What happens when the people who make communication their craft decide to build businesses around it? Magic.
Pure, relationship-building, revenue-generating magic!
As part of my Customer Showcase series of interviews, I got to sit down with four communication professionals who've cracked the code on something many struggle with: how to turn your expertise in messaging into sustainable, profitable businesses.
From podcasting and copywriting to marketing strategy and mobile industry journalism, these pros have built businesses that don't just communicate value—they create it.
Their secret isn't complicated. Great communication isn't about perfect words or flawless presentations.
It's about seeing people, understanding their struggles, and building bridges between problems and solutions. And yes—they've all mastered the art of working smarter, not harder (each has been using YouCanBookMe for years to streamline their operations!).
What emerged from our conversations was a masterclass in turning soft skills into strong profits. Let’s get into their top advice.
Forget everything you think you know about professional communication. These four experts prove that authenticity trumps polish every single time.
Corine La Font, communication specialist and podcaster, cuts straight to the heart of it: "We're in the service industry, Bridget, and everyone is in the service industry, whether they believe it or not, or recognize it or not. If you're selling a product, if you're selling a service—everything you're doing—it involves communication. Communication is the basic foundation level. Even in your relationships at home, with your children, with your clients, your colleagues, your staff—everything is about communication."
This isn't corporate speak—this is Corine’s lived practice. She approaches every interaction with genuine curiosity:
We need to be able to see people. When I say see, I don't mean with your physical eyes. I mean beyond that. See what's happening. Why is this person reacting this way? Why is this person saying these things?"
Romana Siracusa brings this same depth to her marketing coaching practice. She discovered something powerful about her female entrepreneur clients: "The problem that I've fallen in love with is seeing women, especially lost and confused, having big dreams, big ideas, lots of ideas, but feeling so lost, confused, overwhelmed, not sure how to take that next step."
The shared insight across all four experts? Communication issues are usually relationship issues in disguise—either with yourself or with your audience. If clients can’t explain their message, it’s often because they’re still trying to understand their own value, purpose, or direction.
While their approaches differ widely, each professional has carved out a clear niche in the communication world—and that focus is exactly what fuels their success.
Corine La Font operates as a communication specialist, public relations expert, and podcaster. Her work spans press releases, internal and external communication, crisis communications, social media, and digital marketing. But her true strength lies in the space between those disciplines: helping people understand not just what to say, but how to genuinely connect.
Emily Claire Hughes has positioned herself as the copywriter who gets female-founded small businesses. She focuses specifically on email marketing and content creation because she understands a fundamental truth: "These small business female founders have incredible ideas, but they don't have enough time, and they don't have enough resources to be consistent with their marketing."
Peggy Anne Salz commands authority as a content strategist and journalist specializing in the global mobile and app marketing industry. Her dual role—Forbes contributor and industry podcast host—has made her the go-to expert for making complex technology accessible. As she puts it, "I'm driven by the urge and the desire to make complex things accessible because technology has to be accessible. It impacts each and every one of us."
Across the board, the pattern is unmistakable: each has identified a specific communication challenge for a specific audience—and committed to serving that niche with focus and depth.
Here’s where these professionals truly set themselves apart: they’ve all embraced the uncomfortable truth that helping others communicate better requires continuous work on themselves.
Corine practices what she preaches with ruthless self-reflection: "I am always doing introspection. I'm always reflecting, because my goal, my purpose, is to be a better version of myself."
For her, this isn’t self-indulgence—it’s strategic personal development. That vulnerability becomes a source of strength in her client relationships.
Romana brings the same honesty to her own development as she does to the founders she supports. She coaches women through overwhelm, inconsistency, and the pressure to “show up”—yet she’s the first to admit she’s still working on those very same habits herself. As she puts it, "I still need to improve in consistency in terms of showing up online myself.”
Her willingness to name that gap isn’t a flaw; it’s part of what makes her guidance so relatable.
Peggy expands this principle into a sense of responsibility, both personal and professional:
I think that's our duty. We might not be able to, quote, unquote, change the world, right? But we do have to be aware and do what we have to do and do our part."
The pattern is clear: these professionals treat their own growth journeys as both inspiration and credibility—fueling the impact they have on their clients.
While relationships remain central, these communication experts have invested in their own use and knowledge of technology to increase efficiency and impact. One of the first tools they all adopted in their business was online scheduling.
