Mastering Business Skills

Communication, Leadership, and Exit Planning with Jennifer Cresswell

In this episode of Mastering Business Skills, Erin and Sharon talk with Jennifer Cresswell, founder of ThoughtGro, about building a business that is scalable, sellable, and sustainable. Jennifer shares how business owners can create more time, more money, and more freedom by strengthening communication, improving operations, and planning for growth with the end in mind.
They also discuss why many business challenges are really communication issues, how to identify weak spots in your business, and why documentation, delegation, and succession planning matter more than most owners realize.
Jennifer also shares insight into her work as a fractional Chief of Staff and offers practical advice for business owners who want to grow with more clarity and confidence.
Connect with Jennifer
LinkedIn- Jennifer Cresswell 
Website- ThoughtGro

Nervous System Wisdom, Writing, and AI with Diane Riis

In this episode of Mastering Business Skills, Sharon and Erin talk with writer, developmental editor, and flower farmer Diane Riis, owner of Earth and Soul Women, a holistic project that includes a legacy flower farm, live and virtual women’s circles, retreats, and classes on writing, intuition, and creativity. Diane shares how she weaves EFT tapping, guided meditation, and ritual with practical business and writing work to help women connect to “belly wisdom,” regulate their nervous systems, and trust their own inner guidance—on the page and in their businesses.​
Diane explains why she sees intuition as a compass and AI as a tool, and how she uses AI as a supportive “intern” while fiercely protecting her voice and integrity as a writer. She, Sharon, and Erin unpack the “AI voice” we’re all starting to recognize, the danger of outsourcing your authenticity to trends, and why your lived examples and energetic presence can never be replicated by technology.​
In This Episode, You’ll Learn​​
How intuition shows up through your body, dreams, and daily signals—and why everyone has access to it (not just the “naturally intuitive”).​
Simple nervous system tools Diane uses with clients: grounding through the feet, hand-on-heart, tapping, and breath patterns that calm the amygdala.​
How to “run AI through your intuition” so it supports your work without flattening your voice or values.​
Why spaciousness, quiet, and “a room of one’s own” are essential for deep thinking, writing, and business decisions.​​
Connect With Diane Riis
Website: EarthandSoulWomen.com (classes, retreats, Dark Moon Circle, and more)​
Email: diane@earthandsoulwomen.com
Instagram: Your Vintage Blooms​
and many more opportunities on her site​
 

Virtual Skills Master: Mentorship in Your Back Pocket

In this conversation, Erin and Sharon share candid stories about their first mentors, including the intimidation, the breakthroughs, and the deep confidence that grew from being supported by someone a few steps ahead. They talk about how mentors have shown up as coaches, clients, and peers over the years, often becoming friends who help them think through ideas and navigate challenges.​
They also explore why it is so important to see others in your industry as complementary, not competitive, and how that mindset opens the door to collaboration, referrals, and mutual mentorship. Erin and Sharon explain how this plays out in their own relationship—each leaning into their strengths, delegating what they don’t enjoy, and supporting each other’s businesses over time.​
The episode then shifts into a behind-the-scenes look at their Virtual Skills Master membership and how it is intentionally built around one-on-one mentorship instead of group calls. Members get private 30-minute calls each month with Erin, Sharon, or both, plus unlimited email and Voxer access, making it feel like having mentors in your back pocket whenever you get stuck.​
They highlight why this style of support is especially powerful for introverts and solopreneurs who may feel anxious or overlooked on group coaching calls. Instead of competing for minutes on a crowded Zoom, members get personalized guidance, screen shares, and space to ask “simple” questions without worrying about what anyone else thinks.​
The conversation wraps up with a reminder that mentorship evolves as your business grows—you may outgrow one mentor and need a new one who matches the next level you’re aiming for. Erin and Sharon encourage listeners to seek out mentors in different forms, from paid programs to local coffee dates, and to take full advantage of any mentorship opportunities available to them.
Connect With the Hosts: 
LinkedIn:
Erin Alli
Sharon Savage
Websites:
Essential Assistance 
Virtual Assistant Sharon 
Virtual Skills Master 
 

