Living & Earning: The Dolly Parton Way

Most small business owners I work with would say they started a business for freedom: freedom of time, creative freedom, financial freedom… yet somewhere along the journey we build business that have us chained to our desk instead of out in the sunshine, stressing over unanswered emails instead of playing with our kiddos, and pinching pennies instead of paying ourselves on autopilot. 

Not to mention, 81% of us are doing it all ourselves. We are the marketing department, the accounting department, the visionary and the workerbee. 

Why does this happen? How did we get here? Why do so many influencers, youtube stars and 8 figure earners burn out despite the “success.” 

Today, I’m unpacking those very questions and sharing my 6-part plan to building a business that’s not only life-giving, but also boosts your bottom line.

Press play for the full interview or keep reading below!

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In This Episode:

This past week I taught a live class with 1,651 small business owners looking for a Financial Fresh Start. Every year around this time, when we open enrollment to my signature course, The Blueprint Model, I am on a high getting to sit in front of small business owners just like you and share my message.

Though most of us did not get into business for the money, it’s easy for the message of success to seep in. That’s why I consider myself a reset specialist and get you back to building the life-giving business of your dreams. Numbers, but with heart.

With so many messages rolling in from attendees that sounded like this:

“After watching this class I feel like I am about to grab back the steering wheel after spinning out of control all my life…. I really can’t wait to get started!”

“Thank you for making me feel less frustrated and scared about my finances.”

“Thank you so much for standing out in a world of chaos and hustle until you drop.”

I asked our podcast producers if we could rearrange the schedule a bit so I could share a snippet of the content with you.

 

Living & Earning: The Dolly Parton Way— My 6-part blueprint to growing a business you like that supports a life you love, all while boosting the bottom line.

If you’re listening today, you might be feeling one of four ways.

First, maybe you’re feeling overworked and underpaid—just flying by the seat of your pants, pulling numbers out of thin air, unsure how to hire the help you need at home or in your business, or how to pay yourself a consistent weekly paycheck.

Or maybe you feel like you’re constantly chasing the carrot—paralyzed by the flood of business advice hitting your feed every day, unsure of what will actually move the needle forward.

Or you might feel lost in that red ocean—cue the shark emojis—unsure of how to stand out or book clients in such a saturated and noisy market.

Or maybe you’re just mom-tired, trying to make a full-time income in part-time hours. Not easy, right?

As a small business owner, wife, and mom of two, I don’t have time to gamble on strategies that may or may not work. So I want to share the six-part blueprint I’ve implemented in my own business.

With nearly two decades of experience in finance—paying my own paycheck—and 11 years running my own business, these are the same strategies I’ve used for service-based offers, physical products, and digital products. I’ve worked with all of them in some capacity over the past 11 years.

So I hope you’ll treat this like a workshop. Dig into each of these six points, reflect on your own business, and really consider—how’s it actually going?

 

 

The Reality of Small Business in 2025

You’ve probably heard this before: small business survival isn’t pretty. Most don’t make it past five years—let alone ten. And when you dig into the stats, the reasons become pretty clear.

• 65% of small business owners don’t pay themselves a consistent paycheck.

• 27% are funding their business with income from another job.

• 40% consider themselves financially illiterate.

• And 85% of small businesses shouldn’t fail—but they do.

Why? Because they focus on everything except the bottom line.

And I refuse to believe these stats are just the way it has to be. That’s why I traded in my three-inch heels and black power suits, said goodbye to the finance bros, and decided to go to bat for small business owners.

After watching incredibly talented, kind, and ridiculously smart people struggle just to make ends meet, I had my enough is enough moment. And no, I may not wear a cape—but hand me my glasses, fire up a spreadsheet, and let’s get to work. Because no one should have to hustle this hard just to survive.

I truly feel like I have a unique privilege—I say this often—to see the real behind the highlight reel. And I love digging into the data with you. I get to see the behind-the-scenes reality. Like when someone says they have a seven-figure business, that often means they’re selling seven figures, but they’ve got a team of eight… and they’re walking away with hardly anything.

 

Understanding the data

The data tells the story.

And honestly, my goal today—through this six-part process—is to ruin you. I want you to start thinking differently about business and money.

I want you to think differently every time you hear someone say, “I run a six-, multi-six-, seven-, or eight-figure business.” I want you to be equipped to ask the right questions:
What does that really mean?
Is that revenue or profit?
What are your expenses?
How big is your team?

