Welcome to the Live Full Work Fun podcast. This is the show to encourage you to live your life to the fullest. You're in the right place if you believe work shouldn't have to suck the life out of you, but instead, be the catalyst of creating your dream lifestyle.
Every week, host Gayla Scrivener will introduce you to amazing guests, useful resources, and inspirational stories. You'll discover opportunities and perspectives to shape your version of living full and working fun.
Join Gayla Scrivener and co-host, Fran Atilio as they wrap up Season 9 of the Live Full Work Fun podcast with a heartfelt celebration of growth, friendship, and authentic connection.
In this season finale, they reflect on their journey together, share personal transformations, and discuss what's next as they continue to live full and work fun.
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In this Live Full Work Fun episode, Gayla and Fran talk about essential practice of truly disconnecting from work to recharge and reset. They share personal experiences about taking intentional breaks—from weekend getaways to extended sabbaticals—and how these periods of disconnection have transformed their perspectives, improved their health, and reignited their creativity.
This conversation is a wake-up call for busy entrepreneurs who constantly find themselves in "do mode" and need permission to step away and prioritize themselves.
Key Highlights * The Power of True Disconnection: Why simply stepping away isn't enough—you need to fully disconnect from email, social media, and work responsibilities to truly recharge * From Weekend Breaks to Sabbaticals: How different lengths of disconnection serve different purposes, and why you need at least a week to shift out of work mode and into creative thinking * Setting Boundaries: Practical strategies for communicating your time off and setting up systems so your business can handle your absence * The Fog Lifting Moment: How disconnecting clears the mental fog and provides clarity on your true priorities and what you should say yes or no to * Planning Your Next Break: Why you should schedule your next break while you're still on vacation, and how to make non-negotiable time for yourself on your calendar
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In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, hosts Gayla and Fran dive into the challenge of task paralysis—that overwhelming feeling when you have so much to do that you end up doing nothing at all. They share personal experiences of battling the "negative ninny" voice in their heads and offer practical strategies to break through the paralysis. From finding flow to celebrating small wins, this conversation is packed with actionable insights to help you move forward with confidence and grace.
Key Highlights: * Understanding Task Paralysis: Learn what task paralysis is and how it manifests when overwhelm prevents you from taking action * The Power of Small Steps: Discover why breaking tasks into tiny, manageable pieces is the key to getting unstuck * Finding Your Flow: Explore the concept of flow state and how connecting to your priorities can help you move seamlessly from one task to the next * Celebration as Fuel: Understand why celebrating even the smallest accomplishments is essential for maintaining momentum and silencing your inner critic * Stacking the Positive: Try this simple tool for tracking what you are getting done, rather than focusing on what you haven't accomplished * Asking for Help: Recognize when it's time to reach out for support from your team or loved ones * You're Not Alone: Find comfort in knowing that even the most successful people struggle with task paralysis
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In this episode, Gayla shares why the podcast went quiet for a few weeks and what she learned about the difference between pushing through resistance and honoring the need to pause. Sometimes "Don't Let the Start Stop You" needs to make room for "It's Okay to Stop and Reassess."
Key Takeaways * It's okay to pause. Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is stop producing and create space for reflection. * Real consistency comes from sustainable systems. It's not about forcing yourself to show up when you have nothing genuine to say. * The "don't want tos" are a signal. They often indicate something is off or that different priorities need attention. * Creating from inspiration beats obligation every time. When you Live Full and Work Fun, success follows naturally.
Reflection Questions * What in your business or life are you doing out of obligation rather than inspiration? * Where have you been forcing consistency at the expense of authenticity? * What would it look like to give yourself permission to pause, reassess, and realign?
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, Gayla Scrivener welcomes seasoned love and life coach Kari Christensen for a conversation about relationships and the barriers that prevent us from forming meaningful connections.
With nearly two decades of coaching experience and specializing in romance for the past five years, Kari shares insights on approaching love as a skill rather than just a feeling, navigating modern dating challenges, and the importance of setting standards in relationships.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun Podcast, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio dive into practical time management approaches, reframing them as "time intention strategies."
They explore how to make time your ally rather than your enemy, sharing personal experiences and actionable advice for anyone looking to better manage their time without falling into negative thought patterns.
