The Kenza Pod - SoundSage

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In May of 2021, we interviewed Candice Elliott to learn what it’s like to be an HR Consultant. At the time, she was pregnant with her first son and shared with us all of the plans she’d made to prepare for maternity leave.

More than two years later, we catch up with Candice to hear how those plans actually panned out (hint: it didn't quite go as expected...), what it’s like transitioning into motherhood as a business owner, and what she’s doing differently the second time around. Candice’s candor and words of wisdom will be helpful for anyone navigating maternity or paternity leave as solopreneurs.

But wait, there’s more!
Candice has been in business for more than 5 years, so I couldn’t let her go without hearing more about that journey. We dive into her personal and professional growth, the various mentors and training programs that have helped her evolution, how she's incorporating AI into her biz, and invaluable advice on keeping clients satisfied.

Tune in for a deep dive into Candice's journey and gain invaluable insights that are sure to inspire and educate you!

You can check out her first interview right here (episode 41). All of the other resources we mention are linked below. Enjoy!

Connect with Candice:Website
The My First Hire course
The Hearth Podcast
Instagram

Other:

All So ya wanna be a… Episodes
Resources on Kenza site
Nadine Zumot: Money Coach
Kat Lee - Business Alchemist Mentorship
Mama Collaborative: Maternity leave planning and coaching
Join the Kenza Slack
At Scale Newsletter by Ylva Predan

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In this episode, Tiffany sits down with Kenza community member, mama of 3, and freelance Digital Business Manager, Ylva Predan, to talk all things new-tech.

For the first 20 minutes of the conversation, you’ll learn why Ylva decided to quit her career in the nonprofit sector to pursue freelance copywriting. We talk about how she found her first few clients and how she transitioned into being a Digital Business Manager.

We then dive into her new side hustle—At Scale, which is a newsletter about tech - in simple terms. The newsletter focuses less on “how it works”, and more on “what it means” – for entrepreneurs, businesses, and entire industries.

In this episode, you’ll learn simple, digestible definitions for Web3, NFTs, Blockchain technology, Smart Contracts, AI, and ChatGPT.

We discuss why it’s critical to stay up to date on new tech, not only for our businesses and our clients, but also for us to understand the world in which our kids are growing up in.

You’ll discover how she uses ChatGPT to stay in her zone of genius, why Ylva says “Web3 and AI will definitely impact anyone who is making a living online; it’s only a matter of when…”, and much more.

Be sure to follow Ylva on LinkedIn and Twitter, subscribe to her newsletter At Scale, and chat her up in the Kenza Collective Slack channel! Links below.

Enjoy!

✌🏼Tiff

Links from the episode:

Sign up for Ylva’s newsletter right here.
Read past articles from At Scale right here.
Follow At Scale on LinkedIn.
Follow Ylva on LinkedIn and Twitter
Check out Ylva's website for her services as a Digital Business Manager.
Connect with Ylva and other freelancing parents in the Kenza Slack
Check out our Digital Business Manager episode
Enjoy what you heard? Consider supporting Kenza each month :)

Additional Resources to Dive Deeper into New Tech:

Web3

Podcast episode - Bankless -The Ownership Economy - with Li Jin
Podcast episode - Women in Influencer Marketing - NFTs and the creator economy

Elements of AI, a free online course created by MinnaLearn and the University of Helsinki This is a great place to start if you are a complete beginner and want to learn more about the basic concepts in AI.
Podcast episode - Marketing Against the Grain - “6 marketing opportunities that AI unlocks for businesses”

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I had a stark realization the other day.

I’ve been stuck in a hypervigilant, fear-based way of living, thinking, and acting ever since March of 2020.

I also recognized that I never used to be like this, and I don’t like it.

Sure, there are other reasons why I’m in this place: the transformation of becoming a parent for the first time, starting and running a business, getting older, etc.

But regardless of how I got here, I don’t like it.

I feel like I've gone from being a pretty easygoing, laid back, and excited-for-the-future type of person, to a hypervigilant and always-on-guard individual, mother, wife, and business owner.

I've been constantly looking ahead to what bad things might happen and trying to plan and strategize my way out of it. It's not a fun way to live!

So, I invited Kat Lee for her third appearance on The Kenza Pod to share her wisdom around fear. I wanted her to not only help us understand how we got here, but also offer practical tools and strategies to get ourselves out.

Originally, Kat and I had a private 1:1 coaching session scheduled where I had planned to talk through all of this with her. But we decided to hit record so that you can get an inside look at how we worked through this, and how I walked away feeling empowered with wisdom and tools to help me move through (and out of) this way of thinking.

If you're feeling anything like what I've described, then this episode is a must-listen.

We will challenge you to look at who you are on the other side of the global pandemic and make sure you recognize and like that person.
We share practical strategies to help you get through moments of panic and overwhelm, and help you loosen the grip that fear can hold us back.
We’ll help you to recognize when you’re being hypervigiliant, and then understand not only why that’s happening but how to alleviate that stressful and all-consuming feeling.

I can’t wait to hear how this episode impacts you!

Hit me up on instagram @kenzacollective, or join our free Slack community to talk even more: kenzacollective.com/slack.

Links from the episode

Learn more about Kat Lee and her podcast, Empowered Curiosity
Other episodes with Kat: How to Harness the Power of Our Emotions to Make Smarter Business Decisions and How to Create an Abundant Business & Life by Listening to Your Body
The Mel Robbins podcast episode mentioned “You’ll never be truly happy until you start doing this”

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Human Design is an incredibly specific way to help you:

learn more about and appreciate your unique personality
understand how you take in and process energy from the world
help you understand your unique way of decision-making (some should wait up to a month before making a big decision, while others are meant to make decisions in the moment!)
work more effectively with clients and teams
become a better parent & partner

Human Design is a system based on your exact time, date, and place of birth. It’s a mix of Kabbalah, I'Ching, Myers-Briggs, astrology, biochemistry, genetics, and the chakra system all in one.

I know, I know…. It all sounds a bit out there, right?

But if you think about it, don’t all systems, religions, beliefs, etc sound a bit out there?

I am forever curious about all types of wisdom and ways of understanding myself and the world. And for some reason, Human Design just really resonates with me in a way that no other teaching ever has before.

To be clear, Human Design is not a religion. It doesn’t predict your future or your health. It is simply a system that helps you understand who you are at a deeper level.

For me, understanding who I am through the lens of Human Design has helped me to accept myself and my quirks, get better at my decision-making process, improve my relationships, lower my stress and anxiety levels, and so much more. Crazy, right?!

Before you dive in to this episode, I would highly encourage you to get your chart. It’s free and easy—all you need is your birthday, location, and time to get started. If you don’t know the time you were born, we cover what to do in the episode. For now, just put a guess in and you’ll learn what to do if you’re unsure.

Get your chart at MyHumanDesign.com or Mybodygraph.com.

I invited Human Design expert, Nadia Last, to the pod to talk us through the origins of Human Design, the 5 energy types, our Authority, and our Strategy. We weave in and out of practical applications of this system, and I even share a bit of my labor and delivery story on the pod for the first time ever.

Buckle up for a a deep, intuitive, and insightful conversation that will surely have an impact on your business, your relationships, your decision-making, and so much more.

Enjoy!

Links from the episode:

Nadia’s podcast, The Current
Nadia’s Website
Follow Nadia on Instagram
Get your chart at MyHumanDesign.com or Mybodygraph.com
Watch this episode on YouTube

Connect with The Kenza Collective:

Explore mentoring with Tiff or Beth
Join our Slack community
Follow us on Instagram
Sign up for our Newsletter
Check out our website

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In this deep dive episode about the Operations of your business, Tiffany walks you through the four phases of a project and helps you understand how to set up a solid operational framework that will help you:

keep projects on time and on budget
create healthy communication boundaries with your client
establish yourself as an expert and a leader
ensure that your clients have an incredible experience with you, leading to longer term relationships and more referrals
make more money through higher-ticket offers and the ability to take on more clients and projects

If you're experiencing any of the following symptoms, it's time for you to take a look at your operational framework and make some changes ASAP:

Your projects keep going over the projected timeline and you don't know how to prevent it.
You are waaaay too integrated into a client’s communication channels—you have their email address, you're in their chat and PM apps, etc—and you don’t like it but you don’t know how to get out of it or how to prevent it.
You keep losing control of projects—your clients question your decisions or suggestions, they don't get back to you when you ask them to, they continually ask for things that are out of scope, they push project timelines and deadlines, etc.
You are just feeling a general sense of disorderliness, overwhelm, and like you're constantly treading water trying to manage your clients and projects.

It's easy to think that maybe you need to create a new framework for the services you offer, or that you need to re-brand or do something else drastic to fix these symptoms. When in reality, it's quite likely that the real issue is a lack of leadership on your end and an operational framework that's repeatable and reasonable for both you and the client.

Operations are the heartbeat of a company. They are the foundation of everything: your client's experience, how much you can grow your company, and ultimately how much money you can make and how stressful (or not) it'll be to accomplish your goals.

In this episode, you'll get to take advantage of Tiffany's 15+ years of operations in TV production, creative agencies, and coworking spaces, and learn what it takes to create a stellar experience for both you and your clients so that you can make more and work less! :)

Links

Watch this on YouTube
Explore mentoring with Tiff or Beth
Free class: Using Sprints to Manage Fixed Timeline Projects
Podcast episode: The Magic of the Discovery Phase
Join our Slack community
Follow us on Instagram
Sign up for our Newsletter

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Learn How Kenza Can Help You Grow Your Biz and Network + 2 Important Lessons that Tiffany Learned this Summer

Kenza Pod Season 5 Launch!

Get the inside scoop on:

How The Kenza Collective can connect you to the professionals, courses, and programs you need to succeed as a parent entrepreneur
2 important lessons that Tiffany learned this summer and key takeaways to help you not repeat the same mistakes
How we're expanding The Kenza Pod to bring you even more value

Enjoy!

Visit us: https://www.kenzacollective.com/
Follow us: https://instagram.com/kenzacollective
Subscribe to our email list: https://www.kenzacollective.com/newsletter-signup
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MyyhJ5B_8s

Subscribe to The Kenza Pod wherever you listen!

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In this Season 4 Finale, Beth and Tiffany are taking you behind the scenes of Kenza and their consulting businesses! We discuss….

How their fractional CEO and CFO roles are going and why this is a really interesting consultant path to explore.
The plans that they have this summer, including Tiffany’s month-long scouting trip to Portugal as their family contemplates the expat life.
How to take advantage of all of Kenza’s resources for parents who are freelancing or consulting (or curious about how to make the leap).
Ways to work together through our mentorship programs or our one-off mentoring sessions (we love providing feedback and helping you work through specific scenarios in your business!).
An upcoming workshop in collaboration with Kat Lee of Empowered Curiosity called “The Energetics of Money” on June 25th and 26th. Our intention in this weekend intensive is to bridge the gap between spirit and logic so that you can build a secure relationship with money and feel nourished by your business. Spiritual Business Mentor Kat Lee will lead us to unravel our trauma knots around money so that we can examine the outdated beliefs and narratives that block us from receiving or managing abundance. Beth will be teaching the basics of small business accounting, empowering you to make decisions that will help you build a sustainable business. Join the revolution of spiritual entrepreneurs who are building conscious businesses that honor ethics, cyclical rhythms, and intuition! Learn more right here.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Book a mentoring call with Beth or Tiffany
Explore our library of Kenza Pod episodes
Join our email list
Learn more about the Mama Collaborative course
Learn more about Lisa Cumes’s Upwork course
Listen to the About Abroad podcast
Check out Boundless Life

Join us on Slack

Join our free slack group if you’re ready to get support from like-minded parents who are right there with you and in the trenches of entrepreneurship and parenting. Ask questions, get feedback, share your wins, struggles, and more. Join us here or feel to DM us on Instagram with any questions.

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“It is so much more effective both as parents and as coworkers to embrace people’s neurodivergence and simply let them be who they are. When you do this, you’ll get to see their true strengths come out. And even better than that—you’re going to show them that you care about them as a human."

As service providers, we work with a wide variety of people from diverse backgrounds, age groups, and locations. Our jobs are heavily reliant on cultivating relationships, which means it’s critical that we’re continually improving our EQ (emotional intelligence) and taking the time to understand how to better collaborate with those we’re serving.

When we make the effort to understand the people we work with, and have compassion and appreciation for the ways in which we’re different, it increases the enjoyment of the work we’re doing and it leads to better outcomes for long-term business and for relationships as a whole.

In this episode, we are exploring the term Neurodiversity—what it means, how it shows up in our families and workplaces, and how we can compassionately work with someone who may fall under this umbrella. We also discuss resources for those of us who may identify as neurodivergent.

Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. And while neurodiversity encompasses all cognitive differences (which we all have), the term “neurodivergent” tends to be used for those with specific differences like ADHD, autism, Tourette's, dyslexia, dyspraxia, synesthesia and specific learning disorders. Others who may identify as neurodivergent are those who are gifted, and those with sensory processing disorder, bipolar disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder.

To walk us through this complex topic, we invited Dawn Mortensen to the pod—a neurodiversity advocate, Gaming Marketing Manager at Meta, and Tiffany’s Aunt!

Across 25 years of working and parenting, Dawn has learned a lot about how to tap into the strengths of those who think and work differently. In her workplace and community, she's an advocate for those of us who are neurodivergent.

This episode is for you if:

You want to deepen your emotional intelligence and improve your communication & collaboration skills with your clients and anyone else you work with.
You’re curious what the term “neurodiversity” means and how workplaces are evolving to embrace people who think differently.
You want to learn how to get the best out of the people you work with by understanding and appreciating their unique strengths and gifts.
You have children who are neurodivergent and you want to learn how to best advocate for them and support them on their journey.

About Our Guest

Dawn Mortensen is a wife, mom of two teenage girls, a Gaming Marketing Manager at Meta, and a neurodiversity advocate. Across 25 years of working and parenting, Dawn has learned a lot about how to tap into the strengths of those who think and work differently. She’s also leading the charge at Meta to advocate for those of us who are neurodivergent.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Connect with Dawn on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on Twitter

Grab your copy of Differently Wired

Learn more about REEL

Check out the Stanford Neurodiversity Project

Connect with

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“Intuition lives in our body, not in our minds. When you get an intuitive hit, it comes from the gut and heart space. So as you start rebuilding the relationship with your body and tuning into your body’s sensations instead of overriding them, that’s when your intuition can really come through."

Does emotion have a place in business? And if so, how can we learn to tap into those emotions to make smarter, more aligned decisions?

In this episode, Tiffany sat down with Kat Lee, Business Coach and Founder of Empowered Curiosity, to dive into the complexities surrounding these questions and gain incredible insight into the wisdom of our bodies.

You’ll learn about the power of trusting your “gut” or intuition, how to become less reactive and more responsive, ways to practice healthy boundaries to give your body and mind a chance to make more intentional decisions, and how to have compassion for yourself when having an emotional response to a situation.

When we are able to use our business as a spiritual teacher, we are able to learn so much about ourselves and how we show up in the world. Understanding how this all works together can be a true secret weapon for you to build an intentional, aligned, fulfilling, and successful business. This episode is filled with rich conversation as well as practical tools and techniques to help you grow as an entrepreneur, parent, and partner.

Plus, you’re not going to want to miss the sneak peek into the weekend intensive that we’re teaming up to bring to you called The Energetics of Money, coming up on June 25th and 26th, 2022.

This episode is for you if:

You’re wondering how to handle emotional reactions to situations in your business and need practical tips to sit in responsiveness rather than immediately reacting.
You’re curious about how you can cultivate a better awareness of your intuition so that you can use your body’s cues to make smarter and more aligned decisions.

About Our Guest

Kat Lee is a trauma-informed spiritual business mentor and the host of the Empowered Curiosity podcast. Kat uses the tools of trauma-informed somatic and emotional alchemy to guide soulful entrepreneurs to guide their business as a spiritual practice.

Her work allows business owners to cultivate businesses that are rooted in conscious values, ethical marketing and purposeful service.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Follow Kat on Instagram

Check out her website

Listen to the Empowered Curiosity Podcast

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“Decide what you want and don’t make excuses around it. Just go get it. Commit to the possibilities more than the excuses."In this episode, I sit down with Peggy James, a business and marketing coach, to discuss what it’s like to grow a successful coaching business.

Peggy began her independent career by becoming a Virtual Assistant. Over time, she learned that she had a passion for leading, inspiring, and teaching others, so she evolved her business to coach and teach others how to become a VA.

Peggy shares how her first year of business was spent being stuck in tunnel vision and how her family life suffered because of it. She explains how her network of support allowed her to reach her goals and how she uses that experience to walk her clients through reaching their goals without sacrificing their personal lives.

We discuss what the qualities of a great coach are, how to identify if coaching is right for you, and why you need to look beyond the lucrative income and focus more on why you are doing this if you want to be successful.

Whether you’re an aspiring business coach or you’re a coach looking for a way to scale, this episode is perfect for you!

This episode is for you if:

You’ve been wanting to niche down in your business and are wanting to know what it looks like to be a business coach.
You’re interested in coaching but you’re unsure if you have the skills and qualities of a business coach and are looking for ways to identify if coaching is right for you.
You are a business coach who is looking to scale and you need tips and strategies on how to grow your impact and work with more people.

About Our Guest

Peggy James works with online services providers, strategists, specialists, and rising coaches. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses by giving them both the structure they need as well as proven marketing strategies to help them scale quickly.

Her favorite part of being a coach is watching women own their superpowers, push past their fears and change their futures. When she's not working, you can find her wrangling her four kiddos or reading a self-development book.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Connect with Peggy on Instagram
Check out her website
Join the Grow Business & Marketing Academy
Join her free Facebook group, The Confident CEO
Learn How to Set Yourself Up For Success as a Working Mom

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“Putting your children on the payroll when it’s appropriate is one of the greatest business hacks I recommend to my parent entrepreneur clients. It’s a great way to teach your child responsibilities, you save on taxes, and you set them up for future financial opportunities when they’re old enough to make financial decisions."In this episode, we had the pleasure of hosting Hunter Boyd, Founder of Solopreneur Financial, to talk about specific tax and investment strategies for small business owners with families.

Hunter shares his favorite tax strategies geared towards parent entrepreneurs and he gives advice on how you can save on taxes as a business owner and parent. Plus, learn about the benefits of putting your kids on the payroll, find when they’re eligible, and learn how to best utilize them in your business!

Hunter also shares his tips related to cash flow and introduces us to his “hill and valley” system. This system is a great strategy to implement when you have a variable monthly income and it can help protect you from those unexpected expenses and slow-moving months.

This episode is for you if:

You’re a solopreneur who is handling your own finances and you need guidance on how to plan your budget and disperse your income appropriately.
You’re feeling overwhelmed with having a variable income and you need strategies that help you plan for the ebbs and flows that come with operating a business.
You are curious about how you can add your child to your payroll and need to know when it’s deemed appropriate and how it impacts your tax responsibilities.
You’re interested in learning the benefits of tax planning and want to hear the long-term benefits of implementing it now rather than later.

About Our Guest

Hunter Boyd, Founder of Solopreneur Financial, is a virtual financial advisor for solopreneurs. He noticed most financial planners were missing the boat when it came to solopreneurs and self-employed business owners so he started his own business to fill that void.

He and his team guide clients through a financial planning experience that covers investing, taxes, cash flow, exit planning, and so much more. Through this planning experience, they are helping their clients live their bucket-list life.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Connect with Hunter on Instagram

Check out his website

Connect with him on LinkedIn

Check out the You Can Do This course

Grab your cash flow planning tool

Book a mentoring call with Tiffany or Beth

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“In the very beginning, we don’t want to admit that we don't know something. We want to look like we know what we’re doing and we don’t want people to lose faith in us. It’s hard to admit what we don’t know. But as you gain experience and maturity, it’s easy to say what you’re not good at because you know someone else can do it better and faster."

Imagine being able to talk to yourself 20 years from now—what advice would you give your younger self right now?

It was this question that inspired us to invite Lisa Cook to the pod! Lisa is the Founder of Kid Swim LA, a mother, and has over two decades of business ownership experience under her belt.

In this episode, we discuss how she got started with her business and how that business has grown since launching in 2001. Lisa describes what it was like to start and run a small business while raising her family. She talks about how her mindset shift of really owning the CEO title in her business helped her grow and become a successful entrepreneur. You’ll also learn how she has successfully built and managed a healthy and happy team over the years.

At the core of this episode, Lisa gives pro tips and perspective for us parent entrepreneurs who are in our beginning years of business.

You will also learn about her newest endeavor which is helping new business owners through financial tips, leadership, and marketing. In it, she gives you 20 years of experience in just 6 weeks. You can’t beat that!

If you’re looking for wisdom, perspective, encouragement, and vulnerability, then you’re not going to want to miss this episode!

This episode is for you if:

You’ve been suffering from imposter syndrome and need to hear how to shift your mindset toward becoming the CEO of your business.
You’re feeling held back from reaching your goals due to the responsibilities of parenthood, and you need to hear how you can manage your goals and still accomplish them while fostering that healthy parent-child relationship.
You are interested in hiring on a team and need strategies to help you pick the right people and to build a healthy team.
You’re feeling overwhelmed with starting your business and need a fully-packed resource to help kick-start your journey.

About Our Guest

Lisa Cook, founder of Kids Swim LA, started her small business with a goal to teach kids how to swim while bringing in extra cash to her household. Lisa had an infant when she started her business in 2001 and at the time, she didn’t consider herself an entrepreneur.

Now more than 20 years later, she has built multiple successful businesses. She has increased revenue for Kids Swim LA to 20-25% every year through hard work and passion.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Connect with Lisa on Instagram

Check out her business classes

Learn more about her nonprofit All Kids Swim

Book a mentoring call with Tiffany or Beth

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“It’s hard for me not to have that much work right now because I feel like we are all so conditioned to be working all the time and to be busy. Our worth is tied to how much work we do or how much money we bring in or how productive we are. We’re all so proud of being busy and not having time to do whatever it is. And so right now my lesson is to just learn how to be. I don't have to be doing it to feel like I'm worth something."

We’re excited to introduce you to Katelyn Baughan, founder of KB Digital—a marketing consultancy for nonprofits—and a Mama of two. In this episode, we discuss her journey from the traditional workforce to starting her own business.

She describes why she decided to go out on her own, how she landed her first few clients, what life is like now that she is in full control of her time and energy, the dreams she has for the growth of her business, what it looks like to hire and manage subcontractors, and so much more.

If you’re interested in learning what it takes to offer freelance marketing services to nonprofits, then this is a must-listen episode!

This episode is for you if:

You’ve been wondering how to find clients when you’re starting out and need tips and strategies to land your first client.
You’re feeling overwhelmed with your workload and are wanting to hire a subcontractor but you aren’t sure how to start the process.
You are interested in nonprofit marketing services but don’t know what types of services nonprofits are needing or if they have the budget to afford the services you want to offer.

About Our Guest

Katelyn Baughan, founder of KB Digital, started her marketing career in tech then moved to the nonprofit sector to focus on mission-driven marketing. After having her first daughter (now has two!), she started her consultancy for more flexibility and freedom. Her strengths are digital strategy, project management, fundraising, and email marketing.

KB Digital’s mission is to help nonprofits inspire generosity through meaningful marketing strategies. Shas helped over 15 nonprofits raise more than 5 million dollars online through her consultant services.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Connect with Katelyn on Instagram

Connect with Katelyn on LinkedIn

Check out her website

Learn how to shift your mindset with To Be Magnetic

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“If you work a 40 hour work week that’s time blocked, intentional, and prioritized, you can get the same amount of work done with a 60 hour work week that’s unstructured. You really save time when you eliminate distractions and it’s a huge benefit of time blocking."

Have you ever found yourself wondering: how can I get more work done in less time?

We sat down with Claire Holmes— founder of Mama Collaborative—to dig into that question and discover how to implement time blocking into your weekly routine to save you time and energy.

In this episode, we get to hear Claire’s story from captive employee to autonomous business owner, founding Double H Design Co., and creating Mama Collaborative, where she supports working Moms.

We then discuss what exactly time blocking is, why it’s absolutely critical to us working parents, how it works, how to stick to it, and practical tips to get started today. Plus, you can hop over to our website to watch a supplemental video where Claire walks you through exactly how this looks and works.

We also discuss the amazing new resource Claire has drawn up for working moms, and we share an exclusive discount and sneak peek that is only available to Kenza Pod listeners! Trust us, you don’t want to miss it!

This episode is for you if:

You’ve been wondering how to get started with time blocking but you don't know where to begin.
You’re feeling overwhelmed with getting your tasks completed and need practical strategies to implement right away to help improve your time management.
You find your calendar to be cluttered and you don’t know how to organize it.
You don’t feel in control of your time and need help prioritizing events in your schedule.

About Our Guest

In addition to Double H Design Co., Claire is the Founder of Mama Collaborative which is an organization dedicated to helping working moms learn how to set themselves up for success through digital courses, resources, tools, and an encouraging online community.

Leveraging her personal experience as a full-time working mom of 3, her goal is to help moms move away from stress, overwhelm, and anxiety to find satisfaction and purpose in life. Mama Collaborative empowers working mamas to make smart, streamlined and strategic choices about successfully managing their busy lives - and finding fulfillment.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Connect with Claire on Instagram

Check out her website

Watch the time blocking video

Grab your EXCLUSIVE discount

Learn more about her course, Finding Success As A Working Mom

Support Kenza Collective over on Patreon

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“There are so many people who know way more about email marketing than I do but that should never be a reason not to act on what you know already. I know more than my clients do. They don't have time to learn it and that’s why they hire me."

