Process to Profitability: Recent Episodes
Samantha Mabe
Process to Profitability: Tools and Strategies to Serve Your Clients and Grow Your Small Business is a weekly interview show featuring creative women who are growing their small businesses with a focus on serving their clients and customers well. We'll discuss tools, strategies, and processes that you can apply to your own business in a way that fits you. From online creative entrepreneurs to product creators, professionals creating their own way of working to those just starting out, we'll be digging into it all. Join us today!
On today's episode of Process to Profitability, I am thrilled to kick off our new mini-series focused on lead generation strategies. As business owners, we all know how crucial it is to generate leads in order to grow and thrive. In this series, we will dive deep into crafting irresistible calls to action and leveraging our websites to drive conversions and attract potential clients. Join me as we explore the psychology behind effective CTAs, the importance of clear and action-oriented language, and practical tips for designing eye-catching buttons. Get ready to take your lead generation game to the next level and see increased conversion rates on your website. Let's get started!
Timestamps:
[00:00:57] Start by setting the goal for your website
[00:01:51] The role of calls-to-action in lead generation
[00:03:12] The psychology of an effective call-to-action
[00:05:46] How to get website visitors to click on your CTA
[00:09:08] Testing the effectiveness of your CTA
Key Takeaways:
- Crafting irresistible calls to action for conversions
- The role of CTAs in increasing conversion rates
- Using clear, action-oriented language in CTAs
- Understanding the psychology behind effective CTAs
- Design tips to make CTAs appealing and eye-catching
- Strategic placement of CTAs on websites
- Making CTAs stand out and easy to read
In this episode of "Process to Profitability," I had the pleasure of speaking with the incredible Liz Strong. Liz shared her journey from being a website designer to becoming an Online Business Manager (OBM). We delved into the importance of figuring out what you truly want to do in your business and how it can help you delegate tasks and prioritize your responsibilities. Liz emphasized the significance of documenting processes and avoiding the pitfalls of linking accounts when setting up new accounts or logging in via third-party platforms like Gmail or Facebook. We also discussed the benefits of hiring a team and the importance of providing an exceptional client experience. If you're looking to prepare your business for future hiring and maximize your return on investment in team members, this episode is for you.
Timestamps:
[00:01:52] Meet Liz Strong
[00:03:42] How niching can make your business more successful
[00:07:50] Laying the groundwork in your business before you're ready to hire
[00:11:27] Figure out what tasks you want to do in your business
[00:16:23] Look at your life and business to decide how to move forward with hiring
[00:19:45] Innovating what tasks you outsource
[00:23:02] Hiring people who are better at than you at tasks
[00:24:16] How to figure out who to hire first in your business
[00:31:24] Connect with Liz
Key Topics:
- Clearly define your business goals to effectively delegate and prioritize responsibilities
- Documenting processes is essential for efficient delegation and eliminating bottlenecks
- Avoid linking accounts to maintain security and control over access
- Start with delegating the most challenging task to someone else
- Hire a virtual assistant, then specialists like copywriters and designers as your business grows
- Consider hiring an online business manager for team and project management
- Reflect on your business direction and goals before making hiring decisions
- Provide a great client experience to drive repeat business and referrals.
Resources:
- Liz’s Website
- Liz’s Instagram
- The Strategic Goal Setting Guide
In this episode of Process to Profitability, I dive into maintaining strong client relationships. I share how scheduling templated emails, personalized a bit, at set intervals after working together is an effective way to follow up. Offering ongoing support for clients who need and want it is also beneficial, such as making updates or scheduling tasks for them as needed. I emphasize the importance of building trust with clients for long-term business success, as well as the value of referrals and the experience of working with a business. I discuss the importance of intentional and personalized communication and highlight the goal of offering exceptional service to retain clients and receive referrals. Finally, I touch on the significance of personalizing communication and show understanding for clients' personal lives to build meaningful relationships.
Timestamps:
[00:01:40] Why client relationships are important in your business
[00:03:09] How to build and nurture meaningful client relationships
[00:10:48] Follow-up and support for existing clients
[00:13:04] Take action to create a intentional client experience in your business
Key Takeaways:
- Personalize client communication to build strong relationships
- Offer ongoing support to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty
- Use email templates for consistent and efficient client follow-up
- Nurture meaningful client relationships through intentional communication
- Prioritize exceptional service to retain clients and generate referrals
- Simplify the service process and address client concerns proactively
Welcome back to "Process to Profitability." If you're looking to make your mark in the business world while staying true to yourself, you're in for a treat. In today's episode, I'm joined by the incredible Angela Henderson, and we're diving deep into the realm of Human to Human marketing. In an era where AI and automation are on the rise, Angela and I explore the power of connecting authentically with your audience, making them feel seen and heard. We discuss strategies to stand out, build trust, and foster genuine connections that lead to profitability. So, if you're ready to unlock the secrets of creating remarkable human experiences in your business, this episode is a must-listen.
Timestamps:
- [00:02:16] Meet Angela
- [00:04:42] What is Human to Human marketing?
- [00:09:02] The importance of making people feel seen and heard
- [00:13:43] Why do you need to incorporate Human to Human marketing in your business
- [00:15:21] Practical ways you can use Human to Human marketing in your business
- [00:23:43] Connect with Angela
Key Topics:
- Human-centric marketing builds real relationships in a digital landscape.
- Be memorable; exceptional experiences set you apart.
- Authenticity drives emotional motivators that lead to conversions.
- Nurturing existing relationships is key for long-term growth.
- Thoughtful gestures and engagement strengthen connections.
- Meaningful conversations fuel conversions and business growth.
- "Go-Giver" philosophy prioritizes value and others' interests.
- Stay humble and maintain genuine connections as your business expands.
Resources:
- Angela’s Website
- The Angela Henderson Online Business Show Podcast
In this episode of Process to Profitability, I'm talking about the importance of understanding UX principles beyond pretty design for websites in the health and wellness industry and other service providers. UX (User Experience) is all about how users interact with a website, and it plays a vital role in converting visitors into clients. Key principles like usability, accessibility, clarity, consistency, and responsiveness are essential to consider. I discuss common UX issues, such as slow loading times and unclear navigation, and provide three quick steps to improve your website's UX: streamline navigation, optimize for mobile, and use clear call-to-action buttons strategically. Prioritizing UX over aesthetics helps businesses create strategic websites that resonate with their audience and drive better results.
Timestamps:
[00:00:46] The importance of prioritizing your wellbeing
[00:02:47] Choose to run your business outside of the traditional model
[00:03:47] How to create and maintain work-life harmony
[00:06:09] Creating a business with intention as a parent or caregiver
[00:08:13] How I am creating a business with intention
Key Takeaways:
- What is UX, and why is it essential in website design?
- Key UX principles that business owners should consider
- Identifying UX issues in your website
- Common pain points such as slow loading times, unclear navigation, lack of accessibility features, and broken links
- Implementing quick UX fixes
- Prioritizing UX over pretty design
In this episode of "Process to Profitability," I had the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Whyte, an expert in business etiquette and building authentic connections. Michelle shared valuable insights on how entrepreneurs can navigate challenging collaborations and maintain their brand reputation. We discussed the importance of addressing behavior rather than blaming the person involved, separating facts from feelings, and finding win-win solutions. Michelle emphasized the need to protect and advocate for our businesses while maintaining calmness and consideration in difficult conversations. She offered practical tips on handling sticky situations, such as taking a moment to honor our feelings before responding and addressing issues privately. It was a thought-provoking conversation that left us empowered to handle difficult collaborations with grace and professionalism.
Timestamps:
[00:01:31]Meet Michelle
[00:03:51] Michelle's transition from wedding planning to working with entrepreneurs
[00:04:23] Doing business is social
[00:07:06] Navigating sticky situations in your business
[00:08:39] Why challenging situations in business so hard to navigate
[00:10:38] Separating fact from feelings in dealing with challenging situations
[00:15:16] Your response will cement your business reputation
[00:16:06] How to craft a response to a challenging situation
[00:22:37] Composing your response
[00:26:49] Don't make assumptions about someone else
[00:29:23] Connect with Michelle
Key Topics:
- Handling difficult situations in your business with grace
- Applying social skills to business relationships for success
- Importance of addressing behavior, not blaming the person involved
- Setting boundaries and negotiating win-win solutions
- Taking social situations offline to minimize miscommunications
- Using email for basic information and video chats for complex discussions
- Prioritizing facts over feelings for effective problem-solving.
Resources:
- Michelle’s Website
- Michelle’s Instagram
- Ettiquete for Entrepreneurs
Welcome to the latest episode of Process to Profitability where I'm delving into the topic of creating a business with intention. As small business owners, we know there are challenges to maintaining work-life balance and personal well-being. In today's episode, I'll explore the significance of choosing why and how you want to run your business so you can prioritize what's most important for you while building sustainable business success.
Timestamps:
[00:00:46] The importance of prioritizing your wellbeing
[00:02:47] Choose to run your business outside of the traditional model
[00:03:47] How to create and maintain work-life harmony
[00:06:09] Creating a business with intention as a parent or caregiver
[00:08:13] How I am creating a business with intention
Key Takeaways:
- The concept of creating a business with intention for sustainable success
- Challenges of maintaining work-life balance and personal well-being as a business owner
- Work-life balance versus work-life harmony
- Goal of reading 200 books this year
- The importance of self-care and personal well-being in building a business with intention
- Considering fulfillment, creativity, and impact on the world
- Being part of a supportive group of entrepreneurs who prioritize their lives while running their businesses
- Deliberately choosing what's important and focusing on those things
- Setting boundaries and communicating expectations
- Outsourcing tasks to save time and reduce workload
On this episode of Process to Profitability, I had the pleasure of reviewing a Squarespace 7.0 website with my friend Mikki Wilson, founder of Dot Connector Consulting. We delved into the details of her consulting business and discussed ways to improve her website for better client conversions. From enhancing the about page with an extended bio and showcasing credibility to optimizing the contact page with customized forms, we covered a wide range of strategies. We also explored the importance of a strong personal brand identity and a targeted marketing plan in achieving peaceful prosperity as a CEO. Overall, it was an insightful conversation, filled with valuable tips and insights for anyone looking to boost their online presence and make a positive impact in their business.
Timestamps:
[00:01:25] Mikki's target client
[00:05:38] How Mikki is currently finding clients
[00:06:19] Overview of search results for the website
[00:07:07] Homepage design
[00:09:02] Footer and opt-in design
[00:09:27] About page design
[00:13:06] Services page design
[00:15:37] Contact page design
[00:19:43] Opt-in page design
[00:21:29] Make a plan for moving forward with a website redesign
Key Points:
-
- Critique of the homepage design, including suggestions for improving search engine optimization and providing more information about services and target audience
- Focusing on the three main services, encouraging action, and featuring testimonials for each specific service
- Making the about page longer, highlighting experience, success statistics, and credibility-building elements like speaking engagements and podcast appearances
- Creating a simplified workflow for applications and workflows for efficient communication and bookings.
Resources:
- Mikki’s Instagram
In this episode of "Process to Profitability," I’m delve into the importance of analyzing podcast data to make informed business decisions. As the host of a podcast that may not be top-charting, I value the education and connections gained through my show. By evaluating factors such as download numbers, client referrals, and collaborations, I am able to assess the profitability and value of my podcast. I discuss how understanding download patterns and popular content helps shape future episodes, whether it's diving deeper into certain topics or featuring guests that resonate with my audience. By treating my podcast as an asset that drives clients and revenue, I am able to leverage its potential in growing my business. Tune in today to see how I’m using data to make decisions about the future of Process to Profitability.
Timestamps:
[00:00:44] How to use podcast data to make business decisions
[00:01:49] Podcasting is an investment that should have an ROI
[00:03:13] Looking at your download numbers
[00:05:15] Looking at the most popular content
[00:07:19] Looking at other ways you might see an ROI
[00:09:58] Take action to evaluate your marketing data
Key Takeaways:
- Finding engaged guests willing to share detailed information on the podcast
- Evaluating the value of a podcast beyond download numbers, considering education, connections, and client acquisition
- The role of the podcast in forming valuable relationships with guests, leading to collaborations, referrals, and opportunities
- Becoming known as an expert in the topic to attract speaking engagements and client relationships
- Analyzing data from the podcast to determine ROI, looking at download numbers, spikes, and dips
- The importance of making data-driven decisions in all aspects of business, treating the podcast as a valuable asset
- Understanding the most popular content and types of episodes to create more of and plan future seasons
- Recognizing the success of certain episodes, like the client gifting episode, to identify and replicate high-value content.
Are you ready to unlock the secrets to turning your social media presence into a profitable powerhouse? Join me on this episode of Process to Profitability as I dive deep into the world of social media metrics and strategies with the brilliant Andréa Jones, a renowned social media strategist. Together, we'll explore the five key performance indicators you need to look at, uncover the algorithm's secrets, and learn how to effectively engage with your audience. Plus, Andréa shares invaluable tips and real-life examples that will have you re-evaluating your social media game. If you're ready to take your business to the next level, don't miss this episode of Process to Profitability!
Timestamps:
- [00:01:39] Meet Andréa Jones
- [00:03:51] The importance of metrics in social media marketing
- [00:05:45] 2 things you need to have before creating a social media marketing strategy
- [00:08:01] Your marketing journey will vary depending on your service and client
- [00:09:39] The KPIs you should be considering for your social media
- [00:16:36] How to decide which KPIs are most important for your business
- [00:18:20] How to measure your KPIs
- [00:22:03] Creating a social media marketing strategy that aligns with our KPI goals
- [00:27:49] Look at yearly and industry trends
- [00:29:54] How you should approach new platforms
- [00:33:38] Connect with Andréa
Key Topics:
- The importance of balancing key metrics for social media content success
- Understanding the algorithm and its priorities in order to maximize engagement and reach
- The significance of knowing your own metrics and understanding your audience's preferences
- The value of regularly assessing and analyzing what content works best for your audience
- How different businesses and industries approach social media strategies to achieve their goals
- The emphasis on tracking and analyzing social media analytics on a monthly and annual basis
- The need to adapt to changing trends and diversify platforms for continued success
- The importance of aligning content with specific goals and the different steps in the sales process
Resources:
- Andréa’s Website
- Andréa’s Instagram
- The Social Savvy Podcast
- Social Media Starter Kit
In this episode of Process to Profitability, I dive into the world of heat mapping software and how it can help you optimize your websites for better user experience and business results. I discuss the how you can gather and use data from heat maps, click maps, and website recordings to make decisions about your website design. Whether you're looking to improve navigation, rearrange important information, or optimize call to action buttons, heat mapping software can provide the data-driven solutions you need. Tune in to learn how to leverage heat maps to improve user experience and drive conversions for your business.
Timestamps:
[00:00:28] What a heatmap is
[00:01:58] Other types of data you can gather using heat mapping software
[00:03:42] What you can learn from heat maps
[00:10:05] Make decisions based on the accumulation of data
[00:11:02] Heat mapping resources
[00:12:36] Access my new Homepage Writer today
Key Takeaways:
- Introduction to heat mapping software
- Understanding user behavior through user session recordings and click data analysis
- Making the best next step clear and easy for user engagement and conversion
- Using data on user behavior to inform decision-making on wording and design choices
- Importance of placing important information in prominent positions on the website
- Using heat maps to analyze user behavior and scroll patterns
- Analyzing user behavior to determine necessary website rearrangements
- Insights provided by heat maps, such as popular viewing areas and unlinked spots
Resources:
- Hotjar
- CrazyEgg
- Homepage Writer
Welcome to Process to Profitability. In today's episode, we have a special guest joining us, Kimberly Tara, a certified tax coach and business growth advisor. Kimberly is here to share her expertise on tax strategy and how it can save you money and make your business more profitable. As a mom of four young children, Kimberly has successfully built her own business while balancing her family life. She believes in empowering female service providers by educating them about proactive tax strategies. Today, we'll be delving into the world of tax strategy, discussing everything from entity selection to deductible business expenses and beyond. So, let's get started on the path to maximizing your profits and minimizing your taxes.
Timestamps:
- [00:01:27] Meet Kimberly Tara
- [00:02:55] Running a business as a mom of young kids
- [00:05:51] The benefits of tax strategy in creating the lifestyle you want
- [00:09:49] What tax strategy is and how it's different than tax preparation
- [00:13:57] Finding a tax strategist for your business
- [00:17:32] Just increasing your year-end expenses is not tax strategy
- [00:21:31] Other examples of tax strategy for online business owners
- [00:25:33] 3 steps for finding the right CPA for your business
- [00:32:02] Connect with Tara
Key Topics:
- The role of the CPA in explaining and educating clients about finances and taxes- The speaker's decade of knowledge and expertise
- Viewing working with a financial professional as an investment with a return on investment (ROI)
- Saving money through tax savings and avoiding missed opportunities
- The goal of saving clients more money than they spend for services
- Tax strategy as a proactive way to reduce tax liability
- The importance of consulting a tax professional instead of relying on social media for advice
- Using the tax code to benefit businesses through tax strategies
- The difference between software-generated strategies and those developed by certified tax coaches and strategists
- Finding the right type of accountant or CPA for specific business needs
- Understanding the basics of tax strategy and how it can save money and increase profitability
Resources:
- Kimberly’s Website
- Kimberly’s Instagram
- 118 Tax Deductions for Service Providers
In this episode of Process to Profitability, I dive deep into the world of UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) and how they can revolutionize your marketing efforts. I share the step-by-step process of creating a UTM, explain why it's crucial for tracking the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, and reveal the key components to include in your tracking links. Through my own experience, I demonstrate how UTMs can provide valuable data for analyzing the success of specific promotions or events. Join me as I unravel the mystery of UTMs and empower you to make informed decisions for your business.
Timestamps:
[00:00:35] What is a UTM?
[00:01:49] How to use create UTMs
[00:02:43] The information to include when creating your UTM
[00:07:10] UTMs are the simplest way to gather data on how people are finding your website
[00:08:41] How you can use UTMs to make decisions in your business
[00:11:59] Connect with me and learn more about transforming your website with a VIP Day
Key Takeaways:
- Utilizing UTM links for effective marketing tracking
- Importance of tracking website referrals and analyzing data
- Focus on profitability and target audience over follower count
- Using analytics for clear and relevant marketing insights
- Simplifying tracking efforts through UTMs
Welcome back to "Process to Profitability." I am beyond excited to dive into today's episode with our incredible guest, Carolyn O'Brien. In this episode, Carolyn shares her expertise on the importance of using visual dashboards to track data in your business. We all know that the ultimate goal is to turn visitors into loyal customers, but how do we make that happen? Carolyn walks us through the process of distilling the overwhelming world of numbers and data into something meaningful and actionable. She shares how she uses dashboards to track metrics, and how they can be a game-changer for making informed decisions in your business. So grab your pen and paper, because this episode is packed with practical tips and strategies to help you optimize your funnel and turn your process into profitability. Let's get started!
Timestamps:
- [00:01:09] Meet Carolyn O'Brien
- [00:04:39] Getting started with gathering metrics and data
- [00:05:59] The important marketing metrics you need to know
- [00:07:45] Visualizing data through dashboards can help you see important metrics and trends
- [00:11:15] Getting your dashboard set up
- [00:13:07] Why you should track your data weekly
- [00:14:49] How you can use the data you've gathered to make decisions for your business
- [00:18:04] Know your baseline data before determining your goals
- [00:21:11] Why GA-4 dashboards aren't helpful for most businesses
- [00:22:56] Getting started with Looker Studio
- [00:23:45] Connect with Carolyn
Key Topics:
- The importance of tracking metrics in a funnel context-
- Using dashboards to track metrics and make decisions
- Tracking the customer journey from encountering the business to becoming a customer
- Making metrics fun and less overwhelming through dashboards and visualizations
- Focusing on relevant numbers and not getting overwhelmed by data
- Checking dashboard performance regularly and making changes based on results
- Using dashboards to identify trends and compare performance over time
- Looker Studio's ability to connect to Google Analytics and pull data from a Google Sheet
Resources:
- Carolyn's Website
- Carolyn's Instagram
- Metrics Tracking Template
Welcome back to another exciting episode of "Process to Profitability." Today, I’m diving into the world of data-driven decisions and how they can transform your business. In this episode, I'll explore how to leverage your existing website traffic, analyze return on investments, and make informed decisions by utilizing valuable data. Get ready to discover how data can supercharge your business growth and take you from good to great. So, grab your notepads and get ready to uncover the secrets of making data-driven decisions on this episode of "Process to Profitability"!
Timestamps:
[00:01:15] Why data is important in making decisions and how you can start using it
[00:01:40] Your values are going to drive the data you consider important
[00:02:13] The data I'm looking at and how it has impacted my business
[00:05:10] How to start gathering and using data to make decisions in your business
Key Takeaways:
- The importance of making data-driven decisions in business
- The impact of using data to attract more clients and improve client service
- Identifying and utilizing the most important data for one's business
- Focusing marketing efforts on platforms where ideal clients are present
- Utilizing website analytics to enhance the client journey and increase website traffic
- The role of data in analyzing return on investment for different business investments
In this episode of "Process to Profitability," I sit down with Susan Reoch, a UX copywriter, to discuss the importance of writing a website based on user experience. We delve into the principles of UX copywriting and how they can enhance a website's effectiveness in converting clients. We explore topics such as creating a clear and concise message, utilizing effective micro copy, and understanding user flow. Join us as we break down the steps to improve website UX and discover the power of collaboration between designers and writers. If you're looking to enhance your digital strategy and optimize your website's user experience, this episode is a must-listen.
Timestamps:
- [00:02:08] Meet Susan Reoch
- [00:06:05] What is user experience?
- [[00:09:20] How copywriting ties in with UX
- [00:10:23] Design and copy both support the overall strategy of your website
- [00:11:20] Why UX is so important for the entire customer journey
- [00:13:07] You're more familiar with UX than you think you are
- [00:14:21] The biggest UX mistakes business owners are making
- [00:16:43] How to start improving your website's UX
- [00:18:25] The easiest way to improve the UX of your website quickly
- [00:20:09] Design your website strategically to align with UX principles that make visitor decisions easier
- [00:21:45] How should we approach testing UX decisions?
- [00:25:54] Connect with Susan
Key Topics:
- Simplified user experience (UX) copywriting approach
- Importance of clear and concise messaging
- Strategic approach to website design and content
- Collaboration between designers and writers in UX
- Applying UX principles for effective copywriting
- Using UX processes in copywriting and testing
- Testing UX through observations and software tools
- Clarity and user flow in website design and copywriting.
Resources:
- Susan's Website
- Susan's Instagram
- The Ultimate UX Web Copy Guide
- Microcopy Micro Course
In this episode, I dive into the crucial role that optimizing your website plays in attracting and converting clients for your business. Discover the number one reason potential clients hesitate to book appointments and how you can overcome this hurdle to see increased profitability. Join me as I explore the benefits of implementing online booking systems and the pitfalls of relying on phone calls or emails. Learn practical strategies to handle intake questions, streamline forms, and create a seamless client experience. so you can position your business at the forefront of your industry.
Timestamps:
[00:00:19] The #1 reason someone won't schedule an appointment with you
[00:01:32] The simple way to increase your client conversions directly on your website
[00:02:17] What to do if scheduling softwares won't work for your business
[00:03:26] How to handle intake questions without a phone call
[00:04:26] Make it easy for people to hire and pay you
[00:05:40] What you can do today to convert more clients from your website
Key Takeaways:
- Complaints about booking appointments on websites
- Using scheduling software for online booking
- Simplifying the intake process for clients
- Utilizing your website effectively to attract clients
- Increasing profitability through improved processes
- Action to attract clients and increase profitability
In this episode of "Process to Profitability," I chat with Brittany Herzberg, a talented copywriter who shared her expertise on using case studies to attract and convert clients. We discussed the power of case studies in building trust and credibility, and Brittany provided invaluable tips on crafting compelling case studies that resonate with potential customers. We explored the importance of social proof and the need for authenticity in testimonials and reviews, as well as the role of SEO in optimizing search results and connecting with ideal clients. Join us as we dive into the world of case studies and discover how they can convert people into clients faster.
Timestamps:
- [00:02:12] Meet Brittany Herzberg
- [00:05:21] The difference between testimonials and case studies
- [00:06:17] Case studies share the whole picture of your client's experience
- [00:08:07] How you can use case studies in your marketing
- [00:09:13] Brittany’s framework for writing case studies
- [00:10:35] How to collect the before, during, and after to use in a case study
- [00:12:56] Where you can put case studies and how you can share them everywhere
- [00:14:07] Using case studies to boost your SEO and drive traffic to your website
- [00:18:43] Who should you feature in your case studies?
- [00:19:32] Using case studies in your launches
- [00:21:48] Make sure your case studies give a simple next step
- [00:24:43] Why people don't always trust testimonials
- [00:28:10] Connect with Brittany
Key Topics:
- Importance of a clear call to action on the case study page
- Strategic approach to linking in case studies
- Social proof and skepticism
- Checking in with clients and gathering feedback
- Utilizing testimonials and case studies for trust and credibility
- The power of genuine customer stories and authenticity
- Optimizing search results and the importance of SEO
- Using case studies to speed up trust and conversion
Resources:
-
Brittany's Website
-
Brittany's Instagram
- Simple and Smart SEO Show
- Profitable Case Study Roadmap
In this episode, I’m diving into a before and after case study, addressing the common question of converting website traffic into clients. I’m sharing my approach to evaluating websites for their potential to convert and strategically moving the right fit visitors towards taking action and becoming clients. I share detailed before and afters for each section of the website so you can see how important functionality and strategic design are in website optimization and avoiding common pitfalls that hinder conversion, and the effective implementation of client testimonials.
Timestamps:
[00:00:46] The importance of optimizing your site for conversions
[00:02:39] Walking through a website before and after focused on converting visitors into clients
[00:03:36] Highlighting common website design mistakes through a chiropractor website example
[00:13:13] Designing a website that creates a powerful first impression and helps us book new clients
[00:13:48] Showcasing how you can design a website that looks great and encourages people to book with you thorugh an update design example
[00:24:17] The top things your website needs in order to convert more leads into clients
[00:26:00] Next steps you can do for your website today
[00:26:44] How my Website Design VIP Day focuses on strategy and design
Key Takeaways:
- Converting website traffic into clients
- Evaluating websites for conversion potential
- Strategic design for conversion optimization
- Avoiding confusion and information overload
- Focusing on client needs in website design
- Recommending client testimonials on websites
- Crafting concise and effective call-to-action sections
Welcome to another exciting episode of "Process to Profitability." I'm your host, Samantha Mabe, and today we have a very special guest with us. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mikki Wilson, the brilliant mind behind Dot Connector Consulting. Mikki is here to share her expertise on profit partnerships, a topic that is sure to provide valuable insights for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and online business owners. If you're looking for new ways to grow your business, innovate ways to better serve your clients, and increase your profitability, then this episode is a must-listen.
Timestamps:
- [00:00:05] Introduction
- [00:00:35] Welcoming Mikki Wilson to the show
- [00:00:41] Overview of profit partnerships and their benefits
- [00:01:16] How to find the right profit partnerships for your business
- [00:01:49] Key considerations before entering into profit partnerships
- [00:02:25] The role of profit partnerships in business innovation and client service
- [00:02:59] Success stories and examples of profitable partnerships
Key Topics:
- Understanding profit partnerships and their role in maximizing profitability.
- Strategies for finding the right profit partnerships for your business.
- Important considerations before entering into profit partnerships.
- Leveraging profit partnerships for innovation and improved client service.
- Real-life success stories and examples of profitable partnerships.
- Tips for establishing and nurturing profitable partnerships for sustainable growth.
Resources:
- Mikki’s Website
- Mikki’s Instagram
In this episode, I’m exploring the similarities I’ve found between architecture and website design and why combining design aesthetics with functional elements is essential to any successful design. Drawing inspiration from different architectural styles, I share my thoughts on how the building blocks of physical spaces align with the foundational elements of websites. By understanding these essential components, we can unleash our creativity and design websites that are both unique and effective.
Timestamps:
[00:01:06] Rediscovering Architecture and Its Connection to Websites
[00:01:48] Architecture's Variety of Styles Built on Common Foundation
[00:03:10] Building Blocks and Expectations in Home Design
[00:04:34] Building Blocks and Innovation in Website Design
[00:06:25] Customizing the Design Aesthetic of Websites
[00:08:24] The Marriage of Space and Aesthetic in Website Design
[00:09:49] The Balance between Practicality and Beauty
[00:10:44] Freedom and Flexibility in Creative Website Design
[00:12:54] Designing Beautiful and Practical Websites
[00:14:09] Marrying Design and Function in Website Design VIP Days
Key Takeaways:
- Entrepreneurship journey: Messy, innovative, and evolving as we grow.
- Designing physical and digital spaces: Similarities and lessons for websites.
- Building blocks of architecture: Spaces and expected functionalities.
- Website building blocks: Homepage, contact page, services page, etc.
- Freedom to innovate: Adding personal design aesthetic to the building blocks.
- Marrying beauty and function: Practicality and creativity in website design.
In this episode of Process to Profitability, Samantha Mabe interviews Rebekah Jordan, an education consultant and owner of Crossbridge Education Consulting. Rebekah shares her experience working with Samantha to redesign her website, reflecting her unique personality and services. They discuss the importance of websites in business, Rebekah's role as an education consultant, and the challenges she faces in helping families find the right school placements for their children. Rebekah highlights the transformational impact of the website redesign and the value it brings to her business.
Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Introduction to the podcast and guest, Rebekah Jordan.
[00:02:31] Rebekah describes her role as a therapeutic educational consultant and her work with families in mental health crises.
[00:03:46] Rebekah shares her planned transition from schools to consulting and the timeline of starting her website.
[00:04:27] Rebekah explains the DIY approach she took to create her initial website using Squarespace.
[00:05:11] Rebekah discusses the shift in her business focus and the changing needs of families during the pandemic.
[00:06:49] Samantha inquires about Rebekah's decision to work with Lemon and the Sea in a VIP Day.
[00:08:14] Samantha asks Rebekah about her experience with the VIP Day process and the transformation of her brand and website.
[00:10:20] Samantha asks Rebekah if she had a favorite part of the process.
[00:11:18] Samantha explains her experience and expertise in distilling information and translating it into a design.
[00:13:13] Communication and trust are key in the creative process. Provide and receive feedback positively, focus on the positives, and prioritize nailing website copy.
[00:21:53] Accessibility and user-friendliness key in website design
Key Points:
- Rebekah Jordan is an education consultant specializing in therapeutic placements for students facing mental health challenges.
- Rebekah started her business in 2020 and initially created her website on her own.
- The pandemic brought significant changes to the education landscape, altering Rebekah's focus from homeschool builds to therapeutic placements.
- Referrals are the primary way families find Rebekah, emphasizing the importance of a strong website to make a positive impression.
- Rebekah chose to work with Samantha based on her podcast, emails, and design aesthetic, establishing trust and compatibility.
- The VIP Day process facilitated a quick and effective website redesign, providing a significant visual transformation.
- Rebekah enjoyed the anticipation of receiving the mockup design and was thrilled with the outcome.
- Samantha's skill in distilling clients' essence and turning it into a design was crucial in the successful website transformation.
Resources:
- Rebekah’s Website
- Rebekah’s Instagram
In this episode of Process to Profitability, I delve into the topic of the Everything Page, a concept gaining traction in the online business space. I break down the purpose and suitability of an Everything Page, distinguishing it from the Choose Your Own Adventure section on websites. Discover why an Everything Page may not be necessary for most wellness businesses and industry experts, and why it's crucial to align your marketing strategies with your specific audience and industry. Gain valuable insights on making informed decisions for your business, focusing on profitability and sustainable growth.
Timestamps:
[00:00:35] Explaining the concept of the Everything Page [00:00:57] Considerations for wellness businesses and practices
[00:01:17] Differentiating the Choose Your Own Adventure section on websites
[00:01:37] Understanding and structuring the Choose Your Own Adventure section on your website
[00:03:13] Differentiating between a Services page and a Sales page
[00:07:04] Explaining the concept of an Everything Page
[00:08:21] Determining if an Everything Page is necessary for your business
[00:10:30] Concluding thoughts on the Everything Page and marketing strategies
Key Topics:
-
Discussion on various website page types, including:
- The Everything page
- Choose Your Own Adventure section
- Services page
- Sales page
- Recommendation for businesses offering one-on-one services to have a services page highlighting the transformation being offered and the different ways to work with the business
- Explanation of Everything pages as a new trend in the online business space
- Purpose of the Everything page to make it easy for customers to see everything that's available and make a purchase decision
In this episode, Samantha Mabe sits down with Sarah Cook, a copywriter and StoryBrand certified guide, to discuss how to effectively use ChatGPT for website copywriting. They delve into the nuances of creating prompts that generate more effective copy, adding personality to your content, and leveraging ChatGPT for brainstorming. Sarah shares her journey from being a naturopathic doctor to a copywriter and explains how she incorporates various tools into her writing process. They also explore the pitfalls of relying too heavily on ChatGPT and the importance of maintaining authenticity in your copy. If you're interested in using AI tools to enhance your business's content creation, this episode is a must-listen.
Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Introduction to the episode and Sarah Cook
[00:01:04] Background information about Sarah Cook's business journey
[00:01:50] Sarah shares her business journey from a naturopathic doctor to a copywriter
[00:04:02] Incorporating different tools over the years to assist with content creation
[00:04:50] Exploring the potential and challenges of using ChatGPT for copywriting
[00:05:47] Recognizing ChatGPT-generated content and the importance of avoiding generic output
[00:06:51] Building awareness of ChatGPT red flags and adapting writing style accordingly
[00:08:03] Maintaining fundamental rules of creating engaging and relatable content
[00:08:21] Samantha's question about other mistakes people make when using ChatGPT
[00:09:19] Importance of being in the driver's seat and actively shaping the content
[00:11:39] The importance of following the existing process and strategy for effective copywriting
[00:11:59] Utilizing ChatGPT to brainstorm and generate ideas based on the StoryBrand framework
[00:12:37] Sarah explains the process of using ChatGPT section by section for brainstorming
[00:13:00] Seeking ideas and pain points from ChatGPT to enhance the messaging
[00:13:44] Leveraging ChatGPT for fresh perspectives and unconventional ideas
Key Topics:
- Discussion of the evolution of content creation and online marketing for practitioners over the last 10 years
- Introduction and exploration of the AI tool Chat GPT AI for copywriting
- Use of templates for organizing website content and combining with Chat GPT
- Use of copywriting formulas and prompts to feed into Chat GPT
- Emphasis on following a process that has worked in the past for creating content
- The importance of giving context to Chat GPT for target audience and refining messaging points
- Importance of providing feedback and prioritizing messaging points
- Use of chat GPT to add personality to copy and find more creative and memorable words
- Emphasis on making content better, not just faster
Resources:
- Sarah’s Website
-
Sarah’s Instagram
-
Brand Personality Workbook
In this podcast episode, I explore innovative approaches to sales calls, specifically for professionals in the wellness, healthcare, therapy, and mental health services industries. I address the common practice of offering free consultation calls to assess mutual fit between potential clients and service providers. I delve into the challenges of traditional sales calls and offer alternative methods to make the process more efficient and comfortable for both parties involved. I discuss the importance of optimizing websites to provide comprehensive information, including services, pricing structures, FAQs, and addressing client concerns. I then introduce creative solutions such as using VideoAsk, Voxer, or allowing direct bookings to streamline the sales process and meet clients' preferences. By thinking outside the box, you can innovate your sales approach and better serve your clients.
Timestamps:
[00:01:21] Free consultation calls help form connections.
[00:03:46] Consultation calls: conversation or interrogation? Innovate instead.
[00:07:25] Provide upfront information, address FAQs effectively.
[00:12:39] Recorded responses make communication more flexible.
[00:15:53] Simplify onboarding to save time and improve business.
Key Topics:
- Essential features that a website should have to address potential clients' questions and concerns before communication takes place
- Details to include on a website such as who they work with, the transformation they provide, care plans, and pricing
- The benefits of using a Voxer app for communication to provide privacy and work well for busy clients
- The value of free consultation calls in establishing trust and compatibility while reducing the need for sales calls
- A suggestion to approach consultation calls differently by focusing on building rapport instead of outright sales
- Strategies for making the onboarding process simple and welcoming to clients to establish trust from the beginning
- The importance of being transparent about pricing with suggestions to list prices directly on the website and provide a range of pricing
- Ways to approach consultation calls innovatively, including using software like Video Ask to communicate with potential clients
- Different communication preferences of clients, including online scheduling options
- The benefits of a question and answer tool on a sales page for efficient communication between website owners and potential clients
In this podcast episode, I explore innovative approaches to sales calls, specifically for professionals in the wellness, healthcare, therapy, and mental health services industries. I address the common practice of offering free consultation calls to assess mutual fit between potential clients and service providers. I delve into the challenges of traditional sales calls and offer alternative methods to make the process more efficient and comfortable for both parties involved. I discuss the importance of optimizing websites to provide comprehensive information, including services, pricing structures, FAQs, and addressing client concerns. I then introduce creative solutions such as using VideoAsk, Voxer, or allowing direct bookings to streamline the sales process and meet clients' preferences. By thinking outside the box, you can innovate your sales approach and better serve your clients.
