WEBVTT
00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:16.960
This is the Flow Flex Skill Podcast, your field guide to the solopreneur operating system with author and coach Jennifer Britton.
00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:21.600
Daily steps plus consistent action equals momentum.
00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:26.960
That's Jennifer's mantra, and it starts right here, right now, with you.
00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:29.039
Let's get started.
00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:36.079
Hi everyone and welcome back.
00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:37.200
It's Jennifer Britton.
00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:38.719
Today is the day.
00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:49.679
It is September the 20th, 2026, and I'm really excited to announce that today is officially release day of FlowFlex Scale all over the world.
00:00:49.920 --> 00:01:02.079
Today you can head to your local Amazon online, whatever country you're in, and you will find it as an ebook with the option to purchase for paperback and also hard copy.
00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:05.120
So I thought I'd do this special podcast.
00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:06.799
We're about 11 episodes in.
00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:11.920
I certainly hope you've been enjoying the last three months here at the FlowFlex Scale podcast.
00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:26.799
I've really enjoyed sitting down with our amazing guests, people like Marcy Nelson Garrison, also Denise Wakeman, who recently joined me to talk about all the changes solopreneurs are facing in the era of AI, including how to get found and be visible.
00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:35.359
So FlowFlex Scale obviously has taken longer than a lot of business books take because the world of business has continued to shift.
00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:46.400
As many of you know, and in today's episode, I just want to go into a little bit of the more about the backstory of FlowFlex Scale and also giving you some ideas because my guess is you might have already picked up a copy of the book.
00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:54.640
And there really are multiple ways for you to get involved and also support the mission because this is not just a book that I wanted to write.
00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:57.519
We know that solopreneurship is on the rise.
00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:04.959
And more importantly, I want to get this resource in the hands of at least 100,000 solopreneurs in the next year.
00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:06.079
I need you.
00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:10.719
So I need you not only as a reader, but as someone to recommend this book if you like it.
00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:16.400
And I want to say that early reviews from my early reading team were immensely positive.
00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:19.439
If you follow along on LinkedIn under Jennifer J.
00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:32.400
Britton, if you take a look at um Instagram and that is at Coaching BizBuilder, you will see just people's comments because really this is a practical guide.
00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:35.039
So I thought today I'd do a bit of a reading.
00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:36.240
It's pretty typical.
00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:40.080
I know that many of you won't be with me next week in Toronto.
00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:49.120
The book will officially be launched with my signing on Sunday, September 27th at the 37th annual Word on the Street.
00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:53.439
That is an amazing literary festival we host on the streets of Toronto.
00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:59.919
I'll be outside of Roy Thompson Hall at, I think it's booth 35 or 36 with my publisher Telwell.
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:04.080
So looking for drop by between 3:30 and 5 p.m.
00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:08.639
on Sunday, if you are in the downtown core of Toronto.
00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:12.400
Again, we'll be by what is known as David Pico Square.
00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:13.759
That's just outside Metro Hall.
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:20.159
If you don't know where Metro Hall is, that's just outside of uh Roy Thompson Hall, which is off King Street.
00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:25.439
And for those of you that have known me for many, many years, you'll probably think, wow, that's so appropriate.
00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:30.159
As a young girl in Choir, we sang at Roy Thompson Hall.
00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:32.159
I think we were there the year it opened.
00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:35.360
And so I've sung at Roy Thompson Hall many, many a time.
00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.560
And it's exciting to be back in downtown Toronto.
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:42.000
So again, let's bring it back to FlowFlex Scale.
00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:45.439
FlowFlex Scale, again, a solopreneurial operating system.
00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:49.840
I'm going to read the back cover so that you have a little bit of background on it.
00:03:49.919 --> 00:04:02.400
And again, whether you're just beginning your solopreneurial journey or ready to grow to the next level, it's time for a new rhythm of business grounded in clarity, consistent action, and sustainable momentum.
00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:12.000
If you heard me, read me over the last umpteen years, you would know that these areas are key to the work and the success of my clients.
00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:29.519
So again, it's not just the work that I've done as a coach or the research I've done as a writer, but very much the output that my clients have experienced, whether they have been solopreneurs, whether they have been teams or leaders or entire organizations working at the global level.
00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:46.240
What I say at the back of FlowFlex Scales in today's rapidly evolving landscape shaped by AI, shifting markets, changing client expectations, and constant uncertainty, solopreneurs need more than productivity hacks or generic advice.
00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:50.639
You likely built your business on expertise, values, and drive.
00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:55.519
And now you need an operating system that reflects how business actually works today.
00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:10.000
In this book, I introduce a practical future-focused framework for solopreneurs, creators, coaches, consultants, and service-based professionals who want to grow sustainably while remaining aligned with what matters most to you.
