Michelle Penczak
@michellepencz
Followers
1,621
Following
3,376
Media
187
Statuses
2,730
CEO and Founder of Squared Away @gosquaredaway - boy mom x 2 - military spouse & advocate
Hampstead, NC
Joined October 2013
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Pinovibes
• 343418 Tweets
गोवर्धन पूजा
• 107787 Tweets
LINGLING IRREPLACEABLE
• 99437 Tweets
#LinglingNNGFirstMeet
• 97479 Tweets
ルヴァンカップ
• 69710 Tweets
ORM HEARTBEAT UNSTOPPABLE
• 54700 Tweets
サッカー
• 45562 Tweets
グランパス
• 42448 Tweets
PondPhuwin WeAre Taipei
• 36833 Tweets
運転見合わせ
• 29185 Tweets
SAROCHA REBECCA WITH CERAVE
• 24475 Tweets
土砂降り
• 23602 Tweets
NamtanFilm x LAYS TH
• 23355 Tweets
GULF X VIF IN CHIANGMAI
• 22408 Tweets
LMSY MAMI 1ST MOMENT
• 19787 Tweets
Bonaire
• 18170 Tweets
ランゲラック
• 14319 Tweets
大雨の中
• 14021 Tweets
BOSSNOEUL LITA MEMORY
• 11005 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
To say that I’m honored and humbled is an understatement.
So many challenges - personally and professionally- led to 2023 being a year of hurdles.
But we made it!
This would not be possible without the support of my entire
@gosquaredaway
team ❤️
Thank you to each and every
Our founder, Michelle, was chosen to be a part of this year’s
@Inc
#FemaleFounders
250, a list of the most creative and inspiring female leaders in America. We are beyond proud she is being recognized for her hard work.
Read the whole story here:
3
2
14
2
1
22
@emilykmay
Our hoa sent me an email letting me know that the flowers in my flower pot were dead and it wasn’t appealing to the eye.
I kindly responded and let them know my 5 yr old had in fact poured my bottle of Mountain Dew on them and to please relay the appropriate punishment.
4
7
722
No idea if I’ve been doing Founder Mode or not, but here’s what I got…
Squared Away just passed $40m in all-time revenue. $40-freaking-million!
49
8
436
@theficouple
Women became tired of:
- being the maid
- being the nanny
- parenting their spouses
- waiting on their partners to rise to their level
48
5
208
I was nervous to share this update.
But, I promised myself I would always do it if only to keep myself accountable and maybe our story can help others.
Here’s our April, 2020 update. Our revenue, our churn, and how we tried to adjust and plan for this global pandemic.
8
8
161
@DannPetty
Yep!! Explaining it to a 4 yr old is fun “I have to do emails so I can buy you bananas and toys”
Him: “Mommy are you done? We need to go to target to get my toy”
2
2
129
BOARD UPDATE Q1 2021:
A year ago we lost 15 clients in a month when COVID hit.
1 year later and we are doing $415k+ a month in MRR, grew 330% YoY, and just crossed $5m in ARR run rate.
Here’s how it happened… 🧵
(1/9)
14
9
90
Inspired by
@shl
, I want to share the real business numbers with our team, our followers, and our customers. We will shoot to do this monthly. Maybe we will have open board meetings too :)
Who are we? Our team of Military Spouses gives you your time back.
8
6
71
@WendiAarons
@cindygallop
A few years ago my dr asked me if I was sexually active. I asked her what exactly she meant by ‘active’ because volcanoes are considered active up to 10K years.
Hubby was deployed at the time so I was feeling feisty.
2
4
72
We've come a long way in the last few years. Notice the date on the left - 8/1/16. Building something incredible takes time.
I'm extremely proud of our clients & assistants and all the work they are accomplishing together.
We're just getting started.
8
6
58
@schlaf
We have a fully remote team (120) and we’ve raised $0. Loving this current state of remote work!
7
0
58
@Laura_W_Gieseke
@clhubes
Same! It could be worse, my 8 yr old could projectile vomit
#pickyourinconvenience
1
0
37
It feels odd to share a positive work update in the midst of such a global pandemic, but here we are. I hope sharing this helps others learn with us. I’m really excited to share our October financials and team stats.
Let’s dig in...
(1/11)
3
1
33
@amy_riveter
Don’t work with people who have shitty attitudes. It’s not worth it if you’re dreading every interaction.
