Building a Profitable Practice with Authenticity and Heart
Mission Driven Business
Rooted in identity, community, and purpose is what it truly means to build a business with heart. Brian Thompson sits down with Kala Lacy, an EMDR-trained yoga psychotherapist and founder of , a holistic wellness practice centered on Black and queer people of color. Kala shares how she turned her own healing journey into a thriving private practice, why niching down with radical specificity was the key to her success, and what inspired her newest venture: , a mentorship community for Black, queer, and trans clinicians building aligned private practices. A Business With Heart Kala...
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Budgeting Series #2: A Guide to Money Mindset Shifts
Mission Driven Business
Money isn't just math and for most entrepreneurs, it never has been. In this episode, Brian Thompson continues the budgeting series with part two: acceptance. Building on , Brian explores the emotional side of budgeting and why looking at your numbers without shame or judgment is just as important as looking at them at all. Why Financial Acceptance Is the Missing Piece Once you have your numbers, you're naturally going to have feelings about them. Money is tied to your upbringing, your fears, your identity, and your sense of security. Brian sees it constantly in his client work: people...
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Budgeting Series #1: A Guide to Financial Awareness
Mission Driven Business
Budgeting doesn't have to be intimidating, but it does have to be intentional. In this episode, Brian Thompson kicks off a brand new solo series on budgeting for entrepreneurs, approaching the topic through three lenses: awareness, acceptance, and action. The episode is the first and most foundational step: Awareness. Whether you're a new business owner or a seasoned mission-driven entrepreneur, understanding where your money is actually going is the starting point for everything else. Why Financial Awareness Comes First Every January, Brian's inbox fills up with clients asking to...
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How Veterans Are Transforming Into Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs
Mission Driven Business
Julie Austin and Matthew Cain share their journey in leveraging their military backgrounds to assist veterans in transitioning to entrepreneurship through their podcast Dogtags to Ownership. We explore the definition of mission-driven businesses, the importance of community & networking, and the personal experiences that shaped their call to service. The discussion also touches on the significance of identity, the challenges faced during the Don't Ask, Don't Tell era and how their backgrounds influence their current endeavors. The episode concludes with insights on partnership dynamics and...
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Transform Your Business with an Annual Client Audit
Mission Driven Business
Understanding your client relationships is more crucial than ever in today's fast-paced business environment. The that can help you gain clarity on your client base, enhance your business relationships, and ultimately drive growth. In this episode, Brian Thompson focuses on how a thoughtful client audit can transform your business. He emphasizes that this process is not about hastily cutting ties with clients but rather about thoughtfully evaluating client relationships to enhance business growth and personal well-being with a simple three-step process. The Importance of a Client Audit...
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Reclaiming Your Time with Boundary-setting
Mission Driven Business
In this solo episode, Brian Thompson outlines practical steps for business owners to take back their time, including auditing their calendars, defining a 'hell yes' filter for opportunities, using scripts to say no gracefully, and starting small with boundary-setting. He stresses that reclaiming time is an ongoing practice that requires accountability, energy tracking, and celebrating small wins. By protecting their time, entrepreneurs can create space for joy, clarity, and purpose in their lives and businesses. Why do boundaries around time management matter Time is your most valuable...
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Close The Books, Open The New Year
Mission Driven Business
In this solo episode, Brian breaks down one of the most overlooked but essential parts of running a mission-driven business: year-end bookkeeping. You’ll learn a simple, practical framework for cleaning up your books, organizing your finances, and setting up systems that actually support you and your business. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by accounting software, unclear categories, or messy receipts, this episode will help you start the new year with clarity and confidence. Episode Highlights Why year-end bookkeeping is a big deal The way you close this year directly affects how you...
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How To Define Your Niche with Theresa Pablos
Mission Driven Business
Brian Thompson chats with Theresa Pablos, CFP®, about the early-stage realities of building a business. A former journalist and freelance marketer, Theresa transitioned careers to financial planning in 2023 and ultimately earned the CFP® certification mark in 2025. She recently joined as an Associate Financial Advisor and is just starting to build her client base. In this episode, Theresa and Brian discuss the excitement, fear, and the uncomfortable but necessary work of defining a niche. You’ll get practical tips for finding your target audience, learn how to provide real value, and...