Key Highlights: * Using time tracking tools: Gayla discusses how she uses Toggl to get her "head out of the clouds" and gain realistic insights about how long tasks actually take. * Permission vs. perfection: Fran emphasizes the importance of giving yourself permission to try different time management approaches, even if they don't always work perfectly. * Celebrating every step: The hosts discuss celebrating progress "whether it's forwards, backwards, sideways, or diagonal" when improving your relationship with time. * Combating negative feelings: Practical advice on how to shift from self-criticism to celebration when time management doesn't go as planned. * Adaptability: Gayla highlights the importance of adapting time management strategies as you enter different seasons of business and life.
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In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, hosts Gayla and Fran explore the balance between urgency and thoughtful decision-making in business. They discuss why taking a pause during moments of panic can lead to better outcomes and more sustainable growth, particularly in marketing and sales strategies.
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In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, host Gayla Scrivener dives into the world of branding and design with Sarah Hackman, the founder of Hackman Creative and the creator of the innovative Design Hotline service. Sarah shares her expertise of helping businesses transform their brands into authentic reflections of their values and personalities. From ditching jargon to building trust, Sarah provides practical insights for growing and improving your business.
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Join Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio as they explore the question many entrepreneurs face: What happens when the business you built for freedom starts feeling like a prison?
This episode delves into the challenges of maintaining true freedom while building a successful business, and how to recognize when your business model might be working against your original goals.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, Gayla and Fran talk about the frameworks they’ve discovered that have inspired their personal and professional journeys.
They explore the influential books and philosophies that have shaped their mindsets, from overcoming self-sabotage to building better habits in business and life. Whether you’re looking for actionable steps to start your dream project or seeking inspiration to push past challenges, this episode is packed with insights and practical advice to help you thrive.
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Resources Mentioned: * Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals | Rachel Hollis * Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine | Michael Michalowicz * Get Off Your "But": How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself | Shawn Stevenson * The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary | Edwin F. Bryant * How to Write Copy That Sells: The Step-By-Step System for More Sales, to More Customers, More Often | Ray Edwards * Building a StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen | Donald Miller
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Are you constantly scrambling to create content — or worse, stuck because you don’t know where to start?
In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, host Gayla Scrivener discusses with co-host Fran Attilio the power of batch content creation. It’s one of Gayla’s favorite strategies for staying consistent in business without feeling overwhelmed.
Key Highlights: * Why batching helps protect your creative energy * How to find your own batching rhythm * Getting past the mindset that everything needs to be perfect * And what to do when the start is what’s stopping you
Whether you're creating blogs, podcasts, emails, or social posts — batching can help you build momentum, reduce stress, and keep your content flowing.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun Podcast, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio tackle the universal challenge of perfectionism and how it can stop us from taking that important next step. Drawing from personal experience, Fran shares her approach to overcoming perfectionism through 10 powerful "P" words.
Listen and explore how to replace the paralyzing pursuit of perfection with more empowering mindsets. Whether you're struggling to start a new project, launch a business, or make a life change, this episode offers practical insights on how to move forward despite the perfectionist tendencies holding you back.
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This episode is perfect for anyone who finds themselves stuck in the perfectionism trap and ready to not let that first step stop them.
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Join hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio as they discuss discovering and embracing your authentic self. In this episode, they explore how being true to yourself isn't just about personal growth—it's fundamental to building a successful business and creating meaningful connections with clients and colleagues.
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Additional Resources * Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself | Nedra Glover Tawwab * The Pivot Year | Brianna Wiest
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In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, host Gayla Scrivener sits down with Jim Adams, a successful entrepreneur and business owner of American Landscape Structures. Jim shares his journey of personal and professional growth, discussing everything from scaling his brick-and-mortar business during the pandemic to his passion for racing and embracing a more flexible and mobile lifestyle.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio discuss the importance Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in growing any small business.
They explore how CRMs can systemize business relationships, streamline communication, and create meaningful connections. Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or leading a team, this episode offers practical insights on leveraging CRM tools to enhance your business relationships.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, Gayla Scrivener chats with Evan Cox, exploring his journey, insights, and strategies for living a creative and fulfilling life while balancing work and fun. Evan shares actionable advice on overcoming challenges, embracing opportunities, and staying motivated in both personal and professional pursuits.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation filled with tips and ideas.
