Mar 18 2025 33 mins
This week I sit down with Laurie Stirling, business leader of the year and operations expert with over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience. Laurie shares her journey from graphic designer to web developer to business coach, and how she landed a role as a Clockwork coach by boldly "shooting her shot" with an email.
We dive deep into how creative entrepreneurs can identify their bottlenecks, scale strategically, and create stability despite unpredictable cash flow. If you're feeling maxed out on time, struggling with work-life balance, or wondering which areas of your business to delegate first, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you buy back your time and focus on being the talent in your business.
Laurie breaks down different scaling strategies that actually work for creative entrepreneurs, from finding the right support staff to developing frameworks that allow you to transfer trust to your team. She also shares brilliant financial tips for creating stability when income fluctuates, including her "one month ahead" budgeting approach that has helped countless business owners sleep better at night.
"Business is different. Don't approach everyone the same and just say, just do this same model that worked for my last client. It's different for everyone, different personalities." - Laurie Stirling
Resources from this episode:
- Laurie's Bottleneck Quiz
- Book recommendation: Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz
- Book recommendation: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
More about Laurie Stirling:
Laurie Stirling is a seasoned entrepreneur with 20 years of experience and an award-winning business coach specializing in helping creative entrepreneurs scale their businesses without being overwhelmed. Laurie works with business owners who are the talent behind their success but have hit maximum capacity and can’t step away without losing revenue. With her expertise in strategic planning, team building, and process automation, Laurie coaches clients to extract their unique skills, refine their intellectual property, and delegate effectively, so they can grow their business and still take time for themselves. As a certified Agile business analyst and winner of the 2024 Global CFO Business Award for Strategic Planning Business Leader of the Year, Laurie is passionate about helping overworked entrepreneurs regain balance while continuing to expand.
Connect with Laurie Stirling:
- Website: https://www.lauriestirling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurie.stirling/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriestirling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriestirlingconsulting/
Connect with Sam:
- Website: https://www.systemswithsam.com/services
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/systemswithsam/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwhiz/