How to Reach Financial Sustainability Within Your First Business Year Featuring Madeleine Niebauer

Madeleine Niebauer is a seasoned executive with two decades of experience across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Madeleine spent five years as a Chief of Staff at Teach For America. She loved the fast-paced, ever-changing nature of the work and the ability to truly leverage a leader's time so they could be more productive and successful. She knew many leaders could benefit from this service on a part-time basis, which inspired her to launch VChief.

Prior to joining TFA, Madeleine was a strategy consultant for foundations and nonprofit organizations at The Bridgespan Group. Earlier in her career, Madeleine managed a tutoring center with SCORE! Educational Centers and served in the Peace Corps in Ivory Coast.

Madeleine earned a BA with honors from Stanford University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her three children, who all share her love of globetrotting, camping, and family fun.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to build a scalable service business that doesn't depend on you doing all the work.

Madeleine and I discuss:

1. Madeleine's career journey and what prompted her to start VChief [02:28]
2. How she experienced product market fit in real time [03:57]
3. The decision to not take on more clients herself [05:01]
4. Shifting from technician to CEO [06:41]
5. When she decided to build a company instead of being a solopreneur [09:02]
6. How long it took to reach financial sustainability [10:23]
7. Her approach to marketing beyond her network [11:27]
8. The support she brought on along the way [13:29]
9. Hiring fractional and part-time help strategically [14:25]
10. The trigger for rapid growth after COVID [18:46]
11. Her experience with community and peer groups [20:19]
12. How to stop being the bottleneck in your business [23:32]

Learn more about Madeleine at https://www.vchiefs.com

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About Smashing the Plateau

Smashing the Plateau shares stories and strategies from corporate refugees: mid-career professionals who’ve left corporate life to build something of their own.

Each episode features a candid conversation with someone who has walked this path or supports those who do. Guests offer real strategies to help you build a sustainable, fulfilling business on your terms, with practical insights on positioning, growth, marketing, decision-making, and mindset.

Woven throughout are powerful reminders of how community can accelerate your success.

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