0
0
32
PSA all military spouses are not ‘Army wives’. We are of multiple branches and genders. Please take the time to know who we are individually.
4
5
32
A lady on our flight from NC to Detroit told me “you’re doing a good job”.
This was in the middle of multiple meltdowns of both boys.
Please for the love of Christmas Eve be each other’s advocates and not firing squads. Pep someone up instead of tear them down. It goes further.
1
2
32
Thank you all for sticking with us during this storm. Every storm runs out of rain.
<3 Michelle
5
0
30
So, with all of that said, here’s our numbers for April:
# of team members: 100
# of customers: 140
# of client hours worked: 4,003.37
ARR: $1,790,953.80
Total payout to assistants: $104,376.03
Gross profit: $44,870.12
Customer churn: 17
1
0
28
Circling back emails.
What are some of your favorite opening lines?
You lose points for “bringing this to the top of your inbox.”
50
0
26
@LeadershipAcad1
Send them certified mail you’ll be issuing them a 1099C unless paid within ___ amount of time
0
0
24
I just want to personally say thanks to some of our customers
@mikegermano
@HeatherHartnett
@lizarnold_ny
@adriangranzella
@ChristieM
@reshmasaujani
@EstherPerel
@cschweitz
@NicoleLapin
@EniacVC
@felicis
5
0
21
Here’s where I feel truly lucky: we didn’t have to let anyone go. We actually passed 100 team members yesterday. Our first month ever paying assistants over $100k in a month. It blows my mind that we are paying this out every. single. month. <3
1
0
21
I don’t know who needs to hear this - but being a female parent AND founder/CEO/SAHM/anything - is hard.
You don’t just pop out a kiddo and go back to your daily routine.
It’s the most challenging, frustrating, exhausting, and beautiful role.
Give Grace.
0
2
21
@daviswbaer
Military Spouse Chief Executive Assistants - Remote team. Best all-around support!
$45k MRR
1
0
21
Squared Away in July:
# of team members: 32
# of customers: 40
MRR: $45,922
Total payout to assistants: $27,698.75
Gross profit: $18,223.25
ARR: $551,064
Customer churn: 3
1
1
19
I wanted to share something in case other CEOs are struggling with this too.
We have decided to NOT to take the PPP loan from the government.
I wanted to share what happened and why we changed our mind.
1
7
19
Time to share our November update. Our assistants and clients have been busy getting stuff done! Thanks as always
@shl
for inspiring other CEOs to put ourselves out there.
Who are we? Our team of Military Spouses gives you your time back.
1
4
20
You know what sucks as a female founder?
Male clients who think that they can threaten us with ‘poor’ service reviews because they didn’t receive a discount.
What.The.Fuck
3
0
18
I am deeply honored to be featured among the 25 notable military-connected entrepreneurs in the Fall 2024 issue of Military Entrepreneur Magazine. This recognition fuels our commitment to serving military families and veterans.
Being part of this
5
1
18
Most of our churn came from our starter package clients.
What we didn’t expect was this: our best customers doubled down on Squared Away more than ever before. We had more plan increases than ever before.
This saved us. I realized how important being a true partner is.
1
0
17
Here’s a stat that drives us every day: There are over 300,000 unemployed military spouses in the US. This means that the unemployment rate for military spouses is over 25%.
This is not ok. Our mission is to help ALL military spouses find meaningful employment.
(3/11)
2
3
18
I’ll leave all CEOs or leaders with this: If you are struggling with the transition to working remotely, please reach out anytime. We’ve been working remotely since the beginning and although it can be different, it is totally doable. We can share best practices.
1
2
17
It has been an incredible privilege to work with
@ShaneMac
for more than 8 years. Having him as my co-founder has been wonderful not just for me, but for our entire team. Shane has taught me so much about leadership, being a CEO, and crafting a culture that is not only innovative
1
1
17
💗💗💗 we have an incredible team
@gosquaredaway
with an amazing mission - cheers to 2023!
