Mary Gunther - on the North Star Exercise, Scaling to $75K Months & Why Business Exposes Everything

What's your number? Mary Gunther sat down and did something most people never try. She calls it the North Star Exercise. You write out your dream life — every part of it — then you put a dollar amount next to each piece. Then you work it backwards. How much revenue would this business need to make for me to live that life? For Mary, the answer wasn't a private jet or a fancy car. It was £75K months. That number would cover everything she'd ever want to do for her kids, her family, and herself. Simple. Honest. Motivating. Here's the part that hits hardest: not that many years ago, that number felt far away. Mary spent years in HR — SHRM certified, a master's in organisational development, a real people-first leader. Then 2020 changed everything. Pregnant, with a toddler at home, she stepped back from work and taught herself social media from scratch. What started as a side hustle became The Social GCO. In roughly three years, she's gone from near-zero to $35K months. And now $75K is the next goal, not the far-off dream. A few things stood out from her story: She never wanted to just build herself a job. She wanted a real business — so she brought in help, structure, and processes from day one. She's all-in on AI, but with a firm line. AI makes her team faster and sharper, yet a human stays in the process every single time. Her most honest advice? Starting a business exposes everything about you that you haven't dealt with. Your money beliefs, your relationships, your confidence — it all shows up. So do the work, or hand it off. Whatever you're building, maybe it starts with one question: what's your number, and what life are you actually working towards? If this hit home, like, share, and subscribe for more real founder stories on Revenue Playbook Chronicles. 👇 What would your North Star number be? Tell us below. #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #SocialMediaMarketing #FounderStory #RevenuePlaybook #AIforBusiness #BusinessGrowth