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Make It or Break It: Rachel Honeyman on the Strategies That Saved Her Business—and Herself · Serious Lady Business

• LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (00:03) Hey there, I'm Leslie Youngblood and this is Serious Lady Business, the podcast where we get real about what it takes to build a business as a woman today. From late night Google searches and client curveballs to the wins that make it all worth it, I'm talking about the stuff no one puts in the highlight reel. Each week, I'm bringing you honest conversations, lessons learned and stories from women who are out here doing the work. Messy, meaningful and unapologetically bold. Whether you're just dreaming about starting a business or deep in the grind, this podcast is your space to feel seen, supported, and fired up. Because let's be honest, this journey is hard, hilarious, and absolutely worth it. Leslie Youngblood (00:50) Before we begin, a content note. This conversation includes discussion of suicide and mental health challenges. We share it to help, but it may be difficult to hear. Please take care of yourself. Pause, skip, or come back later if that's best for you. If you're in the U.S. and need support, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24-7. If you're outside the U.S., please contact your local emergency number or a trusted crisis service. Leslie Youngblood (01:21) Welcome back to Serious Lady Business. I'm Leslie Youngblood, your host, feminist, and founder of Youngblood MMC, a marketing media and content agency. Today, I would like you to meet Rachel Honeyman. Rachel is the founder of HoneyBeBold a branding, web design, and content marketing agency that helps mission-driven female entrepreneurs make the biggest impact through building bold, deep, meaningful brands. With over 15 years in content marketing and a black belt in cutting through the noise, Rachel empowers women to clarify their messaging and attract their dream clients. When she's not crafting compelling brand narratives, she's practicing martial arts, teaching women self-defense, or hanging out with her pet rabbits, Luna and Lupin. Rachel, welcome to Serious Lady Business. Rachel Honeyman (02:04) Thank you so much, I am so excited to be here. Leslie Youngblood (02:07) Yes, I am excited to have you. We are talking something very important that I know every entrepreneur and business owner goes through, make it or break it, and the strategies that save not only your business, but yourself. And so I always like to start at the beginning. You are currently a very successful entrepreneur with a agency that connects women to their own narratives and helps them grow. But there was a time... And I believe it was over the past year where we talked previously where it was difficult. You were going through a difficult season that took you to a breaking point. Tell us a little bit about that, Rachel, and how entrepreneurship became your path back to hope and stability. Rachel Honeyman (02:47) Yeah. So yeah, it wasn't that long ago that I was in a totally different place in my business. It was basically from the end of 2023 through at least halfway through 2024. So like almost a year where things just felt totally out of control. I was going through that experience that so many entrepreneurs go through where leads have dried up, business isn't closing. I'm looking at my books every month and saying everything's in the red. Like this is really bad. It's really bad because I kept having business expenses, right? Like we still have to do things to keep our businesses running. And it just the math wasn't math thing. And yeah, yeah. And especially as like like I have a master's in English. And so I hate math. But like even I could see the math was not math thing. Leslie Youngblood (03:23) Thank Thanks I hate when that happens. and Hmm. Rachel Honeyman (03:44) And so I basically went through 2024 saying like, this is not working. And even though the second half of 2024 was better, like things started to move in the right direction, but I was like, still this year was not good and this is not where it needs to be. And I was stressed out of my mind. I was burning the... Leslie Youngblood (04:02) Hmm. Mm-hmm sure Rachel Honeyman (04:08) Burning the candle at both ends, as they say, right? Like I was just working constantly, doing networking calls all the time. Like I was just trying to make this work and it just wasn't working. And. Leslie Youngblood (04:10) Thank you. No, no. Yeah. How frustrating, how frustrating, right? Because you feel you're doing all the things you need to do. I'm making these connections and building my network and I'm pitching for business and I'm cutting expenses that I don't need to and yet nothing feels like you're just on that constant hamster wheel of frustration. Rachel Honeyman (04:41) Yeah. Yeah. And it was so frustrating. And I reached this point where I said, I think that I need to shut down my business and go get a quote unquote real job. Right. Like, I need to put on my big girl pants and go get a real job. And I hadn't even been in business for that long at this point. Like, when this really difficult period started, it was about a year and a half into my business. wasn't that. Leslie Youngblood (04:51) Mmm. you Rachel Honeyman (05:06) I got really lucky my first year of business where things just went really well and it was very smooth. And I actually think it's pretty common for people to have that if they get the pieces in place before they launch. And so when you first launch your business, you've got all these contacts that are coming out of the woodwork and you're making things happen. And then when those dry up, well, now you're in trouble. Leslie Youngblood (05:25) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (05:34) And so I realized that something was not working here. I was really relying a lot on referrals and word of mouth, which, again, had gone really well in my first year. But