Congrats to
@michellepencz
and the
@gosquaredaway
team to kick off 2023 passing $20m in total revenue
3
1
23
1
1
16
They may be feral at this point, but at least the storm has passed and they’re out of my house 🙌🏼
2
0
16
1
0
15
Thank you to the women who inspire me and Squared Away to build a great company:
@MeganMOConnor
,
@alixpeabody
,
@cschweitz
,
@lauriesegall
,
@jennylefcourt
,
@meggiepalmer
,
@nicolelapin
3
0
15
Could someone please point me in the right direction so I can donate for kids to have WiFi?
#asktwitter
8
5
13
Our goal is to employ the over 300,000 military spouses out of work today. The current unemployment rate of military spouses is 25%. We, at Squared Away, are here to change that with a great job regardless of where you live.
#thefutureisremote
1
1
14
Growing a company, solo parenting, deployment
#5
, during a pandemic
Basically this is my face for the foreseeable future 🥴
1
0
14
Running a business is like a deployment—strategize, adapt, and execute.
But remember, your team is your most important asset. Empower them, and you’ll move mountains together.
1
0
14
We had the pleasure of having
@mitch_rossell
on our team call today!
The whole Squared Away crew had a blast and we’re so excited he took the time to give us a mini-concert 💕
Check him out on Spotify ASAP!
0
3
14
Being busy DOES NOT mean you’re productive.
Focus on what moves the needle, not what fills the calendar.
4
1
14
Over the past 2 weeks, our churn has slowed (2 total) and we’ve actually had 5 contracts signed.
I hope we’ve seen the bottom and can focus back on helping our clients save time and get more done.
1
0
12
March 4th, I texted my co-founder
@shanemac
and discussed what our plan should be.
We modeled out what losing 75% of customers looked like & how we’ll communicate to our team.
It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It has really helped to write out the worst case scenario.
1
0
12
In the spirit of being open, here’s our financials and numbers year to date:
* We now have over 400 assistants and 1000s of customers.
* Numbers for 2024:
* ARR: $13.5m (projected. Doing over $1m MRR is wild!)
* Net income $3.4m (projected) Growing over 50% YoY
*
1
0
13
I’ve never dealt with anything like this. Especially as CEO. I couldn’t have done it without our team coming together and truly stepping up to be there for each and every client.
1
0
12
Stop consuming, start creating. Your voice matters.
Your experiences are unique. Share them.
That's how you build a personal brand that resonates.
That's how you make an impact.
4
0
12
We lost more customers in a month than in the 3 years we’ve been in business. 17 to be exact. In one month.
That said, we're still able to work which we are thankful for. There are so many people who don’t have the luxury to work remotely like we do.
So, we are grateful.
1
0
11
I want to personally thank our customers who support us
@alixpeabody
@aliyoung
@mikster
@heatherhartnett
@cschweitz
@helaineknapp
@bahiyahyas
@kimkaupe
(10/11)
1
0
12
I hope sharing our financials helps other founders and CEOs. Please DM me anytime if you’d like to chat, I’m here to learn and help with you! Also, more women should do this, I only see men sharing their numbers! As
@alixpeabody
says, let’s
#womanup
1
0
11
To all of you who have reached out about Sawyer over the past few months, we finally have a diagnosis.
Autism Level 2
Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers as we navigate these new waters for our family 💙
1
1
11
Let’s talk numbers. October was our best month yet by far…
# of team members: 142
# of customers: 217
# of client hours worked: 5,287
MRR: $266,300
ARR: $3,195,600
Payout to assistants: $151,116
Oct. net income: $66, 431
Customer churn: 0.5% churn
(4/11)
4
2
12
As a female CEO it’s exhausting to interact with dudes who think by throwing a tantrum & threatening to ‘take it to other channels’ I’ll bend to their requests.
1) My goal is to always take care of people
2) I’ve done my homework
Bless.
3
0
11
@Codie_Sanchez
Dollars to donuts his wife was taking care of kiddos while he was plugging away
2
0
10
Our growth numbers:
YoY revenue: 291.2%
YoY net income increase: 778%
🚨Quarterly payout to assistants: $650,290.07
I’m speechless to think that we paid over half a million dollars to military families in just one quarter. This is why we get out of bed every morning.
(8/9)
1
1
11
To be a great leader, delegate what drains you.
Start with 'What do I hate doing?'
Then ask 'What keeps me up at night?'
There's your list.
3
0
11
Our most important metric is how many military spouses we help to employ. I’m so excited to share that we now work with over 140 military spouses!
I remember when there were 2 of us and I feel so lucky to work with all of you.
