Crush the Rush™: The Life-First CEO Podcast
You didn’t leave corporate just to build another 24/7 job.
Hosted by Holly Haynes—business strategist, former Fortune 500 executive, and creator of Crush the Rush™—this top-rated podcast helps female entrepreneurs and small business owners design life-first business strategies that create freedom, profit, and sustainability without the burnout.
Each week, Holly shares practical business planning tools, behind-the-scenes lessons, and honest conversations about what it really takes to scale sustainably in a fast-changing online world. From simplifying your systems and using AI intentionally to building a supportive team and protecting your time, every episode helps you work less, think bigger, and grow smarter.
Because success isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters, on your terms.
Tune in every Monday for your strategic pep talk, and start building a business that works with your life, not against it.
Crush the Rush™: The Life-First CEO Podcast
579 - Our Revenue Is Down, But Profit Is Up — The Most Honest Episode I’ll Record All Year
In this week’s pep talk, I am sharing one of the most honest conversations I’ve ever had—how our revenue went down this year, but our profit went up (on purpose). This episode is about scaling smarter, protecting your peace, and redefining success on your own terms.
In today’s episode, I share:
- 02:20 – Why lowering revenue can actually increase long-term profit (and why ours was intentional)
- 05:29 – How simplifying launches and systems created more time, space, and sanity
- 08:25 – The behind-the-scenes changes that boosted profit—from tax strategy to AI tools
- 10:39 – The mindset shift that helped redefine success and focus on what truly matters
- 12:55 – The real numbers behind a 55% profit margin and what healthy margins look like
- 15:09 – How to build a supportive team (and home life) that gives you freedom back
- 18:08 – Why streamlining and learning AI became the foundation of sustainable growth
- 19:39 – The ultimate lesson: slowing down to speed up—and how it changed everything
🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:
🌟 Join the Collective Co-Op Open House → www.hollymariehaynes.com/openhouse
🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com
📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes
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