Let me tell you about the most random way I’ve ever met a student. It wasn’t through an ad. She didn’t find me through the podcast. No, Laura found me in a Facebook mom group during one of my least finest moments.
Here’s what happened: Someone posted about wanting to be a stay-at-home mom while making money and homeschooling. So I chimed in, suggested freelancing, dropped my podcast link, and went about my day. Then, some woman commented that you “can’t have it all” and basically implied that being a mom and having a business was impossible.
Y’all, I got triggered. I wrote a whole response about how that 1950s mentality needed to stay in the past. It was not my finest hour. I deleted it about 30 minutes later because I realized I was getting into a comment war with a troll.
But guess who saw it before I deleted it? Laura. She popped into my inbox like, “Hey, I saw your post in that neighborhood group, and I see you run a business. Wanna get coffee?”
At the time, I had no idea she didn’t know who I was. She just thought I was another mom working from home. And honestly? That’s what made our connection so genuine.
Fast forward a little over a year, and Laura has gone from a burned-out social media manager making $2,400 a month running content for five businesses to a thriving ad manager who just hit $9,800 in January. And she’s doing it all while being the present mom she always wanted to be.
Let me break down exactly how she did it.
The Breaking Point That Changes Everything
When Laura and I first sat down for coffee, she was managing social media for five businesses but only getting paid for two clients. Let that sink in. She was completely maxed out on time with no way to take on more work.
“I was feeling a little bit lonely,” Laura told me. “I didn’t have anyone to talk with about the struggles of freelancing and trying to fit work into the schedule and the spots that I had available.”
Here’s what she realized: Social media management is a long game. You’re constantly putting in the reps, but the return takes forever to show. She wanted to get her clients more tangible, measurable results. And she knew that learning ads was the answer.
But here’s the thing that almost stopped her cold: she was terrified that making more money would mean being less present as a mom.
This is something I see all the time with service providers who are also mamas. They think there’s some magical income threshold where suddenly they become bad mothers. Let me tell you something right now: It doesn’t matter if you’re making $2,000, $20,000, or $100,000 a month. You’re still going to question if you’re being a good enough mom.
I’ve been at all those levels. The mom guilt doesn’t change based on your income. So if you’re gonna feel guilty anyway, you might as well make more money while you’re at it.
The Moment She Went All In
After our coffee chat, I sent Laura one of my podcast episodes. She didn’t listen to it right away because she was about to attend a three-day event to learn ads from someone else.
But here’s where things got interesting. After sitting through that event, she listened to my 15-minute podcast episode on SLO funnels and learned more from that than the entire three-day conference.
“I was like, this is what I want to learn,” she said. “I want to be at this high level.”
So she messaged me and said something I’ll never forget: “Originally I thought we would be friends, but I really want to learn from you.”
And y’all, I honestly thought she was going to start with Conversions for Clients because of where she was in her business. But no. Laura decided to jump straight into Strategist Society, our higher-level program for service providers who are ready to scale.
When I asked her why she chose the bigger investment when she was only making $2,400 a month, her answer was perfect:
“I wanted to either go all in or not go at all. I didn’t want to go alone.”
This is the mindset shift that separates service providers who scale from those who stay stuck. Laura didn’t just want to learn ads. She wanted the support system, the community, and someone to walk with her through her business so she wouldn’t give up when things got hard.
Why Most Service Providers Quit Too Soon
Here’s the truth nobody wants to hear: Business doesn’t happen overnight. Learning a new skill, finding new clients, and building momentum takes time. That’s exactly why Strategist Society is a year-long commitment, not a three-month sprint.
Laura understood this from day one. She knew that adding a new skill on top of serving existing clients would be challenging. And she was right. There were moments over the past year when she questioned everything.
“There were a couple of times that I was like, is this worth it?” she admitted. “When you’re in that growth period of business, there’s so much tension going on. You’re trying to be a mom, you’re trying to be a business owner, you’re trying to help your clients.”
But she kept showing up. She did the time studies when she felt like she didn’t have enough hours in the day. She did the daily touchpoints even when she didn’t see immediate results. She stayed consistent when nothing seemed to be working.
And then something beautiful happened.
The 60 Days That Changed Everything
Right before everything took off, Laura hit her lowest point. She actually prayed about whether she should just be a stay-at-home mom or keep pushing to scale her business.
“I remember being like, let your will be done,” she told me. “And Brandi, it’s so interesting because a proposal that I had sent for a VIP day two months prior was signed later that day. And it was my highest retainer.”
That’s when she knew. It was time to go.
Let me give you the numbers because I know y’all love the specifics:
November: $4,000 December: $5,000 January: $9,800
In 60 days, she more than doubled her monthly revenue. But it didn’t happen because of luck. It happened because of all the seeds she’d been planting for months.
One new client had great success with her ads right away and referred her to multiple people. She landed two more clients from that single referral. Then, intensives started coming in from a networking event she’d hosted months before. Friends reached out asking for help.
All of a sudden, she had so much interest in what she was offering. But here’s the key: she was ready to receive it because she’d done the work.