Timestamps:
[00:01:21] Free consultation calls help form connections.
[00:03:46] Consultation calls: conversation or interrogation? Innovate instead.
[00:07:25] Provide upfront information, address FAQs effectively.
[00:12:39] Recorded responses make communication more flexible.
[00:15:53] Simplify onboarding to save time and improve business.
Key Topics:
- Essential features that a website should have to address potential clients' questions and concerns before communication takes place
- Details to include on a website such as who they work with, the transformation they provide, care plans, and pricing
- The benefits of using a Voxer app for communication to provide privacy and work well for busy clients
- The value of free consultation calls in establishing trust and compatibility while reducing the need for sales calls
- A suggestion to approach consultation calls differently by focusing on building rapport instead of outright sales
- Strategies for making the onboarding process simple and welcoming to clients to establish trust from the beginning
- The importance of being transparent about pricing with suggestions to list prices directly on the website and provide a range of pricing
- Ways to approach consultation calls innovatively, including using software like Video Ask to communicate with potential clients
- Different communication preferences of clients, including online scheduling options
- The benefits of a question and answer tool on a sales page for efficient communication between website owners and potential clients
On this episode of Process to Profitability, I discuss the importance of business values and how to align them with your brand messaging strategy. My guest, Ashlee Sang, works with conscious and caring business owners to help grow their impact and revenue. We talk about the three-step approach to values, making small decisions, and how values may change over time. Ashlee also shares examples of how we can apply our brand values to our business in both marketing and operations. We also chat about and the importance of regularly reflecting on values and seeking outside perspectives. Check out Ashlee’s resources to help tackle different areas of marketing and operations at ashleesang.com/valuesworkbook and ashleesang.com/process.
Timestamps:
[00:06:36] Brand messaging strategy is essential for business.
[00:11:24] Be intentional. You can't be everything to everyone.
[00:15:11] Establish your values through self-reflection and perspective.
[00:19:36] How to apply your brand values in practical ways
[00:22:25] Choosing a tech stack that aligns with your brand values
[00:26:56] Evolving your values with your business, flexibility is key.
[00:30:54] Start small and build momentum.
[00:35:21] Places and ways to showcase your values, including on your website.
In this episode of Process to Profitability, I will be discussing the topic of innovation in the business world as it pertains to wellness professionals. As someone who has worked in this industry for several years, I have seen firsthand the impact that new technologies and trends can have on our businesses. Throughout the episode, I will be exploring different strategies for staying ahead of the curve and adapting to the changing landscape of online business, while also remaining true to our values as wellness professionals. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, this episode will provide valuable insights and actionable tips for achieving success in a rapidly evolving industry.
Timestamps:
[00:01:27] Innovation: Start messy, experiment, take action.
[00:05:54] Compassion and conversation key; blending life/work.
[00:07:10] Flexible schedule enables work and life balance.
Resources:
Website Design VIP Day
On this episode of the Process to Profitability podcast, I'm introducing the new format for season 6!
This season will be structured in mini-series with 3 to 6 guests each, and solo episodes. This structure promises in-depth processes to help grow businesses and make it easier for potential clients to access the services they need.
Subscribe and check out the show notes for additional resources and information. Don't miss out on this episode and the upcoming mini-series, tune in to Process to Profitability and grow your business today.
On this episode, I discuss the importance of preparing for your VIP day in order to create a successful website. I share some tips on submitting your own images, creating a bank of stock images, and ensuring everything is connected to your website. I also cover the key assets needed for consistent branding and the importance of copy in website preparation.
Is a Website Design VIP Day right for you? * Learn more & apply now * Get in touch on Instagram * Send me an email to start an conversation
Join my weekly email series where every Thursday I send exclusive content teaching you how to get your dreamiest clients to click “buy now.”
On this episode of Transform Your Website, I’m sharing how I create a website design that is unique and effective for your brand. I share how my Website Design VIP Day process gives me all the information I need, including our conversations, design inspiration, and feedback to create a custom website that welcomes in your potential clients and builds trust with them. I also discuss why a VIP Days is the perfect avenue for design because my attention is focused solely on your website without distractions from other projects. To learn more, you can apply for a VIP Day through the Lemon in the Sea website or by emailing Samantha at Lemon and Sea.
Is a Website Design VIP Day right for you? * Learn more & apply now * Get in touch on Instagram * Send me an email to start an conversation
Join my weekly email series where every Thursday I send exclusive content teaching you how to get your dreamiest clients to click “buy now.”
On this episode, I share my process for creating a website design that is unique and tailored to your business through a strategically design that takes into account branding and lead conversion. I also explain how I work with clients across various industries and make sure all designs are high-quality and optimized for all screen sizes. Plus, my library of tutorials and custom tutorial ensure you can make changes on their own and have a website that will last for years.
Is a Website Design VIP Day right for you? * Learn more & apply now * Get in touch on Instagram * Send me an email to start an conversation
Join my weekly email series where every Thursday I send exclusive content teaching you how to get your dreamiest clients to click “buy now.”
On this episode of Transform Your Website, I’m talking about creating a website that can build trust and attract the right clients quickly. I share insights on how a welcoming website can contribute to a positive first impression, ease the process for clients and ultimately lead to faster transformations and more revenue. I focus on the ROI you’ll see after working with Lemon and the Sea in a Website Design VIP Day, and the things one can do to make their website's design simple yet strategically attract leads and build trust with potential clients. Tune in to discover the benefits of having a well-designed website and how it can lead to more revenue while getting the right-fit clients. Open spots are available every month, listen to know how you can apply for a VIP Day.
Is a Website Design VIP Day right for you? * Learn more & apply now * Get in touch on Instagram * Send me an email to start an conversation
Join my weekly email series where every Thursday I send exclusive content teaching you how to get your dreamiest clients to click “buy now.”
On this episode, I am discussing the importance of having a clear and concise website to attract the right-fit clients. I’m sharing the top three mistakes businesses make on their websites and how to avoid them. I talk about how too much information or too many options can overwhelm visitors, causing them to leave your website. Instead, you need to focus on one clear call to action and offer a big transformation to your clients. I also discuss the importance of having a modern and mobile-friendly website to build trust with potential clients and how to share information about your field without overwhelming visitors. If you're struggling with your website, my Website Design VIP Day helps you transform your website with a design that builds trust and creates a positive first impression so you can attract right-fit clients faster.
Is a Website Design VIP Day right for you? * Learn more & apply now * Get in touch on Instagram * Send me an email to start an conversation
Join my weekly email series where every Thursday I send exclusive content teaching you how to get your dreamiest clients to click “buy now.”
On this episode of Transform Your Website, I dive into the process of working with Lemon in the Sea through the Website Design VIP Day service. I share the 5 different phases of working with a VIP Days, starting with Onboarding and Prework and detailing each phase of the process that makes a Website Design VIP Day the best option for busy experts who desire to build trust and create a welcoming first impression. The VIP Day is a fast, simple way to transform your website to bring in more right-fit leads faster. The episode delves deeper into the phase-by-phase process of working with Lemon in the Sea and offers listeners an exclusive insight into how they can apply for these services to take their web presence to the next level.
Is a Website Design VIP Day right for you? * Learn more & apply now * Get in touch on Instagram * Send me an email to start an conversation
Join my weekly email series where every Thursday I send exclusive content teaching you how to get your dreamiest clients to click “buy now.”
On this episode of Transform Your Website, I'm sharing my journey from starting as a DIY and recipe blogger to becoming an expert in web design and strategy. I also discuss why websites are critical to any business marketing strategy and explains how I fell in love with designing websites for expert service providers using Squarespace and Kajabi. I also talk about the importance of having a professional website that builds trust and attracts the right clients, sharing a personal story about trying to find a hairstylist for fantasy color and falling down a Facebook rabbit hole. Stay tuned to learn more about my VIP day offer to transform your website in just one day and how to apply.
Is a Website Design VIP Day right for you? * Learn more & apply now * Get in touch on Instagram * Send me an email to start an conversation
Join my weekly email series where every Thursday I send exclusive content teaching you how to get your dreamiest clients to click “buy now.”
I am excited to talk with you about what you are really getting when you invest in a website.
So when a lot of people look at website designs, they see a big investment of money and potentially of time, and that's true. It does take a lot of time for you to get everything ready for your website. Depending on the process that you're using with your designer, it might take a long time for that website to be ready to launch. And it also can cost a lot of money, you know, it's a four or five figure investment depending on your business and what is included in the design.
On today's episode of Process to Profitability, I am talking with my friend Devin Lee about her website and we are doing a website review. Devin is a Dubsado specialist and she also does quarterly planning as a group program.
We go through her website to help her convert people more easily, really get people where they need to go when they're interested in working with her, and figure out how she can add a little bit more of her personality into her website so that it all reflects who she is and how fun that she is.
On this episode of Process to Profitability, I'm talking with Nicola Moors about mistakes people make when they are launching and what you should be paying attention to to make sure that your launch is successful.
We have a great conversation, not just about copywriting, but also just about data and metrics and what you as a business owner can do to improve your launches and the profitability of your business.
Nicola Moors is a launch strategist and copywriter. She creates profitable funnels fueled by data, research, and a ton of advanced conversion strategies. Her data-driven approach to messaging and funnels with her funnel fuel formula has gotten her client results like a 68% increase in sales page conversions, a 13% conversion rate on warm and cold traffic for a sales page, and up to 85.4% open rates on launch emails. If you know anything about metrics, you know those are all amazing results, and we talk a little bit about how to look at those metrics in this episode.
She's also written about funnel optimization for Entrepreneur, Digital Marketer, and Medium. Throughout this episode, Nicola shares lots of insights, so make sure to check out her website and her Instagram if you want to learn more.
- https://www.nicolamoors.com/
- https://www.instagram.com/nicolamoors/
- www.nicolamoors.com/launch-fuel-formula
- https://www.lemonandthesea.com/review
Today I am talking with Jennifer Curfman of Untamed Creative. We did her website a couple of months ago, and she's a copywriter, so she wrote her own copy for this site and it's super fun, and we used that as the design inspiration to really bring out her personality.
So I'm excited for you guys to listen to this episode and hear how she is super excited to have a website that represents her, but that it's also much easier to use than her original WordPress website.
Is your website actually working? That's what I wanna talk about in today's episode. See, we design websites to look good, to make us feel all those butterfly feelings when we land on it. We're really excited to launch it out into the world, but that doesn't mean it's actually working for your business.
So what does a website actually working mean? Here's how I see it. Your website should be the number one marketing tool in your business, which means it should be the place where everybody is funneled to and then moves through the process to work with you.
Anybody coming from social media or a referral or an email is going to end up on your website. And when they do, when they land on that site, they need to then continue the process of working with you if they're the right fit.
So your website's job is to let people know if you can help them with the thing they are struggling with right now, and then to move them towards hiring you.
Today's episode is all about the ways your website is eating into your profit. So here on Process to Profitability, we are all about making sure your business is actually making money. I don't wanna hear about more $2 million businesses that aren't able to pay their bills month to month because they're spending so much of that revenue just to earn what they earn.
What we want in our business is not to hit a certain dollar amount because it's the new, cool thing. What we want is to really be profitable and make enough to support the way we want to live. For you, that might mean a 2 million dollar business. It might mean a $50,000 business, but whatever business you run, you want to make sure that it's profitable.
And a big piece of that is your website because it is the main way that you are going to market your services to others and sell to them so that you can bring in new clients.
Today I'm talking with Laura Kelly of Tula Books and we are chatting all about outsourcing in your business. So Laura is specifically a bookkeeper, but we are talking beyond bookkeeping to how do you know it's the right time to outsource and how she has done this in her own business in a way that increased her profitability by being very strategic with when she's hiring, who she's hiring, and how she is going about that.
Laura Kelly is the founder and CEO of TulaBooks, a modern bookkeeping firm servicing small business owners and entrepreneurs. Laura has over 15 years of corporate accounting, finance, and HR experience, and brings those years of knowledge to her clients books every. She loves crunching numbers, but what she loves even more is translating those numbers into a meaningful story for her small business clients. She helps you step out of spreadsheet mayhem and into your role as a CEO.
Today is a case study episode with my client, Sarah of Bryson Bookkeeping. She initially had a website that she had DIYed and then handed it off to somebody else to design.
But when it came down to it, she realized that it did not really fit her, her personality. And as she was transitioning to niche down in her business, she wanted a website that was going to target those dream clients and really reflect who she was and give her a website that she was proud to share.
I'm really excited to have her talk about the VIP day process and what it's been like since we launched her website.
Apply now for a VIP Day or submit your website for review.
Today I'm talking with Dominique Dunlop about pinterest, but also content repurposing and how you can get so much out of the content you're putting forward. If you think about it from a content repurposing standpoint.
Dominique helped me to set up Pinterest to make it really helpful and useful for my podcast, and we actually go through my podcast workflow for how I repurpose all of these episodes during the episode.
Dominique is a former teacher turned digital marketing-obsessed, Canadian mom of two. Her expertise is in helping you create the visibility, connection, and authority you need to grow your business online without sacrificing your mental health or being tied to your phone twenty four seven.
Through her done-for-you content repurposing services and lead generation Pinterest VIP days, Dominique is here to help you get off the content creation hamster wheel so you have more time to focus on the parts of your business that light you up and allow you to feel confident that your content is always working for her, so you don't have to.
- Website
- TikTok
- Free Podcast Repurposing Guide
When I work with clients, many of them are mostly serving local clients, so even though they are finding their clients online, they are actually serving them within a local area.
And what I have noticed, not only with my clients but just with businesses in general, is that so many of them do not have websites at all, or do not have websites that are up to date and really attract their ideal clients, probably because they are relying on word of mouth referrals and Google searches.
But a website can be a huge boost to your business and it really helps people to trust you and make that investment, especially as your business is growing, it's getting bigger.
When I work with clients, many of them are mostly serving local clients, so even though they are finding their clients online, they are actually serving them within a local area.
And what I have noticed, not only with my clients but just with businesses in general, is that so many of them do not have websites at all, or do not have websites that are up to date and really attract their ideal clients, probably because they are relying on word of mouth referrals and Google searches.
But a website can be a huge boost to your business and it really helps people to trust you and make that investment, especially as your business is growing, it's getting bigger.
Today I want to address something that is not directly related to websites, but it is part of your sales process and it is part of the profitability of your business. We're going to be going over three tips for improving profitability in your sales process.
I have been in business for seven plus years at this point, and I have changed my sales process quite a few times. So I'm gonna walk you through what I have done recently that has made a huge impact on how profitable my business is.
Today I want to address something that is not directly related to websites, but it is part of your sales process and it is part of the profitability of your business. We're going to be going over three tips for improving profitability in your sales process.
I have been in business for seven plus years at this point, and I have changed my sales process quite a few times. So I'm gonna walk you through what I have done recently that has made a huge impact on how profitable my business is.
I am so excited about today's episode. I'm talking with Maddie Peschong about pivoting in your business, and we go through her journey to really build a profitable business that also serves her family and the life that she wants to build. So I am so excited for you guys to listen. And make sure you connect with her if you're interested in learning more about brand photography or just running a life and a business that you love.
Maddie Peschong is a branding photographer and coach who is obsessed with teaching creative entrepreneurs how to build a profitable business by them being themselves. Through coaching digital products and personal branding photos, she helps women discover their magic so they can stand out in a saturated market, confidently scale their income without trading more time for money, and only do work they love.
She is the leader of the Confident Creative Mastermind host of the Take it personally, podcast and founder of the White Space Studio in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A place where creatives can design, dream, and collaborate while developing their own irresistible brands.
- Website
- Take it Personally
Today I'm going to be interviewing a former client of mine, Dominique Dunlap. She is a Pinterest marketing strategist, and I have her on a later episode of the podcast to talk all about that. But today I am talking to her about her VIP day with me.
We redid her website a few months ago and gave it that total overhaul. As you'll hear in this episode, she was already on Squarespace and had learned how to make some of those changes herself. She had designed her first website on her own, but she really needed something that was going to be consistent, coherent, and make her proud to share it online as she's growing her business and really reaching those high ticket clients.
We've been talking a lot about building a profitable business and why your website is so important in that process to being profitable, in creating a funnel that works. But today I wanna hone in on one of the hardest pages to design, one that many of my clients struggle with, and that is the sales page.
The way we market here on Process of Profitability, in this community, is through genuine connection through showing up and being authentic and helpful.
I'm bringing on Sara Weiss, who is a social media strategist, and we are talking all about TikTok and short form video. Things have changed so much even since we decided we were gonna do this episode. So Sara walks us through all of that and really how to get started on TikTok and how to see more profitability in your business from the time that you're spending there, even over other social media platforms.
Sara is a social media strategist specializing in short form video marketing, aka TikTok and Instagram reels. She gets brands and biz owners visible online using the power of video so they can land dreaming clients and remain top of mind to their audience when she's not nailing it on TikTok. Sarah loves to go with wineries with her fiance, cuddling her dogs and jamming out to Broadway show tunes.
Today’s episode is a bit different because I’m doing a live website review for someone. We’re going to walk through Laura Kelly’s website page and page and I’m going to make suggestions on how to improve the design and strategy.
Laura’s biggest struggle with her website is consistency in the design. It has been built over time as she’s added new services and make tweaks to her brand, but has never had a full overhaul.
We also discuss the importance of the main menu in your client journey and why you need to keep it simple and move people to take action.
If you’d like a review of your website, let me know the biggest struggle you’re having at lemonandthesea.com/review.
Profitability is more than just bringing in money. It's also getting back your time. The more time you have to do money making activities, spend time with your family, or whatever it is you really want to be able to do, the more profitable your business truly is.
One way to make big shifts in your profitability is to create a simple, strategic client journey that moves the right people to hire and pay you (without you having to be involved at every step). And the initial decision making steps on that journey take place on your website.
In today's episode I'm sharing why your client journey doesn't need to look like all the "boss babes" in the industry and how a simple strategy is more effective than a complicated, multi-step one.
Today I'm talking with Jennifer Curfman of Untamed Creative, and we are discussing all things voice of customer research and I'm so excited. We are really going to dive into what voice of customer research is, but also why it's important and how it can help you be more profitable in your business.
Jennifer is the owner of Untamed Creative slash copywriter on a mission to destroy how you think your copy should sound and help you come as you are. She's written sales pages, websites, and emails for clients in a variety of industries like coaching, finance, and systems, the secret sauce she zones in on voice of customer data to fuel her copywriting projects so you can reach your dreamiest clients.
- Free VOC Data Course
- TikTok
Today I want to talk about something I have noticed in the online marketing world. When we talk about funnels and funnel design, which is a huge topic right now. Everybody's telling you that you need to have a funnel so that people can move to buy your product, and what's your funnel and your upsells and your downsells and everything. They forget about the most important piece of the funnel. Your website.
This week, I wanted to jump on and talk about something that I've really been thinking about a lot as a website designer. And that is if you're not getting clients, where is the problem? Is the problem really with your website or is it somewhere else? So I want to go over how you can figure out if the problem is with your website design or if it's somewhere else along the way.
So basically, you are a service provider or a coach. You're not getting clients like you want to in your business. Why is that? What I like to do when I'm thinking about this is start backwards. So the problem we know: we're not getting clients, but where in the pipeline is that happening?
In the age of the personal brand and social media, it’s important to show your face in your business. But effective photos are more than just a basic headshot – your brand photos need to represent you, your personality, and resonate with your dream clients. Nathalie Amlani is joining me today to talk about how a brand photoshoot based in storytelling can help grow your business. She also shares her approach to planning a photoshoot and tips for feeling confident on camera.
Topics Discussed:
- How brand photography helps a business
- How storytelling helps entrepreneurs grow their business and how brand photography plays a part
- Nathalie’s approach to planning a photoshoot
- Tips for appearing confident on camera
- The props you need for your photoshoot
Resources Discussed:
Connect with Nathalie:
Nathalie Amlani is the founder of Pictonat Branding Creative. She is a brand strategist, photographer, author, and podcast host. She has helped over 75 entrepreneurs elevate their brands and deepen relationships with their audience through visual storytelling and brand photography.
Nathalie earned an MBA from the Rotman School of Management and has 17 years of experience in Financial Services specializing in project management, strategy, and marketing.
During her corporate career, Nathalie found the most enjoyment and satisfaction in roles that allowed her to create a meaningful connection with customers. When she took the leap to build her own business, she set out on a mission to connect personally with each client and deliver an exceptional service that helps them succeed and grow.
Working with Nathalie is a thoughtful experience designed to help clients share the essence of their business as a visual story and instantly elevate their brand. She draws on the unique story of each business (and those behind it!) to plan and capture personalized visuals that allow them to share this story and sell their products and services by building connection and trust with their audience. She enjoys working with women leaders to help them show up online with brand images and strategies that connect authentically with their audience.
- Website
- How to Plan a Personal Branding Photoshoot training
Today I’m going to be talking about the behind the scenes of my website design VIP Day. I’ve done a couple of these with clients and so I’m really excited to share with you not only what a VIP Day is and how it works, but what I’ve learned and answer some questions that I get as a talk about VIP Days frequently. Whether you have a VIP Day yourself and you’re looking to learn or you’re interested in website design and what that process might look like, this episode is going to be helpful for you.
Topics Discussed:
- Why I decided to offer a VIP Day
- My VIP Day process
- Answers to frequently asked questions
- Lessons I’ve learned from my VIP Days
Connect with Samantha:
Samantha Mabe, creative director and designer of Lemon and the Sea, helps service providers and coaches stop cringing every time a dream client asks for their website. She loves designing custom sites that empower business owners to raise their prices and feel confident that their online home finally reflects their brand. With her signature framework, Samantha has designed and customized over 25 websites over the past 6 years for all different types of entrepreneurs. When she is not digging into design and strategy, Samantha loves true crime podcasts, adventures with her toddler, and trying to keep up with her Netflix queue.
- Website
- Free Website Review
So many business owners get caught up in client work as their business grows and find themselves neglecting working on their own business. Today I’m talking with Ashley Kang about leveling up your business with a CEO Day. We chat about why CEO Days are different from admin days and their role in a growing business. Ashley also shares why CEO Days aren’t taking time away from client work and what we should be doing during the time we’re focusing on our business.
Topics Discussed:
- How CEO Days are different from administrative days
- CEO Days and their role in growing a business
- The importance of having a set CEO Day each week
- Why taking time out of the week to do a CEO Day isn’t a waste of time
- How a CEO Day works and what should we be doing during it
Resources Discussed:
- ClickUp
- Airtable
- Done in a Day
Connect with Ashley:
“A real-life Hermione Granger” is a tagline used frequently to describe Ashley. She’s been organizing, planning, and managing everything from a young age, from alphabetizing her personal library to coordinating group projects, to always having a to-do list and up-to-date planner.
During the early years of her career, Ashley worked in customer service and client management. After completing her Master’s in public policy and administration, she spent several years working as a project and policy manager, directly involved in strategy and project management at the executive level.
AHK Business Management was born out of her desire to bring her love of strategy, implementation, and systems together in a holistic way. Today, she works with online service providers to navigate the overwhelm and chaos of running a business so they can have tangible action steps to make impact and grow as CEOs.
When she’s not working with clients, Ashley loves quilting, kayaking, and puttering around in the garden. And in true Hermione Granger form, a book is never too far away.
- Website
- Weekly Newsletter
There are so many tools, apps, and hacks to help business owners get everything done, but so many of us are still struggling with burnout. It’s time to have a different kind of conversation around time management. Today Devin Lee is joining me to talk about redefining “good” and “bad” time management skills. We dive into the deeper issues and talk about viewing time management in a new way. Devin also shares how she helps business owners plan their time so they can avoid burnout and still run a business they love.
Topics Discussed:
- Redefining what it means to have “good” or “bad” time management skills
- Where the current 40-hour work week originated
- Myths about how we view our relationship with time
- How business owners can improve their time management
- Tools and systems for business owners to better plan
Resources Discussed:
Connect with Devin:
Devin Lee is a Certified Online Business Manager. She takes the dreams of visionaries who thrive on ideas and puts them into an actionable plan. She loves to outline the ultimate customer journey for her clients’ businesses, find the holes and obstacles, and then patch them up. She loves elevating business owners to the next level and then watching a newly well-oiled business do its thing. And she loves to teach overwhelmed entrepreneurs how to change their relationship to time.
In her spare time, Devin roller skates, listens to podcasts, studies the Enneagram, explores the best places to eat Sushi in Portland, and makes new friends.
- Website
- Newsletter
Creating content for your business can feel overwhelming and often like you’re throwing spaghetti at the wall in hopes that something will stick. Instead of trying everything you hear about online, it’s important to create your content based on your values and strengths, which is what Zoha Abbas is joining me today to talk about. We talk about hustle culture and working in a way that works for you. We also talk about the importance of having an aligned offer and finding your strengths as a communicator when creating content. Zoha also shares the important things to consider when creating and sharing content that connects with your dream clients.
Topics Discussed:
- How hustle culture shows up in marking
- Working the way that works for you
- The importance of having an aligned offer
- Finding your strengths as a communicator
- Using your communication strengths to create content
- Things to think about when creating content to connect with your dream clients
Resources Discussed:
- The Fascinator Advantage Test
Connect with Zoha:
Zoha is a Values-Based Business Coach who is out to kill hustle culture one client at a time. She helps coaches create aligned offers and communication plans so they can share their work with joy, ease and integrity.
- Website
- Free Mini Course
Money can be a topic that many business owners avoid talking about or even thinking about, which means that often we put off paying ourselves. Today I’m joined by Amanda Neely of Grandma’s Wealth Wisdom to talk about how you can make sure that you’re benefiting financially in your business. We discuss how you know if you need to pivot your approach to money, why it’s important to bring femininity into the money conversation, and what women who are starting a business need to know about money. We talk about the “Bank On Yourself” concept and how you can put yourself first when it comes to finances in your business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why money is such a taboo topic and why so many business owners put off paying themselves
- Knowing if you need to pivot the way you approach money in your business
- How to bring femininity into a conversation about money and why is so important
- The top things any woman thinking of starting a business should know about money
- What it looks like for an entrepreneur to use the Bank On Yourself concept
- The STILL Method and how it helps business owners
Resources Discussed:
- The Bank on Yourself Revolution by Pamela Yellen
- Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
Connect with Amanda:
Amanda Neely is a small business and financial professional. She founded and ran Overflow Coffee Bar, L3C from 2008 through 2018. Now, she shares her experiential knowledge through podcasting and through developing personalized financial strategies for individuals and couples and profitability strategies for businesses. Her goal is to work with people to take charge of their cash flow, leverage their assets, and increase their profitability in ways that would make their grandma proud.
- Website
- YouTube
- The Still Method Checklist
Brand is such an overused and misunderstood term. Even as a designer, I hear people use brand to refer to so many different things, which is why I’m excited to have Rima join me today to talk about building a magnetic brand. We jump into what that means and why a brand and a business aren’t the same things. We also talk about the most important pieces of building your brand and mistakes entrepreneurs often make when identifying their target audience – a huge piece of the brand puzzle. Rima also shares tips on using your brand throughout your marketing for consistency and results.
Topics Discussed:
- What a magnetic brand is
- How a brand and business are different
- The most important pieces of building your brand
- Mistakes entrepreneurs make when identifying their target audience
- Using your brand throughout our marketing to create consistency
Resources Discussed:
- Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt
Connect with Rima:
Rima Imad Fadlallah is a serial entrepreneur most passionate about helping other business baddies magnetize their brands to the right audiences. She is the founder of her own digital consultancy, The Rimix, and the co-founder of Arabize Media, a digital storytelling brand for Arabs in diaspora. Rima graduated with her MBA from the Michigan Ross School of Business, where she was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020. When she's not scaling her businesses, Rima is visiting family in Lebanon, Dubai and her hometown, Dearborn, Michigan.
- Website
- YouTube
- Free Custom Content Pillars Call
The world of paid ads is always changing, but it’s important to have a solid foundation before diving into adding them to your marketing plan. Alex Ramirez is here today to help us know what foundations we need to have in place before using Facebook ads. She’s also sharing what is working with ads for 2022 and how you can maximize your lead generation efforts through ads.
Topics Discussed:
- What you need to have dialed in before running Facebook ads
- The two major business milestones you should be hitting before running Facebook ads
- What’s working with Facebook ads in 2022
- Maximizing lead generation through Facebook ads
Resources Discussed:
- Avoid The IOS14 Update With This EASY Facebook Ad Tutorial!
Connect with Alex:
Alexandra Ramirez is the owner and founder of The Facebook™ Ad Freedom Agency dedicated to helping coaches scale their businesses and create freedom through Facebook and Instagram Ads. After her husband was diagnosed with Lupus along with two other blood disorders, Alexandra, who goes by Alex, began her entrepreneurial journey to serve as a breadwinner for her family. Over the course of nearly five years, a VA business, a trip down Fiverr, and starting her own ad agency, she is now generating multiple 6-figures annually with one focus –freedom for her family and her clients. Along with operating a successful ad business, Alex serves as the host of her YouTube channel and has been featured on podcasts including Fully Free with Taylor Lee, Savvy Podcasting For Entrepreneurs, Advanced Freelancing and more. Alex is a woo-friendly, mother of two who loves a good Netflix binge and dismantling the hustle culture.
- Website
- YouTube
When you’re a business owner, it’s important to spend as much time as possible serving your clients and working on growing your business, instead of in the weeds of sending contracts and making sure questionnaires go out on time. That’s why a CRM system is so beneficial for business owners and why Colie James is joining me today to talk about using a CRM to book and deliver your signature service. We dig into how automations can benefit you as a business owner if you offer a signature service, as well as Colie’s favorite automations that you can use for yourself.
Topics Discussed:
- How much time a CRM can save you in your business
- The benefits to using a CRM if you only have one signature service
- Subscription services you can eliminate when switching to a CRM
- The first step to using automations in your CRM
- How to know what automations to use and when you need different workflows
- Some of Colie’s favorite automations to help save business owners save time
- How Colie uses her CRM for her VIP Days service
Resources Discussed:
- Dubsado
Connect with Colie:
Colie James is a family filmmaker and systems strategist based outside Boulder, Colorado. In addition to making art that reflects the reality of parenthood, she helps photographers and other creatives build businesses that are sustainable and profitable using automation.
- Website
You’ve probably heard the term messaging, but you may not be sure what it really means for your business. Today, Erin Braford is going to share what brand messaging is and why it’s important for you as a business owner. She shares how your purpose, vision, and values tie into your brand messaging and some quick tips for refining the messaging you’ve already been using. We also discuss how messaging might differ based on whether you sell products or services and mistakes Erin sees business owners making when creating and effectively using the brand messaging.
Topics Discussed:
- What brand messaging is and why it’s important for businesses
- The importance of your purpose, vision, and values for your brand messaging
- Quick tips to start refining your messaging
- How messaging differs for service-based and product-based businesses
- Mistakes business owners make when creating and using their messaging
Connect with Erin:
There’s a point in your business when it’s time to double down on what’s working, bring in outside help, or gain visibility so they can grow. That’s when your brand needs to start pulling its weight and working for you. Erin Braford helps service providers develop a strategic messaging system so they can communicate clearly, confidently and consistently with less effort. Erin believes deeply in the power of small businesses to change lives for our communities, team members, families—and yes—even the world! She’s here to help gusty entrepreneurs go all-in on their best ideas. Erin lives in Richmond, VA with her handsome husband and three beastie children.
- Website
- Brand Jam monthly roundtable
When you’re launching a new service or course, one of the most time-consuming steps can be designing your sales page. You want to clearly communicate your offer and have it look great, but it’s hard to know what to focus on and what to let go of. In this episode, I’m sharing my ABCs of an effective sales page design so you know the three main areas that I look at when designing and evaluating sales pages that convert.
Topics Discussed:
- My new Website Design VIP Day
- Why you should treat your services page like a sales page
- Choosing the signature service that you want to highlight on your website
- The ABCs of an effective sales page design
Connect with Samantha:
Samantha Mabe, creative director and designer of Lemon and the Sea, helps service providers and coaches stop cringing every time a dream client asks for their website. She loves designing custom sites that empower business owners to raise their prices and feel confident that their online home finally reflects their brand. With her signature framework, Samantha has designed and customized over 25 websites over the past 6 years for all different types of entrepreneurs. When she is not digging into design and strategy, Samantha loves true crime podcasts, adventures with her toddler, and trying to keep up with her Netflix queue.
- Website
- Free Website Review
Messaging is a big part of what business owners think about, especially when they are trying to market and sell. But so many times we’re trying to change our messaging because we feel stuck when that doesn’t address the real issue. Alex Shea joins me today to help us figure out why we’re really stuck and why messaging isn’t the problem. We dig into why we want to play with our messaging as a first response and what’s actually behind our feeling of being stuck. Alex shares why it’s so important to address the root of the problem and clarifying without tinkering with our messaging.
Topics Discussed:
Resources Discussed:
- Why messaging is the first thing we try to fix to find our dream clients
- Messaging beyond business owners and entrepreneurs
- What’s actually happening when we feel unclear or stuck
- Ways to clarify our business without changing our messaging
- The importance of addressing the root of why we feel stuck
Connect with Alex:
Alex is a multi-faceted creative entrepreneur who enjoys slow living. She ran a successful copywriting business before finding her calling as a coach helping courageous humans who want to do life differently break the cycle, regulate their nervous system, and reclaim their reality through radical self-awareness and self-worthiness.
- Website
- TikTok
- Email List
- 1:1 Coaching Spots (4 available)
As a business owner, it’s easy to get overwhelmed thinking that you have to keep doing more and more in order to keep up with everyone you see online. But as a business owner, wife, and mom, I’ve found that constantly adding more isn’t effective for me or my business, which is why I’m so excited to have Ashley Gartland back on the show to talk about taking a subtractive approach to business. We talk about why so many of us have the tendency to keep adding more and why the subtractive approach is different. Ashley shares the key areas where you can apply this to your business and what it can make possible for you as a business owner. We also talk about how to know if this is the right approach for you and your business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why business owners have a tendency to focus on adding more and more to their businesses
- The subtractive approach to business and what it looks like
- The key areas where you can apply the subtractive approach in your business
- What taking a subtractive approach makes possible for you as the business owner
- How to know if this approach is right for your business
Connect with Ashley:
Ashley Gartland helps small business owners set a time freedom goal for their business and identify the shifts and solutions that will help them achieve it so they can make time for what's most important. She's all about taking a subtractive approach to business, and finding ways to do less, better - and not so her clients can grow faster and be more productive but rather so they can live more rich, fulfilling lives.
Ashley is also the host of the Better Than Big podcast, where she talks with small business owners about the strategies, shifts and solutions that have helped them create more time freedom and flexibility in their own businesses. Ashley runs her sustainable coaching practice in 25 hours (or less) a week, leaving her plenty of time to enjoy what's most important to her including long trail runs, good books and lots of family time.
- Website
- Better than Big Podcast
- Time Freedom Training
LinkedIn is growing in popularity in the online entrepreneurial space because it can make a huge impact on your business, but it still isn’t as understood as other social media platforms. Alia joins me today to talk about using LinkedIn for business, including how it compares to other platforms, what you need to start generating leads and creating a sales funnel and building genuine relationships with potential clients. She also shares the common mistakes that she sees business owners making when using LinkedIn to grow their business and generate sales. Topics Discussed:
- The types of businesses that can benefit from using LinkedIn
- How LinkedIn is similar and different from other social media platforms
- What you need in order to start generating leads and creating a sales funnel
- Using LinkedIn to build genuine relationships with potential clients
- Mistakes business owners make on LinkedIn
Connect with Alia:
Alia Khatib is a LinkedIn and Marketing Consultant for high-achieving online coaches and service providers passionate about transforming lives and making an impact. She’s spent over 12 years in the business and marketing world and now applies that expertise to help her clients create tailored action plans and systems so they can make giant strides forward from the simplest steps. She’s with them every step of the way because nothing excites her more than seeing their businesses flow with clients that light them up.
