You Built a Business. Why Are You Still Its #1 Employee?
If you're making $500K-$2M but still frantic to put out fires in your business daily, reacting to every crisis, and can't pay yourself consistently—you're not running a business. You're working a very stressful, very expensive job that’s kind of a scam, if you ask your bank account.
☑️ Have More Money In Your Bank Account
☑️ Take More Time Off
☑️ Step Into Your Regulated, CEO Self
100% Satisfaction Rating with over 600 clients.
100% Satisfaction Rating with over 600 clients.
You know those business owners who seem to have it figured out?
The ones who take real vacations. Who have consistent cash flow. Whose team follows through & works well together.
You want to be them. You’re jealous.
Because you're:
Drowning in daily operations with zero time or bandwidth to think strategically
Stuck with cash flow that's a roller coaster
Clueless about what your business can afford
Unable to scale past yourself (you ARE the bottleneck)
Working with "systems" that are all in your head, just you remembering stuff
Managing a team you can’t seem to trust fully
Unsure how to create the culture you actually want to lead
Here's what's really happening:
Your nervous system won't let you delegate. You micromanage, AND your business has no systems to catch things when you do step back.
You have to be a human first. Your nervous system needs some help before it’s going to let you feel safe, and you need to address that before you can make your best CEO decisions. Having the time to think strategically is also a whole lot easier when you have the time to. We can build systems that make that possible.
I Was the World's Most Expensive Employee
What finally changed everything:
I combined nervous system regulation (getting comfortable being uncomfortable) with proven business systems (so nothing actually fell apart when I stepped back).
That's when I stopped making employee choices and started acting like a CEO.
I finally started paying myself consistently.
I built systems that allowed me to save time, read more, go hiking, and devote more time to my creative pursuits outside of my business.
Regulation + Systems = You actually get to be the business owner you want to be who has a life outside of the business.
For over a decade, I was trapped in that pattern.
I helped clients 4, 6, and 8x their revenue. I built businesses that are still thriving today, more than 10 years later. I helped build multi-million-dollar operations over and over again.
And me? I was living in my car. Actually homeless. Unable to make Bay Area rent work.
When I started my coaching business in 2019, my behaviors didn’t change. I just traded one freelance hustle for another.
I worked 60-hour weeks. I was the first responder to every crisis. I made every decision. I couldn't take a day off without my business grinding to a halt.
Revenue came in. I got clients. Clients got results. But I couldn't pay myself consistently because I had no cash flow systems. I reacted to expenses and put off paying myself. I didn’t know what I could spend on help. I ran myself ragged and overworked the way I learned to as a kid.
I was running a business while thinking like an employee.
The problem wasn't my work ethic. It wasn't my skills.
There were actually a bunch of problems I was totally unaware of. A big one was that my nervous system couldn't handle not constantly working. It’s a sneaky form of flight, that need to stay busy.
When your nervous system is dysregulated (constantly scanning for threats, always waiting for the next disaster), you physically cannot:
Delegate without obsessively checking in
Think strategically (you're too busy reacting)
Make decisions from vision instead of fear
Prioritize the work that actually brings in revenue
Build systems that work without you
Step back and lead in a way you feel proud of
You literally can’t think like a business owner. This isn't a personality flaw. This is how brains work, but it’s keeping you trapped.
WHAT CEO MODE LOOKS LIKE
Here's What Changes When You Stop Being Employee #1
Your cash flow stabilizes. You're not on a revenue rollercoaster anymore. You can actually plan for next quarter because you know what's coming in.
You stop reacting to every fire. Not because fires don't happen, but because you trust your team and you've built systems that handle 80% of them without you.
You start thinking strategically. You actually have time to plan, to see opportunities, to make decisions from vision instead of panic.
You delegate without hovering. Your nervous system can finally tolerate not controlling everything. Your team actually follows through because there are systems and accountability built in.
You hire and retain good people. Because you're not just throwing bodies at chaos—you have actual roles, processes, and structure for them to succeed in.
Your business can run without you. Not forever, but for a week or two. The systems are documented and your team knows what to do.
You pay yourself first. Consistently. Without guilt. Like an actual business owner.
You take time off. Real time off. Where you're not checking email or "just handling one thing real quick."
You become the business owner you've been jealous of.
The one who seems to have it all figured out. The one whose business works FOR them instead of the other way around.
That's not magic. That's not luck.