In this episode, we get to hear Samantha’s story from massage therapist to successful business owner and Mama of twins.

Samantha shares how she creates structure with her work schedule while balancing childcare and raising two energetic toddlers. She explains the importance of being intentional with her time to make sure she is able to get tasks completed while her children are being cared for.

You’ll learn that the field of email copywriting has many opportunities for growth, and hear about some of Samantha’s most recommended resources for you to check out if this is something that sounds interesting to you. We also discuss what services Samantha offers, and she points out the power of starting simple so that you can become a known expert in your space.

If helping clients reach their target audience through powerful email copywriting and intentional funnel design sounds interesting to you, you won’t want to miss this episode!

This episode is for you if:

You’ve been wondering how to get started as an email copywriter but don’t know where to begin.
You’re feeling overwhelmed with figuring out what services to start with and need guidance on the importance of starting small.
You are interested in email marketing but you’re feeling overwhelmed with what is all included in the strategy piece of it.
You feel overwhelmed thinking about starting a business with young children and need tips for helping balance your workload while being there for your children.

About Our Guest

Samantha Montalbano is a busy mama to twin 2 year old girls and is the owner of Boldness Factor where she serves as an email marketing copywriter and strategist. She launched her business when her babies were a couple months old AND during a global pandemic. Total powerhouse, right?!

Samantha created her business to make email writing simple again. To do all the heavy lifting that you don’t have time to do. She wants to make it so you never dread sitting down to write another email ever again.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Connect with Samantha on Instagram

Check out her website

Check out Copyhacker’s 10x Freelance Copywriter program

Grab your copy of StoryBrand’s Marketing Made Simple

Learn more about Stefan Georgi

Check out Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula

Learn about our You Can Do This course

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“As you go on and get deeper into business ownership, the financial side gets easier. It gets better. You’ll get to a point where you’re not having to monitor your cash flow so tightly because you’re making more money. You’re going to get better at this, trust that. Getting into the habit of creating and maintaining a budget, understanding where your money is going, and planning for the inevitable is what you need to be doing right now."

Have you ever found yourself wondering: how much is it going to cost me to run my business?

Tiffany and Beth sit down to discuss the different aspects of running a business and how to break down the individual costs within those variables to create a budget that works for your business.

In this episode, we start with the basics.

You’ll learn what information you need to gather before sitting down and making a budget. You’ll get advice on how to create a budget that makes sense for your business based on both your expected and unexpected expenses, anticipated income, and what you ideally want to take home in a paycheck.

We’ll discuss the difference between a budget and a cash flow prediction and how to utilize each.

You’ll learn how to create a budget when your income is irregular and how to create a structure within your budget. Plus, we’ll discuss why you should create a reserve and a contingency plan in the event of unexpected expenses or changes in your business.

**This episode is for you if:

-** You’re feeling overwhelmed with creating a budget for your business and need practical strategies to make a budget that actually works.

You’re wondering how to manage your cash flow and you need tools that can make your life easier.
You’re feeling uneasy about making a budget with an irregular income and need practical tips to create structure within your budget.

-You’re nervous about how you’re going to handle an unexpected expense and you need to know how to create a plan to avoid a future problem.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Check out the You Can Do This course

Grab your Cash Flow Planning Tool and other free resources

Schedule a mentoring call with Beth

Check out other Money Mindset podcast episodes

Find information regarding small business taxes

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“You have to be able to ask for and accept help. Our culture and society has ingrained in women that we are the nurturers and givers and there’s not a lot of reciprocity there, and that’s why people reach burnout. That’s why people quit. It feels like too much and that’s why we need to be willing to get that help."

Have you ever found yourself wondering: is it actually possible to run a successful business and be the parent and partner I want to be without burning out?

We sat down with Lauren Golden— founder of The Free Mama Movement—to dig into that question and get her strategies of controlling the chaos as a Mama of three and a business owner.

In this episode, we hear Lauren’s story leading up to her taking the plunge into freelancing, and then launching The Free Mama Movement to help other Mamas do the same. She then walks us through very practical strategies that you can implement today to balance both your professional and personal life. We talk about why it’s important to ask for help, the need to outsource tasks in and out of your business, and how you can find a system that works for you and your family. She explains why self-care is so important, what she practices for self-care, and how to find what fills your cup so you can set yourself up for success.

This episode is for you if:

You love the idea of freelancing or consulting, but have a hard time understanding how it all fits together with all of the other moving pieces of your life.
You’re feeling overwhelmed with the juggle of business ownership and parenthood and need practical strategies to implement right away to help alleviate the overwhelm.
You find it helpful to hear other parent’s success stories as they’ve moved from the traditional workforce and into a solo career.

About Our Guest

Lauren Golden, Founder of The Free Mama Movement, launched her business to show working moms that they don’t have to choose between family and financial stability. Her mission is to ensure no mother ever has to sacrifice time with their babies in order to provide for them.

As the fearless leader of tens of thousands of women, Lauren is passionate about showing other moms how to start and run a successful freelancing business from home. In her #1 International Best Selling book, she shares her own story, along with plenty of practical advice for anyone looking to leave the 9-5 behind and make a real living at home.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Connect with Lauren on Instagram

Check out her website

Join The Free Mama Movement Facebook group

Learn more about her book, The Free Mama: How to Work from Home, Control Your Schedule, and Make More Money

Check out the You Can Do This course

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

The Free Mama: How to Work From Home, Control Your Schedule, and Make More Money

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Becoming a parent is a beautiful experience, but for those of us who want or need to continue to build our careers, the juggle can be a real challenge. Here at The Kenza Collective, we are passionate about educating and empowering parents to make the leap from captive employee to full-time Independent Professional (aka freelancer, consultant, etc). When you work for yourself, you are free to build a life and a living that supports your family's needs. And in turn, this enables us to raise better humans, cultivate stronger relationships, and prioritize our physical & mental health.

Join CoFounders Beth and Tiffany as they teach you what it takes to work for yourself so that you can find freedom in your schedule, your energy, and who you choose to work with. We break down complex financial and tax-related topics, teach you how to land (and keep) clients, write proposals, manage projects, and protect your energy - all while juggling your family responsibilities. We also explore the various types of independent career paths out there through talking to parents just like you who've made the leap.

Whether you're a parent who is curious about what it takes to go out on your own, or you’ve been doing it for years, this podcast will help you navigate the tricky (but oh so rewarding!) waters of working for ourselves while raising a family. Learn more and find great resources at https://www.kenzacollective.com.

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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"If you’re a parent-entrepreneur who really wants to level up, make more money, take on bigger clients and contracts—all while raising a family and staying true to your personal goals and boundaries—you may really need to take a serious look at some of your habits and question if they’re actually serving you anymore. This is exactly what I had to do when I landed the biggest retainer contract of my career last November. The changes I made have been complete game-changers, and I want to share them with you!”

In this bonus episode, Tiffany shares exciting updates from The Kenza Collective and what to expect in Season 4 of the Kenza Pod. She gives a sneak peek into the upcoming episodes and guest interviews that you are not going to want to miss! Plus, be the first to hear about an exciting new initiative at Kenza and how it will benefit you as a parent entrepreneur.

Discover the Two Habits that Changed Everything for Tiffany

After landing her biggest retainer contract to date, Tiffany knew that she had to make some real changes if she was going to be able to keep up without burning out. After forming these powerful new habits, Tiffany has literally put hours back into her day and successfully leveled up financially, professionally, and personally.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources

Check out the different ways to support our work right here.

Get caught up and ready for the launch of Season 4 over on the blog.

Join us on Slack

Join the Energetics of Money waitlist

Connect with Kat Lee on Instagram

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“We need to step away from trying to describe our experience in terms of what we did and instead talk about why it mattered. Why was it important? Who did it impact? What tangible improvements did you help to bring about? Then, most critically, we want to tie these things directly to the types of opportunities that you’re targeting." - Andrea Gerson, Senior Career Strategist

Love it or hate it—we need to talk about the importance of using Linkedin as freelancers and consultants, and how this powerful tool can help grow your business.

We sat down with Andrea Gerson—professional resume writer and founder of Resume Scripter—about how to craft a narrative specifically for our Linkedin pages now that we are out on our own, and how to make your profile shine and speak directly to your ideal clients.

Andrea walks us through very practical examples and we go from top to bottom on a LinkedIn profile to talk about the importance of each section and how to fill it out. You will walk away with easy-to-follow tips on how to shine up that ole’ LinkedIn profile and start leveraging this very powerful networking platform ASAP!

This episode is for you if: * You’re wondering if having a Linkedin page is necessary to have as a freelancer or consultant (hint: yes it is). * You want to learn how to make your Linkedin page stand out and understand exactly what to include and leave out. * You’re curious about how to craft a career narrative and how to use that to build a cohesive online presence.

About Our Guest Andrea Gerson has 15 years of experience working with professionals at all stages of their careers to helping find clarity, confidence, and a renewed sense of energy around telling their career stories.

As the founder of Resume Scripter, Andrea has worked with over 7,500 professionals, many of whom have played notable roles in companies like Microsoft, Google, and the United Nations.

Her work has been featured in Fast Company, GirlBoss, and Recruiter.com.

Andrea’s superpower is helping people develop a straightforward narrative about what they’ve accomplished and what they’re capable of, specifically those with work histories that feature career transitions, caregiving apps, and self-employment.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn

Check out her website at Resumescripter.com

Join Us in Slack!

If you are ready to get support from like-minded parents who are right there with you in the trenches of entrepreneurship and parenting, join our free Slack group!

You can ask questions, get feedback, share your wins and struggles, and more. Go to kenzacollective.com/slack to sign up!

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“With just three weeks left in 2021, it’s time to get serious and make sure that we’ve tended to our finances for the year. Don’t put this off and procrastinate until next year! You’ll regret it, you’ll pay more money, you’ll drain more energy, and it just won’t be worth it. Plus, you may miss an opportunity to make strategic decisions with your money.” - Tiff

Life is busy right now and we're all just trying to finish out the year strong. So in this episode, we’re giving you the five tasks that you need to do by year-end in order to set yourself up for success come tax season. C’mon - just five little tasks are all we’re asking for here. You can do this!

This episode is for you if: * You want to know the exact steps you need to take to successfully close out your business’s finances for the year and set yourself up for success come tax season. * You need practical, actionable tips on what exactly you need to do before year-end, versus what can wait until next year.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources Handling taxes and business finances can be intimidating and overwhelming, especially if you are trying to figure it out all by yourself. If you still feel stuck, go to kenzacollective.com/coaching and sign up for Beth’s Financial Mentorship, where she can help give you the knowledge you need to build a sustainable business.

IRS Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center

IRS Website

Small Business and Self - Employed State Government Websites

CPA Mentioned in the show: Shannon Weinstein on Instagram and her website: Fitnancial Solutions

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"Project and team management are a big part of being a DBM—laying out the plan, making sure it gets executed, making sure deadlines are being met, and learning how to shift and move things around to ensure things are getting done on time—are all a part of my job. Ultimately, what I aim to do as a DBM is take the daily operations off my client's plate. So if one of their team members has a question, they come to me first, not my client. This allows my clients to focus almost entirely on income-generating work.”

This episode is for you if: * You’re curious what a Digital Business Manager does, how many hours you need to dedicate to the role each week, and how to find your first client. * You’re curious what the day-to-day looks like as a DBM and a parent. * You’re wondering how to make the transition from a Virtual Assistant to a Digital Business Manager.

We sat down with Megan Schenleber—Digital Business Manager, wife, and mother to a young daughter. In this episode, you’ll learn about Megan’s background, how she got started as a Virtual Assistant and transitioned into being a Digital Business Manager, what her day-to-day looks like juggling a freelance career with a young child, and a whole set of pro tips for those of you considering this career path.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources To learn more about Megan and connect with her check out her website and Instagram.

Check out the Digital Business Manager Bootcamp course that Megan mentioned.

Check out Micala Quinn’s Overwhelmed to Overbooked course.

Join us on Slack Join our free slack group if you’re ready to get support from like-minded parents who are right there with you and in the trenches of entrepreneurship and parenting. Ask questions, get feedback, share your wins, struggles, and more. Go to kenzacollective.com/slack or feel to DM us on Instagram at @kenzacollective with any questions.

About Our Guest Megan is a Digital Business Manager who helps female coaches and course creators manage and simplify their business operations to focus on the big picture of their business.

Before starting her freelance career, she received her bachelor’s degree in Business Management, emphasizing Human Resources. After working in the corporate world for over eight years, Megan decided to start her career in Human Resources because she wanted to help people. Starting a career as a Digital Business Manager has allowed her to help busy online business owners every day.