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:20.879
So the book is really built around these three interconnected dimensions, of course, flow, which is about strengthening your business foundations, your conversations, and your alignment with who you are.
00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:25.439
Because what is unique as a solopreneur, our businesses rest on ourselves.
00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:34.800
Even if we're hiring team members, agentic or human, as I've said in multiple podcast episodes, it still rests on our shoulders.
00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:38.079
And we are going to see the world in certain ways.
00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:46.639
So a lot of flow flex skill is also about helping you discern your natural patterns, but also become aware of some of those blind spots.
00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.920
Now, of course, the book is not just about flow.
00:05:50.079 --> 00:06:03.439
It's got to be about flex because as we've seen, and as I said in one of the shorts I recorded this morning on my morning walk, the world has required that we continue to flex and flex and flex again.
00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:05.600
Just think about where your business was.
00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:18.000
If you're a business owner, what the business looked like six years ago, what the business looked like six months ago, what the business and business context look like six weeks ago.
00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:24.079
When are we at our best?
00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:28.560
How do we really uh look at getting our work done?
00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:34.959
So execution, getting it done is another one of the catalysts, and of course, team and relationships.
00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:38.879
So you might say, but wait, Jenna, as a solopreneur, do you really have a team?
00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:41.120
Chances are you do have teams.
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:44.720
You may have multiple subcontractors coming on board.
00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:51.680
They may not be employees, but you're still going to have to think about delegation of work, whether again, it's to a human or an AI.
00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:55.920
So we have flow and flex, but there's a third part, which is really about scaling.
00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.639
And if you've listened, you've heard how passionate I've been.
00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:15.519
I've had the amazing privilege to work with so many great entrepreneurs from the day, almost the year that I opened up this business, working with entrepreneurial students, then women in business for many, many years, supporting programming in York Region, looking at um government-funded programs.
00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:21.600
And really, we've seen, or I've been able to see, along with my clients, sustainable growth.
00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:27.759
We know that the life cycle of small business has often been very, very, very short.
00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:33.279
In today's rapid changes in the world of work, what are we noticing?
00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:37.600
You know, we're noticing a lot of people are opting not to go back into another role.
00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.399
They're opting to create a business for themselves.
00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:46.480
And as we create these one-person businesses, there may be a lifestyle element as well.
00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:54.480
Now, one thing that I think employees moving to solopreneurship don't really find as a struggle.
00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:58.639
I would say this is really probably one of the growth edges, is what we talk about in scale.
00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:03.040
So scale also has three catalysts marketing and visibility.
00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:11.839
And that's where I really want to encourage you to, you know, dive into the chapter, but more importantly, listen into some of the podcast episodes I'm doing.
00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:13.680
People like Denise Wakeman.
00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:20.160
Uh, Denise was one of my mentors years ago, 20 years ago, when I was starting out as a blogger.
00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:28.720
And many of you know that for 11 years, yes, 11 years, I blogged daily at the Teams 365 blog.
00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:35.759
That blog in its heyday had more than 10,000 readers every week and loved the craft.
00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:39.440
I think in fact it really helped shape me as a writer.
00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:43.919
Now, after 11 years, two years ago, it was time to put that to bed.
00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:48.159
And I had just launched our coaching many podcast for group of tea coaches.
00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:54.559
And this book, along with other books, were also getting to be sort of in the flow.
00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:58.000
So back to flow flex scale, what else do you get?
00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:02.399
And again, looking at the book description, which you'll of course can read.
00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:10.720
It is all about the nine catalysts of the FlowFlex scale to help you identify what you need to do now and where do you want to focus next?
00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:14.240
It's not what you wanted to do six months ago or six months in the future.
00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:16.399
It's really a present moment.
00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:25.120
Doesn't mean that it's reactive, it is proactive in that we are also still taking some strategic focus.
00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:31.120
And for those of my clients that have worked with me, you know that I am always gonna bring that strategic lens.
00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:42.080
Whether we define that as three and six months down the road, the old three years, or when I started out as a strategic planner back in the 1990s, that was 10 years.
00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:44.080
You know, really a 10-year window.
00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:46.159
We don't even know what many things are gonna look like.
00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:54.159
However, as a business owner, as a CEO, as a founder, you're gonna want to really be strategic as well as in the now.
00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:58.000
I really do bring a human-centered approach to AI.
00:09:58.159 --> 00:09:59.600
We have been AI enabled.
00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:05.120
I'm in the top, you know, I think last year it was a top 1% of users in certain areas.
00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:13.279
And that means we're looking at AI, adaptability, and sustainable growth in a ever-changing environment.
