Are you looking to build a high-impact business without sacrificing your freedom? Me too. And today, I’m so excited to bring you this interview with Rosemary Dede. I’m going to gush about her—but first, let me give you her bio.
Rosemary Dede is a holistic business coach who’s passionate about helping female entrepreneurs redefine success on their terms. She believes in creating businesses that align with your personal lifestyle, values, and vision. If you’re tired of hustle culture—so is she. Rosemary blends intentional living with super practical business strategies to empower women to build thriving, purpose-driven businesses without burning out.
She’s also a homeschooling mom of three, so she doesn’t subscribe to the myth of work-life balance. Instead, she’s all about work-life harmony—which I absolutely love. That principle is at the heart of both her coaching and her personal life. Her mission is to help women create businesses that allow them to thrive in every area of life, free from the stress of burnout or the relentless hustle.
This conversation is especially for high-achieving women who are looking to scale—and it’s one of the many reasons I loved this interview.
Rosemary is also the host of the Balanced Business Formula podcast. I actually started listening to it while prepping for this conversation, and let me tell you—it’s quickly become one of my favorite shows. Highly recommend it! Each episode is packed with actionable strategies and bite-sized inspiration to help female entrepreneurs create intentional, values-driven businesses and lives. I loved this conversation—so let’s get into it.
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Table of Contents
Rosemary Dede – You’ve Mentioned That Most Entrepreneurs Don’t Have A Problem With Effort, They Have a Problem With Ownership. Can You Expand On That?
Yeah, absolutely—thank you for bringing that up. I think so many of us stay busy doing what we think we should be doing to look professional or to feel like a “real” business owner. But if we’re not focusing on what actually matters—what aligns with our lifestyle—we’re not being intentional. And that’s when we end up dropping the ball, not just in our business, but on ourselves.
That’s really what I meant: it’s about being intentional, not just busy.
We’re talking about building a high-impact business today. How can we identify what really moves the needle in our business?
And the first thing is for us to, I think, also just acknowledge that we are in the business of making money. Once you realize that—you’re not just doing this for fun, and it’s not an expensive hobby, but actually a business—it allows you to really zone in and think, “Oh, I actually need to make money.”
Alright, so what do I need to do to make money?
Once we’ve identified that, then we look at—I like to do a business and time audit. What is it exactly that you’re doing in your business on a daily, weekly, monthly basis? And once I can see all the things someone’s doing, we can start to identify the money-making tasks, the time-wasters, and the things that might be strategic, but don’t necessarily need to be done right now, or don’t need to be done by you at all.
What are some common mistakes or patterns you see with entrepreneurs who are feeling maxed out but still want to grow?
I definitely believe less is more. As entrepreneurs, we often feel the pressure to do more—be on more platforms, have more offers, serve more clients. It’s always more, more, more. But more isn’t necessarily better.
So whenever someone comes to me feeling overwhelmed, I immediately think: that’s a sign we need to start removing things. Taking things off your plate. Reducing your workload. Maybe even being less present in certain areas.
When that happens, I like to look at their offers first—can we streamline them? Combine a few things? Eliminate something altogether? But I also always look at their lifestyle. Like I mentioned earlier, I’m a holistic business coach, and for me, lifestyle and business aren’t separate. They flow into each other.
When someone’s overwhelmed, it’s usually because they’re either doing too much in their business or they have too many responsibilities in their personal life that they just can’t keep up with.
So I like to look at both together and ask: Is your business set up in a way that supports the kind of life you want to live? And have you made lifestyle adjustments that support the kind of business you want to run?
An example of this in action
For example, I had a client who built a really successful catering business. She was making good money, but she was starting to resent it. She told me, “I’m always busy, I’m overwhelmed. I want to do less of this and more of something else—but I don’t have the time, and I still need the income.”
And that’s such a common trap for entrepreneurs: You build a successful business, but then it starts to feel like it’s holding you hostage.
What we did was turn her knowledge and expertise into a service. Now, she’s creating a knowledge-based business—with courses and coaching on the side—while gradually reducing her catering clients.
By doing that, she’s building a new income stream that demands less of her time. She’s starting to replace her catering income with something more flexible—something that allows her to travel, spend more time with her kids, and still serve her audience in a meaningful way.
And now she’s saying, “Wow, I’m actually creating an impact.”
What would you say to the women listening to this that can’t shake the guilt for slowing down or feel like their always behind?
Yeah, for sure. I think the first thing is to acknowledge that we go through changes in life—and that life happens in seasons, just like a book with different chapters. It’s totally normal to move from one season into the next. And once we honor that, we can start to show ourselves more grace and be more accepting of where we are.