How She’s Finding Clients (Without Just Working With Online Businesses)
A lot of people think the only way to make money as a service provider is to work with online businesses. Laura is proof that’s not true.
She’s getting clients through:
- Cold emails as part of her daily touchpoints
- Networking groups, including a women’s networking breakfast she led
- Facebook groups where she’s active and helpful
- Local connections and referrals
Three of her clients right now are local to her. She just showed up at a networking event, talked about how ads can benefit businesses, and walked away with two clients.
This is what daily touchpoints look like in action. You’re not going super hard for a month and then stopping. You’re building consistency. You’re showing up even when it doesn’t feel like it’s working. And eventually, all those touches start converting.
The Skills That Made the Biggest Difference
When I asked Laura what’s been the most valuable thing she’s gotten from Strategist Society, she didn’t hesitate:
“Time studies are a huge one,” she said. “Because when I say I don’t have enough time, I know that I can do a time study and see where I’m wasting it or where I’m just not utilizing my time in the best way.”
The second thing? Daily touchpoints. Before joining, she only marketed her business through word of mouth. And as she learned, that only gets you so far.
“You’re not really creating any momentum for your business,” she explained. “The daily touchpoints is something that’s probably one of my biggest takeaways. You can’t slow down on those touchpoints, especially in the beginning of your business.”
This is exactly what I teach: Consistency beats intensity every single time. It’s not about going hard for a week and burning out. It’s about showing up every single day with your five daily habits and building something sustainable.
What Success Actually Looks Like Now
Here’s what I love about Laura’s story. Her definition of success hasn’t changed. She still wants the same thing she wanted a year ago: to be a present mom and fit work in while her kids are at school.
But now she has the confidence and the income to actually make it happen.
“What’s so exciting right now in my business is that it almost feels like I can predict my income,” she told me. “If we want to go on a vacation in May and that vacation is going to cost a certain amount of dollars, I know how many clients I need.”
She’s gamifying her business. She knows that her systems and processes are getting dialed in so she can do more in less time. And the best part? She’s helping other businesses grow while being the present mom she always wanted to be.
“A lot of the clients I’ve attracted recently have not felt confident in their own businesses,” she said. “To see them gaining momentum, that is such a reward.”
What Would You Tell Someone on the Fence?
If you’re sitting there thinking about investing in yourself but scared it won’t work, here’s what Laura wants you to know:
“Sometimes the investment is what will drive you. If you aren’t sure if you’ll be able to stick with something long enough to see it work, then the investment is what you need.”
She knew her family was investing in her education and the growth of her business. There was no way she wasn’t going to see it through.
The investment kept her accountable. The weekly calls kept her learning. The community kept her going when she wanted to quit. And the confidence she gained from compounding her knowledge week over week? That’s what ultimately got her to $9,800 months.
“I truly was praying for exactly what you offer, and I didn’t even know it existed,” Laura told me. “You teach not only the high-level education, but also the community along with it.”
You Can Have It All
Y’all, Laura’s story is proof that you don’t have to choose between being a present mom and having a successful business. It’s not an either/or situation. It’s an and.
She went from running herself ragged as a social media manager for five businesses at $2,400 a month to a confident ad manager hitting nearly $10,000 months while getting her kids off the bus, doing homework with them, and playing in the cul-de-sac for three hours if she wants.
It didn’t happen overnight. She had to learn a new skill. She had to find new clients. She had to network. She had to keep showing up when she didn’t see results. But she stuck with it. She didn’t give up. She invested in her success, and it paid off.
Your journey will look different. Some of you will do it much faster than others. But it’s not a race. It’s about following your path, not giving up, and knowing that success is available to every single one of you. It’s not something that’s only given to a select few.
You get to determine what success looks like for you and how you’re gonna chase it.
If you’re ready to stop running yourself ragged and start building a business that actually supports the life you want, I want to invite you to apply for Strategist Society. It’s limited spots, but if you’re ready to learn ads, implement real systems, and have a community of women who get what you’re going through, head to thestrategistsociety.com and apply.
We’ll hop on a quick call, no pressure, just to see where your business is and whether it’s the right fit for you.
And if you’re earlier in your journey and just getting started with ads, check out conversionsforclients.com. It’s the perfect starting point for service providers who want to add a high-value, results-driven skill to their business.
Whatever you’re doing, I want you to know: You can be a mom. You can be present. And you can have a successful business.
Until next time, go out, serve your clients, scale your business, and soar into the success you deserve.
This post is based on an episode of the Serve Scale Soar podcast. Listen to the full conversation with Laura for even more details on her journey from social media manager to ad manager.
** This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you use one of the links to purchase. This helps keep the podcast going and I only share products I have used, tested and love.”
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Meet Brandi
Brandi Mowles is the host of the Serve Scale Soar® podcast which is a podcast dedicated to helping service-based entrepreneurs scale their online business to five-figure months so they can soar into six-figure years. Brandi is a wife, mom and in less than one year, created a six-figure business. Now she is spilling all her secrets so you can too.
