10 Books That Can Help You Recharge, Reset and Exit Summer Ready to Conquer the World
Whitney Balish: Cruise Director, SOCO
What’s Your Plan This Summer? 💤 ☀️ 🏄
Travel? Relaxation? Working on those fitness goals? Sleeping for 2 months? You best have some personal growth in there!
Whatever your plans, summer is always an interesting time. The world slows down a little bit and we veer from our normal work, hustle and parenting routines (for those who know, you know). We see it over here at SOCO (and actually love it). But, the work, personal growth and improvement shouldn’t just stop.
This summer, we’d like to challenge you to invest in the idea that summer is also about personal growth for you. So, how can you keep moving forward, even when things slow down? With some great personal development books. We’ve picked out some winners that will help you make progress without feeling like you’re “reading a work book”. 🫠
10 Books With Our “Hot Take” On Their Value 🔥
We have some avid readers around here and we’re always looking to soak up some new knowledge that will help us do better work without sacrificing our personal time (or sanity). Each book below provides unique strategies to help recharge your mind, reset your routines, and approach the fall with renewed energy and purpose. These books are engaging, easy to read, and filled with valuable lessons that can be easily integrated into your daily life for you to start fall with your best foot forward.
Our Take: For when you are struggling with work life balance, a fun and funny read.
From Good Reads: Overwhelmed is a book about time pressure and modern life. It is a deeply reported and researched, honest and often hilarious journey from feeling that, as one character in the book said, time is like a “rabid lunatic” running naked and screaming as your life flies past you, to understanding the historical and cultural roots of the overwhelm, how worrying about all there is to do and the pressure of feeling like we’re never have enough time to do it all, or do it well, is “contaminating” our experience of time, how time pressure and stress is resculpting our brains and shaping our workplaces, our relationships and squeezing the space that the Greeks said was the point of living a Good Life: that elusive moment of peace called leisure.
Our Take: How to delegate and let some things go. You can achieve more by doing less. Drop The Ball is a must read.
From Good Reads: A bold and inspiring memoir and manifesto from a renowned voice in the women’s leadership movement who shows women how to cultivate the single skill they really need in order to thrive: the ability to let go.
Our Take: Nurture your creativity and curiosity. Habits and processes for living your most creative life.
From Good Reads: Gilbert offers insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration in Big Magic. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.
#4: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
by James Clear
Our Take: Our first SOCO book club pick! Members of our community including myself loved the framework this provides to make small positive changes with a big impact.
From Good Reads: No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving—every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
Our Take: Declutter your mind and focus on what really matters. We liked this so much, we did a Communal Podcast on the subject.
From Good Reads: The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. It is not a time management strategy, or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.
#6: Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
by Cal Newport
Our Take: Being able to focus without distraction? This isn’t just a skill it is a super power.
From Good Reads: One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you’ll achieve extraordinary results.
Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there’s a better way.
Our Take: It is a classic for a reason. If you haven’t read this yet consider it your sign to do so. This books breaks down the 7 principles for being your best self and some of the smartest people we know swear by this book.
From Good Reads: When Stephen Covey first released The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the book became an instant rage because people suddenly got up and took notice that their lives were headed off in the wrong direction; and more than that, they realized that there were so many simple things they could do in order to navigate their life correctly. This book was wonderful education for people, education in how to live life effectively and get closer to the ideal of being a ‘success’ in life.
#8: Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less
Our Take: With science and insights, rest is work too and you NEED it (and Rest is the book you’ve been missing).
From Good Reads: Overwork is the new normal. Rest is something to do when the important things are done-but they are never done. Looking at different forms of rest, from sleep to vacation, Silicon Valley futurist and business consultant Alex Soojung-Kim Pang dispels the myth that the harder we work the better the outcome. He combines rigorous scientific research with a rich array of examples of writers, painters, and thinkers—from Darwin to Stephen King—to challenge our tendency to see work and relaxation as antithetical. “Deliberate rest,” as Pang calls it, is the true key to productivity, and will give us more energy, sharper ideas, and a better life. Rest offers a roadmap to rediscovering the importance of rest in our lives, and a convincing argument that we need to relax more if we actually want to get more done.