Because after all of this, I want you to stop comparing your business to someone else’s. We’re here to live and earn the Dolly Parton way—building a business that supports the life you actually want.

 

1. Your Success Currency

Alright, let’s start with number one: your Success Currency.

What do you really want?
If you’re going to climb the ladder, make sure it’s the right one.

Last week during my workshop, I asked attendees to share what success means to them, what they’re currently struggling with, and what they want from their business. One person said, “I want to set up my business to earn what I need while prioritizing being a homeschool mom.”

We all started our businesses for different reasons, right?
So let me ask you: Why did you start your business?

Back when I first started my consulting company and was working one-on-one with clients, I had an intake form that asked this exact question. And the most common responses were things like:

• “My job wasn’t creative enough.”

• “I wanted to be home with my kids more.”

• “To be my own boss.”

• “Flexible hours.”

• “To stop climbing the corporate ladder.”

What I realized was that, even though the answers sounded different, they all came back to the same core idea: freedom—the freedom to spend your days the way you choose.

But here’s the thing: freedom—and therefore success—looks different for each of us.
That’s when I developed what I now teach inside the Blueprint Model: my Core Motivators Framework.

This framework helps you define your version of success—so you’re building a business that lights you up, not one that’s based on someone else’s idea of what success should look like.

So here are the four Core Motivators. I want you to listen and go with your gut—what resonates? What feels like a yes? Most of us have all four inside us, but there’s usually one that’s the driver.

 

4 Core Motivators

Here they are:

1. Creative Expression
   You’re motivated by the work itself. You want to do work you truly enjoy. You want to take on clients you vibe with, and create things that feel meaningful to you. If it’s ugly or misaligned, you don’t want it—regardless of the paycheck.

2. Time
   You crave flexibility above all else. You want the freedom to choose how you spend your days. If you’re time-motivated, your ultimate success metric is freedom of time. (That’s me—if I have something scheduled a week out, I’m already stressed.) And yes, time is also a need, so make sure you’re distinguishing between being overworked and genuinely being time-motivated.

3. Challenge
   You love the chase. You’re driven by growth, goals, and what’s next. You probably set new goals before you’ve even finished the last one. It’s not just about reaching the destination—it’s about the thrill of the climb.

4. Impact
   You want your work to mean something. You care deeply about helping others and making a difference. I worked with someone who ran an online print shop and was totally burnt out—until her husband suggested they donate a portion of each sale. That one shift lit her back up again. Impact became her motivator.

So those are the four motivators: Creative Expression, Time, Challenge, and Impact.

Now, why does this matter?

Because once you know what success looks like for you, you can align your business goals with your personal values. It becomes your North Star for making strategic decisions.

Let me give you two quick examples of how this plays out in real life:

 

What a Time-Motivated Business Owner Might Look Like

Hi, it’s me—Shanna.

This mama wants to earn money for her family, do meaningful creative work, and still prioritize being a mom. So what does that business model look like?

She’s probably focused on scalable offers—ways to earn more without working more. She’s likely delegating—at home and in the business. That might mean a house cleaner, babysitter, VA, or small team.

It’s not about slowing the business down—it’s about preserving time. Her revenue goal is based on her freedom figure, a specific number that supports her dream. Maybe that dream is just taking the kids to Disney. She’s not chasing someone else’s version of success—she’s clear on her own.

 

What a Challenge-Motivated Business Owner Might Look Like

Now, contrast that with someone who’s Challenge-Motivated.

This person might be dreaming of becoming a New York Times bestselling author. They’re chasing big goals: launching a podcast, starting a YouTube channel, hitting higher revenue numbers—not necessarily for the money, but for the growth and achievement. They’re always ready for the next big thing.

Can you see how if the time-motivated mama tried to build a business like the challenge-motivated go-getter, she’d feel burnt out, overwhelmed, and disconnected from the life she really wants?

This is why I say: there is no one-size-fits-all in business. There are infinite ways to succeed—and that means you can do it your way and still win.

 

Choosing the right business model for you

So before we dive into business plans, financial plans, or revenue goals, we have to start with this question: What do you want?

That’s the first thing I ask every student inside the Blueprint Model. Because we’re not just building businesses—we’re building lives.

So your homework, if you’re listening today:

• Reconnect with your “why.”

• What do you want?

• Is the business you have supporting the life you want?

