Get my best tips and insights on productivity, confidence, balance, and connection ... learned from 15 years of successfully working from home. Long-term WFH is a CHOICE, a lifestyle, a CULTURE. And I believe that if you're going to do something, you should do it right. But you don't have to do it alone. Activate your free subscription to The Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur newsletter so that you get your weekly dose of grit and grace to keep you going by entering your email address below.
💼 You’re the boss. But you’re also the employee.
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Would Your Best Employee Want to Work for You? Hey Reader, Imagine you’ve hired the best employee you’ve ever had. She’s smart. Dependable. Creative. Resourceful. Clients trust her. She knows the business inside and out. Frankly, you’d be in trouble if she left. Now let’s examine her working conditions. Lunch? Sometimes — although eating at the kitchen counter while answering email apparently counts. Vacation? Absolutely! As long as she keeps an eye on her inbox. Working hours? Very flexible. They flex right into dinner. And excellent performance is routinely rewarded with ... more work. Would your best employee want to keep working for you? Because if you’re a solo entrepreneur, she already does. She’s you. One of the strange things about working for ourselves is that we’re both the person setting the expectations and the person trying to meet them. And sometimes Boss You is kind of a jerk to Employee You. She says things like, “You can eat after you finish.” Or “It’ll only take five minutes.” Or my favorite: “Yes, you accomplished all that — but what about what you didn’t finish?” The answer isn’t to expect nothing from ourselves. Good leaders have standards. Businesses have deadlines. Sometimes the work genuinely asks more of us. But self-leadership includes being a responsible employer of yourself. That's what I'm exploring more deeply in this week's article, The CEO of YOU, Inc. Protects the Company’s Greatest Asset — including the three jobs I think the HR Department of YOU, Inc. has: protect, develop, and retain your best employee. Retaining your best employee (YOU!) matters more than we might realize. You can own the company and still create a workplace you don’t want to work in. You may never hand yourself a resignation letter, but you can start checking out. You can lose your curiosity. Resent Mondays. Procrastinate on work you used to enjoy. Wonder why the business you built for freedom doesn't feel particularly free anymore. That's not necessarily a vacation problem. It might be a founder-retention problem. And it’s why I want us to stop thinking only in terms of “self-care.” Lunch. Boundaries. Learning. Rest. Connection. Time away. These aren't merely treats Employee You earns after she gets enough done. They're part of maintaining the asset. Please hear this: your business doesn’t need you available every minute. It needs you capable of coming back tomorrow and doing good work again. Your Action Step this WeekWrite one HR policy for YOU, Inc. Not seventeen. We are not creating an employee handbook this weekend. Just one. Maybe: YOU, Inc. HR Policy #001: Lunch is eaten away from the desk. Or: YOU, Inc. HR Policy #002: No business email after 6 p.m. Or perhaps yours involves a real vacation day, professional development, swimming, dog walks, Fridays, or a hard stop at the end of your workday. Then ask: What would change if I treated this as company policy instead of something I’ll do “when I have time”? Because Employee You deserves a CEO who knows how to lead her well. 💛 Insider & VIP CornerIf you’d like a little more structure for your CEO stewardship this month, Insiders and VIPs get access to our monthly Mini Power Tools, including August’s Tenacious WFH CEO Harvest Report, plus the growing archive of practical tools designed to help you lead YOU, Inc. with more clarity, confidence, and sustainability. 🌿 Upgrade anytime to unlock this month's Mini Power Tool, along with the growing archive of practical worksheets, templates, and resources created to help you build your business with greater clarity, confidence, and sustainability. Premium subscriptions start at just $5.83/month. 💎 Upgrade your experience here.
As always, I'd love to know what you think of this week's newsletter. Post your thoughts on social and tag me (@coachmichelepeterson), or simply reply to this email! Thank you. I appreciate you! xoxo, Now for more good stuff ... Upgrade Your Experience ...Tenacious WFH Insiders get access to monthly Mini Power Tool downloadables like this month's CEO Harvest Report, an exclusive audio version of the weekly newsletter and blog via the private podcast Insiders Only Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur Audio Experience that you can listen to on your favorite podcast platform ... and more! Get all the details here. UPGRADE TO INSIDER or VIP STATUS TODAY! Interesting Reads ...
Win WFH Tip of the WeekWFH Tip: To WIN working from home, keep good notes to stay organized. Keeping structured notes — whether for daily tasks, client calls, or quick ideas — prevents valuable details from slipping through the cracks. By offloading these details into a clear system, you reduce mental fatigue and keep your home workspace focused and efficient. Grit & Grace Affirmation of the WeekI will defend myself. I am a winner. I am a warrior. Say it. Believe it. Be it. From the book Badass Affirmations by Becca Anderson I hope you enjoyed this week's newsletter. Thank you for linking arms and being part of my working from home tribe! I'll be back next week with more tips, inspiration, and other fun stuff to empower your WFH success. Until then, have a beautiful week! xoxo, P.S. It's my goal to inspire you and remind you of your greatness as we navigate WFH life together. If you loved this week's newsletter, please feel free to forward it to your friends! And just one more thing ...
August 14, 2026 | Coach Michele Peterson
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Coach Michele Peterson
Get my best tips and insights on productivity, confidence, balance, and connection ... learned from 15 years of successfully working from home. Long-term WFH is a CHOICE, a lifestyle, a CULTURE. And I believe that if you're going to do something, you should do it right. But you don't have to do it alone. Activate your free subscription to The Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur newsletter so that you get your weekly dose of grit and grace to keep you going by entering your email address below.
Have Something Ready for the Woman Doing the Work Hey Reader, It’s just the two of us at home now. But when I make pork chops, I’ll often make four. Two for dinner. Two extras for lunches. Leftover soup goes into individual sealed soup mugs, ready to pop into the microwave. I occasionally manage weekend meal prep. But planned leftovers like these examples are something I do frequently. I’m already cooking dinner or putting food away, so a little preparation fits into what’s happening. Later,...
Make Room for the Whole Commitment Hey Reader, A friend invited me to a networking lunch recently. She was one of the sponsors, and I wanted to support her. Making connections was a good reason to attend, too. The event was 90 minutes long. But there was also a 30-minute drive each way. Arriving early to mingle. Staying afterward to continue conversations. Following up with people by text or email. The extra time easily added up to two or more hours. The invitation was for 90 minutes. My yes...
Give One Meaningful Priority a Place to Grow Hey Reader, For about 10 years, I’ve had a small boysenberry patch tucked beside our backyard garden. These berries came from starts brought over from my grandparents’ vines. Grandma and Grandpa had three or four long rows, and I have VERY fond memories of Grandma’s berry pies and boysenberry jam. My little patch has kept that connection growing. We’ve enjoyed a modest crop each year. Recently, though, we removed a diseased loquat tree, and our...