

Staying Solo
Maggie Patterson, BS-Free Business
Growing a solo service business is tough. It's even harder when you're bombarded with BS advice that steers you away from your values and why you started your business in the first place.
This is the podcast for solo creatives and consultants who want to remain as a team of one and have zero interest in the hustle and grind of typical business teachings.
Most podcasts for solopreneurs and freelancers, hosted by out-of-touch celebrity entrepreneurs who haven't offered one-to-one services in years, miss the mark on today's market realities.
Maggie Patterson, a service business owner for 20 years, understands that to stay solo, you need to know what matters to you, what works for you, and what you should completely ignore.
In each episode, she examines one piece of conventional business advice to discover how it may hurt your business or be completely wrong for you as a solo business owner.
Join Maggie for real talk to help you avoid burnout or the desire to entirely burn down your business to open a flower shop, book store, or cat cafe. (Because those cats won't pay the bills.)
(Formerly the BS-Free Service Business Show)
This is the podcast for solo creatives and consultants who want to remain as a team of one and have zero interest in the hustle and grind of typical business teachings.
Most podcasts for solopreneurs and freelancers, hosted by out-of-touch celebrity entrepreneurs who haven't offered one-to-one services in years, miss the mark on today's market realities.
Maggie Patterson, a service business owner for 20 years, understands that to stay solo, you need to know what matters to you, what works for you, and what you should completely ignore.
In each episode, she examines one piece of conventional business advice to discover how it may hurt your business or be completely wrong for you as a solo business owner.
Join Maggie for real talk to help you avoid burnout or the desire to entirely burn down your business to open a flower shop, book store, or cat cafe. (Because those cats won't pay the bills.)
(Formerly the BS-Free Service Business Show)
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 16, 2026 • 12min
How to Know When It's Time to Raise Your Prices
Most people don't raise their rates until they're exhausted or furious and by then, it's damage control. In this episode, we're breaking down five early signs it's time to raise your prices before things hit that point. Topics discussed in this episode include: Waiting until you're exhausted is the worst time to raise your rates. The five early signs your pricing needs attention before resentment kicks in. How to tell when your value has outgrown your prices. Why working around your pricing is a red flag, not a strategy. How to raise your rates without drama, panic, or blowing up what's working. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

Feb 9, 2026 • 14min
Why You're Undercharging (And How to Fix It)
Most pricing advice says, "Just raise your rates." If it were that simple, you would've done it already. Undercharging isn't the problem; it's the symptom. In this episode, we're digging into why your pricing stopped working and how to fix it without guesswork. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why "just raise your rates" misses the real problem. How undercharging shows up after your business has already changed. The hidden pressure points keeping your pricing stuck. The cost of continuing to undercharge. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

Feb 2, 2026 • 13min
Future You Doesn't Want This
Future you is already over this. The stuff you're tolerating right now isn't going away — unless you deal with it. In this episode, we're talking about what to fix so you're not still stuck with it six months from now. Topics discussed in this episode include: The stuff you're tolerating now that future you will hate. Why do the problems you keep avoiding never magically fix themselves? The difference between "coping" and actually getting it handled. How to make decisions that stick (and stop backsliding). What future do you really want from this business? For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please:. Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

Jan 26, 2026 • 13min
Is This Just What Running a Service Business Is Like?
Somehow, service businesses became the problem. Not because they stopped working, but because it became profitable to say they were broken. If you've been told you're underpaid, burned out, or capped because you sell services, that's a lie. In this episode, we're talking about what's actually broken — and how to fix your strategy without ditching services. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why service businesses were branded "broken" — and who benefits from that lie. The real reason services feel exhausting (hint: it's not the work.) How bad clients, burnout, and income ceilings get misdiagnosed. The Strategy Stack that fixes pressure without blowing up your business. Why you don't need a new business model — you need better strategy. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please:. Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

Jan 19, 2026 • 11min
The Lie of "I'll Fix This Once Things Calm Down"
"I'll fix this when things calm down" is one of the most convincing lies we can tell ourselves about our business. Because things don't calm down, they normalize. The workload, the pressure, and the vigilance can become the baseline. In this episode, we're breaking down why waiting for ease keeps you stuck and what actually creates room for change while the business is still working. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why waiting for things to calm down is a trap. How "working fine" still steals your time, energy, and pay. The real reason change feels risky. The small decisions that actually create room to change. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