that does dry up at some point, right? Like we only have so many contacts in our our Rolodex, so to speak. And so I basically towards the end of 2024, I said, OK. Leslie Youngblood (05:45) you huh. ⁓ huh. time. Rachel Honeyman (06:02) 2025 is my make it or break it year. This is where I am going to pull out all the stops and give my business the best chance of succeeding. And if I don't hit my financial goal by the end of the year, December 31st, 2025, I'm going to shut down my business. I'm giving this one more year, one last shot. And I really set that goal. shared this goal with my husband, with my business coach, with my team. I really made this very clear because I wanted the accountability to say, it doesn't really matter how much this business means to me. If I'm not able to pay my bills because of this, it can't continue. Leslie Youngblood (06:32) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Right. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. That's really smart. being a business owner and an entrepreneur, I think is one of the most difficult, self-discovery lessons or the biggest, I don't even know, if there's like a term, maybe you have a term for it, Rachel, too, where it's, it's so uncomfortable. It's endless ways and it forces you to look inward in all these uncomfortable ways that you don't have to when you have a nine to five or right because you it's just a different type of situation. And so and there's so many people that I'm sure what kind of are have been and are currently in your same situation that you were in and are I'm just going to like, no, I'm just going to keep trying to. spit this square peg in this round hole and I'm barreling ahead and or on the opposite. OK, this I'm not this is I can't do this anymore. It's too hard. I'm going to just go and find a corporate job, which neither one of those things really like there's no wrong decision, right? It's just what feels best to you. And so tell us where you had that decision to move forward for that next year. Rachel Honeyman (07:46) Yeah. Leslie Youngblood (07:54) How did you therefore then set yourself up to move you and your team forward through that next year? Rachel Honeyman (08:00) Yeah, so it yes, like you said, running a business is like it's a master class in self-improvement. you have to be ready to really look inward and have those honest conversations with yourself. so I really and I have a business coach and I was working with him. And so between the conversations I was having with myself and the conversations I was having with my business coach, it became very clear to me. Leslie Youngblood (08:07) Mm, no. Thank you. Rachel Honeyman (08:24) that yes, I was putting a ton of effort into my business, but what I was missing was the pieces that ironically, because so much of what I do for my clients is content marketing, I was really neglecting that piece of things for my own business and classic shoemakers children. And so that was what I said, you know what? Leslie Youngblood (08:36) Mm-hmm. Mmm. Yeah, mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (08:48) I know that this gets results. I didn't know it got results, I wouldn't do it for my clients. It's time to actually do this for myself and give my business the best shot of success. And so I really committed myself from January, and it's still continuing, to get super consistent with my content marketing. And not just consistent, but really strategic. Leslie Youngblood (08:58) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mmm. Rachel Honeyman (09:14) I will tell you that that and we can go into all sorts of things with that. just the TLDR is it was super successful. Like it was and has been and has continued to be super successful because it obviously it makes sense. Right. When you show up and you're visible and you're saying the things that connect with your audience. Like, of course, the people that you want to attract are going to see themselves in your content and come Leslie Youngblood (09:33) is me. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (09:41) to you, right? Like that's, it works because it works. ⁓ And so that was, there were a lot of other things that I did, little things that I did this year that shifted things, but I think that that was the biggest game changer for me. Leslie Youngblood (09:44) Yeah. Yeah, that's amazing. It's sometimes it's isn't it ironically that simple like, all these things I do for others. Well, I should just be doing it for myself. What a novel idea. I mean, it sounds simple, but then it's it's not that simple, right? Because you have to do it the right way. It's not just you start posting random things. ⁓ But then tell us to Rachel, in this period, what support structures, whether it's people, routines, boundaries helped you? Rachel Honeyman (10:05) Yep. Hmm? Leslie Youngblood (10:22) continue day to day because the business is going, it's tough. It's in a tough space, right? And we know mentally that is very difficult. And, you know, I feel sometimes like I'm very much into mindset and like manifestation and I love that. But also you don't want to like be toxic or when do you get to a level where you feel like, am I being ridiculous? or am I seeing something as this vision like really obtainable and it's so hard and I'm so frustrated, I'm so depressed, I'm so sad, all these things at once usually, right? tell us a little bit how you navigated through and the things that helped you get through that time. Rachel Honeyman (10:59) Yeah, so I think actually it would be good for me to take a step back and ⁓ let's rewind a little bit because there's a lot of background stuff that went into that me starting my business and how I have built it and this inflection point. So before I started my business, I went through I actually started my business in the lowest point of my life where I was I was actually deeply suicidal at the time that I started my business. And what kind of led up to that low point of my life was I my