Here's What I Learned: Ditching Biz-as-Usual for Values, Freedom, and Doing It Your Way

The Time Tracking Experiment: What Your Hourly Rate Really Is

Send us a textIn this episode, I’m joined by Jayci Trujillo, founder of Happy Girl Marketing, for a very practical experiment that sounds simple and gets uncomfortable fast… tracking time.Jayci is in a growth season. More clients, a growing team, bigger decisions. And like a lot of service business owners, she realized she was making those decisions without really knowing where her time was going or what her actual hourly rate looked like once everything was counted.So we designed an experiment. For at least two weeks, Jayci is tracking every part of her workday. Not just client work, but the context switching, the quick check-ins, the strategy time, the things that quietly eat up hours without showing a clear return.We talk about why most business owners underestimate how much they’re working, how tracking time can surface what is no longer worth your energy, and why this kind of data makes scaling decisions clearer instead of heavier.If you’ve ever felt busy without being sure what’s actually moving the needle, this episode gives you a grounded place to start noticing.Topics covered:Why tracking time is essential during growth and scaling seasonsWhat your real hourly rate reveals once everything is countedHow context switching impacts focus and decision-makingChoosing tools that make time tracking realistic, not rigidHow to use time data to decide what to automate, outsource, or let goYou can find Jayci Trujillo at:Website: Happy Girl Marketing Co Instagram: InstagramLogin • InstagramWhat next?Follow Here's What I Learned on your favorite podcast playerLeave a review so the podcast is seen by more people like youShare this episode with a friendThis podcast is powered by curiosity—and by listeners like you. Support future episodes at ko-fi.com/jackihayesFollow me on Instagram at @jackihayes_obm Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective, a community of indie creators amplifying each other’s work through collaboration and care. Credits:Intro and Outro Music: Atomic by Alex-Productions |https://onsound.eu/Music promoted byhttps://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

The Group Onboarding Experiment: What Happens When You Scale Past 1:1

Send us a textOnboarding one client is one thing. Onboarding a group is an entirely different experiment. In this episode, I’m joined again by Bridget Baker to unpack what really happens when you try to onboard a group program in a way that feels inclusive, clear, and genuinely supportive without turning yourself into a full-time concierge. Bridget shares what she learned from running her virtual writing retreat, including where things broke down, what surprised her, and how her expectations shifted around tools, timelines, and participant behavior. We talk honestly about Slack resistance, missed emails, manual workarounds, and why “just doing what works for you” often falls apart at scale. This conversation is about letting go of perfection, designing for real humans with different preferences, and treating your business like a series of experiments instead of a fixed system you have to get right the first time.Topics covered:Why group onboarding requires a fundamentally different approach than 1:1 onboardingThe hidden risks of manual processes when managing multiple participantsDesigning onboarding that works across different tools, learning styles, and comfort levelsManaging expectations without forcing everyone into the same containerHow small onboarding gaps compound in short-term programsTreating every launch as an experiment you can learn from and refine You can find Bridget at:Website: bridgetbakerbrandingInstagram: @bridgetbakerbranding Mentioned in the episode:Running a Location Independent Business with Bridget Baker  What next?Follow Here's What I Learned on your favorite podcast playerLeave a review so the podcast is seen by more people like youShare this episode with a friendThis podcast is powered by curiosity—and by listeners like you. Support future episodes at ko-fi.com/jackihayesFollow me on Instagram at @jackihayes_obm Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective, a community of indie creators amplifying each other’s work through collaboration and care. Credits:Intro and Outro Music: Atomic by Alex-Productions |https://onsound.eu/Music promoted byhttps://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

The Intentional Engagement Experiment: Tracking Conversations That Grow Your Business