- Website
- Beginner’s Guide to Get Started on LinkedIn
Pinterest can be frustrating for many entrepreneurs because we know that it can lead to traffic and sales, but it’s very different from other social media platforms. Today Mackenzie Armstrong joins me today to talk about growing your audience organically with Pinterest. We talk about using Pinterest for business, setting up your profile, and what you should be pinning. We also talk about the difference in how brick and mortar stores and online stores should use Pinterest strategically, as well as the best tools available.
Topics Discussed:
- How entrepreneurs can use Pinterest for their business
- Setting up your Pinterest profile up to attract dream clients
- The types of things businesses should be pinning
- How Pinterest different for brick and mortar stores and online stores
- The best tools for using Pinterest effectively
- The mistakes people make when using Pinterest for business
Resources Discussed:
- Tailwind
- Canva
Connect with Mackenzie:
Mackenzie Armstrong is the owner of Armstrong Virtual Solutions where she empowers podcasters to populate their courses using Pinterest.
- Website
- Pinterest Audit Checklist
Effective businesses have effective systems in place to help them grow, but how do you know where to start? Today I’m joined by Rebecca Kay to talk all about automating and systematizing your business. We start by talking about letting go of trying to do everything yourself and then Rebecca shares where you should start when creating systems and automations. She shares her favorite tools, the difference between automating and delegating (and when to do each), and common mistakes she sees business owners making. Topics Discussed:
- Letting go of doing everything for yourselves in your business
- Where a business should start when systemizing and automating
- Tools and apps to help
- Automating and delegating
- Mistakes entrepreneurs make it comes to the backend of their business
Resources Discussed:
- Asana
- Dubsado
- Airtable
- Zapier
- Loom
Connect with Rebecca:
Rebecca is a Systems & Automations expert who is passionate about helping other female entrepreneurs scale their revenues and burnout-proof their businesses. Rebecca has helped women around the world organize & automate their businesses, enabling them to be ahead of their growth curve, focus on CEO-level activities and create more white space for them to thrive without sacrificing the things that matter the most to them.
Rebecca, a mom of 3 including twins, runs her online business alongside her high-pressure corporate job in the largest global audit firm. Rebecca leverages off her corporate experience in the systems she uses to manage her client portfolios and the team she leans on to get things done effectively.
Rebecca has built two online businesses while working full-time and attributes these achievements to the systems and team that have helped her run her businesses on a limited time schedule. She is a self-proclaimed spreadsheet nerd and loves any tech tool that will give her one less manual thing to do.
With everything you will learn from Rebecca’s methods, you'll finally be able to say goodbye to burnout for good, take guilt-free weekends off your business, and step into the CEO role that is rightfully yours!
- Website
- Solo to CEO Facebook Community
- Your Next Best Move to Scale Your Business Quiz
In an online space where so much is automated, it’s important not to forget the importance of human connection and relationships as you scale your offer. Today I’m joined by Sara Vartanian to talk about what human connection means and how we can use it as online business owners. We also discuss how you can automate without losing connection by weaving it through our businesses. Sara also shares opportunities to connect with our dream clients or customers that many entrepreneurs miss.
Topics Discussed:
- What human connection means and how can we use it with an online offer
- Why does human connection matter?
- How do connection and automation work together?
- Weaving human connection throughout our business
- Missed opportunities to connect with our dream clients or customers
Resources Discussed:
- Videoask
Connect with Sara:
Sara Vartanian is a launch copywriter and strategist who helps people-focused business owners tune into the words that make the people they love to serve, feel seen, and heard so they can foster genuine connections and make more sales.
- Website
- Launch Map
Launching a course is a huge task filled with to-do list items, including writing copy for all the pieces, which can be really intimidating for business owners. Kim is here to help us focus on what’s important when writing your launch copy, including the process she leads clients through and specific tips for writing your sales page and email sequence. We also talk about when you should consider hiring a copywriter to help you and mistakes business owners frequently make when it comes to launching.
Topics Discussed:
- Why copy is such an important part of a launch
- Advice for your first launch
- The process for launching a course/program
- The important copywriting pieces of a launch strategy
- Tips for writing a course sales pages and sales email sequence
- When you should hire a copywriter for help
- Mistakes business owners make when it comes to launching
Connect with Kim:
Kim is a launch copywriter and strategist who loves sharing copy and strategy tips to help coaches and experts build authentic connections with their audience and have feel-good, profitable launches. Before founding Copy with Kim, she was a PhD scientist working in corporate. Her science background gave her the tools she needs to ask questions and gather data to craft custom strategies for her clients that turn their leads into paid customers. You'll find Kim with her hair pulled back when it's "go time" writing and strategizing. She's fueled by bubble tea and plant-based foods, a firecracker at her CrossFit classes, and a strong believer that education is a basic human right for all.
- Website
- Freebie
When you’re a parent and an entrepreneur, it can feel like you’re constantly juggling everything and just trying to prevent anything from falling through the cracks. Today I’m talking with Lanisha about her journey to start a business while also being a mom and working a full-time job. She shares how her business has evolved with her life, why she decided to offer a VIP Day service instead of retainers, and her best advice for busy moms who want to start their own business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why Lanisha started a VA business
- Finding time to run a business, work a 9-5, and manage a household
- How business and life evolves in different seasons
- Choosing the right type of service for your business and your life
- The number one piece of advice for busy moms who want to start their own business
Resources Discussed:
Dubsado
Canva
Creator Studio
Anxious for Nothing by John MacArthur
Connect with Lanisha:
Lanisha is the Founder of B.E. Crowned, Virtual Assistant support Services. Lanisha is a registered nurse of over 10 years, a virtual assistant, and a certified Dubsado Specialist. In her free time, she spends time with her 3 girls and her husband. Lanisha is passionate about providing expert support to the entrepreneurs who inspire her: those who are working hard and passionate about their business.
- Website
- Dubsado Checklist
Today I’m joined by Jenny Melrose to talk about attracting new customers with blog content. Blogging may not be talked about as much lately, but it’s still a hugely impactful piece of your business. Jenny shares how she creates content that helps her audience and drives them to sign up for her email list. We also talk about using your website to sell products or services and the strategic way she points people to her opt-ins from her blog and website.
Topics Discussed:
- Why blogging is impactful for businesses
- Using blog content to attract new customers
- The things that go into content creation
- The number one mistake people make when creating blog content
- The best way to create a website to sell products or services
Resources Discussed:
- Ubersuggest
Connect with Jenny:
Jenny is a former reading specialist who “retired” from her teaching career when her blogging income far exceeded her salary. Through hard work and dedication, her lifestyle blog, The Melrose Family, became regularly sought out by nationally recognized brands such as Neutrogena, Smuckers, Glad, Costco, Stanley Steamer, Sara Lee, and many more. She is a content strategist that helps entrepreneurs better understand their messaging and unique position in the online space. Now, she’s combining her passion for teaching with her extensive experience of creating strategic content for online business owners via JennyMelrose.com and her podcast, Influencer Entrepreneurs with Jenny Melrose as well as her first book Influencer Entrepreneurs: The 4-Step Framework to Building Your Audience, Growing Your Business, and Making More Money Online.
- Website
- The Influencer Entrepreneurs Podcast
- Growing an Email List Guide
As your business grows and you’re ready to raise your prices, launch a new service, or start a podcast or course, your website needs to reflect the value of what you do. You have the expertise, but you need a website that clearly communicates that to your dream clients. Today I’m going to share why I believe that a simple website is the best choice for many business owners. I’ll also help you create a design that speaks to your value. Learn about the four pages your website needs and the key elements you can’t forget in order to get your dream clients to take action.
Topics Discussed:
- Why a simple website can be the best choice for service-based businesses
- Creating a design that speaks to your value
- The four pages your website needs
- The key elements of each page to move people from browsing to buying
I’m excited to cover this topic with Mariana because it’s something so many service-based business owners are considering as they plan for business growth. We start by talking about why creating a course from your signature service is beneficial for your business and how to know if a course is right for you. Mariana shares what you need to have ready before creating a course and the steps to go from service to course. She also shares about the difference in your visibility efforts when promoting a course and common mistakes she sees business owners make.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s beneficial to create a course from your signature service
- How to know if having a course is right for our business
- What you need in place to turn a service into a course
- The steps you need to take to start transforming our signature service into a course
- Creating a course that keeps people engaged and getting results
- Tips for switching your visibility efforts to focus more on reaching students for your course
- Mistakes people make when creating a course
Connect with Mariana:
Instructional designer for purpose-driven online business owners who want to develop a red-hot, unique-to-them signature service or certification program that feels like a true representation of them and transforms their clients on a deliciously and unusually deep level.
- Website
In this episode, Stephanie helps us to use gifting strategically to create a great client experience. We talk about the key features of great gifts, when you should send them, and how you can create a system to make gifting automatic. She shares how you can use gifting to increase referrals and sales, as well as the people that we should send gifts to who are not clients. We also talk about the mistakes people make when it comes to gifting in their business.
Topics Discussed:
- Using gifting to create a great client experience
- When you should send gifts
- The key features of great client gifts
- Creating a system to make gifting and gratitude automatic
- Using gifting to increase referrals and sales
- Other people we should consider sending gifts to
- The mistakes people make when it comes to gifting
Connect with Stephanie:
Stephanie is a business gifting strategist and founder of TheGiftConnection.co. She helps service-based businesses generate nonstop referrals and revenue-boosting partnerships through her heartfelt strategic gifting system. This system sets business owners free from the pressure of sales and marketing and unleashes a 24/7 sales force and PR team that works on their behalf.
Through her work, Stephanie has discovered that you're only one gift away from your next game-changing business connection.
- Blueprint
I’m excited to cover this topic, not only for podcasters, but for all business owners. Rosa shares the importance of repurposing your content and which types of content you can use for this strategy. She also talks about taking advantage of the new platforms that are becoming popular, mistakes people make when repurposing content, and her favorite tools for repurposing and sharing content. Whether you’re a podcast host, podcast guest, or you create your primary content in another way, this episode can help you create more content in less time.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of repurposing your content
- Which types of content you can use for this strategy
- The types of information you need when repurposing guest features
- Taking advantage of the new platforms that are becoming popular
- Mistakes people make when repurposing content
- Tools for repurposing and sharing content
Resources Discussed:
- Canva
- ai
- Wavve
- Headliner
- Facebook Creator Studio
- Buffer
- Adobe Audition
Connect with Rosa:
Rosa Sarmento is a podcast manager, content creator, and founder of Ideablossoms. She used to be a fashion buyer in Brazil, her home country but has been working online for over 2 years. Ideablossoms is an innovative agency that makes podcasting simple and frees up capacity for busy female coaches and course creators. Services range from podcast launch, audio editing, podcast management, content repurposing, and social media management - including reels, and IGTV videos. Her team thrives and excels at making engaging content that keeps their client’s listeners coming back.
Rosa is a traveler, an adventurer, and an ex-pat. She lived in Chile and Vietnam for a couple of years each and is heading to Mexico next. She absolutely LOVES the mobility and freedom this work gives her.
- Website
- Podcast Launch Calendar
I’m so thrilled to have Nadia back on the show, this time to talk about preparing to hire in your business. We start by covering how you can know it’s the right time to hire and the steps you need to take before bringing someone into your business. Nadia talks about budgeting for future hires and choosing between a contractor and an employee. We also discuss how you can evaluate if an employee is giving you a good return on your investment and the mistakes she sees people make when it comes to finances and hiring.
Topics Discussed:
- How does a business owner know when it’s the right time to hire
- The steps you need to take before hiring someone
- Budgeting for hiring in the future
- The difference between a contractor and an employee and deciding which is the right fit for your business
- Evaluating if an employee is worth the investment
- Mistakes Nadia sees people make when it comes to hiring for their business
Resources Discussed:
- Free Guide
Connect with Nadia:
Born, raised, rooted, and rising in Richmond, Virginia, Nadia S. Anderson is a believer, a connector, and a dreamer. A proud graduate of Richmond Community High School and the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, Nadia is an accounting expert, certified public accountant, and certified wedding and event planner with twenty years of experience. She enjoys sharing her smarts, giving practical advice to boost confidence with money matters, and inspiring others to choose a life they love.
A serial entrepreneur, Nadia supports small business owners and non-profit organizations through The Anderson Accounting Group. She combines creativity with her business experience to delight and inspire clients and guests of Virginia Grace, an event management company that will reopen in 2022. Later this summer, she’ll launch Lavender Hill, a co-working space that seeks to be an oasis of ease and enjoyment for entrepreneurs.
In all her efforts Nadia seeks to protect her peace and promote the value of rest and play in the rhythm of productivity. She’s currently imagining a resource to help you stress less and chase joy, and byblackrichmond.com, an initiative designed to close the racial wealth gap by cultivating Black excellence.
- Website
- Lavender Hill
- Virginia Grace Events
I’m excited to chat with Amy Eaton today. She explains why the photos we choose to share on Instagram are important for increasing engagement and the types of photos our clients really want to see. We also talk about using Instagram to build relationships and the importance of having a consistent style. Amy shares her recommendations for finding photos and tips for DIYing some of your own.
Topics Discussed:
- Why the photos we choose for Instagram are important for increasing engagement
- The kinds of photos our dream clients and customers want to see on social media
- Using Instagram to build relationships instead of as a catalogue of work
- The importance of having a consistent style important and how to achieve one
- Amy recommendations for finding the right images
- Quick tips for taking DIY photos
Resources Discussed:
- Lightroom Mobile App
- Unsplash
- Alex Light
Connect with Amy:
Amy is a product and brand photographer turned educator and teaches creative entrepreneurs how to take gorgeous photos for their own businesses. Through her online courses, blog, and YouTube channel, Amy shares the "how-to" of brand and product photography in a simple and uncomplicated way so her students can learn quickly and effectively. She also hosts her own podcast, Bold Company, where she chats with other creative entrepreneurs candidly about their business journeys. Amy is a champion for creative business owners and is a strong advocate for creatives making a profitable income with their craft.
- YouTube
- Bold Company podcast
Esai is joining us today to talk about why quiz funnels are such an effective tool for building your email list. She walks us through choosing an idea for your quiz, planning and writing the questions and results, and what comes after someone submits. She also shares he recommendations on quiz software and how to build a quiz that brings the right people into your funnels.
Topics Discussed:
- Why quiz funnels are such an effective tool for building an email list
- Deciding on an idea for your quiz
- Planning your quiz and where it should lead people
- How many questions and how many results are best when creating a quiz
- Writing questions that lead people to the right result
- What to deliver after someone completes your quiz
- Esai’s recommendations on quiz software
Resources Discussed:
- Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
- Amy Porterfield
- Jordan Gill’s ‘Which Type of VIP Day Should You Create?’ Quiz
- Salma Sheriff Website Design Done-in-a-Day
- ActiveCampaign
- Hootsuite
- Buffer
- Interact
- Outgrow
- Allison Carpio’s Quiz Funnel VIP Day
- Chanti Zak's Quiz Funnel Opt-In
Connect with Esai:
Esai was an experiential learning specialist who spent 12 years researching and creating frameworks for helping people change their behavior. Since 2016, she has been using her expertise in helping introverted copywriters create and sell productized services, courses, and high-touch masterminds. One of the ways she does that is by creating Quiz Funnels that build highly engaged, and qualified email subscribers.
- Website
- Step-by-Step Guide for Creating a Quiz Funnel workbook
I’m so excited to be interviewing Jordan Gill of Systems Saved Me all about getting started with VIP days in your service-based business. Whether you’ve heard of VIP days but don’t know if they are right for you, or you’ve never heard of them at all, this episode is for you. We’re going to be covering exactly what VIP days are, who should consider a VIP day service in their business, and the types of VIP days you might offer. We also talk about tech, marketing, and mistakes to avoid.
Topics Discussed:
- What VIP days are and how they work
- Businesses that could benefit from offering a VIP day service
- Deciding what type of VIP day to offer and who to target
- Creating a VIP day that works for you
- The tech you need to have in place to offer VIP days
- Marketing your new VIP service
- Mistakes to avoid when creating a VIP day service in your business
Resources Discussed:
- Dubsado
- Zoom
Connect with Jordan:
Jordan Gill, operations consultant and founder of Systems Saved Me, helps overworked one-woman shows become streamlined solopreneurs. Her jam is creating a cohesive operating system for managing your tasks, files, and inbox. She’s been on podcasts like What Works and CEO Vibes sharing her love of replacing monthly retainers with one-day virtual intensives. She currently lives in Dallas TX with her cavapoo Vivienne and collection of 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles.
- Podcast
- Website
- Done in a Day virtual conference
Finances are a topic that many entrepreneurs shy away from, even though they know it’s crucial for their business to succeed, which I why I’m so excited to talk with Kenia Newell of Wealth Over Now about creating a financial plan for your business. We talk about prioritizing what’s important in your finances and why you need to have money goals. Keina shares what a financial plan is, why it’s important, and the most important pieces you need to include. She also gives us tips to help determine your business budget, creating an emergency fund, and evaluating your financial plan as your business grows. We wrap up with a discussion about how business finances affect personal finances and the mistakes she sees business owners making when creating and implementing a financial plan.
Topics Discussed:
- Prioritizing what’s important in your finances
- Why having money goals important when creating a financial plan
- What is a financial plan and why is it important for your business
- The most important pieces of a business financial plan
- Determining your business budget and how much to relegate to each piece of your financial plan
- Emergencies fund for businesses
- Evaluating if your financial plan is supporting your business
- How business finances affect personal finances
- Mistakes people make when creating a financial plan
Resources Discussed:
- You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
- Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
- Money Mammoth by Brad Klontz, Edward Horwitz, and Ted Klontz
- Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanny
- Freedom and Flexibility free download
Connect with Keina:
Keina Newell is the founder of Wealth Over Now, where she works with professional women and solopreneurs to create new possibilities with their money so they can save more, pay off debt, invest in themselves, and stress less about money. She is passionate about her work and finds no greater satisfaction than helping her clients start managing their money with joy because they’ve learned to feel possibility where they once felt shame, guilt, overwhelm, and anxiety. When she is not coaching, Keina is spending quality time with friends and family and encouraging herself to workout! To learn more about Keina head over to Wealth Over Now and explore her tips to manage your money well.
- Facebook Group
- Website
I’m excited to cover webinar funnels with Angela today. We start by talking about what an evergreen funnel is and how it works. Angela teaches us why webinar funnels can be so impactful for business owners and what we need to have in place before creating one. She shares the steps we need to take when creating a webinar funnel and her favorite tools. We also discuss how you can make sure your funnel is converting and the mistakes Angela sees people make when creating evergreen webinar funnels.
Topics Discussed:
- Evergreen funnels and how they work
- Why webinar funnels are so impactful for business owners
- The things you need to have in place before creating an evergreen webinar funnel
- The steps to take when creating this type of funnel
- Angela’s favorite funnel tools
- Making sure your funnel is converting
- Mistakes to avoid when creating an evergreen webinar funnel
Resources Discussed:
- Zapier
- Leadpages
- Easywebinar
- EverWebinar
- ActiveCampaign
- ConvertKit
- SamCart
- MemberVault
Connect with Angela:
Angela is the founder of The Systems Rx and she currently resides in Tampa, Fl. As a tech and automation specialist, she has supported online coaches and course creators with the tech and automation buildout and maintenance for multiple 6 and 7 figure evergreen funnels. When she’s not working on funnels, you can find her watching her favorite TV shows on repeat, eating Häagen-Dazs ice cream, or singing along to Whitney Houston hits.
- Website
- Evergreen Funnel Tech Strategy Guide
I’m so excited to have Brandi on the podcast today to cover this topic! She shares how business owners and course creators should think about accessibility when it comes to courses and the benefits of having an accessible course for both students and business owners. You’ll learn what you need to include to make video lessons accessible and how to set up your course so it’s easy for students to find the information they need. Brandi also talks about alternate formats of lessons to help students and the types of supplemental materials that don’t actually help your students.
Topics Discussed:
- How business owners and course creators should think about accessibility when it comes to courses
- The benefits of having an accessible course for both students and business owners
- What you need to include to make video lessons accessible
- Setting up your course so it’s easy for students to find the information they need
- Alternate formats of lessons to help students
- The types of supplemental materials don’t actually help your students
- Choosing a course platform that allows for accessibility
Resources Discussed:
- Kajabi
- Thinkific
- Teachable
- Podia
- Groove
- Searchie
- YouTube
- Rev
- ai
Connect with Brandi:
Brandi Good is a systems specialist and tech integrator supporting businesses that need to spend less time on frustrating tech work and more time on generating revenue. With caregiving responsibilities that require an online business that runs without her, Brandi knows you need to #SystematizeYourBiz to be successful and aims to help businesses create streamlined systems and automations. Brandi lives in Saskatchewan, Canada with her husband and furbaby, and is obsessed with automation, morning coffee, and Star Wars.
- Resource Library
Allison is sharing the importance of a welcome sequence for your email list and talks through why so many of the email techniques being taught online feel misaligned. She also teaches us to write a welcome sequence that makes people feel at home and builds relationships and how to use email marketing to convert without feeling icky. Allison shares her tips for writing copy that stays true to our voice and values and the most important parts of a welcome sequence that converts in the right way.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of a welcome sequence for your email list
- Why so many of the email techniques being taught online feel misaligned
- How to write a welcome sequence that makes people feel at home and builds relationships
- Using email marketing to convert without feeling icky
- Tips for writing copy that stays true to our voice and values
- The most important parts of a welcome sequence
Resources Discussed:
- “Be Our Guest” Welcome Sequence Group Intensive
Connect with Allison:
Allison Carpio is the author of "Shut Up and Take My Money!" and email copywriting coach. She believes anyone can show up authentically in their copy--and write copy that connects + converts without the bro or boss babe oppression and manipulation. She hosts group intensives where you cook up your "Be Our Guest" Welcome Sequence for new opt-ins in one day!
- Website
In today’s episode, I’m talking with Kelli Esquilin about using a CRM to evaluate your client experience. We start by diving into the basics – covering what a CRM is and why every business owner needs one. Kelli shares the features we should look for when choosing a CRM and the ones she regularly recommends. We also discuss how using a CRM will allow you to elevate your client’s experience working with you, how we can use guides in our process, and the importance of keeping clients up-to-date on our progress. Kelli also shares about off-boarding clients and he tips for delighting clients while using a CRM.
Topics Discussed:
- What a CRM is and why every business owner needs one
- The must-have features to consider when choosing a CRM
- Kelli’s most recommended CRM systems
- Using a CRM to elevate your client experience
- Creating and using guides to improve your client’s experience with you
- Keeping your clients up-to-date on their project’s process
- Off-boarding with a CRM
- Tips for delighting clients through a CRM without losing your personal touch
Resources Discussed:
- Done in a Day Virtual Conference
- Dubsado
- Honeybook
- Táve
- 17hats
- Dubsado 101 course
- Clickup
Connect with Kelli Esquilin:
As a graphic designer for 10 years, Kelli knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed and frustrated by all the administrative work and processes involved in dealing with a client. This took her away from what she loved doing - designing and wowing her clients with stellar service. So Kelli traveled down the long road of spending lots of money on classes on designing amazing websites, communicating with clients, and how to streamline a process. Once her systems were in place, she kept getting comments from fellow designers and other business owners on how pristine and organized her process was and that’s how Kay + Co. Studio was born. Their signature done-for-you VIP Workdays will result in newfound confidence as their clients (you) take the reins of their (your) business in as little as 6 hours.
- Website
Erika is sharing what a brand voice is and why it’s such an important piece of writing your website copy. We also discuss developing your brand voice, including creating a brand alter ego. Erika gives some great examples of how you can use your brand voice on specific pages of your website that can sometimes seem boring and the other unexpected places you can add personality to your website.
Topics Discussed:
- What a brand voice is and why it’s important when writing your website copy
- Developing your brand voice
- Creating a brand alter ego
- Examples of how to use your brand voice throughout your website
- Unexpected places to add personality to your website
- Things to avoid when developing and using your brand voice
Connect with Erika:
Erika Holmes is a copywriting expert who helps entrepreneurs find the sweet spot between clarity and personality in their marketing message. She writes website and email copy that makes people say, “DAYUM, I need to hire her!” Through her work with big and small brands alike, she’s seen firsthand that putting personality in your copy is the fastest, best way to attract dream clients. In addition to online entrepreneurs and personal brands, Erika’s list of clients includes eBay, StubHub and Levi’s, and many more. She’s on a mission to show her kids and other aspiring entrepreneurs that they can make a damn good living doing what they love — even with an English degree.
Website
Free 5-Day Mini Course
I’m talking with Rhodesia Jackson about making diversity and inclusivity an intentional part of your business. We talk about what being inclusive in business means (and what it doesn’t), why it’s important, and the different groups you should be thinking about. She shares her tips for designing an inclusive website and social media presence and using inclusive language. We talk about how to apologize when we make mistakes and why making your personal values part of your business and online presence is the best way to authentically make diversity and inclusivity important to you and show that to the world.
Topics Discussed:
- What being an inclusive business means
- Why inclusivity is important for businesses
- The types of diverse groups would should think about
- Making your website inclusive
- Inclusivity on social media
- Resources for diverse and inclusive stock photos
- Using inclusive language
- How to apologize when you mess up
- How sharing your values in your business gets you the right clients
Resources Discussed:
- WebAIM
- The Gender Spectrum Collection from Vice
- CreateHER Stock
- iStock
- Shutterstock
- Stocksy
- Canva
- The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
- Built to Be Inclusive Facebook group
Connect with Rhodesia:
Rhodesia Jackson is a branding and web designer living in Boston, MA with her wife and furry feline son. While spending 8 years working as a graphic designer and marketing manager for large companies, she quickly became aware of the lack of diversity and inclusion in the corporate world. After going through some eye-opening experiences in her personal life, she realized that life is too short to continue to contribute to the success of businesses with values that didn’t align with her own. In 2018, she took the leap to start her own design business. She now spends her time working with feminist business owners to create brands and websites that help their mission and values shine through.
- Built to Be Inclusive Facebook group
- Website
Today I’m talking about designing and implementing an SEO strategy for your website. This solo episode covers creating an SEO strategy, finding the right keywords and phrases, and how to use them to rank for relevant searches. I’m also sharing the best way to write content that is SEO friendly and the ranking factors you need to consider outside of keywords.
Topics Discussed:
- What is an SEO strategy and why do we need one?
- How can I find the keywords and phrases I want to rank for?
- Where should we start when implementing an SEO strategy?
- How can I write SEO-friendly content for my website?
- What’s the trick to a successful SEO strategy if I have a Squarespace website?
- What do I need to consider outside of keywords?
- How can we track our SEO strategy results?
Resources Discussed:
- KW Finder
- Ubersuggest
- Keywords Everywhere
- Mabely Q
- Connecting Google Search Console and Squarespace
- Squarespace SEO Tricks You Should be Using
- New Squarespace SEO Tricks You Should be Using
- How the 2021 Google Algorithm Update Affects Your Website’s SEO Rank
I’m talking to Ellen Yin of Cubicle to CEO about leveraging the power of hashtags to grow your Instagram. Ellen shares her journey to becoming a business owner and how she’s using her marketing knowledge to help entrepreneurs. We discuss how we should think about hashtags for Instagram and why they can be so effective for people with smaller audiences. We also talk about the top three hashtag mistakes that business owners make so that we can create an effective strategy for our businesses.
Topics Discussed:
- How business owners should think about using hashtags for Instagram
- Why hashtags are the great equalizer for those with smaller audiences
- Being intentional in choosing hashtags for our posts
- The top three mistakes business owners make when using hashtags
- Checking and adjusting our hashtag strategy
Resources Discussed:
- Hashtag Hacks
Connect with Ellen:
Ellen Yin is the founder of Cubicle to CEO, an online membership helping coaches & service providers make their first $10K month. The name reflects her own journey of profitably bootstrapping her business from a $300 project to 7 figures in revenue in just 3 years, as a first-generation Asian American entrepreneur. She has been featured on the TODAY show with Hoda & Jenna and contributed insights to publications like Yahoo! Finance, MSN, Databird Business Journal, Thrive Global, HerMoney, and BlogHer. Through her results-driven online courses + services, Ellen has served over 7,000 students and clients, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Ellen is also the host of the award-winning Cubicle to CEO Podcast, which peaked in multiple countries' Top 50 business podcast charts and has been downloaded in over 100 countries worldwide.
Website
The Cubicle to CEO Podcast
In this episode, I’m talking with Brittany Dixon about creating a client on-boarding framework. Brittany is going to walk us step-by-step through her R.O.A.D. to Scalability framework and how we can apply it to creating, automating, and maintaining the on-boarding part of our business. We talk about why on-boarding is essential, the processes you need to create, and choosing the right tools to help you automate without losing your personal touch with your clients.
Topics Discussed:
- Why is having an on-boarding process in your business so important
- The processes you need to create
- The first step to creating a successful on-boarding process
- Choosing the right tools
- Getting your process into your system and making sure it works
- Maintaining a personal connection through automation
- The importance of documenting your process
Resources Discussed:
- Pipedrive
- Streak
- Dubsado
- PandaDoc
- Plutio
- Asana
Connect with Brittany:
Brittany Dixon, of Brittany & Co., is a Podcaster, Business Strategist and Productivity Coach. She helps digital marketing professionals Work Smarter, not Harder to book more clients and impact more businesses!
She specializes in helping her clients organize the day to day of the business. Business owners didn't start a business to run a business, but operations are essential to growth. She helps to document and refine their business processes & infrastructure to allow the business to run more efficiently and grow! Efficiency = Scalability!
A mother of Twin girls Kenna and Layla, Brittany started her Entrepreneurial journey in October 2015 when she started her Professional Organizing business Clutter Control. She then ventured into the online business world in March 2017 and Brittany & Co was born. Prior to starting her businesses, Brittany spent 12 years in Customer Service, Event Planning, and Hospitality. Learn more at www.processforprofit.co/about
- Website
- Hustle to Flow 7 day trial
I am talking with Andréa Jones about creating a social media plan that attracts and converts your dream clients. Today Andréa is going to share with us about the biggest struggle she sees business owners having on social media and the foundation that you need to have in place if you want to bring in clients from your social media platforms. We also talk about the five content pillars that you need to be sharing and she gets into some details about each to really help you share your work and engage with people on social.
Topics Discussed:
- How Andréa started her business and grew her team
- The biggest struggle business owners have with social media
- The foundational pieces you need to have in order to start bringing in clients from social media
- The types of content you should be sharing
- The best formula for promoting your work and services
- Balancing the types of content you share
- Choosing the best social platform for your business
- Tools to help you succeed on social media as a business owner
Resources Discussed:
- Katelyn James Photography
- Amy and Jordan Photography
- Airtable
- Fanbooster
- Restream
- Asana
Connect with Andréa:
Andréa Jones is fiercely committed to helping businesses and podcasters build profitable online communities through simple social media solutions. She's the host of the Savvy Social Podcast, creator of the Savvy Social School, a digital platform designed to teach its 100+ members (predominantly small business owners) how to implement organic social media strategies, and named one of Social Report's top marketers to follow.
- Free Course
I’m talking with Mai-kee Tsang about pitching the right podcasts and impacting your business growth through visibility. Mai-kee shares with us the importance of creating a sustainable visibility strategy that is authentic to your personality, your values, and your business. We also discuss who could successfully use podcast guesting as a visibility strategy and what you need to have in place before pitching. Mai-kee shares her tips for pitching podcasts, following up, and building a relationship with podcast hosts.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of sustainable visibility and aligning ourselves with
- How to know if podcast guesting is right for you
- The ultimate goal of becoming a podcast guest
- The foundation you need in place before pitching
- Tips for pitching well
- Preparing for a podcast interview
- Following up and building a relationship with a podcast host
- Reusing and sharing content from a podcast interview
Resources Discussed:
- The Quiet Rebels Podcast
Connect with Mai-kee:
Mai-kee Tsang is the Founder of the Sustainable Visibility™ Movement, Podcast Guesting Strategist & Host of the Quiet Rebels Podcast. She helps underestimated women in business feel safe in the spotlight, so they can grow their impact-fueled businesses on their terms for the long haul.
- Website
- Be Our Podcast Guest Resource
I'm so excited to announce that I'm (finally) working on Season 3 of Process to Profitability. We wrapped up Season 2 at the end of 2019 with every intention of recording new episodes in 2020, but COVID and a toddler running around threw a wrench in my plans.
But Process to Profitablity will finally be coming back later this year! This season will be a little different - each episode will walk through one process, tool, or strategy that will give you big results in your business. Experts in all fields of business will give you an in-depth look into one step-by-step process you can use to improve your business and impact growth.
We’re super-actionable and relevant topics for all business owners I’m so excited for the interviews I’ve already recorded and those I have on the schedule. Topics include:
- Impacting your business growth through a visibility strategy that’s authentic to you
- Creating a social media plan that coverts your dream clients
- Leveraging the power of hashtags to grow your Instagram following
- Creating a sales and on-boarding framework
- Designing an SEO strategy for your website
- Making diversity and inclusivity an intentional part of your business
- Getting started with VIP days to transform your service-based business
- and more!
I’ve also been very intentional about finding a diverse group of experts to share their knowledge and experience with us.
As we wrap up Season 2 of Process to Profitability, I’m going to share 7 more website updates you should make in order to bring in more dreamy clients. Some of these things we’ve discussed briefly in previous episodes, but today I’m diving into the details of why you need to make these updates and the best practices. I’m talking about SSL certificates, FAQ sections, designing for legibility, SEO, and making sure your website looks the way you think it does.
Make sure to listen in this week and then set aside some time to go through your own website and check out each of these items.
Topics Discussed:
-
Make sure your website is secure with an SSL certificate
-
Benefits: prevents hackers from stealing data that is shared with you, may help website load faster, builds trust with visitors
- Google is prioritizing secured sites
- On some browsers, an unsecured website will display a warning that it might not be safe
- When you have an SSL certificate, visitors are always redirected to https version of your website
-
To turn on in Squarespace: Home > Settings > Advanced > SSL > Check Secure
-
Include FAQs
-
Answer the most important questions to build trust and prevent unnecessary emails
- Include them on your services or sales page
-
To minimize space, try using an accordion menu
-
Format text for legibility
-
Left aligned, regular case is most legible and should be used for all paragraphs
- Paragraphs should be no more than 5 sentences
- Minimize centered text to headlines
- Break up text with bullet points, columns, and design elements
-
Make sure your text is dark enough to read (Contrast Checker)
-
Add a name and page description to each page
-
Find the SEO section of each page and make sure the page name is correct and includes your brand name
-
Update the page description with a short description of what visitors can expect. This should be in sentence form and include your keywords and phrases.
-
Check your site on multiple browsers and devices
-
To make sure everyone is seeing the same thing, check your website on different browsers and devices than your design on
-
If you don’t have access to different devices, you can use a website like Screenfly or Responsive Test Tool to preview your website on different screen sizes
-
Simplify your navigation
-
Keep only the most important pages in your navigation
- Main menu navigation should include About, Services, Blog, Contact
- The footer navigation should include Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, and design attribution
-
You can also have secondary navigation in the footer with your most important pages and social media
-
Update your Contact form
-
Keep it short and generic, so you aren’t limiting the types of inquiries you receive
- Include the most important question – how did you hear about us?
- Connect to a CRM like Dubsado to automatically respond with next steps
Resources Discussed:
- WebAIM Contrast Checker
- Screenfly
- Responsive Test Tool
- Dubsado
Action Steps:
- Visit your website as a visitor and see what it looks like and if you need to make any changes
- Google your brand and your name to see how your website ranks and what description displays
- Check your contact form to see if you need to update it and make sure it’s working correctly
Today I’m talking about using Instagram Stories to promote your services with Abby Jiu and Lisa Ziesing of Abby Jiu Photography. I’m really excited about this episode because I have been watching their Instagram Stories and I love their approach. We are talking all about how they got started with Instagram Stories and tips about showing up in front of the camera and figuring out the content you should be sharing. We also talk about getting more engagement on their Stories and how they are engaging with both clients and those in the wedding industry all in one place.