Corine's enthusiasm for automation is infectious:
YouCanBookMe has been the most efficient tool that I will not leave. You all have to really kick me out. I'll be going screaming because it is the most efficient tool."
Romana has built her community-based business model around smart tool selection. She explains her platform choice: "Heartbeat is where I host my program. It's great because it's a mix of Slack, Notion, and Kajabi. Basically, you can host your community there."
Emily's approach to automation focuses on eliminating the scheduling headaches that plague service businesses: "You're just wasting so much time scheduling unnecessary meetings if you don't have a booking calendar." Her focus is simple—remove friction so clients can stay consistent.
Peggy demonstrates how productivity tools can transform professional efficiency. She relies on project management: "Asana is essential. Everyone has their tasks. I don't go into micromanagement, but I have to have an overview—where is what."
The key insight? These professionals use technology to amplify their human expertise, not replace it—giving them more time, more clarity, and more capacity to serve the people who count on them.
The path to building a successful communication-based business isn’t without its pitfalls. These professionals have learned lessons—sometimes the hard way—that can save others years of frustration.
Emily learned the importance of finding her focus: she used to struggle with "finding the right niche” for her business, but everything clicked once she committed to email marketing and content creation for small business owners. Focus didn’t limit her—it freed her.
Corine’s biggest realization is that the heart of communication isn’t tactics or tools—it’s connection. As she states, "I'm based on building relationships.”
Her advice is simple but powerful: invest in the relationships that make your work meaningful.
Peggy’s wisdom centers on the power of discovery: "I love uncovering gems. And I've done that consistently. I uncover them, put them on my podcast, or add them to an article in Forbes because they deserve it. Then they get the results and rewards of that, and can really shine."
At the heart of every one of these professionals’ success is a deep, genuine commitment to the people they serve. Their motivations show that lasting success in communication begins with understanding and supporting the humans on the other side.
Corine is driven by helping people solve fundamental human challenges.
She believes communication is rooted in understanding each other—not just on the surface, but at our core: "How do we communicate? It is based on how we learn each other. Are we taking the time to understand each other, to appreciate we are different, unique, and that we all have problems?"
Romana finds fulfillment in witnessing transformation.
She understands that entrepreneurship isn’t just strategic—it’s personal: “Building a business is not easy. It’s not just challenges of time, money, resources, strategy. It’s the challenges you face with yourself and what's going on in there.”
And nothing motivates her more than seeing clients reach breakthroughs:
By the end of the time we work together, they actually have something to sell, and they start selling it."
Emily focuses on the real, everyday struggles her clients face.
She knows small business owners need support with consistency, time, and resources—so she builds her work around eliminating friction and helping them stay on track.
Peggy’s purpose comes from making the complex accessible.
Whether through journalism, content strategy, or podcasting, she is motivated by helping people understand the fast-moving world of mobile and app technology—so they can make better decisions in their own work.
Across all of them, the message is clear: meaningful communication work isn’t powered by tactics—it’s powered by caring deeply about the people on the other side.
These four experts prove that building a profitable communication business requires more than just being good with words. Their approach centers on three core principles that any communication professional can adopt.
First, develop your unique perspective. Each professional brings something distinctive to their field. Their backgrounds and experiences inform their approaches and give them credibility with specific audiences.
Second, systems amplify relationships. The most successful communication professionals use technology to create more space for meaningful human connections. Automation handles the routine stuff so they can focus on transformation, strategy, and genuine problem-solving.
Third, continuous learning fuels continuous learning. The communication landscape evolves rapidly. These professionals stay relevant by constantly growing personally and professionally. They see every client interaction as an opportunity to refine their approach and deepen their expertise.
What I learned from Peggy, Romana, Emily, and Corine is that you don’t have to sacrifice authenticity for profit or relationships for efficiency. Their success comes from being intentional about how they position themselves, strategic about the systems they use, and generous with their expertise.
Their stories prove that communication skills, when properly packaged and systematically delivered, create tremendous value in the marketplace. The tools and strategies they rely on are accessible to anyone. The real differentiator is how you adapt these lessons to your own strengths, experiences, and audience.
The prize? A business that amplifies your natural gifts while helping others find their voice, tell their story, and build the connections that matter most.
In a world drowning in noise, the communicators who create a genuine signal will always stand out.
Many thanks to everyone who spoke to me!