Send us a textWhat happens when you stop letting good conversations get buried in your DMs and actually start paying attention to them?In this episode, I’m joined by Jayci Trujillo of Happy Girl Marketing to kick off Season 10’s first experiment: intentional engagement. We’re talking about tracking conversations on purpose, not to be salesy or weird, but to understand what’s actually helping your business grow.We dig into why being strategic about conversations doesn’t cancel out being human, how tracking helps you stop losing connections you genuinely care about, and why relying on memory or the algorithm is a losing game. I also share why this experiment hits one of my biggest avoidance patterns and what I’m hoping to learn by committing to it for 90 days. If you want more clarity around where leads, collaborations, and opportunities actually come from, this experiment is for you. What We Covered:What intentional engagement actually looks like in a real businessWhy tracking conversations doesn’t have to feel transactionalWhich conversations are worth tracking, even when they start casuallyHow tracking helps you see patterns in leads and opportunitiesWhat I’m testing in my 90-day intentional engagement experiment Jayci Trujillo is the founder of Happy Girl Marketing, a boutique social media agency helping business owners reconnect with social media in a way that feels fun, human, and sustainable. You can find Jayci at:Website: happygirlmarketingco.comInstagram: @happygirlmarketingco What next?Follow Here's What I Learned on your favorite podcast playerLeave a review so the podcast is seen by more people like youShare this episode with a friendThis podcast is powered by curiosity—and by listeners like you. Support future episodes at ko-fi.com/jackihayes Say hi!Follow me on Instagram at @jackihayes_obm Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective, a community of indie creators amplifying each other’s work through collaboration and care. Credits:Intro and Outro Music: Atomic by Alex-Productions |https://onsound.eu/Music promoted byhttps://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Every Launch Is an Experiment: What I Learned From a Zero-Signup Workshop

Send us a textThis episode is a full, honest debrief of a launch that didn’t convert — and what I learned anyway.I promoted a brand-new workshop more than any other offer I’ve ever put out into the world. I showed up consistently. I talked about it everywhere. And it got zero signups.Instead of spiraling or scrapping the idea entirely, I treated the launch like an experiment. In this episode, I walk you through what I tested, what actually happened, the data I’m paying attention to, and the questions I’m carrying into the next iteration so I can learn something real from the experience.If you’ve ever had a launch that felt disappointing or confusing, this episode is an invitation to step out of shame and into curiosity.In This Episode, I Talk AboutWhy I treat launches as experiments instead of personal verdictsThe workshop I launched and the problem it was designed to solveWhat “going all-in on visibility” looked like for me this timeThe actual results (including traffic, emails, and conversions)The questions I’m asking instead of immediately changing everythingThe one variable I’m changing when I rerun this offer — and why that mattersWhat I’m Testing NextI’m not throwing this offer away. I’m rerunning it and changing one thing so I can compare results and actually learn what made a difference. I share what I’m keeping, what I’m adjusting, and how I’m thinking about timing, format, and messaging moving forward.If This Episode ResonatedI’d love to hear from you. What’s one experiment you’re running in your business right now — or one launch that taught you more than you expected?What next?Follow Here's What I Learned on your favorite podcast playerLeave a review so the podcast is seen by more people like youShare this episode with a friendFind the complete show notes and transcripts at jackihayes.co Say hi!Follow me on Instagram at @jackihayes_obm Credits:Intro and Outro Music: Atomic by Alex-Productions |https://onsound.eu/Music promoted byhttps://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Season 10 Trailer

Send us a textWelcome to Season 10 of Here’s What I Learned. I’m Jacki Hayes — a systems thinker with a soft spot for smutty fantasy books and anything involving dice rolls. I help creative business owners build systems that feel honest, doable, and actually supportive of the life they want.This season, we’re leaning fully into the idea that business is one big experiment — made up of dozens of smaller ones happening all the time. Some experiments you plan. Others surprise you. All of them teach you something, if you’re paying attention.You’ll hear a blend of solo episodes and conversations with founders who are right in the middle of their own experiments — refining offers, shifting habits, testing ideas, rethinking systems, and learning in real time what actually works for them.We’re digging into the moments that change things: the decisions that bring clarity, the patterns you can’t ignore anymore, the systems you outgrow, and the small adjustments that quietly shift the whole direction of your business.If you’re tired of “right way” advice…If you crave clarity without the complexity…If you want business to feel simpler, more spacious, and more honest…Season 10 is absolutely for you.So hit follow, grab your favorite beverage, and join me for the experiments, the lessons, and the insights that keep us moving forward. Let’s get into it.Season 10 drops January 6, 2026.