Topics Discussed:
- Why Abby and Lisa decided to make Instagram Stories part of their social media plan
- Tips for getting over the feat of showing up on camera
- The kinds of content you should be sharing
- Balancing personal, behind-the-scenes, and other content
- Creating Stories that resonate with your dream clients
- Getting more engagement on Stories
- The importance of showing your face
- The results Abby and Lisa have seen from using Instagram Stories
Resources Discussed:
- Bandolier
- Later
- Over
- Apple Watch
Action Steps:
- Find 3-5 themes you can talk about consistently and relate back to your brand
- Make a plan of what you will share and show up consistently
- Find someone to hold yourself accountable
Connect with Abby and Lisa:
Abby Jiu has had a passion for gorgeous imagery and creating art since before she can remember. But in 2009, she picked up a camera and hasn’t put it down since. Her style is the best of both worlds, using film and digital cameras alike to catch the stolen glances, fits of laughter, and heartfelt emotions sprinkled among the ever-important beautiful details that make each wedding day unique. She loves having the opportunity to get to know her brides and grooms and uses these relationships and her decade-plus of experience to capture precious memories in an intentional way. When she’s not behind the camera, Abby fills her time with her supportive husband Jamey, their lovable bulldog Penelope, and sweet son Cooper—who like her is always taking in the world around him. Abby loves D.C. but also revels in traveling abroad, finds relaxation in the form of eating something sweet while watching TV on the couch, and has a great appreciation for interior design and fashion.
Lisa Ziesing has loved wedding photography long before she became the one creating it. She has been shooting film since her high school days on the yearbook staff and hasn’t stopped since. She’s in love with the details, getting to know the couple’s story, and getting challenged to take her work to new heights by the people she gets to collaborate with. When it isn’t wedding day, Lisa is most likely taking her high-energy Brittany pup Peaches for another walk, being an amateur food critic with her boyfriend Alex as they debate the merits of various Neapolitan pizza spots around town, and tending to the ever-growing collection of plants taking over her living room.
Established in 2009, Abby Jiu Photography began with just Abby behind the lens. Five years later, Lisa joined her, expanding the team and the scope of weddings and events they cover. Over the years, Abby and Lisa have jointly documented dozens of weddings and traveled together for destination jobs as near as New York City and as far as Ireland and Portugal. They also spend plenty of time together in their stylish Northern Virginia office. And even though they shoot individually too, the bond they’ve formed is undeniable.
This foundation makes them solid partners in business but also great friends. Perhaps it’s in the astrological cards—Abby’s a Scorpio and Lisa’s a Cancer—or maybe it’s just that they can anticipate each other’s needs seamlessly, work off each other’s energy, and share a passion for film photography and documenting special moments. Not to mention, they are both always up for ordering dessert.
Work with them and you might think they share a brain because somehow they communicate without even speaking. With their shared years of expertise and organized methods, this duo makes working with Abby Jiu Photography a sincerely enjoyable experience—from both their perspective and that of their clients’
- Website
Today I’m talking with Heather Dominick about How Highly Sensitive Entrepreneurs can sell without compromising empathy and integrity. We talk about what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Entrepreneur and how Heather found out she was one. We also about the challenges that face HSEs when it comes to selling and ways that you can look at selling differently and make it more about serving your potential clients. We also talk about common coping mechanisms and the Coping Cycle so that you can understand how this part of who you are can be a benefit to you and your business.
Topics Discussed:
- What it means to be a Highly Sensitive Entrepreneur
- How Heather discovered her Highly Sensitive nature
- Common HSE traits you may recognize in yourself
- The challenges HSEs face when selling
- How selling looks different as an HSE
- The first step to great sales conversations
- Common coping mechanisms of HSEs and the Coping Cycle
Resources Discussed:
- Elaine Aron
- HSE Quiz
Actions Steps:
- Take the HSE quiz to see if you are a Highly Sensitive Entrepreneur
- Learn how to work with your HSE nature
- Begin seeing your HSE nature as an asset in business
Connect with Heather:
Heather Dominick is a woman who is impressively successful and highly spiritual. A former high school drama teacher who collaborated with none other than Bette Midler. A graduate of NYU where she received her first coach training. Heather is the winner of the 2015 Best of Manhattan Coaching Award and creator of the 2014 Stevie Award-winning virtual event A Course In Business Miracles®: 21-Day Discovery Series that attracted close to 6,000 official registrants from all around the world including: Iceland, Nigeria, Russia, Asia, South America, Australia, Europe and the U.S.
She has appeared on Lifetime Television and has been published in numerous books including Stepping Stones to Success alongside Deepak Chopra.
An exceptional facilitator and teacher Heather is known for creating a safe, sacred community for true transformation whether she is teaching a Business Miracles® Class, delivering training online or in-person or mentoring members of her Business Miracles Community in her various Mentoring Programs. She has helped thousands of HSE®s release life-long limiting beliefs, overcome fears and learn how to build their business in a way that actually feels so good that they can’t help but create solid, sustainable, high-level financial success.
Heather is also the founder and leader of the Highly Sensitive Entrepreneur® movement.
- HSE Quiz
- Website
Today I’m talking with Genecia Alluora about building an authentic brand online. We talk about how she built her business and brand online and some of the challenges she faced. She gives us an exercise that we can use to make sure that our brand is authentic and then we talk about building a support system full of people that align with your values and the vision you have for your business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why having a brand means and why it’s more than just a logo
- Creating a personal and authentic brand
- The challenges Genecia faced when starting her online business
- An exercise you can use to make sure that you’re showing up authentically online
- Tips for building a support system and finding a mentor
- The importance of building a community that supports you
Action Steps:
- Look at your social media and your messaging to make sure they are in sync with who you are
- Do the authentic brand exercise discussed in the podcast
- Find yourself a community you can rely on
Connect with Genecia:
Genecia Alluora is former Miss Singapore and Southeast Asia Woman of Excellence 2010. She is the Founder of Soul Rich Woman, the #1 female entrepreneur network in Southeast Asia that connects more than 12,000 women across the region, with presence in 7 countries including Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The Soul Rich Woman network helps women build their brand and online reputation for more customers, confidence, and credibility — while making a positive impact in the world. Prior to this, she was an owner of a cafe retail chain with a presence in 3 countries and successfully exited to a public listed company. Profiled in CNBC and China Daily, Genecia is also an expert public speaker and has spoken in recent major events, including the RISE Conference in Hong Kong, Success Conference and Expo Asia 2018 in Hanoi, and National Achievers’ Congress in Manila.
- Website
- 7 Steps to Delegate 80% of Your To-Do List
Today I’m talking about how to stay focused with Jodi Graham. We dive into different ways that you can stay focused on your business to make sure that you’re moving forward. We start by talking about why staying focused is so important and the different ways that we can make sure we’re doing that in our business. We talk about tracking our progress, keeping our tasks specific, making sure everything we’re doing is important to our business, and brain dumping. Jodi talks about what a braindump is, how it can help us, and how we can do it. She also gives some recommendations for tools you can test to see if they will work for you and talks about letting go of tasks that we find out aren’t important. You can get here free Daily Planner download at http://my.jodigraham.com/daily-planner-freebie.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important to stay focused
- How tracking your progress can help you stay on task
- The importance of being specific in the tasks you’re working on
- Making sure that each item on your to-do list is important
- Using a braindump to help you stay focused
- Tools Jodi recommends to her clients
- Letting go of tasks that aren’t important to your business
Resources Discussed:
- Google Sheets
- Evernote
- Asana
- Trello
- Scribblar
- Whiteboard Fox
- Calmly Writer
Action Steps:
- Set aside 15 minutes to do a braindump
- Review everything on your to-do list and ask yourself why you're working on it and some other why questions
- Create a space to track your progress
Connect with Jodi:
Jodi is the health food-obsessed, woo-woo loving, bookworm Productivity Coach who’s hooked on getting things done. She works with online side-hustlers who feel like they're missing out on biz income and growth because of shiny object syndrome, getting them focused on growing their biz quicker. You can get here free Daily Planner download at http://my.jodigraham.com/daily-planner-freebie.
- Website
Being a mom and a business owner isn’t easy. Right now, we’ve chosen to keep our baby at home, which means that I’m constantly bouncing back and forth between work and motherhood. It hasn’t been easy – I’ve struggled with accepting that I can’t do it all.
Today I’m sharing how I’ve come to (almost) be okay with the fact that things aren’t going to look the way I hope they will and how I’m setting my priorities for both my business and my family. I’m also going to give you a glimpse into what my schedule looks like in this season of life and how asking for help has made running a business while raising a 6-month-old so much easier.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it was a struggle for me to let go of doing it all
- The most important conversation my husband and I have had since becoming parents (deciding on our priorities)
- How I’m balancing time in my business and time with my son right now (working during naps – Little Z Sleep, setting aside time to engage with Daniel – Storytime, sensory activities)
- Asking for help (sending Daniel to friends when I need to record, having my social media manager and podcast editor on my team)
- What my schedule looks like in this season
- The decisions we’re making moving forward as a family (technology)
- Resources I’m loving as a mom
Resources Discussed:
- Little Z Sleep
- CanDo Kiddo
- Rachael Jamison
- Caity Dougherty
- The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch
- Feeding Littles
- hope&plum Facebook Community
Action Steps:
- Make a list of the most important business and personal tasks
- Find some friends or family members who can watch your kids for a few hours here and there when you need some concentrated work time (or you need to take an uninterrupted shower)
- Set aside some time to do something that fuels you
Today I’m talking about creating a community around a product with Skye Amunden and Mallory Mascoli from hope&plum. We jump in talking about the community they’ve created around their ring slings, including how they decided to start their business with a community focus. We also talk about how they’ve fostered such a supportive environment inside their community and they give us a behind-the-scenes look at how everything is run and the people who help them out. Skye and Mallory also share how they use their community to promote their launches (including their largest-ever launch yet). If you have a product or a service and you want to create a really supportive Facebook community, I recommend checking out this episode and jumping into their community.
Topics Discussed:
- How hope&plum got started
- Intentionally building a community from the start
- Fostering a supportive, inclusive environment
- How Skye and Mallory run their Facebook group and their team
- Using a community to promote launches
- Using what works and what doesn’t from other groups to establish their own rules
- Skye and Mallory’s favorite part of the community they’ve built
Action Steps:
- Have a plan of what you want in your community
- Find someone to lean on and help you
- Be real
Connect with Skye & Mallory:
Skye and Mallory met one another through an online group of women while trying to conceive their children. They noticed an instant connection and have shared a close relationship through the struggles of trying to get pregnant, the joys and difficulties of pregnancy, and navigating first time parenthood. Mallory introduced Skye to babywearing, and ring slings quickly became both of their favorite way to carry their children. After struggling to find a ring sling company that fit their beliefs and aesthetics, the two women joined forces to start their own company and hope&plum was born! Mallory is a former banker who left her career after her daughter, Selah Plum, was born. hope&plum came around just as Mallory was beginning to miss the fast paced career life and gives her another outlet to pour her energy into, beyond her little family and home. Mallory is pregnant with her rainbow baby Shepard Keane, who will be making his debute into the world within the next few weeks! Skye works as an attorney by day and mother/ wife/ business owner by night (and early mornings). hope&plum has given her an opportunity to pursue her entrepreneurial spirit, while also feeding her passion for babywearing. She has a two year old Eleanor and a seven-month old Madelynn and slings them both almost daily! * Website * Instagram * Facebook * hope&plum Community
Today I’m talking about using Shopify for your website platform with Mands Burnette. We talk about Shopify compared to other platforms and why it’s really great for online stores. We get into the inventory management and all of the backend stuff, as well as how the design works and how it compares to other platforms. Mands tells us about some updates that Shopify is releasing that she’s excited about and how she helps her clients design and run their websites and online stores.
Topics Discussed:
- Why Shopify is the best platform for online stores
- Updates Shopify is making that will make selling online even easier
- How Shopify compares to other website platforms like Squarespace and WordPress
- Designing a Shopify website and the available functionality
- Using Shopify for inventory management, adding products, POS, and selling online
- Working with a designer to customize your store
- Why Shopify is great for SEO and how it helps you
Action Steps:
- Make sure you have product descriptions that are standardized
- Rename all your file names and alt tags to describe the image
- Get someone else to look over your website
Connect with Mands:
Mands Burnette is a designer turned digital marketing maven. This former Shopify Guru took all of the skills and wisdom from years as a designer, combined with the vast knowledge of SEO and marketing and started Burnette + Co. A Digital Marketing Company specializing in helping creatives, makers, inventors, educators, and inspiring women step out to share their passion with the world through clean design, storytelling, and an action plan.
- Website
- Personal Instagram
Today I’m talking about pitching your product to retailers with Kathy Cruz. Kathy shares a ton of great information as a retailer herself and as a maker who has gotten her products into stores. We talk about selling outside of your business and knowing when you’re ready. We also discuss the technical pieces you need in order to work with retailers and how your website can help you do that. We chat about finding the right stores to get into and the research you should do before reaching out, as well as ways you can add additional value for the people you’re building relationships with.
Topics Discussed:
- Your options for working with retailers
- Knowing when you’re ready to wholesale and the types of people who shouldn’t
- The technical pieces you need to have in place
- How your website can help you
- Finding the right retail stores to reach out to
- Bringing additional value to retailers when you contact them
- Do’s and don’ts of contacting store owners
Resources Discussed:
- Shopify
Action Steps:
- Stop procrastinating with your line sheet
- Change your mindset
- Consider joining Kathy’s online academy
Connect with Kathy:
Since founding The Salvaged Boutique with her sister in 2013, Kathy watched her passion grow from a fun blog and hobby with her sister on the side of her full-time job, to a thriving brick and mortar home decor store. After running the store for years, she saw the need for an online community where small business owners could find resources. So she took it upon herself to create Savvy Shopkeeper, a blog and online business dedicated to educating, motivating and building a community of shop owners. From a full-time job to a full-time entrepreneur, Kathy helps hundreds of store owners and makers navigate store ownership while running a store herself.
- Website
- Facebook Group
Today I’m talking with Lindsay Maloney about how introverts can grow their business. Lindsay and I have a great conversation about why introverts make great online business owners, the things they should consider before starting a business, and how serving our clients well is really beneficial as an introverted business owner. We also talk about scaling and some action steps you can take to move forward in your business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why introverts make great online business owners
- Things an introvert should consider before starting a business
- Bringing in clients
- Why serving your clients well is beneficial to yourself and your business
- Networking as an introvert
- Scaling your business
- Challenges introverts can face
Resources Discussed:
- James Wedmore
- Rising Tide Society
- Stand Out Coaching Academy
Action Steps:
- If you're feeling excited about starting your business, pick one thing that's fun and easy and get started
- Reach out to people who inspire you
- Have confidence in yourself
Connect with Lindsay:
Lindsay Maloney is a self-made business and success coach who specializes in teaching women how to start and scale their dream coaching businesses with simplicity. She believes that you should always choose to use your intuition to guide you as you grow your business. With her step by step, intuitive, and creative guidance you'll feel inspired to take her tips into action, push your business forward, and work with your dream clients. Lindsay works with women who want to get unstuck and structure their brilliance into a coaching business that's sustainable and financially exhilarating. She is also the creator of Stand Out Coaching Academy and is the host of the Book Your Dream Clients podcast.
- Website
- Podcast
- Facebook group
My business looks very different now that I’m working with a baby at home with me. Most of my work is done during naptime and in a half hour increments when my little one is content to play on his own (always where I can see him). This shift has meant less time to send emails, scroll Facebook groups looking for clients, or brainstorm new marketing efforts. It’s also meant that I have to focus the time I do have on finding amazing clients and serving them really well.
Today I’m sharing how I’ve found my dreamiest clients, what it looks like to serve clients well with limited time, and how I deal with clients who turn out not to be so dreamy.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important to work with your dream clients, especially when you have limited time
- How I’ve learned who my dream client is
- Vetting potential clients before starting a project
- Where I get most of my leads and how I turn them into clients
- Helping your clients be dreamy
- Serving well with limited time
- Dealing with clients who turn out not to be so dreamy
Resources Discussed:
- Dubsado
Action Steps:
- Look back on your past clients and make a list of what your dreamiest clients had in common
- Set up a vetting system for potential clients
- Follow up with troublesome clients and give yourself permission to draw a hard line
Today I’m talking about sales page design with Christi Cooper. This is a really fun episode because while we’ve covered service page design before, this is a whole different beast. We talk about the difference between a sales page and a services page and some of the technical aspect including how long your sales page should be. We also discuss where you can build your sales page and what should be included, and Christi gives some design tips for those of us who will be DIYing to start out.
Topics Discussed:
- The difference between a sales page and a services page
- How long your sales page should be
- Different platforms where you can design and host your sales page
- What should be included on a sales page
- Why good design is so important
- Working with a sales page designer
- Tips for designing your own sales page
- Common design mistakes
Resources Discussed:
- Leadpages
- ClickFunnels
- Teachable
- Thinkific
- Kajabi
Action Steps:
- Make sure you're hitting the key points in your copy
- Assess your design
- Make sure your call to action buttons stand out and are clear about the next steps
Connect with Christi:
Christi Cooper is the principal designer and creative strategist at Cooper & Heart Creative where she works with online educators and coaches to help them grow their businesses through beautiful, conversion-focused sales pages and websites that connect with their people in an impactful way.
- Website
- Sales Page Assessment
Today I’m talking about three hard truths that 7 figure influencers aren’t telling you with Ellen McElveen. We dive into three different things that you might not know about the 7 figure businesses you’ve been looking up to online including why you might actually be more profitable than they are, why they probably don’t have it all figured out, and why a 7 figure launch might not be the thing you’re looking for. This episode is great because Ellen works with all kinds of businesses on the back end, so she knows what people are actually experiencing and the reality behind all of the awesome Instagram posts we see.
Topics Discussed:
- Why we look up to 7 figure influencers
- What having a 7 figure business means
- Why your business might be more profitable
- Even influencers don’t have it all figured out
- Why a big launch might not bring the success you want
- Where to start if you’ve never launched before
- Working with an Operations and Efficiency expert
Resources Discussed:
- Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
- Asana
- Pricing Your Services with Kristin Kaplan
Action Steps:
- Build a solid foundation for your business by creating your mission, vision, and values
- Know your financial goals
- Stay focused on your business
Connect with Ellen:
Ellen helps entrepreneurs like you simplify your CEO life so that you reach your vision without the burnout. She does this through strategic mapping, accountability, + systems. She is an Operations & Efficiency Expert, and the Founder of One Less Thing Management. She has worked with businesses to improve their operations and map strategies for more than 10 years. She pulls from her experience working with Oracle, Cox Business, Geben Communications, Tamsen Webster, the YMCA, UNC-Chapel Hill, and more to deliver top-notch solutions to simplify and scale your business. She's on a mission to eradicate the outstanding number of failing businesses and does so with the One Less Thing Framework; which we'll talk more about in this episode. Ellen lives in Springfield, Missouri, with her husband, Scott, and son Gideon.
- Website
- Blog
Today I’m talking with Crystal Hollman about product photography. We talked about brand photography way back at the beginning of the show, but I wanted to cover products specifically for those of you who are makers. We chat about why it’s important to have branded images and how product photography is different than other types of photos. We talk about using the images you have effectively so you’re getting the most out of them, as well as some tips for taking your own product photos. Crystal also talks about working with a photographer and what you should look for to get the most out of your investment.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important to have branded photos
- How product photography is different
- Making the best use of the images you have
- Using stock images alongside your custom photos
- Tips for shooting your own products
- The importance of creating the right type of images
- What you can expect when working with a product photographer
- Collaborating with your website designer and photographer
Resources Discussed:
- Planoly
Action Steps:
- Know what lighting is available in your home and see if you need to change anything to improve it
- Make sure you can put your product in an environment that makes sense for your audience
- Don’t forget to reflect light
- If you’re looking to hire a product photographer, start researching styles that fit your brand
Connect with Crystal:
As a full time Brand and Commercial Photographer, Crystal serves the business community exclusively through styled imagery meant to boost sales, attract your ideal audience and show off all your hard work. In her 5 years of business as a Photographer she has launched a course, held 4 workshops and supported many events across the local and online community to help educate and support other ladies in business.
- Website
- Flatlay Course
Today I am talking about growing from a local community to communities around the world with Violette de Ayala. She goes into a ton of really good topics and is very encouraging talking about her journey from working in corporate to building the FemCity community and growing it worldwide. We talk about the struggles that come along with building something from the ground up with limited funding and where she is now in her business with her team and the growth of her community. We also talk about what people can do if they’re struggling to love their work and how they can evaluate their businesses. One of the big focuses of FemCity is making sure that they are in service to others, which fits right in with this podcast, so I was very excited to bring it to you today.
Topics Discussed:
- How FemCity came to be and how it’s grown
- Expanding the community to be worldwide
- Starting a business with limited funding
- The importance of taking intentional pauses in business
- Struggles that come with scaling
- Developing a team
- Evaluating where you are in business
- The importance of serving those around you
Resources Discussed:
- Upwork
- Fiverr
Action Steps:
- Reconnect or reconfirm the love and passion for the work you're doing now
- See how you can be more of service to those around you
- Review how you're doing in business and say three kind things about yourself
Connect with Violette:
Violette is a Cuban-American serial and social entrepreneur, Founder of FemCity®, and virtual mentor to over 20,000 women.
- Website
Today is my first solo episode since returning from my maternity leave in June and I’m sharing what that return to work has really looked like. I’m going to share what my maternity leave plan looked like, give a quick recap of my birth story, and share what I did while on leave. Then I’m going to talk about the transition back into work and how my expectations did and didn’t meet reality. I’m also chatting about what my schedule looks like now and some things I wish I has known when planning and coming back after maternity leave.
Topics Discussed:
- My original maternity leave plan
- A quick recap of my birth story
- What I did while on maternity leave
- Transitioning back into work
- The expectations I had and the reality behind the business
- What my schedule looks like now
- Things I wish I’d known
Resources Discussed:
- My Maternity Leave Plan
Action Steps:
- If you’re planning an extended leave check out my maternity leave plan and the resources I used
- If you’re on leave right now, enjoy your time!
- If you’re coming back from an extended leave, take it slow and don’t overcommit to clients or other work
Today I’m talking about the importance of rest as an entrepreneur with Danielle Roberts. We talk about why rest is important and different ways that you can make it a priority and what you should do when thinking about rest. We also talk about rest from a Christian perspective and why that looks a little different. Danielle shares how she schedules her week to make sure her priorities and values are being met and we talk about creating margin for intentional rest in our lives.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of resting and it’s benefits
- What counts as rest and what isn’t really restful
- Rest as a Christian
- Creating margin for intentional rest
- How Danielle schedules her week to incorporate rest
- Setting boundaries in your business to allow for rest
- Setting your priorities and values
Resources Discussed:
- Natalie Franke
- Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller
- Do More Better by Tim Challies
- Danielle’s Values Workbook
- Eyeshadow from Young Living
Action Steps:
- Take time to check in with yourself to see if you know your priorities and values
- Share your priorities with your friends and family to hold you accountable
- Schedule rest on your calendar
Connect with Danielle:
Danielle Roberts is a Certified Life Coach for Christian business owners, Author of the devotional for business owners called Created for This, Essential Oils Educator and Podcaster. She's from Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband, Lucas and their four beautiful kids. Her favorite things are Caribou Coffee, dates with her husband, and encouraging others.
- Website
Today I’m talking about creating an overwhelm-smashing marketing plan with Heidi Thompson. We dive into the specifics of what a marketing plan is and the five pieces you need to include to have a successful marketing plan. Heidi goes into detail about all five of those pieces so you know who to talk to, what you should be saying, and how you can evaluate whether your marketing is working. This is a great episode if marketing seems overwhelming to you because she breaks it down into really easy steps for any type of business.
Topics Discussed:
- What a marketing plan is and why you need one
- The 5 parts of any marketing plan
- Setting goals for your marketing
- Researching your ideal clients and what makes you different
- Solidifying your messaging
- Where you should be marketing and what you should say
- Evaluating your marketing plan to make sure it’s working
- Marketing with paid ads
Resources Discussed:
- Clone Your Best Clients
- Free Webinar
Action Steps:
- Get solid on who your ideal client is
- Evaluate what you're currently doing and whether it's working
- Schedule weekly and monthly check-ins with yourself
Connect with Heidi:
Heidi Thompson is the best-selling author of Clone Your Best Clients and the founder of Evolve Your Wedding Business where she specializes in business and marketing strategy for wedding professionals. She helps wedding professionals grow their businesses and reach their goals without going crazy in the process. Her business & marketing expertise has been featured on several wedding and business outlets including The Huffington Post, Social Media Examiner, Wedding Business Magazine, Sprouting Photographer, Photo Biz Xposed, Honeybook, WeddingWire World & she’s an advisory board member for the UK Academy Of Wedding & Event Planning.
- Website
- Webinar
- Podcast
Today I’m talking about making SEO easy with Meg Clarke. We have a fantastic discussion about SEO and the things you can do on your website to improve your ranking with Google. She gets into the details of meta-data, content, and all the pieces of SEO. We talk about analytics and the most important thing to consider when working on SEO. She also tells us a little bit about hiring an SEO expert, if that’s where you’re at in your business.
Topics Discussed:
- What SEO is and why it’s important for creative entrepreneurs
- How you can evaluate your own website
- Writing content that helps your Google ranking and serves your audience
- Keywords and why they’re less important than they used to be
- The importance of your website speed
- Meta-data and image alt tags
- The most important thing to focus on when improving your SEO
- What analytics you should be focusing on and how you can use that data
- The difference between website platforms
- Hiring an SEO expert
Resources Discussed:
- Free SEO Audit
- Google Insights
- WP-Optimize
- Google Analytics
Action Steps:
- Look at your content and see if anything needs to be updated
- Link connected posts together
- Look at Google Analytics and see where people are coming from, how long they are on your website, and how many pages they're looking at
Connect with Meg:
Meg Clarke is the owner and founder of Clapping Dog Media where she is a master at growing organic traffic. By using data, proven techniques, and years of experience, Meg and her team help to turn web visitors into raving fans that stick around. Meg is a passionate cheerleader for businesses. She teaches entrepreneurs how they can harness the power of Google so that they can make a larger impact on the world. When she is not learning the ins and outs of the latest algorithm update, Meg enjoys playing with her three boys, husband and golden doodle-- and company mascot, named Vader.
- Website
Today I’m talking with Yvonne Heimann about launching a product on Indiegogo. She is really honest about getting started in the planner industry and what that was like, talking through the manufacturing and production process, and discussing marketing her product launch. We talk about launching not going as planned, but making adjustments as you go.
This is my first episode back from maternity leave, so I’m really excited to jump back into this season and bring you all new guests and topics!
Topics Discussed:
- The design of the Bulletproof Business Planner and how it came to be
- Breaking into a new industry
- The manufacturing and production process and its challenges
- Making changes to your product based on customer feedback
- Why it’s important to know your target market
- How Yvonne is helping her customers get the most out of their planners
- Marketing for a product launch and using Indiegogo
- Making adjustments to a plan based on how a launch is going
Resources Discussed:
- Alibaba
- Copper Bottom Design
- The Digital Gal
- Indiegogo
- Kickstarter
Action Steps:
- Network within the industry you want to be in
- Just start somewhere
- Find people around you to encourage you
Connect with Yvonne:
As a web designer and business efficiency coach who runs multiple businesses, Yvonne has over 10 years of experience organizing, strengthening, and streamlining businesses into profitability and success. She was born and raised in Germany where she caught the entrepreneurial bug early on, working in her parents’ business and owning her own pub by the tender age of 22. Yvonne left the safety net and security she had in Germany to pursue her own dreams. Since moving to the US in 2007, Yvonne’s goal has been to help empower entrepreneurs so they can successfully run a sustainable business while also enjoying life. Her own life-changing challenge came in 2014 when she lost her husband to cancer. Yvonne was determined to resume her passion for building “bulletproof businesses” that can withstand anything.
- Website
- Bulletproof Business Planner Indiegogo Campaign
Today I’m talking to Kristin Kaplan all about pricing your services and products for profitability and your dream clients. Kristin gets into a lot of really great information to help you price your services to actually make a profit in your business, including why you need to stop depending on what others are doing for pricing and start figuring out your numbers.
We talk about knowing your numbers and why that’s so important, as well as pricing based on the value you bring to your clients instead of just what it is you need to make or what the industry standards are.
I’m really excited for this episode because I think it’s something that so many of us creative entrepreneurs and small business owners struggle with, especially when it seems like we hear from a lot of people that our prices are so high.
As we get into this episode, I want to encourage you to get into your own numbers so that you know exactly how you should be pricing your services and figuring out what value you bring to your clients.
Kristin is an entrepreneur, wife, mother of three, and extreme list maker. A northerner by way of Los Angeles, she is now happily settled in Nashville, Tennessee and loves everything about living in Music City. She founded Stunning Events 10 years ago where she plans fresh, fun, wedding celebrations and manages all business operations. She also teaches, mentors, and coaches creative entrepreneurs to live a life of purpose by building a solid business foundation. She is the writer and creator of The Pricing Workbook, a pricing guide for creative business owners and the co-founder, along with Ginny Krauss, of The Wedding Business Bosses community and The Wedding Business Academy, a 6-month group coaching program for wedding industry creatives.
Topics Discussed:
- How she started her first business and started working with wedding professionals and creative entrepreneurs
- The biggest issue small business owners have with pricing
- Creating a strategy behind your pricing
- How to calculate your cost of doing business
- Learning the value of your services or products
- Transitioning from an hourly mindset to value-based pricing
- Pricing for the clients you want to work with
- Packages vs. hourly rates
- Explaining your pricing to potential clients
- Why you should get paid, even when you’re just starting out
- Planning for growth in the future
- How to raise your prices
Resources Discussed:
- The Pricing Workbook
- Asana
- The Wedding Business Bosses
Connect with Kristin:
- Website
Today I’m talking with Amy of PaperFinch and we are chatting all about weatherproofing your business, including what that means for your business, how you can get started, and three major steps for getting weatherproofed. This applies whether you’re preparing to take some time off or you’re growing and scaling as you create different sources of income.
A wanderer at heart, Amy at PaperFinch Design creates inspirational and geographic art and gift products in order to help people tell their story. She wants to help people illustrate and find the inspiration in their own journey – where they're going, where they've been, or their favorite life motto.
Topics Discussed:
- How she got started in graphic design and why she embraces her way of designing
- The importance of weatherproofing your business
- Amy’s story behind her passion for helping entrepreneurs weatherproof
- When you should start the process of weatherproofing
- The importance of organizing and documenting everything in your business
- How to set up your business to be handled by someone else
- How you can start outsourcing in your business
- Starting small by hiring someone who is an expert at something you don’t do well
- How you can use content you’ve already created to make your business easier
- How to overcome objections when it comes to outsourcing
Resources Discussed:
- Blue Apron
- The Pitch Podcast
- These are Their Stories
- Splendidly Curious
- Wholesale 4 Creatives
Connect with Amy:
- Website
- Etsy
Today I’m talking about a website redesign versus a refresh or customization and which option is best for you.
Right now, as we go into 2018, a lot of us are looking at redesigning or updating our websites, refreshing what we have so that we can better speak to those dream clients and really start to grow our businesses and meet those big goals in the New Year.
For me, this included updating my website with my new signature process, The Strategic Website Design Roadmap, and I wanted to talk through a couple of the options that are included in order to help you figure out the best way to go about updating your website.
Topics Discussed:
- The Strategic Website Design Roadmap process
- What’s included in a Website Redesign
- What’s included in a Website Customization
- When you need a complete redesign
- Examples of clients who designed their websites from beginning to end and why they chose that option
- When you don’t need to redesign and should consider customization instead
- Examples of customizations I’ve done for clients and why that option was best
- How to prepare to update your website
Resources Discussed:
- Episode 29 Creating Content for Your Website
Today I’m talking to Jodi Brandon all about writing a book at serves your business and your business. We got though the process of brainstorming topics for your book, writing that book, getting it published, and even get into some marketing. In addition, we cover the ultimate purpose of your book is and how you can validate your topic before you get started. Jodi also talks about the importance of finding a topic that is going to bring your audience back to your services and how you can serve them well through the topic you choose and the book you write. She also talks a little bit about her own book and how she went through this process herself, as well as the reasons that you should consider self-publishing instead of going with traditional publishing.
Jodi Brandon has more than 20 years' experience in book publishing. After many years working at traditional publishing houses, Jodi and her husband relocated from New York to Philadelphia and she launched her freelance editing business. Jodi's passion these days is working as a book editor and writing/publishing coach for creative entrepreneurs, bloggers, and small business owners who want to level up their business with a book.
Topics Discussed:
- How she moved from working in traditional publishing to working one on one with small business owners and creative entrepreneurs
- Why small business owners should write a book
- How to find a topic for your book, including validating your idea before you start writing
- Ways you can reuse the content you’ve already created
- How she works with clients to help them publish a book
- The difference between traditional and self- publishing
- How to launch and market your book
- How to get book readers back into your business and eventually hire you
Resources Discussed:
- Amazon CreateSpace
- Option B
Connect with Jodi:
- Website
Today I’m talking with Krista Miller of Krista Rae all about managing multiple business without complete overwhelm. Even if you aren’t managing multiple businesses right now, this episode is still really relevant because we’re talking about practical steps you can take to avoid overwhelm in your business as you’re adding side projects or just juggling client and business work.
I’m excited about the way Krista runs her business and her willingness to share the systems she uses. She gives great advice on how we can run everything without spending 24/7 on our computer or in our business. She also talks about how you can break your tasks up to get everything done and gives her biggest tip for running multiple businesses without getting overwhelmed.
Krista is a WordPress developer, co-host of the Get Back To Design Podcast, and co-founder of Coded Creative Themes. She specializes in collaborating with passionate designers to craft strategic websites that directly support their clients' goals, while helping them ditch the tech and spend more time doing what they love - design.
Topics Discussed:
- The businesses Krista runs and how each got started
- How we can run our business and pursue other projects without working all the time
- The systems Krista tried and what works best for her
- Exactly how she organizes her week to allow for client work, business projects, and flexible time
- How you can break down all your tasks so you can get it all done
- Her biggest tip for running multiple businesses without getting overwhelmed
Resources Discussed:
- Inito
- Coded Creative Themes
- Get Back to Design Podcast
Connect with Krista:
- Website
- YouTube
- Facebook Group
Today on Process to Profitability, it’s just me talking about improving your website today with 5 easy updates that you can make. This is a subject that I am so passionate about because I believe that you don’t need a brand new website or a total redesign to start seeing more results from your website.
Take these updates and check out your own website. See if you can make some of these changes today to improve your design or if these are things you can put on your to-do list if you think they will take a little longer.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of having your email address on your website
- Where to put your email address
- What you need to include in your terms & conditions and privacy policy
- Why you need return, refund, and warranty policies if you sell products or courses
- Why these policies are important
- How to update your portfolio to attract more of your dream clients
- How to include images, testimonials, and client stories in your portfolio
- Editing your content to keep your design simple
- Why it’s important to guide visitors through your website
- Adding calls to action to each page of your website
- They types of calls to action you can use on each page
- Why you need to map out your website like a journey
Resources Discussed:
- Website Design Guide
Connect with Samantha:
- Website
Today I’m talking with Mallika Malhotra of Mikifoto + Co all about brand photography – what it is, where you can use it, and how you can get the best images possible whether you’re working with a brand photographer or someone who is going to help you capture your brand story through imagery. We chat about where you can use these images online, the best places to share these image in a way that is really going to connect with your dream clients.
Mallika Malhotra of Mikifoto + Co is a brand photographer and brand story strategist who works with women entrepreneurs, inspiring them to express themselves, share their stories and unleash their creativity through photography, branding and live workshops. She combines her strategic business sense with her creative photography skills to help her fellow lady bosses stand out and energize their message with confidence.
Based in northern NJ, Mallika also teaches live workshops on branding, vision boarding and photo styling. When she is not taking photos or building brands, she is at home with her three sons and husband, drinking coffee or red wine and dreaming about their next global adventure.
Topics Discussed:
- What brand photography is and how small businesses can use it
- How you can get photos that will connect with your dream clients
- Why knowing your brand story and why is so important
- Telling your business’s story through photography
- The importance of being true to yourself and not just following trends
- The questions you should be asking a photographer before you work together
- How to get comfortable in front of the camera
- Where you can use your brand photos
- When you should consider investing in a brand photoshoot
- How to use stock photography with your branded images
Resources Discussed:
- Delivering Happiness
- Slack
- The Brand Photography Playbook
Connect with Mallika:
- Website
Today I am talking with Ashley Cox of sproutHR all about building a team that supports your business mission. We covered some great topics including how to hire for a small business, how to set up the hiring process including creating a really great job description, and how you can create an interview process that will help you find the right person for the job. We also talk a little bit about the difference between contractors and employees and how you might be able to hire an intern for your business.
Ashley has so much to share and we covered a lot of it today, so I’m really excited for this episode.
Ashley Cox is The HR Partner for Creatives at sproutHR, where she helps you hire, train, and lead your thriving team, all with confidence and heart. She loves to make the scary and overwhelming parts of hiring and leading a team simple, actionable and fun, so you can feel more at ease in your business and get the help you need!
