Business Owner Crush: Leslie Hassler, President Your Biz Rules

Founder of Your Biz Rules, author of First This, Then That and Scaling Rich, Leslie Hassler, shares how her unique approach to fractional C-suite services is helping small businesses achieve predictable profits without burnout. With over 17 years of experience and recognition as a Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses alumnus, her story demonstrates how combining diverse expertise with a human-centered approach can create lasting business transformation.

With a background in journalism, what led you to found Your Biz Rules with its unique approach to fractional C-suite services?

My path into business wasn’t linear. It is actually the combination of varied experiences that created the unique approach we have today.

Journalism taught me how to dig beneath the surface, uncover root issues, and communicate clearly; skills that are invaluable in business strategy. Add to that my years as a serial entrepreneur and the diverse backgrounds of our team, and we’ve built a zone of genius that allows us to serve as a true one-stop shop for our clients.

That’s why many of them stay with us for three years or more: they get the benefit of a broad, seasoned perspective that helps them grow faster and more sustainably.

Your company emphasizes "predictable profits without burnout." What experiences led you to focus specifically on this balance between growth and sustainability?

I often joke that I earned an MBA from the school of hard knocks. In my first business, I scaled quickly, but at the cost of balance. I learned the hard way that growth without sustainability leads to burnout, stress, and, ultimately, a ceiling on what you can achieve.

That’s why I founded Your Biz Rules and why my newest book, Scaling Rich, leans so deeply into the idea that you can grow your business and still have the life you want. Predictable profits without burnout isn’t just a tagline for us, it is a way of doing business that ensures success doesn’t come at the expense of your well-being.

Coming from various industries and having worked with multiple businesses for over a decade, what's been your most significant learning curve in building Your Biz Rules?

Your Biz Rules has been around for over 11 years, but this is actually the second business I’ve built in my 17 years as an entrepreneur. What I’ve learned is that the journey is cyclical: first, you build your confidence; then you build your team; and eventually, the challenge becomes growing at the pace of your potential.

Right now, our learning curve is investing in growth that matches the ambition we have for the business, and for the impact we want to make for small business owners everywhere.

Your books and speaking have become a powerful platform for Your Biz Rules. What gap in the market did you see that inspired you to share your frameworks more broadly?

Small business owners are often overlooked when it comes to high-level strategy. Too many resources are either geared toward startups or large corporations, leaving out the very real challenges of established businesses that want to scale but don’t have access to a full C-suite.

Writing First This, Then That and Scaling Rich, along with speaking at conferences and on podcasts, has allowed me to fill that gap. It’s about putting tools and frameworks into the hands of business owners who are ready to grow but need practical, proven support to get there.

As someone deeply involved in AI and business transformation, what changes do you see coming for small businesses in the next few years?

Believe it or not, we’re only at the beginning of this transformation. I compare it to the industrial revolution—we’re going to see entire industries shrink while new ones are born.

There’s a real possibility of $10 million companies running with only three people because of the leverage AI provides. But even with all this disruption, I believe the hunger for personal, human-centered services will only grow stronger. Businesses will need to create flexible models: ways for clients to say yes to them at both high and low price points. Those who figure out how to balance efficiency with humanity will thrive in this new era.

What are the three biggest business lessons you've learned since founding Your Biz Rules?

1. Make decisions based on the business you’re growing into, not the business you have today.

   
   

2. When facing a big decision, I ask myself: if money weren’t an issue, would I still say yes? If the answer is yes, I pull the trigger and then find the resources to make it work.

   
   

3. Hire sooner than you think. The right team accelerates growth and frees you to focus on what only you can do.

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