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Episode 585: 9 Retreats and 5 Years Later… Here’s What I Really Learned About Building a Business That Feels Good

podcast Nov 10, 2025
9 Retreats and 5 Years Later… Here’s What I Really Learned About Building a Business That Feels Good

In this week’s pep talk, I am sharing what nine retreats and five years of running the Collective Co-Op have taught me about building a business that’s strategic and joyful. From soulful strategy to simplicity and community, these lessons prove that growth doesn’t have to come at the cost of your schedule—or your sanity.

 

In today’s episode, I share:

  • 02:50 – Why growth doesn’t have to come at the cost of your schedule (and how I learned this the hard way)
  • 05:00 – How pairing strategy with soul creates deeper, faster results that actually last
  • 07:20 – The power of simplicity—and the question that helps you scale without burnout
  • 09:50 – Why community changes everything and how connection fuels longevity
  • 12:20 – How to make your business fit your life (not the other way around)
  • 14:40 – Why fun is a legitimate business strategy—and the energy shift it creates
  • 16:50 – My final reflection after nine retreats and five years: what it really means to build something that lasts

 

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Learn more about the Collective Co-Op → www.holllymariehaynes.com/coop

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

 

🔗 FREE RESOURCES: https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme

 
Holly Marie Haynes

Written by

Holly Marie Haynes

Business strategist, host of the Crush the Rush™ Podcast, and founder of Anti-Social School™. After 22 years in Fortune 500 strategy, I built a life-first business in part-time hours. Now I help women entrepreneurs grow without living on social media.

Read my story →

A FREE PRIVATE PODCAST FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

How to Grow a Profitable Business without Social Media

A 9-episode private podcast for the founder in the messy middle of business growth. Inside, I'll walk you through the same framework I've taught 1,000+ women entrepreneurs, the one I use to run my business on less than 1 hour a week of social media. Email marketing, AI, GEO, and the systems behind a sales-generating business that runs whether you post or not.

Less than 1 hour a week. Whole weeks offline. No algorithm. No burnout.

Not sure where to start? Take the 2-minute quiz →

A FREE PRIVATE PODCAST FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

How to Grow a Profitable Business without Social Media

A 9-episode private podcast for the founder in the messy middle of business growth. Inside, I'll walk you through the same framework I've taught 1,000+ women entrepreneurs, the one I use to run my business on less than 1 hour a week of social media. Email marketing, AI, GEO, and the systems behind a sales-generating business that runs whether you post or not.

Less than 1 hour a week. Whole weeks offline. No algorithm. No burnout.

Not sure where to start? Take the 2-minute quiz →

Holly Marie Haynes is a business strategist helping women build profitable, life-first businesses without social media, through Crush the Rush™ and Anti-Social School™.

Holly Marie Haynes is a business strategist helping women build profitable, life-first businesses without social media, through Crush the Rush™ and Anti-Social School™.