Megan enjoys spending time with her husband, young daughter Marlowe, and cat Sweetie outside of work. She loves reading, being active, and is a big movie buff.

Check out our other “So ya wanna be a…” episodes Stepping out on your own as a freelancer or consultant can be intimidating, to say the least. It can be incredibly helpful to hear real-life stories of parents just like you who’ve successfully made this transition, and understand what it’s actually like to run a business while raising a family.

In this ongoing podcast series, we sit down with like-minded parents to hear their stories from captive employees to liberated entrepreneurs. They paint a picture of what it’s like to juggle running their own business while also showing up as a calm and present parent and partner.

We dig into what services they provide, how they’ve leveraged their experience and network to build their business, what their day-to-day looks like, and any pro tips they have for people exploring this career path.

These episodes are a great way for you to explore independent career paths that you may not have known about! Check out all past “So ya wanna be a…” episodes right here.

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"When I’m talking to someone who has just left their job and is wondering what they should do for coverage, the first thing I do is compare their current employer-sponsored healthcare plan with what they can buy on the open market. Nine out of ten times, the COBRA option is about the same cost or sometimes less expensive. It’s also important to keep in mind that the group plan that your company provides is always going to be better than an individual plan—they will have a larger network and more benefits than an individual can get. So it’s definitely worth it to look into COBRA as an option while you have the chance."

This episode is for you if: * You’re unfamiliar with COBRA and how it can help you and your family keep your current healthcare benefits for 18+ months * You are struggling with the decision to leap into freelancing because your current job offers health coverage and you can’t afford it lose it * You’re curious if you're eligible for COBRA and the costs associated with it

If you’re feeling held back from going out on your own as a freelancer because your current job provides health coverage for your family, then this is the episode for you!

COBRA is a federal law that gives workers and their families the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances. Oftentimes (as you’ll learn in this episode), this is the best and most cost-effective way to keep your health insurance after leaving a job.

Join us and insurance expert, Octavio Jara from Potlache Benefits, to learn how COBRA works, stipulations and timing to be aware of, and how it can help your family so that you can finally make the leap into freelancing!

If you enjoy listening to this podcast, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps us reach more parents like you!

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources Potlache Benefits website - Octavio's Business

About Our Guest Like many in the insurance business, Octavio was shanghaied into the business back in 1997 as an account manager for Shargel & Co. It was there he found himself dealing with employers that didn’t understand the coverage they provided to their employees. He learned the importance of giving a personal touch to small businesses and individuals who needed qualified advice.

Today, Octavio has a passion for helping individuals and small companies to navigate our complicated healthcare system and breaks it down into layman terms….Or has he puts it, “Potlache Benefits make insurance fun again.” He recently moved to the San Diego area with his wife and is looking to bring some silicon valley to the area.

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“Traveling with kids ain’t easy. Trying to work while traveling with kids is on a whole other level. That said, with the proper planning, expectations, and preparation, it can be really fun and fulfilling! In this episode, I’ll share with you everything I’ve learned so far through many domestic trips, plus three international trips with a toddler, and give you some tips that will hopefully make your life easier!”

This episode is for you if: * You want to find fun, creative, easy ways to keep your child entertained in the car or on a long flight. * You need to get better at the pre-trip planning process to avoid last-minute stress. * You want to understand how to work while traveling with kids.

Join Tiffany in this week’s episode of The Kenza Pod: “Traveling and Working with a Toddler,” as she shares her very own tips and tricks on what has worked (and what hasn’t).

Social media tends to highlight the "fun" parts of traveling as a family. Nobody wants to see the image of your child having a temper tantrum in the middle of the airport; trust me, we have all been there. The reality is traveling with a kid is nothing like traveling before you had a kid. That means your expectations and planning will need to change slightly, and Tiffany's tools in this episode will hopefully make any trip a little less stressful for everyone.

Have some more tips and tricks on how to travel with a toddler? Hop into our Slack channel and go to the parenting channel and ask questions or feel free to share any tips there, because as parents we need all the help we can get.

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“We’ve all been there. Stuck in an hourly contract that we wish we weren’t in. Kicking ourselves for doing the exact opposite of what everyone warned about. I get it… I did the exact same thing when I went out on my own. I was so excited to land my first client, and they wanted to pay me hourly, so… I sold my time. I sold my hours. It worked for a while….until it didn’t”

This episode is for you if: * You’re nervous about making the switch from hourly to project-based pricing with current and future clients

You want a step by step guide on how to approach your current clients to make the switch
You need to get better at saying “no” to hourly rates and understand what to say instead
You want to deepen your understanding of how to land and implement monthly retainers and/or project-based pricing

Join Tiffany for this "must listen to" episode of The Kenza Pod, where she shares four steps on how to make the transition from hourly to project-based pricing with your clients.

Tiffany shares her own experience of working hourly (and why that doesn’t work), and walks you through the step-by-step process she used to untangle herself from hourly and what she learned in the process.

If you're on the fence about whether it's the right time to make the switch in your business, be sure to tune in!

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources If you're interested in learning more about how I came up with my proposal costs, check out Lesson 3 of our You Can Do This Course.

We detail how to price out proposals, the formula we use, and the various factors I use to make each special proposal pricing. The course is $29, but we are doing a revamp, which means the price (and value) will increase next year.

Take advantage of this fantastic offer today, and you will get instant access to all the upgrades. So, if you're someone who is just getting started and wants to learn the eight steps you should take to launch your freelance business, go check it out here

Other helpful episodes All Proposal Episodes

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“I love being a podcast manager because you have control over how much time you want to invest in your business and how many clients you want to take on. It’s totally your choice.”

This episode is for you if: * You’re curious about what a podcast manager does, how much they make, how many hours per week you need to dedicate to it, and how to juggle this job as a busy parent. * You want to understand how this type of role grows over time, and what kind of skills are needed to get started.

We sat down with Lauren Wrighton—Podcast Strategist, wife, and mother to three young girls—to hear all about what it’s like to be a Podcast Manager.

Since 2017, Lauren has been helping female business owners launch their podcasts. She’s now a Podcast Strategist with an online program that trains people (just like you!) on how to jump into this awesome career path.

In this episode, you’ll hear what it’s like to be a Podcast Manager, the types of skills you need to have (and the skills that you can easily learn!), and how she recommends getting started.

Links Mentioned + Other Helpful Resources Check out our other “So ya wanna be a…” episodes

Stepping out on your own as a freelancer or consultant can be intimidating, to say the least. It can be incredibly helpful to hear real-life stories of parents just like you who’ve successfully made this transition, and understand what it’s actually like to run a business while raising a family.

These episodes are a great way for you to explore independent career paths that you may not have known about! Check out all past “So ya wanna be a…” episodes right here.

About Our Guest After starting a podcast with her friend over three years ago, Lauren realized that her talents were more in the strategy and behind-the-scenes production than behind a microphone. Using her skills, she became podcast strategist and producer for female business coaches to launch and grow a podcast to help impact their audience. Her production value and marketing strategies allow her clients to concentrate on the content and connect with their audience while taking away the stress of behind-the-scenes work such as editing, managing, monetizing, and audience building. She now uses her expertise in podcast production and teaches other freelancers how to become profitable podcast managers and develop their clientele.

Learn more about Lauren Wrighton at laurenwrighton.com and follow her on Instagram @laurenwrighton

Join Us in Slack! If you are ready to get support from like-minded parents who are right there with you in the trenches of entrepreneurship and parenting, join our free Slack group! You can ask questions, get feedback, share your wins and struggles, and more. Go to kenzacollective.com/slack, DM me on Instagram @kenzacollective, or grab the link in our show notes. I hope to see you there!

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“Remember how important your online presence is. This is typically the very first impression that a client has of you before they even get a chance to talk to you”

This episode is for you if:

You’re wondering how to build a stronger relationship with your clients in order to get more referrals and repeat business
You want to learn practical strategies that you can start doing today to wow your clients
You’re struggling to figure out how to position yourself and create a simple website

Being able to run a business at home and earn more money in less time is a fantastic way to achieve the freedom you've been looking for. Everyone from stay-at-home moms, people sick of the 9-5 grind, or those caught in-between careers, are leaping into the freelancing world with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Now more than ever it’s critical that we find ways to delight our clients and stand out so that they continue to come back for more projects and refer you to their network.

Join Tiffany as she shares five practical strategies that you can put in place today to help you stand out from the crowd. Her insights come from a combination of serving clients for the past 15+ years, plus being on the other side as a client herself.

Upcoming Kenza Class: Launch A Website You’re Proud Of: a 2-day workshop to help clarify your message and launch a website that connects. Learn More >

You're ready to launch your freelancing business but trying to communicate on your website, and social media platforms can feel overwhelming. This is something that many new entrepreneurs struggle with.

To help get you started, Tiffany has teamed up with Lisa Cumes, the founder of Simple Story Solutions, to help you nail your one-liner, confidently share your website, and connect with your ideal clients. To sign up, click right here and reserve your spot today. Space is limited!!!

Other helpful episodes: Proposal to Paycheck Part III: How to End One Project and Pitch The Next

All Client Management Episodes

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Our "So You Wanna Be a..." episodes are an ongoing series on The Kenza Pod where we interview like-minded parents to hear about their journey into entrepreneurship.

They provide insight into what it's like to step out into the freelancing world as a busy parent and inspire you to use your skills and background to kickstart a new career path. To browse all of our “So ya wanna be a…” stories, click right here.

We interviewed Allison Antoinette, a Business Process Consultant, to hear what it’s like to juggle clients, work, and show up as a calm and present parent to her toddler. You’ll learn all about the services she offers, how she finds her clients, and the fascinating story that led her to start this business.

Topics Discussed in this episode: * Allison's career path and how she got to where she is today * What does a Business Process Consultant do? * How she finds her clients * What does a typical work week look like as she juggles work and motherhood * Tips for our listeners who may be considering a similar career path

About Our Guest Allison is the founder and lead consultant at Allison & Co and believes in using businesses as a force to create positive change. With over a decade of operational experience spanning corporate and political sectors, she now helps purpose-driven businesses get organized behind the scenes, scale their processes to thrive profitably, service more clients, and create high-performing teams.

Links and Resources To learn more about Allison, go to www.allison-co.com and follow her on Instagram @allisonandco_official

Be sure to check out more of our “So You Wanna Be A” episodes at kenzacollective.com/blog

Join our free slack group if you’re ready to get support from like-minded parents who are right there with you and in the trenches of entrepreneurship and parenting. Ask questions, get feedback, share your wins, struggles, and more. Go to kenzacollective.com/slack or feel to DM us on Instagram at @kenzacollective with any questions.

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In this episode, you’ll learn how to know when it’s time to hire a VA for your business and learn pro tips for finding the right fit. We also discuss what it’s like to be a VA, and how you might get started on this path if it’s something that interests you!

We interviewed Ester Inman—military spouse, work-from-home mom, and the creator of 90 Day VA—a program that teaches women how to leverage their existing skills to create a lucrative virtual assistant business. She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things VA!

We discuss:

Esther's story and why she decided to leave her "corporate America" job
What a virtual assistant does
How to know when it's time to hire a VA for your business
Key questions and qualities to look for when hiring a VA
What it’s like to be a VA and the first steps you can take to explore this independent career path

About our Guest

Ester Inman quit her corporate America job seven years ago when she realized it was unsuitable for a military wife and mom's life. She ventured out into the online world and found success quickly as a virtual assistant, but couldn’t believe that these low-entry virtual skills were unknown to other military spouses, moms, and travel lovers. After making six figures with her agency, she has now helped over 4,000 women work online as a virtual assistant worldwide through her 90 Day VA Program.

Links and Resources:

So you wanna be a….Virtual Assistant, Rebekah Hebdon. Hear what it’s like to be a mom of 3 under 5 and rocking it as a VA.

How to find Esther Inman:

Free Class on how to become a virtual assistant www.90dayva.com
Website: www.virtualassistantinternship.com
Instagram and Tok Tok: @esther_inman
Pinterest: @virtualassistantinternship
Facebook: www.facebook.com/virtualassistantinternship

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There may come a time when you have an opportunity to hire and manage subcontractors in order to produce a project for a client. Whether you need help executing your own deliverables, or you need someone else’s expertise and skillset to bring more value to a client’s project, hiring subcontractors is an exciting next step in your business!

That said, there are definitely pros and cons to working with subcontractors, and it’s not for everyone.

In this episode, Beth and Tiffany walk you through a step-by-step scenario, detailing from start to finish exactly how to find, hire, onboard, and manage subcontractors. They share their best pro tips from both project management and a financial perspective.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

Pros and cons of working with subcontractors & how to know if it’s right for you.
Key questions to ask during the interview process.
Details that need to be discussed before you bring someone onto your team.
How to onboard a subcontractor and what to be aware of during the process.
The importance of vetting people to protect your reputation.
Key agreements to have in writing before you hire.

