Colleen Budde

10/22/2026

Good morning and happy networking Thursday! We are hanging out in Troy this morning with the Troy Business Builders! But shout out to the leadership team (Charity, Andrew & Ryan) and the featured speaker Vince Browning of Dotten Collision!

10/19/2026

Reputation is currency.

And the small business world is a lot smaller than you think.

When I refer someone, I’m staking my name on them. If they burn a client or cut corners, that reflects back on me.

Standards aren’t cruelty — they’re protection.

If you network actively, this one matters.

Read it here 👇

In small business, reputation travels fast. Learn why referrals are high-stakes and how protecting your name builds long-term success.

10/16/2026

Great business networking with the BNI BEN Business 2 Business power team meeting. Hudson Cafe was a great spot to meet, enjoy some legal addictive stimulants (coffee), some great food and trade selling tips.

10/15/2026

Good morning and happy networking Thursday! With crunchy leafs under foot and a chill in the air, it was a great morning to get together with some of my favorite business professionals to help each other make more money!

We inducted two new members today including Jen Blaylock of CG Design Collective and Ghizlane Karim of Straightaway Fence Company. We are excited for you to be a part of the BNI BEN family!

Our first presenter today was Jesse Fenton, the bougiest promotional products business owner we know! From their high quality white glove service to the special emphasis on love of spa days, Jesse is your one stop shop for pens to branded clothing and everything in between.

Our second presenter was Mitch Molnar from Pole Position Automotive. It was a fun presentation guesstimating claims during his presentation as well as the Q&A session covering all of the different car repairs they cover.

With the weather changing, we are barely holding off the holiday music and if you know anyone with a new year’s resolution to start a new business, that is a perfect referral for Office Evolution Troy. When planning for a new business venture, its important to have a business address that is not your home address and most of the time, PO Boxes are not accepted for most business registrations but using Office Evolution’s commercial address, we have you covered professionally.

10/12/2026

Most productivity advice is built for people with uninterrupted time.

Most small business owners don’t live in that reality.

When you’re managing clients, cash flow, employees, family logistics, and actual humans who need you, you cannot run your business on aesthetic productivity. You have to run it on hierarchy.

In this Business Mechanics post, I break down what I call constraint math:

• Protect primary revenue.
• Fulfill already-sold revenue.
• Accept unfinished optimization.
• Deploy founder leverage strategically.

Growth inside constraint is still growth — but only if your decision-making is clear.

If you’re building a serious business in a compressed season, this framework will help you protect what matters most.

Read the full post here 👇

How do you run a profitable small business without 8 uninterrupted hours? Learn revenue hierarchy, founder leverage strategy, and constraint math for growth in limited time.

10/10/2026

My skills for creating a casual charcuterie with food already in my fridge amazes me sometimes…

10/05/2026

You don’t have to love every job in your business.

But if you don’t understand every job in your business, you’re fragile.

Employees call in sick. Vendors underperform. Clients don’t pay. Agencies oversell. And when something breaks, the business doesn’t wait for you to feel ready.

Operational literacy isn’t about doing everything forever. It’s about building minimum viable competence so you can delegate from strength — not avoidance.

Sales without financial literacy is risky. Marketing without backend systems collapses. Outsourcing without understanding creates dependency.

Businesses don’t survive on aesthetics.

They survive on operational competence.

If you couldn’t step into any function in your company tomorrow, that’s your growth ceiling showing.

Small business owners must understand every function of their company to protect revenue, enforce boundaries, and avoid operational fragility.

10/03/2026

Great running into Matt Dery at Nightmare in Auburn in Utica! Thank you to Connect Macomb for putting together a great event! And always huge thank you to Vino & Vibes for bringing the w**e and the coffee!

10/01/2026

Good morning and happy networking Thursday! It was a big morning today in BNI BEN with the induction of the WONDERFUL Cat Kelly, photographer extraordinaire! Fun fact: Cat was the person that first invited me to BNI and here we are together again almost five years later! Really happy to have you back, Cat!

Our first presenter today was Jes Burk or Metro Maids. I love Jes because of her bubbly and warm character and I respect her as a business woman because she takes her business seriously. Her team is second to none and there is no one I would recommend more for a clean house.

Our second presenter was Corene Ford of Tilchin & Hall, P.C. - master of comedy improv
AND litigation. Corene is a zesty fireball full of life and I know she will be my first call if I ever have to sue anyone. As a professional, Corene is intimidating but in the very BEST way.