Building High-Value Sales Systems With Humza Adam

In this episode of Mastering Business Skills, hosts Sharon Savage and Erin Alli sit down with Humza Adam, founder and CEO of H-Factor Solutions, a revenue growth acceleration firm specializing in B2B sales training, sales and marketing strategy, and high-value sales systems. Humza shares how he’s helped organizations generate over $5B in revenue, and how small and mid-sized businesses can use the same strategic thinking, systems, and skills to sell more effectively and sustainably.
Episode highlights
The “revenue triangle”: Strategy, systems, and talent
ICP and UVP: The foundation of a sales system
Client acquisition, metrics, and “sharpening the saw”
Anti-fragile sales systems
Connect with Humza
Website: H Factor Solutions
LinkedIn: Humza Adam
Course on building amazing sales presentations (60% off for podcast listeners) 

Simple Systems for Predictable Profits With Debra Angilletta

In this episode of Mastering Business Skills, hosts Sharon Savage and Erin Alli talk with Debra Angilletta, a former Wall Street trader turned fractional CFO, about how to turn “cash chaos” into cash clarity using simple systems that make profit predictable. Debra shares how to uncover hidden profit leaks, manage cashflow intentionally, and implement practical money management habits that help small business owners pay themselves more and grow sustainably.
Episode highlights
How Debra went from Wall Street to a fractional CFO
Hidden profit leaks you probably have
Simple systems to use for predictable profit
How to do your 30-minute profit check
Mastering cashflow at each growth stage
Connect with Debra 
Website: Next Level CEO
LinkedIn: Debra Angilletta

From Performative Professionalism to Authentic Connection With Shawna Suckow

In this episode of Mastering Business Skills, hosts Sharon Savage and Erin Alli sit down with author, speaker, and small-business champion Shawna Suckow. They talk about how small businesses can stand out, show up more human, and attract their exact right customers in today’s noisy marketplace by moving away from stiff “performative professionalism”. How instead using real stories, personality, and values to connect with their audience. Shawna shares practical and simple exercises to identify what truly makes you memorable, explains her “brandships zone” of being differentiated, trustworthy, and unforgettable, offers real-world examples and mindset shifts that help you lean into your authentic voice, and shares when and how to pivot your marketing, especially when old tactics stop working, while also touching on choosing one or two aligned platforms, showing up consistently, and her own journey from reluctant speaker to CSP and author of Small Is Your Superpower.
Highlights
Why sounding “professional” is actually making you forgettable
Choosing the right platforms (without burning out)
When and how to pivot your marketing
Small is your superpower
Connect with Shawna
Website: The Buyer Insider 
Book: Small Is Your Superpower
LinkedIn: Shawna Suckow

How to Build Teams, Systems, and Sanity With Nicole Bryan

In this episode of Mastering Business Skills, Nicole shares how she grew Empower Virtually from a one‑woman operation in 2023 into a thriving global VA agency that matches business owners with executive and administrative support across sectors like coaching, law, and healthcare. She explains how being overbooked with a client waitlist led her to build a team, and how her natural “matchmaker” skill helps her pair the right VA with the right client so owners can stay in their zone of genius.​
Nicole discusses the realities of building a business as a military spouse living in the UK, including the challenges of moving overseas and needing a career that could travel with her. She also talks candidly about balancing toddlers at home, an unpredictable military schedule, and running a growing agency by working in focused pockets of time and accepting that some seasons are simply harder than others.
Who this episode is for
Business owners who feel overwhelmed and know they need to delegate but are unsure what to hand off first.​
Fractional leaders and service providers looking to streamline operations with executive and admin support so they can focus on higher‑value work.​
Entrepreneurs balancing business growth with family life, especially parents and military spouses navigating unpredictable schedules and limited work windows.
Connect with Nicole Bryan
Website: Empower Virtually ​
LinkedIn: Nicole Bryan 

