289: When What Used to Work Doesn’t Work Anymore
Black to Business
There is a very specific kind of frustration that shows up in business when you are not new, not careless, and not doing nothing wrong, yet the results no longer match the effort. This episode is about that season. The one where the strategies you trusted start feeling unpredictable. The routines you mastered feel heavier instead of supportive. The systems that once made things easier now require more energy just to maintain. In this solo episode, Monique T. Marshall talks honestly about what happens when business rules expire. Not because you failed, but because the environment changed. The...
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288: Why Business Feels Hard Right Now (And How to Get Through It)
Black to Business
There are seasons in business where nothing is technically “wrong,” but everything feels heavier than it should. Decisions take longer. Progress feels slower. Motivation comes and goes. The work still matters, but the ease you once felt feels distant. This episode is for the entrepreneur who is still showing up and still committed, but quietly wondering why things feel so difficult right now. After more than a decade in business and hundreds of conversations with Black founders, Monique has noticed a clear pattern. When business feels hard, it is rarely because you are failing. More often,...
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287: How to Build Wealth & Opportunity Without Displacing the Community You Serve w/ Logan Herring
Black to Business
You can build something beautiful, grow it, scale it, and still protect the people and culture that made the community what it is. You’ve probably seen the opposite happen, a neighborhood gets “improved” and suddenly the folks who stuck it out through the hard years cannot afford to stay, local businesses get priced out, and the history gets wiped clean. That tension is real, especially when you are a Black entrepreneur trying to build with integrity, not just build for profit. This episode matters because wealth building is not only about money, it is also about who has access, who has...
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286: How Black Founders Can Use Bartering to Stretch Resources & Build Stronger Businesses w/ Nicole Murphy
Black to Business
If you have ever looked at your to do list and thought, “I know what my business needs next, I just do not have the money for it yet,” this episode will feel familiar. Stretching resources is not about cutting corners, it is about making smart decisions in a system where Black founders often have to do more with less. For many Black entrepreneurs, building a business means navigating limited access to capital, smaller margins for error, and the pressure to figure everything out on your own. That reality can slow growth and lead to burnout, even when the vision is clear. This episode speaks...
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285: The Audacity to Trust Yourself in Business
Black to Business
Trusting yourself in business sounds simple, but in practice it can feel complicated. Especially when you are capable, prepared, and still hesitating at the moment it matters most. In this solo episode, we unpack what audacity really looks like for Black entrepreneurs. Not the loud or performative version, but the quiet conviction it takes to move without guarantees, stop self editing, and let your own judgment lead even when the outcome is uncertain. This conversation is for the entrepreneur who knows they are ready, but keeps waiting. Waiting for better timing. Waiting for more confirmation....
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284: Before You Plan, Pause
Black to Business
Planning comes easy to entrepreneurs. Especially when things feel uncertain, heavy, or unfinished. The notes app fills up. The goals start forming. The urge to do something different kicks in fast. Pausing rarely feels as natural. In this episode of the Black to Business podcast, we slow the conversation down on purpose. This is not about setting better goals or building a more ambitious plan. This is about understanding where you are before deciding where you are going. Because planning without reflection often leads to repetition. New goals. Same pressure. Same habits. Same exhaustion. This...
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283: How to Stop Starting Over & Work With What You Already Have
Black to Business
There is a quiet frustration a lot of entrepreneurs are carrying right now. The work is happening. Effort is being put in. Progress is not obvious yet. So the instinct becomes to scrap everything and start again. New idea. New offer. New strategy. New direction. In this solo episode of the Black to Business podcast, we are slowing that impulse down and telling the truth about what is really happening when you feel the need to start over. After speaking with more than 200 Black entrepreneurs on this podcast, one pattern shows up again and again. The founders who eventually find their footing...
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282: Moving in Silence Is Not a Flex & Why Hiding Your Work Hurts Your Business
Black to Business
Being the “best kept secret” sounds cute until you realize it is costing you money, opportunities, and peace of mind. Many Black founders are doing excellent work behind the scenes yet feel stuck, overlooked, or invisible. The grind is real, but the results are not matching the effort. This episode is a truth-telling conversation about why moving in silence is not a flex and why hiding your work hurts your business. Visibility can feel risky, especially when you care about how you show up. It can also feel necessary if you want people to actually find, trust, and choose you. This solo...
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281: How to Let Go of the Mindset That Held You Back This Year
Black to Business
December is here. This is the time of year when a lot of people are talking about what’s next. Before you rush into planning mode, this episode is your opportunity to pause and get honest about what needs to be left behind. As a Black entrepreneur, you know that business comes with more than strategy and systems. Sometimes, it’s the mindset that does the most damage. Maybe you told yourself you weren’t ready. Maybe you hid your brilliance because you didn’t want to be seen. Maybe you kept trying to do everything alone because that’s what you thought it took. You do not have to carry...
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280: Grateful, But Not Done Yet
Black to Business
This is the time of year when reflection and gratitude are everywhere. The calendar is winding down, timelines are filled with celebrations, and many entrepreneurs start asking, “Did I do enough?” In this solo episode, Monique shares a powerful reminder that gratitude and ambition can coexist. You can honor your growth and still know there’s more in you. This is not about rushing to the finish line. It is about moving with clarity, intention, and purpose in this final stretch of the year. Whether you are listening on a holiday or it is just another Thursday, this conversation is your...
info_outlineLet’s be real. A lot of us have been out here trying to follow someone else’s version of success. Copying the routines. Following the “rules.” Pushing ourselves to work in ways that don’t even feel natural. But if your business still feels off, it might not be about doing more. It might be about working differently. Working in a way that actually supports how you move.
In this solo episode, Monique is getting into the step that too many early-stage entrepreneurs skip: learning how you personally work best. This isn’t about another hustle routine or productivity hack. It’s about tuning into your rhythm, your energy, and your capacity and building a business that actually fits your life.
Especially as Black entrepreneurs, we’ve been told to push through, power up, and work twice as hard. But we don’t often hear that it’s okay to pause, reflect, and choose a way of working that protects your peace. That’s what this conversation is about.
If you’ve been checking all the boxes but still feel drained or stuck, this is your reminder that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of your well-being.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
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Why many Black entrepreneurs feel stuck mimicking productivity instead of finding flow
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How to identify your natural work rhythm and align your schedule around it
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The difference between being productive vs. performing productivity for validation
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Practical ways to create systems that match your energy instead of drain it
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How to build flexibility into your routine so it supports you through changing seasons
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