20% of businesses fail in their first year! How do you avoid being one of them? On this episode I am joined by the most zen business owner I know, Mia Denos. With 20 years’ experience running her own businesses there is no-one better to advise small business owners on what it takes to succeed. Put simply having a pipeline of work will save a business. You need to know where the money is coming from months in advance to avoid disappointment. Mia also emphasises the importance of having a financial reserve and understanding the difference between working in a business and running a business. Your skills alone are not enough to make a business thrive.   Get ready to get business zen with Mia!   “If you’re not worried about how to pay your rent or feed yourself, you’ll be able to think more rationally”– Mia   You’ll hear about:   00:00 – Always have a pipeline of work 01:01 - An introduction to Mia Denos 03:12 - Things small businesses should be doing 05:31 - The importance of a pipeline of work 07:57 - Mia's advice to ensure a pipeline of customers 13:28 - How many customers should you have? 17:58 - How to nurture client relationships 22:08 - How to get amazing testimonials 27:56 - Why is Mia so Zen with her business? 30:52 - Has not having employees been less stressful? 35:48 - The expectations of success on social media 37:12 - Advice to those about to go all in on their side hustle   Connect with Mia:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/miadenos/ Lucror Financial Services - https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucror-financial-services/   Connect with me:   The HoLT - https://www.the-holt.com/ My website - https://leaturner.co.uk/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadoeslinkedin/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LeaDoesLinkedIn/   Join The Holt waiting list - https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist   My resources:   Check out my course Making LinkedIn Simple - https://leaturner.co.uk/pages/making-linkedin-simple-2023   Take my LinkedIn profile quiz - https://leadoeslinkedin.scoreapp.com/   This podcast is sponsored bySafe Space From The Workplace. You can check out their podcast here - https://shorturl.at/IASSn