From the Trenches to Transformation
Bold Women Solopreneurs Learn in the Trenches
As women leading solo or micro-scale businesses, we often juggle everything: strategy, operations, marketing, creative work, finances, and client relations. The temptation is to believe that growth comes from attaching ourselves to the shiny objects, hiring, scaling, or designing grand frameworks. However, Al Humes argues that real growth occurs in the trenches — through doing, experimenting, and embedding lessons into everyday actions. (The Times)
Here’s a distilled, action-oriented guide for women in BoldLEAP Collective to lean into this “trenches growth” mindset.
Core Principles (Humes’ Insights) — With Interpretation for the women of BoldLEAP Collective:
Dismantle rigid hierarchies & empower autonomy (The Times)
Even in a small or solo operation, resist building internal “approval layers” or overthinking every decision.
Creativity, speed, and responsiveness thrive when authority is decentralized.
Check ego/status in leadership (The Times)
Don’t let “image,” perfectionism, or fear of failure block experimentation.
Ego-driven leadership kills openness, experimentation, and psychological safety.
Lessons only become valuable when turned into action (The Times)
Collecting insights isn’t enough. Build mechanisms to convert learning into tweaks, tests, and process changes.
Without action, reflections become shelf-ware.
Speed of learning & sharing is a competitive edge (The Times)
The faster you test, iterate, and circulate what works (or doesn’t), the quicker you evolve.
In volatile markets or niche spaces, being slow is risky.
Values > rules (The Times)
A small set of core values should guide decisions more than endless policies or checklists.
Consistency of values anchors your brand and decision-making under pressure.
Challenge-based growth > passive training (The Times)
Real development comes from facing hard problems, not sitting through yet another course or webinar.
Immersive challenges force you to stretch, adapt, and grow.
Action Blueprint: From Insight → Impact
Below is a practical roadmap for BoldLEAP women to apply the “trenches growth” approach over the next 4–8 weeks. I have summarized a timeframe + areas of focus + key action items you can take.
Week 1
Values & Identity
List 3–5 core values for your business (e.g., “courage over comfort,” “human-centered approach,” “relentless curiosity”).
For each current or planned project, do a quick check: “Does this align with my core values?”
Write a short values statement to share with collaborators, clients, or in your content.
Ensure this work aligns with your vision and north star.
Week 2
Ownership Zones & Decision Flow
Identify 2–3 areas that deserve autonomy (e.g., content, offers, client operations).
In each zone, define decision thresholds to determine when decisions are fast vs. when you need feedback.
Pilot one “free decision” for yourself or a collaborator; commit to choosing within 24 hours and test.
Week 3
Retrospective + Experiment Design
After a recent launch, campaign, or client project, run a 10-minute micro-retrospective: 1. What went well? 2. What surprised me/what failed? 3. What one tweak will I test next?
Pick exactly one experiment (small tweak) to run in your next cycle (e.g., change onboarding flow, messaging angle, pricing).
Week 4
Share Learning & Speed Up Circulation
Commit to a “weekly insight snapshot” — share one lesson, experiment, or result in your network (newsletter, post, group).
Host a 30-minute “lessons from the trenches” call with clients, peers, or collaborators.
At the end of the week, annotate where you were slow — what blocked you? How can you speed that up next week?
Weeks 5–8
Stretch Work + Iterate
Reserve one 90-minute “stretch block” weekly to tackle something beyond your comfort zone (pitching a new client type, testing a premium offer, etc.).
After each block, do a micro-reflection and decide which one will be the next small or big tweak.
Revisit your values list; spot where you drifted and course-correct. Make sure you understand the 1% drift.
Expand “lessons archive” — keep a living file of insights + applied experiments + results.
Why This Matters (For BoldLEAP Women)
Resilience over perfection: Growth won’t always be linear. But by embedding feedback cycles and values-based decision-making, you’ll adapt more fluidly to challenges.
Visibility + authenticity: When you share in-progress experiments, missteps, and lessons, you become more human, approachable, and relatable — traits many clients will resonate with.
Scalable mindset, even at a small scale: Even if you remain a solo or lean operation, you lay foundations for sustainable evolution. You won’t overburden yourself with unnecessary structures later.
Clarity and alignment under pressure: When things get chaotic, referring back to your values and experiments helps you make better, faster decisions without second-guessing.
Ever need support and accountability? Join us for a deep discussion on removing roadblocks. >> For non-members: Sessions. For members: Sessions
For more information: www.boldleapcollective.com
About Charissa
Charissa Gant is a Change Strategist with over 30 years of experience driving change for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. Most recently, a Principal Director at one of the world’s largest consulting firms, she now leads BoldLEAP Collective — a community for courageous solopreneurs. Charissa@boldleapcollective.com