Lori McDonald Went From NASA Engineer to 20-Person Agency Founder

Today we talk with Lori McDonald, founder of Brilliance Business Solutions. A 20-person ecomm marketing agency.💼 Join 47,000+ following on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfoconnor/🐦 Join 40,000+ following on Twitter: https://x.com/BrianFOConnor---00:00 We Sold Out — Then Hit a Wall00:19 NASA to Founder: Lori’s Unlikely Career Pivot00:49 The Brutal “Hobby vs Business” Moment04:11 The Price Increase That Changed Everything06:20 Know Your Numbers or Stall Your Growth08:27 Fixed Bid vs Hourly: What Actually Protects Margins11:24 “Success Plans”: Win-Win Retainers That Work11:53 The Leadership Skill Most Teams Avoid: Healthy Conflict15:35 How to Introduce Conflict Culture After an Acquisition20:31 Gossip, Triangling, and Unhealthy Team Dynamics27:59 They Thought Remote Would Fail — They Were Wrong33:50 Hiring for Values, Not Just Resume Skills35:37 Buying a Business Isn’t “Easy Mode”37:20 From Demand Surge to Capacity Crunch in Manufacturing42:32 What Lori Is Focused on Now: Repeat Rate + Margin Growth