If not, guess what? You can change it. But we have to start here.

 

2. Your Time Bank

We need to name your current season of life—and understand what gives you oxygen, what gives you life.

This starts with your ideal day.
I walk all of my students through this: What’s your dream day? What’s your dream job? What does that actually look like?

And yes, I know it can feel a little “pie in the sky”—we’ve all heard about creating your ideal day. But this practice is essential to designing a business that’s life-giving, not life-draining.

So ask yourself:

• What hours do you want to work?

• What time do you start and end your day?

• How many days a week do you want to work?

For example, now that I’m a mom, I set my work goal at 20 hours a week—and I work in pockets. That looks different week to week.

But when I first started my business, it was more structured—9 to 6, Monday through Thursday. I didn’t want to work Fridays, weekends, or evenings.

 

Why We Need to Name What We Want

Because if you don’t, no one else is going to do it for you. And if you’re not intentional, those messages—“hustle harder,” “make more money,” “be more successful”—start to creep in.
Even if you think you’re not influenced by that mindset… it seeps in.

So we have to actively fight back against the culture of overwork by intentionally designing your time.

 

Time Deposits & Time Withdrawals

Next, we do what I call Time Deposits.
This is how much time you actually have to give to your business each week.

Right now, for me, that’s 20 hours. That’s what I’ve “deposited” into my business time bank.

Then comes the Brain Dump.
List everything you’re doing in a typical week—at home and in business:

• Grocery shopping

• Packing lunches

• School drop-off

• Sports

• Emails

• Client work

• Social media

• Billing

• Website updates

• Shipping orders

Put it all down on paper.

Then, we figure out your Time Withdrawals—how much time each task actually takes.

Years ago, I did this exercise during my first year in business. I was working 32 hours a week—Monday through Thursday, taking Fridays off. But I was feeling completely overwhelmed. So I broke it down:

• Emails: 1.5 hours/day = 7.5 hours/week

• Social Media: 1 hour/day = 5 hours/week

• Admin tasks: 2.5 hours/week

• Speaking/traveling: 8 hours/month

And what did I have left for actual projects?
I realized I was trying to cram 53 hours of work into 32 hours.

I was overdrawn—getting those metaphorical NSF fees.
Maybe you’re feeling that too—like you’re constantly overworked, but you don’t know why.

That’s the trap: we keep telling ourselves,
“Just work harder.”
“Be more efficient.”
“Get through this launch.”
But if we don’t fix the root problem—if we don’t align our time deposits with our time withdrawals—we’re just going to keep feeling overworked.

And here’s the thing: 81% of small business owners have no employees.
That means you are doing everything.
You’re the marketing team, the bookkeeper, the visionary, the admin, the social media manager.

So it is both your responsibility and privilege as a business owner to design a business that supports the life you want.

 

Look at Your Time In Relation To Revenue

What is your ideal day?
How much time do you really have in this season to run your business?

This will change. It could shift every three months or every three years. But right now, over the next 12 months or even 3 years, how much time do you have?

Then—let’s talk about what gives you oxygen.
We call this finding your oxygen inside the Blueprint Model.
What gives you life?
How can you do more of that?

You’ve probably heard of the Pareto Principle—80% of outcomes come from 20% of inputs.

We apply that to your time in relationship to your revenue.

What are the income-producing and life-giving tasks in your business?

That’s the difference in this approach—what I call the Dolly Parton Way or the Shanna Skidmore Way.

We’re not just looking for tasks that make money—we’re looking for tasks that bring life, too.

So once you’ve brain-dumped everything, ask yourself:

• What is income-producing and life-giving?

• Focus on those first.

• As Tim Ferriss said: Make before you manage.

Then eliminate the things that don’t move the needle or bring you joy.

And yes—I say, “Show me the receipts.”

That’s why, in 2017, I quit social media.
Even with a planned strategy, I was spending 5 hours a week on it and couldn’t prove it was giving me any real ROI—and I didn’t even like it. So I cut it.

If you can’t show receipts that something is helping your bottom line or your life—cut it.

 

Lastly? Automate and Delegate

I know you want to hear more about that—and we dig deep into it inside the Blueprint Model—but the goal is to maximize your time deposits and spend them on what matters most: the income-producing, life-giving work

 

3. Your Freedom Figure

Alright, number three: your Freedom Figure—what is enough for you?