00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:24.080
If you read Reconnecting Workspaces, my last two books that came out five years ago, I was talking a lot about VUCA, volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:38.480
Now we are operating in what James Cassico says banny, griddle, anxiety-producing, unheard of and incomprehensible, right?
00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:43.519
So again, looking at that, how are we making decisions?
00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:49.200
And so there's a lot of reflective tools and also coaching prompts throughout the book.
00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:51.440
Now, what is interesting is you have choice.
00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:56.960
So for those that are AI enabled, you'll want to use the prompts as in your AI partnership.
00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:02.080
For those that are more analog, and I remember for me, I straddle both worlds.
00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:08.000
We have always been on the edge of tech, hence my 2017 book, Effective Virtual Conversations.
00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:17.600
But I also really do feel, and the research is showing this, that, you know, from a learning perspective, we do need to keep one foot in the analog realm.
00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:26.399
So I say that because in the reflective process of every chapter, you're going to have prompts, which I would encourage you maybe do on both tangents, right?
00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:29.440
With your AI partner, but also for yourself.
00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:45.679
The ability for us to retain and maintain and keep building our cognitive capacity, our capacity for strategic thinking, our capacity to look at contingency planning is absolutely essential as a solopreneur.
00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:49.279
We don't have the same bench strength that organizations have.
00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:59.039
And so, really, if you are going to be doubling down in solopreneurship, notice what is additive and what is depleting in your world.
00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:02.320
And I'll leave that as an inquiry for you to think about.
00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:07.440
Now, against the nine catalysts, there are three what I call activators.
00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:13.360
And these are like the sort of the band that goes around the engine of solopreneurship.
00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:18.080
And those, of course, are creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:22.559
I'm going to say those again, creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:25.279
And I think these are three key areas.
00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:31.919
They're not only future of work skills, but they've been embedded in the FlowFlex scale framework since I penned this book.
00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:35.039
And many of you have heard my earlier writing newsletters.
00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:42.000
This book was originally born back in 2020, summer, as part of the Muskoka novel Marathon.
00:12:42.320 --> 00:13:13.759
Of course, continue to update it, but after all these pivots, after all these changes, I am quite confident, not 100% confident because you can never can be, but I'm confident that the areas we're looking at, the areas we're zooming into the microscope, the areas we're experimenting around under the FlowFlex scale banner really are the ones that are going to allow you to keep renewing, thriving, and acting in a world that probably isn't going to slow down anytime soon.
00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:26.480
So I wrap this up by saying whether you're refining your offers, strengthening your systems, navigating change, or reimagining sustainable growth in the AI era, this book provides clear practical pathways forward.
00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:30.639
There is a lot to be engaging with.
00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.600
It is a thick book, as always.
00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:40.240
We we, I, along with my publisher, came in at 420 pages.
00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:51.919
So you may want to grab the Kindle version or you may want to have it not as a paperweight, but really as something that you can be looking at and going into and engaging with along the way.
00:13:52.480 --> 00:14:06.000
Now, I would love to enroll you to help me because as I said at the start of this, my vision is to have 100,000 solopreneurs using the book, reading the book within the next while.
00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:07.679
And I can't do that alone.
00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:11.519
Just like other books, I will be, of course, doing a couple of things.
00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:21.039
But with this book especially, number one, there are now resources in the appendix for book clubs to be using this as a resource.
00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:26.960
So maybe you're a chamber of commerce and you want to have this as a book club edition.
00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:30.480
Just purchase copies for every group member.
00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:34.320
There are a dozen questions there that you can be engaging with.
00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:41.519
Maybe you're a university and you want to use this as a recommended or just a supplementary text.
00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:47.360
Again, there are questions from the book that are going to help you navigate that with your students.
00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:51.840
And there's a third list of questions for those that sit in organizations.
00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:54.960
And you might say, but wait, Jen, isn't this for solopreneurs?
00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:59.039
I think the book is also going to be found of interest to intrapreneurs.
00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:04.879
So there you might have an intrapreneurial RD division, a research and development division.
00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:10.240
You might have leaders who are really embracing intrapreneurial thinking.
00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:18.480
When I first started teaching about intrapreneurism back in 2004, I think a lot of people were very perplexed.
00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:34.480
As I was a part-time business faculty member, and in the entrepreneurial studies, we would often dive into the case studies or case texts of what Xerox and 3M were doing in those days.
00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:45.200
I would assert with future of work, cultivating intrapreneurial muscles within corporate entities are really an essential skill set.
00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:49.200
And that's something that I'm going to be continuing to offer.
00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:50.559
We've been doing some of it.
00:15:50.639 --> 00:16:06.879
And when I say we through my company, potentials realized, there is in this body of work going to be an opportunity for coaches and other professionals who want to become part of our team to really take this out and support organizations and individual solopreneurs.