husband and I had gone through over five years of infertility or fertility treatments and Leslie Youngblood (11:31) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (11:46) We went through many rounds of IVF. I had a miscarriage. We had a lot of stuff going on. There was male factor infertility and female factor infertility. was like, it was really a mess. And with each step that we went through and each blow that we faced, my mental health took more and more and more of a hit. And thank you. And we ultimately made the decision about three and a half, Leslie Youngblood (12:06) I'm so sorry. Rachel Honeyman (12:12) It's coming up on four years ago, about three and a half years ago, we made the decision to actually stop to stop our path toward parenthood. And we decided that it was not no other paths were right for us. And we needed to stop this pursuit in large part because of where my mental health was. ⁓ And so when we made that decision, it was absolutely the right decision for us. Leslie Youngblood (12:24) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (12:36) And I don't regret the decision for a second. And I feel very confident that I will never change that, change my mind on that. Like, I feel very strongly that it was the right decision. And it's the hardest thing to live with every day for, you know, I'm 38 years old. I probably have a lot of life left ahead of me, I hope. And and it will be a hard thing to live with forever. And Leslie Youngblood (12:44) Thank Thanks. Rachel Honeyman (13:01) I so you know in the six I started my business six months after making that decision and it was so tightly linked with with all of this because you know I was in this super low place but I also I knew that I needed something to give me a lifeline. I always knew that I wanted to start a business but I had Leslie Youngblood (13:10) Mmm, sure. Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (13:29) kind of not been sure how I wanted to do that and what I wanted it to look like. And at this point, it was kind of felt like if I don't do it now, like it's never going to happen. And I need this so badly. And I need to build a business that is not just a business for the sake of having a business, but a very, very meaning, meaning making business. Right. Like something that provides me with a ton of meaning and Leslie Youngblood (13:50) I'm ready. Rachel Honeyman (13:54) gives me an outlet for that need to nurture and grow something. Obviously, it's not a replacement for a child, but it does fuel that drive in me in a big way. Leslie Youngblood (14:07) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Sure. I can definitely see that. And so you're in this difficult place and you start the business. How did you navigate doing that while going through that difficult time personally as well? Like, did you set yourself up going to work nine to five or I'm going to start slow or I'm going to put these structures in place and the conversations I'm sure you had with your spouse, like two about it. Tell us a little bit about that, Rachel. Rachel Honeyman (14:36) Yeah, I wish I could say that I like started slow and I was like, you know, any of that. am a jump, jump in feet first type of person. And so I just I it was like one day I quit my job the next day I had, you know, my first big project and there was not a day off and I just kind of threw myself into it. One thing that I did do very early on Leslie Youngblood (14:57) I'm not sure. Rachel Honeyman (15:02) probably within a month or two of starting my business was I actually hired my best friend. So my best friend Aviv is like a spreadsheet queen. She's just amazing with operations and systems and bookkeeping and all of the things that like I don't like doing, I don't want to do, I will avoid it. Leslie Youngblood (15:14) Amazing. Thank Rachel Honeyman (15:27) all of those things that are necessary for running a business, but I won't do it. And my business would have failed within three months if I did not bring her on. And so with her, that was a slow building relationship. And the benefit of working with your best friend is that you can have those open, honest conversations and kind of build it over time and all of that. Leslie Youngblood (15:37) Good night. Rachel Honeyman (15:50) But that was one of the biggest things that I did that allowed me to build this up in a smart way while I was going through this really hard time is that I had support. ⁓ And that's not to say that people can't build a business by themselves. I know so many successful solopreneurs. But there are limits to it. And I think that Leslie Youngblood (16:03) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (16:14) You don't necessarily need to hire someone full time. I think that there is such a benefit in being very honest with your own limitations and being ready to outsource as needed and understanding that, yes, it costs money to outsource. That's a given. And that, think, is a really hard thing for many solopreneurs to wrap their heads around. But Leslie Youngblood (16:24) and Rachel Honeyman (16:38) A lot of times outsourcing actually allows you to grow much faster because you're not spending your time and energy and effort on things that are not your zone of genius. Leslie Youngblood (16:49) Right? Yeah, 100%. I think that is so smart and because as a creative, right? Like I can relate to that where I'm like, I don't know numbers and like all this, like, I don't want to do the spreadsheets, but you have to do it or you have to find somebody to do it for you when it's, you know, that common, you know, I started my bakery because I like cupcakes, but now I have to do the hiring and the books and the marketing. And I'm not any of those things. Like, right. It's like a very common. Rachel Honeyman (17:11) Yeah. Leslie Youngblood (17:15) you know, struggle. And so to be able to have somebody that you know, and you trust that you can bring in to help you and compliment you, right? Like in that really