Did you know that we hire subcontractors from within our community to help with our client projects? If you’re interested in subcontracting with us, or you’re looking for jobs that come through The Collective with clients that we know and trust, join our free Slack channel where we post jobs at kenzacollective/com/slack.

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Free Kenza Class: Using Sprints to Manage Fixed Timeline Projects

If you are looking for more 1:1 Mentoring, book a free Discovery Call with Beth or Tiffany! kenzacollective.com/coaching

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The virtual assistant industry is booming due to the normalization of working from home, and the push for businesses to start outsourcing.

But how do you get started in this growing industry and how do you know if it’s something you’re qualified for, or even interested in?

We sat down with Rebekah Hebdon, a virtual assistant and mom to three kids (4, 2, and 2 months), to hear all about what life is like as she juggles remote VA work and family life.

Rebekah started mingling in freelancing work back in 2020, and from there, she began her own Virtual Assistant/Social Media Marketing business in February 2021. She now has a passion for helping woman-owned businesses free up their time so they can focus on their zone of genius.

We picked Rebekah’s brain about what her life looks like as a virtual assistant: What exactly does she do as a VA? How she juggles motherhood and running her own business from home. How she hopes to continue growing her business in the next year, and tips for anyone looking to get started in the VA world.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

Rebekah’scareer path that got her to where she is today
How she got started in the VA world, and what made her start her own business
How she “accidentally” landed her first client and the power of following up
Services she offers as a VA
A day in the life as a VA - How she navigates work and personal life

If you have any other questions for Rebekah, you can find her in our free Slack Community! Head over to Kenzacollective.com/slack to join us.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode:

@rebekahbusinesssolutions
If you’re looking for a virtual assistant or knows someone looking, check out linktr.ee/rebekahbusinesssolutions!
Join our free Slack community to collect with like-minded parents, get advice on everything from proposals to invoices, and browse our jobs board: kenzacollective.com/slack

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Running a small business is hard enough without adding the complexity of understanding how to do your taxes every year. That’s why in today’s episode, we talk with CPA, Shannon Weinstein, about how to get prepared for the year-end so that you can keep more of what you’ve earned and avoid expensive mistakes.

We discuss:

Shannon’s story and the bet she lost with her dad that kick-started her CPA career.
Her passion for accounting and why her goal is to disrupt the accounting profession.
Financial Preparations you need to take for the year-end and when to start thinking about it.
Ways you can save more money on your taxes before the end of the year.
Tips on how to keep your finances “fit” all year round so it’s not a mad dash at the end of the new year.

About Our Guest

Shannon Weinstein is a CPA, business mentor, and coach. Her company, Fitnancial Solutions, provides tax and accounting services to small business owners.

Shannon’s career started back in 2008, where she worked for large global firms serving corporate bottom lines. In 2013, she became a certified group exercise teacher and discovered her love for teaching others. It was there she decided to take her two passions - accounting and teaching - and use them to create enjoyable experiences for her clients and show that their money can work for them, not the other way around.

Links and Resources Mentioned

Text Shannon with any questions that you may have at 860- 609-6374.

Still, stuck on what to do with your finances? Enroll in Shannon’s course Financial Foundations and build confidence with your finances. Use the code KENZA for $100 of her course HERE

Keep What You Earn Podcast

Shannon Weinstein on Instagram

FitnancialSolutions.com

The importance of separating personal and business money + how to do it [Ep. 3]

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Welcome to season three of The Kenza Pod!

Over the last year, we’ve connected with dozens of talented, hard-working, ambitious parents who are tired of working for The Man and ready to transition into freelance or consulting work, so that they can create a life, a schedule, and a career that actually works for their families.

If that’s you, you’re in the right place!

We know that many of you have questions and concerns and that you might be feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation as you consider what it’d be like to hand in your notice and never look back.

And that’s why The Kenza Collective exists.

We demystify what it takes to make that leap as a busy parent that has many responsibilities to consider.

We meet you right where you are—whether it’s beefing up your financial literacy, writing proposals, finding clients, figuring out your services and pricing, or anything in between. Plus, when you join our free Slack community, you can browse our jobs board and connect directly with our founders and members to ask specific questions.

Whether you’ve already stepped into entrepreneurship, or you’re still considering the transition, be sure to give this episode a listen! In it, you’ll hear from Kenza’s co-founders—Tiffany and Beth—about:

The 6 ways to get the most out of our Collective (4 of which are free!)
What you can expect to hear in our season 3 podcast lineup
Details about our shiny new 1:1 Mentoring program, including the 4 key features that make this program especially useful & practical for busy parents (flexibility, affordability, customization, and working sessions)
How you can get support from like-minded parents who are right there in the trenches with you

Remember, this is a Collective after all—we are here to provide a platform, but you all are here to help us shape it into something as useful as possible for you. So be sure to DM us on Instagram, Slack us, Email us….wherever you are, we're here for you. And if you find this useful, please tell your friends about the show and drop a review if you have a moment.

Lastly, always remember: you can do this! We’re here to help.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Website and 1:1 Mentoring: kenzacollective.com

Instagram @Kenzacollective

Join our Free Slack Community: Here

You Can Do This. Our Self-paced online course: https://www.kenzacollective.com/kenza-courses

Browse & Search our Podcast: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog

Free Tools and Templates: https://www.kenzacollective.com/free-tools-and-templates

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Wealth consciousness coach AJ Bishop focuses on helping women define and create their own wealth consciousness, eradicate their financial anxieties, and empower themselves to be in full control of their wealth and financial futures.

AJ spoke with Beth about the ways COVID impacted her as an entrepreneur and stepmother to 4 teenagers, why she chooses to coach women, and dives into what “women-centric” investing looks like. AJ also gives her insights into other financial health and advice topics, like:

The shift from corporate to freelance life, and why you need a mindset shift in order to ramp up your finances
The “soul work” that needs to be done to cultivate wealth consciousness
Why you need both a personal and business finance plan
Aligning with your partner or spouse on personal and business financial goals
The 12-week course designed to help you create and shift your money mindset

Tune into this episode and then be sure to check out AJ’s Insta for more info on her upcoming Wealth Consciousness Club!

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

AJ Bishop on Instagram
My Wealth Conscious Coach
More finance episodes on the Kenza Pod

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Lisa Cumes—six-figure freelancer, business owner, and mom of three—visits the Kenza Pod again to discuss how to cultivate a mindset of abundance, in order to achieve the success you desire and deserve both in your personal and in your business life.

Lisa has created a thriving copywriting business, and also serves as a coach for freelancers through Full Thrive, where she teaches people to “stop hustling, and start thriving.”

Delve into how to shift your mindset with Tiff, Beth and Lisa as they discuss:

How the pandemic served as a catalyst for an awakening around work, parenting, and life as a freelancing parent
The amazing reading list that Tiff and Lisa put together, and how these books have helped them do the work needed to shift their own mindsets
The daily practices, routines, and workouts Lisa incorporates in her life to create a thrive mindset
Why transcendental meditation is a lot less creepy than it sounds, and how it helps Lisa sow the seeds of creativity and productivity
How and why to give your mind the quiet space for new ideas (and why parents especially need this)

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Lisa Cumes Instagram
Lisa Cumes Upwork course
Brene Brown podcast episode mentioned
So Ya Wanna Be A… Freelance Copywriter with Lisa Cumes

Tiff and Lisa’s Reading List for a Successful Mindset:

The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle
Illusion of Money - Kyle Cease
Man's Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl
The Road Less Travelled - M. Scott Peck
Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
The Road Back To You - Ian Cron & Suzanne Stabile
The Untethered Soul - Michael Singer
The Big Leap - Gay Hendricks
Super Attractor - Gabby Bernstein
The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz
Ask and It Is Given - Abraham Hicks
The Surrender Experiment
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

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Kat Lee is a licensed acupuncturist, intimacy and relationship coach, and host of the Empowered Curiosity podcast. She joined us on this week’s episode of the Kenza Pod to talk to us about how listening to what our body is telling us can help you feel more rooted in yourself, so that you can create an abundant life and business.

We discuss:

The healing benefits of acupuncture
What a trauma knot is and how to untangle it
How mysterious digestive issues can really be a sign of untangled trauma
How you can diagnose emotional issues you need to work through by looking at what kind of digestive issues you’re experiencing. Tiffany shares her personal story of healing a decade of digestive issues through acupuncture and therapy after dozens of tests and doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
Why mystery pains and symptoms might actually be your body trying to tell you something
Why sometimes our body can completely crash weeks or even months after a stressful event, and ways that us busy parents can fill our gas tanks during stressful times to help prevent or even just accept these crashes.
How to incorporate breathwork into your personal development journey

Links:

Podcast episode mentioned by Kat: Healing Your Emotions by Listening to Your Gut with Integrative Alignment Practitioner Brian Donahoe
Kat Lee’s website
Kat Lee’s Instagram
Kat’s podcast: Empowered Curiosity

About the Speaker

Kat Lee is an Intimacy and Relationship Coach, Host of the Empowered Curiosity Podcast + Creator of The Heart Lab. Her passion for the last decade has been to walk beside her clients as they learn to cultivate Conscious Relationships by alchemizing emotions, integrating their stories, and coming back home to the Truest version of themselves.

She facilitates conversations through coaching and on her podcast that guide people to remember their True Self - who they are beyond the conditioning, the "shoulds", the trauma stories + the overriding of desires. If you need permission to step into the wholeness of your emotions and Being, she'll show you that you’ve been the one holding the pen.

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If you’ve ever asked yourself how you can attain more freedom in your life, better manage stress, be a more present parent, and continue to crush your professional goals, get ready to take notes! This episode with CEO Coach, Edita Atteck, will teach you how to be a better, healthier parent entrepreneur today.

Edita works one on one with women who want to become the CEOs of their life, master their mindset, and work better with the stresses of life. Her book is touted as the “busy professional’s roadmap to freedom,” and Tiff sat down with her to ask her all about how we can take actions today to improve our mindset. In this episode, we take a closer look at:

Edita’s definition of the “Human Operating System,” and what is needed to master it
How emotional intelligence connects to the awakening of our inner leaders
Why we need fear, and why our kids do, too
Recognizing patterns in ourselves and how that shapes our parenting
How our emotional flow relates to cash flow in our business (and our health)
Why our success is hinged upon sleep and diet
How to live in a state of flow

Edita also gives us some “homework” that you can try today to start learning how your mind, body, parenting, and work life are all intimately interconnected. Give it a shot, and let us know on Instagram how it went!

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Edita’s book
Edita’s website
Edita’s LinkedIn
Dan Siegel's books
More Kenza episodes

Awaken Your Inner Leader: Transform Stress Develop Emotional Mastery and Thrive

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Is healthcare the ball and chain holding you or your partner to that 9-5? Would you be more willing to take the leap into full-time freelancing if you knew you had affordable healthcare and a supportive community of like-minded independent workers?

In this episode, we sat down with Freelancers Union Executive Director, Rafael Espinal, to answer the most common question that people have when considering the leap: But what about healthcare?

The Freelancers Union was founded in 1995 as an advocacy group that helped freelancers obtain health insurance by collectively bargaining. They’ve since morphed into a vast network of community resources, a political powerhouse, and all-encompassing platform for independent workers.

Tiff and Beth spoke with Executive Director, Rafael Espinal on how he got his start as a freelancer advocate, why the Freelancer’s Union is so important, and how you can take advantage of all the Freelancer’s Union has to offer, including access to affordable health care and a ton of other benefits traditionally offered by larger companies.

In addition to learning about how to obtain affordable healthcare as a freelancer, you’ll also hear about:

The Freelancers Union policy work, and the “Freelancing Isn’t Free” act
How the Freelancers Union connects independent workers with healthcare providers
The numerous benefits (including tons of discounts) offered by the Freelancer’s Union when you become a member
How the Freelancers Union continues to advocate for policy change and a more equitable healthcare system
What the Freelancers Union is doing to support independent workers during and after COVID
How to join the Freelancers Union (hint: it’s free!)

If you are ready to stop being a “captive employee” and learn how to navigate health benefits as a freelancer, be sure to check out this episode and then head on over to the Freelancer’s Union and sign up for a membership!

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Freelancers Union
Freelancers Union Instagram
More Kenza Pod episodes

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If you have ever considered a freelancing career with a focus on helping people solve HR challenges across myriad industries, you won’t want to miss this episode with Candice Elliot.

Candice Elliot is a human resources strategist with a focus on community-building and teaching. She’s a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, specializes in California Labor Law, and works with students in her Wholistic HR incubation program. Candice has built these businesses from grassroots in her community, and that community is what has allowed her such success.