Our Take: Life is short and you need to focus on what really matters. This book focuses on the author’s experiences with happiness and offers advice on how to be your happiest self. And let’s face it…with the complexities of life, work, family, kids and the greater world…we could all use a little more.
From Good Reads: Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.
#10: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
by Susan Cain
Our Take: Greetings from your resident introvert! There are actually a lot of us and actually a lot of advantages to being one. 😂
From Good Reads:
At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society.
In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.
In Conclusion
Summer is a time to slow it down, but also to catch up on some of the “work” we all need to do to show up in our jobs, for our families and our community. So, pick three of these books that resonate with you and where you are on the journey and read one per month. You owe it to yourself to hit that reset button whilst sipping a pina colada by your inflatable pool. 🏖️
Speaking of Happiness ✨
While we’re on the subject of happiness, doing your best work and generally being a bad-assed human…we think you should come find your happy (work) place with us at SOCO. We work really hard to create great workspaces filled with excellent, kind humans, chock-full of amenities like blazing wifi, bottomless coffee/tea and well appointed meeting rooms. We have coworking, fixed desk and private office options. Hell. You can just come for a day or book a meeting room for that next creative sesh. Come check us out and see if you don’t do better work here.
About The Author
Whitney Balish is a Columbia, SC native and the “Cruise Director” over here at SOCO, responsible for marketing, business development and member services. She’s a self-identified introvert and bibliophile, reading nearly 60 books a year. When she’s not crushing the pages, she’s busy creating great community over here at SOCO and finding ways to help our members win.
How I take time off as a solopreneur without crying or getting fired by all my clients
Guest Post by Ben Culbreth, Culbreth Copywriting
Flexibility. The Great Entrepreneurial Myth? Maybe
Time off. Flexibility. Work wherever you want. Travel.
These are the things we, the freelancers and solopreneurs, believe we’ll bask in when we embark on this journey. Then it happens. You’re halfway through the summer, scrolling on Instagram and you see all your 9-to-5 friends on a vacation. They’re having a great time. No laptop in sight.
Meanwhile, the last vacation you took caused even more work because your Airbnb’s spotty WiFi constantly disconnected. You lost time on projects you said “wouldn’t take much time,” and we all know how that goes. So, you came back less rested and refreshed than you were before.
My friends, there’s a bit of a problem with taking time off in this country. And maybe no one struggles with the eternal battle of actually enjoying the perks of not having a PTO plan more than those who are in the business of themselves.
5 Strategies To Take Time Off That You Can Do 🔥
Let’s go through some ways that I’ve taken time off without curling up in the fetal position when I return to work. Am I the leading expert on how to take vacations as a solopreneur? Maybe. I’m still waiting for LinkedIn to get back to me. But until then, just know I don’t have this all down to a science.
Some of these things may work great for you. Some won’t. But the only way to find out is by giving this time off thing the old college try. And when you look back, I have a sneaking suspicion you won’t say be upset about taking more time off.
#1: Build your boundaries ⛔
Before I could start taking time off without dragging my laptop around, I had to learn why it’s important to set really solid boundaries with clients.
I used to take on last-minute projects or respond to requests right away. Not only is this not a great way to run a business, but it’s exhausting and sets the expectation with clients that you’re always available.
Then, it’s a shock to them when you suddenly go on vacation and don’t respond. That’s a them problem, but it’s a you (and me) problem, too. If you give them the idea that you’re available even when you’re off or never off, they will treat you as such.
Even when I’m not on vacation or off work, I still focus on these boundaries. So, I:
Rarely reply to emails right away, and I push back on last-minute requests (those go away pretty quickly when “No” becomes a regular part of your business buzzwords).