important type of way and to then realize, okay, yes, I do need to outsource this. Like you said, that zone of genius is so better served being in your zone of genius. And it can be very difficult because in those first couple of years, everything feels so... make it or break it truly right like whether you really like numbers wise are there or just like mentally there and so to really lean into those in your life that have those skills that you can go to whether it's a mentor you know a best friend that you can pull in I think were you nervous about at all about working with your best friend Rachel Honeyman (17:39) Yeah. Yes, so much so that ⁓ we have it's so she she and I have been best friends since childhood and we have a third best friend like we're besties. have we talk all the time and are the third bestie is a lawyer and we actually like consulted her like should we have like should should we be like what should we be thinking about here? You know, and we really we we were both very nervous about it. And I'm not going to say that it hasn't sometimes had some Leslie Youngblood (18:07) Hmm. See you. you Rachel Honeyman (18:26) challenges that have come up, of course. But the overall net is positive. It's been really just such a blessing to have that. And now I have a much larger team. I mean, it's not a large team. It's still small, but we're about six people on the team. And that was always my goal, was to build a team, just to go this alone, ⁓ but to build something Leslie Youngblood (18:26) Sure, of course. Mm. Rachel Honeyman (18:52) you know, kind of on a not huge scale. I never want to build like a massive agency, but but really very strategic about like the team that I want to build and the skills that I want to bring to the table and and the culture that I want to build. Leslie Youngblood (18:57) Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think that's incredibly important. And I think that's also an important point for listeners too. You don't have to want to grow your business to be a J Walter Thompson or a Digitas or whatever, or an Amazon or this. Like there's so many wonderfully successful businesses that have, you know, more, I don't want to say what, nimble teams, right? And like you... Rachel Honeyman (19:27) Mm-hmm. Leslie Youngblood (19:28) are 10 to 25 and everybody that's living this great life and contributing and in doing the work that they want to do. And so I think that that oftentimes too in today's culture, it's, you know, our Mosie or Gary Vee and you've got to hit these big numbers and you got to, you know, and Sarah Blakely and it's in poppies and it's like, oh yeah, but like, and it feels so, I mean, like impossible at times, right? But you don't have to be Rachel Honeyman (19:54) Mm-hmm. Leslie Youngblood (19:56) start to have a business to become the next Poppy or the next Spanx or the next, you know, Jen's cupcakes. Like you can start it and create exactly what you want. And so I think that's really important to to remember that it's your vision, right? It's not somebody else's vision. And that can also to bring you solace in the difficult times is to remember that vision and how important what you're doing is to not just your clients, but to the team that you've surrounded yourself with. Rachel Honeyman (20:10) Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. think that's such a good point. We tend to, and I say this as someone who is extremely active on social media, that was a big part of my push this year. And I also very much recognize the downside of social media. And I think that one of the things that we see all the time is we see these stories of mega success. Leslie Youngblood (20:49) Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (20:49) And first of all, we don't even know how much of that is true, how much of it isn't true. We're only seeing the picture that someone wants to give us, but it also sets us up for very unrealistic expectations. the goal really is you need to look inward, figure out what is the life that you want to build? What is the life you want to build? What is the business you want to build? Leslie Youngblood (20:54) Right. Okay. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (21:18) What is this all for? And it is a constant struggle, right? Like it's this constant, back to that master class in personal development, right? Like it's this constant work in progress. the minute you stop that struggle, the struggle takes over you. Leslie Youngblood (21:27) Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (21:39) And it can very, very quickly. And so when we're constantly comparing ourselves to these examples that are unattainable for most people, it really sets us up for not feeling the level of satisfaction and real pride in the businesses that we are growing. Leslie Youngblood (21:39) Mm-hmm. Mm. Mm-hmm. ⁓ Right. And it's that external. And again, I want to say like, I am not above this. I mean, I fall into this trap. Right. this is a common trap. it's but then you have to. So then I say this because well, what would I say if I was a would I talk to my friend that the way that I talk to myself or write like thing about that. But also, look at that puts the magic outside of you. Rachel Honeyman (22:08) Me neither, me neither. Leslie Youngblood (22:24) Right? And it's like, but you have your own unique type of magic and your unique vision. Your vision is not that person's vision. It might be similar. Like maybe you want to make like carbonated beverages or something or shape wear or whatever. Right? But your vision is going to be different than that person's. And so your journey is going to be different. The way that where you go is going to be different. And so I think that, but we forget, we forget that. And it's very easy to forget because we are inundated with these success stories. Rachel Honeyman (22:24) Hmm. Leslie Youngblood (22:52) And it's you don't know the full story like behind it. And that's why, too, I love this podcast