If you stick around here long enough, you’re going to hear me talk about this a lot. You’ll hear my students and clients talk about it too—because this concept is truly life-changing.

Your Freedom Figure is the number—the one number—I am obsessed with. And honestly? “Obsessed” isn’t even a strong enough word. I look at it constantly. I plan for it. I track toward it. I know exactly what I need to pay myself, pay my bills, and go home to rest—and that clarity has been life changing.

But here’s the thing: so many business owners don’t actually know that number.
Maybe that’s you.
You might sort of know what it costs to pay your team.
You might have a sense of your software subscriptions.
Maybe you know you did 10 clients last year and you want to book 12 this year at $5,000 each.

You’ve got pieces of the puzzle…
But getting it all down on paper?
That is where the magic happens.

 

Choosing Your Version of Success

Let’s rewind to 2007.
Picture 22-year-old Shanna—fresh off the college campus, strutting into the finance world in her first J.Crew black power suit. I felt like a million bucks.

I found early success. I hit milestones. I was getting on stage, winning awards, earning the title of “rising star.” And I got paired with a business coach—a mentor just a few years ahead of me. We started meeting every week for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Because nothing says “big finance energy” like maple syrup and biscuits.

One morning, over pancakes, he looked at me and said,

“Shanna, if you say you don’t want to make more money, you’re just lying to yourself.”

And y’all—I have a terrible memory, but that stuck.
Now, I wish I could say I stood up, threw syrup in his face, and walked out in protest…
But I didn’t.
Instead, I believed him. I lived by that mindset for a long time.

I chased the stage walks, the awards, the spotlight. I wanted to be the “special snowflake.”
And when I stopped hitting those big firm-set goals, when I stopped getting called up on stage…
I felt like a failure.

But the truth?
At the time, I was living my version of success.
I was paying my bills. I was leaving work at 4 p.m. to hit the gym. I was serving in a ministry I cared deeply about.
But because it didn’t look like success to them, I thought it wasn’t.

So let me ask you a question:
How much income would make you happy over the next 12 months?

Not your big stretch goal.
Not the number you think you’re supposed to want.
But the number that would make you feel good—happy—to take home and put into your personal bank account after taxes.

Got that number? Hold onto it.

 

The Difference in Money Goals From 2018 to 2019

For years, I asked this same question while speaking on stages across the country.
And pre-2020, the average answer I got—after asking thousands of small business owners—was $40,000.

That was enough for most people to feel good.
Now, keep in mind: I live in Tennessee, one of the lowest cost-of-living states in the U.S.
If you’re in California, you’re probably thinking, “Shanna, I can’t even breathe on $40K.”
Totally get it. But that was the number—again, pre-2020.

Then something shifted.

The messaging changed.

All of a sudden, it was:

• “Roadmap to six figures.”

• “Six-figure business plans.”

• “Six-figure bookkeeper.”

• “Scale to $10K months.”

Then came multi-six figures. Then seven figures.
Now, in 2025, it’s eight figures.

So in 2019, I was speaking at an event with hundreds of small business owners.
And I had this gut feeling—the number wasn’t going to be $40K anymore.
So I updated my slide right before going on stage and changed the number to $100,000.

I asked the audience the same question.
They submitted their responses.
We calculated the average live.

And y’all—
The number came back as $102,000.

 

The Push To Build a 6-Figure Business

Nothing had significantly changed in the economy between 2018 and 2019. Inflation wasn’t wild yet. Eggs didn’t cost $9.
So what changed?

The messaging.
That whisper of “more, more, more” got louder.

And here’s what I want you to know:
Even though money probably wasn’t the reason you started your business—
If you don’t define what’s enough, the world will do it for you.

And the world will always tell you it’s not enough. You need more.

More money.
More success.
More followers.
More, more, more.

And listen—more isn’t the enemy…
Until it distracts you from what you actually want.

Here are just a few things people told me recently when I asked, “What do you want from your business?”

• “A path to making the money I want so I don’t have to go back to corporate.”

• “Making enough to pay my bills, save, and help others—while living a balanced life that doesn’t lead to burnout.”

• “Enough work to stay creative and inspired—while having plenty of time and mental space for life, too.”

• “Not counting pennies and being able to do the good I want.”

• “Being able to pay myself and pay off debt—without fear that next month everything might fall apart.”

The goal?
It’s simple.

The dream isn’t complicated.

We want to do work we enjoy, at a pace that feels good—and get paid for it.