Don’t respond to emails at night or after hours.
Stopped taking on last-minute requests and plan projects much further in advance.
If you’re like me, you might think about what could happen if stop doing these things. What if you miss an important email at 9:30 PM? (hint: you won’t).
Once you start enforcing boundaries, people, including you, tend to respect them.
#2a: Plan way, way ahead 🗓️
My vacation time is a little easier because I’m married to a teacher. The dates we travel are well defined and planned over a year in advance by the fine folks at the school district.
That’s mostly good because it means we’re often on vacation at the same time as everyone else.
But if you’re like me and have monthly retainer clients with a set list of deliverables every month, you’re probably wondering if you need to pack your laptop to keep everything moving and get paid.
I did that at one point. It wasn’t fun.
Now, I do all the work at the end of the vacation. My clients (and I imagine most of yours) are fine with this. If I’m going to be away for two weeks or more, I let customers know at least two months in advance.
I also bring them a plan for how the work will get done. I think that’s the most important part of effectively taking time off. For one thing, it helps you know exactly what needs to be done. It also communicates to your client that you’re thinking about what they need and taking the planning off their plate.
#2b: Be Really Clear. Clarity is Kindness 📣
When I went to Europe last summer, I contacted my retainer clients and told them what was happening. I let them know the dates that I’d be off from work. I made sure that they all understood what was going on, how it would impact them, what they could/could not expect and had a chance to process. And this next part is very important, so read it very carefully.
I told them I would have no access to email. No matter how hard they tried, they would not be able to reach me (gasp!).
Then, I outlined the deliverables due while I was gone. I provided an updated timeline of when I’d deliver the work and allowed enough time for feedback and edits before I left.
I got zero pushback on this plan. Was it a lot of work before the trip? Yes. But it meant I could relax in my coach seat on the flight and not worry about getting things done or what days I would need to work while we were away.
And I cannot understate how different a mindset this is compared to a working vacation.
#3: Delete your email (or go somewhere it won’t work) ❌
One of my toxic traits is that I’m very tempted to check my email. Gen Z automatically clicks TikTok when they’re on their phone; I click on Outlook.
It’s a habit I’ve slowly broken over the years, but it still has a strong hold on me. It’s like I crave the horror and nightmares that lurk in my inbox.
So, if I really want to unplug, I just delete the app. When it’s gone, the temptation to check it disappears, too. Problem solved. Plus, I’ve never come back to any horror or nightmares after doing this.
If you’re like one co-founder of SOCO and podcast host of Communal and deleting your email app is just not an option, consider going somewhere remote enough that no matter how many times you click refresh, you’ll never get those messages.
And pack bear spray, please.
#4: Plan for coming back to work 😿 vs 😺
This is a more challenging step because there’s enough work to do before you leave, much less planning for when you return.
But planning for what you’ll need to do when you return is just as important, maybe more so, than the pre-planning. I could have done this better on my last big vacation.
The tricky part about being a service-based solopreneur is for the most part, if we’re not working the business isn’t working.
So, when you take time off, the work stops but so does the marketing, business development, administrative work, you get the idea. Reach out to your existing clients before you leave and ask them what they’ll be working on when you return. Find out where they need support.
And tell your network about your time off and that you’ll be available for work when you return.
#5: Pick your Battles 🪖
Just about every entrepreneur has experienced the ebbs and flows of new projects and clients. So, at some point, you’ll probably find yourself in a season when you may need to work a bit while on vacation.
I know, I know; before you start calling me a hypocrite, hear me out.
Working on vacation doesn’t mean working the whole time. And it shouldn’t mean answering emails or doing low-value work.
Pick a time when you can work that still allows you to spend time with your family or whoever you’re with. Be intentional about what you do. Don’t fill those few short work hours with meaningless tasks you could do anytime.
Focus on high-value work that will actually benefit your business. Make the sacrifice of being a little plugged in worth it to you and the people who matter.