00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:15.120
There will be a certification program similar to what I've done in Coaching Business Builder, Plan Do Track, and Reconnecting Workspaces.
00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:16.799
So stay tuned for that.
00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:22.559
I will be continuing to run the 90-day lab for solopreneurs who want to join me.
00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:24.720
That is a long-standing program.
00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:33.279
It's run for seven years in different iterations, first as a coaching bizgrowth lab, but in the last year in these 90-day cycles.
00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.080
And again, I know how impactful it is.
00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:47.919
It takes anywhere from about six weeks to three and a half, four and a half months for entrepreneurs at all stages to really find traction when they are in that swirl.
00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:58.159
And, you know, there's a lot coming at all of us today, especially business owners, especially solopreneur business owners.
00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:13.119
If you're looking for a space to connect, to have community, to be supported through weekly planning and also coaching from me, at least at this time, I hope that you will reach out and consider joining us.
00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:18.720
We meet Mondays and Fridays, and cohorts start every quarter.
00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:21.920
So lots of ways to get involved.
00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:25.359
I do hope that maybe you'll consider hosting a book club.
00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:42.319
Maybe you'll join me to get certification, or perhaps you'll join us at the lab and be doing the work alongside us as we move into daily steps and consistent action to get momentum in this world that keeps on changing.
00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:52.400
So I don't have a solution for that, but I would say with FlowFlex Scale, we can have fun, we can do the work, we can show up and work on the business.
00:17:52.640 --> 00:18:01.759
And most importantly, I think we can get grounded in a moment in time which seems like it could be just a vortex.
00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:16.400
But I continue to see with organizations and solopreneurs that are really dedicated to building and making their mark, my work has always been shaped by the water drop.
00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:20.000
And that continues in this body of work as well.
00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:24.000
So my writing, I hope, will be rippling out in the world.
00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:26.559
It would be a pleasure to come and speak with you.
00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:32.559
I've been really privileged to be able to bring this body of work out in the world for the last year to multiple groups.
00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:40.559
A shout out for those of you I've spoken at the ICF Wellness Group of Coaches, Community of Practice.
00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:47.599
Also, I'm going to be doing a postcon, a second annual postcon for another wellness initiative.
00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:56.400
Just so you know, this body of work has grown up in many, many entrepreneurial sectors from coaching, of course.
00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:01.519
It's benefited writers, it's benefited digital creators.
00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:11.759
And early on in my career, I did a lot of work with other types of businesses, whether it was eco-tourist reserves or bed and breakfasts.
00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:14.960
I've done a lot in the tourism industry as well.
00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:23.839
I've also had the pleasure to support financial planners and financial analysts that really are tasked with running their own businesses.
00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:28.319
So you will find that this book, Flow Flex Scale, is wider.
00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:30.960
It is for solopreneurs in general.
00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:33.359
And I hope that you'll continue listening along.
00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:39.839
We're getting to the end of today's episode, but I did want to come on and celebrate this milestone.
00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:50.000
For me as an author, it's fun to look back at these first days to see the excitement and not knowing what lies ahead.
00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:54.880
But I do feel that with this book especially, the time is now.
00:19:55.200 --> 00:20:02.079
And that meant that in fact I'm working on multiple books at this time, but this one has come out first.
00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:10.880
And so for the next six months throughout the fall and winter of 2026-2027, I really look forward to doubling down.
00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:17.759
There is, of course, an interesting connection to my next book on the capacity of the future of work.
00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:21.759
I will say more on that as we move through the rest of the year.
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:22.720
But thank you.
00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:24.160
Thank you for joining us.
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:28.799
And please share this with a colleague who might find it valuable.
00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:33.519
I would invite you, and we're doing something different with this book launch.
00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:40.000
Um, many of you have always inquired how can pricing be kept at par.
00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:44.319
You're gonna notice some of that more equity globally.
00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:49.680
Also, I've reduced the price at this moment in time, at least, on Kindle.
00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:57.680
And I do hope that that's gonna get the book in the hands of solopreneurs and entrepreneurs around the world.
00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:08.799
Because I look forward to the day of speaking not only in Europe and North America, but bringing us back to the Caribbean.
00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:18.799
So with that, thank you and look forward to you joining us for future episodes.
00:21:19.119 --> 00:21:21.759
And stay tuned, there is a newsletter.
00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:29.599
Uh, you can check out the whole new website, flowflexscale.com, and we also have flowflexscale podcast.com.
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:38.000
If you know of someone that you'd really love to have as a guest, I would appreciate that word of mouth recommendation as well.
00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:42.799
And I'll be continuing to release these on a weekly basis.
00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:47.440
So for now, take care and let's celebrate.
00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:48.880
Have a great day.
