Human-Centered Sales in a Post-Algorithm Market - with Megan Smyth
Release Date: 02/09/2026
MISTAKE: Stop Chasing Every Trend, It Won't Grow Your Business
The Experienced Entrepreneur
If you've been feeling like you're treading water, maintaining the status quo, and wondering why growth still feels so hard, this episode is going to reframe everything. Marissa makes the case for why trend-chasing is the mistake that's actually keeping you from growing, and why the entrepreneurs who are growing right now aren't the ones chasing the next platform or strategy. They're the ones going inward, doubling down on what's working, and cutting the fluff. She introduces the beaker analogy for the four levers (lead acquisition, lead nurture, sales and conversions, lifestyle) and...
info_outline
Hidden Skills you Build During the Growth Stage of Business
The Experienced Entrepreneur
What if the work you're doing right now in growth stage is building the competencies you'll need for the next twenty years of business? In this episode, Marissa breaks down the hidden skills you're developing in growth stage that are quieter and harder to measure than the visible skills you built in the early years. She explains why build stage teaches you what to sell while growth stage teaches you how to lead, why you're learning to see patterns in your data instead of just numbers, and why the resilience you're building now is about identity, not just bouncing back from failure. You'll...
info_outline
Settling In Is Not the Same as Settling: Why Growth Stage Entrepreneurs Become Magnetic
The Experienced Entrepreneur
Episode Summary What if the most powerful thing you could do to grow your business right now isn't chasing more, but settling into what you've already built? In this episode, Marissa makes the case for why settling in is not the same as settling, and why growth stage entrepreneurs who commit to refining what they've built become magnetic. She breaks down the difference between chasing (scattered, reactive energy) and attracting (grounded, intentional energy), and why your ideal clients can feel the difference. You'll hear why the industry doesn't celebrate growth stage (there's no money in...
info_outline
From Guessing to Hypothesizing: You're the Scientist Now
The Experienced Entrepreneur
You know what you sell, who buys it, and how to deliver it. But there's a gap between where your business is and how you're showing up to lead it. In this episode, Marissa introduces the petri dish analogy that changes everything: in build stage, you're inside the petri dish as one of the variables in the experiment. In growth stage, you become the scientist running the experiment. She breaks down why taking responsibility for your business doesn't mean you can't acknowledge external factors, it means you stop using them as excuses. You'll hear about the three barriers that keep entrepreneurs...
info_outline
From Fluke to Framework: the Kay to Repeatable Results in your Business
The Experienced Entrepreneur
What if the success you've been calling luck is actually a system you built without realizing it? In this episode, Marissa tackles the "fluke mindset" that keeps experienced entrepreneurs stuck in build stage thinking even when they're years into business. She breaks down why dismissing your wins as accidents keeps you from investigating the patterns that actually drive your results, and why shifting from "fluke thinking" to "framework thinking" is the first step in becoming a growth stage entrepreneur. You'll hear about the CEO shift that happens when you stop attributing success to timing...
info_outline
You're Not Ready to "Scale" Your Business, Here's What to do Instead
The Experienced Entrepreneur
If you're making money online, you probably think the next step in your business is to scale. Well, this episode is going to shift your entire perspective. Marissa breaks down the three stages of business (build, grow, scale) and explains why most entrepreneurs skip the growth stage entirely, jumping straight from build to scale and breaking everything in the process. She introduces the industry lie that once you're making money, it's time to scale, and explains why growth stage (the unsexy, unglamorous stage of analyzing and optimizing) is the foundation that makes sustainable scaling...
info_outline
Cash Runway, Gross Profit & Financial Strategy with Kristen Hillman
The Experienced Entrepreneur
Cash reserves, gross profit, and knowing whether you're building an enterprise or an owner-driven business might sound like advanced financial concepts, but according to Kristen Hillman of Veticula Financial, they're the foundational metrics every growth-stage entrepreneur needs to understand. In this episode of The Experienced Entrepreneur, Marissa Lawton sits down with Kristen to unpack the "golden triangle" of financial advisors (CPA, wealth planner, and fractional CFO), why your cash runway should include your own pay (not just operating costs), and how to navigate the current "trust...