(2/11)
1
1
11
Your network is your net worth.
But it's not about collecting connections. It's about building real relationships.
Provide value first. Always.
3
0
10
Loving our crew! Such an incredible, empowering, and supportive group that just wants to see each other succeed.
Long overdue! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Thank YOU
@trentjhughes
If you haven't heard of the Tribe by
@trentjhughes
- you are missing out!
I joined last month and it's already paid back my time.
Anyone that sends you a hand written card in the mail is a good person 😇
So far I've met some AMAZING entrepreneurs.
@collin_ruth89
13
2
26
1
1
10
We started Squared Away to ensure military spouses would never experience the same issues that I faced being a military spouse on the move.
I’ll leave you with this and why we do what we do...
(9/9)
#squaredawaylife
@gosquaredaway
3
1
10
Ever feel like your to-do list is endless? That’s your sign to delegate.
You don’t have to do it all alone.
Focus on your strengths and let others help you succeed. Keep it simple.
2
0
10
Is it a rule that you become grass-obsessed when you buy a house?
Because suddenly I’m channeling my dad
4
0
10
Check out our story on Inc!!
So proud to be
#297
this year!! 🎉❤️❤️
Congratulations to the whole Squared Away team! We’re No. 297 on this year’s
#Inc5000
list. We couldn't be more proud of our team and appreciative of where they've been able to take us!
#GetSquaredAway
Explore the full list on
@Inc
:
2
4
22
3
1
6
@Amy_K_Nelson
Prioritize and/or delegate them and then cut remaining meetings by 15-20 min.
Having an agenda for each also helps keep everyone on track.
0
0
10
Stop worrying about what others think. Start focusing on what you need to achieve.
In business and in life, your only competition is yourself.
0
1
9
But, what matters the most about that number is this: We’ve paid over $26m to military spouses and families over the past 6 years.
2
1
9
Did you know...a paper & pen to-do list can improve focus for people with ADHD? The physical act of writing can enhance focus and retention.
Notepad and pen were a GAME CHANGER for me.
2
0
9
I don’t know what’s going to happen next. What I do know is that we can adapt, stay positive, and do our best to help each other more than ever before.
1
1
8
My niece just asked me what Blockbuster was.
After I explained it to her, she said “I’m sorry but that’s too much work to watch a movie. Back in the old days y’all must’ve only done that once a month.”
Then we discussed the very important difference between ‘old’ and ‘vintage’.
3
0
9
They say you can judge a person's character by whether they put their grocery cart back.
Are you a cart-returning hero or a parking lot rebel?
14
0
9
We believe it is really important to know why customer’s churn.
Churn reasons:
1. Sold company no budget anymore
2. Hired internally (we get recruitment fee)
3. No longer in their budget
1
0
9
My husband’s birthday was yesterday. Per my 4 yr old’s request, we bought him 2 nerf guns. Now there’s a war going on in my house 😆
0
0
9
App idea - Uber for naps. Mama needs a nap so come watch my kids for 2 hours. Don’t kidnap them or let them burn the house down.
1
0
9
Unpopular opinion: kids AND adults need time to be bored.
It's not wasted time—it's a canvas for imagination.
The best ideas often emerge from the quiet spaces between our thoughts.
Embrace moments of stillness—they're the fertile ground where creativity takes root.
1
0
8
Want to know the secret to work-life balance? There isn't one.
It's all life.
Integrate your passions, your work, your family.
Create a life you don't need to escape from.
3
0
9
The boys are convinced the choir of cicadas are an incoming alien invasion.
Probably wouldn’t shock many at this point 😅
1
0
9
@markzucksass
@theficouple
I love being a mom. But when my spouse comes home and thinks his opinion trumps mine every time when it comes to our kids - I’m basically considered the nanny by him.
Not ok and after multiples years of therapy in regard to this - completely unacceptable by any “partner”.
13
1
8
@eglyman
One of the reasons we’re Ramp customers for life!
@gosquaredaway
The suggestions, ease of use, and client support is out of this world! We can’t recommend y’all enough 🙌🏼
1
0
8
Most of all, thank you to our team. Our military spouses make my day, make our customer’s day, and I couldn’t feel more inspired to work with all of you. I am so proud to work with all of you.
#squaredawaylife
#workanywhere
1
0
7