy pants…
 
Or mapping out your “this is the year I finally…” goals.
 
But let me tell you something that changed everything for me.
 
I haven’t set a New Year’s resolution in years.
 
Not because I don’t have big goals.
 
But because resolutions are a fundamentally broken system.
 
→ They create a pass/fail binary that doesn’t account for real life. 
→ They tell you what to do—but not how to decide. 
→ And they rarely help when you’re faced with the 101 micro-decisions that actually shape your day.
 
So instead of goals, I set a theme.
 
• One word or phrase that becomes a filter. 
• A North Star. 
• A decision-making lens for the entire year.
 
Not something to achieve. 
Something to embody.
 
And damn, the results compound.
 
(Stay tuned—I’ll share the themes that changed my life. And how to find your own.)
 
What about you?
 
Have you ever set a theme for the year instead of a resolution?
 
👇 I’d love to hear what you’re thinking about for 2026.

And I don’t just mean burnout from doing too much.
 
I mean the kind that creeps in even when things are “working.”
 
→ You’re making money 
→ You’re getting clients 
→ You’re hitting goals
 
But you’re quietly exhausted.
 
Low-key resentful.
 
Wondering if this is really it.
 
Here’s what I wish someone had told me:
 
🖤 1. You can burn out from success just as easily as failure.
 
Because when your business grows faster than your clarity…
 
It starts to consume you.
 
🖤 2. Rest won’t fix what misalignment created.
 
You don’t need a vacation.
 
You need to rebuild.
 
🖤 3. You’ll start to resent your dream—and think it means you’re ungrateful.
 
But resentment is a signal.
 
It’s telling you what used to fit… doesn’t anymore.
 
🖤 4. Your business isn’t supposed to depend on your exhaustion.
 
If it only works when you're pushing, it’s not sustainable.
 
It’s not a business. It’s a performance.
 
🖤 5. You’re allowed to outgrow your old goals.
 
You don’t have to keep building what you no longer want.
 
If you're running on fumes right now—
 
Even with a calendar full of clients—
 
Let this be your reminder:
 
You're not broken. 
You're becoming.

What I wish I knew before I started taking on client projects... 

"𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲."
 
Every consultant learns this eventually:
 
You scope the project based on what the client tells you. 30 days in, you realize they had no idea what was actually wrong.
 
They weren't lying. They're symptom aware, not problem aware.
 
They know something hurts. They don't know why.
 
Here's what I learned:
 
1. Their diagnosis is almost always incomplete. They tell you about the symptom. You scope a solution for that symptom. But the symptom isn't the problem.
   
2. You'll end up in a lose-lose-lose situation. Either you do extra work for free and burn out. Or you accept mediocre results and damage your reputation. Or you ask for more money and create an awkward conversation that often kills the relationship.
   
3. The fix isn't working harder—it's diagnosing before you deliver. When you do the discovery work, you control the scope. No more surprises. No more resentment.
 
The consultants who avoid this trap aren't smarter. They just stopped trusting the client's self-diagnosis.

The worst business decision I ever made wasn't a failure. It was a success I should have walked away from.
 
A few years ago, I was making $50K a month. On paper, I was crushing it.
 
Behind the scenes? I was miserable.
 
I built an agency because everyone said that's what successful entrepreneurs do. 

But I have ADHD. Operational complexity drains me.
 
→ I kept saying yes to projects that exhausted me and clients who didn't appreciate me.
→ I kept building around my weaknesses instead of my strengths.
 
Then my body shut down. 

Severe vertigo from a viral infection knocked me flat for weeks. 

My nervous system was so fried from constant stress that my body couldn't fight it off.
 
I was making $50K a month while feeling more incompetent than when I made $5K doing work I loved.
 
Here's what I wish someone had told me:
 
Every mediocre opportunity you say yes to costs you the dream opportunities you'll never meet.
 
Now I ask:
 
Does this align with who I am and where I'm going?
 
The business you deserve isn't built on your ability to suffer. It's built on your ability to deliver extraordinary results through your natural gifts.

I used to start every client project from scratch. Custom everything. 

And I wondered why I was exhausted making the same money month after month.
 
Then I learned the difference between effort and leverage.
 
Successful people don't work harder. They build systems that multiply effort.
 
They create once, use forever. Solve a problem once—it works forever.
 
They automate decisions.
 
→ They said "I only take calls on Tuesdays." 
→ They said "I charge $10K minimum." 
→ Decision made once, executed forever.
 
They make their work compound.
 
→ One client project becomes a framework for ten. 
→ One piece of content attracts thousands. 
→ Every action feeds the next.
 
I went from rebuilding from scratch every month to building assets that stack.
 
That's how you scale revenue without scaling hours.
 