She is also expecting her first child (a boy!), and shares with us how she is preparing her business, and her life, for motherhood as a consultant. In this episode, we dive into:

How Candice got her start as a consultant and business owner
What kind of qualifications you’ll need to become an HR consultant
How to find the right clients
Why community is so important to business owners
How to prep your business and clients for your maternity leave

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Candice’s business, Fortress and Flourish
Hopkins and Carley Law
Baskin and Fowler Law
Explore more successful freelance careers in our So Ya Wanna Be A… series

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2020 taught us all that the unthinkable can happen in the blink of an eye. When it comes to your business, you have a responsibility to your clients, your family, and your employees or contractors to be prepared for an emergency - whether it’s a death in the family, an illness, an evacuation, or anything else that suddenly takes you away from your work.

In this episode, Tiffany tells us the story of how she weathered the perfect storm of evacuating from a devastating wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California during the Summer of 2020. While in the midst of a global pandemic, two weeks away from escrow closing on their house, with half of their belongings in boxes, trying to organize a move 8 hours south, hold down their jobs, and launch The Kenza Collective, a massive wildfire broke out and threatened to completely change the course of their lives.

Tiffany takes us through all of the emergency prep that saved her sanity (and her business), as well as the prep she wished she would have done for both her life as a parent and a busy freelancer. We also have a handy dandy (and FREE) checklist that you can use today to start planning for your future peace of mind should the wheels fall off.

We’ve all heard the sage advice to “expect the best but plan for the worst,” and Kenza Collective is here to guide you on how to tailor that advice for your family and business. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from someone else’s real-life experience, and make sure that your business is prepared for whatever life throws at you.

Resources and Links:

A FREE checklist to help you plan for any emergency

Red Fora, emergency kits and supplies

Nora Roberts on Juggling Kids and Work

More Kenza Pod episodes

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In this edition of So Ya Wanna Be A... we sit down with Liz Ryan of Wildflower Landscape Design. Liz, Tiff, and Beth sat down to have a fun and candid convo about how Liz got her start as a business owner, what it takes to be a self-employed landscape designer (awesome news: the barrier to entry is low, and the work is rewarding), how she juggles being a mom of two young kids, and how the pandemic has impacted Liz’s business and parenting. We also discuss the practical side of being a solopreneur—like how to get paid, why you should approach each proposal with the attention it deserves, and more. Enjoy!

Links:

Liz’s business, Wildflower Landscape Design
Houzz, an awesome resource for home design professionals
More SYWBA episodes
How to Get Paid episode on the Kenza Pod
How to get started as a freelancing parent

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Your Profit and Loss Statement (P&L) can be intimidating, but you’ll be fully equipped to analyze and leverage data from this crucial report like a pro after this episode.

Kenza CFO Beth Gummere walks us through how to read your P&L, how to understand and categorize different expenses, how to determine your gross and net profits, and how to use these nuggets of information to expand your business and focus on growth.

Pro tip: go pull your P&L Statement now so that you can follow along as Beth guides us through how to read and use this invaluable info!

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Get your FREE Cash Flow Projection Tool + Instructions on how to use it
One on One mentoring with Tiff and Beth
Learn more about Kenza’s new matchmaking program and the members-only Slack
More episodes on financial wellness

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In this episode, you’ll learn the top 5 skills you need to master in order to become your own CFO:

Why, how, and how often you should be looking at your Profit and Loss statement
How to interpret your Balance Sheet & take meaningful action based on what you learn
How to create a simple business budget
How to manage your cash flow
How and why to put accounting controls in place

Plus, we are sharing a FREE cash management tool that you can download right here!

If you’ve been avoiding your financial reports because you either don’t know what to do with the info, don’t understand what you’re looking at or why it matters, or are just plain intimidated by business finances (we’ve all been there!), this is the episode for you!

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Get your FREE Cash Flow Projection Tool + video instructions on how to use it!
One on One mentoring with Tiff and Beth
Learn more about Kenza’s new matchmaking program and the members-only Slack
More episodes on financial wellness

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We put Kenza CFO and Veteran Bookkeeper, Beth Gummere, on the other side of the interview table to learn all about her path to becoming a successful (and high-earning) bookkeeper and business owner. She gives us practical advice on how to become a bookkeeper, the education you’ll need, and best practices for anyone in the field.

If you have ever considered accounting as a freelance career, be prepared to take notes from Kenza’s own finance guru, and don’t hesitate to reach out to Beth for one-on-one, personalized mentoring.

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

You Can Do This, a $29 course to help you launch your freelancing career
One on One mentoring with Tiff and Beth
Want to learn more about Kenza’s new matchmaking program and the members-only Slack? Send Tiffany an email at tiffany at kenzacollective.com!
More episodes on financial wellness

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On this episode of The Kenza Pod, we sat down with Annie Hillman of Atlas Bookkeeping to discuss why it’s vital to know your books, inside and out. You’ll get a good idea of what it’s like to work with a bookkeeper, why profits matter more than sales, how to get started learning the basics of bookkeeping on your own, and how to conquer your fears and vulnerability around this topic. Plus, we equip you with practical next steps so that you can get started on this today!

Knowing your numbers is empowering, and can enable you to make a much bigger impact with your work. You might surprise yourself with how much you actually like it!

About Our Guest

Annie Hillman is a professional bookkeeper who helps entrepreneurs and small business owners take control of their finances so they can gain clarity, increase profits, and spend time where it matters to them.

Links & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Annie's Instagram
Xero for bookkeeping
Why you need to separate personal and business finances
Why a cash reserve is an absolute must
More episodes on finances and accounting
Interested in Kenza's new matchmaking program? Send us a note!

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Whether you’re presenting a proposal, showcasing your project progress, or leading a meeting, learning how to confidently present and effectively communicate your ideas is a must-have skill as a freelancer.

Tiffany and Beth sat down with communications and public speaking guru, Professor Chase Andre, to teach you valuable pro-tips that you can put into practice right away, and learn about some exercises you can do to immediately sharpen your public speaking. Plus, we discuss how to captivate an audience with your virtual presentations!

In this episode, we cover:

Pro tips for presenting and selling your project proposals
- Know your audience
- Know your value
- Know the problem you’re solving, and how you will slay the client’s proverbial dragon
How and why humor can be useful when presenting
Embracing public speaking jitters, and practical tips for overcoming nervousness
- Preparation is key
- What NOT to do when your mind goes blank during a presentation
Why you should write a script, practice it, then throw it away
Tactics for addressing awkwardness
- Why conflict is an opportunity, and how you can make space for others to offer their interpretation of a problem
- Using “I” statements
Practical ways to hone your skills
- Record yourself giving your presentation, watch it, and invite others to watch as well
Three key ways to be a better virtual presenter

Click Here for Full Show Notes and Helpful Links

About Our Guest

Chase Andre is a Communications professor, empowerer of entrepreneurs, and father of two. He leads a number of seminars and courses on employing communication strategies in professional and personal relationships, for marketing campaigns, and even offers one-on-one coaching. This episode is chock full of tips and tricks you can use right now to become a better communicator & presenter, so get ready to take some notes!

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Project beginnings and endings have one major thing in common: they are the crucial bookends to your success on each project, and can make or break your experience with a client. In Part III of our Proposal to Paycheck series, Tiffany outlines how and when you should wrap up a project in a meaningful way for your client, and why this is an absolute must for every gig you book. You’ll also learn how to tactfully pitch that same client on future business, so that you can continue to foster a good long-term client.

Be sure to subscribe to the Kenza Pod for more pro tips and strategies for freelancing parents, and join us next week when we talk to expert Chase Andre on client communications strategies you can implement right away. Thanks for listening, and feel free to let us know which freelancing topics you want to learn more about at hello@kenzacollective.com.

In this episode, we cover:

Why you should begin project wrap up 2-3 weeks before a project’s end
Which deliverables to include for your client
How to delight your client with a project summary and show of gratitude
Looking for future opportunities with clients you love to work with, and when to pitch them on future business

For full show notes click here

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kenzacollective
Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.kenzacollective.com/newsletter-signup
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy8FEO3DRAPfnCRI3Qrv-iw
More resources to help you on your journey: https://www.kenzacollective.com/learn
Browse & search our podcast: https://www.kenzacollective.com/podcast
Get in touch: hello@kenzacollective.com

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In Part II of our Proposal to Paycheck series, Tiffany distills years of project and client management expertise into her “Like, Know, Trust” relationship management method, and tells us why you should be applying it to your client relationships today. These pro tips rely on using emotional intelligence to deepen your relationships in a way that not only makes you a better, sharper freelancer, but can also lead to more business and projects down the road. Tune in and learn yet another way you can stand out from the crowd in the freelancing world and be even more stellar at what you do.

Be sure to subscribe to the Kenza Pod for the upcoming Part III in the Proposal to Paycheck series, where we cover how and when to wrap projects, and how you can identify opportunities to pitch the next project to your clients. Thanks for listening, and feel free to let us know which freelancing topics you want to learn more about at hello@kenzacollective.com.

In this episode, we cover:

How and why you should connect with your clients on a deeper level, and how this leads to increased business and referrals
How to get your client to LIKE you: Tips on ways you can make yourself more appealing without being ingratiating.
How to better KNOW your client, and let them know you: What it means to set boundaries and expectations for working together, and why this framework is valuable.
What TRUST looks like in a client relationship: The value of being trusted by a client and the benefit of positioning yourself as the trusted expert on a project.

Click here for full show notes

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kenzacollective
Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.kenzacollective.com/newsletter-signup
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy8FEO3DRAPfnCRI3Qrv-iw
More resources to help you on your journey: https://www.kenzacollective.com/learn
Browse & search our podcast: https://www.kenzacollective.com/podcast
Get in touch: hello@kenzacollective.com

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In this info-packed episode, Tiff guides you through a tried-and-true process that will not only help you lead your first call with a prospective client, but will also teach you how to use that Discovery Call to write a sharp, solid proposal. We’ve even created a FREE proposal writing template you can download here, so you can kick off your next new client call with even more confidence.

For the month of March, we’ll be diving into all things client management, including how to project manage and set expectations, what to do when a project gets off track, how to use emotional intelligence to create an excellent client experience, ways to pitch new projects to existing clients that you love working with, and so much more!

Here is what you’ll find in this episode:

The importance of the Discovery Call, and how to use this call to determine if this client is a good fit
A step-by-step process for using the Discovery Call to craft a watertight proposal
A deep dive into the eight sections Tiffany includes in proposals, as well as which questions to ask your client to fill in each section
The answers to these FAQs:
- What if there are too many unknowns in a project and I’m feeling nervous about how to scope it out properly?
- What if the project timeline is unreasonable?
- How do I present a scope of work?
- If the scope is unclear, how do I figure out the price of the project?

Click here for full show notes

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kenzacollective
Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.kenzacollective.com/newsletter-signup
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy8FEO3DRAPfnCRI3Qrv-iw
More resources to help you on your journey: https://www.kenzacollective.com/learn
Browse & search our podcast: https://www.kenzacollective.com/podcast
Get in touch: hello@kenzacollective.com

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This episode of the Kenza Pod is near to our hearts, as the story of teacher-turned-freelancer Micala Quinn parallels that of Tiffany’s; they both had great jobs, but after having babies, realized that working for The Man just wouldn’t cut it for their families. The inflexibility of a traditional full time job wasn’t allowing them to be the kind of partners and parents they truly wanted to be.

We sit down with Micala and learn how she navigated the transition from school teacher to running a successful business schooling other moms on how to be lucrative freelancers. She shares the Kenza ethos that parents possess all the skills necessary to create independent employment, be more fulfilled, and lead the kind of life they want for themselves and their families. We are so excited for you to hear Micala’s story and get just as inspired as we did!

Click Here for Full Show Notes

Here’s what you can expect from this episode with Micala Quinn:

How Micala decided it was time to take the leap from school teacher to freelancing as a busy mom
Why having her dream job stopped being so dreamy and the steps she took to be able to hand in her notice
Micala’s scrappy start to freelancing and all of the hard lessons she learned along the way
The 5-step skills assessment you can do today to kick off your freelancing journey
Inspiration!

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We set out to interview Paul Minors, Productivity Blogger and Virtual Consultant, to pick his brain about his best productivity tips for busy parent entrepreneurs. What we ended up getting was a whole lot more! This episode is full of all kinds of helpful stories, tips, and advice specifically for parents who are freelancers or consultants, or who are thinking of taking that leap.

In this episode, we discuss:

How Paul built his consulting business while working full time, and when he knew it was time to take the leap.
How he evaluated his corporate experience to figure out what services he could offer, and how he then validated that he could actually get paying clients before he got too far into it.
How he uses Time Blocking to plan out his days and seamlessly integrate his work life and family life.
Why he uses content marketing to get clients, and how he splits his time between his podcast, blog, YouTube channel, and client work.
How his consulting business has evolved over time, especially once he had his son in 2018.

