How to Make Smarter Business Decisions with Dawn Kennedy

The Mission Driven Business Podcast

Most entrepreneurs make major business decisions without a reliable framework to guide them. In this episode, Brian Thompson sits down with Dawn Kennedy, attorney, entrepreneur, and author of Before You Decide, to explore the pre-decision tools she developed after losing her first business overnight and spending years translating enterprise-level decision frameworks for small and mid-sized business owners.

Dawn’s story is both practical and deeply personal. After her husband suffered a catastrophic accident in 2013 that ended their consulting business instantly, she realized how much she did not know. What came next was decades of developing decision tools that help entrepreneurs see the full picture before they say yes, no, or not yet.

In this episode you will learn:

  • Why decision-making in business requires a framework tailored to your specific business
  • How the CLARITY framework helps entrepreneurs evaluate decisions before they leap
  • Why cash matters more than EBITDA when evaluating whether a decision is sound
  • What the pendulum problem is and how it keeps entrepreneurs from making good decisions
  • What most entrepreneurs don’t know they don’t know when starting or growing a business
  • Why forming an LLC is easier than understanding what it actually requires
  • How losing a business shaped the way Dawn built her second one more intentionally
  • Why not every decision needs deep analysis and how to tell the difference

Good decision-making is not about eliminating risk. It is about understanding what you are volunteering to carry before you commit.

Whether you are just starting out or navigating a major growth decision, this episode will help you slow down in the right places and move forward with more clarity and confidence.

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About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast

Brian Thompson, JD/CFP®, is a tax attorney and Certified Financial Planner® who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.

On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

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