Topics Discussed:
- How Ashley moved from corporate HR to running her own business helping creative entrepreneurs
- How she found a place where she could use her corporate experience and build a business she loves
- How to create processes and systems to help your business grow
- The importance of writing your processes down
- How to create a job description that helps you hire the right person
- Why you need to outline the interview process before you start accepting applications
- The things you need to include in a job description
- How to make sure that the person you’re hiring has the skills needed for the job
- Why you should hire slowly to avoid hiring the wrong person
- The difference between a contractor and employee
- Why you can’t hire an unpaid intern
- The importance of creating a culture for your business
Resources Discussed:
- Ginny Kraus
- Google Calendar
Connect with Ashley:
- Website
Welcome to Episode 27 of Process to Profitability. This week’s episode is all about setting goals and planning your website before you design.
We’ve all heard about goal setting in our business and you may have tried to do some yourself, whether successfully or not, but when it comes to website design, many of us don’t consider setting goals for our site before we sit down and design. As I have been learning more and more about strategic website design and working with clients, I’ve learned that this is a really important first step to getting your website right the first time.
If your website isn’t working to help you meet your business goals, then it’s really not working for you.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important to set goals in your business for your website
- How to set a goal for your website
- Questions to ask when setting a goal for your website:
- If your website could do just one thing, what would it be?
- What steps do your dream clients need to take in order to take action?
- Working backwards, what is first step someone should take on your website?
- Questions to ask before starting to design:
- Does your website focus on your core purpose?
- Is the main goal of your website what you’re actually promoting?
- Are you addressing your dream client?
- Is everything on your website consistent?
- How to reach your dream clients in the simplest way possible
- Sharing your purpose through what you make most important
- The importance of incorporating design for your dream clients and a style that fits you
- The different types of goals you may choose for your website
- Growing an email list
- Sharing content and educating your audience
- Booking consult calls with your dream clients
- Selling a certain product or course
- How knowing your goal will help you design your website to convert more
- Creating a sitemap to help you make sure you have every page you need on your website
- Planning your website functionality for what you need now and your big future goals
- Why you need to focus on what you’re sharing the services you offer
- Best practices for setting goals and planning your website design
- Include two forms of contact
- Use a professional email address
- Have a goal for each page of your website and lead people to the next step with a call-to-action
- Keep the focus of your About page on your dream clients
- Have one idea or message on each page
- Automate as much as possible
- Define your success metrics
- Why keeping your website as easy to use as possible will serve your audience better
Resources Discussed:
- Interview with Maria Carras
- My Toolbox
- Get Legit Guide
Today I’m talking with lawyer Autumn Witt Boyd all about creating contracts that protect you and your clients. Autumn and I had worked together on a contract for my own business and so I was excited to bring her on to talk about her process and some tips for creating contracts that protect you and your business while still making sure that your clients get the best deal possible. The goal of your contract is that you can both be confident that you would be protected if something were to happen and how that makes it so much easier to work while knowing you have a contract to back you up.
Autumn Witt Boyd is an experienced lawyer who helps high-achieving and ambitious business owners reach their big goals, faster and smarter. Autumn guides creative entrepreneurs with big dreams as they grow from one-person-shows to bigger deals and collaborations. She has special expertise in copyright and trademark issues.
Autumn also hosts the Legal Road Map podcast, which teaches business owners how to protect their rights and stay out of legal hot water. She lives in Chattanooga, TN with her husband Dave, twin boys Sam and Tyson, and daughter Vivian.
Topics Discussed:
- Why a contract is the most important legal protection for your business
- Why your contract should protect both you and your client
- Your first contract should be a client agreement
- How you can create a basic contract yourself starting out and why you should
- The most important things to have in your contract with a client
- Why your contracts should be strict upfront to allow you room to make decisions based on circumstances in the future
- What to do if someone wants you to sign their contract
- How to create a contract that protects you and your client
- Use your previous experience to create a contract that serves your business based on the issues you’ve had in the past
- How to communicate the benefits of a contract to your clients
- Why a contract gives you freedom to do your best work
- Other contracts you may need in your business
- The steps to take if you need to enforce a contract
Resources Discussed:
- Being Boss Podcast
- Contract Templates
- Tara Gentile
- The Magicians
- Being Boss Clubhouse
Connect with Autumn:
- Website
- Facebook Live Videos
- Legal Road Map Podcast
I can’t believe we are already at 25 episodes into this show, and I’m so excited that you’ve been with me along this entire journey. Today I want to talk about something that is going to be really important as we come up on the end of the year – quarterly website maintenance.
Some of these things you may have been doing all along and this hopefully won’t take you tons of time, but I think that they are really important to remind you to do at least every quarter. You may find that you need to do some of these items daily, weekly, or monthly depending on your business and website, but you should be going through this list every quarter to get into your business and know what’s going on behind the scenes without feeling overwhelmed by another item on your to-do list.
You can download a checklist of these items at www.lemonandthesea.com/episode25.
Today I'm talking with Nevica Vazquez all about starting your own mstermind and how her mastermind helped her take her business to the next level. She gives a lot of great tips and really practical information that you can use when you want to start your own mastermind instead of waiting to be invited to someone else's.
You will learn exactly how to start a mastermind that will fit your business and the vision you have and help you put together a group of people who will help you uplevel your business, support you, and give you honest feedback.
We also talk about the best method for hosting a mastermind and how you can keep it on track instead of worrying that everything is going to fall apart because there is no focus.
Nevica Vazquez is a Business Strategist to digital bosses who want to scale their online biz. The bosses she works with are past the beginner stage of their business and ready to assess and strategize their plan for new growth. Together, her and her clients create the online biz + marketing plan they need to get to the next level of their business. In addition to serving her clients, every week Nevica hosts the Digital Boss Roundtable a roundtable webinar show where experienced biz owners meet to have productive conversations on up-leveling their digital businesses. Check out new and past roundtable episodes here.
Topics Discussed:
How Nevica got started in business
How your dream client evolves over time
What a mastermind is
How being a part of a mastermind can benefit your business
How to find mastermind members who are a good fit
How to structure your mastermind
How to keep your mastermind on track
Why you need to have rules going in and how to enforce them
Why you don't have to be the leader of your mastermind
Resources Discussed:
Tara Gentile's Quiet Power Strategy [http://quietpowerstrategy.com/]
Heather Crabtree The Savvy Community [http://thesavvycommunity.com/]
Ashlyn Carter [http://ashlynwrites.com/]
Find & Start Your Mastermind Group [https://nevicavazquez.clickfunnels.com/optin]
Connect with Nevica:
Website [http://nevicavazquez.com/]
Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nevicavazquez/]
The Digital Boss Roundtable [http://nevicavazquez.com/roundtable/]
Today is the second episode all about website design and I am going to be talking about how you can evaluate if your website is working for you. If you haven’t listened to the first episode, I recommend you listen to episode 13.
This episode is useful whether you’re DIYing your website, getting by until you can hire a designer, or if you’re working with a designer now so that you know what to look for and ask for in a strategic website design project. Because that’s what I’m all about – using strategy in your website design so that it doesn’t’ just look good, but it also functions well and helps you grow your business.
I’m going to cover a couple of techniques for evaluating if your website is working for you and I’ve also got a checklist you can download at www.lemonandthesea.com/15download.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of having a strategy behind your website design
- Why you need to test and change your design
- Creating simple, easy to use navigation and what you should include
- Why using website standards can help your design
- Why your content is important to your website visitor’s experience
- Things to check to make sure your content is working for you
- The importance of having a call-to-action on each page
- Creating a contact form that makes it easy for people to use
- How the design of your website can support your main purpose
- Why knowing your audience is important for your website
- The tools I use with clients to test my website designs
- The importance of testing and changing your design
- My #1 recommendation for creating a strategic website
- How strategic design serves your clients and customers
Resources Discussed:
- Strategic Website Design Checklist
- Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
- Google Keyword Planner
- Squarespace SEO Tricks You Should be Using
- Google Analytics
- Page Analytics (by Google) Chrome Extension
- CrazyEgg Heatmapping
- 5 Website Updates to Get Legit Guide
Today Ashley and I chatted all about using customer feedback in product design, but this episode is so relevant to people in the service-based industry as well.
Ashley and I actually met in person at a VIP Intensive back in February of 2017, so I was so excited to bring her on the show to talk about how she grew her company and how she uses customer feedback to help her design better products while still maintaining the vision she has for her business.
Ashley Staum is owner of She Plans, a little planner company that sells planners, notebooks and printable planners. She is a self-taught designer with a degree in Marketing and an MBA from Virginia Tech. Her products are created with simplicity in mind, in both design and functionality, to allow you to create the space to let life happen - because life doesn't happen on the page. As the daughter of a Navy man, Ashley lived in six homes as a child and is on her sixth home since getting married in 2004. She currently lives just north of Houston, Texas along with her husband and four young girls.
Topics Discussed:
- How Ashley got started designing planners for herself and turned it into a business
- Why she still creates printables along with her line of bound planners
- Her transition from Etsy to having her own brand
- Why Ashley loves getting customer feedback and how it’s improved her business
- The four ways she receives feedback and how she uses it to make changes in her business
- How Ashley avoids the temptation to stray for her signature style
- Why she thinks of her customers as part of her business
- Why sometimes less is more in product design
- Why she doesn’t feel like other planner companies are competition
- How starting small and not looking at the competition is beneficial
- Her upcoming Fall launch
Connect with Ashley:
- Website
- Etsy
Today I’m talking with Carolyn Keating of Wholesale 4 Creatives all about getting started with wholesale. Carolyn has a 10 year background in wholesale for other businesses and she has translated that into helping small creative businesses get into retail stores and get their products seen by bigger businesses.
Today we’re covering a lot of information that is mostly aimed at product-based business, but there are some great tips for cultivating relationships and figuring out pricing information if you’re a service-based business.
Some of the topics we cover are what wholesale is and why it’s beneficial, how you can price your products for profitability in the wholesale space, and how you can connect with people in stores and build relationships so you can be seen and stay top of mind whenever they are placing new orders. We also cover a few of the ways that customer service changes when you are working in the wholesale space.
Carolyn Keating is the owner of Wholesale for Creatives, a resource for product based businesses looking to develop their wholesale and retail strategy. Prior to launching her business, Carolyn spent a decade in sales with a NYC-based women's accessories company where she developed and sold products to retail chains throughout the country. Her mission is to educate small businesses about the industry’s best practices so they can successfully compete in the marketplace and avoid making costly mistakes.
Topics Discussed:
- What wholesale is and how it can benefit your business
- Balancing wholesale products and selling on your own platform
- Pricing for profit in the wholesale space
- How to reach out to stores when you’re ready to start selling your products wholesale
- Creating and building relationships with local businesses and buyers
- How pitching a store is similar to pitching a blog post or podcast
- The steps that happen when you’re products have been accepted into a store
- How customer service changes when selling to a buyer instead of direct to the customer
- The importance of dealing with issues quickly and well
- How to stay top-of-mind (in a good way)
- What you need to have in place before considering wholesale
- The importance of having multiple products and manufacturers you trust
- Why you need to evaluate if wholesale is right for you and do it yourself before you hire a team
Resources Discussed:
- The Savvy Community
- Plan to Eat
Connect with Carolyn:
- Website
- The Wholesale Collective
Today is a continuation of my website design series and I’m going to be talking about how a website designer can save you time and money. I’m going to go into some really important things to think about when you are considering whether you want to DIY your website or hire someone to help you with the design and development in order to save you time and ultimately save you money so you can spend more time working with your clients and growing your business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why you can’t do everything in your business as it grows
- The ultimate goal of running your business and why hiring can help you get there
- How a website designer can uses your vision and needs to design your website right the first time
- Why a designer can save you money with their resources and knowledge
- The back-end things that a designer should put in place that you can grow down the road
- The importance of having a designer support you before, during, and after your website launch
- The steps a website designer will follow to design a website that meets your goals
- How a website designer can save you time by managing your project and keeping everything on track
- Why having a designer who is familiar with your design and platform helps you post-launch
Resources Discussed:
- Squarespace
- MailChimp
- ConvertKit
Topics Discussed:
- Building excitement for your website launch
- Finding cheerleaders to help promote your new design
- Finalizing the design of your website
- Why you need to test your website before launch and what to look at
- Preparing for your website launch
- What you should do after your website launches
Action Steps:
- Make a list of potential cheerleaders
- Create graphics to share when you launch your website
- Collect information about your current domain and host, including username and password, so it’s in one place.
Today I’m talking about running a business as a side-hustle with Shannon Mattern. We chat about a lot of topics, including how she got started with her business and the transition she made to running it full time. We also talk about how you can run your business as a side-hustle in a way that benefits your business and the difference between that and running a full-time business. Shannon shares about creating a strategic plan when you’re running a side-hustle and some tips for balancing a full-time job, running a business, and self-care, as well as how you can transition to a full-time gig and the things that you need to do to prepare.
Shannon Mattern shows side hustlers, bloggers, entrepreneurs and freelancers how to build a website, grow an audience via online marketing and turn their expertise into income. You can think of Shannon as your WordPress BFF! Through her signature course, the 5 Day Website Challenge, she has empowered over 6,600 people to DIY their website with WordPress. Shannon’s mission is to empower those who want the freedom, flexibility and financial independence that an online business can provide by removing the tech barriers holding them back! In January of 2018, Shannon transitioned from side-hustler to self-employed. She shares her journey, strategies and tactics via her podcast, Pep Talks for Side Hustlers at www.peptalksforsidehustlers.com/itunes (or wherever you listen to podcasts).
Topics Discussed:
- How running a business as a side-hustle is different from doing it full-time
- The benefits of a side-hustle
- Talking to clients about your side-hustle and setting boundaries
- Creating a strategic plan for growing your business
- Tips for self-care while working a full-time job and running a side-hustle
- How you can prepare to transition your side-hustle to full time
- Shannon’s words of encouragement to side-hustlers who can’t leave their day job
Resources Discussed:
- Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income Podcast
- Rocket Book
Action Steps:
- Figuring out your magic number - what do you want to make a month/a year from your business
- If you don't love your day job, journal your 10 likes and 10 gratitude’s about your job every morning
- Figure out how you can be more creative with your schedule to have time to grow your business
Connect with Shannon:
- Website
- 5 Day Website Challenge
Today I’m talking about hosting a podcast that supports your business. As I approach 100 episodes of Process to Profitability, I’ve talked to a lot of people about why I started a podcast and how I run it while still maintaining my service-based business. Podcasting has become the main way I create content to support my business, so today I’m sharing how I got started, how my podcast grew, and what you should consider if you want to start a podcast of your own.
Topics Discussed:
- My podcast journey
- Balancing podcasting and business
- How I find guests for the show
- Why I record solo episodes
- Tools I use for my podcast
- My step-by-step podcast process
- Resources I recommend if you’re considering starting a podcast
Resources Discussed:
- Zoom for recording
- Blue Yeti microphone
- Adobe Audition for editing (others use Garage Band)
- Audio Jungle for music
- Libsyn for hosting
- ID3 Editor for tagging finished files
- Profitable Podcast Plan from Kinsey Roberts
- Rachael Jamison, my podcast editor
Action Steps:
- Apply to be a guest on another podcast to see if you like the medium
- Brainstorm ideas for your podcast that support your business and stand out
- Research starting a podcast to make sure you have everything in place before you jump in
Today I’m talking about partnering with an OBM or team with Brooke Jackson. Brooke starts by explaining what an Online Business Manager does and how they work with business owners. We discuss the types of tasks an OBM can do and what they won’t do in your business. We then talk about building a team, with or without an OBM to help, including choosing the right people to hire, on-boarding new team members, and managing your team.
Brooke Jackson is an Online Business Manager (OBM) for female entrepreneurs who are ready to take their business to the next level. She genuinely helps female online-business owners by taking over almost all of their current operations, business systems, team leading, planning & timelines, launches, and project management. Brooke has a passion and love for animals, worldly cultures, and online business.
Topics Discussed:
- What an OBM does and how she can work with a business owner
- The main types of tasks that an OBM can do for a business
- How to partner with an OBM
- What an OBM won’t do in your business
- Tips for business owners who need to build a team, but can’t afford an OBM
- Choosing the right type of person to hire first in your business
- On-boarding new team members
- Managing your team, whether or not you have an OBM to help
- When you should start thinking about hiring an OBM for your business
Resources Discussed:
- Asana
- Teamwork
- Trello
- Basecamp
- Tina Forsyth
- Rocket Fuel
- Myers-Briggs Test
- Slack
- Flock
- Voxer
- Loom
- LastPass
- Clockwork
- Airtable
- Zapier
Action Steps:
- Start breaking down everything you do in your business and organize into daily, bi-daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly.
- Start documenting those processes! Break out anywhere you want to record them and write out the steps you take to perform actions along with guidelines & loom videos if needed
- Start assessing yourself as a leader. Get to know yourself and your working style.
Connect with Brooke:
- Website
Today I’m talking about what’s included with your website design when you work with Lemon and the Sea. One of the most frequently asked questions I get as a designer is “is this thing included in your quote?” so today I’m taking some time to lay out what I include with every website design and to talk about why it’s important to ask these types of questions when you choose a website designer.
Topics Discussed:
- Why is it important to know what’s included when you work with a website designer?
- What I include for website strategy clients
- What I include for website customization clients – depends on the type of project we’re doing, but these are always included for no extra charge
- Why I think it’s important to include these pieces
Resources Discussed:
- Why You Need to Specialize (or why I’m not a copywriter, SEO strategist, or brand designer)
Today I’m talking about managing entrepreneurial anxiety with Wendy Breakstone. We have a great conversation for you to listen in on today talking about why entrepreneurs tend to struggle with anxiety, how we can set and achieve goals in our businesses and some recommendations for future planning. Wendy also talks about systems that we need to set up in our businesses that are fairly simple to help you get started and feel confident when you’re showing up in your business and for your clients.
Wendy Breakstone is a Business Success Coach with more than 18 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and small businesses on their marketing, online presence, and foundational business systems. She got her own entrepreneurial start helping independent retail owners take control of their bookkeeping and business systems and soon transitioned to helping clients build and integrate e-commerce into their marketing and brand strategy. Today Wendy follows her passion for coaching entrepreneurs that struggle with business anxiety, overwhelm and frustration. She helps them take control and feel more confident by creating simple systems and strategies for long-term success. Wendy believes that when you simplify, success follows.
Topics Discussed:
- Some reasons why entrepreneurs tend to struggle with anxiety
- How to set and achieve goals when anxiety gets in the way
- Wendy’s recommendations for choosing what to focus on when planning for the future
- The systems you should set up to help your business grow without getting overwhelmed
- Why the world needs you to show up in your business, even you’re worried
Resources Discussed:
- Seven Reasons Entrepreneurs are Particularly Vulnerable to Mental Health Challenges by Megan Bruneau
- Plan for Success Workbook
- Acuity
- Evernote
- Google Docs
- Dubsado
- PayPal
- Freshbooks
- Quickbooks
Action Steps:
- When setting big goals, do Wendy’s visualization experience
- Set a single daily action
- Write a list of to-do’s for the day each morning
Connect with Wendy:
- Website
- Plan for Success Workbook
Today I’m talking about choosing what to invest in for your business. As your business grows, or even when you’re just starting, there are going to be some things you want to really invest in – coaching, professional design or copywriting, events – that aren’t an everyday expense. As the business owner, it’s up to you to decide what you should be investing in and how your money can best be used to support your business as it grows.
Topics Discussed:
- Why investing in your business is important
- My philosophy on business investments and why I won’t go into debt
- The types of things you can invest in
- Working with a coach
- Group masterminds
- Events
- Software purchases
- Hiring a designer, copywriter, photographer
- Hiring employees
- When you should start investing in your business
Action Steps:
- Research purchases or events you would like to invest in.
- Make a plan to start saving for these items.
- Sign up to get notified of deals and tickets.
Today I’m talking about how customer service is queen with Catherine Hildner. We have a great conversation about why customer service is important, what it looks like in our businesses, and how we can set everything up to be really customer focused. Catherine talks about her experience with both good and bad clients and how she has evolved her customer service over time. We also talk about how you create a one-of-a-kind experience without spending a lot of money. I suggest you go check out the Customer Service 101 Hack Sheet she references at the end of the episode – there will be a link to that in the show notes.
Catherine Hildner is the creator, designer and heart and soul behind Kitty Meow: A Creative Boutique. At Kitty Meow you can shop beautifully designed paper goodies based on your mood, witty or sweet. Whether you're looking for something witty and even a little rude, or prefer sweet sentiments, she's got you. Catherine is also a wife, mother, anchor-loving philanthropist, and Customer Service Queen.
Topics Discussed:
- The most important parts of having good customer service
- How you can set up your business to serve your customers well
- Owning up to your mistakes and celebrating your wins
- Saying no to potential clients who aren’t a good fit
- Breaking up with a bad client
- How you can create a one-of-a-kind experience without spending a lot of money
- Customer service when you have employees or contractors working for your business
Action Steps:
- Create a set of systems and processes for on-boarding customers
- Find thoughtful details to include in your customer service
- Own up to your mistakes with your customers
Connect with Catherine:
- Website
- Blog
- Customer Service 101 Hack Sheet
Today I’m talking about my maternity leave plans. If you’ve been following along on social media or to some of the latest podcast episodes, you’ll know that my husband and I are expecting our first child at the beginning of April and I am planning on taking a maternity leave starting the last week of March, which means that I have been doing a lot of preparation over the last few months. Today I’m going to dive into what my maternity leave is going to look like, how I’ve been preparing, and the resources that I’ve used in case you want to plan your own maternity leave or long-term leave from your own business.
Topics Discussed:
- How I planned for my maternity leave in each trimester
- Resources I looked at as I planned an extended leave
- What my maternity leave plans are
- How I’m outsourcing, delegating, and letting things go as I prepare to go on leave
Resources Discussed:
- Preparing for Maternity Leave when You Run Your Own Business from Kat Schmoyer
- An Inside Look at How I’m Preparing for Maternity Leave from Elle & Co.
- Planning for Extended Time Off from Nancy Ray Photography
- How I Prepared for My Maternity Leave from Rhiannon Bosse
- Process to Profitability Episode 87 Planning for Maternity Leave with Arianna Taboada
- How I’m Preparing for Maternity Leave from Ashlyn Writes
- How to Plan a Maternity Leave (or Vacation) as an Entrepreneur from Jenna Kutcher
Today I’m talking about accounting, bookkeeping, and client appreciation with Nadia Anderson. We cover a lot of topics in this show including the differences between accounting, bookkeeping, and financial planning, and the types of systems you should have in place as a business owner for your finances. We also talk about getting ready for tax season with quarterly taxes and deductions and how all of that works. Then we talk about client appreciation and how Nadia has used that to build both of her businesses and really create relationships that are ongoing so that she can continue to work with clients, vendors, and team members that she loves.
Nadia Anderson is the owner of Virginia Grace, an event management company that creates stress-free celebration memories for its clients. She is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a chartered global management accountant (CGMA) with twenty years’ experience. In her accounting practice, she supports creative business owners and nonprofit organizations with her unique blend of creativity and business aptitude and experience. She enjoys sharing information and giving practical advice for entrepreneurs to be successful. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @NadiatheCPA and @vagraceevents.
Topics Discussed:
- Staying on top of your finances so you aren’t rushing to prepare for tax season
- The difference between accounting, bookkeeping, and financial planning
- Building a dream team and who should be on it
- The types of systems business owners should have in place for bookkeeping and taxes
- What quarterly taxes are and how they might benefit your business
- Business deductions including meals and clothing
- How client appreciation benefits business owners
- Building referrals through showing appreciation to both clients and vendors
- How Nadia shows appreciation to her clients before, during, and after working together
Resources Discussed:
- Quickbooks
- IRS Publication 535
- Top Five Deductions You May be Missing
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Action Steps:
- Build your dream team of an accountant, financial advisor, lawyer, insurance agent, and banker
- Set aside time every month (or more often) to look at your finances
- Consider ways you can show more appreciation to your clients and team members
Connect with Nadia:
- Nadia Anderson, CPA website
- Virginia Grace website
- Nadia Anderson, CPA Instagram
- Virginia Grace Instagram
While we’ve talked about outsourcing and hiring in the past, I wanted to give my insight into why outsourcing in small ways can be beneficial to your business. As a business owner, I know that it can be intimidating to think about hiring someone full time or handing over a lot of work to a virtual assistant or other contractors. While that may work for some businesses, and is very beneficial as you grow, starting small can ease your workload and help you better serve your clients right where you are now.
Topics Discussed:
- Why you should start small when choosing to outsource
- Figuring out what to outsource in your business
- Finding people or programs that you trust
- Working with someone to make sure everything is running smoothly
- How I started outsourcing at Lemon and the Sea
Action Steps:
- Make a list of tasks you would like to get off your plate
- Create a detailed description of the work you’re looking to outsource
- Ask your friends or trusted Facebook groups for references of people who may be able to help
Today I’m talking with Sarah Anderson about creating a welcome sequence for your email list. We go into a lot of detail in this episode about why you need a welcome sequence, what you can include, how you can set it all up, and really making sure that this is another way that you’re serving your audience by giving them as much value as you can.
Sarah Anderson is a copywriter and email marketing strategist. She believes that building a relationship with your list is one of the most valuable investments you can make in your marketing. That's why Sarah works with business owners who want emails that nurture subscribers, give tons of value, and convert into sales.
Topics Discussed:
- Why you need a welcome sequence for your email list
- Setting a goal for your welcome sequence
- The types of emails to include and how often you should be emailing
- Selling in a welcome sequence without feeling pushy
- Common objections business owners have to creating welcome sequences
- Setting up your email list so that everyone gets the right emails at the right time
- Where subscribers should go after they’ve completed your welcome sequence
Resources Discussed:
- Ash Ambridge with The Middle Finger Project
- Loom
- ConvertKit
- ConvertKit tutorial to creating segments
- MailChimp tutorial to creating segments
- ActiveCampaign tutorial to creating segments
Action Steps:
- Decide on a goal for your welcome sequence
- Start to plan the purpose for each email in the sequence
- Schedule a time to write your emails with a deadline
Connect with Sarah:
- Website
Today I’m talking about 5 ways to give back in your business. The holiday season just wrapped up here in the United States and for many of us, the start of the New Year also means thinking about how we can do more with our businesses moving forward. If you’re like me, you want to do more than just serve your clients and market on social media – you want to make a difference year-round in bigger ways. If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to making giving a part of your business model, I have 5 ideas for you.
Topics Discussed:
- Giving to a cause
- Volunteering for local organizations
- How you can use your influence as a business owner to inspire others
- Why you should consider offering a scholarship to your program or service
- Donating your skills as a business owner to those in need
- Making sure you’re giving back the right way
- How Lemon and the Sea makes giving a part of our business model
Action Steps:
- Brainstorm ways you would like to give back in your business
- Research organizations that support causes you’re passionate about
- Set aside a small amount of time or money to donate over the next month
Today I’m talking about planning for maternity leave with Arianna Taboada. We cover a ton of information specifically for expecting entrepreneurs, but even if you are looking at planning for the future and taking a leave in your business, this is a really helpful episode. We talk about how a baby is going to affect your business and Arianna’s tips for babyproofing while you’re still in the planning stages. She also gives us tips on changes we can make to our website and how we can let our current clients know what our plans are in advance so everyone is prepared for what’s to come. She also talks about building a support network when we find out we’re pregnant and why it’s important to have a transition time to learn the balance between new motherhood and business.
Arianna is a maternal health expert, author, and owner of a consulting firm that helps female founders intelligently design maternity leave plans that meet their business model and personal needs. Prior to her consulting practice, Arianna worked on maternal health issues for over a decade as a health educator, a social worker in a mental health clinic, a reproductive health researcher, and a yoga therapist. She draws from her expertise as a maternal health professional, combined with her experience as a business owner and mother, to provide highly personalized services for service-based entrepreneurs. She is deeply committed to providing on-going, multi-faceted support that meets the professional, physical, mental, social, and emotional needs of entrepreneurs as they babyproof their business and navigate new motherhood. Arianna lives, works, and plays with her family in Berkeley, California.
Topics Discussed:
- How having a baby affects your business as an entrepreneur
- Tips for babyproofing your business while you’re pregnant or when you’re thinking about starting a family
- Changes you can make to your website to help as you plan for maternity leave
- How to let your current clients know about your leave plans
- Building a support network for the post-partum period
- The importance of having a transition time as you get back into business after having a baby
Resources Discussed:
- Workbook to help you build your support network
Action Steps:
- Review or develop your standard operating procedures for your core business operations.
- Conduct a time audit for 2 weeks.
- Learn from other entrepreneurs with similar businesses and what they did for maternity leave.
Connect with Arianna:
- Website
- Book
Today I’m talking about my top time management tips and tools. Have you ever looked back at a long day of work and wondered why you didn't get anything done? I certainly have - there have been many times that I've thought I was being productive, but I was actually spending my time on things that weren't as important to my business.
As the creative director and only designer at Lemon and the Sea, I have a lot on my plate - and I'm sure you do too. That's why it's important to use your time in the best way possible. After all, time is one thing you can't make more of. So how do you increase your productivity when you're trying to do it all? These are some tips I've learned during my time in business (and in architecture school before that - no all-nighters for me).
Topics Discussed:
- Finding your ideal schedule and when you work best
- Creating a long-term schedule for big projects
- Daily to-do lists and how they can keep you on track
- The importance of tracking your time
- Why your priorities should dictate how you manage your time in your business
- Tools I use for making the most of my time
Resources Discussed:
- Harvest
- Asana
- Dubsado
- Bullet Journal
- Day Designer
- Google Calendar
- Acuity
Action Steps:
- Choose and set up a time tracking app
- Write a list of emails you send frequently and can write templates for
- Find the time of day you work best and adjust your schedule so you’re doing your important tasks then
Today I’m talking about copyrights, trademarks, and all things intellectual property with Caroline Fox. We cover a ton of topics, so this is a busy episode but it’s full of great information. We talk about copyrights – what they are, how you can get one, why you need one, and what you can do if someone steals your work. Then we talk about trademarks and why they’re important and how they can benefit you. Caroline gives us some great insight into steps we can take to make sure that our business is set up legally and that we are taking advantage of everything that we can so that our small businesses can really get out there and grow with the protection that we need.
Caroline Fox is the principal attorney at her law firm, CJFox Law, and has been named to Virginia's "Legal Elite" list for the past two years. She also founded the Engaged Legal Collective, an educational resource with templates, guides, and workshops for wedding pros. She’s been lucky enough to speak at conferences like Wedding Wire and Destination Wedding Planners Conference, and has written for Wedding Business Magazine and Rising Tide Society. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her dog, and is otherwise pretty boring.
Topics Discussed:
- What intellectual property is and why it matters for creative entrepreneurs
- The difference between copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets
- What qualifies as a trade secret and how you can protect them
- When you need a copyright and how to get one
- The benefits of having your work registered as a copyright
- Steps you can take if someone steals your work
- What you should trademark and why working with a lawyer is beneficial
- The trademark registration process
Resources Discussed:
- Getty Images Price Calculator
- Dubsado
- Wedding MBA
Action Steps:
- Make an evaluation of intellectual property is valuable in your business
- Research lawyers in your area to help you if needed
- Start putting preemptive steps in place to prevent issues
Connect with Caroline:
- Website
- Engaged Legal
Today’s episode is all about how you can know if a website template is the right choice for your business and how to choose the right one. It may seem strange coming from a website designer, but I believe that website templates are valuable resources for many businesses, especially when you’re starting out. Custom website design is a big investment of both time and money, so starting with the right template can help you move your business forward until you’re ready to take that step. I’m going to be sharing when a template might be right for your business and my tips on choosing the right template for you.
Topics Discussed:
- How to know if you should use a website template or work with a designer for a custom design
- Choosing the right template the first time
- Why your website goals are important when choosing a template
- The types of features you might need and how to think about them
- Why it’s important to choose your website platform before looking at templates
- Choosing a template that will grow with your business
- Some other things to consider when choosing to use a website template
Action Steps:
- Make a list of the three biggest goals you have for your website
- Research website platforms and choose the one that will work best for your business now and as you grow
- Create a Pinterest board with website designs that fit your brand
Today I’m talking about finding your personal style with Meghann VanderBaan of MVB Style. She shares why having a personal style is beneficial for entrepreneurs, finding your own personal style, and how we can find the right pieces for our wardrobe. We talk about dressing for everyday life and conferences, as well as how we can put together outfits that make us feel confident.
Meghann is not your typical personal stylist who recommends fancy designer outfits. She helps moms and business owners ditch the yoga pants to gain confidence. Through her style guides and coaching programs, she enables women to dress beautifully for the lifestyle they actually have.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important for entrepreneurs to have a personal style
- The benefits of having a personal style when shopping and planning outfits
- Tips on cleaning out your closet
- How to find your personal style
- Finding clothes that fit and work for your life
- How to style your clothes to look pulled together
- The building blocks for creating a pulled together look
- Dressing for everyday life and conferences or events as an entrepreneur
- How having a personal style can really increase your confidence
Resources Discussed:
- KonMari Folding Method
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
- Old Navy Power Jean
- Camo Field Jacket
- Capsule Wardrobe Guide
- Rent the Runway
- Evereve
- Old Navy
- a new day collection from Target
- Universal Thread from Target
- Madewell
- Crew Factory
- Sole Society
Action Steps:
- Clean out your closet and get rid of what isn't working for you
- Create a Pinterest board of outfits that you love
- Make a list of the pieces that you're missing from your closet that you can purchase for yourself
Connect with Meghann:
- Website
- Facebook Group
Today I’m talking about using guides and videos to improve your client experience. As a small business owner offering one-on-one services, client experience is a huge part of how I continue to grow my business. As I’ve developed my design process, I’ve found that by using guides and video, I can better serve my clients by making things easy for them to understand and giving them a reference they can use throughout our time together and even after our projects wrap up. In this episode, I’m talking about how you can use guides and videos in your own business to the benefit of both you and your clients.
Topics Discussed:
- How tools like guides and videos help your clients
- The types of guides should you can use in your businesses
- Creating guides that are helpful, but not overwhelming
- Why video is so important to the client experience
- Some ways you can use video for your clients
- The videos and guides can you automate and the ones you need to customize
Resources Discussed
- InDesign
- Canva
- Loom
- Acuity
- Zoom
Action Steps:
- If you don’t have an account with Loom, set one up.
- Start adding a video meeting to your onboarding process.
- Create a welcome guide for clients interested in working with you.
Today I’m talking with Christina Scalera about understanding website policies and the GDPR. Christina gives us her insight into the GDPR and what it means for all of us as small business owners, as well as things we can be doing to get our website policies and terms & conditions up to date so that we are on track legally and it’s not something we have to worry about down the road. We talk about newsletters and opt-ins, the cookie banner, and some action steps you can take today to get started on this journey without freaking out about it.
I loved talking with her about this (and Christina is who I got my GDPR-compliant privacy policy from), so I recommend you check out The Contract Shop and listen to this episode when you have a chance to take notes and figure out what you need to be doing for your own website based on where you’re located and your business.
Christina Scalera is the attorney and founder behind The Contract Shop, a contract template store for creative entrepreneurs, wedding professionals, and coaches. Three years ago, Christina found herself dreaming of pursuing a more creative path, and she started to look for alternatives to her in-house legal job. She explored everything from teaching yoga to becoming a freelance graphic designer to opening an Etsy shop. In the process, she ended up coming full circle by creating a business that brought the benefit of her legal training to help her fellow creatives. When she’s not staring at a computer or awkwardly standing on cafe chairs for the perfect overhead latte photo, you can find her in the woods doing things that are sometimes dangerous but always fun, like riding horses, skiing and reluctantly camping.
Topics Discussed:
- The difference between a website privacy policy and terms & conditions
- Why you need a privacy policy
- The GDPR and who it affects
- Christina’s take on the GDPR and how she’s implementing it in her business
- Updates you may need to make to your newsletters and opt-ins
- What the cookie banner you’re seeing everywhere is and why you need one
Resources Discussed:
- Rising Tide Society
- The Illume Retreat
- Making Things Happen Conference
- Christina’s GDPR Bundle
- MailChimp
- Klaviyo
- ActiveCampaign
- Bulletproof Bars
- The Copywriter Club podcast
Action Steps:
- Go to thecontractshop.com/quiz to find out where your business is at legally
- Put it in your calendar to listen to this episode again to take notes
- Remember that when you say you're bad at something, it's a story you're telling yourself
Connect with Christina:
- The Contract Shop
- Law Law Land Facebook group
Today I’m talking about making your process easy for your clients. Creating a process that serves both you and your clients is the key to growing your business in a way that is sustainable and supports your big dreams. But if you’ve never put a formal process in place, it can be overwhelming to think about creating one. Here’s the good news: if you’ve worked with clients in the past, you already have a lot of the tools you need to create a process that works for you and your clients.