...And tons of other super helpful tips and advice for parent-entrepreneurs!

Full show notes can be found here: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/time-saving-strategies-for-parents-with-productivity-blogger-paul-minors

Helpful Links mentioned in the episode:

Paul’s website: https://paulminors.com/
Paul’s podcast: https://paulminors.com/podcast/
You Can Do This: A course to teach busy parents how to work for themselves: https://www.kenzacollective.com/youcandothis

Helpful articles & resources on Paul's site:

https://paulminors.com/blog/how-to-time-block/
https://paulminors.com/blog/12-productivity-tips-i-repeat-all-the-time/
https://paulminors.com/blog/9-tips-to-get-more-out-of-your-calendar/
https://paulminors.com/blog/how-my-consulting-business-has-changed-in-the-last-3-years/

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It’s that time of year, folks: Time to start gathering and organizing your records for taxes!

We sat down with Kirstin Smith, Enrolled Agent and our go-to resource for all things business taxes, to walk us through how to get yourself organized for a successful tax filing. This is a MUST listen if you are a freelancer in the U.S., especially because we cover unique Covid-related tax implications like how to handle a PPP Loan and stimulus checks.

But wait, there's more! We also include a checklist and Summary Sheet for you to fill out and turn into your tax preparer (if you’re using one)! Head to our website to snag it: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/how-freelancers-can-get-prepared-for-2020-taxes

We covered the following topics:

A checklist of time-sensitive to-dos that you don’t want to put off
How to gather & organize all of your expenses and deductions
Lesser-known deductions that you should be sure to include in your Summary
2020-specific topics like how to handle a PPP Loan and your stimulus check (for example, did you know that the stimulus check you received in January 2021 goes on your 2020 return?!)
Important deadlines for business entities

...and lots of other super helpful advice!

Be sure to snag your FREE checklist and Summary Sheet to help you get organized!

https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/how-freelancers-can-get-prepared-for-2020-taxes

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kenzacollective
Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.kenzacollective.com/newsletter-signup
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Upwork is a platform where freelancers can create a free profile to connect with potential clients looking for their skillset. They also provide benefits like using their platform to communicate with your clients, providing a clear and safe way to receive payment, ways for your clients to provide testimonials, and much more.

In this episode, Upwork expert Leah Meyers walks us through how you can use Upwork to kickstart your freelance business - whether you’re looking for a side hustle, or ready to jump in full time! We cover the following topics:

How Leah built a business using Upwork and currently has a roster of 30 clients from all over the US and the world. She also shares what her day to day looks like as a mother of a 12 and 15 year old, plus a new puppy!
How to set yourself apart on Upwork through an awesome profile and custom cover letter
The features and benefits (and a few downsides) of using Upwork
What you can expect once you publish a profile
Leah’s 4 Pillars of Finding Work on Upwork
How you can access her free Getting Started Guide

Be sure to check out Leah’s website The Freelance Solution for more information, and follow her on Instagram and Facebook!

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Sarah Duran, Mama of a toddler, 2 dogs, and 4 chickens, and lover of all things Colorado, spills the beans on how and why she works for herself as a Project Manager. Throughout her career, she's been a third grade teacher, worked for K-12 nonprofits, and even got her real estate license! She then leveraged all of her experience to go out on her own as a freelance Project Manager!

Sarah resisted the freelance/entrepreneurial journey for a long time and tried to find the freedom and autonomy that she was craving. While doing freelance work on the side, she finally realized that the entrepreneurial life was calling to her. Now that she has a daughter, she knows that she made the best decision for herself and her family, and is confident that she’ll never jump back into the mainstream workforce!

In this episode, we cover:

What it’s like to be a freelance Project Manager and how much you can make.
How Sarah finds and keeps clients.
How to leverage your existing skillset and network (no matter what industry you come from!) to create a sustainable business for yourself.
How Sarah diversifies her income streams to help weather any storm.
Who may be suited to be a freelance Project Manager.
What Sarah's day to day looks like, juggling working from home with her husband and leaning on local family members for childcare.

You can find Sarah Duran’s company Fruition Initiatives at https://www.fruitioninitiatives.com, and be sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook for a regular stream of tips to help you on your freelancing journey!

For more inspiring stories from parents just like you, check out the rest of our "So ya wanna be a..." podcast series right here.

Stay in Touch with us!

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We dive into how to set yourself up for success by first setting an Intention, then looking at your schedule and availability.
From there, we help you determine where to spend your energy and money to support your intention!
We talk about our new course: You Can Do This, where we teach busy parents how to successfully kick off a freelancing business.
We get deep and talk about how to take stock of your inner energy and do some clean up (inspired from the book The Untethered Soul <-- highly recommend!)
We remind you of timely financial and tax tasks you should get started on now. Your future self will thank you!
Get your copy of the companion worksheet to this episode right HERE!
Links mentioned:
- You Can Do This: A course to teach busy parents how to work for themselves
- Capacity Planning Tool: A free resource to help you map out your time
- Info about the new 1099 NEC form
- The 1099 NEC Form
- The Gig Economy Tax Center page on the IRS website
- How to Get Paid to Write Your Proposals
- How and Why to Set Up a Cash Reserve

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
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More resources to help you on your journey: https://www.kenzacollective.com/learn
Browse & search our podcast: https://www.kenzacollective.com/podcast
Get in touch: hello@kenzacollective.com

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If you are transitioning out of the traditional workforce and feeling unsure of how to leverage your corporate skills and experience to start your own consulting business, this is a must-listen episode.

An Online Business Manager helps companies make sure that the right things get done by the right people at the right time. They do it all from the comfort of their own home and on their own schedule, all while making at least $65/hour.

As a certified OBM, you have access to a member directory to help you find clients, online communities for support, and an entire world full of businesses who need your help in organizing their customers, employees, and internal operations. If you like systems, efficiency, details, and productivity, then this might be just right for you.

In this episode, we’ll dig into what types of clients OBMs work with, hear what your day to day looks like juggling clients and kids, share how much money you can make, and outline what your next steps are if this is something that interests you!

This episode features Sarah Noked, Certified OBM Trainer, and mother of three. Learn more about becoming an OBM at www.sarahnoked.com, and be sure to check out her FREE Starter Kit to see if this could be a great fit for you!

If you're feeling stuck or unsure of what your next steps are in terms of getting your business set up, then check out our upcoming course - You Can Do This: A course to teach busy parents how to work for themselves. Learn more: https://www.kenzacollective.com/youcandothis

Stay in Touch with us!

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If you are a small business owner who is considering having a baby, this is a must-listen episode! Mariah Stockman, Founder and Creative Director at Ms. Creative, a marketing agency for women, shares with us the four areas she’s evaluating and tightening up in her business as she looks ahead to starting a family with her husband. Plus, Tiffany shares tips from the other side of parenthood - things she wishes she had known going into it as it relates to juggling a career and parenting.

Even if you’re not planning to have a new baby any time soon, the strategies that we talk through in this episode can apply to anyone who wants to make their business more resilient should they need or want to take a step back.

Mariah’s agency, Ms. Creative, provides everything from social media marketing mentorship to full-service implementation. Her incredible team of women bring a wealth of knowledge, passion, and insight. You can check them out at www.mariahstockman.com!

We also announced more details about our signature course: You Can Do This!
This is a course for busy parents to learn the basics of starting their own freelance or consulting business.

If you’ve been on the fence about going out on your own, nervous about how to actually run the business and operations side of things, or not sure how you’ll find clients, price yourself, and juggle it all, now’s the time to educate yourself and get out there!

For just $29, this course will teach you how to:

✓ Figure out what service(s) you’ll offer to potential clients.
✓ Price yourself based on value, not on an hourly rate.
✓ Find clients and dispel the myth that you’ll always be hustling for business.
✓ Understand and set up a streamlined financial structure.
✓ Pay taxes and know when it’s time to get expert help.
✓ Get your online presence cleaned up and ready to go.

We’re also including multiple templates, additional downloads, podcast episodes and more, so that you can go deeper on any topic.

Plus, you will get free access to our online community of other parent entrepreneurs just like you!

Get started today: https://www.kenzacollective.com/youcandothis

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In this episode of So ya wanna be a…, we sat down with Lisa Cumes: a freelance copywriter, StoryBrand Guide, and Mom of three, who has built a 6 figure online copywriting business over the past 3 years. Recently, Lisa also launched a second business called Full Thrive where she coaches other freelancers on how to reach their full potential.

You are in for a real treat with this episode! Not only do we discuss what it’s like to be a freelance copywriter, but we go much deeper than that, discussing things like mindset, parenting hacks for freelancers, how to move from hustling to thriving in your business, how to leverage Upwork to find qualified clients, and so much more!

Lisa also shares with us how in her first year on Upwork, she earned $125,000. In her second year, she made $270,000, and now in her third year, she has been able to hire a team and is about to hit the $500k mark, with 95% of that work from coming from Upwork!

To learn more about Lisa’s copywriting business, be sure to check out Simple Story Solutions, and if you’re interested in learning how to stop hustling and start thriving as a freelancer, check out her other business: Full Thrive. And be sure to follow her on IG @lisacumes for regular tips and inspiration!

We also announced more details about our upcoming course called You Can Do This: A course to teach busy parents how to work for themselves.If you’ve been on the fence about going out on your own, nervous about how to actually run the business and operations side of things, or not sure how you’ll find clients, price yourself, and juggle it all, now’s the time to educate yourself and get out there!

For just $29, this course will teach you how to:

✓ Figure out what service(s) you’ll offer to potential clients.

✓ Price yourself based on value, not on an hourly rate.

✓ Find clients and dispel the myth that you’ll always be hustling for business.

✓ Understand and set up a streamlined financial structure.

✓ Pay taxes and know when it’s time to get expert help.

✓ Get your online presence cleaned up and ready to go.

Get started: www.kenzacollective.com/youcandothis

Stay in Touch with us!

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More resources to help you on your journey: https://www.kenzacollective.com/learn
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In this episode, Beth explains to us why it's important for business owners to create and maintain a cash reserve. Beth has seen it all during her 20+ year career, and there are two tasks always starts with when she comes in to do a turnaround on a business: Getting a cash flow projection established, and starting a cash reserve. Tiffany and Beth discuss practical steps you can take right now to start this process, how to maintain the reserve, and what your options are if you need cash now and don't have a reserve. Plus, Beth shares something that you should "never, ever, ever, ever, please don't ever do...".

Full Show notes can be found here: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/how-and-why-you-should-set-up-a-cash-reserve

Also, we released a big announcement in this episode!!

We published our very first course! It's called You Can Do This: A course for busy parents to learn the basics of starting their own freelance or consulting business.

We’re also including multiple templates, additional downloads, podcast episodes and more, so that you can go deeper on any topic.

Update: this course is now LIVE! https://www.kenzacollective.com/youcandothis

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
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Ah, the proposal writing process. Love it or hate it, we all gotta do it. But what if we told you there's a way to not only write more accurate and better proposals that don't go over time and budget, but that you can also get paid to do it?! Check out this quick episode to learn how!

If you need to improve at your proposal writing process, we're here to help! We've officially launched 1:1 coaching at The Kenza Collective! Everything from proposal writing to managing projects, time, energy, and clients, to managing your finances, understanding your cash flow, and much more! Head over to www.kenzacollective.com/coaching to sign up for a FREE 30 minute intro call to get started!

Full Show Notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/learn-how-to-get-paid-to-write-your-proposals

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Tiffany taps into her experience as a Producer at various creative agencies to share with you 3 small behavior and mindset changes you can make right away to start to run your freelancing or consulting business more like an agency.

Full Show Notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/3-subtle-powerful-ways-to-run-your-business-more-like-an-agency

Mentioned in the episode:

Our free Capacity Planning Tool
Coaching with Tiffany and Beth

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
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Ever thought of starting a nonprofit, but not really sure what that actually takes or looks like? Perhaps you're considering a career change or pivot, and starting a nonprofit is something that you're curious about. ⁠

Wonder no more! ⁠

Beth has decades of experience working for and with nonprofits, and in this episode, she offers a ton of practical advice for you to consider as you embark on this journey.

In this episode, Beth answers questions like: ⁠

What are the various types of nonprofits that one can start?⁠
Can you make money working for a nonprofit? ⁠
What are some common pitfalls you should try to avoid? ⁠
What kind of team do you need? ⁠
What kind of time commitment will this take?⁠
What are your next steps if you think you have a good idea?⁠

.... and much more!⁠

Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/what-does-it-take-to-start-a-nonprofit

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

We’ve officially opened up 1:1 mentoring to The Collective! We’ve had a lot of requests for this service, so we are really excited to get it going!

Tiffany is here to help you with:

Understanding how to juggle clients while caring for children at home
Writing proposals that don’t go over time or budget
Teaching practical tips to manage your time and energy
Training on project management
Helping to break down your big goals into practical, actionable, realistic next steps
Giving feedback and advice on your online presence, your offerings, your pricing (no hourly!), your proposals and help you move through tricky conversations.

