Athena Advisory Collective

08/27/2026

The contract you signed when your business was smaller may not protect the business you run today.

As your company grows, things change. You add clients, vendors, employees, partners, and sometimes new owners. But when was the last time you looked at the agreements behind all of it?

Contracts & Agreements is a topic our community has asked us to cover again and again, so we’re bringing in Becky Mancero, Partner and Chief People Officer at SPZ Legal, for our September Skill Lab.

We’ll talk about:

• Operating and shareholder agreements
• Adding partners and owners
• Employee equity
• Client and vendor contracts
• Terms business owners commonly overlook
• When existing agreements need to be updated

You do not need to become a legal expert. But as the owner, you should understand what you are signing, what questions to ask, and where your business may be exposed.

📅 Tuesday, September 15
⏰ 10:00–11:00 AM MT | 12:00–1:00 PM ET

Save your spot: https://zurl.co/NMp7r

08/13/2026

One of the things Michelle Miller said during our Skill Lab today really stuck with us.

Most businesses do not have an idea problem when it comes to marketing. We have plenty of ideas. The challenge is deciding which ones are worth pursuing and then building a plan we can actually maintain.

Michelle encouraged us to start with purpose before creating anything. Who is this for? Why are we sharing it? What do we want someone to take away from it?

It sounds simple, but it changes the conversation from “we need to post something” to “we have something worth saying.”

There were a lot of practical takeaways like this during our conversation with Michelle and the Creativate team.

We pulled them together, along with the recording, slides and Digital Marketing Audit Checklist, here: https://zurl.co/PXxA2

Learn how to build a consistent content marketing plan using email, social media, AI, and practical systems. Michelle Miller of Creativate shares a 10-step framework for small business owners and their teams.

08/12/2026

Tomorrow is our August Athena Skill Lab with Michelle Miller, President of Creativate.

We will be talking about something almost every business is working through: how to make marketing more consistent without making it more complicated.

Michelle will share practical ideas around email, social media, content planning, and how to get more from the systems you already have in place.

We already have a great group registered, and we would be glad to have you or someone from your team join us.

Thursday, August 13
10:00 a.m. MT | 12:00 p.m. ET
Virtual

Register here: https://zurl.co/hokA8

08/07/2026

Less than a week to go!

Our next Athena Skill Lab is Thursday, August 13, and we are looking forward to welcoming Michelle Miller, President of Creativate.

Michelle will share practical strategies for making email, social media, and content planning more consistent and manageable.

HubSpot users, this session will be especially valuable for you.

Thursday, August 13
10:00 a.m. MT | 12:00 p.m. ET
Virtual

Register here: https://zurl.co/zAByn

08/07/2026

Aggie's POV: This month, Alala celebrates 20 years, and it has me reflecting on just how incredible this journey has been to witness.

I first met Sherry in 2006. I still remember watching Sherry and Kim present Alala’s business plan as one of the first women owned businesses accepted into the University of South Carolina’s technology incubator. Even then, it was clear they were not building just another company. They were building something with purpose.

Over the past two decades, I have watched that vision become an organization that has changed thousands of lives. What started with fitting arm sleeves for women after breast cancer grew into a nationally respected leader in lymphedema care. Sherry listened when patients needed Medicare coverage, took their stories to Washington, testified, advocated, and helped move real change forward.

Since 2021, Athena has also had the privilege of working alongside Alala and seeing the business from a different perspective. We have watched the team strengthen, the family step into meaningful roles, and the mission continue to guide the decisions behind the growth.

One of my favorite parts of the story is seeing Alala become a true family business. Emily, Michael, and Ron each bring their own strengths, while the larger team has built a culture centered on care, trust, and service.

Twenty years in business is an extraordinary accomplishment. Twenty years of making people feel seen, supported, and less alone is an even greater one.

Congratulations, Sherry, and congratulations to the entire Alala family.

07/29/2026

We are excited to partner with Creativate for our next Athena Skill Lab!

On Thursday, August 13, Michelle Miller, President of Creativate, will lead:

From Content Chaos to Consistency: A Practical Marketing Plan for Email and Social Media

Most business owners know they need to market consistently. The challenge is knowing what to say, where to share it, and how to keep it manageable.

Michelle will share practical strategies to help you:

• Decide what content to create
• Use email and social media together
• Build a realistic and sustainable marketing plan
• Avoid common content mistakes
• Get more value from the systems you already have

And if you are a HubSpot user, this Skill Lab is especially for you.

Creativate helps small and medium-sized businesses grow through inbound marketing, brand strategy, content strategy, digital marketing, website development, and analytics. As a HubSpot Platinum partner, their team helps businesses turn marketing plans into consistent ex*****on.

We have had the opportunity to experience Michelle and the Creativate team’s work through BAZ, and we are excited to bring their expertise to the Athena community.

Thursday, August 13, 2026
10:00 a.m. MT | 12:00 p.m. ET
Virtual

Register here: https://zurl.co/zAgUe

07/15/2026

For years, business development was all about building bigger pipelines.

Today, the strongest businesses are focused on something else.

Relationships.

We're seeing founders win more opportunities by slowing down, listening more carefully, and focusing on trust instead of transactions.

The best conversations aren't sales pitches.

They're discussions about challenges, goals, and ways to create value.

When relationships become the strategy, growth becomes more sustainable.

Because people don't buy services.

They buy confidence, expertise, and trust.

What's one thing you've changed about the way you build business relationships over the last year?

Read the full article:
https://zurl.co/Cv7Eb

07/13/2026

Exit readiness can feel overwhelming.

The good news is that you don't need to tackle everything at once.

Start here:

1️⃣ Fix one financial gap.
2️⃣ Reduce one dependency on yourself or a key employee.
3️⃣ Strengthen one area of your revenue or growth strategy.

Small, focused improvements create momentum.

More importantly, they help build a business that is stronger today and more valuable tomorrow.

What is one action you'll take this week to strengthen your business?

Drop it in the comments.

And if you're looking for ideas, our latest Skill Lab with Marla DiCarlo includes a workbook designed to help you identify your next steps.

🔗https://zurl.co/jTmbt

07/08/2026

Most business owners think succession planning is something you do when you're getting ready to leave.

We see it differently.

Succession planning starts the moment your business becomes dependent on you.

If every decision flows through the owner, growth eventually slows down. Your team waits for direction. Opportunities get stuck in bottlenecks. Enterprise value suffers.

The businesses that scale successfully are the ones that build leadership, systems, and accountability before they need them.

Succession planning is not about retirement.

It's about creating a company that can grow beyond the capacity of one person.

Ask yourself:

If you stepped away for 30 days, what would happen?

Your answer may tell you more about the future value of your business than any financial report.

Read the full article:
https://zurl.co/uaBBW

07/06/2026

Two businesses can generate the exact same revenue and have very different value.

Why?

Because buyers look beyond revenue totals.

They look at predictability.

They want to know:

✔ Will customers come back?
✔ Is revenue tied to contracts or recurring services?
✔ Does growth depend on the owner?

The more predictable your revenue, the stronger your business becomes.

Even if selling your company isn't on your radar today, building predictable revenue creates stability, improves planning, and gives you more options in the future.

What's one thing you've done to make your revenue more predictable?

We'd love to hear your thoughts below.

🔗 Watch the Skill Lab and download the workbook here: https://zurl.co/V0cT4