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In this episode, Gayla Scrivener and co-host, Fran Attilio discuss the topic that transforms brand visibility and attract countless opportunities—authority content.
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This episode has actionable steps to help you move forward. Remember, don't let the start stop you, and start where you're at!
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Craig Grossman, seasoned copywriter and brand messaging expert, joins host Gayla Scrivener in this Live Full Work Fun episode.
Craig shares his journey from technical writing to creative copywriting, offering insights into the art of crafting compelling brand narratives and the psychology behind effective messaging.
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This episode is a continuation of last week’s SPC Framework discussion. Hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio take a deeper look into the Connection component of the framework.
They explore how genuine personal touches and systematic processes can coexist to create meaningful relationships with clients while maintaining efficiency in business operations.
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In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio explore a fresh and powerful business planning approach—the SPC Framework (Strategy, Planning, and Connection)—developed by Fran.
The SPC Framework offers a holistic and adaptable approach that helps business owners navigate changes, stay aligned with their purpose, and build sustainable success while maintaining work-life balance.
In this episode, they dive deep into the strategy and planning components of the SPC approach.
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Shannon Mattern, founder of the Web Designer Academy and host of the Profitable Web Designer podcast is this week’s guest on the Live Full Work Fun podcast.
In this episode, Shannon shares her expertise on building sustainable web design businesses while maintaining work-life balance, offering insights for both established and aspiring entrepreneurs.
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In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, Mary Howard, a Registered Nurse and owner of Powerline Health, joins host Gayla Scrivener for a conversation about perseverance and passion in business.
As "Nurse Mary," she shares her journey of running a successful online supplement store while embracing an active lifestyle through pickleball. With a thriving community of 6,000 email subscribers and an extensive library of 140 YouTube videos, Mary offers valuable insights into entrepreneurship and health optimization.
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This episode embodies our season's theme of "Don't Let the Start Stop You" as Mary demonstrates how continuous learning, adaptation, and dedication to helping others can lead to both business success and personal fulfillment.
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This New Year's episode, co-hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio talk about transforming your mindset for the year ahead. Drawing from personal experiences and favorite self-development books, they explore how small shifts in thinking can lead to significant life changes.
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Book Recommendations: Fran’s Picks
Gayla’s Picks
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Free motivation download: https://tentouchcreative.com/flowforward/
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Hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio discuss strategic planning and marketing for the upcoming year. In this episode, they share insights on creating an effective marketing strategy that aligns with your business goals while avoiding common pitfalls.
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Free motivation download: https://tentouchcreative.com/flowforward/
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Coach Lora Newman, M.S. LPC, is an author, speaker, licensed mental health professional, business leadership coach, mental fitness coach, and CEO/Founder of Zero2Sixty Performance Coaching, llc., the Premier Equine Assisted Leadership Coaching and Training Organization in the World.
Lora Newman has spent the majority of her life dedicated to the health and well-being of humans and their canine and equine companions. She is an Advanced Certified EAGALA Professional (Equine Assisted Growth And Learning Association) as well as Advanced E3A Certified (Equine Experiential Education Association.)
She earned an A.S. in Veterinary Technology from Northwest State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and worked in veterinary medicine for more than four years. Lora learned long ago that animals have much to teach humans about effective communication, conflict resolution and problem solving.
She proudly counts nine therapy horses, three miniature donkeys and one therapy dog among her coaching team at One Paint and Three Quarters Farm. Clients come from across the country to participate in workshops at this one-of-a-kind facility.
Lora is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Drury University and an M.S. in Counseling from SMSU (now MSU.) Lora is a member of the International Association of Women in Coaching and American Legion. Lora authored 90 Days on the Path to Success… Building Health, Wealth and Abundance. Lora is a native of Southwest Missouri, a U.S. Army Veteran and served in the Army Reserve.
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Join co-hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio as they explore Walt Disney's innovative creative process - a powerful method for turning dreams into reality.
In this episode, they review Disney's three-perspective approach: the dreamer who imagines possibilities, the realist who plans implementation, and the advisor who provides constructive critique.