Stop trading time for results. Build leverage.

I used to say "I help businesses with strategy" and wondered why I couldn't charge premium prices.
 
These 3 phrases were killing my credibility.
 
𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴 #𝟭: 
You help a broad category of people with broad services. "I help businesses with strategy" sounds like 10,000 other consultants. Premium clients hire specialists, not generalists.
 
𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴 #𝟮: 
You offer a menu of services. "I can help with lots of things" sounds desperate, not flexible. Experts say "I solve THIS problem and deliver THIS outcome."
 
𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴 #𝟯: 
You wait for prospects to tell you what they need, then create custom proposals. That's order-taking, not expertise.
 
See the pattern? All three signal scarcity mindset. And prospects can smell it.
 
Experts are specific. Generalists are vague.

I stayed stuck with $5K clients because I was terrified the $50K clients would not hire me.
 
• Not enough credibility. 
• Not enough “big-name” clients.
 
So I kept my rates low and my positioning safe.
 
Here's what I learned:
 
→ Premium clients aren't hiring your resume. 
They're hiring your precision.
 
→ They don't care how many clients you've had. 
They care if you understand their exact problem.
 
2 years of focused expertise beats 10 years of generalist experience. Every time.
 
One $50K client creates momentum—space to think, energy to serve, time to build.
 
Ten $5K clients? Chaos. Drowning in delivery. No time for anything but surviving.
 
Stop being afraid to go upmarket. Start being afraid of staying stuck serving clients who can't afford your real value.

I spent years thinking I was "bad at planning." 

Turns out, I was trying to plan like a neurotypical person (And I have ADHD)
 
→ Time blocking failed. 
→ Project management systems fell apart. 
→ Quarterly plans lasted two weeks, max.
 
Here's what actually works:
 
1. I stopped planning for motivation. Systems beat motivation every time.
2. I schedule around my energy, not the clock. I protect high-energy windows for work that matters.
3. I focus on weekly sprints, not quarterly plans. My brain can crush a focused week.
4. I build in recovery. Rest isn't a reward—it's infrastructure.
 
When I stopped fighting my brain and started building around it, I became way more productive. Not less.
 
Your brain isn't broken. The system just wasn't built for you.

I asked a client these 4 questions. She couldn't answer them clearly. 

Within 8 months of fixing that, she went from $10K to $70K months.
 
If you're not making the money you want, your positioning might be the problem.
 
Here's the 60-second test:
 
1. WHO is in a situation where your work is high stakes?
2. WHAT specific problem are they experiencing—in their words, not yours?
3. WHAT outcome do you help them achieve? (Include numbers. Include timeline.)
4. HOW do you help them get there in a way no one else can?
 
If you can't answer these clearly and specifically, that's why you're not closing more clients.
 
Drop your answers in the comments—I'll help you sharpen your positioning so you can start making the money you actually deserve.

I've had to rebuild my life more than once.
 
→ Layoffs 
→ Failed relationships 
→ Rock-bottom moments I don't talk about publicly
 
No one handed me a checklist for reinvention. So I taught myself.
 
Here's what I learned:
 
“You don't bounce back. You build FORWARD.”
 
The version of you that's dying? Let her go. She got you this far. But she can't take you where you're going.
 
Stop asking "What do I DO now?" 
Start asking "Who do I BECOME now?"
 
Reinvention isn't a to-do list. It's an identity shift.
 
And the biggest mistake? Trying to fix a life that no longer fits—instead of creating one that lets you feel as good as you deserve.
 
You don't need a five-year plan. 
You need a spark. Then a motion. 
Then a subtraction—cutting everything that no longer fits.
 
Reinvention isn't a comeback. It's a departure from a life that didn't fit Future You.
 
You're not going back to who you were. 
You're stepping into who you've always been becoming.
 
And she's just getting started.

For 6 months, I posted content that got great engagement but zero clients. 

I was operating on 5 Marketing Myths that cost me thousands in revenue. 

Then I challenged every single one—and ONE post brought in $15K in two weeks. 

Here's what I was wrong about.

Carousel - 5 marketing myths that cost me 6 months and tho

I used to have a to-do list that could fill a novel. Content to create. Funnels to build. Networking events to attend.
 
I was very BUSY every single day. 

And my income? Wildly inconsistent. 
$30K months followed by $3K months.
 
Then I did something terrifying: 

I deleted 70% of my to-do list.
 
→ Stopped going to networking events that didn't convert. 
→ Stopped creating content for platforms that didn't drive leads. 
→ Stopped offering services that drained me. 
→ Stopped saying yes to "good" opportunities that weren't great.
 
What happened? I went from inconsistent $10-20K months to consistent $40-50K months.
 
