In this episode of The Experienced Entrepreneur, Marissa Lawton sits down with Megan Smyth to unpack what’s actually working in sales right now — and why many experienced business owners are quietly moving away from social media–dependent strategies.

In this behind-the-scenes episode of The Experienced Entrepreneur, Marissa Lawton pulls back the curtain on the first few weeks of the Monday Meeting founding round.

Instead of theory or hype, this episode shares what’s actually happening inside the container: how the Decision Dashboard is being used in real businesses, what patterns are emerging through live dashboard reviews, and why Monday Meeting was intentionally designed as an accountability and community-based mentorship rather than a content-heavy membership.

Lifestyle and energy are often treated as personal concerns, separate from “real” business metrics.

But for experienced entrepreneurs, they are some of the earliest and most honest indicators of how a business is actually functioning.

Sales numbers can look fine on the surface but still leave you feeling uneasy.

For experienced entrepreneurs, sales and profit are not just outcomes. They are signals — indicators of alignment, capacity, sustainability, and decision quality over time.

Lead nurture is not about posting more, emailing more, or staying visible at all costs.

For experienced entrepreneurs, lead nurture is about trust, continuity, and relationship — and when it’s working, it should feel steady, not exhausting.

Since you’ve been in business for a while, you already know that “getting more leads” isn’t the real problem.

The real challenge is knowing what kind of leads you’re attracting, where they’re coming from, and whether your lead flow is actually supporting sustainable business growth — or quietly working against it.

Before you rush into goal-setting, optimization, or “what’s next,” there’s something more important to do: integrate the year you just lived.

As an experienced entrepreneur, the most powerful decisions you make aren’t about doing more — they’re about choosing what actually deserves to come with you into the next chapter.

As online business owners head into a new year, most look only at the traditional metrics — revenue, growth, conversions, launches. But seasoned entrepreneurs know those numbers don’t tell the full story.

If you’ve been wondering whether it even makes sense to plan for 2026 with the market shifting under our feet — this episode is going to give you the answers you need.

If you’ve been in business long enough, you’ve faced this question:
“Do I stay the course… or am I self-sabotaging?”

What if the real measure of a healthy business isn’t how much you make—but how much you keep?

There’s a difference between running a business and playing at one.

The online business space has changed — and so has the way people buy.

What if the next level of success isn’t about scaling up — but settling in?

What if “ordinary” isn’t a limitation — but the new definition of success?

Your brand isn’t something you create — it’s something you uncover.

The true purpose of business isn’t growth for growth’s sake — it’s alignment, sustainability, and impact that lasts.

After more than a decade online, I don’t want to run my business the way I used to.

Maybe you pivoted. Maybe you paused. Maybe you powered through because you didn’t know what else to do.