Beth is here to help you learn how to be your own CFO! She can walk you through:

Everything from basic to advanced accounting (depending on where you're currently at)
Helping you to manage your cash flow
How to build cash reserves for a rainy day
How to set up and maintain your accounting software

Head over to kenzacollective.com/coaching to learn more and book a complimentary 30-minute call!

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
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More resources to help you on your journey: https://www.kenzacollective.com/learn
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If you need a hit of encouragement, inspiration, and real talk from a parent who is juggling running a business, homeschooling her two young children, and supporting a partner who is working full time from home, this is the episode for you! ⁠

Teresa Ruiz Decker, owner of Dream Catch Consulting, takes us on a journey—from making the decision to start a business when she was laid off 3 years ago, to hard lessons she’s learned along the way, important advice she wants you to know if you’re considering this type of work, how she juggles it all during a global pandemic, and more! ⁠

She is a wealth of knowledge to anyone interested in starting their own consulting business. We were absolutely blown away at the amount of wisdom she dropped in less than an hour. So whether or not you’re interested in this specific industry, we would highly recommend listening to this one!⁠⁠

If you're interested in learning more about what Teresa does, check out dreamcatchconsulting.com!⁠

Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/so-ya-wanna-be-a-communications-marketing-consultant

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Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
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Our CFO, Beth Gummere, has 20+ years of experience cleaning up small business finances. To say that she’s seen a lot over the years would be an understatement.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know that one of our main goals is to help you avoid painful, stressful, costly mistakes that can be prevented with education and discipline. So for this episode of the Kenza Pod, Beth pulled together the top 10 mistakes that she has seen small businesses make time and time again with the goal of helping you to avoid them!

Ultimately, our hope for you is that you can stay focused on selling whatever great skill or product you have, and not have to hire someone like Beth to come clean up mistakes that could have been prevented.

Full Show Notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/the-top-10-small-business-finance-fails-and-how-to-avoid-them

Links from the show:

The Capacity Planning Tool (mentioned in the beginning of the episode)
All Finance Friday Episodes

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
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Attention California Independent Contractors or anyone who hires them - this episode is a must-listen! ⁠Beth Gummere, Kenza's CFO, and Brandon Smith, Attorney at Law, share with us the ins and outs of the new(ish) AB5 Law in CA.

Even if you work outside of California, this information is still great to know, as other states either have similar laws or will most likely adopt something similar in the years to come. ⁠⁠

In this episode we cover: ⁠⁠

Why this law exists in the first place. ⁠
A breakdown of how the law actually works (in layman's terms), who it applies to, and who is exempt.⁠
How to use AB5 to gain a competitive edge. ⁠
Predictions on how the law will change over time.⁠
Practical next steps you can take to protect yourself and your clients. ⁠

Check it out and be sure to share it with anyone who may benefit from knowing about this information! Because...#themoreyouknow⁠

Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/understanding-ab5-with-brandon-smith-attorney-at-law

About our Guest:
Brandon is a wealth of knowledge and we cannot recommend him enough for all of your small business's legal needs. You can find his website and learn more about his other services at www.brandonjsmithlaw.com.⁠ Be sure to also follow him on Instagram and Facebook!

Stay in Touch with us!

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Ever since Kevin was in 8th grade, he has dreamed about becoming a Real Estate Agent. When his first child was born, he knew it was time to take the plunge into working for himself so that he could create the flexible lifestyle & schedule that his family needed.

In this episode, we dispel the myth that you have to go “all in” on working for yourself - quit your job, take a huge risk, and just DO IT. For some people, that might work. But for others, that’s just not necessary. Kevin shares with us how he worked with his employer to go part time while he built up his real estate business. He was able to provide health insurance and extra cash for his family, while also pursuing his dreams - win/win!

Kevin’s story is one of inspiration for anyone who is nervous to take the full plunge into entrepreneurship and is looking for a way to ease into it. We hope you enjoy hearing his story...we sure did!

Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/so-ya-wanna-be-a-real-estate-agent

Topics covered include:

How Kevin got creative by working with his employer to go part-time while pursuing his dreams.
What the process was like to take classes and get licensed all while juggling his responsibilities as a husband and new parent.
The 2 things he wished someone had told him in the beginning.
How he sets boundaries with his clients to protect his family time.
How he gets his two daughters involved in his business.
Why he decided to partner with a friend and how that relationship has grown over the years.
Plus, he provides his contact info for anyone interested in reaching out to learn more!

You can learn more about Kevin and Brandon’s realty group at https://smithburgoon.com/, and be sure to follow them on Instagram @smithandburgoonrg and Facebook @smithburgoon.

If you have questions, want to learn more about becoming an agent, or buying/selling real estate in the Sacramento area, email kevin@smithburgoon.com.

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In this week’s Finance Friday, we sit down with Kirstin Smith, Enrolled Agent and small business tax expert, as well as Beth Gummere, Kenza’s CFO, about the when and why of incorporating. We answer questions like:

What does it even mean to incorporate and why should I consider it?
Should I consider incorporating before even getting started?
Who do I talk to for help with understanding the benefits of this?
How much money could this save me?
What's involved in incorporating?
What are some advantages and disadvantages?

As with any finance-related advice you get here at Kenza, please be sure to consult with a local expert in your area before doing anything major. These episodes are intended for informational and educational use only.Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/when-why-you-might-consider-incorporating

Kirstin Smith can be found at BalancedTax.Solutions.

Additional local resources can be found at your local Small Business Development Center.

Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us as we shape the future of Kenza. Get in touch on Instagram @kenzacollective, email us at hello@kenzacollective.com, and be sure to sign up for updates at kenzacollective.com. We can't wait to get to know you!

Stay in Touch with us!

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In this episode of the Kenza Pod, Tiffany sits down with 3 women entrepreneurs who are balancing a mixture of consulting, freelancing, and reinvention while also juggling childcare with young children at home.

We talk about life and dreams before the pandemic, and they open up about how much that has changed over the last few months. They each share practical tips and advice on how they’re making it work, including time management tricks, how they communicate with their partners, what they do for self care, and much more.

We wrap up with notes of positivity, discussing some of the good things that have come from this time, despite how incredibly difficult it is.

If you are a parent who is juggling freelancing, consulting, or running a small business, this is an episode that you don’t want to miss!

Where to find our guests:

Jenna Alcala is a professional advertising photographer, and you can check out her beautiful work on Instagram @jennaalcala.
Lisa Cappeloni is a content marketing consultant, and she can be found on LinkedIn.
Rachael Harms Mahlandt is a Communications & Marketing Manager and can also be found on LinkedIn.

Be sure to follow us at @kenzacollective and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, feedback, or requests. We hope you enjoy the episode!

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A full written summary with links is available on our website! Check it out.

In this episode of Finance Friday, we sit down with tax expert and Enrolled Agent, Kirstin Smith. She has been doing taxes for over 20 years, and specializes in small business and solopreneur tax preparation and advice. Before becoming an Enrolled Agent, she taught herself how to prepare people’s taxes while at home with two young children. Now, 20 years later, her daughter works for her part time, and she has her own company - Balanced Tax Solutions.

We go through the top 5 pieces of advice that she wants freelancers to know about understanding their taxes. Plus, we talk briefly about how to become an Enrolled Agent if that’s something that interests you!

Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/5-tax-basics-for-u-s-freelancers

Links from the show:

Show notes and a written summary can be found here.
To find Kirstin, you check her her website here!

Other helpful links that were mentioned in the pod:

https://americassbdc.org/
https://www.irs.gov/

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The goal of the "So ya wanna be a…" Kenza Pod series is to hear stories from other parents like you who have started their own businesses while raising a family. ⁠

We’ll explore both well-known and lesser-known freelance jobs, discuss how and why they got started, what skills they had that served them well, what skills they needed to learn, what the journey has been like as they’ve juggled working and parenting, and any pro-tips they may have if you’re considering a similar path. ⁠⁠

Our very first "So ya wanna be a..." episode is with Sarah Cook from SustainableCooks.com - a blog dedicated to budget-friendly sustainable recipes and balanced living.⁠Go follow her; you won't regret it!

We cover so many great topics in this episode including:

How & when she decided to take the leap into full time blogging. ⁠
What kind of training she needed to pay for and research to make this work. ⁠
How many hours per week she works as she juggles two young children at home and a husband with a full time job as a firefighter.⁠
How the pandemic has effected her business.
How she's made this a sustainable revenue source for her family.⁠

⁠...and lots more!!⁠

If you’ve ever considered blogging, this is the episode for you!⁠
Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/so-you-wanna-be-a-food-blogger

LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Where to find Sarah:

Website: https://sustainablecooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Frugalsarahc/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sustainablecooks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainablecooks/

Food Blogger Pro Podcast: https://www.foodbloggerpro.com/podcast/

A course that Sarah wishes she could have taken when she first started blogging - An organized roadmap to starting and running a profitable blog: https://katekordsmeier.samcart.com/referral/fCEH7ITf/Kh3C79ZtEQPf86wh

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Tiffany taps into her experience running a super busy design agency and shares her top 3 tips for managing jam-packed days with lots of moving parts. These are strategies you can put into place right away that will help you be as productive as possible with kids at home. Got an unexpected 15-minute window to knock something out? Learn how to be prepared for that! Your plans shifted for the day? Know exactly how to pivot and make a new plan.

Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us as we shape the future of The Kenza Collective. Get in touch on Instagram @kenzacollective, email us at hello@kenzacollective.com, and be sure to sign up for updates at kenzacollective.com. We can't wait to get to know you!

Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/3-productivity-tips-for-freelancing-parents

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We've all heard about Business Plans and there are a tonnnnnnn of different opinions and strategies out there about what this should be and whether or not you even need one.⁠ In this episode we dive into why we think it's absolutely crucial for you to sit down and think through your business plan. We'll pose some questions for you to consider, and spend time unpacking how this is more than just a document - it's a tool that you can use to really think through what it is you're actually trying to do, and how you plan to make it work. ⁠

Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/finance-friday-the-freelancer-s-business-plan

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Join Tiffany and Beth as they share 7(ish) ideas for how to set yourself up for success as a freelancing parent. We dive into how to set appropriate expectations within the context of your family's needs, how to determine what kind of services to offer, examples of how your journey may unfold, encouragement that it's all going to work out, how to set yourself apart in the freelancing world, and practical tips on next steps you can take to get started.

Full show notes: https://www.kenzacollective.com/blog/getting-started-7-ideas-for-success

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Today, we’re talking about one of the most challenging aspects of freelancing: getting paid on time.

This is something that can be frustrating, scary, and cause a lot of stress for you. Just like any story, there are two sides to this. In this episode of Finance Friday, we’ll be hearing from Beth about what goes on behind the scenes when you send an invoice to your client. We’ll walk through the entire journey, from setting up your payment terms, to submitting paperwork, to how to properly format your invoices, and more. Our goal is to help you do everything in your power to increase your chances of getting paid on time.

It’s really important to remember that most of the time, late payments on your invoices aren’t personal. As we'll learn from Beth, it’s usually a cash flow issue, a lack of good internal processes on the client’s side, misaligned expectations, or some other internal issue going on that’s out of your control.

While you usually can’t do much to fix internal process issues for your client, it does help to understand what’s going on, learn how to ask the right questions from the beginning, and adjust your expectations, so that this situation can be improved.

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Sometimes, you're just over it, amiright?

Whether it's a high-maintenance client, the work has become boring, or you're just ready for a bit more time in your schedule, there comes a time when it's good to know how to graciously exit (or "transition" as Beth would say) out of a client relationship.

In this episode, we'll talk about why you'd want to do this, when the best time to do it is, and share 3 steps to actually doing this with grace and professionalism.

A full written summary of this episode can be found here.

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In our first episode of Finance Friday, Beth schools us in the importance of separating business from personal money. Plus her and Tiffany offer practical tips on how to do it, how to untangle a mess, and other useful ideas.

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Beth is Kenza's CFO as well as our Content Creator and Curator for the Kenza Business channel. In this episode, you'll hear about her background, why she's passionate about empowering parents to be their own bosses, and how she plans to empower you to fully understand the financial side of running your freelance business. She is super smart, down to earth, and has a heart of gold. We are so excited to be working with her!

A full written summary of this episode can be found here.

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
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In our very first episode, you will hear from Tiffany Jones, the Founder of Kenza Collective, about her journey from working for the man to freelancing, what she hopes to accomplish with Kenza Collective, and how you can be a part of that.

A full written summary of this episode can be found here.

Stay in Touch with us!

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzacollective
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Browse & search our podcast: https://www.kenzacollective.com/podcast
Get in touch: hello@kenzacollective.com

The Kenza Pod: Recent Episodes

The Kenza Collective