We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carly Pepin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carly, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The idea for my business came from watching business owners, smart, capable leaders with real vision, hit a wall. They weren’t failing because their ideas lacked merit. They were failing because they lacked strategies, systems, processes, they had internal misalignment, and internal doubt that were overwhelming them long before the vision had a chance to come to life.

I kept seeing the same pattern:
Strategies that never got implemented, leaders who lost clarity in the noise, and founders who questioned themselves so deeply that they began shrinking the very vision they built their companies around.

That’s when the idea for my work became obvious:
if I could help leaders dissolve the internal blocks, build strategic clarity, and execute in a structured way, they wouldn’t abandon the impact they were trying to create.

So I started working with clients immediately.
Not with a polished framework. Not with a prepackaged system.
I started by understanding what was actually happening inside their businesses and inside themselves. I paid attention to the real gaps, what they needed, and what consistently got in the way. I used what I already knew. I studied what I didn’t. I refined everything by working directly with real CEOs on real problems.

This became my ongoing process:
Work then refine then test then observe then improve and I still use this exact cycle today because the work evolves as leaders evolve.

As I got results for clients, the business grew organically. People who experienced the work referred others. My previous client base resurfaced. Speaking engagements opened doors. . And eventually, my own podcast became a place where people could understand how I think and the type of support I provide.

Behind the scenes, I had to build the structure. And that took real work. I had to develop a full methodology, something that integrated strategic scaling principles with the behavioral patterns that drive decisions. I built workflows so clients knew what to expect. I created session structures, communication rhythms, and a clear client journey from the moment someone contacts me until their goals are met.

The business wasn’t created in one leap, it was built through a continuous, disciplined cycle:

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I work with founders, CEOs, and business owners who are trying to scale their companies while carrying the pressure, complexity, and internal weight that comes with leadership. I got into this work because I spent years watching business owners give up on their vision, not because the vision was wrong, but because company bottlenecks, stress, misalignment, and self-doubt slowly eroded their clarity and decision-making to the point where execution became chaotic and stalled growth.

My background is a blend of business strategy and human behavior. Early in my career, I worked closely with leaders who were navigating intense challenges. I saw the same pattern over and over: if a leader isn’t clear internally, no strategy will work externally. They’d develop plans, hire teams, invest in growth, but the internal friction, their perceptions, stress responses, blind spots, and belief systems would quietly undermine the entire process.

The other dynamic was watching individuals with the most inspiring and connected visions unable to bring it to life because their company systems, structures, organizational culture, execution patterns were not grounded and built in a way that allowed the vision to grow, evolve and come to life. They had the vision but the company structure was holding them back.

That’s what pulled me into this discipline. I wanted to build a way for leaders to scale without burning out, shrinking their vision, or losing the thread of who they are.

Today, I provide a combination of strategic advisory and deep behavioral work. I work directly with founders and CEOs on the structure of their business, the clarity of their strategy, the alignment of their teams, and the execution systems that actually drive results, while also addressing the internal narrative, patterns, and perceptions that influence every decision they make. It’s both sides of scaling: the operational and the personal.

The core problems I solve:
• Leaders who can’t see the real cause of their stress or stuckness
• Strategies that don’t translate into execution
• Teams that are not aligned with the founder’s vision
• Lack of culture or misaligned company cultures
• Founders losing clarity, confidence, or belief in themselves under pressure
• Businesses growing faster than the internal structure can support
• High revenue with low traction, low profitability, or operational chaos
• Leaders questioning whether they even want to continue

What sets me apart is the blend of methodologies I use, strategic scaling frameworks, behavioral science, and perceptual restructuring and the way I integrate them. Companies don’t scale because of better tactics. They scale when the leader gets into alignment, makes decisions from clarity, and implements strategy without being hijacked by internal chaos or emotional distortion. That’s the work I do.

My process is direct, grounded, and tailored to each client. I don’t offer generic coaching or surface-level solutions. I work deeply with leaders to dissolve what’s in the way, structure what’s missing, and create a strategy and execution plan that matches the size of their vision.

What I’m most proud of is helping leaders return to themselves, the version of themselves that can think clearly, lead decisively, and stay connected to the impact they were trying to create in the first place. When clients regain that clarity, their business naturally follows.

What I want potential clients to know is simple: Scaling is not just about growth. It’s about alignment, internally for the leaders and structurally within the company. When those two things come together, leaders stop sabotaging themselves, teams stop resisting, and the business becomes easier to run. That’s the work I’ve committed my life to, and that’s what I help my clients achieve.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

My work started as a side project while I was serving as a COO. I wasn’t looking to turn it into a business at the time. I took a workshop to help myself, and the impact it had on multiple areas of my life was so significant that I began sharing the work within my inner circle. I didn’t position it as an offering, it was simply something I felt compelled to pass on because it was effective.

I enjoyed it so much, I decided that I wanted to turn it into a business. Once I worked with my first client, that single client became the starting point of a long, gradual evolution. I didn’t scale quickly. It took me about five years to build enough demand and consistency to have a full schedule. During that period, I juggled both roles, my COO responsibilities and the early stages of my advisory work. It was time consuming, but I stayed committed to both because the financial stability mattered. In then past I had transitioned out of a part time role into a business too quickly and that took away a lot of emotional stability as my financial wealth dwindled while building the business.

The shift from side-hustle to full-time wasn’t a single leap; it was a series of milestones.
Referrals began to increase. Repeat clients started returning. I developed my own systems instead of relying solely on what I had learned. I gained clarity on my niche and what specific problems I solved. Speaking opportunities became more regular. Eventually, I launched my own podcast to establish my authority in a more intentional way.

Once the financial side of the business surpassed my COO income, the decision became straightforward. When I transitioned to full-time, it opened up the capacity to do more than client work. I could finally focus on scaling the business itself, building infrastructure, refining the methodology, strengthening the brand, and launching ventures I had been planning but never had the bandwidth to execute.

What started as something I shared with friends became the foundation of the work I do today: helping founders and CEOs create clarity, dissolve internal obstacles, and execute strategically so they don’t abandon the very vision they’re trying to build.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the clearest examples of resilience in my journey came from the first time I tried to scale my business. I understood the strategy. I understood the work. But I didn’t understand the cash flow demands that come with scaling a company. I expanded too quickly without building the financial buffer required to support that growth, and it created a significant strain on me.

It wasn’t failure, but it was a hard lesson in what scaling actually takes. I had to pull the business back to stability, restructure how I managed cash, refine my processes and rebuild the operational foundation so it could support growth. It forced me to become precise about cash flow management, execution discipline, and the long-term sustainability of the work itself.

What made it an act of resilience wasn’t just recovering financially. It was choosing not to abandon the business when the pressure hit. I stayed committed, corrected the structure, and rebuilt in a smarter, more intentional way. That experience became one of the reasons I now emphasize both strategy and financial rigor with the leaders I work with, because the fastest way to collapse a vision is to scale without understanding the true cost of growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.westcoastgrowthadvisors.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlympepin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carly.pepin.consulting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlypepin/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WestCoastGrowthAdvisors
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/built-for-this/id1835497020

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