Here's the truth:
 
Most of what's on your to-do list isn't moving your business forward. It just feels productive.
 
Now I ask one question before adding anything: 

Is this essential—or am I doing it because someone told me I should?
 
If it's not essential, it doesn't make the cut.
 
Your business doesn't need you to do more. 
It needs you to do less—with more focus.

XOXO,
Kasey

I used to think my energy crashes were about my workload.
 
Then I went back through my journal and checked my calendar.
 
My most anxious mornings?
 
• I hadn't slept. 
• I'd skipped exercise. 
• Maybe had some alcohol the night before.
 
The realization was painful:
 
My anxiety had almost nothing to do with how much was on my plate. 
It had everything to do with how well I'd taken care of myself.
 
I spent decades taking pride in my hustle mindset. 

Admitting I wasn't anxious because of my ambition—but because I wasn't sleeping? That was hard.
 
Here's what I see in entrepreneurs all the time:
 
→ Burnt out? Your messaging gets desperate. 
→ Overwhelmed? You skip follow-ups. 
→ Not sleeping? You avoid sales calls entirely.
 
We think the solution is better strategy. More leads. A new tactic.
 
Sometimes the real solution is going to bed an hour earlier.
 
Taking care of yourself isn't self-indulgent. It's business strategy.

Heading into 2026, I was scaling fast.
 
Revenue jumped from $10K → $30–$50K months.
 
But behind the scenes? I was dropping balls left and right.
 
So I picked this military phrase as my theme:
 
“Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.”
 
And I lived it.
 
• I built systems. 
• I slowed the hell down. 
• I tracked every metric.
 
And I focused on ONE improvement at a time.
 
The result?
 
→ Our webinar funnel went from shaky to sharp. 
→ Same offer. Same structure. 
→ 5x the revenue in just 10 weeks.
 
That’s the power of focused iteration.
 
Not throwing more at the wall.
Not trying to be everywhere.
 
Just doing the damn thing, better—one step at a time.
 
So here’s my question to you:
 
What are you rushing through that actually needs more care?

I’m not anti-goals.
 
I f*cking love a good 90-day plan.
 
But I also know life will happen.
 
And when it does, you need something better than a goalpost that moves.
 
You need a filter. A compass. A theme.
 
Here’s how it works:
 
→ One phrase. One lens.
→ Every decision runs through it.
→ No overthinking. Just clarity.
 
Because one aligned decision makes a thousand others easier.
 
This is how you build a business—and a life—that feels like 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.
 
So tell me:
 
What’s your theme for 2026?
 
If you don’t know yet, stay tuned—I’ll be sharing my year-end review and template to help you find it.
 
Let’s make this year your most intentional one yet.

Health issues forced me to scale back to 25–40% capacity.
 
And for a high-achiever like me?
 
That felt like failure.
 
But here’s what I learned when my body said “stop”:
 
When you can’t do everything, you finally get honest about what actually matters.
 
So I chose a theme I’ve whispered to myself for years:
 
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆.
 
The kind of creativity that’s not bloated by urgency.
 
Not driven by dopamine.
Not rooted in performative productivity.
 
Just truth.
 
Clarity.
 
And the actual art I want to create.
 
Because constraints aren’t your downfall.
 
They’re your freedom.
 
→ To say no without guilt
→ To build around what you want, not what you “should”
→ To create resonance, not just content
→ To stop chasing likability—and show up in your full magnetism
 
This is my slow season.
 
And it’s also the most aligned I’ve felt in years.
 
What constraint in your life might actually be a gift in disguise?
 
Or better yet—what’s something you’re done pretending you can carry?

Let’s get real for a sec.
 
A few years ago, I looked like I was killing it:
 
→ Featured on podcasts
→ Speaking at conferences
→ $30K months
→ Clients with big names and bigger budgets
 
But here’s what you didn’t see:
 
→ I was customizing every offer
→ I was working nights and weekends
→ I was terrified to slow down
→ My “strategy” was basically hope + hustle
 
And when a client churned, I panicked.
Because everything depended on me.
 
No systems.
No structure.
 
Just a collection of projects with my name on them.
 
That wasn’t success. 
That was survival.
 
Real success came when I slowed the hell down and rebuilt:
 
→ A single high-leverage offer
→ A clear message I could stand behind
→ A business model that gave me breathing room
 
Now?
 
I make more working less.
I have actual freedom.
 
And I only work with people who light me up.
 
Here’s what I know for sure:
 
If you’re exhausted, but everyone thinks you’re “crushing it” — it’s time to make a change.
 
Because pretending it’s working is the surest way to burn out.
 
What part of your “success” isn’t actually working for you?

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A Better Jones

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The Battle

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