Business & Brunch

Building a Business Through Life's Hardest Seasons with Abbi Perets

Alicia Croci Season 1 Episode 22

This episode is a masterclass in resilience, real talk, and building a business that actually supports your life. Abbi shares her raw journey of entrepreneurship through some of life's hardest moments and reveals why you're probably leaving thousands on the table by undervaluing your expertise. If you're ready to stop giving away your brilliance for free and build something sustainable, this one's for you.

Key Highlights Compartmentalization During Crisis

  • How Abbi kept her business running during family emergencies
  • Knowing your bare minimum and scheduling breakdowns for later
  • Making responsible decisions to step back when you can't serve clients properly

From Crisis to Million-Dollar Business

  • Built reputation as someone who delivers no matter what
  • Created courses helping mothers build flexible businesses
  • Generated over $1 million but walked away when it no longer aligned with her values

Starting Over at 48

  • Closed successful business to design one around what truly lights her up
  • Current focus: Reality Check Sessions at $1,000/hour
  • Sustainable $20K months without overwhelming scale

Stop Giving Away Your Expertise Warning Signs You're Undervaluing Yourself:

  • Clients saying "I never thought of that before"
  • People frantically taking notes during calls
  • Solving entire problems on free discovery calls
  • Giving away systems that took years to develop

The Solution:

  • Record discovery calls for learning
  • Use AI to analyze what valuable insights you're sharing
  • Charge for consulting, not just deliverables
  • Set boundaries: "I can't do this over DMs - let's set up a call"

Current Business Model

  • Reality Check Sessions: $1,000 one-hour strategic sessions
  • 3-Month Coaching: Implementation support for select clients
  • Group Coaching: Small group work in communities
  • Focus on getting paid for thinking, not just deliverables

Key Mindset Shifts Give Yourself Grace

  • No business decisions are undoable
  • Thank past versions without regret
  • You are enough at every stage

Choose Joy Consciously

  • Actively choose happiness in all aspects of life
  • Don't let perfectionism hide your greatness from the world
  • Your audience doesn't know how it's "supposed" to look

Guest Bio: Abbi Perets is a mom of five, longtime business owner, and messaging strategist with 20+ years of experience. She built her business during incredibly hard seasons, including raising a developmentally disabled child who battled cancer, proving you don't need a perfect life to build a powerful business.

Free Resource The Hidden Money Map: Identify patterns where you're giving away money and learn to get paid for your expertise. 

Connect with Abbi Perets

Action Items

  1. Record your next discovery call
  2. Download The Hidden Money Map
  3. Audit your last 5 discovery calls for valuable insights you're giving away
  4. Set boundaries around free vs. paid advice
  5. Define exactly how much money you need for your desired lifestyle