Jan 12, 2026 • 15min
Nothing's Wrong: It's Just Time for an Upgrade
January has a way of telling the truth. Because once the hype dies down and the "new year, new you" noise fades, you're left with a simple question: Do I actually want another year of this business? Not because it's failing. But because it's working… and still doesn't quite fit. In this episode, we're diving into what to do when nothing's wrong, it's just time for an upgrade. Topics discussed in this episode include: The hidden cost of "fine" (and why it keeps you stuck). How endurance can be mistaken for sustainability. Why you don't need a big old breakdown to justify a change. What an intentional upgrade looks like for 2026. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

Dec 15, 2025 • 13min
Delight Yourself: The Real Metric of Success
Fact: your revenue doesn't tell the truth about your life. You can be booked out and still feel depleted, disconnected, and barely holding it together. Because success on paper doesn't mean success in practice. A delightfully boring business flips the script—more ease, more breathing room, more actual delight. So today, we're resetting what "success" means and putting delight back at the center. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why traditional success metrics don't reflect a life that actually feels good. Why delight is the real data you should be tracking. The hidden conditioning that makes joy and rest feel "unproductive." What a delight-filled, right-sized business looks like. Simple business decisions that create space for ease and margin. One tiny "micro-delight" challenge to reset how success feels. The Squad is open for new members until December 19th. Get details and join us here. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolo Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

Dec 11, 2025 • 16min
The Mini Client Audit: Why Better Clients Aren't Showing Up (And It's Not Because Everyone Else Is "Lucky")
If it feels like other people land better clients with ease, here's the truth: it's not luck, it's structure. In this just-in-time episode, we run a Mini Client Audit to uncover what's actually blocking better clients from finding (and choosing) you. You'll hear: The visibility mistake most booked service providers don't realize they're making The subtle way you might be pushing your best-fit clients away without meaning to What's really happening after the sales call when things go silent Landing better clients aren't about trying harder. They're about fixing the right things. And this episode shows you exactly where to start. If you're ready for a real plan to get booked with better clients in 2026, that's exactly what we're building inside the Staying Solo Squad this January. We're kicking things off by creating your One-Page Booked & Unbothered Sales Plan, the simple, sustainable roadmap to attract the right clients, build real trust, and keep the work (and money) flowing all year long. Doors are open until December 18th. Join us.

Dec 8, 2025 • 13min
The Delight of Enough: A Quiet Rebellion in a World Built for More
Ever hit a money milestone and instantly feel like it's… still not enough? You're not broken, you're human. When money has felt unpredictable at any point in your life, "enough" doesn't feel safe; it feels suspicious. And that's usually when the internet tries to sell you a mindset fix you may not even need. In this episode, we're digging into why your brain reacts this way and why choosing enough might be one of the most unexpectedly delightful decisions you can make in your business and your life. Topics discussed in this episode include: Why money milestones may not feel safe. How scarcity conditioning and money trauma fuel the chase for "more". Why choosing enough is a countercultural power move. What enough actually looks like in your business and life. How sufficiency creates a steadier, more sustainable business. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please:. Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo

Dec 1, 2025 • 12min
The Delight of Progress (Not Perfection)
Perfection isn't ambition — it's armour. It keeps you safe from judgment, mistakes, and uncertainty… but it also keeps you stuck. And when your business relies on you taking action, that kind of safety gets expensive fast. In today's episode, The Delight of Progress (Not Perfection), we're digging into what perfectionism is really protecting you from, and why choosing progress is actually the safer path forward. Topics discussed in this episode include: How perfectionism keeps you stuck (and why it feels so productive). The hidden cost of waiting for "perfect". The tiny steps that create real momentum with messy action. Why progress is the true competitive advantage in your business. For detailed show notes and links to everything in this episode, please visit bsfreebusiness.com. If you enjoyed today's episode, please:. Leave a positive review or rating at www.ratethispodcast.com/stayingsolor Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Sign up for email updates at www.bsfreebusiness.com/solo