info_outline
A Peek Inside the My Favorite Metric Summit
The Experienced Entrepreneur
This week on The Experienced Entrepreneur, we're doing something a little different. The My Favorite Metric summit kicked off this week, and if you've been curious about what it's all about, this episode gives you a full look inside. Marissa walks you through the structure of the five-day event, who it's designed for (spoiler: growth-stage entrepreneurs, not newbies), and why she built it without the typical summit pressure tactics like disappearing content or forced upsells. You'll hear about the four themed days covering lead acquisition, engagement, sales and profit, and lifestyle metrics,...
info_outline
The Metrics Myth Keeping Entrepreneurs in the Dark
The Experienced Entrepreneur
If you've ever said "I'm just not a numbers person" — this episode is going to gently, but firmly, challenge that. For experienced entrepreneurs, the belief that metrics are complicated, cold, or designed for someone else is one of the most costly myths in business. Not because tracking is hard, but because the story we tell ourselves about it keeps us from accessing the clearest signal our business has to offer. In this episode of The Experienced Entrepreneur, Marissa Lawton breaks down where the "I'm not a metrics person" identity actually comes from, what it's quietly costing you in...
info_outline
Human-Centered Sales in a Post-Algorithm Market - with Megan Smyth
The Experienced Entrepreneur
In this episode of The Experienced Entrepreneur, Marissa Lawton sits down with Megan Smyth to unpack what’s actually working in sales right now — and why many experienced business owners are quietly moving away from social media–dependent strategies. Megan shares the story of losing every copywriting client in a single week and how that moment forced her to confront a hard truth: relying on referrals without a system is not a strategy. Instead of doubling down on platforms she hated, Megan rebuilt her sales process around what felt sustainable, human, and repeatable — and went on to...
info_outlineIn this episode of The Experienced Entrepreneur, Marissa Lawton sits down with Megan Smyth to unpack what’s actually working in sales right now — and why many experienced business owners are quietly moving away from social media–dependent strategies.
Megan shares the story of losing every copywriting client in a single week and how that moment forced her to confront a hard truth: relying on referrals without a system is not a strategy. Instead of doubling down on platforms she hated, Megan rebuilt her sales process around what felt sustainable, human, and repeatable — and went on to have her first six-figure year without social media driving demand.
Together, Marissa and Megan explore:
-
Why social media often functions as a vanity metric rather than a profit driver
-
How personalized, high-touch sales processes are outperforming automated funnels
-
The role of metrics in choosing the right platform for your business
-
Why messaging drives over 90% of conversion rates, regardless of launch length
-
How lifestyle metrics reveal whether your sales strategy actually supports your life
This conversation is especially relevant for experienced entrepreneurs navigating a quieter market, longer sales cycles, and rising skepticism from buyers. Instead of chasing visibility for visibility’s sake, Megan makes a compelling case for building sales systems rooted in clarity, consistency, and human connection.
Megan is also a featured presenter at the My Favorite Metric Summit, where she goes deeper into the metrics that reveal whether your sales strategy is actually working — and how to refine it without burning yourself out.
Listen in to learn how to sell in a way that aligns with your values, your capacity, and the kind of business you actually want to sustain.
If this conversation resonated, you’ll love what’s coming next.
My Favorite Metric is a free, week-long audio summit for experienced business owners who want clearer signals and calmer decision-making inside their business. Each day focuses on a different category of metrics — from lead acquisition and nurture to sales, profit, and lifestyle — so you can understand what actually deserves your attention right now.
Megan Smyth is one of the featured presenters, sharing the specific metrics she uses to guide human-centered, high-conversion sales without relying on social media.
The summit runs February 23–27, 2026, and all sessions remain available once you register.
Sign up for free at marissalawton.com/myfavoritemetric