But it’s hard to live in a success-obsessed world and hold tight to your own values.
And that’s why I come back to this again and again.

 

Why This Freedom Figure Matters

And if you hear nothing else from this message, hear this:

What is enough for you?

There’s this place—this sweet spot—where ambition meets contentment.
Where the runner in us, the dreamer, the go-getter, is reaching for the stars…
and we’re grounded in what we actually need in this season of life.

That’s where the magic happens.
When ambition and contentment meet—there’s freedom there.

There’s freedom in knowing what you need to sell to cover your personal and business needs.
There’s peace in knowing your numbers.
That’s your Freedom Figure.

And let me tell you—the internet?
It’s always going to tell you that you don’t make enough money.
Quit listening to it.

Here’s your homework…

I want you to calculate your Freedom Figure.
How much do you need to fund the life and business of your dreams?

And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Shanna, I have no idea where to start. I have no data, no numbers. My bank account’s a mess. I feel lost.”—
Take a breath. It actually comes down to just a few simple numbers:

1. What do you need to pay yourself to fund your home life?
   What does your salary need to be?

2. Then, add in taxes on top of that.

3. And from there, what does it cost to run your business?
   What are your team costs? Software? Materials? Overhead?

When you add all that up, you can reverse engineer up to your enough number—your Freedom Figure.

And if you’re still thinking, “I need help with this!”—
That’s exactly why I do the work I do.

Because numbers—with heart—can unlock the life and business you really want.

 

Living and Earning the Dolly Parton Way

So I hope today… I’ve ruined you a little.

Ruined you in the best way.
To believe: Yes, I can build a life-giving business based on my own definition of success.
And maybe—just maybe—you’re ready to dig into the numbers with me.

Whether it’s working together one-on-one or going through my program, The Blueprint Model, where I teach this full six-part blueprint in depth… that’s what I’m here for.

And I hope you walk away from this episode knowing:

There is a way to build a business—and a life—you love.
And it doesn’t have to come down to the biggest email list, the best website, or the prettiest Instagram grid.

(And let’s be honest, TikTok’s probably out by now—who knows anymore.)

And as Dolly Parton says:

“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

So once we have the living and earning the Dolly Parton way—

We’ve got the heart side of it… now it’s time to move on to the Gwenyth Paltrow Goop side of it I teased earlier.

 

Where most business owners go wrong

This is where I see most business owners go wrong.

They say, “I’m going to build a business. I’m going to be a photographer. Okay, I’m going to be a wedding photographer because that makes sense—and I love shooting weddings.” So they decide to be a wedding photographer, and then what happens?

They go around and start price-shopping their competitors.
They look at what other people are charging, and they think, “Okay, I’ll price close to that—maybe just a little under. That feels good.”

And then they start shooting weddings… and a year or two in, they’re tired.
They’re wondering why they’re working every single weekend.
They’re barely making any money, not paying themselves consistently, and just breaking even.

Why?
Because we built the business model after jumping in and doing the work.
We dove in before making a plan.

And this is why so many people come to me around year two or three—because they’re burned out, they’re tired, and they’re still not making enough.

Now, I do have those special snowflakes who come early in their business—probably about 15% of the small business owners I work with go through the Blueprint Model before they even launch. And I love that. They build it right from the beginning and start making money from day one.

But I also have business owners who are 10 years in, saying, “I thought I’d have this figured out by now.”

So no matter where you are, I want to help you rebuild—
Set the building blocks in place, figure out the life and business you want, and then build the business model to support it.

So—how do we goop your business model?

 

4. You Need The Right Offers at the Right Price

First, we want to figure out the right offers at the right price.
What are you selling?
What price do you need to sell it at to actually be profitable?

 

5. You Need The Right Audience and the Right Megaphone

Then, we need to make sure you’ve got the right audience and the right megaphone.
That’s your marketing approach—who are you selling to, and how are you going to reach them?

Inside the Blueprint Model, I teach all my students to focus on one—maybe two—marketing platforms that align with you and your audience. And we put our efforts there.

 

6. You Need a Few Simple Systems

From there, we need a few simple systems.
I always say: Make the plan, then work the plan.
We don’t want to stick that plan in a drawer and never look at it again.

 

Real Life Examples for Photography Business Models

Now, I know you probably want to dig into how to goop your business model—so let me give you just a couple of quick examples before we wrap. Then I’ll recap the Blueprint Model process and give you a little sendoff.

