288: Why Business Feels Hard Right Now (And How to Get Through It)
Release Date: 01/22/2026
302: The Monthly Business Checkup Every Entrepreneur Needs
Black to Business
You ever get to the end of the month and realize… you were busy the whole time, but you can’t clearly say what actually worked? Money came in, but you’re not sure where most of it came from. You posted, showed up, did what you needed to do, but you don’t really know what connected. A few things felt off, but you kept pushing through because the work still had to get done. Then a new month starts… and you just keep going. That’s how a lot of business owners end up repeating the same patterns without realizing it. This episode is about breaking that cycle....
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301: Why You’re Not Where You Want to Be in Your Business Yet
Black to Business
There comes a point in business where you really look at what you’ve built so far, not from the outside, but from your own experience being in it every day. Things can be working. You can make money, bring in clients, have moments where everything comes together. And still, it doesn’t feel settled. It doesn’t feel like something you can rely on yet. Too much still depends on you stepping in, figuring it out, and keeping it going. This episode speaks to that space. Monique breaks down the difference between a business that works and one that feels steady, and why so many entrepreneurs...
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300 Episodes Later: What I Know for Sure About Business
Black to Business
300 episodes. When you really think about that, it’s a lot of showing up. A lot of recording. A lot of doing something over and over again, even on the days where the energy wasn’t there. In this solo episode, Monique T. Marshall takes a step back to reflect on that journey. From starting this podcast with a USB mic in the Brooklyn Public Library to building something that has reached thousands of entrepreneurs, this has been built over time. There were no perfect conditions. A lot of it came from figuring things out while moving. In this episode, Monique breaks down what has proven to be...
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299: What to Do When Business Stops Feeling Exciting
Black to Business
There comes a point in business where the work feels different. Clarity is there. Direction is there. Nothing is necessarily broken. But the excitement that used to come with it does not show up the same way. What once felt new now feels familiar, and that shift can catch you off guard. That’s usually when the questions start. You might find yourself wondering if something needs to change, or if you’ve outgrown what you’re building. For entrepreneurs who are used to moving off ideas and energy, that drop in excitement can feel like a sign that something is off, even when it’s not. In...
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298: The Quiet Season in Business (And Why It’s Not a Bad Thing)
Black to Business
There are seasons in business where everything feels visible. You’re sharing, promoting, and it feels like people can see the movement. Then there are seasons where things are a little more low key. You’re still working. You’re still building. But it’s not something you’re talking about like that. And if we’re keeping it real, that can start to mess with how you feel about what you’re doing. You might start questioning if you should be doing more. If it looks like you fell off. Or if something just is not working. In this episode, Monique breaks down what the quiet season...
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297: What to Do When You Keep Wanting to Shift Directions in Your Business
Black to Business
You start something in your business, you feel good about it, and then not too long after… you’re already thinking about doing something else. Now you’re questioning if you made the right choice or if you should be going in a completely different direction. That back and forth can slow you down more than you realize, especially when you keep restarting instead of building on what’s already in motion. In this solo episode, Monique breaks down what’s actually behind that constant urge to switch directions. She shares a recent realization from being in two business programs where she...
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296: How to Know What to Focus on Next in Your Business
Black to Business
When you’re running a business, there’s never a shortage of things you could be working on. There’s always something to fix. Something to improve. Something you’ve been meaning to get to. And when you’re looking at all of that at the same time, everything can start to feel important. So you sit down to work, and your attention is everywhere. You touch a little bit of this. A little bit of that. And by the end of the day, you’ve been busy… but it doesn’t feel like anything really moved. If that’s been you lately, this episode is for you. In this solo conversation, Monique...
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295: How to Spring Clean Your Business for the Next Level
Black to Business
When we think about spring cleaning, most of us think about our homes. Closets get organized. Old items get donated. Spaces get reset so things feel lighter and easier to manage. But the same thing applies to your business. Over time, businesses naturally accumulate things. New offers get added. Systems get layered in. Marketing channels expand. Ideas that once made sense stay in place long after the business has grown beyond them. None of this usually happens overnight. It builds gradually as the business evolves. In this solo episode, Monique walks through what it really means to spring...
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294: How to Stop Overcomplicating Your Business
Black to Business
Running a business often starts with a simple idea. You know what you do, who you help, and the results you’re known for. But as the business grows, something subtle can begin to happen. New offers get added. New platforms get tested. New tools and strategies start stacking on top of each other. Before long, the business that once felt clear and focused begins to feel more complicated than it needs to be. In this solo episode, Monique explores how that shift happens and why so many entrepreneurs unintentionally overcomplicate their businesses while trying to grow. She breaks down the hidden...
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293: How to Give Your Business the Focus & Attention It Requires
Black to Business
There’s a difference between preparing and postponing. As business owners, we have access to endless information. Podcasts. Webinars. Threads. Courses. Frameworks. And most of the time, consuming feels productive. It feels like you’re being thoughtful. Like you’re doing your due diligence. But what happens when you’re taking in more than you’re putting out? In this solo episode, Monique gets honest about a recent stretch where she found herself consuming more than creating and how that subtle shift began slowing down execution inside her business. What started as...
info_outlineThere 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, it is because something needs to be addressed, adjusted, or supported differently.
In this solo episode, Monique breaks down what a business rut actually is, why it shows up, and how to work your way through it without burning yourself out or questioning everything you have built.
This is not a “push harder” conversation. This is a grounding, honest conversation about choosing the right kind of hard and learning how to move forward with intention during demanding seasons.
DURING THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
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Why feeling stuck does not mean you lack discipline, vision, or ability
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What “hard” really means in business and how to define the kind of hard you are willing to work through
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The Rut Breaker Method and how to apply it in a realistic way
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How to strengthen what is already working instead of starting over
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