00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:16.960
This is the Flow Flex Skill Podcast, your field guide to the solopreneur operating system with author and coach Jennifer Britton.
00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:21.600
Daily steps plus consistent action equals momentum.
00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:26.960
That's Jennifer's mantra, and it starts right here, right now, with you.
00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:29.039
Let's get started.
00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:36.079
Hi everyone and welcome back.
00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:37.200
It's Jennifer Britton.
00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:38.719
Today is the day.
00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:49.679
It is September the 20th, 2026, and I'm really excited to announce that today is officially release day of FlowFlex Scale all over the world.
00:00:49.920 --> 00:01:02.079
Today you can head to your local Amazon online, whatever country you're in, and you will find it as an ebook with the option to purchase for paperback and also hard copy.
00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:05.120
So I thought I'd do this special podcast.
00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:06.799
We're about 11 episodes in.
00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:11.920
I certainly hope you've been enjoying the last three months here at the FlowFlex Scale podcast.
00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:26.799
I've really enjoyed sitting down with our amazing guests, people like Marcy Nelson Garrison, also Denise Wakeman, who recently joined me to talk about all the changes solopreneurs are facing in the era of AI, including how to get found and be visible.
00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:35.359
So FlowFlex Scale obviously has taken longer than a lot of business books take because the world of business has continued to shift.
00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:46.400
As many of you know, and in today's episode, I just want to go into a little bit of the more about the backstory of FlowFlex Scale and also giving you some ideas because my guess is you might have already picked up a copy of the book.
00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:54.640
And there really are multiple ways for you to get involved and also support the mission because this is not just a book that I wanted to write.
00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:57.519
We know that solopreneurship is on the rise.
00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:04.959
And more importantly, I want to get this resource in the hands of at least 100,000 solopreneurs in the next year.
00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:06.079
I need you.
00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:10.719
So I need you not only as a reader, but as someone to recommend this book if you like it.
00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:16.400
And I want to say that early reviews from my early reading team were immensely positive.
00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:19.439
If you follow along on LinkedIn under Jennifer J.
00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:32.400
Britton, if you take a look at um Instagram and that is at Coaching BizBuilder, you will see just people's comments because really this is a practical guide.
00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:35.039
So I thought today I'd do a bit of a reading.
00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:36.240
It's pretty typical.
00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:40.080
I know that many of you won't be with me next week in Toronto.
00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:49.120
The book will officially be launched with my signing on Sunday, September 27th at the 37th annual Word on the Street.
00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:53.439
That is an amazing literary festival we host on the streets of Toronto.
00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:59.919
I'll be outside of Roy Thompson Hall at, I think it's booth 35 or 36 with my publisher Telwell.
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:04.080
So looking for drop by between 3:30 and 5 p.m.
00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:08.639
on Sunday, if you are in the downtown core of Toronto.
00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:12.400
Again, we'll be by what is known as David Pico Square.
00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:13.759
That's just outside Metro Hall.
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:20.159
If you don't know where Metro Hall is, that's just outside of uh Roy Thompson Hall, which is off King Street.
00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:25.439
And for those of you that have known me for many, many years, you'll probably think, wow, that's so appropriate.
00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:30.159
As a young girl in Choir, we sang at Roy Thompson Hall.
00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:32.159
I think we were there the year it opened.
00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:35.360
And so I've sung at Roy Thompson Hall many, many a time.
00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.560
And it's exciting to be back in downtown Toronto.
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:42.000
So again, let's bring it back to FlowFlex Scale.
00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:45.439
FlowFlex Scale, again, a solopreneurial operating system.
00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:49.840
I'm going to read the back cover so that you have a little bit of background on it.
00:03:49.919 --> 00:04:02.400
And again, whether you're just beginning your solopreneurial journey or ready to grow to the next level, it's time for a new rhythm of business grounded in clarity, consistent action, and sustainable momentum.
00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:12.000
If you heard me, read me over the last umpteen years, you would know that these areas are key to the work and the success of my clients.
00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:29.519
So again, it's not just the work that I've done as a coach or the research I've done as a writer, but very much the output that my clients have experienced, whether they have been solopreneurs, whether they have been teams or leaders or entire organizations working at the global level.
00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:46.240
What I say at the back of FlowFlex Scales in today's rapidly evolving landscape shaped by AI, shifting markets, changing client expectations, and constant uncertainty, solopreneurs need more than productivity hacks or generic advice.
00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:50.639
You likely built your business on expertise, values, and drive.
00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:55.519
And now you need an operating system that reflects how business actually works today.
00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:10.000
In this book, I introduce a practical future-focused framework for solopreneurs, creators, coaches, consultants, and service-based professionals who want to grow sustainably while remaining aligned with what matters most to you.
