The Right-Sized Business: Creating Success on Your Terms with Amber Smith

What IF the primary purpose of your business isn't to serve the world, it's to make you rich? And, service is just the byproduct? That's the kind of assumption-flipping you hear from Amber Smith, my coach and the author of Quiet Wealth, who joins me this week to talk about what she calls a "right-sized" business — one built around what you actually want, instead of what scaling culture told you to want. Amber shares the moment she sat in a room full of entrepreneurs planning their company exits and realized she didn't want one — she wanted to know her clients' names, not just their account numbers. I share my own version of that: deciding I needed a "me Monday," immediately judging myself for it ("who takes a full day during the "work week" to do whatever they want?"), and then realizing that day isn't selfish — it's the seed for everything I create the rest of the week. We also get into the practical side: how "the math has to math" — what you charge has to actually fund the life you want, on the hours you actually want to work. And how an energy audit (looking at what gives you energy versus what drains it) can show you what to keep, change, or hand off entirely. One of my favorite moments was when Amber said: "It's good for the world when you get what you want." That idea has stayed with me since we recorded. In this episode, we talk about: What a right-sized business actually means, and why it looks different for everyone Building your business around your life — instead of shaping your life around your business Why "the math has to math": pricing and working hours that actually fund the life you want Using an energy audit to spot what's draining you and what's worth doing more of Why experimentation (and noticing dread) is often how you find clarity Defining success on your own terms — and why that number is different for everyone This episode is part of the Work Your Way Summer Series — a collection of conversations about rethinking work, creativity, and the way you move through your days. Explore the full series here. If this conversation has you wondering where your energy is actually going, you might want to check out the Energy Alignment Intensive — a 30-day program to help you see what's working, what's not, and where the small shifts are. Learn more here.