238. Stay Small to Make More Money in Your Business

The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork

In this episode, Adrienne and Emily unpack their biggest takeaways from the conversation with Denise Duffield-Thomas and discuss how 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:

1. Lean Growth is Possible – Denise built a multimillion-dollar business with a small team by staying focused on her core offer.

2. Focus on One Offer – Scaling happens more easily when you focus on improving and selling what’s already working.

3. 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.

4. Seasons Matter – Your business will have different seasons — understanding and respecting them creates longevity.

5. 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: @adriennedorisonLearn more about Run Like Clockwork: www.runlikeclockwork.com