238. Stay Small to Make More Money in Your Business
In this episode, Adrienne and Emily sit down to unpack their biggest takeaways from the conversation with Denise Duffield-Thomas — and how it applies to the Clockwork business and their own personal growth.
Denise built a $5M business with a lean, part-time team by staying focused on one core offer and simplifying her operations — and Adrienne and Emily reflect on how that same principle applies to Clockwork and the challenges they’ve faced while scaling.
Here’s what we cover:
✅ Why trying to launch too many offers creates chaos
✅ How staying focused on one offer creates consistent growth
✅ Why mindset shifts around success and simplicity are essential
✅ How to avoid the trap of thinking you’ve saturated the market (you haven’t!)
✅ The importance of finding fulfillment outside of your business
They also reflect on the challenges of navigating business growth, why it’s easy to feel stuck when things feel hard, and how to use creative energy without overcomplicating the business model.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or scattered in your business, this is the episode you need to reset and refocus.
🔑 Top 5 Takeaways:
Lean Growth is Possible – Denise built a multimillion-dollar business with a small team by staying focused on her core offer.
Focus on One Offer – Scaling happens more easily when you focus on improving and selling what’s already working.
Stop Adding to Fix a Problem – The urge to create new offers usually comes from feeling like something isn’t working — but it’s usually a messaging or marketing problem, not a product problem.
Seasons Matter – Your business will have different seasons — understanding and respecting them creates longevity.
Set Personal Goals – Achievements outside of work create balance and prevent burnout.
⏰ Chapters:
01:24 – Why Denise’s business model works so well
04:50 – The power of staying focused on one offer
06:46 – Why simplifying creates more growth, not less
10:42 – The trap of thinking you’ve saturated the market
14:44 – How to create fulfillment outside of work
18:31 – How creative energy can either fuel or complicate your business
22:34 – Finding the right balance between growth and simplicity
29:44 – Lessons from running a lean, profitable business
📲 Links & Resources:
Connect with Denise: denisedt.com
Follow Denise on Instagram: @denisedt
Listen to Denise’s episode: ADD LINK
Connect with Adrienne: @adriennedorison
Learn more about Run Like Clockwork: www.runlikeclockwork.com