If you have young kids, for example, you can’t be resentful that you need to spend more time with your baby. You have to feed the baby, you’re not sleeping as much, and your working hours—if you’re lucky—might be one or two for the whole week, not even per day.
What I actually love about not having a lot of time is that it forces you to focus on what’s essential. It makes you ask: “Okay, what do I really need to do to keep my business running and still serve my audience?”
By honoring the season you’re in—and seeing it as a blessing instead of something to fight against—you begin to embrace it. You can say, “Alright, this is the time I have… so how can I use it to still get the results I want?”
Because you can still do it.
There’s this theory—I can’t remember who said it—but the idea is that when you have more time, you just stretch out your work to fill that time. But when you have less time, you still get it done. You just work more efficiently. And I’ve found that to be so true.
What should we focus on if we’re looking to build a high-impact business (that most of us are ignoring)?
High-Impact Business Focus: Sales
Yeah, definitely. I think one of the most important actions you can take—on a weekly or even daily basis—is to sell. A lot of entrepreneurs are busy doing a lot of things, but not actually selling. And by “selling,” I mean simply letting people know you have something that can help them.
That can be reaching out to cold leads or warm leads—but I personally prefer warm leads. For example, if you have an email list or a newsletter, how often are you actually telling those people that you have something to offer? How many times per week are you engaging with them?
We’re often so busy chasing new leads—posting on TikTok, Instagram, all the things—but we’re not spending enough time nurturing the people who’ve already shown interest. We’re not telling them clearly, consistently: “Hey, here’s how I can help you.”
Think about it—how often do stores send us updates? Grocery shops, for instance, email us weekly: “Hey, here’s what’s in store this week.” And even if it’s the same stuff every week, they still remind us. And sometimes we think, “Oh yeah, I’ll grab that next time I’m out.”
So why aren’t we doing that in our businesses?
We often assume that if someone has heard about our offer once or twice, they’ll remember and reach out when they’re ready. But that’s just not how it works. You have to remind them:
“Hey, I’ve got this. Here’s how I can help you.”
So sales—creating touchpoints with your audience—is key. That could mean sending a DM, an email, following up via WhatsApp or Voxer—whatever makes sense for you. But prioritize your warm leads first.
High-Impact Business Focus: Content Creation
The other thing I think is super important is content creation—especially content that has longevity. We spend so much time on short-form content, but I recommend putting out something like a blog post, a podcast episode, or a YouTube video. Something that works for you even when you’re sleeping, on holiday, or spending time with your kids.
Create at least one piece of content that allows your audience to really understand who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. And ideally, it’s content that’s searchable—something that lives on a platform with SEO, so people can find it long after you post it.
So if you just focus on those two things—connecting with someone who already knows you, and creating evergreen content to reach new people—you’re going to build real momentum.
There’s so much pressure to be “everywhere” online. What are your thoughts on that as someone who helps coach women on building a sustainable yet high-impact business?
Because you have to be on these platforms consistently, and to do that, you actually have to enjoy it—and it has to make sense for you.
It took me a long time before I started podcasting because I used to see it as just another thing I needed to do. But had I known then what I know now, I would’ve started podcasting a long time ago. It just works for my lifestyle. I can record at 10:00 p.m., 9:00 a.m., 6:00 a.m.—and nobody would know. I don’t have to wear makeup, I don’t have to dress up—I could be in my PJs and still do the work I need to do.
So if you enjoy doing video, and you have the capacity for it, and you want to do all of that—great! But choose a platform that you enjoy and that makes it easy for you to be consistent. And it could be a combination of different things.
For me, I have a newsletter, a podcast, and a blog—that’s what I focus on. Do I sometimes think, “Maybe I should start something else?” Yes. But luckily, I have accountability buddies and biz besties who are like, “Rose, with what time?”
Being realistic with the time you have
Like recently, I was thinking, “Maybe I should start TikTok.” But I got off Instagram for that same reason—I didn’t feel like, when I looked at the data, it was actually making sense. I’m not saying you should get off Instagram—if you enjoy it, go for it. It could be like window dressing—something that’s there so people know you exist. Because we all know one of the first things people do isn’t necessarily go on Google, it’s to go on Instagram and check if you exist as a company.
So you might want to have that presence there—fine. But in terms of how many people who find you on Instagram are actually buying from you… let’s be honest, how many? It’s not that many. And yet, how much work do we put into that?
That’s why it’s so important to look at your data before making decisions. Where are most of your leads coming from? Create a system to collect that info—or just ask your clients when you talk to them. Like, “Hey, where did you first hear about me?”
