There’s something powerful about being part of the beginning. About seeing the messy middle, the behind-the-scenes, and still choosing to show up and say, “I believe in this.” That’s what you’ve done. Whether you’ve cast a vote, shared your thoughts, or simply made an account to explore—you’re not just watching something grow. You’re helping build it. And that kind of support? It’s not just appreciated. It’s the heartbeat of everything we’re doing. We didn’t create Billi to chase trends or mimic the giants in the industry. We created it because we knew small business owners like you deserve better—something built with real people in mind, shaped by feedback, and rooted in community. We’re not backed by venture capital. We don’t have a 30-person dev team or deep pockets. We’re going into this 100% bootstrapped. No outside investors. Just two small business owners who saw a gap and decided to build what we wish existed. Something simpler. Smarter. Built for the way we actually work.

And here’s what makes this story different:

We’re not building Billi alone.
We’re building it with you.

When you don’t just build for your users, but with them.

The direction we’re taking Billi is directly influenced by what you told us matters. We’re listening. We’re building fast. And more importantly, we’re building in the right direction, because it’s your direction too.

The Reality of Starting Something From Scratch

Let me be real with you.

Building something from the ground up isn’t always glamorous. It’s early mornings and late nights. It’s learning as you go. It’s celebrating small wins while staying focused on the big vision. It’s patching together what you can with the time and resources you have, and then showing up again tomorrow to make it better.

We don’t have a massive team. We’re not a polished tech company with a full-scale support department and a never-ending marketing budget.

We’re a team of two with big hearts and a whole lot of ambition. And yet, because we’re small, we get to do something that the big platforms can’t always do:

We get to stay close to the people we’re building this for.

And that, I truly believe, is our biggest strength.

Success doesn’t just come from how hard you work, it comes from how well you know yourself. We spend so much time chasing the next big strategy or trying to DIY everything ourselves that we rarely pause to ask: What kind of entrepreneur am I really? If you’ve ever felt stuck, scattered, or strangely disconnected from your own business, even when it’s technically “working” this might be the reason. Knowing whether you’re a Visionary or a Strategist can change everything. It shapes how you lead, what you focus on, and who you need by your side.

What It Really Means to Be a Visionary or a Strategist

When I talk about being a visionary or a strategist, I’m not talking about job titles or personality tests. I’m talking about the core wiring that drives how you think, operate, and grow a business.

Both are powerful in their own right, but they serve completely different functions.

The Visionary:

Visionaries are driven by possibility.
They’re the idea generators, the dreamers, the big-picture thinkers. They often have a strong sense of mission, see opportunities others miss, and can rally people around a vision with infectious energy.

But while they’re incredible at getting the ball rolling, they often struggle to keep it moving without support. Visionaries tend to get distracted by new ideas, avoid structure, and feel frustrated when they’re forced to operate in a rigid system.

The Strategist:

Strategists are builders.
They’re the people who take abstract ideas and turn them into step-by-step plans. They thrive on structure, efficiency, and making things work. They know how to reverse-engineer a result and love nothing more than seeing a plan come to life, clean and streamlined.

But they’re often not the ones dreaming up new paths or pivoting quickly. Without a clear direction or strong vision, they can get stuck perfecting systems instead of growing them.

Why This One Shift Will Change How You Grow

If you’ve ever felt like your growth stalled, or like running your business became more draining than energizing, it’s probably because you’re trying to operate outside your natural zone of genius.

Visionaries burn out when they’re buried in backend operations, trying to set up automations and structures they don’t understand.

Strategists get stuck when they’re forced to constantly innovate without direction, chasing ideas that don’t align with the long-term plan.

But when you know which one you are? You can make smarter decisions:

You can design your role around what lights you up.

You can hire (or partner with) someone who fills your gaps.

You can finally stop feeling like you’re bad at business, because it turns out, you’re just playing the wrong role.

A few months ago, I said yes to something I never planned for. Not a launch, not a rebrand, not even a new business idea (although, you know I love a good one). This time, I said yes to stepping into someone else’s business. Not just as a consultant, but as a true strategic partner. A hybrid of coach, COO, systems architect, trusted advisor, and personal hype woman. The kind of role that supports the visionary while quietly building the foundation that helps the entire business rise.

It started with a phone call.

I was catching up with an old friend from Maui, someone I used to meet for long lunches at Mama’s Fish House. We’d talk life, dreams, and business goals over ocean views and the best food. If you’ve ever run your own business, you know how rare and refreshing it is to talk to someone who just gets it. The big ideas, the late nights, the juggling of 24 roles under one job title.

Our friendship was always grounded in that mutual understanding. The kind that only comes from two entrepreneurs who know what it feels like to carry a dream and the weight of keeping it alive. Even after I moved, we stayed in touch, cheering each other on from afar.

A few months ago, she reached out after reading more about my shift away from social media and my focus on evergreen marketing. She told me how much she admired the way I built my business. How I always had a clear strategy, how I made it look simple (even when it wasn’t), and how she’d looked up to the way I did marketing for years.

On our call, she started opening up about the state of her business. Things were going well. But also, she was holding so much on her own. The pressure. The day-to-day chaos. The long list of things that weren’t getting done because she didn’t have the bandwidth to do them herself or the right person to trust with the work. She shared the frustration of wanting to grow but not knowing the next steps. And how much it took her away from focusing on the things she loved doing. The loneliness that comes from not being able to find someone who could truly see her business and help move it forward in a meaningful way.

As she was talking, I had this moment. That internal lightbulb flicker that happens when something just clicks. Because everything she was struggling with? That’s my sweet spot. The planning. The strategy. The organizing. The behind-the-scenes mapping that most business owners either avoid or just don’t have time for.

So, I said it.

“I think I can help you with that.”

Not in a passive “I’ll send a few resources your way” kind of way. But in a let me roll up my sleeves and get into the heart of this with you kind of way.

And that “yes” turned into one of the most fun things I’ve done in a long time.

When You Realize Your Business Skills Can Be a Service

Here’s the thing: I’ve started multiple businesses over the years. Some big. Some small. One even got acquired (which still feels surreal). I’ve done the whole build-from-scratch thing, and I’ve done the grow-from-momentum thing. Every time, the part that lights me up is the planning, the structure, the execution.

I love seeing the big picture. Then breaking it down into manageable steps that actually get done.
That’s my lane. That’s what I’m really really good at.