Behind the scenes at our in-person mastermind


Reader —

We may only be four weeks into the new year, but I’m already having an amazing 2025. I spent the early part of the month kicking off Q1 with all of my clients at our online planning retreat.

And then I scurried up north with three clients for our Savvy Syndicate mastermind.

The extended time together allowed for a much deeper look into each woman's business than is usually feasible during Zoom calls. And the unscripted time each of us had to explore the grounds in quiet contemplation made for richer conversations during meals and hotseat sessions.

Speaking of rich conversations, we've released three new episodes of The Business You Really Want:

Subscribe on your favorite podcast player or YouTube to get notified each Tuesday when episodes go live.

Quick Hits:

→ I recently appeared on the Booch News podcast discussing how kombucha businesses can scale sustainably without burnout. Fun fact: Half of all kombucha brewing businesses are founded by women.

→ Join us on Feb. 19 for the Small Biz Book Club, featuring author Tamsen Webster discussing her latest book, "Say What They Can't Unhear"

→ Looking for a fresh take on business community? Check out The Playhouse, a community for creative solopreneurs. I teach monthly inside the membership. Join now access to my next workshop, Can't Keep Up? 10 Tactics to Make a Difference in Your Business, and check out events from business owners in a variety of industries.

Here's to creating success on your own terms,

Gwen

P.S. Want to join our next mastermind retreat? Reply to this email to start the conversation.

PO Box 1133, Merced, CA 95341
Unsubscribe

Everyday Effectiveness | Biz Ops Exposed

Gwen Bortner is a no-nonsense Operational Strategist and Business Advisor with an intuitive coaching mindset. She helps visionary female entrepreneurs achieve their most ambitious goals without the stress and overwhelm of trying to do it all on their own. Her approach comes from the belief that personal and professional success looks different for everyone, and most business owners waste time and energy trying to conform to outside expectations and definitions of success. From finance to IT, and small business operations to academia, Gwen has seen cookie-cutter strategies put organizations on the fast track to frustration, burnout, and eventually failure. Problem-solving is her zone of genius, and Gwen can quickly discern the root cause of issues, simplify systems and processes, then create the most direct path to any given solution.

Read more from Everyday Effectiveness | Biz Ops Exposed

Reader — It’s been six months since Tonya Kubo and I launched The Business You Really Want, a podcast for women who want sustainable success in business and in life. As of today, we’ve produced 30 episodes — which puts us in the top 5% of podcasts. Would you believe 90% of podcasts never make it past three episodes? When I think about it, it’s both surprising and not surprising. It surprises me because I can’t imagine going through the time, energy and effort to launch a podcast only to...

Reader — Guess what? Author Tamsen Webster will be joining us for the Small Biz Book Club discussion of her latest book, Say What They Can't Unhear this Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 10 to 11 a.m. Pacific. Don't worry if you haven't read the book. You're still welcome to join us. Sometimes the best insights come from hearing others discuss their takeaways and experiences. I'm a big fan of audiobooks myself, so whether you prefer reading or listening, the Small Biz Book Club is designed to help you...

From Insight to Impact - Your weekly nudge toward sustainable success

Reader — Every Friday, I sit down with my clients and ask them four carefully crafted questions based on our work together. Time and again, I've watched the right question delivered at the right moment shift a business owner's entire perspective. My questions aren't random. They are carefully crafted based on my experience helping entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses for the past several decades. And my goal for 2025 is to bring this transformative practice to more business owners at...