So let’s take two photographers and show how this actually plays out.

Let’s assume both photographers want to make $100,000 in revenue this year and only want to work 20 hours per month.

 

Wedding Photographer Example

Photographer one is a wedding photographer.

If she can shoot two weddings per month, that’s 24 weddings a year (or maybe 26).
So, $100,000 ÷ 26 weddings = about $3,846 per wedding.

Totally doable, right?
Now, let’s say she only wants to shoot one wedding per month—that’s 12 weddings a year.
To make $100K, she’d need to charge about $8,333 per wedding.

Now you’re probably thinking, “Okay, Shanna… how do I charge $8,000 for a wedding?”

Great question.
That’s where we come back to strategy:

• You need a strong track record

• Consistency in your photography

• Great client testimonials

• Word of mouth and referrals

• Connections with top venues and wedding planners—because those are often booked before the photographer

So we figure out your offers and your price first—and then we build the marketing strategy to support that.

It really is just simple math + a smart plan.

But what I see over and over again is business owners kind of hodge-podging everything together… trying all the things, thinking, “Maybe I need an email list? Maybe I need to start a TikTok?”

But if you only need 12 clients at $8,000…
Then what you really need are great relationships with the right planners and venues—plus consistent, standout work.

12 clients isn’t hard to find—if you have the right strategy and enough people sharing your message.

So again, I know this is a simplified version—we break it down in detail inside the Blueprint Model. We walk through your exact business model—define the right offers, the right price, the right audience, and the right megaphone—so you can make your plan and then work your plan.

 

Family Photographer Example

Alright, let’s go with another photographer example.

Let’s say this photographer says, “I don’t want to be away from my family—even just 12 weekends a year.”

So instead of weddings, they’ve decided to do family photography. They’ll photograph families either from home or from a studio, so they’re not running all over the city. People come to them.

Same scenario: they want to make $100,000 in revenue, working about 20 hours per week.

So let’s do the math:
$100,000 divided by 52 weeks = $1,923 per week.

Let’s say they’re working 20 hours per week, and we’re going to allocate:

• 5 hours to admin

• 5 hours to editing

That leaves 10 hours per week to actually photograph families.

If each session takes about 2 hours (I know that’s generous, but let’s go with it), that means they can do 5 family sessions per week.

So now:
$1,923 ÷ 5 = $384.60 per session.

That means each family photography session needs to bring in about $385 to meet their goal.

That’s just the session fee—it doesn’t include albums, prints, or upsells. Just “come get photographed and receive digital files” for $385.

And listen—maybe you’re saying, “Shanna, I don’t want to offer digital files.”
That’s totally fine! This is your business model. You get to build it the way you want to.

I’m simply here to give you the data and the why behind it.

What I see happen so often is people online—amazing influencers and educators—sharing their process:
“Here’s how I do family photography. Just do it like me.”

And while it’s great to see behind-the-scenes of how someone else runs their business, that doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you.

 

You Don’t Need Cookie-Cutter Strategies

That’s why I don’t teach cookie-cutter strategies.
I teach concepts.

How to goop your business—Gwyneth Paltrow style:

• The right offers

• At the right price

• For the right audience

• Through the right megaphone

And then back it all up with data, so it’s built in a way that fits you—your season of life, your values, and your goals.

Because there are a thousand ways to build a business.
No two should look the same, because no two business owners are the same.

That’s why I get so passionate about walking business owners through the Blueprint Model—my six-part process for building a business you like so you can have a life you love, all while still boosting your bottom line.

And my approach?
It’s different.
I know it’s different.

It’s not what I was taught—not in finance, not in accounting, not in psychology, not in the arts.
No one ever taught me this.
I had to learn it the hard way. And now, I’m passionate about teaching it to others because I see how countercultural it really is.

 

An Alternative Approach to Business

If I go back to 22-year-old me, sitting at breakfast with that mentor who told me, “If you don’t want to make more money, you’re lying to yourself,”
I see now—that’s what the world says:
More money.
More success.
More influence.
More, more, more.

But I think most of us would agree… that’s not it.

So I hope this six-part process—the Blueprint Model, the Dolly Parton way, the Shanna Skidmore way—gives you a new lens:

• Your Success Currency

• Your Time Bank

• Your Freedom Figure
  …paired with how to Goop your business—tailor-fit it to your financial goals, your values, and your season of life.