Prioritizing search-driven marketing
Because I’ve seen a lot of discovery call forms that ask “Where did you hear about me?”—and I think “first hear about me” is a really important part of that question. Because maybe they heard about the call on Instagram, but the first time they heard about you might not have been there. So I think that’s really important.
And like we talked about earlier, it has to be a platform that’s searchable. So even if you choose short-form content, I think TikTok might actually be better than Instagram in that case. At least on TikTok, when someone lands on your page, it’s usually because they searched for something relevant—so they’re already warmer to your content than someone who’s just scrolling on Instagram.
You specialize in systems and workflows that can help us scale more sustainably. What are some of your favorite things to recommend?
Yeah, so for me, again, when I look at systems and processes, I always start with an audit. I like to look at, okay, how are you currently doing things in your business?
Take something as simple as scheduling a call. I’ve been on a couple of podcasts, summits, and other things recently, and sometimes there’s all this back and forth in emails just to find a time to talk. But just having a scheduler makes all the difference. And yet, a lot of us still don’t use one—some people feel like it takes away the personal touch or that it feels too automated. But honestly, it saves so much time. So please—just do it!
It’s these small things I like to look at. Based on the type of business you have, what are the actions you’re taking regularly? What are the tasks that could be automated—or are just slowing you down and taking too much time—that we can remove from your list? Because you want to focus on the most important task in your business: reaching out to people and having conversations.
Maybe you don’t want to outsource that part, because it feels more personal and converts better when you do it. That’s totally fine.
After an initial systems audit
But after we do that initial audit, we can start identifying: what are the true money-makers that you need to be doing? And just as importantly—how do you do them best? That’s when we start creating processes. Should you do it this way or that way? And then, what tools can make that easier?
I think a lot of us, when we think of systems and processes, immediately jump to tools and get really excited—I know I used to! I had shiny object syndrome. I’d buy all the tools, only to realize a few weeks or months later that they weren’t the right fit for me. I didn’t enjoy using them, or they didn’t work with the way my brain functions—and of course, I’d already paid for the annual plan and lost that money.
So really, it’s not about focusing so much on the tools or the software. It’s about asking, “When it comes to content creation—or any area—what is my process?” What’s the flow of how you do things? And then we look at that and ask, “Can we automate any of this? Can we create a system that makes it easier?”
And we go through that for every major task in your business.
What’s one simple habit or practice that you do that you feel like helps you run your business with more intention every day?
I’m just curious. No, but I think for me, what keeps me grounded—and helps me stay focused on what I need to do—is remembering that I’m working with real human beings.
Whether it’s someone on social media, or I’m recording a podcast episode, I’m speaking to a person. And every time I remind myself that I’m in the business of working with real people, it helps me calm down—especially when I’m feeling overwhelmed or having those thoughts like, “No one cares,” or “No one’s listening,” or “No one’s reading my emails.”
Well, even if there’s just one person—that’s enough. If that one person gets the change they needed, or they’re able to accomplish something because of my podcast, or email, or whatever—that’s amazing.
I think sometimes we get so caught up in social media and obsessed with numbers—wanting more followers, more views—that we forget one person is a whole, real human being. And that’s powerful.
So yeah, I don’t know if that fully answers your question, but in a way, that’s what keeps me grounded.
For someone stuck in survival mode that wants to build a high-impact business, what’s the first step?
I think the answer is always: take a break.
We’ve talked about this a lot, and I want to bring it back—it’s really about focusing on less. Most of the time when I feel overwhelmed, my instinct is to do more. Like, “Okay, let’s just work harder, put in more hours. Maybe if I send another email, it’ll work.”
But now, when that happens, I ask myself: What’s the exact opposite of what I feel like doing right now? And usually, it’s something like: close the laptop. Go for a walk. Sit with your kids. Have a drink. Call a friend.
If you’re pulling your hair out and don’t know what to do next, chances are the solution isn’t another webinar. It’s not buying another course you won’t use, or hiring another coach—at least not in that moment.
It’s about taking a step back. Breathing. Doing something fun and totally unrelated to your business.
Because honestly, our best ideas and biggest “aha” moments usually come when we’re not working.
Connect with Rosemary Dede
Yeah, so even though I don’t post actively on Instagram, I am in the DMs—and I’m the kind of person who loves sending voice notes. So if you have a question or want to share a key takeaway, feel free to reach out. My DMs are always open. You can also find me on my website here!
LINKS MENTIONED
- Learn more about Rosemary at Rosemary Dede
- Follow Rosemary on Instagram
- Learn more about working with our marketing agency here
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