It’s that easy
Ha. I wish.
I still don’t have all this stuff figured out. And I still struggle to step away from work sometimes. If boundaries and real, unplugged vacations are a new thing, give yourself some grace. It’ll take a bit to figure out what’s best for you and you’ll learn how to do these things.
Now, go, thrive on your time off, and revel in the glory of a laptop left shut and an inbox unopened.
Need a Little More Inspiration? ✨
Need some more inspiration to throw your phone in the ocean? Check out Gene, Greg and Ben’s conversation on The Communal Podcast on this very topic. Fun, funny and full of good insights that might help YOU if you’re struggling to figure out why and how to do this elusive thing called “Time Off”.
About The Author
Ben Culbreth is a content strategist and copywriter and the only one who shows up for work at Culbreth Copywriting LLC. He helps folks develop branding and content strategies and writes copy for websites, emails, and customer stories. He lives in South Carolina. He’s been an active and passionate member of the SOCO Community. You can read his words and see his work at benjaminculbreth.com.
A Commentary On Time Management, Productivity and Work/Life Balance
Let’s Talk About Dishes
How do you load the dishwasher? No really? Are you a “let it pile up and I’ll tackle it all at once” kinda human or a “that dish just landed and I’m coming in hot” kinda person? Or maybe you’re the “Just what I need, when I need it” weirdo. I’m sort of obsessed with ways to get more out of myself, my day and (of course) my work. I think it’s a healthy reverence. My friends and family use “obsession” (whatevs).
If you hang around SOCO long enough, you’ll inevitably see me hovering over the dishwasher rearranging mugs and glasses and bowls in the eternal search for the “optimized wash”
ps: In case you were wondering, there’s a scientifically-backed approach to doing it well – thank you American Cleaning Institute. 😎
pss: Yes. Hannah Lee and I are working on a team member handbook on how to optimize dishwashing as one of our core values. 🙌🏾
What The Hell Are You Talking About, Greg?
Well friend. Washing dishes is a corollary for your work (or your life or both):
It’s a daily routine (for most of us)
It can feel never ending (you run it and 10 minutes later they’re baaaaack!)
If you don’t tend to them, they pile up and can create a lot of stress and not just for you (don’t believe me? Read this).
They suck! Like, who raises their hand for dishes??? But, you just have to do it (kind of like work for most of us).
And finally…there are a like hundred different ways to getting them done!
So, Why Are You Creating Dishwasher Distress?
Here goes. The actual dishes are ALL THE THINGS IN YOUR LIFE. 💥
Your work commitments. Your social relationships. Your family needs. Your personal time. Your mom (that you haven’t called back in weeks). If you need to spend time on it, then it’s a “dish”. And you need to take care of each one (eventually). But every bloody week, the dishes pile up and you can never seem to get around to all of them.
What needs to go in right now? What can wait? Are the plates more important than the mugs? Do some need to be washed by hand because they are delicate or breakable? How many minutes should I spend standing over this sink before I go postal (I can’t be the only one)?
My point is this. It’s all gotta get done. So, the real question is what’s important to you and how do you handle things when when the “shit” piles up?
