Should you actually be working fewer hours in your business? In this episode, I dig into the "manager" role from Michael Gerber's E-Myth framework and why having only a few hours a week to work on your business might actually be your biggest advantage. I walk through how Parkinson's Law shapes the way we use our time, and break down the systems every side-hustler should be tightening up — from admin and invoicing to marketing, client onboarding, and delivery. If you've ever felt like your business is running you instead of the other way around, this one's for you. Highlights The three roles every solo business owner plays: technician, manager, and owner Why Parkinson's Law works in your favor when you only have limited hours to run your business Revisiting the boundaries concept and the Easy Ates (automate, delegate, eliminate) framework Auditing your admin systems: invoicing, proposals, scheduling, and financial reporting Tightening up marketing and client onboarding to make it easier for people to work with you Streamlining client delivery and documenting standard operating procedures Investing in the right tools to buy back time instead of overspending on unnecessary software Chapters 0:00 – Welcome and Recap 1:17 – Meet the Manager Role 1:50 – Parkinson's Law Advantage 2:41 – Time Boundaries and Easy Ates 3:45 – Systems and Admin Efficiency 6:02 – Marketing and Client Onboarding 7:27 – Streamlining Client Delivery 8:54 – Lean Tools and Wrap Up Resources Mentioned QuickBooks — for online financial reporting vs. manual spreadsheets Calendly — scheduling tool for eliminating back-and-forth emails Acuity Scheduling — alternative scheduling tool Google Business Profile — for managing your online listing, photos, and reviews Claude — AI automation tool mentioned for handling manual work Zapier — automation tool for connecting workflows Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review! For more information about The Side-Hustle Dad, visit our website at https://thesidehustle.dad Remember, build the business, but be the dad! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net.

Are you holding onto something that's keeping your next opportunity from finding you? What if the secret to growing your business — or stepping fully into your second act — isn't about adding more, but about letting go? In this episode, we explore the Law of the Vacuum: the powerful principle that says nature hates an empty space, and that when you intentionally release what's no longer serving you, something better rushes in to fill that space. We look at real examples from coaching, retail, and restaurants to show how this law plays out in business every day — and how it applies directly to your life as a second act business owner. Whether it's a draining client, an overstuffed menu, a cluttered garage, or a job that's crushing your spirit, making intentional space is often the most strategic move you can make. Highlights The Law of the Vacuum explained: Why you can't receive what's next while holding onto what no longer serves you How one business owner went from drowning in admin tasks to landing a new client at his very first coffee meeting — after delegating Why subtraction in a restaurant (cutting menu items) often leads to multiplication in profits The garage test: If your garage is full, a new car can't fit — and the same is true in your business and life How draining clients block ideal clients from finding you Why trying to add a second act on top of an already full life usually doesn't work Coach Lee's personal story: Being let go at 51 opened the vacuum that led to the second act he's living now Practical reflection questions to identify what you need to release right now Chapters 0:00 — Intro 1:05 — What the Law of the Vacuum Means 2:11 — Coaching Story: Delegation Wins 4:24 — Retail and Restaurant Examples 6:15 — The Garage & Closet Space Check 7:03 — Letting Go of Draining Clients 7:37 — Making Room for Your Second Act 9:51 — Coach Lee's Personal Turning Point 10:01 — What to Release and Next Steps 12:05 — Quiz Invite & Wrap Up Want to get more help from Lee with your business? Visit her website: https://leegray.actioncoach.com/ Identify your strengths and weaknesses as a second actor with our comprehensive Second Act Assessment. https://secondact.scoreapp.com This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information, visit ictpod.net.