Fran shares her personal experience applying this method to organize and evaluate business decisions, while offering practical tips for listeners to harness their own creativity.
Learn how to balance big dreams with practical execution, overcome obstacles constructively, and maintain focus on present actions while working toward future goals.
Additional Resources: Free “Don’t Let the Start Stop You” Journal (just pay shipping): https://livefullworkfun.com/journal
Free motivation download: https://tentouchcreative.com/flowforward/
The Imagineering Way (A Walt Disney Imagineering Book) | By The Imagineers
DREAMERS DO: Walt Disney’s 10 Steps to Making Your Dreams Come True | By Gene Ano & Genesis Ano
Walt's Way: How to 'Disnify' Your Business Using the Magical Marketing Strategies of Walt Disney: 17 Success Secrets for Entrepreneurs | By Andrew J Lock
Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney | By Lee Cockerell
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In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, host Gayla Scrivener welcomes back Lisa McGuire, a certified personal brand strategist and award-winning business storyteller.
Lisa shares her insights on reinventing oneself, overcoming the fear of starting something new, and using Human Design as a tool for personal and professional growth.
Learn the reasons behind the growing desire for change, practical steps to begin your reinvention journey, and how to avoid common pitfalls in the process.
Lisa also discusses her own experience of reinvention and offers valuable advice for those hesitating to take that crucial first step.
Don't miss this inspiring conversation about embracing change and creating a life and business aligned with your true self.
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Join hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio as they explore the power of gratitude in both personal and professional growth.
They dive into how cultivating a grateful mindset can be a game-changer for entrepreneurs, professionals, and anyone seeking a more fulfilling life.
Key topics include:
Listeners will learn valuable gratitude practices, including journaling techniques, expressing appreciation to colleagues and mentors, and gratitude meditation exercises. The hosts also share personal experiences and challenge listeners to start their own gratitude practice.
Don't miss this insightful episode that will inspire you to harness the power of gratitude and take that important first step towards your big goals. Remember, in the spirit of this season's theme - don't let the start stop you!
To take advantage of the giveaways that Gayla and Fran mention, go to
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In this season premiere episode of the Live Full Work Fun Podcast, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Attilio kick off Season 9 with the powerful theme "Don't Let The Start Stop You." They explore the importance of overcoming initial challenges and taking that important first step towards achieving your goals, even when it feels overwhelming.
Gayla and Fran share personal experiences and insights on various topics, including:
They also discuss practical strategies for time management, goal setting, and maintaining work-life balance.
Join Gayla and Fran as they inspire you to take that next best step towards achieving your Live Full Work Fun lifestyle. Don't miss this energizing start to a season full of growth, success, and happiness!
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Gayla Scrivener and co-host Fran Groesbeck wrap up Season 8 of the Live Full Work Fun podcast.
In this special season finale, they reflect on the incredible journey of 45 episodes, covering a wide range of topics from work-life balance to pursuing passions.
Gayla and Fran discuss their favorite moments, highlight key takeaways, and share exciting plans for the upcoming Season 9.
Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the growth and insights gained throughout the "Grow and Soar" season, and get a sneak peek at what's in store for the future.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck dive into the topic of implementing plans through effective processes.
They explore how to turn ideas into actionable steps, the importance of prioritizing tasks, and how to stay flexible and adaptable when encountering obstacles.
Gayla and Fran also discuss the value of finishing tasks, seeking outside perspectives, and celebrating small wins on the journey to achieving larger goals.
Highlights: * The significance of planning and processes in implementing ideas * Prioritizing tasks to advance your vision * The role of flexibility and problem-solving when facing challenges * Breaking down big projects into achievable steps * The importance of finishing tasks and avoiding perfectionism * Seeking outside perspectives and coaching to stay on target * Balancing client work with business-building activities * Celebrating successes and learning from failures * Tips for staying motivated and on track
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In this episode, Gayla Scrivener and co-host Fran Groesbeck discuss the importance of creating and documenting processes in a business. They share personal anecdotes and practical advice on how to develop efficient processes that save time and reduce stress.
They explore various tools and methods for documenting processes and highlight the benefits of having a structured approach to managing tasks. This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to streamline their operations and enhance productivity.