Topics Discussed:
- How to create a process that works for you and your clients
- Determining what you need to automate and what you have to do yourself
- Why your work style matters for your process
- Using your past and current clients to design your process
- The importance of being flexible and making changes
- Things you can create to make your process easier for your clients
Resources Discussed:
- Top Tools I Use in My Business
Action Steps:
- Write down all the steps you go through with a client and lay them out.
- See where you can automate or simplify the process, then implement one of those.
- Create an email template that you can customize for on-boarding a client.
Today I’m talking about getting raving testimonials with Kim Wensel. We talk about a lot of topics here, including why testimonials are important and how you can ask clients for testimonials. Kim also talks about the types of questions you should be asking and the other information you should consider gathering when you’re asking clients for testimonials. We talk about using the information you’ve gathered to create an effective testimonial and tailoring your request to serve your dream clients. Then we dive into the difference between client feedback, testimonials, and case studies.
This is a great episode if you’re interested in learning more about how you can share testimonials that actually speak to your dream clients.
Kim Wensel is a branding strategist and founder of Pattern of Purpose where she works with entrepreneurs and small businesses who are ready to scale their business. Before introducing new services, raising their prices, or pivoting, they want to know that what they're building will sell. She helps them peek into the minds of their customers so they know how to attract the right people and make their brand stand out.
A true multi-passionate, Kim tried out many career paths before finding her career footing, including owning a wedding planning business, managing health programs in Nigeria and Kenya, working as a nonprofit communication and research consultant, and serving as an admissions counselor at two universities. While she’s a self-taught entrepreneur, Kim also has Masters degrees in Social Work and Public Health.
She lives outside of Washington DC with her two kids, husband, and the most lovable rescue dog you’ve ever met. When she’s not working on her business, she can be found heading for the mountains, desperately trying to escape city traffic.
Topics Discussed:
- Why testimonials are important for businesses
- How we can ask our clients for testimonials
- The types of questions we should be asking in our testimonial request
- Other information you should consider asking for
- Using the information you’ve gathered to craft an effective testimonial
- Tailoring your request to serve your dream clients
- The difference between client feedback, testimonials, and case studies
- Where you should use testimonials
Resources Discussed:
- Free Testimonial Questions download
- Interviewing Your Dream Clients Process to Profitability episode
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Action Steps:
- Start listing the questions, challenges, and desires your dream clients have about your work are coming to you with
- Put together a list of questions to pull from when you ask for a testimonial
- Ask – build asking for testimonials into your process
Connect with Kim:
- Website
- Testimonial Questions
Today I’m talking about how to prepare for a website redesign. Many of my clients come to me because they are ready to update or redesign their current website and they all have questions about what they can do to make sure that they’re ready to work with a designer. Today I’m going to be going through the steps that you can take to make sure that you’re ready to work with a designer when you need to update or redesign your website.
Topics Discussed:
- Why you need to start the redesign process by determining what types of updates you want to make
- The differences between a full redesign, customization, and small design tweaks
- Why you need to choose your website platform before choosing your designer
- Finding a designer through referrals
- Why you should always get on a call before hiring a designer
- Getting to know your brand
- Gathering the information you need before a website redesign
- What to expect during the design process
Action Steps:
- Brainstorm a list of updates you need to make to your website
- Make sure all your design files are in one place
- If you’re ready to hire someone, ask around for referrals
Today I’m talking with Eric & Jamie Gay about showcasing your personality in business. This is a really fun episode and it’s the first time that we’ve had a married couple on the show, so I’m excited for you to learn from them. We talk about why it’s important for your potential clients to get to know your personality before hiring you and how they came to that decision in their business based on the vendors they hired for their own wedding. We also talk about where you can show your personality to your clients so that they know that you’re going to be a great fit for them and you know you’re finding the right people. I also ask Eric & Jamie a little bit about what it’s like working with your spouse and how they balance the responsibilities of running a business together.
Even if you are not a photographer, I encourage you to listen to this episode. There are some great takeaways for anyone in a service-based business who is serving clients one-on-one and wants to make sure that they are infusing their personality in their business.
Eric & Jamie Gay make up an award-winning husband-and-wife wedding photography team serving incredible couples throughout the southeast and beyond. Living by the motto, “Classic is Always Current," Eric & Jamie Photography capture timeless, joyful wedding imagery to celebrate and preserve the love of the wedding day. Their work can be found in publications like The Knot, BRIDES, Southern Bride, YAHOO! and Style Me Pretty. Recently named Best Wedding Photographer in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, Eric & Jamie photograph over 40 weddings per year, manage two associate photographers and their weddings, and run an in-demand, high-end photography business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important to showcase your personality with potential clients before they hire you
- How our interactions with other businesses and vendors affect how we run our own business
- Why clients are drawn to your personality before your work
- Ways to showcase your personality online
- Using automations to balance professional and personal communication
- Working with your spouse
Resources Discussed:
- Trello
Action Steps:
- Showcase special moments with your clients on social media
- Infuse your personality in little ways like your IG bio
- Use your picture on your website
Connect with Eric & Jamie:
- Website
Today I’m going to be talking about the top tools that I use in my business. I decided that this would be a good episode to share with you because while it is shorter, it has a ton of resources. I’m going to break the list of tools into different sections so that no matter what type of business you run, you can check out these tools and see if they would work for you in your business.
Topics Discussed:
- The tools I use for design
- My favorite business and administration tools
- What I use for podcasting
Resources Discussed:
- Design
- Squarespace
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Haute Stock
- SC Stockshop
- Pixabay
- Business Administration
- Dubsado
- Asana
- Google Suite
- ConvertKit
- Later
- Tailwind
- Wave
-
Podcasting
- Zoom
- Typeform
- Acuity
- Libsyn
-
Creating a Subscription Service Based on Your Customer’s Needs with Rachel Rouhana
- Choosing and Optimizing Images for Your Website
- My Toolbox
Today I’m talking about marriage and entrepreneurship with Adrienne Rolon. This was such a fun topic to cover because so many of us, as we run our businesses, are trying to figure out how to involve our spouses and make sure that our marriages are still an important part of our lives. Today we talk about why marriage as an entrepreneur is different than when you both work standard jobs and how we can get our spouses excited and ready to support your business. We then talk about the types of business conversations you should be having with your spouse and how you can find a role for your spouse in your business to support you and to make them a part of what you’re doing. Adrienne also talks about how having children affected their marriage and their business and the changes they had to make as those life changes came along, as well as a few tips for making sure that you are cultivating a marriage and a business that you love.
Adrienne is the wedding planner, designer, floral artist, and marriage encourager behind Heart's Content Events & Design! She is so passionate about her craft, and takes joy in planning and designing stunning, heartfelt, and joy-filled wedding days, so couples can sit back, relax, actively prepare for their marriage, and spend intentional time with those who matter most. She is married to her college sweetheart, Josh, who teams up with her to counsel and encourage creative business owners to become better stewards of their marriages while fostering the growth of thriving businesses. They are blessed to be parents to their fun-loving son, James, their joyful daughter, Nora, and rambunctious but kind Frenchie, Nina.
Topics Discussed:
- Why marriage as an entrepreneur can be different than when you work a standard job
- Making time for your spouse when working on your business
- How you can get your spouse excited and ready to support your business
- The types of business conversations you should be having regularly with your spouse
- Making it easy for your spouse to be supportive by giving them a role in your business
- How having children can affect your marriage and business
- Why it’s important to spend time away from your business
Resources Discussed:
- The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
- Simplified Planner
- Adrienne’s Marriage Encouragement Sessions
Connect with Adrienne:
- Website
Today I’m talking about creating an effective call-to-action. Calls to action are something that appears on every website, so I wanted to take some time to talk about what makes a good one and gets people on your website to convert in the way that you want them to.
Topics Discussed:
- What a call-to-action is and why it’s an important part of your website
- Where to put a call-to-action on your website
- Choosing the right call-to-action based on the page of your website
- Writing an effective call-to-action
- How to use design to encourage visitors to take action
Action Steps:
- Make sure every page of your website has a call-to-action
- Update your call-to-action text to encourage action
- Review your call to action design to make sure it stands out
Today I’m talking about creating a signature service with Maggie Patterson. We had a great conversation about why it’s important for business owners to have a signature service and how you can start developing this type of process in your own business. Maggie talks about how having a signature service changes the way that you market and price your services and can really help you show up as an expert and serve your clients in the best way possible.
Maggie Patterson is a communications strategist, business growth consultant, and the principal consultant at Scoop Studios. With two decades of experience, Maggie has spent her entire career in client services and has been a successful entrepreneur for over 10 years. Today, she works with online and small business owners to help them implement smart strategies for business growth and to maximize the impact of their digital marketing. She’s the host of the Small Business Boss podcast, has been on stage at events such as New Media Expo, Podcast Movement, and the Conquer Summit, and her work has been featured in leading publications such as Entrepreneur.com, Fast Company, and Virgin.com.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important for business owners to have a signature service
- Steps to take when you start developing a signature service
- When should transition into a signature service
- Beta testing your new process
- Creating content around your signature service to prove your expertise
- Pricing in your business
- How to keep your clients on track during your time together
- Receiving and using feedback to make adjustments to your service
Action Steps:
- Start paying attention to what you're doing that can be repeatable or that you need to systematize
- Focus on positioning yourself as an expert in what you're offering before you launch
- Be patient, this is a long-term process
- Add an expiry date to your contract
Connect with Maggie:
- Website
- Podcast
Today I’m talking about why you need to specialize – or why I’m not a copywriter, SEO strategist, or brand designer. I’ve been learning over the past 3 years in business that it is important to specialize when you decide what it is that you want to offer in your business and who you want to work with. It doesn’t work to offer every service to everyone out there because then you can’t be known as an expert in any one thing.
Over the past three years, I have spent my time trying to figure out exactly what I could specialize in and how I could best serve the clients that I really wanted to work with. It took time and a lot of iterations of my services and website and what I wanted to offer, but as I have learned that I need to narrow down on what it is that I want to do and who I want to work with, I have also seen that my ability to serve my clients well has increased.
Today I’m going to talk through that journey with you and encourage you that if you aren’t sure if you should be specializing in one area, I really recommend that you do.
Topics Discussed:
- How I went from offering every type of design service to focusing on website design
- My fears as I chose an area to specialize in
- Why I can’t offer every kind of service
- What you should look at as you consider specializing
- Honing in on your specific service, process, and dream client
Resources Discussed:
- Episode 60 | Getting to the Heart of Your Brand
- Reina Pomeroy
Action steps:
- Figure out your "why"
- Narrow in on your dream client
- Remove any services from your website that you don’t want to specialize in
Today I’m talking with Sarah Walton about money mindset and being the CEO of your business. We cover a lot of topics in this week’s episode and Sarah has great insight to share. We talk a little bit about why entrepreneurs are afraid of looking at the money side of their business and how we can get better at that. We talk about loving what you do and changing the perception of your friends and family, as well as your own perception, of seeing this as a real business. We also discuss creating new products to serve your clients, planning your marketing, and a little about Facebook ads and how Sarah is using those in her own business.
Sarah Walton a business mentor and is the founder of Sarah’s Business Accelerator for women who want to start and build their businesses, and The Money Mindset Course, and interactive online course for women.
In a quest to make sure women are empowered with every tool needed to fulfill the Dalai Lama’s promise, Sarah founded her companies and started creating events, workshops, and courses. Through her companies, and her Redefining Success Events, she now speaks around the nation, offering her courses, products and workshops, all designed to inspire, inform, ignite passion and bring the power of femininity forward. Her focus is on taking better care of ourselves, developing a healthy relationship to money, creating challenging goals and learning how to lean back just as often as we lean in. Her companies have become known and trusted brands around the world and one of her businesses was recently featured on The Today Show. She is a mother of two and a wife to one. She lives with her family in New Jersey.
Topics Discussed:
- Why many entrepreneurs are afraid of looking at the money side of their business
- Using profit and loss statements to give us information about our business and plan for the future
- Changing your mindset in your business to see your value
- Helping your friends and family see your business as more than just a hobby
- What you should focus on when creating new products and services
- Why you need to know your dream client inside and out
- The importance of planning your marketing in advance and knowing the seasons of your business
- Why Sarah decided to invest in Facebook ads and how she’s preparing her business
Resources Discussed:
- Wavve
- Martha Stewart
- Brene Brown
- The 5 Second Rule from Mel Robbins
- Marie Forleo
- Tasha Blasi, IVF Consultant
Connect with Sarah:
- Website
- Business Accelerator
- Mastermind
Action Steps:
- Know your numbers (debt, profit, expenses, cash)
- Understand your value
- Actively work on your confidence by challenging yourself
Today I’m talking about launching your website. If you’ve been tuning in over the past several weeks, I’ve talked about designing a strategic website including your navigation, home page, about page, portfolio, sales page, and contact page to cover everything you need to build a website that helps your business to thrive. Now it’s time to talk about launching that website you’ve built. This is the way that I help my clients prepare for a launch and get their website into the world. This episode will be helpful if you’re working with a designer or designing a website yourself and you’re ready to launch in a way that helps your business to grow.
Topics Discussed:
- Building excitement for your website launch
- Finding cheerleaders to help promote your new design
- Finalizing the design of your website
- Why you need to test your website before launch and what to look at
- Preparing for your website launch
- What you should do after your website launches
Resources Discussed:
- Screenfly
- Buzzing Creatives
- Conducting a UX Test
Action Steps:
- Make a list of potential cheerleaders
- Create graphics to share when you launch your website
- Collect information about your current domain and host, including username and password, so it’s in one place.
Getting people to contact you should be the ultimate goal of your website, so it’s important that your contact page sets you up for success.
Topics Discussed:
- Why your contact page is so important
- Different options you need to include
- Tips for designing an effective contact page
Resources Discussed:
- Dubsado
Action Steps:
- Include your email address
- List your office hours or when people can expect to hear from you
- Update the post-submit response to fit your brand
Today I’m talking with Brit Kolo about marketing personality types. Brit and I have a great conversation about how you can figure out what personality you have and how you can find a marketing strategy that feels good. We talk about why this is so important and how you can really help yourself, your business, and your clients by marketing that aligns with your personality instead of feeling like you have to follow what everyone else is doing. Brit shares the story of how she pivoted in her business and in her life as she went from one career to another and started a business with the confidence that she would be able to make it work.
Brit Kolo is a Marketing Coach who coaches boxed-in business owners to become independent, profitable leaders through self-awareness and #MarketingThatFeelsGood. She’s also the creator of the Marketing Personality Quiz and Host of the Marketing in Yoga Pants Podcast. Through her intuitive, in-depth coaching process, she’s here to shake up your approach to marketing and inspire you to grow your business in a feel-good, meaningful way. When she’s not hopping on a Zoom call with a coaching client, she’s chugging dark roast, podcasting in her yoga pants, and supporting her circle of fellow female entrepreneurs. Meet Brit and get ready to go deep, find meaning, and grow that business you’ve always dreamt of at JAMMarketingGroup.co.
Topics Discussed:
- Pivots in business
- Why it’s important to find a marketing strategy that fits your personality
- Brit’s free resource for making sure your marketing feels good to you
- Designing a marketing plan that serves your clients
- The Myers-Briggs Personality test and how it’s useful
- Examples of personality types and marketing strategies
Resources Discussed:
- Marketing Personalities
- Myers-Briggs Personality Type
- 16Personalities
- Dubsado
- Kickass Masterminds
Action Steps:
- Take the Myers-Briggs personality test
- Find your marketing personality
- Implement one strategy that fits your personality
Connect with Brit:
- Website
- Podcast
- Marketing Personalities
Your services page is probably going to be your most content-heavy page because you want to share a lot of information, but you can improve the design by removing distractions (such as a call-to-action in your banner image), breaking up your content into smaller chunks, and making it easy to get in touch with you.
Topics Discussed:
- The difference between a sales page and a services page
- Laying out a strategic sales page
- Designing an effective services page
- Overall design tips
Action Steps:
- Add at least one image of you to the page if there isn’t one
- Update your calls-to-action to encourage action
- Add client testimonials that reflect the results they saw after working with you
Today I’m talking about interviewing your dream clients. If you have never heard of a dream client interview or you’ve never done one before, it may seem like a weird idea, but it is a great way to interview people who you want to work with and get an idea of what they are looking for in your service or product. Today we’re going to cover why interviewing your dream clients is good for your business, the basics of interviewing, writing questions that get to the point and give you what you need, getting ready for the interview, conducting it, and what you should do once it’s over.
Topics Discussed:
- Why interviewing your dream clients is good for your business
- The basics of interviewing
- Writing questions that get to the point and give you what you need
- How to prepare for the interview
- Conducting dream client interviews to get the most out of them
- What you should do after the interview is over
Resources Discussed:
- Acuity Scheduling
- Zoom
Action Steps:
- Make a list of past clients and people you know that you would like to interview
- Create a list of questions to ask
- Send an email explaining what you’re doing and asking for their help
Your portfolio is a great way to show off what you do and connect with your dream client. It’s important that you use this page to show the type of work you want to be known for - not every project needs to be included here. If you have a lot of items to share, consider creating sections based on style or event type so visitors can easily find what they’re looking for.
Topics Discussed:
- What projects you should feature in your portfolio
- Designing a portfolio that speaks to your dream clients
Action Steps:
- Remove any projects that don’t reflect your current services and style
- Add a testimonials to each project
- Organize your portfolio so it’s easy to navigate
Today I’m talking with Cher Hale and we are talking about pitching yourself. We cover topics like why it’s important for entrepreneurs to pitch themselves, what types of opportunities are available for you, and how you can create a pitching process of your own. Cher also talks about what makes a good pitch and how she does research ahead of time to make sure that whatever outlet you are pitching is a good fit and then we talk about following up. I give some examples of pitches I’ve received and follow-ups so that you can hear from a podcast host what that feels like.
We also talk about what happens if you get a no or a yes after you pitch and how you can continue that relationship in a positive way.
Cher Hale is a publicist who helps authors, activists, and artists tug at more heartstrings + get more eyeballs on their work. She specializes in writing cold (but heartfelt!) pitches and has landed interviews on outlets like The Unmistakable Creative, goop, and NBC. When she’s not writing emails, you can find her re-watching Remember the Titans, playing with her cat Totoro, or hiking somewhere in the PNW.
Topics Discussed:
- Why small business owners need to learn to pitch themselves
- The types of opportunities that are available for entrepreneurs to share their expertise
- Cher’s pitching process and how you can create your own
- What makes a good pitch
- Following up without going overboard
- What happens if you hear a no after a pitch
- The process if you get a yes
Resources Discussed:
- Natalie Sisson, The Suitcase Entrepreneur
- Asana
- Amanda Berlin’s The Empowered Publicity Podcast
- Michelle Mazur
- Crosby Noricks with PR Couture
Action Steps:
- Set a goal for pitching
- Make a wish list of podcasts
- Write a heartfelt pitch and follow up
Connect with Cher:
- Website
Your about page isn’t really about you, it’s about your dream client. People are going to check you out before they decide to invest time or money into your business. They want to know what you can do for them right now. If you have an online business, whether you’re supporting it through a blog or not, your need a solid About Page that’s easy to find and targeted to your ideal client.
Topics Discussed:
- Designing an about page that focuses on your dream clients
- The basic layout of a successful about page
- Examples of fun about pages you can use for inspiration
Resources Discussed:
- Episode 28 | Writing an About Page that Connects with Maria Carras
- Jenna Kutcher
- Lemon and the Sea
- Buzzing Creatives
- The Honeymoon Concierge
- Being Boss
Action Steps:
- Make sure your about page includes at least one image of you
- Update your copy to focus on the benefits clients get from working with you
- Add 1-2 testimonials from dream clients
Today I’m talking about creating conversions with a quiz. One of the biggest things that I have seen people struggling with when they design a website is getting people from landing on their website to actually converting. I’m excited to talk about one way that you can increase conversions on your website by creating a quiz that can then run automatically.
Topics Discussed:
- How quizzes can increase conversions on your website
- The results I’ve seen from using a quiz
- Brainstorming a topic for your quiz
- Creating questions and results that fit your dream client and support what you’re already doing in business
- Connecting your quiz with the content you already have
- How to share your quiz
Resources Discussed:
- Interact
- ConvertKit
Action Steps:
- Explore Interact
- Brainstorm a topic for your quiz
- Share your quiz on your home page
This is the second episode in the Designing a Strategic Website Series and today we’re talking about designing a strategic home page. I’m sharing how design home pages that get visitors to take the next step on your website.
Topics Discussed:
- The purpose of your home page
- What visitors need to see on your website to keep coming back
- Strategically directing potential clients to the next step
Action Steps:
- Add a headshot of you to your home page if you don’t have one
- Check your copy to make sure it’s clear what services or products you offer
- Make sure you have a call-to-action supporting your big goal
Today I’m talking with Amanda Dennelly about designing a morning routine you can stick to. Amanda and I have a great discussion about why having a morning routine is so important for business owners and how it can affect your day and your life. She also talks about the importance of mindset work and how that’s going to look different for everyone. We talk about how your morning routine isn’t going to look just like everyone else’s and you don’t have to follow a prescribed formula because it’s more about finding things that fit you and making small tweaks so that you really feel the way you want to as you start your day. We then talk about adjusting our morning routine to fit our lives as entrepreneurs when our family or friends are home and need more flexibility.
Amanda Dennelly helps creatives and entrepreneurs that are feeling stressed and overwhelmed stop overcomplicating their day-to-day so they can grow their business and create more time to do what they love. She helps clients shift their mindset around their mile-long to-do list and create room in their schedule to finally breathe, all because of rather than in spite of their growing business. This supports them to rapidly scale their businesses, create more fulfillment, and feel happier and healthier in their everyday lives. Amanda started her career working with some of the biggest brand names in New York City before moving out west and starting her own design studio. She spent years honing her process and found the same principles of intentional simplicity and refinement that she used in her branding work can also help creatives design a beautiful, balanced life and a successful, thriving business. Today, she operates her coaching practice in the mountains outside Denver, Colorado. When she’s not supporting clients, she’s going for early morning trail runs, mid-day walks with her puppy, and Friday sushi dates with her man.
Topics Discussed:
- Why a morning routine is important for business owners
- How your morning routine affects your day and your life
- The importance of mindset work
- Designing a routine that fits you
- Making adjustments in your routine as life happens
Resources Discussed:
- ClickList
Action Steps:
- Pay attention to your current morning routine and how it makes you feel
- Choose one thing to change and try it for a week
- Experiment with exercise to find something you love
Connect with Amanda:
- Website
- Connection Call
- Morning Routine Guide
Today you’re listening to the very first bonus episode in the Designing a Strategic Website series. Today we’re talking about designing a strategic navigation. I discuss choosing the right links for your main navigation, strategically leading visitors through your website, designing a footer that keeps people on your website longer, and use for a sidebar and what you should include and leave out.
Tune in for the next six weeks to learn more about designing a strategic website – we’re going to cover a different component or page of your website each week.
Topics Discussed:
- Choosing the right links for your main navigation
- Strategically leading visitors through your website
- Designing a footer that keeps people on your website
- Uses for a sidebar and what to include
Action Steps
- Update your main navigation with standard link names
- Remove any links that you don’t need in your main navigation
- Take advantage of your footer by adding other important links
Today I’m going to be talking about what pages you need on your website. The reason I wanted to talk about this today is because every Tuesday for the next few weeks, I’m going to release a bonus episode specifically about some of the most important pages on your website. I’m going to talk about trends, what’s working and what isn’t, and what you can do to create a strategic design for each of those pages.
We’re going to start today talking about which pages you might need depending on your type of business. I’m going over why choosing the right pages for your website is important, the goal of your website and how it affects those pages and creating a journey to get people to take action.
Topics Discussed:
- Why choosing the right pages for your website is important
- The goal of your website and how it affects the pages you need
- Creating a journey for your website visitors
- How to decide which pages your website needs
- Pages you need, but may have forgotten about
Resources Discussed:
- Setting Goals and Planning Your Website
- The Contract Shop Website Policies Template
Action Steps
- If you haven’t already, choose the three goals you have for your website
- Write down the journey a visitor takes from first landing on your website to taking action on your goal
- List any pages you are missing and need to add to your website
Today I’m talking with Kendra and Kleneice of Humble & Whole and we are discussing using Instagram to build connection and grow your business. Kendra and Kleneice talk about the ways that we can use Instagram to build engagement and really get to know our community. We also talk about the types of images you should be sharing, how you can find the best hashtags, and what your options are for sharing and how you should use those. They also give a couple of the common mistakes that they see entrepreneurs making and the tools they recommend using to help you grow your Instagram following.
Kendra and Kleneice are the founders of Humble & Whole, a digital marketing agency that helps female entrepreneurs build online communities that are both meaningful and profitable. They are on a mission to empower female entrepreneurs to share their voice and offerings confidently so that they can make a greater impact and create more income.
Topics Discussed:
- How using Instagram can benefit your business and your audience
- Connecting with your community in a genuine way
- Asking simple questions to increase engagement and learn about your audience
- Growing your following with people who are your dream clients
- The types of images you should be sharing
- Choosing hashtags for your posts
- Where you should be sharing – IGTV, Stories, Lives, and regular posts
- The common mistakes that business owners make on Instagram
- Tools you can use to help you use Instagram more effectively
Resources Discussed:
- Planoly
- Asana
- The Art of Selling on Instagram email course
Action Steps:
- Brainstorm some simple questions to ask in your captions
- Find a few hashtags for your business
- Update your bio to include what you do and who you serve
Connect with Humble and Whole:
- Website
Today I am talking about my top three strategies for designing a website that fits your brand. If you’ve tuned into the last two solo episodes, I’ve talked about getting to the heart of your brand and how design strategic websites and I wanted to make that really actionable for you today by sharing the top three strategies that I use when designing a website that fits your brand and giving you some action steps that you can use on your own website.
Topics Discussed:
- Building a strong foundation for your website by digging into your brand’s mission, vision, and values
- Knowing your dream clients inside and out
- How your foundation can help you create content and write copy for your website
- Setting goals for your website
- Why goals help you focus and make decisions as you design
- Pushing the limits of what is standard
- Ways to find inspiration that makes you think differently
Resources Discussed:
- Getting to the Heart of Your Brand
- Setting Goals and Planning Your Website
Action Steps:
- Create a dream client profile including demographics and psychographics
- Write down the 3 biggest goals you have for your website
- Start a Pinterest board with inspiration from websites and other sources
Today I’m with Ashley Gartland about simplifying and delegating in your business. We talk a little bit about how you can simplify your business and the five steps she has to help you get to what you want to be spending time in your business and how you can make space for the things you want in your life.
We talk about the best place to start simplifying if you’ve been running your business for a while and then we dive into the topic of delegation. We talk about using delegating to make your workload easier and save time, how you think about delegating whether you’ve done it before or not. Ashley gives us the assignment to help us figure out which tasks we want to hold onto and which we can delegate to tools, systems, or contractors. She also talks about how simplifying in your business can really benefit you and why it’s so important.
Ashley Gartland works with women entrepreneurs whose business is doing well but who feel like a hot mess behind the scenes - and they know it's holding them back from reaching the next level. She helps them simplify their business and build a stronger foundation so they can experience more growth and fulfillment in their work and more freedom in their life. Ashley has been an entrepreneur since the age of 22 when she got her start as a freelance food writer. After working in editing, event planning, public relations and digital publishing, Ashley launched her coaching practice to help overwhelmed entrepreneurs grow their business by doing less better. Ashley's work has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, The Huffington Post and Being Boss and she's appeared on The Startup Sessions, Courage & Clarity and The Feel Good Effect podcasts. She lives for rainy days, is an avid runner (and wannabe yogi) and prefers kombucha over coffee to fuel her day. To connect with Ashley and learn more about how you can simplify your business, you can join Ashley's free community, The Simplified Entrepreneur.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s so important for business owners to simplify
- The best place to start simplifying if you’ve been running your business for a while
- Steps you can take to start simplifying
- How you can use delegation to make your workload easier and save time
- Where to start when considering delegating
- Why delegating doesn’t have to cost a lot of money
- Evaluating what benefits you’ve gotten from delegating
Resources Discussed:
- Trello
- Acuity
- Calendly
- Zoom
- Loom
Connect with Ashley:
- Website
- Facebook group
- 5 Steps to Simplify Your Business Guide
Today I’m talking about a topic that I’m really excited about – getting to the heart of your brand. In episode 58, I discussed why the heart of your brand and brand strategy matter when designing a website, and today I wanted to dig into how you can figure out what the heart of your brand is. If you’re wondering why this matters when designing a website, I really believe that brand strategy is what takes your website to the next level and gives you the connection with your dream client.
My process is focused on both strategy and design so it’s important that I start off on the right foot by delving deep into the heart of my client’s business. Knowing the heart behind your brand – why you do what you do – can inspire other people to rally around you and take action on what you’re offering. But you can’t design a website that reflects that if you don’t know what it is.
This process of getting to the heart of your brand, your mission, and your core values, and even your messaging can help you to define your brand and then focus on bringing your website to life with strong, strategic design.
Topics Discussed:
- Why the heart behind your brand matters in business and in design
- Getting to your bigger Why
- Finding your vision for your brand
- Honing your business’s mission
- Creating values for your brand that will grow with you
- Learning what sets you apart and makes you different from others in the same industry
Resources Discussed:
- Translating Your Core Values into Your Metrics with Jennifer White
Action Steps:
- Write down your Why and dig deeper through the Why x 5 method
- Find your business values and add them to your website.
- Write down your differentiators
Today I’m talking about the true value of an hour with Yasmine Kashefi and we get into a lot of great stuff here. She talks about what the true value of an hour actually is, how you can calculate it, and what you can do if you’re struggling with having enough time. We also talk about what to look for when you’re considering outsourcing, as well as some tools that you can use to start saving time in your business to make sure you’re as efficient as possible. We also go through my schedule and my struggle with feeling overwhelmed and busy as Yasmine suggests things that I could do to find more time to do what I love and serve my clients well in the most efficient way possible.
This is a great conversation if you want to learn about how to make the most of your time and what you should consider outsourcing. We cover a wide range of topics and you get some behind-the-scenes and a little bit of Yasmine’s coaching with myself in this episode.
Yasmine Kashefi is a Creative Business Strategist who works with female entrepreneurs to help them find clarity, focus and to create a clear plan of action that scales their business and grow their profits. A seasoned strategist, Yasmine has over 10 years of experience in business strategy, operations, financial planning and marketing and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. A former corporate consultant, she now uses her skills for good* to help empower female business owners to achieve sustainable, profitable businesses.
Topics Discussed:
- The meaning of “the true value of an hour”
- How you can calculate the value of your hour
- Things you can do if you’re struggling to have enough time to get everything done
- How to know when you should do something yourself and when you should outsource
- Tools you can use to save time in your business
- My struggle with time management and adjustments I can make
Resources Discussed:
- Flow
- Acuity
- Growing Your Team and OBM vs. VA with AllieDanae Walker
- Social Glue Sessions with Reina Pomeroy
- Trello
- Google Calendar
- Google Sheets
- Asana
- Koba Aura One
Connect with Yasmine:
- Website
Today I’m going to walk you through how I craft websites that authentically covert for my clients. Over the years, I’ve created a signature process that combines brand development, design, and strategy to craft websites that enable my clients to confidently show off their expertise, charge their worth and connect with the clients they’ve been dreaming on working with. Your website investment should deliver lasting results, and I’m here to guide you through a process that gets to the heart of your brand so your website can grow with you.
Topics Discussed:
- How I created my signature process over time
- Why I require potential clients to complete an application
- Why brand strategy is so important in the website design process
- My five-phase process for designing strategic websites
- How calls throughout the process benefit both me and my clients
- The four workbooks I use with my clients during our time together
- Questions I often get from clients
Resources Discussed:
- The Strategic Website Design Roadmap Guide
- Strategic Website Design application
- Website Design & Strategy Audit
Action Steps:
- If you aren’t sure if your website needs customization or a full redesign, listen to episode 36 of Process to Profitability.
- If you want a customized report based on your own brand, dream clients, and goals that help you make the right decisions for your website, sign up for my Website Design & Strategy Audit.
- If you’re interested in working with me, fill out my website design application.
Today I’m talking with Emily Walker all about creating a learner-centered mindset. This episode is great if you already have a course or are planning to create one, but it’s also beneficial if you want to make sure that the information you’re sharing is beneficial to your audience.
In this episode, Emily walks us through how she got started in learning design and what that means, as well as why you can apply these principles to everything you do in business. We then talk about the mindset you should have when choosing to educate your audience through a course and how you can get started in the right mindset. She talks about goal statements and how that can guide you in your course creation, marketing, and more as you make decisions to create something that really benefits the people who are learning from you and she explains some of the key questions that you can ask yourself during the process of learner-centered design.
We also have a brief conversation about why we need to think about of the box of what everyone else is doing in creating opt-ins and courses and really figure out what’s going to work best for the people that we’re trying to educate instead of following along with the industry standard. In addition, we have a discussion about why the key piece of any course is not just what you’re trying to teach and the transformation your learners will see, but how you do things as a unique individual and why that’s so important to make that a part of everything that you do so you can stand out in a crowded industry.
We then talk about the ways that focusing on your learners benefits your business and some tips for creating courses that are learner-centered.
Emily Walker wants to live in a world where people teach their passion, PowerPoint karaoke isn’t a thing, and designing an online learning experience is as simple as Sunday mornings in yoga pants. As the founder of Course Wellness with Emily and the Course Wellness Podcast, she helps heart-centered entrepreneurs design online courses that support their audience through their transformative learning journey. When she’s not designing or auditing courses, you can find her cuddling with her two cats, drinking matcha lattes, and planning her next trip to France. Learn more about Emily at her site www.coursewellness.com and be sure to check out the Course Wellness Wheel.
Topics Discussed:
- How Emily got started in learning design
- What a learning designer does
- Applying learning design to everything you do
- The mindset you should have when choosing to educate your audience through a course
- Where to start when you want to create a course
- How a goal statement can guide your course creation, marketing, and more
- Key questions to ask yourself during the process of learner-centered design
- Why you need to think outside the box of what everyone else is doing
- Ways that focusing on your learners benefits your business
- Tips for creating courses that are learner-centered
Resources Discussed:
- Social Glue Sessions with Reina Pomerory
Connect with Emily:
- Website
- Course Wellness Wheel
Action Steps:
- Create a goal statement for your course or business.
- Brainstorm ways that you can educate your audience that are out of the box.
- Choose one topic you want to learn and figure out your first step.
This is our first bonus episode! I’m so excited for this episode because I’m bringing you Tript and Prabh Johal from Buzzing Creatives and we are talking about using Pinterest to grow your business. Part of the reason I’m excited is because this is a great topic and we get into a lot of cool discussions about how you can use Pinterest, the tools that they like to use to manage Pinterest, and some tips for the new changes that the platform has been making and how you can take advantage of them. They also wrap up with some good advice if you’re just starting out or transitioning your Pinterest account to a business account so you can make sure that you’re on the right foot.
The other reason I’m excited about this episode is because Buzzing Creatives is actually and client of mine and when this episode goes live, we will be just a few days away from launching their new website and their new Pin for Growth course. I would love it if you would check out their website. They are so passionate about helping creatives who have a little bit of a different background, which we talk more about it the episode.
Tript & Prabh of Buzzing Creatives, are social media experts that specialize in Instagram & Pinterest - and yes they are sisters! They teach creative entrepreneurs how to grow their business online by leveraging social media. Buzzing Creatives was born out of their knowledge, experience, and passion for teaching. Being creatives at heart, Tript & Prabh are passionate about creative entrepreneurs turning their creativity into profitability without compromising their artistic integrity.
Buzzing Creatives was developed at a time when both Tript & Prabh were on individual trajectories which they thought would never meet. But what they forgot was that more than being sisters they were best friends and more than best friends they were soul mates. To have your sister as your soul mate is the best case scenario, you just can’t lose and so their individual fates aligned perfectly to create a window in time when Buzzing Creatives was finally born!
Buzzing Creatives has grown into a community of creatives that inspire each other. At the heart of buzzing creatives is the belief that innovation is the result of a community full of supporting creatives and that is why they place emphasis on building a sense of community where teachers are students and vice versa, so everyone can learn from each other and grow as creatives.
