About Dr. Stacy Wellborn

The Woman Behind The Research

I've lived the founder bottleneck. Not once, but multiple times. And each experience taught me something crucial about what it really takes to build a business that supports your life, rather than consuming it.

My First Wake-Up Call

Back in the early 2000s, I owned a restaurant called Crimson in Austin, Texas. On paper, everything looked successful. We had loyal customers, positive reviews, and steady revenue. But behind the scenes? I was drowning.

Every decision flowed through me. From menu changes to staff scheduling to vendor negotiations – nothing happened without my direct involvement. I told myself this was what "hands-on leadership" looked like. In reality, I had created a beautifully decorated prison where I was both the warden and the prisoner.

When I finally closed Crimson, I promised myself I'd never build another business where my presence was required for every breath the company took.

The Pattern Repeats

Fast forward to the early 2010s, and there I was again – this time running an advertising agency serving tourism bureaus, restaurant chains, and small businesses. Different industry, same trap. Despite all my hard-won wisdom from the restaurant experience, I found myself once again becoming the bottleneck.

Client calls went directly to me. Creative approvals waited on my desk. Strategic decisions stalled until I could weigh in. I was working 60-hour weeks and feeling more exhausted with each new client we signed.

That's when I realized this wasn't a personal failing or a lack of willpower. This was a systems problem that required a strategic solution.

The Academic Journey

My frustration with these repeated bottlenecks led me to pursue my PhD in Marketing with a focus on entrepreneurship. I needed to understand: What traits and skills can be developed to support sustainable entrepreneurship? Why do some founders successfully scale while others remain trapped in operational chaos?

My dissertation research became personal. I was studying my own pain points and those of every entrepreneur I'd watched struggle with the same challenges.

As I dove deeper into the academic research, I discovered something fascinating: The strategies that create sustainable business growth are the same ones that support personal well-being. You don't have to choose between success and sanity.

Teaching and Real-World Validation

For the past decade, I've been teaching (six years full-time) and currently serve as the Director of the Small Business Institute at Spring Hill College. I've also worked with adult learners through the University of South Alabama's minority business development program. Through hundreds of strategic implementations and consulting engagements, I've seen the same patterns emerge again and again.

But I've also experienced something else in this journey: the unique challenges women face in entrepreneurship. I've sat in rooms where my expertise was questioned not because of my qualifications, but because of my gender. I've navigated the complex balance of building businesses while managing the invisible load of family and home responsibilities that somehow always defaults to women.

I understand what it's like to prove yourself twice as hard to get half the recognition.

The Personal Crisis That Changed Everything

A few months ago, I lost my mom after serving as her primary caregiver during her illness. While trying to keep multiple businesses running, maintain my full-time teaching responsibilities, manage her complex care needs, and support my family, something had to give.

That something was my health.

My own well-being became my last priority. I was so focused on caring for everyone and everything else that I completely neglected the person who needed to be strong enough to handle it all: me.

During those difficult months, I lived the exact trap I've been researching and teaching about for years. I experienced firsthand what happens when systems aren't in place, when everything depends on one person (me), and when there's no room for life to happen while business continues.

The Realization

As I processed my mom's passing and rebuilt my own health, the mission of The Sustainable Scale Lab became crystal clear. Women entrepreneurs shouldn't have to choose between business success and personal well-being. We shouldn't have to sacrifice our health, relationships, or sanity for revenue.

Through my coaching certification training with Empower and Lead Coaching Academy (combining Life, Performance, and Identity Coaching), I developed what I now call the Founder Freedom Formula – a research-backed approach that systematically eliminates founder bottlenecks while integrating wellness practices that sustain both you and your business.

My Mission Today

I live in Mobile, Alabama, with my husband and our two dogs, operating multiple businesses that now truly run without me being the single point of failure. I've built the systems I wish I'd had during those early entrepreneurial years – and during my mom's illness.

This work isn't just academic for me. It's deeply personal.

I've experienced the exhaustion of being the bottleneck. I've felt the guilt of neglecting family for business demands. I've lived through the crisis of trying to keep everything running when life throws you a curveball.

And I've discovered that there's a better way.

Why The Sustainable Scale Lab Exists

My research shows that many women entrepreneurs feel trapped by their own success. They're working harder than ever but feeling more overwhelmed than accomplished. They've built businesses that demand everything from them while giving little in return.

But here's what I know from both research and lived experience: This is a systems problem with a strategic solution.

Here's the thing – I don't have all the answers.

That's exactly why I call it "The Sustainable Scale Lab." This is a laboratory where we're experimenting, researching, and discovering together. What I do have is a research-backed map based on academic study and real-world experience. What I'm inviting you to do is join me on this journey of figuring it out.

Because while I'm still learning and adapting my own systems, I know with certainty that you don't have to choose between growing your business and maintaining your well-being. You don't have to sacrifice your health for success. And you certainly don't have to handle every decision, solve every problem, and be available for every "quick question."

You can build a business that energizes rather than drains you. You can scale to seven figures while working fewer hours. You can create systems that give you the freedom to be present for life's unexpected moments – both the challenging ones and the joyful ones.

Because your business should support your life, not consume it.

Let's Figure This Out Together

If you're ready to break free from the founder bottleneck and build a business with both strategy and soul, I'd love to explore this journey with you. I have the research-backed map, the lived experience, and the curiosity to keep learning. What I need are fellow entrepreneurs willing to experiment, implement, and share what works.

This is a lab, after all. Let's discover your path to founder freedom together.

Ready to discover what's keeping you trapped?