Highlights: * The importance of investing time upfront to write complete processes * Benefits of having well-documented processes for saving time and reducing stress * Tools and methods for documenting processes (e.g., Notion, Asana, Google Docs) * How processes can help with training new employees and ensuring consistency * The role of processes in building trust and empowering team members * Overcoming challenges related to process documentation and change resistance * The value of using video and transcription for creating detailed SOPs * Practical advice for transitioning from manual to automated processes * Encouragement to start documenting processes, even if they are not perfect
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In this episode of "Live Full Work Fun," Gayla Scrivener and co-host Fran Groesbeck dive into the topic of how essential planning is in achieving goals.
They explore the balance between meticulous planning and taking action, discuss real-life examples from their own experiences, and offer practical advice for avoiding the pitfalls of overplanning.
Whether you're an entrepreneur or someone looking to achieve personal goals, this episode will help you find the right balance to move forward effectively.
Highlights: * The benefits of planning, including saving time and providing direction * Real-life examples of planning mistakes and how to avoid them * The importance of asking the right questions during the planning phase * How planning can help uncover potential roadblocks and obstacles * The role of planning in setting realistic goals and timelines * The dangers of being paralyzed by perfection * Strategies for adjusting plans when unexpected challenges arise * How to chunk down tasks and set manageable goals * The value of an outside perspective, such as a coach or consultant * Encouragement to balance planning with action and trust your instincts
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In this episode of "Live Full Work Fun," Gayla Scrivener and co-host Fran Groesbeck discuss how participating in events can generate creative ideas, personal growth, and professional development.
They focus on the unique benefits events offer for both introverts and extroverts. They also explore strategies for capturing and implementing the ideas generated during the events to ensure your ideas lead to meaningful changes.
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This episode explores the pervasive culture of busyness and its impact on productivity, well-being, and work-life balance. Hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck discuss personal experiences and insights on how to shift from a mindset of constant activity to one of meaningful output and balance.
They explore the importance of taking breaks, valuing leisure, and creating a work culture that prioritizes health and family over relentless busyness. Listen as they uncover strategies to combat the busyness epidemic and create a more fulfilling and productive life.
Highlights: * The cultural norm of busyness as a signifier of social status * Personal anecdotes on transitioning from a busy corporate life to a balanced lifestyle * The detrimental effects of constant busyness on productivity and creativity * Strategies for incorporating breaks and leisure into daily routines * The importance of focusing on output rather than activity * Creating a work culture that values well-being and personal strengths * The role of deep work and how leisure can inspire creativity * Balancing work and leisure in a nomadic lifestyle * Trust and autonomy in managing team schedules and workloads * Overcoming the guilt associated with taking breaks and prioritizing personal time
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This Live Full Work Fun episode finishes out the four part Trust Builder Series. Gayla Scrivener, along with her co-host, Fran Groesbeck, discuss the concept of identifying and understanding your ideal prospects.
They discuss the importance of focusing on the right audience, building trust, and the personal touch approach. Through personal anecdotes and expert insights, they explore the process of defining your "willingness warriors" and the evolution of business relationships over time.
Get ideas on how to create meaningful connections with your prospects and ensure long-term success.
Highlights: * The significance of visualizing and understanding your ideal customer * The journey of identifying and evolving your target audience * The importance of focusing on a specific group rather than trying to appeal to everyone * The concept of "willingness warriors" and how it shapes business strategies * Strategies for building trust with your audience * The role of authentic communication in establishing strong relationships * The pitfalls of the "avatar" concept and the importance of seeing customers as heroes * Practical tips for consistent and effective communication * Common mistakes businesses make in building trust * The reciprocal nature of trust between business owners and prospects
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In this part 3 Live Full Work Fun episode of the Trust Builder Series, Gayla Scrivener and her co-host Fran Groesbeck discuss measures to building trust with clients, how to ease their fears and uncertainties, and the significance of clearly communicating expectations.
They also delve into the power of saying no when a client relationship does not align with business principles. The hosts share personal experiences and strategies for cultivating strong, trusting relationships with clients.