Outside of Buzzing Creatives, Tript & Prabh both love to travel, read books, watch Bollywood, listen to U2 and go on crazy adventures. Tript has a Master’s Degree in Gender and International Development from the Institute of Development Studies UK along with her BA from the University of British Columbia. Prabh is currently doing her Ph.D. in Art History with focus on Classical Archeology at the University of Toronto, she completed her Masters in Classical Archaeology from the University of Oxford and previously completed her BA from the University of British Columbia.
Topics Discussed:
- How Tript & Prabh decided to start Buzzing Creatives
- Creating a place for online business owners who feel marginalized in other groups
- Why Pinterest is an important platform for creative entrepreneurs
- How Pinterest is different than other social platforms
- Group boards and finding which ones will benefit you
- Tools you can use to manage and grow your Pinterest account
- Writing descriptions for pins and boards that get found
- Transitioning a personal Pinterest account into a business one
- What types of boards your business should have
- Using Tailwind tribes to share content
- Tript and Prabh’s upcoming Pin for Growth course
Action Steps:
- Set up a Pinterest business account
- Start pinning consistently, focusing on the 1st five pins each day
- Write pin descriptions that include keywords and that link to a page with matching content
- Create attractive Pinterest graphics (600px x 900px is optimal)
Resources Discussed:
- Tailwind
- Board Booster
- Canva
Connect with Buzzing Creatives:
- Website
- Facebook group
- Pin for Growth course
Today in another solo episode and I am chatting with you about conducting a website self-audit. I wanted to talk about this subject because I think that it’s so important that each of us takes time every once in a while to look over our website and make sure it’s really working and supporting our business. It’s easy to get caught up in everything else we have to do as a business owner and leave our website to the last minute (or not update it at all even though h we know we should).
That’s why I’ve created this self-audit outline that you can follow that makes it easy to look at your website and go over it every once in a while and make sure that it’s serving your business in the best way possible. Most of the things I’m talking about here won’t be big changes that need to be made, but small pivots that can help increase the traction that you’re seeing from your website and really get you the results that you’re looking for so that your business can grow and you can spend more time doing the things that you love.
Topics Discussed:
- Why conducting a website audit is important
- Starting with the heart of your brand before you audit your website
- What you should look for and update on the most important pages of your website
- The three most important analytics to look at
- How to audit your website’s SEO
- Three bonus tasks to help you further improve your website
Resources Discussed:
- Start with Why by Simon Sinek
- The Contract Shop
- Understanding Analytics – Website Analytics Basics
- Finding Keywords for Your Website and SEO Basics
- Quarterly Website Maintenance for Your Website
- UX – What is It and Why is it Important?
- Choosing and Optimizing Images for Your Website
Action Steps:
- Dig into the Why behind your business
- Look at your website’s navigation to make sure only the most important links are included in the main menu
- Make sure your brand’s mission statement is included in some way on your Homepage
Today I’m talking about why every creative needs a wolfpack with my friend, Elizabeth Henson. We cover topics that range from wolfpacks, masterminds, and some behind-the-scenes business stuff. We talk about what a wolfpack is and how it’s different from a mastermind and why it’s important for creative entrepreneurs to have a wolfpack. Then we get into who should be a part of your wolfpack and how you can start building relationships and finding people you really connect with. We also talk about ways you can make sure that you’re being a good member of a wolfpack – for yourself and others – and supporting people in the best way possible.
I’m excited to talk about this topic with Elizabeth because after connecting through a few different groups and events, I’ve seen how she puts this into practice first hand.
Elizabeth Henson, owner of Elizabeth Henson Photos, is a heartfelt wedding photographer and passionate coach for creative dreamers and overachievers. She helps women who feel stuck in their day-to-day spread their creative wings and make money doing what they love. Elizabeth settled into entrepreneurship after career hopping and finally leaving the 9-5 grind, She now runs a full-time photography business where she specializes in weddings for couples who believe in finding laughter in love. Her photographs have been published in magazines, books, and online. She is equally well known for her passion to help other women succeed in their own creative business endeavors and dreams of a world where any woman can make her living doing what she loves. Yoga and 90s music keep her grounded, as does spending time with husband, Mark, and two daughters, Gracie and Maddison. Elizabeth's mission is to grow her creative community, Creatives Live Happy, and provide support to emerging "creativepreneurs" everywhere.
Topics Discussed:
- What a wolfpack is
- Why having a wolfpack is important for creative entrepreneurs
- Who should be a part of your wolfpack and how you can build those relationships
- Ways you can start building your own wolfpack
- Being a good wolfpack member
Resources Discussed:
- Angie McPherson
- Reina Pomeroy
- Social Glue Sessions
- Amber McCue
- Starting Your Own Mastermind with Nevica Vazquez
Connect with Elizabeth:
- Website
- Education
- Find Your Five
Today I’m going to be talking about understanding analytics – website analytics basics. This episode is an overview of analytics, so there are a lot of topics I don’t cover, but I wanted to introduce this topic and give you information about analytics, what it’s good for, and what you use.
I’m going to give an overview of website analytics, what you should be paying attention to, and the 7 most important analytics to look at for your website. I’m also sharing some questions that can help you as you evaluate your analytics, why you need to set up Google Analytics, and what Squarespace analytics are most useful for your website.
I’m including a lot of information in this episode, so I recommend that you check out the show notes where you can find all of this written down in case you don’t want to take notes while you’re listening.
Topics Discussed:
- An overview of website analytics and what you should pay attention to
- Good and bad ways to use your website analytics
- The 7 most important analytics to look at, what they’re good for, and how to find them in Google Analytics
- Questions to help you evaluate your analytics
- Why you need Google Analytics and how to set it up
- Finding the keywords people are finding your website on
- What Squarespace analytics are most useful
- Other tools you can use to collect analytics data
Resources Discussed:
- Episode 25 | Setting Goals and Planning Your Website
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Episode 38 | Finding Keywords for Your Website & SEO Basics
- Submitting a Sitemap to Google
- Crazy Egg
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- SEM Rush
Action Steps:
- Install Google Analytics on your website
- Find your top exit pages and add a call-to-action to each
- Find your keywords and evaluate if they’re what you want to be known for
Today I’m talking about making the most of your time with Mariah Tomkinson. She talks about why it’s important that a business owner starts making productivity and time management a priority and then we talk about how you can actually start to do that in your own business. Mariah shares the kinds of techniques we should have in place to get more done, how she sets goals and makes sure that she gives time for those things to work and see if they will benefit her business. We also discuss how our habits affect our productivity, what her weekly schedule looks like, and how we know if our current time management strategies are actually working.
This is a topic that a lot of creative entrepreneurs struggle with, so if you’re trying to figure out how to make the most of your time, make sure to tune in to this episode.
Mariah runs Bloom Hustle Grow, where she helps overwhelmed female entrepreneurs navigate the twists and turns of the entrepreneurial journey by establishing strategic direction, crafting actionable plans, and building processes that allow them to hustle easier. She has an MBA and BS in Business with a concentration in Marketing, and has spent many years saying, “that’s a great idea, but how are we going to execute that?”
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important for business owners to make productivity and time management a priority
- Ways you can start to improve your time management
- Techniques you should have in place to get more done
- Setting goals and allowing enough time for things to work
- How your habits affect your productivity
- Creating habits that benefit you and your business
- Mariah’s weekly schedule
- Evaluating if your time management strategies are working
Resources Discussed:
- How to Track Your Time and Get Control of Your Day
- Managing Multiple Businesses without Complete Overwhelm with Krista Miller
- Michael Hyatt’s Your Ideal Week
- Trello
Connect with Mariah:
- Website
Today I’m going to walking you through what it’s like to be a creative entrepreneur and going over the week in the life of someone who runs an online business. The format of today’s episode is going to be a little different because I’m going to record every evening (or the next morning) to go over what I did, what I learned, and some of the things that I’m working on so you get a picture of what I spend my days doing.
I have chosen to record this a few weeks in advance, so this is not the week previous to the episode coming out, and it’s a little bit crazy because we have a lot scheduled in the evenings that aren’t work-related, but I want to pick this week because it will give you a good picture of what my life is like most of the time, especially going into the spring.
Topics Discussed:
- How I schedule my weeks
- What each day looks like
- Why flexibility is important when you work from home
- How I prepare for the coming week
Resources Discussed:
- Verticals Episode with Reina Pomeroy
- Davey and Krista
- Brands that Book podcast
- Amy and Jordan Demos
- Dubsado
Today I’m talking with Jennifer White about translating your core values into your metrics. We cover a wide range of topics including how you can translate the core values of your business into your metrics, what processes you need to have in place, and how those metrics can help you develop processes that support your values.
She also goes through the process of auditing the processes you have in place to make sure they are working for you and what changes you can make down the road as you find you need to shift and change. We talk briefly about how you can grow your team and make sure you stay on track.
Jennifer also has a great Process and Performance Checklist that you can download from her website to help you evaluate your current processes. You can find that at www.themjwgrp.com/2pdownload.
Jennifer began her career as an engineer and combines analytical ingenuity with a talent for leadership. With a decade of professional experience informing her expertise in supply chain strategy and process and systems design, Jennifer is a talented communicator with a passion for motivating clients to transform their assumptions and achieve high performance. She is known for applying her sharp analytical skills to develop innovative solutions. She calls herself the "Analytical Rewired" as she incorporates her love for logic and creativity into her business. She is the Owner and Chief Impact Visionary Officer of The MJW Group, a Performance Consulting, and Leadership and Development firm with her husband Marcus. In their business, they work with entrepreneurs and small business owners to incorporate core values into their metrics to increase productivity, visibility, and overall performance.
Topics Discussed:
- How you can translate your core values into your business metrics
- The processes you need to have in place for your business
- How metrics can help you develop processes that support your values
- Auditing your current processes to make sure they’re working
- Staying on track as your team grows
Resources Discussed:
- The Balances Scorecard Method by Kaplan and Norton
- Google Drive
- Dubsado
- Gary Vee
- The E Myth Revisited Michael Gerber
Connect with Jennifer:
- Website
- Process and Performance Checklist
I’m so excited that we are at 50 episodes this week. When I started this podcast back in June of 2017, I never imagined getting to this point. I start podcasting because I was tired of writing blog posts and I felt like it wasn’t the best way for me to educate my audience and make connections with other people in the industry. After meeting a group of amazing podcasters at a networking event, I decided to jump in and try podcasting for myself. Since then, we have had a ton of amazing guests, some solo episodes, lots of freebies and opt-ins, and a couple of bumps along the way.
Today I want to look back over the past 50 episodes, give you some insight into what I’ve learned, the most popular episodes, and a little sneak peak of what’s coming next.
Topics Discussed:
- An overview of the 5 most popular episodes
- Some of my favorite interviews that you may have missed
- The top 3 episodes to listen to before beginning your website design
- Lessons I’ve learned from 50 episodes of Process to Profitability
- Some of the big mistakes that I made
- My favorite reviews (and why I love them)
- What’s coming next
- Ways that you can support the show
Most Popular Episodes:
- 01 | Using Your Blog to Educate Clients with Cinnamon Wolfe
- 14 | Writing a Book that Serves Your Audience and Your Business with Jodi Brandon
- 39 | Mindfulness and Entrepreneurship with Lee Chaix McDonough
- 11 | Creating Effective Surveys in Your Business with Lauren Black
- 20 | Pricing Your Services for Your Profitability and Your Dream Clients with Kristin Kaplan
My Favorite Episodes You May Have Missed:
- 47 | Strategies for a Higher Converting Email List with Kate Boyd
- 05 | Using Customer Feedback in Product Design with Ashley Staum
- 10 | Connecting to Your Clients through Brand Photography with Mallika Malhotra
You Need to Listen Before Designing a Website:
- 15 | Is Your Website Working for You? Creating a Strategic Website
- 27 | Setting Goals and Planning Your Website
- 29 | Creating Content for Your Website
What I’ve Learned:
- I love having a conversation with my guests while still covering their area of expertise
- Podcasting takes a lot of time and effort and it costs a lot more than writing a blog
- It’s easier to interview a guest than to host a solo episode
Mistakes I’ve Made:
- My very first episode was released with the intro and interview audio tracks overlaid, so you couldn’t understand anything
- One of my early episodes was released with 20 minutes of audio missing in the middle – and I didn’t catch it until months later
Favorite Reviews:
- “Samantha, host of Process to Profitability, highlights all aspects of business in this can’t miss podcast. The host and expert guests offer insightful advice that is helpful to anyone that listens!” – Brooke Craven
- “I’m only a few episodes in, but I already love what I’m hearing. Samantha dives right into getting to know her guests and it’s all action from there, which is great!” – Krista Miller
- “I’m loving Samantha’s podcast for her ability to ask questions that really allow the interviews to get to the strategies that business owners are curious about. It’s exciting to hear stories AND get something you can put into place in your business immediately!” – Reina Pomeroy
What’s Next:
- 3 Action Steps for each episode
- New guests covering topics like learner-centered design, subscription-based businesses, and the true value of an hour
- New solo episodes including what a week in my life looks like, website analytics, and auditing your website
- Transcriptions for each episode
How You Can Help:
- Leave a rating and review on iTunes
- Share the podcast with a friend
- Tag us on Instagram and Facebook @processtoprofitability or @lemonandthesea
Today I’m talking about creating a subscription service based on your customer’s needs with Rachel Rouhana. We get into a ton of great topics and she gives us the behind the scenes of her business, including why she decided to offer her stock photos as a subscription, how she got started, and why she’s chosen to do business the way she does. We also talk about how she balances customer feedback and the vision she has when choosing the types of images to include and the bigger business decisions that she’s making. We also talk a lot about she does customer service and how her teams help her to really build a collaborative environment where they can all grow in their strengths and serve their customers to the best of their alibies.
Rachel and her team are amazing because they put their customers first and you can really hear that in this interview when she’s talking about the decisions that they make, the things that they choose to shoot, and the way that they go about making decisions about the business and the way they’re going to approach everything they do. We also talk briefly about her website redesign that came about recently and why she decided to bootstrap things at first so that she could get started. There is so much great information in this episode and Rachel really shares the behind-the-scenes of the business and is open and honest about everything that I asked her.
Rachel Rouhana is a photographer and prop stylist who helps women entrepreneurs create visually stunning brands to attract their ideal clients. She founded Haute Stock to make it easy + affordable for boss ladies to create gorgeous graphics that get clicks, likes, shares, and ultimately lead to more sales. Obsessed with gold, glitter, and all things pink, you can often find her sipping a latte and scrolling through Instagram for inspiration. Meet Rachel and learn how to add instant glam to your brand at www.hautestock.co
Topics Discussed:
- How Rachel got started offering a subscription services
- Why she intentionally chose a subscription library instead of selling images individually
- How she decides what to include in the library
- How to get feedback from your customers and use it to adjust your offerings
- Balancing customer requests with your own vision for your business
- The process of planning and shooting in collaboration with other businesses
- What customer services looks like for a subscription-based business
- What Rachel’s team looks like and how it grew
- Bootstrapping in the early phases of business and investing as you grow
Resources Discussed:
- Printed Mint
- Hello World Paper Co.
- Mompreneur collection
- Tutorial videos on YouTube
- Patricia of Fancy Girl Design Studio
Connect with Rachel:
- Website
- Haute Stock’s Instagram
- Rachel’s Instagram
Today I’m talking about designing your website to help your client experience. I know that this is an episode that might seem a little out of place because you’re wondering, ‘what does website design have to do with client experience?’ but as we go through this episode, I think that it will make more sense. It can be helpful to think about your website design and client experience together so that you’re creating something seamless that really benefits the people that you’re working with and want to work with in the future.
Topics Discussed:
- Why you should think of your website as the beginning of your client experience
- Creating a process that moves people from your website into your services
- Why your client experience needs to work for you and your clients
- Automating the client experience on your website
- Design choices that impact client experience
- Using feedback to make changes to your website with your clients in mind
Resources Discussed:
- Automating the Client Experience for Great Customer Service
- Dubsado
- Acuity
- Crazy Egg
- UX – What is it and Why is it Important?
Action Steps:
- Think of your website as the first part of your client experience
- Find one thing you can automate today
- Take a look at your navigation and make sure that it's simple and easy to understand
Today I’m talking with Kate Boyd about strategies for a higher converting email list. She talks about why an email list is so important for your business. Then we talk about what conversions are and why they matter. She also goes into what conversion rates can tell us about our business and how we get started on the right foot or increase conversions in our current email list, depending on your business. We talk about ways you can engage with your email list while it’s still small so that you can figure out who you’re serving and what they need from you so that you know you’re attracting the right people and that you’re giving them what they need so that your business can grow.
She also has a really awesome idea for a way that you can increase conversions on your email list that I loved because it’s such a different idea that I have not seen out there.
Kate Boyd is the founder of Cobblestone Creative Co., a digital marketing agency that creates hand-crafted strategies and content to convert more leads into paying customers and clients. In 3 years, she has built 3 profitable online businesses and created marketing and sales experiences — both live and automated — that convert 3-5x the normal rates.
Kate combines a journalism degree, 3 years of online business experience, and 5+ years in non-profit marketing to support others as they grow, nurture, and mobilize their tribes so they can have success and time to enjoy it too.
Topics Discussed:
- Why an email list is so important for small business owners
- The importance of conversions and what the numbers can tell us
- Getting your email list started off right so that it’s set up for conversions
- Strategies you can use to increase conversions on your current list
- How you can use your email list to serve your clients
Resources Discussed:
- Powersheets
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Connect with Kate:
- Website
- Conversion with Compassion Facebook group
Today I’m talking about why your website needs to be mobile responsive. I’m going to be giving you some statistics about mobile use, talking about the different types of mobile design, and then going over the benefits of having a mobile responsive design for your website. We’re also going to talk about how you can make your website mobile-friendly and some of the common mistakes that Google lists as problems that can hurt your search engine ranking with them and your overall user experience.
If you have a website, you need to listen to this episode to make sure that your website mobile responsive or mobile-friendly so that you’re not missing out on any of these big benefits.
Topics Discussed:
- Why having a mobile responsive website is important
- The difference between mobile-friendly and mobile responsive design
- The benefits of having a website that is mobile-friendly
- How you can design a website that is mobile responsive
- Common mistakes to avoid when designing for mobile
Resources Discussed:
- Mobile-Friendly Test
- Mobile Usability Report
Today I’m talking with Lisa Von De Linde about designing a book that connects with your clients. If you’ve listened to my previous episode with Jodi Brandon (episode 14), this is a really great follow-up. We are talking about how design works, as well as the difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing. In this episode, Lisa talks about how designing a book is different from designing for other platforms and why you need an experienced book designer to help you through the process. She also discusses what the book design process looks like and how involved you, as the author, will be in the design of your book. We also go over the typical timeline for self-publishing a book and how it is different from going the traditional publishing route and has some tips for people who haven’t designed a book before or designers who are interested in learning more about book design.
Lisa also has a really cool download of the top 11 things an author needs to consider before self-publishing that you can get at her website.
Lisa is a graphic designer and owner of LisaVdesigns—the studio that partners with authors, organizations, and entrepreneurs who are making a difference. Impacting lives in their community or around the globe. Her studio provides custom design services for all things book publishing & branding systems. She is particularly passionate about partnering her skills with those who have a vision for "difference maker" goals, whether that's a non-profit, a Fair Trade company, a biz with an eco-friendly focus, those impacting their local economy, or those championing a specific cause through the service they provide or the product they create. Based in Ohio, she is always daydreaming about new travel destinations, whether the travel is a work trip as a location-independent business or a true vacation. She strives to provide the highest quality design services for purpose-driven businesses.
Topics Discussed:
- How designing a book is different than designing for other areas
- Why it’s important to work with someone who has experience in book design
- The difference between traditional and self-publishing a book
- The book design process for those who are self-publishing
- How manuscript writing and book design work in partnerships
- The typical timeline for self-publishing a book
- Tips for those who haven’t designed a book before
Resources Discussed:
- Writing a Book that Serves Your Audience and Your Business with Jodi Brandon
- Planoly
- The Top 11 Things an Author Needs to Consider before Self-Publishing
Connect with Lisa:
- Website
- Instagram
For a workbook to determine the best format for your book idea, send Lisa a DM on Instagram
Today I’m talking about UX – what it is any why it’s important. This is a topic that I’ve wanted to a cover for w while, but I wanted to make sure that I could bring you the best information possible and show you how I use this in my own business so that you can start thinking about this topic as you make decisions for your website or for other areas of your business.
Today we’re going to cover what UX is, why it’s important, how you can think about this during the design process and as you make updates to your website, and how you can perform a UX test on your own website and my experience with UX testing on my own website.
You can get a free download to help you perform a UX test with some questions you can use, you can get that at www.lemonandthesea.com.
Topics Discussed:
- What is UX
- Why UX design is important
- The UX design process
- How you use UX thinking to update your website
- Performing a UX test on your website
- My experience conducting a UX test and what I learned
Resources Discussed:
- UX Test Guide PDF
- Creating Effective Surveys in Your Business with Lauren Black
Today I’m talking about nurturing client relationships with Geomyra Lewis Pollard. We get into some really great topics for anyone who works with clients in their business, including the best way to begin building a relationship with someone you want to work with and how you can balance giving your clients enough information without overwhelming them.
We also talk about some of the ways you can make your clients feel special during their time with you can after the project has wrapped up. Geomyra also gives some advice on building vendor relationships with the people who are serving the same clients that you are so you can create referrals and build a team so you can offer your clients with best services possible through people you enjoy working with.
Geomyra Pollard is the Creative Director behind Geomyra Lewis Weddings and Events (GLWE) and Entrepreneur Encourager at Coaching for Creatives. A native of the Washington DC area, Geomyra is the daughter of George + Myra. She is passionate about her family, faith and focuses on what matters most. With over a decade of experience in the weddings and events industry, Geomyra has a stellar reputation among her clients and colleagues as being a detail-oriented planner. She is known for producing jaw-dropping events, while managing her clients, the GLWE team and creative partners with ease and poise. As an entrepreneur encourager, Geomyra finds joy in working with creative entrepreneurs as they work to build meaningful brands and businesses. She believes we should do all things with grace, passion, and purpose. Geomyra is married to her high school sweetheart and is the proud mama of Payton and Jackson.
Topics Discussed:
- The best way to begin building a relationship with someone you really want to work with
- How you can balance giving your clients enough information without overwhelming them
- Ways to make your clients feel special throughout your time with them
- How you can continue nurturing your client relationships after the project is over
- Why creating vendor relationships is so important
- How you can create a network of vendors you trust to support you and your clients
Resources Discussed:
- Canva
- Trello
Connect with Geomyra:
- Coaching for Creatives
- Website
In addition to being a website designer, I’m also a podcast host and I interact with a lot of people online. I’m always looking at other people’s websites as I consider bringing them onto the show, collaborating with them, recommending them to my clients, or just trying to get to know other people in the online space.
The problem is that when people design their websites, they forget that it’s not just for dream clients – it’s also for all the other people who want to learn more about you.
If you’re considering educating, collaborating, or reaching out to more people, this episode is a great one for you. I’m going to be talking about why your website matters to more than just your potential clients and give you my perspective as a podcast host and business owner on what I look for in a website.
Topics Discussed:
- What I look for in a website when considering a guest for my podcast
- Up to date content
- Image of them and bio
- Who they serve and what services they offer
- Way to get in touch (that’s not a contact form)
- Areas of expertise
- Don’t overwhelm your visitors
- No music
- Videos should not start automatically
- Don’t use pop-ups on mobile
- Present clear information on your Home page
- Have a clear way to get in touch with you
- If you have ads on your website, don’t embed them with your content – you want to make things easy to read
- List your location (including your city) in multiple places on your website
- Add visual space and clear dividers to make your content easy to read
- Include fun facts about you, not just a boring bio
- Use industry norms in your menu bar
- Don’t use jargon – make your copy clear
- Keep the design simple, but not boring
Resources Discussed:
- Finding Keywords for Your Website & SEO Basics
- Using Verticals to Connect with Your Dream Clients with Reina Pomeroy
- Setting Goals and Planning Your Website
- 5 Website Updates to Get Legit
Today I’m talking about growing your team with AllieDanae Walker and we also get into what an online business manager (OBM) versus a VA. It’s two different topics that AllieDanae blends perfectly.
We’re going to talk about finding the perfect person to work with, what to expect when you bring someone on to your team, and who is responsible for what. We also discuss the difference between an OBM and a VA and her best tips for growing and managing your team.
AllieDane is a great person to help us with this topic because she has worked as a VA and an OBM for a lot of great online businesses, so she gives some great insight into who you should hire for your team, how you can figure out what you want to outsource, and then how you can grow once you’ve hired that first person.
There are so many moving pieces to your business and AllieDanae understands it can get overwhelming. However, when it is all run and done well, you are able to live a life that you truly love. As a business owner herself, she wants to help you take your business from just getting by to flying high. Her goal is to remove as many admin and social media tasks off of your plate so you can focus on the creative side of your business, the side you love! The Social Walker Agency services are meant to walk alongside of you and enhance the efforts that you are already making. Consider AllieDanae and her team your team!
When she's not cheering on her business teams, AllieDanae is cheering on one of her favorite sports teams - the Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta Braves. You can also find her sipping coffee throughout the day, spending her mornings in the Word, and enjoying time with her family and friends. She loves sharing about her passions of faith and business to anyone who comes into her life.
Topics Discussed:
- How you can find the right person to work with
- What you should expect when bringing someone onto your team
- What your new hire will need from you and what they should have in place already
- The difference between an OBM and a VA
- What to do if you aren’t working well with someone you’ve hired
- Tips for growing and managing your team
Resources Discussed:
- Christy Wright’s Business Boutique
- Business Boutique Podcast
Connect with AllieDanae:
- Website
Whether you’re a photographer or not, the images you choose for your website can draw in or turn away your dream clients. The trick isn’t finding images – there is stock photography all over the internet – but finding the right images and making them work for your website.
Topics Discussed:
- How to choose images for your website
- Things to avoid when choosing images
- Stock photography vs. custom photography
- Why starting with design is so important when choosing images
- My favorite places to find stock photography
- How to optimize your images for the web
Resources Discussed:
- Connecting with Your Clients through Brand Photography with Mallika Malhotra
- Haute Stock
- Turquoise and Palm
- SC Stockshop
- Creative Market
- Morguefile
- Unsplash
- Pexels
- Pixabay
- TinyPNG
- JPEGmini
- Google PageSpeed Insights
Today I am talking about mindfulness and entrepreneurship with Lee Chaix McDonough. We have a great, in-depth conversation about what mindfulness is, the key aspects, why it’s important to us as entrepreneurs, and how we can practice mindfulness in our own lives.
She gives some great insights and I know that this episode will be really useful for you to listen in and then put into practice. As Lee says, we don’t have to do everything and we don’t’ have to get it right all the time, but by starting off with a mindfulness practice even once a week can help us deal with some of the things that come with being an entrepreneur, like overwhelm and all of the ideas.
Lee Chaix McDonough is a coach, therapist, and founder of Caravel Coaching. After over a decade as a clinical social worker and public health professional, Lee entered the coaching field to help creatives and creative entrepreneurs create lives they love.
Her coaching philosophy fuses the principles of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Energy Leadership, and mindfulness in order to help her clients excel at their work, feel in control of their careers, and transform their lives.
Topics Discussed:
- What mindfulness is
- The key aspects of mindfulness
- Why mindfulness is so important to an entrepreneurs
- How you can practice mindfulness
- How focusing on mindfulness in business can serve your clients
Resources Discussed:
- Gimlet Media
- West Wing Weekly Podcast
- Judge John Hodgman Podcast
- Courage & Clarity Podcast
- Steph Crowder with Fizzle
Connect with Lee:
- Website
- Blog
Today I’m talking about finding keywords for your website and some SEO basics. Many of my clients struggle with SEO and some of them don’t even understand what it is, and so I wanted to get on the show today and go over what SEO is, why it’s important for your business, and how you can work on your website so that your SEO is better.
If you’ve ever gone into a Facebook group and seen people asking about SEO, search engines, or keywords and you’re not sure what that means or how you can apply it to your business, this episode is for you.
You can also download the SEO Content Guide I use with my clients at http://www.lemonandthesea.com/episode38.
Topics Discussed:
- What is SEO
- How SEO works and why it’s important for your business
- What you can do to improve your SEO
- How to find relevant keywords and phrases
- The importance of unique page titles
- Meta descriptions and what they’re used for
- Why you should update your old content
- How to use internal linking
- The importance of external linking and social proof
- My best practices and implementation tips for all 6 areas you should be focusing on
Resources Discussed:
- Using Verticals to Connect with Your Dream Clients with ReinaPomeroy
- Quarterly Website Maintenance for Your Website
- Build and submit a sitemap to Google
Today I’m talking with Krista Miller of Krista Rae all about managing multiple businesses without complete overwhelm. Even if you aren’t managing multiple businesses right now, this episode is still really relevant because we’re talking about practical steps you can take to avoid overwhelm in your business as you’re adding side projects or just juggling client and business work.
I’m excited about the way Krista runs her business and her willingness to share the systems she uses. She gives great advice on how we can run everything without spending 24/7 on our computer or in our business. She also talks about how you can break your tasks up to get everything done and gives her biggest tip for running multiple businesses without getting overwhelmed.
Krista is a WordPress developer, co-host of the Get Back To Design Podcast, and co-founder of Coded Creative Themes. She specializes in collaborating with passionate designers to craft strategic websites that directly support their clients' goals, while helping them ditch the tech and spend more time doing what they love - design.
Topics Discussed:
- The businesses Krista runs and how each got started
- How we can run our business and pursue other projects without working all the time
- The systems Krista tried and what works best for her
- Exactly how she organizes her week to allow for client work, business projects, and flexible time
- How you can break down all your tasks so you can get it all done
- Her biggest tip for running multiple businesses without getting overwhelmed
Resources Discussed:
- Inito
- Coded Creative Themes
- Get Back to Design Podcast
Connect with Krista:
- Website
- YouTube
- Facebook Group
Today I’m talking about a website redesign versus a refresh or customization and which option is best for you.
Right now, as we go into 2018, a lot of us are looking at redesigning or updating our websites, refreshing what we have so that we can better speak to those dream clients and really start to grow our businesses and meet those big goals in the New Year.
For me, this included updating my website with my new signature process, The Strategic Website Design Roadmap, and I wanted to talk through a couple of the options that are included in order to help you figure out the best way to go about updating your website.
Topics Discussed:
- The Strategic Website Design Roadmap process
- What’s included in a Website Redesign
- What’s included in a Website Customization
- When you need a complete redesign
- Examples of clients who designed their websites from beginning to end and why they chose that option
- When you don’t need to redesign and should consider customization instead
- Examples of customizations I’ve done for clients and why that option was best
- How to prepare to update your website
Resources Discussed:
Episode 29 Creating Content for Your Website
Today I‘m talking with Reina Pomeroy about using verticals to connect with your dream clients. This is a topic that I have learned from Reina in person and I was so excited to be able to share it with you. We talk about what verticals are and how they help you in your business, how you can figure out what that is for your specific business and what makes you different in the areas to talk about, as well as how to plan content based on these big topics.
Reina also talks about how she uses this method to create products, courses, and different items for her dream clients. We have a discussion about serving her dream clients well has benefited her business and I share some of what I have seen from the client side.
Reina Pomeroy is the Owner and Founder of Reina + Co, the Life + Biz Success Coaching® Practice for creatives who are right brained and heart-centered. She helps clients stop spinning their wheels and take action on what’s most important. She’s a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach with over 1,500 hours of coaching under her belt. Reina also co-hosts the Creative Empire Podcast where she interviews leaders in the creative industry. She’s based in Washington DC but her clients and creative entrepreneur community live all over the globe. You can find Reina’s work featured on Entrepreneur on Fire, Entrepreneur.com, Brit + Co, The Huffington Post, Honeybook, The Rising Tide Society and Best Friends for Frosting. She also travels around the country speaking and educating creative entrepreneurs.
Topics Discussed:
- What verticals are and how they help you in business
- How you can find your verticals
- How you can stand out even when other people talk about the same topic
- An outline of planning your verticals
- How you can plan content based on your verticals
- How this method benefits your clients
- How Reina has built her business on creating what her clients are asking for
- My experience working with Reina
Resources Discussed:
- Verticals Trello Board
- Powersheets
Connect with Reina:
- Website
- Big Plan for the Creative Mind
- Creative Empire Podcast
Today I’m talking with Marva Goss all about standing out in a crowded industry. We cover a lot of topics including why standing out in a crowded market is so important, how you can figure out what makes you different, and how you can build your visibility with your dream clients.
We also tackle the question of why being visible actually a benefit to your clients. Plus, Marva gives us a few steps that we can take today to stand out and get noticed online.
Marva is the brand + content strategist behind Marva J. Coaching Co. Marva helps female creatives position themselves as the go-to expert in their industry, while building a brand they're excited about. Marva is a veteran turned life coach turned strategist that encourages her clients to step out of their comfort zones to build an online presence that stands out from the rest. For more information, visit www.marvajcoachingco.com.
Topics Discussed:
- When to work with a brand strategist
- Why standing out a crowded market is important
- How you can figure out what makes you different
- “Your greatest selling point is you”
- Why connecting with people on an emotional level is the most effective way to find clients who align with you
- How to know what to share about the personal side
- Building your visibility with your dream clients
- How to know what to share and what to keep to yourself (at least for now)
- Why planning your content in advance really helps you be visible
- How to engage authentically in Facebook groups
- Building trust and saying the hard things
- Sharing your story
Connect with Marva:
- Website
Today I am looking back on 2017 and talking about what’s next for the New Year. I’m going to be sharing my big accomplishments, what worked and what didn’t, and even getting into some of the numbers. I hope this episode gives you a chance to see what it’s like behind the scenes of an online business and encourages you to reflect on the past year as you start to make your goals for 2018.
Topics Discussed:
- My Focus for 2017: Abundance
- My big accomplishments
- Starting Process to Profitability
- Buying a house
- Creating a signature process for website design
- Deciding to stop offering brand design and focus on websites
- What worked in 2017 and what didn't
- The intentional investments that I made in my business
- The new tools I invested in learning and using
- A comparison of my numbers from February 2017 to December 2017, including my income, expenses
- How I'm giving back in my business
- My big goals 2018
- Announcing Showit Custom Website Design
Resources Discussed:
- VIP Intensive 1.0 & 2.0
- Social Glue Sessions
- Podcasting for Creatives
- Dubsado
- CovertKit
- Later
Today I am talking with Deneen TB all about using LinkedIn to create connection and establish expertise. She has some great information to share about the LinkedIn platform and why we shouldn’t be scared of it as creatives. She goes over some great tips about creating a profile that people will be able to find, connecting with your dream clients online, the experience of building connections and getting into groups, and how we can use LinkedIn to share our expertise.
We talk about a ton of stuff that will help you get started on this platform if you’re not there already and I would encourage you to check out Deneen’s LinkedIn profile as an example of all the things we’re talking about so that you can start using LinkedIn.
Deneen Troupe-Buitrago, M.Ed., is a Motivational Keynote Speaker & Trainer relieving the guilt from Faith-based Businesswomen by Linking Faith & Business. Her organization is called Grow From Your Overflow, LLC. She is a Development Strategist that connects you to Professional, Personal, and Spiritual growth opportunities through Speaking, Workshops, Online Courses, plus, one-on-one Consulting and Coaching.
Some areas of expertise include Developing Goals, Writing Action Steps and Time Management as well as personal areas such as Developing New Habits, Procrastination and Presentation Skills. She weaves everything she does with Faith and has created the Personalized Faith Plan for your success in Faith & Business. Her background in Education mixed with her experience in Drama gives her a unique Speaking style that is truly a ‘hands-on’ experience. By linking all of it to her Faith, she has combined all the best parts of her life to give back and serve others.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important for business owners to be on LinkedIn and how it’s different from other social platforms
- Creating a profile that your dream clients can find
- Finding keywords and the right image to connect
- How you can use the sections of your profile to connect with the right people
- Why you don’t need the paid version
- Ways to connect with people outside your circle
- How we can connect with our dream clients
- The etiquette for connecting and following up
- Using groups on LinkedIn
- Who should be using LinkedIn
Connect with Deneen:
- Website
For the month of December, my solo episodes are going to giving you a little but more information about my business and what it is that I do and how I came to do that.
Today I’m going over a brief history of Lemon and the Sea, starting way before running a business was even on my radar.
