From the Wrong Business to the Right Voice: Emily Aborn on Finding Purpose Through Mistakes

My Favorite Mistake: Business Lessons from Failures and Success

My guest for Episode #328 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Emily Aborn, a small business copywriter, speaker, and host of the Small Business Casual podcast.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

Emily helps entrepreneurs bring clarity, creativity, and authenticity to their marketing. Before finding her true calling, she owned a brick-and-mortar organic mattress store—a business that looked great on paper but didn’t align with her passions or strengths.

Emily shares how this “perfect-on-paper” business became her favorite mistake. Though the store was profitable, she found herself feeling trapped, unfulfilled, and disconnected from the work she truly loved. Through closing that chapter, Emily discovered what she actually enjoyed most—writing, connection, and storytelling—and turned those insights into a business built around her natural skills.

Today, Emily works with entrepreneurs across industries to find their authentic voice and create meaningful marketing. In this episode, she and Mark explore lessons about self-awareness, alignment, and how mistakes can guide us toward a more fulfilling path. Emily also shares practical insights on copywriting, understanding your audience, and why genuine collaboration beats fear-based marketing every time.

Questions and Topics:

• What was your favorite mistake, and what did you learn from it?
• Why did that business seem like such a good idea on paper?
• What made you realize it wasn’t the right fit?
• How did running that store help you discover your passion for copywriting?
• What were some of the marketing lessons you learned from that experience?
• What are the most common copywriting or branding mistakes you see small businesses make?
• How can business owners find and express their authentic voice in their marketing?
• What are “problem-aware,” “solution-aware,” and “symptom-aware” customers—and why does that matter?
• How do you approach repurposing content the right way instead of just copying and pasting?
• What has hosting your own podcast taught you about communication and creativity?
• Have you ever made a memorable mistake as a podcaster yourself?