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:20.879
So the book is really built around these three interconnected dimensions, of course, flow, which is about strengthening your business foundations, your conversations, and your alignment with who you are.
00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:25.439
Because what is unique as a solopreneur, our businesses rest on ourselves.
00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:34.800
Even if we're hiring team members, agentic or human, as I've said in multiple podcast episodes, it still rests on our shoulders.
00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:38.079
And we are going to see the world in certain ways.
00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:46.639
So a lot of flow flex skill is also about helping you discern your natural patterns, but also become aware of some of those blind spots.
00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.920
Now, of course, the book is not just about flow.
00:05:50.079 --> 00:06:03.439
It's got to be about flex because as we've seen, and as I said in one of the shorts I recorded this morning on my morning walk, the world has required that we continue to flex and flex and flex again.
00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:05.600
Just think about where your business was.
00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:18.000
If you're a business owner, what the business looked like six years ago, what the business looked like six months ago, what the business and business context look like six weeks ago.
00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:24.079
When are we at our best?
00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:28.560
How do we really uh look at getting our work done?
00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:34.959
So execution, getting it done is another one of the catalysts, and of course, team and relationships.
00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:38.879
So you might say, but wait, Jenna, as a solopreneur, do you really have a team?
00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:41.120
Chances are you do have teams.
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:44.720
You may have multiple subcontractors coming on board.
00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:51.680
They may not be employees, but you're still going to have to think about delegation of work, whether again, it's to a human or an AI.
00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:55.920
So we have flow and flex, but there's a third part, which is really about scaling.
00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.639
And if you've listened, you've heard how passionate I've been.
00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:15.519
I've had the amazing privilege to work with so many great entrepreneurs from the day, almost the year that I opened up this business, working with entrepreneurial students, then women in business for many, many years, supporting programming in York Region, looking at um government-funded programs.
00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:21.600
And really, we've seen, or I've been able to see, along with my clients, sustainable growth.
00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:27.759
We know that the life cycle of small business has often been very, very, very short.
00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:33.279
In today's rapid changes in the world of work, what are we noticing?
00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:37.600
You know, we're noticing a lot of people are opting not to go back into another role.
00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.399
They're opting to create a business for themselves.
00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:46.480
And as we create these one-person businesses, there may be a lifestyle element as well.
00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:54.480
Now, one thing that I think employees moving to solopreneurship don't really find as a struggle.
00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:58.639
I would say this is really probably one of the growth edges, is what we talk about in scale.
00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:03.040
So scale also has three catalysts marketing and visibility.
00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:11.839
And that's where I really want to encourage you to, you know, dive into the chapter, but more importantly, listen into some of the podcast episodes I'm doing.
00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:13.680
People like Denise Wakeman.
00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:20.160
Uh, Denise was one of my mentors years ago, 20 years ago, when I was starting out as a blogger.
00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:28.720
And many of you know that for 11 years, yes, 11 years, I blogged daily at the Teams 365 blog.
00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:35.759
That blog in its heyday had more than 10,000 readers every week and loved the craft.
00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:39.440
I think in fact it really helped shape me as a writer.
00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:43.919
Now, after 11 years, two years ago, it was time to put that to bed.
00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:48.159
And I had just launched our coaching many podcast for group of tea coaches.
00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:54.559
And this book, along with other books, were also getting to be sort of in the flow.
00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:58.000
So back to flow flex scale, what else do you get?
00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:02.399
And again, looking at the book description, which you'll of course can read.
00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:10.720
It is all about the nine catalysts of the FlowFlex scale to help you identify what you need to do now and where do you want to focus next?
00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:14.240
It's not what you wanted to do six months ago or six months in the future.
00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:16.399
It's really a present moment.
00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:25.120
Doesn't mean that it's reactive, it is proactive in that we are also still taking some strategic focus.
00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:31.120
And for those of my clients that have worked with me, you know that I am always gonna bring that strategic lens.
00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:42.080
Whether we define that as three and six months down the road, the old three years, or when I started out as a strategic planner back in the 1990s, that was 10 years.
00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:44.080
You know, really a 10-year window.
00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:46.159
We don't even know what many things are gonna look like.
00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:54.159
However, as a business owner, as a CEO, as a founder, you're gonna want to really be strategic as well as in the now.
00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:58.000
I really do bring a human-centered approach to AI.
00:09:58.159 --> 00:09:59.600
We have been AI enabled.
00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:05.120
I'm in the top, you know, I think last year it was a top 1% of users in certain areas.
00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:13.279
And that means we're looking at AI, adaptability, and sustainable growth in a ever-changing environment.