6 Things We Can Learn About “Balance” From Dishes
There’s Always Dirty Work: We all want to do the high value work that’s strategic and high value. But, you’re fooling yourself if you think you can avoid the dirty work all the time. In fact, sometimes leadership is more about showing than telling. So, lead by example and get your hands dirty. 🧼
Take Pleasure In Small Wins/Steps/Efforts: Struggling with an overwhelming task? Start small. Wash a dish. And then another. And then another. Small wins can have a profound impact on your well-being. Take baby steps towards your goal and before you know it…”the dishes are done man…”. 😂
Find Purpose In All Things: Washing dishes, taking out the trash, cleaning out your inbox, decluttering your workspace, reviewing your spending…whatever the mundane task…it does serve a purpose. Assign value to the outcome and transcend the monotony of the task. For me (at home), washing the dishes is one way that I say “I love you” to my partner. I wash the dishes (at night mostly) so that when she wakes up, she’ll come into a clean(er) kitchen. That reduces her stress and that’s a good thing. 💪🏽
Know Your Priorities: Know When Something Is A Priority (And When It Isn’t). We can’t get it all done. Stop trying. Really. So, life is really about choosing where to invest your time and in what. Take a hard look at where you spend your time and what efforts will help you create the most momentum. Those small tasks can consume your day, but ask yourself if they’re moving the needle or not. If they aren’t, maybe the dishes can wait another day. 🎯
Reward Yourself: Listen. Carrots always work better than sticks. So, if you have to get through some hard stuff (or a hard day/week), know it’s going to suck and set aside some time to reward yourself with something related to emotional, mental or physical wellness. Hard = A Reward. Listen…there’s a reason people plan their vacations in advance. 🏖️
Ask For Help: Sometimes, life can get overwhelming. Being entrepreneurial sometimes feels like you’re the “capitan”, the first mate and everyone else on the deck of the ship. Know when to ask for help and Surround yourself with people who can offer emotional support, practical help, and guidance when needed. 🆘
Looking for a little more?
Check out this great episode on the Communal podcast where Greg and Gene answer listener questions on work/life balance, leadership and remaining your authentic self. It’s a good one.
About The Author:
Greg Hilton is the cofounder and managing partner for SOCO, SOCO is a thriving platform and community focused on supporting creators, indie workers and entrepreneurs just like you. He’s an avid outdoorsman, creator and storyteller.
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Back when I first married my wife Kat, we LOVED to travel and explore the outdoors. We’d go all over the southeast in search of good trails. One fall, we decided to hike from Amicalola Falls (straight) up to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail on Springer Mountain in North Georgia. It’s an epic hike with a memorable visual finish at the start of the storied Appalachian Trail. It’s also a bloody slog and almost all uphill.
Don’t Think. Just Start.
I was anxious to get out there and on the trail and being a confident 30-something, didn’t really do much by way of planning. Kat trusted me, so we got up early, headed to Amicalola and without much fanfare, hit the trail with a small backpack, “enough” water and some snacks to get us through the hike. I wasn’t really worried. It was a pretty straight shot and we had a lot of experience hiking. Also. There’s this wonderful “hike in” hostel up there that is a fantastic mid-way point. They have food, snacks, water and a place to rest should you need it.
When Your Plan Goes To Shit
The “straight” hike was straight alright. Straight up. A brisk pace turned to a snails crawl. We passed the Inn on the way up and stopped in to say hello. We didn’t resupply because we thought we’d do it on the way back down. 5 hours into our hike, we reached the terminus. We celebrated with a few photos and started the trek back down.
That’s when things got worse. We were running low on water and had burned through our provisions. We also took a wrong turn near the top (and our navigation app didn’t work up on the mountain) so by the time we got back on track, our 15 mile hike was looking more like 19.0 miles. Kat was exhausted. I was fatigued.
Then things got a lot worse. We were desperately trying to reach the hike inn hostel and arrived ready to fall over. Trouble was…they had closed up early that day and the placed was locked up. So, we were out of food, running low on water (and light) and still had another terrible 5 miles to go. That was the longest 5 miles of our relationship. Kat was feeling terrible and nearly collapsed a couple of times. The only way we made it down the mountain was by playing word association games to distract ourselves from the hunger, thirst and fatigue.
We laugh about it now, but that 18 miles in 1 day hiking experience tested our relationship and our will/perseverance. And the worst part about it is that it all could have been avoided.
This IS The Entrepreneurial Journey (but, does it have to be?)
