Five Questions To Ask About the Future of Your Business
Mission Driven Business
Ten years into building a business, the questions you ask yourself need to change. In this episode, Brian Thompson wraps up the BTF tenth anniversary series by looking forward, sharing five questions every entrepreneur should ask about the future of their business, and the power of writing a letter to your future self. This is not a strategic planning session. There are no revenue projections or growth targets. It is an honest and personal reflection on what intentional entrepreneurship looks like when survival is no longer the primary question. In this episode you will learn: ...
info_outline
What I Believed About Business in 2016 and What I Know Now
Mission Driven Business
Ten years of entrepreneurship changes the way you think about almost everything. In this episode, Brian Thompson shares ten belief shifts that shaped his journey from 2016 to 2026, and what they might mean for wherever you are in building your own business. Brian introduces two versions of himself: 2016 Brian, the guy who just walked away from a comfortable legal career with a vision and a lot of assumptions, and 2026 Brian, someone who has spent a decade building a business, serving clients, making mistakes, and learning along the way. The result is an honest and personal reflection on what...
info_outline
A Decade in Business: Lessons, Gratitude, and What Comes Next
Mission Driven Business
Ten years ago, Brian Thompson walked out of his law firm for the last time with a vision, a lot of fear, and no guaranteed paycheck. In this episode, he reflects on a decade of entrepreneurship, the lessons that shaped him, the people who made it possible, and what the next ten years of mission-driven financial planning looks like. This is not a strategy episode. It is a personal and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been part of the BTF journey, and a reminder that meaningful businesses are not built overnight. They are built one conversation, one client, one courageous decision, and...
info_outline
How to Review Your Business Finances Mid-Year
Mission Driven Business
The halfway point of the year is one of the best moments to review your business finances, and most entrepreneurs let it pass without taking action. In this episode, Brian Thompson shares the CASH framework, a simple mid-year review you can complete in under an hour, that helps you understand where your business stands and make better decisions for the second half of the year. Brian gets honest about his own relationship with numbers and why most entrepreneurs avoid their finances, not because the news is bad, but because looking feels uncomfortable. This episode is a practical and...
info_outline
How to Make Better Business Decisions Using a Simple Framework
Mission Driven Business
Most entrepreneurs treat business problems as money problems. In this episode, Brian Thompson makes the case that they are almost always alignment problems, and that better decision-making starts not with tactics, but with mission, vision, and values. Brian shares the alignment framework he uses with entrepreneurs across industries to help them make decisions with more clarity, confidence, and purpose. If you have ever felt like your business decisions are harder than they should be, this episode will help you understand why, and what to do about it. In this episode you will learn: Why...
info_outline
Why Better Systems Won't Fix Entrepreneurial Burnout
Mission Driven Business
Refining workflows and checklists cannot solve every foundational business hurdle. In this episode, Brian Thompson explores why a focus on optimization often leads to the avoidance of deeper personal and operational challenges, and what actually builds true resilience over the long term. Brian opens up about navigating a profound capacity problem during a period of intense personal transition and business growth. If you have ever felt exhausted despite having a perfectly organized schedule, this episode explains why the solution often requires subtraction. In this episode you will...
info_outline
Choosing the Right Business Structure for a Mission-Driven Business
Mission Driven Business
Choosing the right business structure is one of the most important decisions a mission-driven business owner will make, and taxes are only part of the story. In this episode, Brian Thompson walks through every major business structure available to entrepreneurs, viewed through the lens of ownership, profit sharing, decision making, and mission protection. Whether you are just starting out, growing your team, or thinking about the best way to share profits, this episode will help you ask better questions and make a more informed decision about the structure that fits the business you are...