because we are talking about the truth behind these stories and the truth behind the hard work that it takes like in those late nights and those really difficult phases of your life and your business. And how do you get through that? Because no matter what mountain peak you climb, like there's going to come a time where you go back down again or there's going to be a new struggle and a new challenge. You're going to be constantly learning and evolving. Rachel Honeyman (22:56) Yeah. Leslie Youngblood (23:20) And so, know, Rachel, for somebody listening right now, as you went through, you your make it or break it year, if they, you know, are feeling in that direction or they're feeling they're in that situation too, a make it or break it audit, like tell us like, what should they assess first? should it be their offer? Should it be their pipeline? Should it be revenue? Tell us a little bit about what you might suggest to somebody feeling in that same space. Rachel Honeyman (23:46) Yeah, mean, I think it's probably hard to give a formula because every business is so different. I will tell you what I went through is I worked with my business coach and basically we went through kind of all of what you just mentioned. The first place we started was my offers and really kind of looking at are my offers set up in such a way that first of all, are they profitable? Are these actually profitable offers? And then am I giving people the right types of entry points for working with me? And so one of the things that I changed in my business this year was last year I was fully focused on branding and web design. I was all brand and web design all the time. And that was great. I love it. Leslie Youngblood (24:20) Mmm. Rachel Honeyman (24:36) I still do it. I love that type of work. But I introduced an offering that I call my bold day of content, which is like a one day content intensive. People can do a one day or they can do recurring projects depending on their content needs. And that offering has been my number one seller this year. It's been my most profitable. It's the thing that I am Leslie Youngblood (24:44) Mm. Rachel Honeyman (25:02) It has allowed me to grow my team in a way that my other offerings really wouldn't have allowed me to because it's like a no brainer. People who are struggling with their content can come to me and either if they are ready to create the content themselves, they just need guidance, then we can just do a one off day and build them out a marketing strategy, a three month marketing strategy or whatever. Leslie Youngblood (25:05) Wow. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (25:26) don't have the time to do their content, they can outsource it and I handle it, but it's all done within the container of one day instead of having this like ongoing engagement that like drags on. It's very, it's very contained and that's really key for both my client and for me is that it gives us both this like, it's almost like, I don't know, I always say, I always say it's like a hug because it feels so like it's like safe. Leslie Youngblood (25:29) Yeah. Mmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (25:52) safe and secure and you know exactly what you're getting and like it's this weight off. So that has been like the biggest game changer for me from an offering standpoint. And so yes, I would say first look at your offerings, really go through the exercise of figuring out like how many hours does this take? What am I outsourcing for this project? Leslie Youngblood (25:55) you Mmm. Rachel Honeyman (26:17) and really figuring out how profitable is this offering? And is there a way? Do you need to raise your prices? Do you have a low enough entry point that people can come in if they're not quite ready? Like last year, my starting point offer was about $8,000 because that was what was needed. Leslie Youngblood (26:30) around me. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (26:41) if someone wasn't ready at that moment when they saw something for me to go all in on that, well, then they're not going to come back to me. So now I've created more entry points. So that's looking back at your funnel and really kind of thinking through that. There is a need to go through this audit of what am I offering? Leslie Youngblood (26:54) Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (27:01) What am I, you know, am I am I taking people through this journey in the most effective way? Looking at your email marketing, looking at there's so many pieces of the puzzle. Now, I want to say right here is that probably people listening to this are feeling a little overwhelmed because it can, especially when you're in that moment of like, what do I do? My business is not going well. It can feel so overwhelming because you feel like there's a million things to do. Leslie Youngblood (27:17) in your Rachel Honeyman (27:27) So what I will say is that you don't need to do all of these things to make an impact. You can really choose one and kind of start there and give it your all for some time. then, especially if you're talking about your offers, your funnel, all of that, it takes some time to set it up, of course. But once you set it, you can then a little bit forget it and move on to the next thing. Leslie Youngblood (27:48) Okay. I'm sorry. Rachel Honeyman (27:53) the one piece that needs like constant The one piece that needs constant nurturing is your content marketing. You can't just do it once and then fall off the face of the planet and then pop back up three months from now and start over again. It does need constant nurturing. Constant, though, does not mean that you need to be posting every day. It means finding a cadence that you can actually be consistent with and figuring out what's actually doable. Leslie Youngblood (28:16) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think that is such a great point to make. It's because people think, no, I can't post every day. And that's not necessarily true. But then also