I feel like that hike is symbolic of life (and the entrepreneurial journey) in a lot of ways. We’re all scrambling to create opportunities, take risks with social or financial rewards and balance all the elements of our work and lives. Like everything else, we all:
Have lofty, ambitious goals
Feel eternally under-resourced, while being eternally optimistic
Are gritting/willing our way through things
Experience constant obstacles
Have to come up with creative problem solving
Did you have lofty ambitions for this year? Were your sights set on big things? Did you hit the ground running? Charging up the mountain only to run out of water halfway up?
5 Painful Lessons I Learned
If you’re starting a new journey or evaluating the one that you’re on, I humbly submit some suggestions for your consideration based on our “wonderful” experience.
Plan Ahead 🎯 – You can’t ever predict everything that can happen on a journey like this, but you prepare and plan for contingencies. The more you can de-risk a situation, the more likely it is that you’ll achieve success. Where are we going? What’s the journey along the way look like really? What do we need to pack (the right people, enough financial resources, tools that will help make the job easier, etc).
Get a Freaking Map 🗺️ – Listen. It’s just stupid to launch into something big without a good map (read: clear game plan) for where you’re going, what stops along the way you can make along the way (read: milestones) and what alternatives you can take to reach the summit (read: backup plans).
Pack The Essentials 🚰 – Knowing what really matters and focusing on those things can be the difference between achieving your goals and bailing with miles left to go. As Greg McKeown espouses in “Essentialism”, learn to quickly discern the trivial many from the vital few tasks that will help you achieve success.
Check In Often ✅ – Stuff goes wrong. And I’ve never hit a goal that I wasn’t tracking and monitoring. Have some good KPIs that are meaningful. Check in often with those KPIs, your team and yourself.
Correct Your Course 🧭 – Don’t be too proud, confident or stubborn to acknowledge when things are going off course. As Tyson said: “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
About The Author:
Greg Hilton is the cofounder and managing partner for SOCO, SOCO is a thriving platform and community focused on supporting creators, indie workers and entrepreneurs just like you. He’s an avid outdoorsman, creator and storyteller.
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Shannon FranklinKat Swartz + Bre SpauldingKassy Alia RayKaleigh CoxJada WillisHelen JohnsonStarlitt MillerFiona MartinDawn Dawson-HouseBianca SheltonAmy Johnson Ely(Some of) the women of impact in the SOCO Community
Introducing Some Badasses
We’re all surrounded by talented women in our lives. It just so happens that we’re super extra fortunate to be a part of a co-operative work community that is chock full of badass female creators, innovators and community builders. They wear many hats. They take on a bunch of responsibilities. And they do amazing work. So this post is for them.
We want to celebrate their spirit, tell their stories and amplify their voices this month. While we are fortunate to have many, many female members in our community…too many to list here. But these are just some of the folks doing big, cool or interesting things worth noting. Our challenge to you…read their stories, connect with them, follow them. They have causes you can support, skills and knowledge you can hire and stories worth sharing. When women thrive…we all thrive.
PS: There are 12 actually…we couldn’t help ourselves. 😂
Amy Johnson Ely
Amy is the Executive Director for The Palmetto Cycling Coalition whose mission is to make South Carolina bicycle and pedestrian friendly, by improving safety through better access and education, to promote healthy lifestyles and livable and economically viable communities. Amy is a huge advocate for bicycle and pedestrian friendly communities and livable communities; activating stakeholders, citizens and evangelists alike.
Bianca Shelton
Bianca is an entrepreneur, wife, mom and a pizza and Prosecco enthusiast. Her favorite meal is brunch (check out her podcast Books, Brunch and Babes), a lover of all books (she still buys actual books), a branding photoshoot pro (check out her company, the Crawford Austin Agency) and a travel snob.
Dawn Dawson House
Dawn is fighting to preserve, celebrate and elevate African American cultural heritage in South Carolina and beyond. As the Executive Director of the WeGOJA Foundation, Dawn leverages her 20+ years as a tourism professional, storyteller and convener to document, preserve and activate African American heritage in South Carolina. Their wildly popular and award-winning GreenBook of SC provided one of the first of its kind travel guide to SC African American cultural sites. (a co-operative project with SOCO members).