Highlights: * Easing fears and cloudiness for new clients * The importance of clear communication and setting expectations * The right to say no and recognizing red flags early * Personal anecdotes of handling difficult client relationships * Aligning business principles and values with clients * The role of frequent check-in meetings in maintaining trust * The significance of asking the right questions to understand client needs * The evolving nature of client relationships and business growth * Strategies for onboarding and ongoing client management * Building long-term, trust-based client relationships
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In this Part 2 Live Full Work Fun episode of the Trust Builder Series, Gayla Scrivener and her co-host Fran Groesbeck discuss the importance of building trust with your team. They talk about empowerment, delegation, and open communication.
Through personal anecdotes and practical advice, they emphasize the significance of understanding emotions, fostering cooperation over competition, and having tough yet constructive conversations.
Highlights: * The role of empowerment and delegation in building trust * The importance of open and honest communication * Balancing emotions in a professional setting * Constructing a cooperative team environment over a competitive one * Handling tough conversation * The concept of "leaving a spark, not a scorch" during difficult discussions * The impact of rules of engagement on team dynamics * Building trust through consistent and transparent leadership * Encouraging team members to show up and take responsibility
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In this Live Full Work Fun episode of the Trust Builder Series, Gayla Scrivener and her co-host Fran Groesbeck kick off the series by discussing the importance of building trust with oneself. They explore how keeping promises to oneself is foundational for living a fulfilled and balanced life.
The conversation touches on the challenges and benefits of self-care, the impact of prioritizing personal goals, and the ripple effect it has on both personal and professional life.
Highlights * Definition of trust and its importance in building a fulfilling lifestyle * The significance of keeping promises to oneself * Balancing personal and professional goals * The impact of self-care on productivity and well-being * Examples of how neglecting personal goals can affect professional success * The role of self-awareness in personal and professional growth * Practical tips for maintaining personal goals amidst busy schedules * The importance of gratitude and self-appreciation * Overcoming societal messages that self-care is selfish * Encouragement to be a role model rather than a martyr
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In this Live Full Work Fun episode, Gayla Scrivener with co-host, Fran Groesbeck, have a conversation around the topic of work environment and how it can significantly impact productivity and overall work satisfaction.
They discuss the importance of having a workspace that reflects a positive and productive atmosphere, the need for organization, and how a cluttered workspace can affect mental well-being. The hosts also explore the concept of time mapping, the idea of changing our work hours to suit our productivity peaks, and how to effectively manage overwhelming feelings when faced with a large project.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, Gayla Scrivener and co-host Fran Groesbeck discuss the importance and impact of organic social media outreach for businesses. They emphasize the importance of keeping social media efforts light, enjoyable, and manageable, cautioning that overthinking a social media strategy can actually hinder business growth.
They highlight effective strategies, underscore the need for consistency, and discuss the benefits of delegation. Personal anecdotes are shared, offering practical advice for business owners navigating the rapidly changing landscape of social media.
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In this Live Full Work Fun podcast episode, the hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck have a conversation revolving around the theme of simplification, both in business and personal life.
They discuss the importance of clarity in messaging, the benefits of reducing complexity, and the essential role of planning. The conversation also covers various aspects of business, such as proposal writing, website redesign, and content creation.
Additionally, they share their personal experiences and strategies for maintaining simplicity and focus in their work and everyday lives.
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In this Live Full Work Fun episode, host Gayla Scrivener has a conversation with Marianne Pelletier, the founder of Staupell Analytics Group, a company that specializes in providing data solutions for non-profit organizations.
Marianne shares her journey from starting her business to the challenges, successes, and lessons learned along the way. She also imparts valuable advice for those considering launching their own businesses, particularly in the non-profit sector.
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Do you have your mission, vision, and values written out? Understanding these is essential for creating meaningful content. But, it can be overwhelming when you're just starting out. You might wonder how to connect these pillars to your social media posts or any other type of content you're creating.
Gayla Scrivener, along with co-host Fran Groesbeck share their experiences and strategies on how to build a content library. They emphasize the importance of authority in your content. Whether you’re teaching your audience or simply showing them, your content should position you as an expert in your field.
They discuss different tools you can use and how to keep your content library organized. Google Docs and Notion were mentioned as great platforms for keeping your content in one place. Centralizing your content not only saves time but also ensures consistency across your team.
One key takeaway is the idea of commitment. Commit to publishing regularly. This could be a blog post, a podcast episode, or a YouTube video. Start small if you need to, but the act of publishing regularly helps build your content library.
