Black to Business

What makes a business feel established? It's probably not what you think. Many entrepreneurs assume they need a bigger team, a bigger budget, or years of experience before their business is taken seriously. But the truth is, people often make up their minds long before they know how many people are behind the scenes. In this episode, Monique shares why some businesses leave a lasting impression re...

As entrepreneurs, it's easy to fall into routines. We find a way of doing something, it works, and before we know it, it's become part of how we run the business.   The problem is, businesses grow. And if the way you're spending your time never changes, you can end up holding onto work that no longer needs your attention.   In this episode, Monique explores the work entrepreneurs often continue do...

A buying decision starts long before someone clicks "Purchase."   Before people invest, they're weighing the decision, working through uncertainty, and answering questions they may never ask out loud. When entrepreneurs understand what's happening during that process, they stop feeling like every sale comes down to having the perfect pitch and start communicating in a way that helps people make co...

Business has a way of making everything feel urgent. A challenging conversation, an unexpected opportunity, a frustrating week, or a disappointing result can leave you feeling like you need to make a decision right away. Before you know it, you're questioning your direction, changing your plans, or committing to something simply because you want relief from the uncertainty.   In this episode, Moni...

Entrepreneurship has a way of making us jump to conclusions. A slow response, a disappointing result, an offer that needs adjusting, or a customer who doesn't buy as quickly as we hoped can quickly turn into a story about what we think it means. Before long, we're questioning the business, questioning ourselves, and making decisions based on assumptions rather than facts. In this episode, Monique...

Entrepreneurs are constantly thinking about what's next. The next goal. The next milestone. The next challenge. The next level of growth. While thinking ahead is part of building a business, it can also create a costly habit: spending time, energy, and resources solving problems that don't actually belong to your current season. In this episode, Monique explores why entrepreneurs often find themse...

A lot of entrepreneurs spend so much time thinking about what they need to delegate that they never really stop to think about what still belongs to them as the owner.   Hiring help is important. Support is important. Systems, automation, delegation, all of those things matter. But this week on the podcast, Monique talks about the responsibilities that still require your leadership no matter how m...

You ever notice how some businesses feel easy to understand?   You land on the website, look around for a few minutes, and you already know what they do, who it's for, what problem they solve, and what you're supposed to do next.   Then there are businesses where you leave with more questions than answers.   This week on the podcast, Monique walks through a few questions your business should be ab...

People are watching your content, asking questions, requesting the link, and telling you they've been wanting to work with you for a while now…but somehow the sale still is not happening. That disconnect can be frustrating as a business owner because from your perspective, the interest is there. This week on the podcast, Monique breaks down why attention does not always turn into conversion and wh...

Busy does not always mean productive. A lot of entrepreneurs are ending their days exhausted, feeling like they worked the entire time, but still looking up wondering why certain things in the business are still unfinished, still delayed, or still feeling all over the place. That's what this episode gets into. Some of the biggest time-wasters in business are not obvious distractions. They're habit...

You ever get to the end of the month and realize… you were busy the whole time, but you can't clearly say what actually worked?   Money came in, but you're not sure where most of it came from. You posted, showed up, did what you needed to do, but you don't really know what connected. A few things felt off, but you kept pushing through because the work still had to get done.   Then a new month star...

There comes a point in business where you really look at what you've built so far, not from the outside, but from your own experience being in it every day. Things can be working. You can make money, bring in clients, have moments where everything comes together. And still, it doesn't feel settled. It doesn't feel like something you can rely on yet. Too much still depends on you stepping in, figur...

300 episodes. When you really think about that, it's a lot of showing up. A lot of recording. A lot of doing something over and over again, even on the days where the energy wasn't there. In this solo episode, Monique T. Marshall takes a step back to reflect on that journey. From starting this podcast with a USB mic in the Brooklyn Public Library to building something that has reached thousands of...

There comes a point in business where the work feels different. Clarity is there. Direction is there. Nothing is necessarily broken. But the excitement that used to come with it does not show up the same way. What once felt new now feels familiar, and that shift can catch you off guard. That's usually when the questions start. You might find yourself wondering if something needs to change, or if y...

There are seasons in business where everything feels visible. You're sharing, promoting, and it feels like people can see the movement. Then there are seasons where things are a little more low key. You're still working. You're still building. But it's not something you're talking about like that. And if we're keeping it real, that can start to mess with how you feel about what you're doing. You m...

You start something in your business, you feel good about it, and then not too long after… you're already thinking about doing something else. Now you're questioning if you made the right choice or if you should be going in a completely different direction. That back and forth can slow you down more than you realize, especially when you keep restarting instead of building on what's already in moti...

When you're running a business, there's never a shortage of things you could be working on. There's always something to fix. Something to improve. Something you've been meaning to get to. And when you're looking at all of that at the same time, everything can start to feel important. So you sit down to work, and your attention is everywhere. You touch a little bit of this. A little bit of that. An...

When we think about spring cleaning, most of us think about our homes. Closets get organized. Old items get donated. Spaces get reset so things feel lighter and easier to manage. But the same thing applies to your business. Over time, businesses naturally accumulate things. New offers get added. Systems get layered in. Marketing channels expand. Ideas that once made sense stay in place long after...

Running a business often starts with a simple idea. You know what you do, who you help, and the results you're known for. But as the business grows, something subtle can begin to happen. New offers get added. New platforms get tested. New tools and strategies start stacking on top of each other. Before long, the business that once felt clear and focused begins to feel more complicated than it need...

There's a difference between preparing and postponing.   As business owners, we have access to endless information. Podcasts. Webinars. Threads. Courses. Frameworks. And most of the time, consuming feels productive. It feels like you're being thoughtful. Like you're doing your due diligence.   But what happens when you're taking in more than you're putting out?   In this solo episode, Monique gets...

When you think about growth in your business, the instinct is usually to look ahead. What needs to be built next? What needs to be launched? What needs to be improved?   But what if the next level of growth is not about adding something new?   In this solo episode, Monique walks through how to identify and leverage the hidden assets already inside your business. The proof you've collected but neve...

Falling out of love with your business is not something most entrepreneurs admit out loud. There is a very specific kind of disconnection that can creep in after you've been building for a while. The adrenaline is gone. The early wins are no longer new. The work that once felt creative now feels operational. What used to energize you now feels like something you manage. Nothing is necessarily fall...

Decision-making is part of the job when you're an entrepreneur, but some decisions sit heavier than others. The ones that involve money, time, energy, or people. The ones where you want to be responsible, thoughtful, and strategic, but still feel stuck waiting for more clarity.   In this solo episode, Monique breaks down what's really happening when business decisions feel hard, why waiting for "a...

There is a very specific kind of frustration that shows up in business when you are not new, not careless, and not doing nothing wrong, yet the results no longer match the effort. This episode is about that season. The one where the strategies you trusted start feeling unpredictable. The routines you mastered feel heavier instead of supportive. The systems that once made things easier now require...

There are seasons in business where nothing is technically "wrong," but everything feels heavier than it should. Decisions take longer. Progress feels slower. Motivation comes and goes. The work still matters, but the ease you once felt feels distant. This episode is for the entrepreneur who is still showing up and still committed, but quietly wondering why things feel so difficult right now. Afte...