the consistency is so, so, so key because you're, you know, there's takes energy and time to like in planning to get up that ramp. And why would you start it and then stop it? And then I also think, too, and I just saw something on on social, but it was about how organic content and organic paid placements are more important than ever now for those in looking to be a thought leader or business and entrepreneur because of the rise of AI, because these AI and LLMs are not pulling information from a paid spot on a web page. paying, they're pulling from all of it's like a hyper algorithm or hyper, however the magic of it works. Rachel Honeyman (29:14) Hahaha! Leslie Youngblood (29:15) So it's more important than ever to own your voice, own your brand, be out there in an organic, consistent way in order to get discovered and build your business and build your identity in that way. so, you don't, and like you said, he doesn't have to, I know it sounds like a big, whoa, thing, but you don't have to start by doing all the things at once. You can start with one thing and picking a cadence, like you said, that feels right to you. Rachel Honeyman (29:40) Yeah, and that is actually like my biggest piece of advice for people when people ask I can't stay consistent on social media and I don't know and how do I do it? I, know, people want to like explode. And I've been there. Trust me, I've been there. The biggest thing is pick one channel, the most important channel that your audience is hanging out on. Ideally, that is a channel that you enjoy to some degree, right? Yeah. Leslie Youngblood (29:52) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (30:05) Because if it's not fun, if creating content isn't fun, you're not going to do it. and if you're trying to be more active, if you don't find an activity that you enjoy, you're not going to do it. If you hate running and you're like, I'm going to become a runner, you're going to do it for three days and then you will stop. And that's what's going to happen. I did not used to be an active person and then I like, Leslie Youngblood (30:10) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (30:30) found out, discovered that I love martial arts. And so like, that's how I, that's, how I became a super active person. I just found something that I love. So it's the same thing with your content. Like you have to find a way to make it enjoyable for yourself. And so for some people, you know, it's really like leaning into your strengths. So for some people, writing is, is their like natural gift, right? Or their natural, the thing that they enjoy doing, they love to express themselves through writing. Leslie Youngblood (30:36) Awesome. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (30:58) Great. Choose LinkedIn as your platform of choice. Again, it has to line up with where your audience is hanging out. If LinkedIn is not the place where your audience is hanging out, OK. If your audience is hanging out on Instagram, there are also ways to use writing on Instagram. Do carousel posts with text. Really lean into your strengths. If you love making quick reels or Leslie Youngblood (31:06) That's it. Right. Rachel Honeyman (31:22) You you find trends really fun. Do more of that, but just find a way to do it in a way that it feels strategic. So I actually do this a lot on my Instagram. have a lot of fun on my Instagram, like maybe a little too much fun. so I do like I do the trends, not all of them. I do the ones that I can like find a way to fit to the message that I'm trying to send. Right. I'm finding a way to do it strategically. Leslie Youngblood (31:29) Mm-hmm. Right. Rachel Honeyman (31:50) but it's still super fun for me. And if you don't find that fun, don't force it. don't force yourself into things that don't feel fun. And so yeah, pick one platform, one type of content, right? Whether it's written content or audio content, if you love audio, if you love talking, like I always say, you're a voice noter, start a podcast. It's like the best, you're just talking to your friends. That's all this is, right? You're talking to your friends. ⁓ Leslie Youngblood (32:10) Yeah. yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (32:18) Yeah, it's really a matter of finding one platform, one format, once a week. That's it. Start there. Stay consistent with that, and then you can build from there or not. But the important thing is showing up consistently. Leslie Youngblood (32:23) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ Yeah, I think that's so smart. Rachel, I want to go back. You mentioned you have a business coach and so especially in anybody that's going through a time where they want to skill or they feel like they're going to make it or break it or they're just looking to start. Speaking of social media, we are so inundated with coaches now on social media or courses or I can teach you my blabber-dee-blah and you'll do this and make a million dollars in 30 days with my patented funnel formula, right? Tell us how you found your coach and how they've helped you a little bit more. You've been sharing throughout the conversation. I think it's so fantastic because I believe so wholeheartedly in coaches. You look at Serena Williams and the goats and like they of course had coaches even though they're the goats, right? And you need somebody to help you. But so tell us how you found your coach. What makes them a great coach for you and what others should look like in a coach if they're going through a season where they feel like they need. somebody like that. Rachel Honeyman (33:30) Yeah, so I actually have had some sort of coach almost since I launched my business. Not right away, but probably about six months in. ⁓ I was in a coaching program. I've been in a couple of different coaching programs. I think I'm in my third coaching program right now. And I've worked with one-on-one coaches. And so I am a big believer that if you're running a business, Leslie Youngblood (33:39) Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (33:53) you need some sort of coaching, whether you're in a difficult season or not, because the truth is that running a business is hard and we run into all sorts of challenges all the time. And I love a really good coaching group can be super beneficial for having the community aspect because entrepreneurship is lonely as fuck, right? Leslie Youngblood (33:58) Right. Yes. So lonely, Rachel Honeyman (34:19) It's so lonely. Leslie Youngblood (34:20) so lonely! Rachel Honeyman (34:21) so you honestly, that was like one of the biggest reasons that I built a team, because I was like, I don't I don't want to talk to myself all day. I want to talk to other people. So that can be super beneficial, you know, having a group coaching program. The the biggest thing with that is that these programs are what you make of them. And so one thing that I that I found is that Leslie Youngblood (34:40) Mmm. Rachel Honeyman (34:44) It can be if you're in a program that has a lot of people in it, which is pretty common, having like 50, 70, 100 people in the group, it's a little hard to find your voice and raise your hand and ask your question ⁓ if there are more overpowering personalities in the group. And so you have to be honest with yourself. Am I going to be able to really speak up and ask for help? And most of these programs have some sort of Leslie Youngblood (34:53) Bye. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (35:13) like modules with curriculum and all of that, just really think about where are you struggling the most? Because like you said, there are a million coaching programs out there. And it's really hard to kind of narrow down to what do you need right now. So I will just say like, last year, I was in a program that was specifically for money, like money coaching. ⁓ And because at that time, I was like, this is the thing that I need help with. Leslie Youngblood (35:20) We'll right Mmm. Right. Right. Rachel Honeyman (35:39) Great, I did that, great. Right now I'm in a program. I will recommend this particular coach, Diana Davis. I'm in a coaching program of hers right now. It's actually the last cohort that she's running of that particular program, but she has other programs. And her website is Diana Davis Creative. And she's just fantastic. She's just a great person also just to follow on socials. But she's great. Leslie Youngblood (36:00) Thank Rachel Honeyman (36:05) ⁓ And then the individual coach that I'm working with is Peter Giordano. And I found him through LinkedIn. We just connected through LinkedIn. He just was very genuinely interested in what I was putting out there. And ⁓ I don't actually remember how we initially met. I think it was through another friend of a through a mutual friend. And and we just worked together like Leslie Youngblood (36:20) Yeah. ⁓ Rachel Honeyman (36:30) here and there, it's not necessarily an ongoing thing. we whenever I'm having a struggle, I'll reach out to him and we'll do a session. And so I just think that it's super important to have someone in your corner that you can trust. And it is hard to build to find those people for sure, because there are a lot of charlatans out there. ⁓ I think just pay attention to your gut. Leslie Youngblood (36:43) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Mmm. Rachel Honeyman (36:56) ⁓ This is a big thing, you you said in my bio at the beginning, I teach women self-defense and the biggest thing that I teach women when I work with them on this is we are taught as women to ignore our gut instinct because we don't want to be seen as crazy or we don't want to, you know, all of that, right? And it takes, it's like a muscle that you have to train and really Leslie Youngblood (37:11) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (37:21) Retrain yourself to start listening to your gut paying attention when something feels off pay attention to it if Something sounds too good to be true. It probably is Right really really pay attention to that and don't be afraid to Ask a lot of questions You know speak with people as many times as you need to and if they are not willing to do that like That's that's a good sign, right? Leslie Youngblood (37:28) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (37:46) and paying attention to those flags. I just gave you two names of people who I can tell you are solid, solid coaches. And they do very different things, very, very different things. But you can reach out to them, obviously. But you're going to see a lot of different coaches who focus on different things. And the biggest thing is really paying attention to your gut and also being really honest about what is the What is the biggest challenge that you're facing right now? And is this person or this program equipped to help me address that particular challenge? Leslie Youngblood (38:21) Yeah, I think that's fantastic advice. And I think it's so timely too, for as anybody listening in businesses in general, right? We're scoping out for 2026. We're trying to wrap up the year. Looking forward, Rachel too, what is your advice to those looking to design their next year so they don't need another make it or break it sprint, or if they're gonna give themselves X number of time, like tell us how you would structure that. looking ahead. Rachel Honeyman (38:50) Yeah, so I mean, this is a super important time, you know, kind of setting yourself up for success. The biggest areas that I would say are, you know, foundation, right? Make sure that you're not missing that foundation. It doesn't really matter how long you've been in business. We all need to, take a look at the foundation from time to time. I would say once a year, you should look back at the foundation and say, is this still true? Right. Do you have a strong brand strategy in place? Leslie Youngblood (39:05) Mm. Rachel Honeyman (39:16) that actually defines what is your brand, what is the message you're trying to send, who are you trying to speak to, are you