00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:24.080
If you read Reconnecting Workspaces, my last two books that came out five years ago, I was talking a lot about VUCA, volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:38.480
Now we are operating in what James Cassico says banny, griddle, anxiety-producing, unheard of and incomprehensible, right?
00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:43.519
So again, looking at that, how are we making decisions?
00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:49.200
And so there's a lot of reflective tools and also coaching prompts throughout the book.
00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:51.440
Now, what is interesting is you have choice.
00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:56.960
So for those that are AI enabled, you'll want to use the prompts as in your AI partnership.
00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:02.080
For those that are more analog, and I remember for me, I straddle both worlds.
00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:08.000
We have always been on the edge of tech, hence my 2017 book, Effective Virtual Conversations.
00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:17.600
But I also really do feel, and the research is showing this, that, you know, from a learning perspective, we do need to keep one foot in the analog realm.
00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:26.399
So I say that because in the reflective process of every chapter, you're going to have prompts, which I would encourage you maybe do on both tangents, right?
00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:29.440
With your AI partner, but also for yourself.
00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:45.679
The ability for us to retain and maintain and keep building our cognitive capacity, our capacity for strategic thinking, our capacity to look at contingency planning is absolutely essential as a solopreneur.
00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:49.279
We don't have the same bench strength that organizations have.
00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:59.039
And so, really, if you are going to be doubling down in solopreneurship, notice what is additive and what is depleting in your world.
00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:02.320
And I'll leave that as an inquiry for you to think about.
00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:07.440
Now, against the nine catalysts, there are three what I call activators.
00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:13.360
And these are like the sort of the band that goes around the engine of solopreneurship.
00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:18.080
And those, of course, are creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:22.559
I'm going to say those again, creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:25.279
And I think these are three key areas.
00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:31.919
They're not only future of work skills, but they've been embedded in the FlowFlex scale framework since I penned this book.
00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:35.039
And many of you have heard my earlier writing newsletters.
00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:42.000
This book was originally born back in 2020, summer, as part of the Muskoka novel Marathon.
00:12:42.320 --> 00:13:13.759
Of course, continue to update it, but after all these pivots, after all these changes, I am quite confident, not 100% confident because you can never can be, but I'm confident that the areas we're looking at, the areas we're zooming into the microscope, the areas we're experimenting around under the FlowFlex scale banner really are the ones that are going to allow you to keep renewing, thriving, and acting in a world that probably isn't going to slow down anytime soon.
00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:26.480
So I wrap this up by saying whether you're refining your offers, strengthening your systems, navigating change, or reimagining sustainable growth in the AI era, this book provides clear practical pathways forward.
00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:30.639
There is a lot to be engaging with.
00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.600
It is a thick book, as always.
00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:40.240
We we, I, along with my publisher, came in at 420 pages.
00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:51.919
So you may want to grab the Kindle version or you may want to have it not as a paperweight, but really as something that you can be looking at and going into and engaging with along the way.
00:13:52.480 --> 00:14:06.000
Now, I would love to enroll you to help me because as I said at the start of this, my vision is to have 100,000 solopreneurs using the book, reading the book within the next while.
00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:07.679
And I can't do that alone.
00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:11.519
Just like other books, I will be, of course, doing a couple of things.
00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:21.039
But with this book especially, number one, there are now resources in the appendix for book clubs to be using this as a resource.
00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:26.960
So maybe you're a chamber of commerce and you want to have this as a book club edition.
00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:30.480
Just purchase copies for every group member.
00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:34.320
There are a dozen questions there that you can be engaging with.
00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:41.519
Maybe you're a university and you want to use this as a recommended or just a supplementary text.
00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:47.360
Again, there are questions from the book that are going to help you navigate that with your students.
00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:51.840
And there's a third list of questions for those that sit in organizations.
00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:54.960
And you might say, but wait, Jen, isn't this for solopreneurs?
00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:59.039
I think the book is also going to be found of interest to intrapreneurs.
00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:04.879
So there you might have an intrapreneurial RD division, a research and development division.
00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:10.240
You might have leaders who are really embracing intrapreneurial thinking.
00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:18.480
When I first started teaching about intrapreneurism back in 2004, I think a lot of people were very perplexed.
00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:34.480
As I was a part-time business faculty member, and in the entrepreneurial studies, we would often dive into the case studies or case texts of what Xerox and 3M were doing in those days.
00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:45.200
I would assert with future of work, cultivating intrapreneurial muscles within corporate entities are really an essential skill set.
00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:49.200
And that's something that I'm going to be continuing to offer.
00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:50.559
We've been doing some of it.
00:15:50.639 --> 00:16:06.879
And when I say we through my company, potentials realized, there is in this body of work going to be an opportunity for coaches and other professionals who want to become part of our team to really take this out and support organizations and individual solopreneurs.