Fiona Martin
Fiona is a competitive triathlete, founder of the worker-owned digital marketing agency FGM Internet Marketing, and an environmental activist. When she’s not designing digital campaigns for companies and causes she believes in, she’s competing at the highest level in triathlons around the world (competing in the ITU World Championships for Team USA). Fiona is a vocal advocate for the environment, sustainable development and equitable access for marginalized persons and cultures.
Helen Johnson
Founder and creative director of digital powerhouse HLJ Creative, Helen Johnson is passionate about combining eye-catching design with data-driven marketing strategies to create brands and websites that make the right impression, accomplish your goals, and lead to long-term growth. She’s an entrepreneur and a super mom. She’s seeing incredible growth and is evolving her team’s capabilities to serve the needs of a new generation of clients.
Jada Willis
A high energy and highly impactful coach, consultant and thought leader in organizational culture, talent attraction & retention and leadership…Jada built and sold her first company in late 2022 and is now working on empowering CEOs to build incredible cultures and companies with several new ventures in the works.
Kaleigh Cox
Freelancer turned creative executive. Kaleigh Cox had a successful career as a freelance copywriter before she met fellow SOCO member Robert Gilbert in the early days of DxTEL. The two joined forces a few years ago and haven’t looked back. DxTEL is a fast growing managed services and platform company serving the rural broadband/telecom industry. Kaleigh has built a reputation as a savvy storyteller and influencer in the space. When she’s not evangelizing for access for everyone, she’s all about faith, family and community.
Kassy Alia Ray
After losing her police officer husband in the line of duty, Kassy was moved to take action and founded Serve & Connect with the mission to help police and citizens work together as one community; Serve & Connect works to heal the relationships between police and the communities they serve and by doing so, creating a future where police and citizens work together as one community.
Katherine Swartz and Bre Spaulding
This dynamic duo is transforming entrepreneurial education and building the next generation of student entrepreneurs at USC through the McNair Institute for Entrepreneurialism and Free Enterprise. Katherine has been transforming nonprofits and shaping the next generation for 20+ years. “Bre” is one of Soda City’s most dynamic young leaders. Working with stakeholders from across the university, the McNair team successfully launched USC’s first ever minor in Entrepreneurship.
Shannon Franklin
Shannon is the Cofounder and COO of Consciously, a creative agency serving the needs of conscious brands including Akimbo (altMBA), B Lab, Black Wealth Data Center, and Planned Parenthood. Consciously builds purpose-driven, inclusive marketing platforms that help companies nourish their business ecosystem. In addition to being a mompreneur and a brand builder, Shannon has launched a life coaching business.
Starlitt Miller
Starlitt Miller is blending a creative background with technology and data with her new startup Transity. In 2022, Starlitt graduated from Visible Hands, a high tech accelerator focused on investing in and lifting up underrepresented founders. She’s a vocal and active member of the Cola startup scene and the most recent Entrepreneur in Residence at the Richland Library.
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Starlitt Miller helps entrepreneurs, freelancers, and micro-business owners manage their money. She’s spent countless hours working with them to help improve their finances. As founder of Start Accounting And Business Solutions (SAABS), she’s an expert in helping people sort through bookkeeping problems and develop better financial management practices.
Spending so much time with business owners, she’s developed a keen understanding of what makes someone successful when it comes to a critical part of running a business: managing the money.
No amount of talent, customer service, or product matters if the books are off.
So, we asked Starlitt what she believes people need to do to keep their business finances in order. Here’s what she had to say.
The Biggest Struggle for Most People: Discipline
Establishing good financial practices early in the business is one of the most important keys to long-term success, according to Starlitt. And she said that’s hard for many people. Sometimes the business starts as a hobby or side gig but quickly grows into a larger income stream or a full-time job. So creating good habits and sticking to them is essential.