connecting with your audience in the right ways? That foundation is necessary. And then do I have a plan in place to execute on how to reach those people? And really, really the biggest thing that I will say for me from this year, and I just realized that I totally forgot to give the end result, which is that after setting this make it or break it year and starting on this plan and rejiggering things and all of that and the commitment that I made this year, I wound up hitting my financial goal six months into the year. And I don't want that to be like, that's what anyone can get. No, results may vary and all of that. Leslie Youngblood (39:56) amazing. Rachel Honeyman (40:05) But the biggest thing is, do you have a plan in place to reach your audience and really to get out of that mindset of relying on referrals? ⁓ Referrals are great. We never say no to referrals. We never say no to word of mouth business. But if that is where your business comes from, if that is your number one driver of business, you're setting yourself up for a tough time. Leslie Youngblood (40:08) Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (40:31) because that can dry up. You're relying on other people. You're kind of relying on the stars to align a little bit. And yeah, I mean, you mentioned earlier that you're all into manifesting. I love it. But you got to take the action to make it happen, right? Yeah. Leslie Youngblood (40:43) Mm-hmm. Sure. Yes, it requires, ⁓ gosh, what is it? Aligned action in order to like, right? Like you can't just wait for the stars to align. you have to be doing things so that when the stars align, that's great, but you also have other things going on or you've become that person. And yeah, so it's all about action and having a plan and acting on that plan. And I thank you so much for sharing the results because I think that just speaks to. Rachel Honeyman (40:53) Yeah. Leslie Youngblood (41:14) when you have the right plan in place, things do align and things can happen and you will get to where you want to go. And so there's never a bad time to sit down and make that happen. Whether you feel you're in a great spot in your business right now, take a day and sit and look at it. And I know plenty of business owners who have wildly successful businesses that you ask them, well, what's your goal for next year? As we are in late October, November, they don't know yet. Rachel Honeyman (41:18) Yes. Leslie Youngblood (41:40) Right? And so how much further could you get if you had a plan in place, if you, you know, really worked on achieving something and setting that, you know, quote unquote, make or break it, or let's really go for it type of plan for you and your business. So I think that's just so fantastic and, but a, you know, important, difficult lesson for you to learn in practicality, but something again that I know you can speak to from the heart for, for. listeners and entrepreneurs everywhere because you've truly lived it. Rachel Honeyman (42:11) Yeah, yeah, thank you. Leslie Youngblood (42:13) Of course. so tell us, Rachel, what is next for you and your business looking ahead into 2026 and beyond? Rachel Honeyman (42:18) this is really exciting. I'm so excited ⁓ for 2026. I am actually launching a coaching program, but it's not like a business coaching program. ⁓ It's actually going to be a coaching slash co-creation program. It doesn't even have a name yet. That is like on my list for next week is like name this thing. ⁓ But it's basically going to be just a. Leslie Youngblood (42:25) Wonderful. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Rachel Honeyman (42:41) me teaching my method of developing your content strategy, really creating that plan for yourself, and then essentially teaching what I do in my bold day of content, which is creating content at scale, ⁓ teaching you how to leverage AI to really speed up the creation process, but never losing the human element. ⁓ And so it's going to be a lot of Leslie Youngblood (42:54) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Rachel Honeyman (43:06) you coaching a lot of creating content together and just really setting up your year for success. ⁓ So the waitlist is open now. I don't know when this episode is is airing, but ⁓ I would love to see some of your listeners in there. Leslie Youngblood (43:21) Perfect. And as we wrap up, Rachel, please share the links for them to learn more about that program, for them to learn more and connect with you and also anybody else. And we'll definitely put your coach's information too in the show notes because I think that's so fantastic and what a wonderful resource to share. Rachel Honeyman (43:35) Yeah, I will share all of that for the waitlist. You can just go to honeybebold.com slash waitlist. My website is honeybebold.com. You can find me on LinkedIn, Rachel Honeyman. You can find me on Instagram. Like I said, you can check out my ridiculously fun content. It's like silly how much fun I have with it. Just honey be bold. Yeah, I'm all over and I'm really friendly. So come say hi, you know, pop into my DMs and say hello. Leslie Youngblood (44:01) Perfect, yes you are. It has been a pleasure talking with you today. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Rachel. We can't wait to see everything that you do next year with this incredible new program and beyond. Thank you so much for joining us. Cheers. Rachel Honeyman (44:14) Thank you. Leslie Youngblood (44:17) Thanks for tuning in to Serious Lady Business. If you loved this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss a moment of the real, raw, and really wonderful sides of female entrepreneurship. And hey, please leave a review if you're feeling generous. It helps more amazing women find us and join the conversation. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at at Serious Lady Business and get all of the updates at SeriousLadyBusiness.com. Until next time, keep showing up, keep building, and keep being your seriously amazing self.