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You Can’t Change What You Don’t Track
Mission Driven Business
Brian Thompson loves a good spreadsheet, and in this episode, he’s sharing some of his best tips for tracking metrics in a manageable, mission-aligned way. You’ll learn how intentional tracking can help mission-driven entrepreneurs gain clarity, celebrate progress, and make better decisions. Drawing inspiration from investor and writer Sahil Bloom’s Five Types of Wealth, Brian offers practical tools to help you track progress without it becoming a full-time job. Episode Highlights Tracking creates accountability Tracking transforms assumptions into awareness. If you’re not measuring...
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Building Businesses with Purpose and Profit with Rachel Bernier-Green
Mission Driven Business
Brian Thompson chats with Rachel Bernier-Green, founder and CEO of the Economic Justice Consortium, a Chicago-based firm that helps mission-driven businesses sustain and amplify their impact through financial and operational excellence. A recovering public accountant turned social entrepreneur, Rachel has dedicated her career to closing the racial wealth gap and redefining what it means to lead with purpose and profit. In this episode, Rachel shares her journey from climbing the corporate ladder in public accounting, to running a social enterprise bakery that partnered with Whole Foods and...
info_outlineIn this solo episode, Brian Thompson outlines practical steps for business owners to take back their time, including auditing their calendars, defining a 'hell yes' filter for opportunities, using scripts to say no gracefully, and starting small with boundary-setting. He stresses that reclaiming time is an ongoing practice that requires accountability, energy tracking, and celebrating small wins. By protecting their time, entrepreneurs can create space for joy, clarity, and purpose in their lives and businesses.
Why do boundaries around time management matter
Time is your most valuable resource. You can always make more money, but you can't make more time. And when you waste your time or give it away without thinking, you're robbing yourself of energy, creativity, and alignment. Also, busy does not equal productive. Entrepreneurs often confuse packed schedules with being effective, but being intentional with your time is what leads to real impact.
In addition, burnout is real. When you say yes to everything, you eventually hit a wall. Your body knows, your creativity dries up, and your business suffers. Intentional time equals aligned action. When you reclaim your time, you make space for work that lights you up, moves your mission, and actually grows your business.
4 ways to take back your time as a business owner
Here are four ways to start taking your time back, starting this week.
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Audit your calendar.
Pull up last month's calendar and look at every meeting, task, or obligation. Highlight what you want more of and flag what needs to go.
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Define your hell yes filter.
Hell yes may be easy to define in some circumstances, but with most things in life, there's a lot of gray. When a new opportunity comes in, check: does it support one of my values or goals? If not, it's a no, or at least a not right now.
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Use scripts to say no.
You don't have to ghost people or be rude. You don't owe anyone an explanation, justification, or apology. Not wanting to is reason enough. You're allowed to protect your time because it matters to you, period. Scripts can be helpful training wheels, but over time, your no will stand on its own.
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Start small.
If saying no feels scary, start with something low stakes, decline in casual coffee, shorten a meeting by 15 minutes, or block one morning a week to focus on work. Small wins build your boundary-setting muscle.
How to stay on track with protecting your time
Making this commitment is nothing without accountability. Reclaiming your time isn't a one-and-done move. It's a practice.
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Do a weekly time check. What drained me this week? What felt aligned and energizing? What do I want to do differently next week? Journaling or voice noting works wonders here.
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Track energy, not just time. Rate how you feel after each meeting or task. Patterns will emerge and they'll guide your decisions.
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Get an accountability buddy. Whether it's a business coach, friend, or mastermind group, share your hell yes commitment with somebody. Have them check in with you monthly.
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Celebrate every win. Each time you say no to something that's not aligned, pause and celebrate. You protected your time and your peace.
I'll leave you with this. You are the steward of your time, not your clients, not your email box, not your calendar, you. The more you protect your time, the more space you create for joy, clarity, and purpose. Your mission deserves that, and you deserve that.
Your action step to setting boundaries and taking back your time
Schedule a 30-minute calendar audit this week. Look at what's a hell yes and what's not, then make one change. That's all it takes to begin.
Resources + Links
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Follow Brian Thompson Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Forbes
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Follow & review the podcast: on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
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.