Right offers, right price, right audience, right megaphone.

Now, I want to teach you the simple systems to help you stay on track month to month.
I call it your Money Plan.

It’s one spreadsheet I create every single year. It outlines everything—your offers, your pricing, your bills, how much you’re paying yourself. It truly becomes so simple. And I teach all of this inside the Blueprint Model.

I would be honored—truly honored—to get to work with you.

 

Be honest: How’s Business Going?

So, to wrap up today, I just want to ask: How’s business going?
How’s it really going?

On a scale of 1 to 10—
1 being “I’m barely keeping my head above water,”
10 being “I’m loving it, I’m killing it”—
Where would you say you are?

And then… what does a 10 look like?

If you were to say, “Shanna, my business is a 10. I’m loving it, and I’m killing it,”—
What would that look like for you?

Is it taking Fridays off?
Is it making $100K?
Multiple six-figure years?
Hiring team members you love working with?
Working 20 hours a week and picking your kids up from the school bus every day?

Because here’s the thing:
If you don’t design it, someone else will define it for you.

Now, I know what you might be thinking:
“Shanna, I’m just not a numbers person.”
“I’m bad at math.”
I’ve heard it all.

Some say money is the scariest part of their business.
“I’m on a crash course to closing if I don’t get this under control.”
“I’m just flying by the seat of my pants.”

 

Your Business Needs to Make Money

Listen—I get it.
Money was never the treasure. But it is the tool.

It’s the tool that allows you to hire help—and actually pay them.
The tool that gives you freedom to invest in your education, to travel, to take the trips you’ve been dreaming of.
To pay your taxes, to save, to afford the life you want.

As Marcus Lemonis says, “If you don’t know your numbers, you don’t know your business.”

At some point, I’m guessing you’ve thought, “I work my butt off, but where’s the money?”

And while money probably wasn’t the reason you started your business, there comes a time when money is no longer just a “nice to have.”

Maybe it’s that looming business loan that keeps you up at night.
Maybe it’s needing to hire help but not knowing if you can afford it.
Or Maybe it’s wondering if the time you’re spending away from your family is even worth it.
Is the juice worth the squeeze?

And with rising costs on everything—from software to team expenses—
knowing how to run a business that pays you and covers the bills without living in constant hustle mode isn’t optional anymore.
It’s essential.

 

Time For a Quick Gut Check

So, quick gut check:

1. Are you paying yourself a consistent paycheck that covers your financial needs, goals—and the babysitter?

2. Are you cool as a crisp autumn breeze when it’s time to price your offers, send proposals, or make financial decisions—zero second-guessing?

3. Can you flip on your favorite show after the kids go to bed without feeling the need to check emails or catch up on DMs?

4. If you were to hire help tomorrow, would you know how to afford it?

If your deodorant is failing you on money day—hey, even if it’s the crunchy kind—you’re not alone.

 

Shanna Skidmore Blueprint Model

This is exactly why I created the Blueprint Model.

It’s my signature program—and it’s most often described as… life-giving.
We’ve got nine years of testimonials and success stories to prove it.

Because building a business that’s profitable, sustainable, and life-giving isn’t about having the prettiest Instagram feed, the best website, or the biggest email list.

I would actually argue it’s not about those things at all.

It’s about knowing:

• Your Success Currency

• Your Season of Life

• Your Freedom Figure

And then creating a business model—a strategic, data-backed plan—that aligns with your personal values, goals, and needs.

Building a business that’s life-giving and profitable is possible.
But it’s not something you can leave up to chance—or Google.

I hope this six-part overview of the Blueprint Process has gotten your wheels turning—about what is and isn’t working in your business.

And honestly?
I hope it’s left you salivating to learn more.

Because at some point, you’re going to have to learn the numbers.
And you can either learn them from the finance bros—whose only measure of success is mo’ money—
Or from the big-name influencers who mean well but are still teaching their one way.
Their cookie-cutter formulas.
And those formulas might not be right for you.

I truly, wholeheartedly believe the key to unlocking a life-giving, profitable business—the kind that fuels both your passion and your bank account—is found in the numbers.

That’s exactly why I created the Blueprint Model.
That’s why I do everything I do, every single day.

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More from this Episode

To hear the full episode, press play on the player above for the full interview or click here to download the transcript.

 

Resources Mentioned:

The Blueprint Model 

Free Resources from Shanna