Mastering Presence in a Group Environment With Stephanie Courtillier

In this episode, Stephanie shares how she went from running an online membership community to becoming a “Community Steward” at Exchange, and why she chose that title instead of the traditional “community manager.” She explains Exchange’s community-centered framework, where the wisdom is in the room, and how appreciative inquiry and intentional questions unlock the collective intelligence of a group.​
Stephanie and the hosts unpack what community really means and why it is more than social media followers or a big email list. They explore community as a space of giving and receiving, where people consistently come together, support each other, and experience genuine connection, whether in a neighborhood, a book club, a team, or a small, intimate circle.​
The conversation dives into conscious leadership and stewardship, emphasizing that everyone in a community; team, members, and leaders, is responsible for the space they co-create. Stephanie offers simple, practical ways leaders can protect their energy, avoid burnout, and show up more intentionally, such as taking small pauses between meetings, noticing their own state, and even naming their exhaustion or stress in front of a group to create safety and authenticity.​
Stephanie also shares how becoming a mother and now preparing for her second child has shifted her relationship with work, pace, and the feminine, inviting her into deeper slowness, sensitivity, and trust in the unknown. She talks about “mastering presence in a group environment” as one of her core skills, including sensing the energy of the room, slowing down an agenda when needed, and asking, “What is the question we’re really trying to answer right now?” to bring conversations back to what matters most.​
Listeners will walk away with:
A clearer, more grounded definition of community and how to build it intentionally.​
Practical ideas to steward energy, prevent burnout, and practice conscious leadership in everyday interactions.​
Simple presence practices to use in workshops, meetings, coaching sessions, and group programs.​
Connect with Stephanie
LinkedIn: Stephanie Courtillier
Work: XChange Website​

What Business Owners Need to Know About Modern IT With Marc Pickard

In this episode of Mastering Business Skills, Sharon and Erin sit down with Marc Pickard, co-founder and CEO of CB Tech Support, a New Jersey-based IT company helping small and mid-sized businesses get the fullest benefit from their technology. Marc shares how a lifelong love of tech and a background in art led him into the IT world and eventually to launching CB Tech Support with his business partner after seeing “what not to do” at a previous company.​
Marc explains how CB Tech Support supports New Jersey businesses with everything from day-to-day IT issues to strategy around cloud, security, AI, and remote work. He talks about working with companies that have distributed workforces, some in the office, some in the field, and how the right tools and support keep teams connected and information accurate.​
The conversation also dives into how COVID and hybrid work changed both security and productivity, why time management and calendar discipline became his most important business skill, and why every owner needs at least a basic grasp of their numbers and accounting tools. Marc and the hosts touch on QuickBooks headaches, smarter alternatives, and how CB Tech Support is helping clients navigate Microsoft’s AI tools like Copilot in a secure, practical way.
We talk about:
The security challenges of “access from anywhere” and how to manage them.
Why distributed workforces (especially in construction and the trades) rely on accurate, timely information flow.
How tools like Microsoft 365, cloud services, and emerging AI (like Copilot) can actually make remote work smoother when implemented well.
Why distributed and field-based teams in NJ need thoughtful tech support, not just quick fixes.
How COVID and hybrid work changed the security and infrastructure needs of local businesses.
The role CB Tech Support plays as a strategic partner, not just a “help desk.”
​
Connect with Marc and CB Tech Support
Website: CB Tech Support ​
LinkedIn: Marc Pickard 

Why Doing It All Yourself Holds You Back With Mitch Beinhaker

In this episode, Mitch shares how he went from “accidental attorney” to seasoned business owner, why so many entrepreneurs get stuck trying to do everything themselves, and what changes when you start delegating on purpose instead of as a last resort. He talks about building his solo practice, adding partners and staff, then intentionally going back out on his own, and how bringing on a VA and outside support transformed both his law firm and his podcast.​
Mitch also unpacks the difference between being an employee and a business owner, the cost of trying to “muscle through” everything yourself, and why the most successful entrepreneurs design delegation and team-building into their plans from day one. He shares stories from hundreds of podcast interviews, from portfolio entrepreneurs to real estate empires built by design, and the common threads he sees among those who succeed versus those who burn out.​
If you have ever felt overwhelmed, stuck in the weeds, or guilty about letting go of tasks you “should” be able to do, this conversation will give you permission and a practical mindset shift. Mitch also offers candid insight on succession planning, evolving your business over decades, and why investing in yourself and your network is just as important as any marketing tactic.
We talk about:
The “entrepreneur’s myth” that you have to wear every hat forever.
How to decide what to delegate first (hint: start with what drains you or stalls momentum).
Why hanging onto everything isn’t commitment, it is double damage to your business and your health.
Why your network is a safety net for your job, your business, and your reputation.
How podcasting became one of Mitch’s most powerful networking tools, connecting him to guests around the world.
Practical ways to start networking more intentionally, even if you are busy, introverted, or “hate networking events.”
​
Connect with Mitch
Website: Beinhaker Law
Website: Mitch Beinhaker
Podcast: The Accidental Entrepreneur Podcast​
LinkedIn: Mitch Beinhaker