Topics Discussed:
- How I got started designing and creating at a young age
- My high school activities and how they influenced my future
- What architecture school taught me about business and design
- How I started my career after college
- The transition from full-time job to freelancing
- My first design request and early business decisions
- How I narrowed in on my niche and what I’m passionate about doing
- The ideas that didn’t work and why I started Process to Profitability
- How Lemon and the Sea is transitioning and what that looks like behind the scenes
- My mission statement, manifesto, and core values
Resources Discussed:
- Squarespace
- Reina Pomeroy
Today I’m talking with Melissa Whaley of MelissaWhaley.com and we are chatting all about being financially savvy in your business. Melissa shares a lot of great information like getting started with the right accounting system (including some free ones that she suggests). She also talks about staying up to date with your finances and what you should be doing yourself versus what you should look into outsourcing early in your business.
She also discusses some of the mistakes she sees business owner’s making in their finances and how you can fix them, as well as why being financially savvy is a benefit to our clients and customers and our own business.
Melissa Whaley is a licensed Tax Pro, Financial Strategist, and California Momma of 3. Melissa works virtually with creative business owners who light up over their work and freak out over their numbers. Her favorite things are sipping a good latte and exploring outdoors with her family.
Welcome to Episode 29 of Process to Profitability. It’s another solo show this week and I’m covering one of the topics I get asked about most from my website design clients: creating content for your website.
Your content is one of the most time consuming and intimidating pieces of a website design (or redesign). You want to get it just right because you’re investing in a brand new website and you really want to see growth in your business.
But if you’re like many small business owners, you just have no idea what you should include on your website – and you wish someone would give you a checklist already.
Today I’m going to do just that – give you a checklist of the content I’ve seen work best on websites – and tips for making it your own.
You can download my basic content to-do list at www.lemonandthesea.com/29download.
Topics Discussed:
- Why your content is important
- Your key positioning content pieces
- Creating a journey
- Building trust through content
- The pages you need on your website and what to include for each
- Best practices for the content on your website
Resources Discussed:
- Process to Profitability: Writing an About Page that Connects with Maria Carras
- Content To-Do List
Today I’m talking with Maria Carras of Carras Creative all about writing an About page that connects with your ideal clients. Maria goes into a great outline of what you need to include on your About page and how you can lay that out so that you are communicating what you do, who you work with, and how you can help people, as well as ways that you can interject some of your personality onto this really important page of your website.
Maria Carras is the CEO & Founder of Carras Creative -- a creative copywriting agency working with coaches, creatives and online educators to help them share their story online. She lives in Athens, Greece with her British (aspiring-author) husband, her two rambunctious little boys and a rather ridiculously moody cat. When she's not listening to podcasts or writing for clients, you'll find her reading stories to her boys or making herself yet another cup of coffee.
Maria is offering a great discount on her DIY Your Killer About Page Workbook, plus a whole lot of bonuses for listeners of Process to Profitability. You can get 40% off that workbook by going to mariacarras.com/lemonandthesea and using the code lemonandthesea at checkout.
Just a note: If this episode sounds a little bit different, I am coming to you from my new office in our new home and we are still working on moving and getting the sound just right.
Topics Discussed:
- How Maria started copywriting and content creation for creatives
- Why writing an About Page can be the most difficult page on your website to write
- The importance of unlearning the ways you were taught to write in school
- The main thing you’re trying to communicate on your About Page
- Why your About Page is so important and needs to help you stand out in a crowded market
- Why it’s important that you work with people who fit your personality and style
- The biggest mistake people make on their About Page
- Getting to the heart of the issue – finding the big problem your dream clients need your help to solve
- An outline of a successful About Page
- Making your dream client feel like you totally get them
- How to introduce yourself, who you help, and the big thing someone gets from working with you
- Sharing your story and letting people see who you are
- Connecting with your tribe and repelling the people who aren’t dream clients
- The importance of having a professional photo of yourself on your About Page
- Write in a way that reflects your personality
- Why you need to show your dream clients how you’ve helped people in the past
- Adding personality and making your About Page fun
- The importance of a Call-to-Action on your About Page
- A few updates you can make on your About Page today without rewriting it
Resources Discussed:
- Kimra Luna’s About Page
- Pat Flynn’s About Page
- Ash Ambridge’s About Page
- Jenna Kutcher’s About Page
- Glow on Netflix
- Pursuit with Purpose Podcast from Melyssa Griffin
Connect with Maria:
- Website
- DIY Your Killer About Page Workbook
We’ve all heard about goal setting in our business and you may have tried to do some yourself, whether successfully or not, but when it comes to website design, many of us don’t consider setting goals for our site before we sit down and design. As I have been learning more and more about strategic website design and working with clients, I’ve learned that this is a really important first step to getting your website right the first time.
If your website isn’t working to help you meet your business goals, then it’s really not working for you.
Topics Discussed:
- Why it’s important to set goals in your business for your website
- How to set a goal for your website
- Questions to ask when setting a goal for your website
- Questions to ask before starting to design
- How to reach your dream clients in the simplest way possible
- Sharing your purpose through what you make most important
- The importance of incorporating design for your dream clients and a style that fits you
- The different types of goals you may choose for your website
- How knowing your goal will help you design your website to convert more
- Creating a sitemap to help you make sure you have every page you need on your website
- Planning your website functionality for what you need now and your big future goals
- Why you need to focus on what you’re sharing the services you offer
- Best practices for setting goals and planning your website design
- Why keeping your website as easy to use as possible will serve your audience better
Resources Discussed:
- Interview with Maria Carras
- My Toolbox
- Get Legit Guide
Today I’m talking with Abby Herman of Write Solutions about creating a process for content creation in your business. We’re going to talk a little bit about why you need a process for content creation, how you can create one that works for you, and how you can find the right content for your audience.
Abby talks about some great information that you can put into place today to plan your content in advance so you’re never worried about doing things at the last minute and so that you can really dig into what your audience needs and you want to share with them.
Abby is a content strategist and content coach for small business owners, helping to get her clients' written message out to their audience, in their own voice and on their own terms. She specializes in working with female-owned, service-based businesses to generate ideas and strategies that help to move their businesses forward with content that attracts the perfect clients. Abby firmly believes in the power of educating and empowering business owners so they can grow their businesses without breaking the bank. Community over competition is truly her jam!
Topics Discussed:
- How she started helping business owners create content
- Why small business owners need a process for creating content
- How to keep your content engaging
- The importance of asking your audience what they need and want
- Finding your content centerpiece
- Using video to share content
- Why you might want to date your content
- CEO dates
- Creating themes for content to help batch create and creating new value
- How to create the your audience needs
- Finding the main topics of your content
- Tips to create content consistently
Resources Discussed:
- Instastories
- Todd Herman’s 90 Day Year
- Orange is the New Black
- Once Upon a Time
Connect with Abby:
- Website
- YouTube
I can’t believe we are already at 25 episodes into this show, and I’m so excited that you’ve been with me along this entire journey. Today I want to talk about something that is going to be really important as we come up on the end of the year – quarterly website maintenance.
Some of these things you may have been doing all along and this hopefully won’t take you tons of time, but I think that they are really important to remind you to do at least every quarter. You may find that you need to do some of these items daily, weekly, or monthly depending on your business and website, but you should be going through this list every quarter to get into your business and know what’s going on behind the scenes without feeling overwhelmed by another item on your to-do list.
You can download a checklist of these items at www.lemonandthesea.com/episode25.
- Back up your website
- Check analytics
- Check website design
- Check site speed
- Check links
- Test e-commerce and form
- Update portfolio
- Update bio
- Updated features
- Check site map
- Poll audience and update copy
- SEO
- Run a UX test with a friend
- Website Goals
Today I’m talking with Amy of PaperFinch and we are chatting all about weatherproofing your business, including what that means for your business, how you can get started, and three major steps for getting weatherproofed. This applies whether you’re preparing to take some time off or you’re growing and scaling as you create different sources of income.
A wanderer at heart, Amy at PaperFinch Design creates inspirational and geographic art and gift products in order to help people tell their story. She wants to help people illustrate and find the inspiration in their own journey – where they're going, where they've been, or their favorite life motto.
Topics Discussed:
- How she got started in graphic design and why she embraces her way of designing
- The importance of weatherproofing your business
- Amy’s story behind her passion for helping entrepreneurs weatherproof
- When you should start the process of weatherproofing
- The importance of organizing and documenting everything in your business
- How to set up your business to be handled by someone else
- How you can start outsourcing in your business
- Starting small by hiring someone who is an expert at something you don’t do well
- How you can use content you’ve already created to make your business easier
- How to overcome objections when it comes to outsourcing
Resources Discussed:
- Blue Apron
- The Pitch Podcast
- These are Their Stories
- Splendidly Curious
- Wholesale 4 Creatives
Connect with Amy:
- Website
- Etsy
We have spent the last couple of weeks talking about different website design options and the way that you can work with a website designer, so today I wanted to go over some website design terms you should know. A lot of these terms may be familiar to you, but you might not be quite sure what they mean. These are all terms that a designer might use when you’re having a conversation, whether you’re interviewing them or getting some tips, but they are also going to be using these terms when working together on a one-on-one design.
You can find all these terms and definitions in the show notes for easy reference. All these terms are commonly used in website design. Some are more technical and things you might need to know in your analytics and others are common terms you have probably heard, but aren’t sure what it means for website design.
Today I’m talking with Becky Mollenkamp all about transitioning from corporate clients to one–on-one work and we get into a lot of great topics.
Becky discusses why she made the transition from working with corporate client to creative entrepreneurs. We talk about how the expectations on her business have changed based on the types of clients she’s working with, how she balances automation and personal interaction with her clients, as well as why she thinks being authentic online and on social media is so important.
We talk about how you can beta-test your ideas before you launch your services and get into some really fun discussions on customer services and why that’s so important.
Becky Mollenkamp is a business mentor for creative entrepreneurs. In her 10-week Own It, Crush It program, she helps entrepreneurs get out of their own heads to find clarity and create action plans for moving their businesses forward. Learn more about Becky and her program at beckymollenkamp.com.
Topics Discussed:
- How she started working with creative entrepreneurs
- How working with small business owners is different from corporate clients
- Communicating your value to potential clients
- Why being yourself in all ways is so important for your business
- How she created a sales process that feels authentic and respectful
- Balancing automation and hands-on communication
- Creating touchpoints in your business to attract and repel potential clients
- The difference in investment for corporate clients and small businesses
- Finding a balance between making a profit and working with your dream clients
- Being genuine with showing our journey and not just perfect images
- Creating a beta-test for services you’re considering offering
- How to create a great client experience and why it’s important
Resources Discussed:
- Converkit
- LinkedIn Course
Connect with Becky:
- Website
- Own It. Crush It.
Today I’m talking about Squarespace integrations and customizations. If you’ve listened to the previous episode where I’ve discussed Squarespace, you know that there is a lot more to the platform than meets the eye. One of the big things they have done is to create a lot of integrations with different platforms and programs to help you get the most out of your website and make it really easy so you don’t have to worry about finding plug-ins for inserting code.
Topics Discussed:
- Built-in integrations with Squarespace blocks
- Other integrations that work with the back-end of Squarespace
- Connecting the programs and software you already use for your business
- Other options for making the most of your website
- Custom updates I use frequently in designing for Squarespace
- Where you can find customizations for your own design
Resources Discussed:
- How to Customize Squarespace to Fit Your Brand
- My Favorite Squarespace Customization Tutorials
- 7 Little Known Squarespace Tricks
- How to Use the Squarespace Image Block
Today I’m talking to Kristin Kaplan all about pricing your services and products for profitability and your dream clients. Kristin gets into a lot of really great information to help you price your services to actually make a profit in your business, including why you need to stop depending on what others are doing for pricing and start figuring out your numbers.
We talk about knowing your numbers and why that’s so important, as well as pricing based on the value you bring to your clients instead of just what it is you need to make or what the industry standards are.
I’m really excited for this episode because I think it’s something that so many of us creative entrepreneurs and small business owners struggle with, especially when it seems like we hear from a lot of people that our prices are so high.
As we get into this episode, I want to encourage you to get into your own numbers so that you know exactly how you should be pricing your services and figuring out what value you bring to your clients.
Kristin is an entrepreneur, wife, mother of three, and extreme list maker. A northerner by way of Los Angeles, she is now happily settled in Nashville, Tennessee and loves everything about living in Music City. She founded Stunning Events 10 years ago where she plans fresh, fun, wedding celebrations and manages all business operations. She also teaches, mentors, and coaches creative entrepreneurs to live a life of purpose by building a solid business foundation. She is the writer and creator of The Pricing Workbook, a pricing guide for creative business owners and the co-founder, along with Ginny Krauss, of The Wedding Business Bosses community and The Wedding Business Academy, a 6-month group coaching program for wedding industry creatives.
Topics Discussed:
- How she started her first business and started working with wedding professionals and creative entrepreneurs
- The biggest issue small business owners have with pricing
- Creating a strategy behind your pricing
- How to calculate your cost of doing business
- Learning the value of your services or products
- Transitioning from an hourly mindset to value-based pricing
- Pricing for the clients you want to work with
- Packages vs. hourly rates
- Explaining your pricing to potential clients
- Why you should get paid, even when you’re just starting out
- Planning for growth in the future
- How to raise your prices
Resources Discussed:
- The Pricing Workbook
- Asana
- The Wedding Business Bosses
Connect with Kristin:
- Website
Today I’m going to be talking all about website platforms and covering some Squarespace myths that you might be buying into if you have just been reading blog posts online or getting your information from people who haven’t used Squarespace.
The reason I want to cover these topics is because not every website platform is going to be the best option for every business. While I work solely in Squarespace, there are potential clients who come to me who might be better served by a different platform.
I’m going to be going over some of the most popular website platforms, including who each is best for, the average cost, and some pros and cons of each. There are lots of other platforms out there, but I don’t cover all of them.
Topics Discussed:
- The difference between a domain and hosting
- Squarespace overview, pros and cons
- WordPress overview, pros and cons
- Wix overview, pros and cons
- ShowIt overview, pros and cons
- How Squarespace is actually great for SEO
- Tips and integrations that allow you to get more from Squarespace
- How you can back up your Squarespace content
- Recent updates to Squarespace that allow you more control over eCommerce
Resources Discussed:
- Squarespace
- Wix
- ShowIt
- NameCheap
- BlueHost
- Squarespace SEO tricks you should be using
- G Suite
- MailChimp
- Acuity Scheduling
Today I’m talking with Carolyn Keating of Wholesale 4 Creatives all about getting started with wholesale. Carolyn has a 10 year background in wholesale for other businesses and she has translated that into helping small creative businesses get into retail stores and get their products seen by bigger businesses.
Today we’re covering a lot of information that is mostly aimed at product-based business, but there are some great tips for cultivating relationships and figuring out pricing information if you’re a service-based business.
Some of the topics we cover are what wholesale is and why it’s beneficial, how you can price your products for profitability in the wholesale space, and how you can connect with people in stores and build relationships so you can be seen and stay top of mind whenever they are placing new orders. We also cover a few of the ways that customer service changes when you are working in the wholesale space
Carolyn Keating is the owner of Wholesale for Creatives, a resource for product based businesses looking to develop their wholesale and retail strategy. Prior to launching her business, Carolyn spent a decade in sales with a NYC-based women's accessories company where she developed and sold products to retail chains throughout the country. Her mission is to educate small businesses about the industry’s best practices so they can successfully compete in the marketplace and avoid making costly mistakes.
Topics Discussed:
- What wholesale is and how it can benefit your business
- Balancing wholesale products and selling on your own platform
- Pricing for profit in the wholesale space
- How to reach out to stores when you’re ready to start selling your products wholesale
- Creating and building relationships with local businesses and buyers
- How pitching a store is similar to pitching a blog post or podcast
- The steps that happen when you’re products have been accepted into a store
- How customer service changes when selling to a buyer instead of direct to the customer
- The importance of dealing with issues quickly and well
- How to stay top-of-mind (in a good way)
- What you need to have in place before considering wholesale
- The importance of having multiple products and manufacturers you trust
- Why you need to evaluate if wholesale is right for you and do it yourself before you hire a team
Resources Discussed:
- The Savvy Community
- Plan to Eat
Connect with Carolyn:
- Website
- The Wholesale Collective
Today is a continuation of my website design series and I’m going to be talking about how a website designer can save you time and money. I’m going to go into some really important things to think about when you are considering whether you want to DIY your website or hire someone to help you with the design and development in order to save you time and ultimately save you money so you can spend more time working with your clients and growing your business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why you can’t do everything in your business as it grows
- The ultimate goal of running your business and why hiring can help you get there
- How a website designer can uses your vision and needs to design your website right the first time
- Why a designer can save you money with their resources and knowledge
- The back-end things that a designer should put in place that you can grow down the road
- The importance of having a designer support you before, during, and after your website launch
- The steps a website designer will follow to design a website that meets your goals
- How a website designer can save you time by managing your project and keeping everything on track
- Why having a designer who is familiar with your design and platform helps you post-launch
Resources Discussed:
- Squarespace
- MailChimp
- ConvertKit
Today I am talking with Ashley Cox of sproutHR all about building a team that supports your business mission. We covered some great topics including how to hire for a small business, how to set up the hiring process including creating a really great job description, and how you can create an interview process that will help you find the right person for the job. We also talk a little bit about the difference between contractors and employees and how you might be able to hire an intern for your business.
Ashley has so much to share and we covered a lot of it today, so I’m really excited for this episode.
Ashley Cox is The HR Partner for Creatives at sproutHR, where she helps you hire, train, and lead your thriving team, all with confidence and heart. She loves to make the scary and overwhelming parts of hiring and leading a team simple, actionable and fun, so you can feel more at ease in your business and get the help you need!
Topics Discussed:
- How Ashley moved from corporate HR to running her own business helping creative entrepreneurs
- How she found a place where she could use her corporate experience and build a business she loves
- How to create processes and systems to help your business grow
- The importance of writing your processes down
- How to create a job description that helps you hire the right person
- Why you need to outline the interview process before you start accepting applications
- The things you need to include in a job description
- How to make sure that the person you’re hiring has the skills needed for the job
- Why you should hire slowly to avoid hiring the wrong person
- The difference between a contractor and employee
- Why you can’t hire an unpaid intern
- The importance of creating a culture for your business
Resources Discussed:
- Ginny Kraus
- Google Calendar
Connect with Ashley:
- Website
Today is the second episode all about website design and I am going to be talking about how you can evaluate if your website is working for you. If you haven’t listened to the first episode, I recommend you listen to episode 13.
This episode is useful whether you’re DIYing your website, getting by until you can hire a designer, or if you’re working with a designer now so that you know what to look for and ask for in a strategic website design project. Because that’s what I’m all about – using strategy in your website design so that it doesn’t’ just look good, but it also functions well and helps you grow your business.
I’m going to cover a couple of techniques for evaluating if your website is working for you and I’ve also got a checklist you can download at www.lemonandthesea.com/15download.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of having a strategy behind your website design
- Why you need to test and change your design
- Creating simple, easy to use navigation and what you should include
- Why using website standards can help your design
- Why your content is important to your website visitor’s experience
- Things to check to make sure your content is working for you
- The importance of having a call-to-action on each page
- Creating a contact form that makes it easy for people to use
- How the design of your website can support your main purpose
- Why knowing your audience is important for your website
- The tools I use with clients to test my website designs
- The importance of testing and changing your design
- My #1 recommendation for creating a strategic website
- How strategic design serves your clients and customers
Resources Discussed:
- Strategic Website Design Checklist
- Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
- Google Keyword Planner
- Squarespace SEO Tricks You Should be Using
- Google Analytics
- Page Analytics (by Google) Chrome Extension
- CrazyEgg Heatmapping
Today I’m talking to Jodi Brandon all about writing a book at serves your business and your business. We got though the process of brainstorming topics for your book, writing that book, getting it published, and even get into some marketing. In addition, we cover the ultimate purpose of your book is and how you can validate your topic before you get started. Jodi also talks about the importance of finding a topic that is going to bring your audience back to your services and how you can serve them well through the topic you choose and the book you write. She also talks a little bit about her own book and how she went through this process herself, as well as the reasons that you should consider self-publishing instead of going with traditional publishing.
Jodi Brandon has more than 20 years' experience in book publishing. After many years working at traditional publishing houses, Jodi and her husband relocated from New York to Philadelphia and she launched her freelance editing business. Jodi's passion these days is working as a book editor and writing/publishing coach for creative entrepreneurs, bloggers, and small business owners who want to level up their business with a book.
Topics Discussed:
- How she moved from working in traditional publishing to working one on one with small business owners and creative entrepreneurs
- Why small business owners should write a book
- How to find a topic for your book, including validating your idea before you start writing
- Ways you can reuse the content you’ve already created
- How she works with clients to help them publish a book
- The difference between traditional and self- publishing
- How to launch and market your book
- How to get book readers back into your business and eventually hire you
Resources Discussed:
- Amazon CreateSpace
- Option B
Connect with Jodi:
Website
This is the first in a series of episodes where I’m going to be taking you through what it looks like to work with a website designer and what a good, strategic, and beautiful website can do for your business.
Today we’re going to start with how to work with a website designer. I’m going to be walking you through the process of website design, what you need to have prepared in advance, some tips, and the answers to some frequently asked questions that I get from clients.
Topics Discussed:
- Why I love website design
- The importance of a strategic and beautiful website
- The process of website design that I use with clients
- What the consult call involves and why it’s important
- The types of questions I ask to create a website that fits each business
- Why a mood board is important in website design
- What’s included in a website vision guide
- The importance of a sitemap and how it helps you create content
- How designers use wire framing and what you should get
- How I partner with clients in the design process
- The importance of testing your website before you launch
- Launching your website
- Ongoing support, website backups, and tutorials
- Content your website designer needs from you
- Website design tips from a designer
Resources Discussed:
- 5 Website Updates to Get Legit Guide
- Squarespace
When you restrict yourself to only offering services in the industry-standard way, you might be missing out on opportunities to grow your business. I have personally found that only offering pre-set packages limits my ability to work with potential clients.
Today, I'm discussing a few ways you can offer services in your business that others will not, while still being profitable and enjoying your work.
Topics Discussed:
- Finding a way to offer services that others in your industry don't
- Making a profit while filling a need
- Going beyond packages
- Working with different types of clients
Today I’m talking with Lauren Black of Legacy Loft all about creating effective surveys in your business. Lauren and I chatted about how to create and use surveys to help you grow your business, how to figure out what kinds of services, products, and courses you might want to offer, and how to get responses that are going to help you move forward in a way that fits your business and your dream client.
Lauren also talks a little bit about surveying your clients before you work with them through questionnaires and figuring out if they are a good fit and then after you work together to see what their results were and get really great testimonials for your website in a way that’s easy for you and for your clients.
She gives some great advice on asking the right questions, where to ask, and how to balance actual surveys with getting answers through conversational questions on social media.
Lauren Black is a multipassionate entrepreneur with a heart for helping business owners reach their highest potential and purpose through creative strategy and brand design. Lauren's main business, Legacy Loft, provides brand strategy & design to entrepreneurs who are ready to shift & scale their businesses. She is also the co-founder of Elevate & Cultivate, a community for design professionals to strengthen their skills and receive feedback on their work. Lauren is preparing to launch a third business this summer, with the signature offering being the Bosscation Box — a self-led business retreat in a box where entrepreneurs can rejuvenate and work on their businesses away from WiFi & their daily distractions.
Topics Discussed:
- Why you should be using surveys in your business
- Getting to know your dream clients and creating things for them
- The different types of surveys you can use in your business for peers, dream clients, and your clients
- How you can survey people while having a conversation
- Choosing the best questions to ask
- Balancing the types of questions you ask
- How to get responses that are relevant to your business through doing a giveaway
- Using the answers you receive to connect with your audience
- How long your surveys should be
- Getting effective testimonials from your clients in an easy way
- How surveys can help you create a course that covers everything your students are looking for
- The importance of asking specific questions
- How to gather information before you create a survey
- How often to survey your audience
- How to beta test your questions to make sure you’re getting good responses
- How long your surveys should last
- How to use forms and questionnaires with your clients
Resources Discussed:
- Facebook Polls
- Typeform
- Survey Monkey
Connect with Lauren:
- Website
- Bosscation
- Success with Surveys
Today I’m talking with Mallika Malhotra of Mikifoto + Co all about brand photography – what it is, where you can use it, and how you can get the best images possible whether you’re working with a brand photographer or someone who is going to help you capture your brand story through imagery. We chat about where you can use these images online, the best places to share these image in a way that is really going to connect with your dream clients.
Mallika also has a book coming out that covers all of these topics and more. Check it out at The Brand Photography Playbook.
Mallika Malhotra of Mikifoto + Co is a brand photographer and brand story strategist who works with women entrepreneurs, inspiring them to express themselves, share their stories and unleash their creativity through photography, branding and live workshops. She combines her strategic business sense with her creative photography skills to help her fellow lady bosses stand out and energize their message with confidence.
Based in northern NJ, Mallika also teaches live workshops on branding, vision boarding and photo styling. When she is not taking photos or building brands, she is at home with her three sons and husband, drinking coffee or red wine and dreaming about their next global adventure.
Topics Discussed:
- What brand photography is and how small businesses can use it
- How you can get photos that will connect with your dream clients
- Why knowing your brand story and why is so important
- Telling your business’s story through photography
- The importance of being true to yourself and not just following trends
- The questions you should be asking a photographer before you work together
- How to get comfortable in front of the camera
- Where you can use your brand photos
- When you should consider investing in a brand photoshoot
- How to use stock photography with your branded images
Resources Discussed:
- Delivering Happiness
- Slack
- The Brand Photography Playbook.
Connect with Mallika:
- Website
Today I’m going to be taklking about automating the client experience for great customer service. We’ve talked about automation in a couple of the previous episodes and you’re going to be hearing a lot more about it in upcoming episodes with guest, so I wanted to share with you my thoughts on automation including how I’ve used automation in my own business and with my clients to great a great customer experience without sacrificing the one-one-one, hands-on experience that you want your clients to have in your business.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of outlining your process before you start automating
- Steps to include in your process
- Questions to ask about how you work
- Questions to ask about your dream clients
- How to create email templates to help you automate without losing the personal touch
- Using PDF Guides to share information throughout your process
- How to create tutorial videos for your clients
- Tools you can use to automate your client experience
Resources Discussed:
- Scheduling
- Acuity*
- Calendly
- Client Management
- Dubsado*
- Honeybook
- 17hats
- Insightly
- Email Marketing
- ConvertKit*
- MailChimp
- Project Management
- Asana
- Trello
- Basecamp
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Other
- HelloSign
- Harvest
- Wave
- FreshBooks
* Some of the links above are affiliate links, but I wouldn't recommend these tools if I didn't use them and love them.
Get access to My Toolbox for all the things I use to run my business at www.lemonandthesea.com/my-toolbox
Today I’m talking with lawyer Autumn Witt Boyd all about creating contracts that protect you and your clients. Autumn and I had worked together on a contract for my own business and so I was excited to bring her on to talk about her process and some tips for creating contracts that protect you and your business while still making sure that your clients get the best deal possible. The goal of your contract is that you can both be confident that you would be protected if something were to happen and how that makes it so much easier to work while knowing you have a contract to back you up.
Autumn Witt Boyd is an experienced lawyer who helps high-achieving and ambitious business owners reach their big goals, faster and smarter. Autumn guides creative entrepreneurs with big dreams as they grow from one-person-shows to bigger deals and collaborations. She has special expertise in copyright and trademark issues.
Autumn also hosts the Legal Road Map podcast, which teaches business owners how to protect their rights and stay out of legal hot water. She lives in Chattanooga, TN with her husband Dave, twin boys Sam and Tyson, and daughter Vivian.
Topics Discussed:
- Why a contract is the most important legal protection for your business
- Why your contract should protect both you and your client
- Your first contract should be a client agreement
- How you can create a basic contract yourself starting out and why you should
- The most important things to have in your contract with a client
- Why your contracts should be strict upfront to allow you room to make decisions based on circumstances in the future
- What to do if someone wants you to sign their contract
- How to create a contract that protects you and your client
- Use your previous experience to create a contract that serves your business based on the issues you’ve had in the past
- How to communicate the benefits of a contract to your clients
- Why a contract gives you freedom to do your best work
- Other contracts you may need in your business
- The steps to take if you need to enforce a contract
Resources Discussed:
- Being Boss Podcast
- Contract Templates
- Tara Gentile
- The Magicians
- Being Boss Clubhouse
Connect with Autumn:
Website
Facebook Live Videos
Legal Road Map Podcast
Today I'm talking with Nevica Vazquez all about starting your own mastermind
and how her mastermind helped her take her business to the next level. She
gives a lot of great tips and really practical information that you can use
when you want to start your own mastermind instead of waiting to be invited
to someone else's.
You will learn exactly how to start a mastermind that will fit your
business and the vision you have and help you put together a group of
people who will help you uplevel your business, support you, and give you
honest feedback.
We also talk about the best method for hosting a mastermind and how you can
keep it on track instead of worrying that everything is going to fall apart
because there is no focus.
Nevica Vazquez is a Business Strategist to digital bosses who want to scale
their online biz. The bosses she works with are past the beginner stage of
their business and ready to assess and strategize their plan for new
growth. Together, her and her clients create the online biz + marketing
plan they need to get to the next level of their business. In addition to
serving her clients, every week Nevica hosts the Digital Boss Roundtable a
roundtable webinar show where experienced biz owners meet to have
productive conversations on up-leveling their digital businesses.
Topics Discussed:
- How Nevica got started in business
- How your dream client evolves over time
- What a mastermind is
- How being part of a mastermind can benefit your business
- How to find mastermind members who are a good fit
- How to structure your business
- How to keep your mastermind on track
- Why you need to have rules going in and how to enforce them
- Why you don't have to be the leader of your mastermind
Resources Discussed:
- Tara Gentile's Quiet Power Strategy
- Heather Crabtree's The Savvy Community
- Ashlyn Carter
- Find & Start Your Mastermind Group
Connect with Nevica:
Website
The Digital Boss Roundtable
Today on Process to Profitability, it’s just me talking about improving your website today with 5 easy updates that you can make. This is a subject that I am so passionate about because I believe that you don’t need a brand new website or a total redesign to start seeing more results from your website.
Take these updates and check out your own website. See if you can make some of these changes today to improve your design or if these are things you can put on your to-do list if you think they will take a little longer.
Topics Discussed:
- The importance of having your email address on your website
- Where to put your email address
- What you need to include in your terms & conditions and privacy policy
- Why you need return, refund, and warranty policies if you sell products or courses
- Why these policies are important
- How to update your portfolio to attract more of your dream clients
- How to include images, testimonials, and client stories in your portfolio
- Editing your content to keep your design simple
- Why it’s important to guide visitors through your website
- Adding calls to action to each page of your website
- They types of calls to action you can use on each page
- Why you need to map out your website like a journey
Resources Discussed:
- Website Design Guide
Connect with Samantha:
- Website
Today Ashley and I chatted all about using customer feedback in product design, but this episode is so relevant to people in the service-based industry as well.
Ashley and I actually met in person at a VIP Intensive back in February of 2017, so I was so excited to bring her on the show to talk about how she grew her company and how she uses customer feedback to help her design better products while still maintaining the vision she has for her business.
Ashley Staum is owner of She Plans, a little planner company that sells planners, notebooks and printable planners. She is a self-taught designer with a degree in Marketing and an MBA from Virginia Tech. Her products are created with simplicity in mind, in both design and functionality, to allow you to create the space to let life happen - because life doesn't happen on the page. As the daughter of a Navy man, Ashley lived in six homes as a child and is on her sixth home since getting married in 2004. She currently lives just north of Houston, Texas along with her husband and four young girls.
Topics Discussed:
- How Ashley got started designing planners for herself and turned it into a business
- Why she still creates printables along with her line of bound planners
- Her transition from Etsy to having her own brand
- Why Ashley loves getting customer feedback and how it’s improved her business
- The four ways she receives feedback and how she uses it to make changes in her business
- How Ashley avoids the temptation to stray for her signature style
- Why she thinks of her customers as part of her business
- Why sometimes less is more in product design
- Why she doesn’t feel like other planner companies are competition
- How starting small and not looking at the competition is beneficial
- Her upcoming Fall launch
Connect with Ashley
- Website
- Etsy
Today I’m talking with Elise Crawford of Ringlet studio about creating a social media strategy with your dream clients in mind.
Elise and I had a great conversation all about why business need social media strategy, how you can create content that your dream client is going to relate to, and how you can avoid feeling overwhelmed by all of the different platforms and options there are out there.
She gives us some great advice about creating a social media strategy that works for your business and helps you to grow and scale in a way that’s really true to you.
Over the last five years, Elise has worked with countless businesses in the D.C. area to create stunning brands, digital marketing campaigns, websites and social media portfolios. In the beginning of 2016, she began Ringlet Studio with the mission of empowering women entrepreneurs brands to be bold online. Elise graduated with a Masters in Communication from Johns Hopkins University. Her concentrations were in Public + Media Relations and Digital Communications. She has lived in D.C. for the last eight years. She is planning an August 2017 wedding to her college sweetheart.
Topics Discussed:
- How she knew she wanted to start her own business and work with female entrepreneurs
- Why small businesses need a social media strategy
- Why your marketing can be simple and really effective
- How your social media strategy fits in with your overall marketing
- How to get feedback from your dream client about your social media presence
- How to create services strategically
- Sharing your zone of genius and how to talk about your services
- Choosing which social media platforms your business needs to be on
- Why video is the next big thing
- People like buying from people
Resources Discussed:
- Hootsuite [https://hootsuite.com/]
- Sprout Social [http://sproutsocial.com/]
- Gary Vaynerchuk [https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/]
- Peoplemap [http://www.peoplemap.co/]
Connect with Elise
- Website
Today it’s just me and I’m going to be talking about why serving your clients and customers is so important. Of course, this is the basis for the entire podcast, but I wanted to talk about why I think it’s important and how I came to that conclusion in my own business.
Topics Discussed:
- Why a business with great customer service draws you in
- Why the clients are the basis of your business
- Why serving well needs to come before making a profit
- How to balance serving well and setting boundaries
- The types of boundaries to set and where to share them
- Finding an area of service to focus on
Resources Discussed:
- Dubsado
Today I'm talking with Maggie Giele, who is an award-winning business and marketing strategist, helping fiercely dedicated business owners slay their strategies and scale their businesses, with a sprinkle of magic.
Our episode today is all about creating a great client experience and how you can do that through processes and automation to make it really easy for you to have a profitable business while still serving your clients well.
Topics Discussed:
- How to create a great client experience
- Why you can't create a client experience without clients
- How Maggie improves her client experience after every project
- Ways that you can get feedback during the process
- How to delight your client while still being profitable.
Resources Discussed:
- Give Lovely
- The Dragon Slayer’s Guide to Digital Strategy
- Content Quest
Connect with Maggie:
- Website
Today I’m talking with my friend Cinnamon Wolfe all about using your blog to educate your clients. She gets into a lot of great topics like how she has used her blog in the past to reach and educate clients in the wedding industry and as she is transitioning to be an educator for small business owners. We also talk about her process for blogging as well as some SEO tips that can help you blog get found online.
Cinnamon Wolfe is a former corporate gal turned photographer, blogger and educator. She is an Army wife, stepmom, petmom and the friendliest introvert you’ll ever meet. She is obsessed with helping others realize they are capable of so much more than they think they are. She is a self-proclaimed #podcastjunkie and hosts her own show with her husband where they chat with business owners about all things photography, business and blogging. Her life goals are as big as her Netflix obsession and she can be always bribed with skinny vanilla lattes and deep conversations.
Topics Discussed:
- How she accidentally started her business
- How blogging small business owners
- How to show your expertise and knowledge to potential clients through your blog
- How blogging helps your SEO
- How to find topics to blog about that you’re interested in and that will benefit your reader
- Addressing your clients’ pain points as a blog post
- Why you should write about topics you think are basic
- Why you should get outside the creative industry bubble
- Balancing personal and business topics
- Finding the best way to balance sharing information and being yourself
- How often you should blog
- How you can increase your blogging SEO
- Cinnamon’s process for blogging from start to finish
Resources Discussed:
- CoSchedule
- SmarterQueue
- Todoist
Connect with Cinnamon:
Website
Blog
Focus(ed) Podcast
Introduction to Process to Profitability, a podcast about the tools and strategies you need to serve your clients and grow your small business.
Process to Profitability, hosted by Samantha Mabe of Lemon and the Sea, is a weekly interview show all about the tools and strategies you need to serve your clients and grow your small business.
We'll discuss tools, strategies, and processes that you can apply to your own business in a way that fits you. From online creative entrepreneurs to product creators, professionals creating their own way of working to those just starting out, we'll be digging into it all.