info_outline
People Before Profit: The Co-op Business Model
Mission Driven Business
Most entrepreneurs have never seriously considered the cooperative business model, even though some of the most recognizable brands in the world are co-ops. In this episode, Brian Thompson sits down with D.G. Safeer Hopton, entrepreneur, healer, and author of Creating a Co-op Village, to explore cooperative economics and what it could mean for mission-driven business owners. Safeer has spent decades building co-ops, studying cooperative economics, and helping communities create prosperity through shared ownership. This conversation is a practical and eye-opening introduction to a business...
info_outline
Why Revenue Growth Isn't Making You Feel Safer
Mission Driven Business
More revenue does not automatically create financial security. In this episode, Brian Thompson explores why so many entrepreneurs still feel anxious even when business is going well, and what actually builds business stability over the long term. Brian gets honest about the gap between revenue growth and emotional security, drawing from his own experience and years of working with entrepreneurs at every stage of business. If you have ever hit a goal and still felt like everything could fall apart, this episode will help you understand why, and what to do about it. In this episode you...
info_outline
The Cost of Hiding Who You Are in Your Business
Mission Driven Business
Let's explore the real emotional and strategic cost of hiding parts of yourself as an entrepreneur, and why building a business rooted in authenticity creates stronger alignment, better marketing, and a more sustainable path forward. Brian gets personal about his own journey navigating visibility as a Black, gay entrepreneur and financial planner, and what he has learned about the difference between protecting yourself and slowly erasing yourself. If you have ever felt exhausted by performing a version of yourself you thought people expected, this episode is for you. In this episode you...
info_outlineOn the very first episode of the Mission Driven Business Podcast, Brian chats with Dawn Hancock, the founder of socially conscious creative studio Firebelly Design. Dawn shares how she built the studio from the ground up, while maintaining a focus on creating “Good Design For Good Reason.”
In this episode, you'll learn the life event that compelled Dawn to create her company at age 25, the grit that led to the studio's two-decade-long winning streak, and Dawn's plans for the future.
Episode Highlights
Put people first
Dawn defines a mission-driven business as an organization that puts people first, and her studio Firebelly Design has been doing fulfilling that mantra since its founding in 1999. When making decisions, Dawn considers the impact of her business on people -- whether that's the work the studio produces or the clients that Firebelly takes on.
“For me, it’s not to say that profits don’t matter, but it means putting people first,” Dawn said.
She later added, “Profit does matter. It just doesn’t have to be the only thing.”
Starting young can be an advantage
Driven by a desire to create meaningful work and the loss of her father, Dawn founded Firebelly age 25. At the time, she figured she could always get another job if starting her own business didn’t work out. She also had the advantage of few fixed responsibilities, such as a mortgage.
“I had that young naivety,” Dawn said. “I didn’t know what I didn’t know, which ultimately was a huge plus to me.”
Initially, Dawn wanted to make enough to cover her bills, while still being able to be selective in the studio’s clients. More than 20 years later, her focus has expanded to include the wellbeing of more than a dozen people who work with her to create good design for good reason.
Know when to delegate
Dawn had to learn the importance of delegation the hard way. About seven years into running Firebelly, Dawn took on all of the work herself for a big, high paying project. But when Dawn got stretched too thin, Firebelly ultimately got fired from the job. It was at that moment that Dawn learned the importance of relying on her team.
“I have a team for a reason, and I trust them, so why am I not … just focusing on the clients, which is what I’m ultimately really good at?” she said. “That was a big ‘Aha’ moment.”
Since that key learning, Dawn’s role at Firebelly has continued to evolve, and she is now in the process of planning her transition away from the company she founded. Dawn had already been trying to envision the future both for her personal life and for Firebelly, and when 2020 hit, her answer became clear.
“I just had this moment where I realized I can hire somebody to replace myself,” she said.
While Dawn hasn’t found the right person to run Firebelly as of the podcast recording, she is excited about the prospect of delegating her latest role.
“They can see and do things that I probably wouldn’t have," she said.
Resources/Links
- https://www.firebellydesign.com
- Dawn’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dawnhancock
- Brian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianFinancial
About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast
Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.
On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.