That's regulated nervous system + working systems + strategic planning.
Work With a Business Strategist Who Specializes in Service Businesses
Stop guessing. Start growing with proven frameworks and someone who's built this exact transformation hundreds of times.
Most business coaches give you generic advice that doesn't seem like it would work for service businesses.
"automate everything" — but your value IS the service you provide.
"hire more people" — but you can't find good talent, and when you do, you micromanage anyway.
"raise your prices" — but that doesn't fix the chaos or give you back your time.
Here's what actually works:
Strategic business planning combined with showing you how to get your brain on your side.
You can't build systems if your nervous system won't let you delegate.
You can't delegate if you don't have systems to catch things.
Knowing the exact profitability of every offer your business has available, so we make sure your energy is going into the offers that put the most money into your bank account.
Why Strategic Work Accelerates Growth
Without strategy, you're reacting. Every fire gets your immediate attention. Every client seems urgent. Every decision feels like a crisis. You lose all your time to small things, instead of putting your energy where it will get results. You chase every shiny object that comes your way, projects don’t get finished. You’re running on the hamster wheel, getting nowhere.
With strategy, you're leading. You know what you’re working toward. You’re inspired by your vision of what you want to create. You know which clients to keep and which to fire. You know which offers are profitable. You have great referral partners that bring in clients. You have systems that handle 80% of problems. You make decisions from data, not panic.
Your energy actually moves your business forward when strategy is involved.
The Pumpkin Plan Approach
I'm a Certified Pumpkin Plan Strategist—combining Mike Michalowicz's proven business methodology with nervous system regulation and 8 years as a mental health coach.
The framework is built around three outcomes:
More money in your account — Identify which clients and services actually generate profit (vs. just revenue), then build your business around what makes you the most money and differentiates you in the market
More time in your week — Eliminate the activities and processes that eat hours without moving the needle, so you recover 10 hours per week. You can use 5 hours for strategic work and 5 hours for fun (or however you’d like).
More ease in your operations — Design your business around what you do best and what your ideal clients actually want, so work feels natural instead of forced
The result: Your bank account grows, your schedule opens up, and running your business stops feeling like a constant uphill battle.
What Makes This Different
I combine three things most coaches don't:
→ 16 years of business consulting helping service businesses grow 3-100x
→ ICF PCC-certified coach specializing in burnout and ADHD (so you can actually tolerate delegating)
→ Lived experience — I spent 16 years creating million-dollar results for everyone but myself
Plus: 600+ clients, 5.0 average rating.
We get your nervous system in shape to be able to tolerate the life you want, then help you build the business that supports the dream life you’ve been too scared to let yourself want.
How We Work Together
I offer intensive strategic partnerships for service-based business owners making $500K-$2M who are stuck in overwork mode.
You get:
Systems building tailored to your business
Ways to recover up to 10 hours of your time, weekly
Pumpkin Plan optimization
Accountability so you actually move strategic work forward
Science backed nervous system regulation strategies
Strategic planning time
You step into CEO mode. Your business runs without constant firefighting. You pay yourself consistently. You take profit out of your revenue first, and set it aside before your expenses. You’re clear on what the business can afford, and have savings to cover payroll if things get bumpy. You can & do take time off.
What Past Clients Say:
“One of the Best Descisions”
"I've had the opportunity to work with Lissy for coming up on two years now, and it's been one of the best decisions I've made in my life.
As an overwhelmed professional who felt lost in my career and swamped by a busy schedule, carving out time with Lissy allowed me to develop techniques to get through my day, connect with my intuition and create space for self-reflection.
Lissy honestly served as a guide to the things that are most important to me in my life, and through gentle guidance and direction, has coached me every step of the way onto a career path I'd never in a million years think I'd get to do (becoming a full time artist).
Lissy is warm and professional, and we've developed a real relationship where she really understands me. Her advice and techniques are incredible."
C.M.
Getting out of Reactivity
"Through Lissy’s thoughtful approach to coaching, I learned how to slow down instead of immediately react, identify internal clues to emotions that were challenging my ability to effectively communicate and be more open
and direct with my team.
The coaching plan and directional guidance were a solid, clear and non-overwhelming foundation for me to identify and work on changing the things I wanted to. Through their ability to dig deeper in our conversations, I was able to make so much progress in our time working together and feel more grounded, curious and open in conversations at work and in life."
K.R.