Episode 399 & Beyond: The Future of Small Business School

In this reflective solo episode of Small Business School, host Staci Millard shares a major milestone, episode 399, and announces a thoughtful pause and evolution for the podcast.

As she steps into building new software alongside her accounting firm, Staci opens up about the importance of reinvention, intentionality, and allowing space for growth. She also shares what listeners can expect moving forward, including a shift in publishing cadence, more intentional guest curation, and a renewed focus on high-impact, strategic content.

Key topics covered:

• Reaching 399 episodes of Small Business School
• The evolution of entrepreneurship over time and “delusional optimism” when starting something new
• Staci’s new venture: building software alongside her accounting firm
• Lessons from building multiple businesses from scratch
• The importance of evolving business models as you grow
• Why intentionality matters more as your workload and impact increase
• The decision to pause new podcast episodes for the summer
• Using the summer to focus on software development and long-term business strategy
• Reviewing and refining what’s worked (and what hasn’t) in podcast formats

Staci is looking forward to celebrating episode 400 and beyond as a major milestone and turning point this Fall!

Staci's Links:
Instagram. Website.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Small Business School, where we help you build a thriving business on your own terms. We've been right where you are, scaling from the basement to the boardroom, so we get it. We know the challenges of entrepreneurship, the highs, the lows, and the sleepless nights. But here's the thing: business doesn't have to be hard. We're here to make it easier. No business degree required. Join us every week as we dive deeper into what it really takes to have the success, the time, the money, and the freedom that you desire, all having a massive impact on those people that you serve. It's okay to one it all. We're going to give you the challenges, the inspiration, and the strategy that you need to take your next step. While you're busy supporting others, let us support you. I think it's kind of like business. You know, when you start, you're like, oh, I'm just gonna do this little thing. Often for a lot of uh small like bootstrap companies, like that's what we think. I'm just gonna do this little thing. And then a few years later, all of a sudden, we've got these massive companies and all these things that we're doing, and we just had no idea. Which is actually really funny saying that because I have said this publicly, but I feel like not very loudly, so this will be it, I guess. Uh I am starting something new, and I think some of that delusion when you start something is so important. So what am I starting new? I'm not abandoning accounting by any means. I'm actually going to be develop developing some software. And I'm so excited because as we do that, I think it'll just A level up our firm and even continuing to level up the quality that we can deliver consistently, reliably on time. And I think it'll create a really great solution for so many other people. And I'm so excited. But the delusion is necessary, the delusion that like it can be easy and we can do these massive things without even really knowing much about software, learning along the way. And that's how I was when I started my accounting firm, and that's also how I was when I started the podcast. But I remember being in Cabo, maybe I agreed to my friend Christina, who um has been on the podcast. We've done some joint so many joint episodes together. But she owns the agency that I always recommend all of our clients to. And I remember like sitting in in a vehicle in Cabo and just being like, okay, I'm just gonna do like 15 episodes and see how this goes. And now we're at 399. I cannot believe it. If you've been along for the journey, I'm sure that you've felt the difference in episodes, and that brings me to wanting to talk about what to expect from us for episode 400 and onward. So, with some of those really new, fun, amazing things that are going to be taking up some of our time, I really re-evaluated how I want to show up for the podcast. I have tried things like showing up for different um like themes, different series. I've tried just giving my brain dump and thoughts. And I think like everything, eventually you just get more intentional because you've tried things and obviously there's some things that have worked so well because I want to keep going, and there are things that I feel good leaving behind. And so, all of that to say, what do you what to expect from the fall? First, what to expect from the summer. I'm gonna go quiet for the summer. I really want to put some effort into the software, and I want to go big with it. So I'm gonna be putting some time in there and prepping for how we show up for the remainder of like 2026 and 2027. And so, what I'd like to encourage you to do is go back to the episodes. It's like anything you learn, take a look at the list, see what speaks to you, what kind of season you're in in business. We have had so many experts on the show that are from like every walk of life, every um, you know, area of the country, every different industry that you could need as a service as a business owner, and there's gotta be something that speaks to you. So go back and listen. Even if you listen before, you never know what might jump out a second time. And that is what we're gonna do. We're gonna be re-releasing some episodes. Uh actually, not even re-releasing because we're stopping at $399 for the summer. But on social, we'll be highlighting some of those episodes that were done already, talking about the timeless, um, advice that was given in those episodes. So you'll see us posting about those. And then I turned 40 in September and we are going to release the 400th episode. And from then on, what you can expect through the fall for sure for the remainder of 2026 is once-a-week episodes. I know that sometimes we were doing up to three a week, and we had done uh uh two a week often, and we've been doing a couple a week the last little while. But we're gonna consistently do one episode a week. Two of those episodes a month will be guests, and two of them will be me, and they will be strategic episodes, things that people are asking us about all the time. And the guests, I'm really excited, but I am going to be asking you more on social. Like, what do you want to know from these people? If you had 20 minutes or one question that you got to ask, oh, that reminds me of this epic conversation I had. Yesterday we got referred a new client, and he's like, I spent $8,000 or something to be in this person's community, and I wish I could have just paid this guy like $8,000 to ask him this one question. Um like, yeah, if you have if the if you had these people, these guests that you could ask this question, what would it be? So if you have a guest that you're like, I would love to hear from them, Stacy. You need to have them on the show. Like, please let me know. If you have burning questions that you need answered, please let me know. The show is designed for you, it's all about the listener. And I would appreciate your feedback. But that's what you can expect from us come the fall. So I hope that you enjoy the summer. Uh just because we're not releasing new episodes, I hope that you don't just give up and move on. But you can absolutely express, expect fresh content come the fall. And it is going to be absolutely epic. And I really want your involvement. And if you are in a position that you want to take the summer off, please don't let me guilt you into like making you do something you don't want to do. Sometimes I personally as well need seasons where we just have less input. So depending on where you're at, just follow your heart. And thank you so much for listening to this point. Thank you for literally being the reason that I still do this because the feedback that I get from everybody, it means everything to me. All right. See you at episode 400. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the Small Business School Podcast. I know how important small business owners like you are to our communities, and I believe the work you put in today can fuel your small business for a lifetime of success and impact. And I'm here to support you every step of the way. Something I said today resonated with you. I'd love it if you could share it with a friend. When we support each other in business, we all grow stronger together. Looking to go further faster in your small business? For even more tailored advice and a deep dive into your financial strategy, check out Private Accounting, where our focus is on putting your small business on the rocket shift to success. I can't wait to catch up with you in the next episode.