Annie Meehan's Advice for Entrepreneurs: Build a Cushion, Know Your Worth and Keep Choosing Your Next Faithful Step

Annie Meehan, founder of Meehan Entreprises LLC and a Certified Speaking Professional, shares advice for entrepreneurs on building a cushion, knowing your worth and taking the next faithful step.

By Herald Staff · Nov. 13, 2026, 7:30 AM ET

Annie Meehan, a Certified Speaking Professional, author of 12 books and founder of Meehan Entreprises LLC, has some blunt advice for anyone dreaming of working for themselves: entrepreneurship can be wonderful, but it is hard work.

Start With a Cushion

Meehan advises people not to leave a job before they have a financial cushion and a realistic plan. She suggests starting as a side business while you build savings, experience and clients.

Annie Meehan presenting on stage. (Photo: Annie Meehan)

You Are the Whole Team

When you work for yourself, she says, you may be the marketer, salesperson, service provider and operations team all at once. Discipline, structure and focus matter, and so does surrounding yourself with people whose strengths complement your own.

Know the Value of Your Work

For speakers and coaches in particular, Meehan stresses that what you offer is more than a 45-minute or one-hour session. It reflects years of experience, learning, success and setbacks. Know the value of your work and ask to be paid accordingly.

Stay Willing to Learn

"Start with what you have, stay willing to learn, and don't mistake a difficult season for the end of your story," she says. Ask for help, keep practicing your craft and build relationships with people who encourage you and tell you the truth. Success rarely follows a straight line.

Where Her Advice Comes From

Meehan's perspective is earned. She grew up in poverty and instability, moved 83 times by age 18, navigated dyslexia and ADHD, and earned her GED. She built a career in financial services with five promotions in nine years, built and led businesses and teams, and owned fitness franchises. She has coached for more than 20 years and become a Certified Speaking Professional.

Today she delivers keynotes, workshops and leadership sessions for organizations and coaches individuals and teams through programs including Story to Stage. Her clients have included Best Buy, Target, Caribou Coffee and 3M.

Choosing Hope

Her guiding philosophy is simple: "Live each day by choice, not by chance or circumstance." She is the creator of the H3 Culture framework (Hope, Health and Happiness) and the Pineapple Principle, and the author of the award-winning Be the Exception and Choose to Soar. Looking ahead, she plans to write a book a year for at least the next 20 years and to make a positive impact on millions of lives.

To learn more about Annie's speaking, coaching and Story to Stage programs, visit AnnieMeehan.com, connect with her on LinkedIn, or schedule a time to talk and see if you are ready to move from Story to Stage.

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