“Being disciplined about separating and treating the business like a business, like it’s separate from you,” Miller said.
In other words, you need a business bank account (and that’s the minimum).
And Starlitt noted most people don’t need a complicated system. You can track revenue and expenses using a spreadsheet.
Starlitt said she’s worked with many entrepreneurs who don’t establish good baseline practices. Instead, they use various payment methods and blend business expenses with personal. And this can cause problems when it comes to taxes and planning for the next year.
“But very often, even at the baseline, it’s like, there’s too much gray space [with] how it’s being organized.”
Starlitt said one of the critical steps for anyone, whether you’re full-time or just running a business on the side, is establishing an LLC, getting an Employer Identification Number (EIN), and separating your business finances from personal. This makes the organization easier, but it also helps protect your personal assets in legal cases involving your business.
Even established businesses don’t take proper financial management steps, according to Starlitt.
“So what I’m seeing is that that baseline of organizing, separating, it’s not taken seriously enough.”
Part of the problem?
Starlitt said she’s worked with many business owners who only look at their bank balance.
“They [businesses] often hired and retained the CPA firm. [And] from an operational standpoint within the year, unless they needed formal statements, they were looking at their bank balance to see how well they’re doing. The cash balance is one part of the picture,” Miller said.
Even after establishing business bank accounts and setting up an LLC, it’s essential to track transactions and understand cash flow.
Starlitt explained many people know they need to look at their financial statements but don’t understand them. And that’s okay. But, it’s important to work with someone (like Starlitt) to learn and be educated on the basics.
“I do encourage them, and I approach our work together in an educational way because I never want someone to work with me because they have to or if they leave me they won’t know what’s going on within their business. That’s not a good position to be in.”
Overcome Bad Habits with a Better System
If tracking finances were easy, everyone would budget, save enough for retirement, and never worry about having cash to cover expenses.
But human beings struggle to create beneficial financial habits. Starlitt said it’s tough to understand why people don’t manage their business income well because you deal with human behavior and everyone has different tendencies.
Starlitt noted each person needs to understand their relationship with money. Everyone has a different background and experience with how they manage it. Those habits will bleed into your business as well.
A critical step in establishing good financial habits is about connecting with the right tools and people, according to Starlitt.
Many business owners only focus on what they owe the IRS and it dictates their view of how their business is performing. Starlitt says the IRS shouldn’t be the driving force behind why you look at your numbers.
“I think it [the IRS] deserves some level of being shrunken down to see a bigger picture because the operational side of your business and how you potentially grow it is why you also need to understand your numbers,” she said.
For many entrepreneurs, it will require a mindset shift.
“The mindset would be the starting point in my opinion and everything else is really about what you need as a person,” Starlitt said.
From there, it’s important to establish a process to match your needs as a business owner and individual.
If you’re looking for a system, Starlitt recommends Profit First to help establish a structure. The priority should be finding a system to benefit your business and your money management habits.
Starlitt’s worked with many companies, and she said those who are most successful set up a system and stick to it.
“Those that set up a system and then maintain it at a basic level, right, so you set up the organizational bins and you put things back where they belong,” Miller said. “You keep everything in its place, and you’re not missing any information.”
When you have your data organized and in the same place, it makes working with partners like accountants and business coaches much easier.
Take the First Step
Finances are intimidating for many business owners. Lots of folks don’t pay much attention because they’re focused on running the company and doing what they’re good at. But, when you signup to be an entrepreneur, this kind of work comes with the territory.
Get yourself registered as an LLC. Or ask an expert (like an accountant) about the best structure for your business. Set up a business bank account (many have free checking). And start tracking your income and expenses using a basic spreadsheet. Each step will be another in the right direction toward good financial health for your business. And when you get to a place where you need additional support, find a great partner (like Starlitt!) to offer expertise.