00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:15.120
There will be a certification program similar to what I've done in Coaching Business Builder, Plan Do Track, and Reconnecting Workspaces.
00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:16.799
So stay tuned for that.
00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:22.559
I will be continuing to run the 90-day lab for solopreneurs who want to join me.
00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:24.720
That is a long-standing program.
00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:33.279
It's run for seven years in different iterations, first as a coaching bizgrowth lab, but in the last year in these 90-day cycles.
00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.080
And again, I know how impactful it is.
00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:47.919
It takes anywhere from about six weeks to three and a half, four and a half months for entrepreneurs at all stages to really find traction when they are in that swirl.
00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:58.159
And, you know, there's a lot coming at all of us today, especially business owners, especially solopreneur business owners.
00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:13.119
If you're looking for a space to connect, to have community, to be supported through weekly planning and also coaching from me, at least at this time, I hope that you will reach out and consider joining us.
00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:18.720
We meet Mondays and Fridays, and cohorts start every quarter.
00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:21.920
So lots of ways to get involved.
00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:25.359
I do hope that maybe you'll consider hosting a book club.
00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:42.319
Maybe you'll join me to get certification, or perhaps you'll join us at the lab and be doing the work alongside us as we move into daily steps and consistent action to get momentum in this world that keeps on changing.
00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:52.400
So I don't have a solution for that, but I would say with FlowFlex Scale, we can have fun, we can do the work, we can show up and work on the business.
00:17:52.640 --> 00:18:01.759
And most importantly, I think we can get grounded in a moment in time which seems like it could be just a vortex.
00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:16.400
But I continue to see with organizations and solopreneurs that are really dedicated to building and making their mark, my work has always been shaped by the water drop.
00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:20.000
And that continues in this body of work as well.
00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:24.000
So my writing, I hope, will be rippling out in the world.
00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:26.559
It would be a pleasure to come and speak with you.
00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:32.559
I've been really privileged to be able to bring this body of work out in the world for the last year to multiple groups.
00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:40.559
A shout out for those of you I've spoken at the ICF Wellness Group of Coaches, Community of Practice.
00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:47.599
Also, I'm going to be doing a postcon, a second annual postcon for another wellness initiative.
00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:56.400
Just so you know, this body of work has grown up in many, many entrepreneurial sectors from coaching, of course.
00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:01.519
It's benefited writers, it's benefited digital creators.
00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:11.759
And early on in my career, I did a lot of work with other types of businesses, whether it was eco-tourist reserves or bed and breakfasts.
00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:14.960
I've done a lot in the tourism industry as well.
00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:23.839
I've also had the pleasure to support financial planners and financial analysts that really are tasked with running their own businesses.
00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:28.319
So you will find that this book, Flow Flex Scale, is wider.
00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:30.960
It is for solopreneurs in general.
00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:33.359
And I hope that you'll continue listening along.
00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:39.839
We're getting to the end of today's episode, but I did want to come on and celebrate this milestone.
00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:50.000
For me as an author, it's fun to look back at these first days to see the excitement and not knowing what lies ahead.
00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:54.880
But I do feel that with this book especially, the time is now.
00:19:55.200 --> 00:20:02.079
And that meant that in fact I'm working on multiple books at this time, but this one has come out first.
00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:10.880
And so for the next six months throughout the fall and winter of 2026-2027, I really look forward to doubling down.
00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:17.759
There is, of course, an interesting connection to my next book on the capacity of the future of work.
00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:21.759
I will say more on that as we move through the rest of the year.
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:22.720
But thank you.
00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:24.160
Thank you for joining us.
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:28.799
And please share this with a colleague who might find it valuable.
00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:33.519
I would invite you, and we're doing something different with this book launch.
00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:40.000
Um, many of you have always inquired how can pricing be kept at par.
00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:44.319
You're gonna notice some of that more equity globally.
00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:49.680
Also, I've reduced the price at this moment in time, at least, on Kindle.
00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:57.680
And I do hope that that's gonna get the book in the hands of solopreneurs and entrepreneurs around the world.
00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:08.799
Because I look forward to the day of speaking not only in Europe and North America, but bringing us back to the Caribbean.
00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:18.799
So with that, thank you and look forward to you joining us for future episodes.
00:21:19.119 --> 00:21:21.759
And stay tuned, there is a newsletter.
00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:29.599
Uh, you can check out the whole new website, flowflexscale.com, and we also have flowflexscale podcast.com.
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:38.000
If you know of someone that you'd really love to have as a guest, I would appreciate that word of mouth recommendation as well.
00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:42.799
And I'll be continuing to release these on a weekly basis.
00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:47.440
So for now, take care and let's celebrate.
00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:48.880
Have a great day.
