Episode 282: The Real Cost of Starting a Business
The Fierce Factor with Kaeli Lindholm
Release Date: 09/08/2025
The Fierce Factor with Kaeli Lindholm
In this week’s episode, we’re bringing you a powerful panel replay straight from our ALT 2025 stage: Retain to Grow: Designing Development Runways for High-Growth Employees. On this panel, Kaeli is joined by Shelby Miller, DNP, Heidi Hermel, NP, and Rachel King, FNP-C. Each of these founders leads a thriving practice with strong team culture. And notably, each operates under a different compensation structure. Three different models. Three successful, growing organizations. This panel conversation dives deep into what it really takes to attract, develop, and retain top talent in today’s...
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This episode is Part 3 of our special Develop Your Voice of Impact series, and it’s all about what happens when the stakes are high and the spotlight is on. In this conversation, Krista Donargo, SGA, dives into the difference between recorded content and live communication, and why so many brilliant leaders lose their power when they step on stage, lead a training, or answer questions in real time. From keynotes and panels to team trainings and high-pressure conversations, this episode breaks down what it really takes to speak with confidence, presence, and authority when things don’t...
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Before Sara Blakely became the founder of Spanx, her life looked nothing like a success story. She failed the LSAT twice, was told she was “too short” at a Disney audition, and spent seven years selling fax machines door to door—hearing no over and over again. What changed everything wasn’t luck. It was how she treated rejection. Instead of seeing discomfort as failure, she treated it like training. In Part 2 of our Develop Your Voice Impact series, Krista Donargo, SGA unpacks how Blakely learned to fail forward, show up before things felt polished, and turn a scrappy idea into a...
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In part one of our Develop Your Voice of Impact podcast takeover, KLC’s Strategic Growth Advisor, Krista Donargo kicks off a powerful three-part series designed to help high-performing founders become more confident, compelling, and magnetic communicators, online, in person, and on stage. This episode explores why so many accomplished leaders lose their authority the moment a camera turns on or they’re asked to speak publicly, and why it has nothing to do with skill. Krista unpacks the real culprit behind shaky confidence: self-conscious, performance-based communication. Through personal...
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In this episode, I’m unpacking one of the most dangerous myths women are taught about success: that “playing it safe” is the responsible choice. This conversation was sparked by a reflection on 2016, the year I started KLC and the year my brother passed away, and a question that stopped me in my tracks: Is my life truly better because I chose growth over safety? What I’ve learned over the past decade is this: safety is often conditional, and comfort can be far more limiting than risk. I take you back to my corporate career at Bayer Healthcare, a role that looked secure by every...
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Episode 302 is a special bonus episode, and one every aesthetics and wellness founder needs if you’ve hired help but still feel like everything runs through you. You’ve hired a talented provider, invested in training, and yet you’re still carrying most of the revenue load. Patients wait for you. Your injector’s schedule stays open. And before frustration sets in, it’s important to understand the real factors keeping your provider from being fully booked. In this episode, I’m breaking down the 10 reasons your injector isn’t fully booked, from over-reliance on your personal brand...
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This isn’t a conversation about resolutions, hustle, or chasing the next shiny tactic. It’s a grounded, strategic look at what’s actually going to separate thriving practices from struggling ones in the year ahead. In this episode, we zoom out to reflect on the shifts shaping our industry—maturing consumer behavior, increased economic discernment, rapid AI expansion, and the quiet erosion of average experiences—and what those forces demand from today’s leaders. You’ll hear the 10 defining predictions for 2026, including why retention will outperform revenue growth, how client...
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Episode 300 is a milestone, and I wanted to mark it the way we actually grow: by looking back at what worked, what landed, and what leaders kept coming back to when things got loud. This is a recap episode of our most revisited conversations, the ones that sparked the most “I needed this” replies, the ones that turned into team meetings, boundary resets, revenue decisions, and CEO-level pivots. In this episode, I’m recapping: The leadership moves that keep you steady when the outside world feels unstable The culture standards that make great teams possible (and keep turnover from eating...
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I know what it feels like to be stuck in the "messy middle" of practice growth, that stage where you’ve achieved success, but you’ve also become the absolute bottleneck of your own business. I’ve spent years coaching female founders through this exact inflection point, and in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on why I created Confidence to Scale LIVE. During this conversation, KLC Strategic Growth Advisor, Krista Donargo, and I break down exactly what you can expect during our upcoming live kickoff in Manhattan Beach on January 9th and 10th. I share my core philosophy that...
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As we approach the end of the year, reflection has a way of stirring up emotions we don’t always talk about, pride, grief, uncertainty, and a quiet sense that something new is forming beneath the surface. In this deeply personal episode, I’m sharing what I’ve been sitting with during a season I don’t love… the season of waiting. The season where the calendar looks full of routine white boxes instead of big launches. The season where you’ve planted the seeds, done the work, and yet the results haven’t fully arrived. The season that asks you to slow down, trust yourself, and expand...
info_outlineThis week, I’m pulling back the curtain on the realities of starting and scaling a medical aesthetics practice. Fresh off the heels of my five-day SPARK Sprint intensive, I’m sharing insights from hundreds of conversations I’ve had with female entrepreneurs navigating today’s shifting landscape, private equity roll-ups, increased restrictions, and the pressure of a contracting economy.
I’ll talk about why exceptional clinical skills alone aren’t enough to guarantee business success and break down the hidden costs, time commitments, and mindset shifts required to truly thrive as an owner. From proof of concept and financial planning to leadership, team building, and the art of resilience, I’ll walk you through the unglamorous but necessary steps behind creating a sustainable and profitable practice.
Whether you’re dreaming about launching your own business or reevaluating if now is the right time, this episode will give you clarity on the trade-offs, the opportunities, and the mindset you’ll need to lead with confidence.
Thinking about purchasing your ticket for ALT 2026?
Our 3-day in-person experience for ambitious women in aesthetics and wellness is happening next spring. But if there’s one thing we know, it’s that success is more sustainable when you aren’t going it alone. So, mark your calendar for Monday, September 22 when because the Injectorpreneur Bestie Bundle is happening.
Register for ALT with your bestie and you’ll each save $250—because growth is better when it’s shared. This is your chance to step away from the chaos, gain clarity, and reconnect with the leader you want to be (with your BFF by your side).
Let us know your bestie at klcconsultants.com/altbesties to get early access when the offer goes live.
Resources
→ Join the Fierce Factor Society
→ Follow Kaeli on Instagram: @kaeli.lindholm
Additional Ways to Connect:
● Book a Discovery Call: Ready to scale with intention? Let’s map out your next strategic move.
● Subscribe to The Blueprint: Weekly insights for founders building magnetic, trusted, and wildly profitable brands.
Tune in to hear what it really takes to build a business that aligns with your vision, and why the journey, though challenging, is one of the most rewarding you’ll ever take.