About
Business owner, personal brand evangelist, dog rescuer (nine and counting), accidental comedian, and unapologetically, Bode.
Musings Writer
Meet Bode
I’ve been running 8THIRTYFOUR for almost 20 years, and I still find new ways to trip over my own feet. I like to blame my ADHD for the chaos, pace and nine rescue dogs (apparently I have no self-control). I started Small Biz Musings because business ownership is a wild ride, and I wanted a place to share the failures, lessons learned, and to show up authentically – the only way I know how.
I coach and speak on personal branding because I know what it’s like to build a business from scratch, to say yes to things you have no business saying yes to, and to figure it out as you go. My talks and workshops are equal parts strategy, storytelling, and “here’s what not to do unless you want a good story for later.” I believe in showing up, giving more than you take, and never pretending you have it all together, because nobody does, and that’s where the good stuff happens.
Pull up a chair if you want real, lots of laughs, and a dog photo or ten.
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8 dogs and Bode, featuring 3 of the 8 - Joey, Charlie and Phoebe.
4:00 a.m. Sunday, I was pacing the kitchen, with a 5-shot iced shaken espresso in one hand and my phone in the other, recording voice notes and trying to get my brain to shut up. The worry and the stress don’t care what time it is; if you own a business, you know what I mean.
Weekends become the time you use to catch what slipped during the week, fix what’s broken, plan the next move, and think three steps ahead so you’re not cleaning up a mess later.
ADHD makes all of this louder and harder to navigate.
We`re all navigating hard sh*t, and I, for one, am not going to pretend I have everything together.
It`s time to normalize the hard stuff.
#personalbranding #adhd
The Women’s Entrepreneurial Fellowship is launching the second cohort, I’m full embracing themed outfits, I’m FINALLY back on Happy Hour Hustle talking margaritas and business ownership, @drew.veach and I continue our horrible picture taking (I had to cut his face off so you could see me - obviously), dogs, dogs and @m.k.earley shares an @8thirtyfour throwback.
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@smallbusinessassocofmichigan #smallbusinessowner #smallbusiness #happyhour
The Women’s Entrepreneurial Fellowship through @smallbusinessassocofmichigan is open to all second-stage WOSBs at no cost. #Apply at www.sbamwef.org/apply
As you go into the weekend, please take this to heart.
Just a little appreciation post for my GovCon family. If you’re interested in learning more about what I chatted about or downloading the personal brand guide, link in bio.
They’re calling it The Gray Divorce. Headlines frame it as an exodus driven by men’s weaponized incompetence, the tendency to shirk or feign inability at domestic tasks, leaving spouses exhausted.
The number of successful women I know who feel guilty about their own achievements is staggering. The more awards, promotions, or revenue milestones they rack up, the worse things get at home.
Women are now saying, “no more,” and choosing to leave relationships because these “systems” are influenced by patriarchy, sexism and societal expectations.
They’re over it. Read more at smallbizmusings.com
*pic of Annie, a leadership coach I met in DC. Her and I talked about this pretty extensively.