What happens when an entire education system hits a moment of collision — new leadership, new laws, and old habits all colliding at once? On this episode, we sit down with Cathy Hopkins, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, to find out. From accreditation reform to the fight over cell phones in classrooms, Cathy pulls back the curtain on what's really happening inside Kansas schools right now — and why she believes the state is at a genuine turning point. We talk through the science of reading, why cursive handwriting is making a comeback, how one small district's cell phone policy quietly cut discipline problems in half, and what it actually takes for a rural community to rally around its school. Cathy also opens up about her own path — six kids, a stint away from Kansas that only confirmed it was home, and a run for the local school board she lost by just five votes before landing on the state board altogether. Highlights Cathy represents District 5 — 44 counties across western and northern Kansas — and breaks down how Kansas's 10 board districts are drawn around student population, not geography. Kansas has nearly 500,000 K-12 students, with wildly different district sizes — from under 100 students in some rural four-day-school districts to 45,000+ in Wichita's District 8. The "science of reading" and the shift from balanced literacy to structured literacy, including a new state requirement that elementary teachers and reading specialists be trained in structured literacy by July 2028. What the State Board of Education actually does: accreditation, teacher licensure, curriculum standards, and high school graduation requirements — while emphasizing local control. KESA (Kansas Education System of Accreditation) has shifted from a compliance-driven model to a support-driven school improvement model built around four fundamentals: structured literacy, standards alignment, balanced assessments, and quality instruction. The new "bell to bell" cell phone ban law, and Cathy's on-the-ground findings from talking to districts that banned phones early — including a near 50% drop in behavior issues and a surprise uptick in library book checkouts. A "Blue Ribbon Task Force" on screens met for over a year, gathering input from legislators, teachers, parents, and students before issuing recommendations. Cursive handwriting is officially coming back into Kansas standards, tied to research on how handwriting supports reading comprehension and brain development. Community involvement stories, including the Farm to Plate initiative connecting local farmers/ranchers with school lunch programs, and a district that saw a wave of community support after clips of a board meeting went viral on social media. Cathy's call for a "better narrative" around education amid a wave of upcoming leadership changes: a new state commissioner, a new KBOR director, a new governor, and a new speaker of the house. Chapters 0:00 – 1982 Wichita Time Capsule 4:25 – Meet Cathy Hopkins 5:10 – District 5 Explained 6:27 – Kansas School Sizes 8:37 – Cathy's Kansas Roots 11:42 – Leaving and Returning Home 13:27 – Joining the State Board 16:43 – Science of Reading Shift 23:35 – Board Role and KESA 26:59 – Cell Phone Ban Debate 31:35 – Screens Task Force and Local Control 35:53 – Law Enforcement and Certification 37:21 – Four Improvement Fundamentals 38:45 – Quality Instruction vs Tech 39:15 – Handwriting and Cursive Return 41:07 – Collaboration and Action Plans 44:23 – Community Involvement Examples 49:25 – Parents as First Teachers 51:59 – Host Reflection on Education 53:22 – Kansas History: School Gossip 55:54 – 1939 Classes and Film Reels 58:59 – 1900 Gossip Column Highlights 1:03:42 – 1920 Basketball and Saturday School 1:06:27 – Best Bits and Wrap-Up Resources Mentioned Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) Newspapers.com Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

Yes, we are still friends. No, the band is not breaking up.  Are you really ready to let go of something that isn't broken? That's the question at the heart of this episode, as Audra sits down with Kendra and Kristen to share the news: after 11 cohorts in Wichita and 3 in Kansas City, The Thread is holding one final cohort before evolving into something new—an alum-first community. They get into the "why" behind the pivot, the mixed public reaction, and what's coming for The Thread's 300+ alumnae in 2027. Highlights The Thread will run one last cohort (Cohort 12) from October through March, with a welcome party in the spring for alum and new members After a year of curiosity and "itchy" feelings about what's next, the team decided to pause cohorts and double down on alum programming A "what if" brainstorming session sparked the idea: what if The Thread centered on alum instead of cohorts? A summer listening session with ~30 alumnae from Cohorts 1–11 confirmed the demand for deeper alum community and support New alum offerings in the works include mastermind groups and revamped book clubs The mission stays the same—building confidence and community—but the focus shifts from delivering a program to alumnae to engaging with them directly The team addresses public reaction (a mix of excitement and confusion) versus the alum community's overwhelmingly positive response They answer the most common question they've gotten: "Are the three of you still friends?" (Yes.) Chapters 0:00 – Welcome and Updates 1:51 – Why Change Now 4:52 – Final Cohort Details 5:42 – Public Reaction and Emotions 10:35 – Alum Momentum and Vision 11:22 – What If Alum First 12:51 – Listening Session Insights 16:18 – New Alum Programming Plans 20:18 – Still Friends 21:22 – Join Cohort 12 and Next Steps 23:56 – I will be the Jessica Biel to your JT Resources Mentioned Cohort 12 (deadline to apply: September 25, 2026) Want to learn more? The Thread Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What do you actually say when someone asks, "What do you do?" If your answer is just your task — "I paint houses," "I do landscaping," "I'm a consultant" — you might be missing the identity shift that separates a freelancer from a true business owner. Building on last week's conversation about the three roles inside every small business (technician, manager, and owner), I dig into what it really means to own your business rather than just work in it — and I lay out exactly how to carve out "owner time" so you can step back, evaluate your business's health, and make sure it's still serving the goals that made you start it in the first place. Highlights Why saying "I paint houses" instead of "I own a house painting business" reflects a mindset gap, not just semantics The critical difference between working in your business and working on your business Four things to evaluate during dedicated owner time: strategic vision, economics/business model, and boundaries Why regularly checking your business against its original mission and "why" prevents drift How to know when a boundary is being broken — and why that's your signal to hit the "emergency brake" A simple system for scheduling owner time: start with 30 minutes to an hour a week, distraction-free Why protecting this time leads to better decisions for your business and your family Chapters 0:00 – Recap: E-Myth Roles 1:25 – Owner Identity Shift 3:50 – In vs. On the Business 5:41 – Strategic Vision Check 7:21 – Economics and Business Model 9:09 – Boundaries: The Emergency Brake 11:13 – Scheduling Owner Time 12:56 – You Are the Owner Resources Mentioned The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review! For more information about The Side-Hustle Dad, visit our website at https://thesidehustle.dad Remember, build the business, but be the dad! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net.