From Divorce, Debt, and Rock Bottom to Building a 15-Year Marketing Business with Kalen Cotto

Kalen Cotto lost everything.

Her marriage ended. Her clients disappeared. Her business name didn't make sense anymore.

She was a single mom with a 3-year-old, waiting tables in the morning and doing client work at night—just trying to keep the lights on.

Most people would've quit.

But Kalen didn't.

She rebuilt. Twice.

Today, she's a fractional CMO, founder of KMC Digital, and author of The Revenue Runway—a book about the mindset shifts that actually move the needle in business.

In this episode, Kalen gets brutally honest about:

→ Why she became an "accidental entrepreneur" (and how a BlackBerry attachment and a baby on the way changed everything)

→ The moment she lost every client during her divorce—and why she didn't let it end her

→ Why she went BACK into the workforce twice (and why that's not failure—it's strategy)

→ The lies being sold about "glamorous entrepreneurship" (and why your bank account going red is normal when you're building)

→ Why The Revenue Runway isn't a marketing book—it's a mindset book (because skills aren't the problem)

→ The 3 pillars you need to nail before anything else: your offer, your avatar, your message

→ Why she tells startups NOT to build a website first (and what to do instead)

→ What a fractional CMO actually does (and how interviewing a company's team reveals everything)

→ How to land corporate clients without being intimidated by their size (hint: they're just people with problems)

Bottom line:

Entrepreneurship isn't glamorous. It's messy, hard, and full of setbacks.

But if you don't quit? You learn. You grow. You rebuild.

And eventually, you win.

If you're in the middle of the mess right now, this episode is for you.

ABOUT KALEN COTTO:

Kalen Cotto is a fractional CMO, founder of KMC Digital, and author of The Revenue Runway. With 15 years in marketing and a background in military public affairs, she helps established businesses optimize their marketing strategy and startups nail down their offer, avatar, and message. She's a mom, a bootstrapper, and a firm believer that mindset—not tactics—is what separates those who quit from those who scale.

Website: https://www.kmc.digital/

Book: TheRevenueRunway.com (Available on Amazon)

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Have a burning question? Leave a message for Lindsay and she will turn it into an episode with an answer. Use the link below to record.

https://www.speakpipe.com/FreedomEntrepreneur

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