Another important point is to review your content library periodically. This allows you to see how far you've come, whether your messaging still aligns with your brand, and if there are any old pieces of content that could be repurposed.
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In this episode, Leroy Collinwood, Chief Operations Officer of Health and Wisdom Inc. joins host Gayla Scrivener. He shares his diverse business journey from a tech career to entrepreneurship with a thriving business in rural Missouri. Starting with a chicken farm business, Leroy transitioned into the world of health and wellness.
He and his wife co-own Health and Wisdom, a company that specializes in magnesium products. He shares his experiences, the challenges he encountered in both industries, and personal insights about the benefits of magnesium.
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In this Live Full Work Fun episode, hosts, Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck dive deep into the subject of branding and style guides. They discuss the importance of having a consistent visual brand and how it impacts your audience's perception of your business.
Using examples from different businesses, they demonstrate the role of color, font, and tone in creating a brand identity that resonates with your target audience and evokes the desired emotions.
They also touch on the importance of evolving your brand as your business grows and changes, and how to strike a balance between maintaining consistency and allowing for growth and change.
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In this episode, host, Gayla Scrivener has a heart-to-heart conversation with Kimberley Wright, the passionate founder of Smoke and Bubble, a small business specializing in handmade soaps and candles.
Kim shares her journey from being a paralegal to starting her own business, motivated by her love for the craft and a desire to create high-quality, affordable products for her customers. Kim also talks about her future goals, her family's involvement in the business, and the meticulous care she puts into her products.
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In this podcast episode, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck dive into the importance of self-care and shifting our thought patterns to more positive and accepting ones.
The discussion emphasizes the importance of balance in life. It highlights how prioritizing our needs can enhance productivity and creativity, thereby improving our ability to serve others.
The conversation is filled with personal experiences and reflections, providing insights into the journey of self-improvement and personal growth.
Highlights:
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In this Live Full Work Fun episode, host, Gayla Scrivener is joined by Christin Price, a seasoned accountant with over two decades of experience. Christin shares her personal journey of how she transitioned from working in the corporate world to running her own accounting business.
She discusses the importance of having open conversations about finances, breaks down the differences between bookkeepers, accountants, and CPAs, and offers guidance on what small business owners should look for when hiring an accountant.
Christin sheds light on the challenges of running a business and the rewards that come with it, emphasizing the importance of having a supportive team around you.
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In this episode, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck discuss the concept of time mapping, a powerful tool to optimize productivity and achieve a work-life balance.
They share their experiences, struggles, and insights on how to navigate through a busy schedule without feeling overwhelmed. The conversation covers a range of topics from understanding the importance of breaks, the psychology of habit formation, the significance of 'me' time, to the idea of adapting and flowing with time.
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On the Live Full Work Fun podcast, host Gayla Scrivener chats with Rashida Dairywala, a seasoned entrepreneur and CEO of OTFCoder Private Limited. With a background in education and a passion for tech, Rashida has successfully led her team in global advertising, branding, digital strategies, and more. An advocate for women in the tech industry, Rashida actively fosters female leadership within her agency. Her innovative contributions include Digi Warr, India's unique Analytics Driven Digital Warranty Management System. Tune in as Rashida shares her insights on marketing, entrepreneurship, and her efforts to simplify complex information for effective communication.
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In this episode, the hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck explore the concept of the "messy middle," a phase in any project or goal where things feel disorganized and chaotic.
Gayla first heard the term “messy middle” from Michael Hyatt several years ago when she participated in his Best Year Ever course.
The messy middle is often characterized by a sense of being overwhelmed and not yet seeing the results you desire.
However, both Gayla and Fran emphasize that this phase is a natural and necessary part of any endeavor. They share their experiences, insights, and strategies for navigating this challenging phase and coming out the other side with successful results.
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In this episode of Live Full Work Fun, host Gayla Scrivener has a conversation with Evan Cox. Evan is a StoryBrand Certified Guide with over fifteen years of experience serving businesses, nonprofits, and their leaders.
Evan redefines marketing, presenting it not just as an advertising or selling tool, but a powerful means to build meaningful relationships and understand audience needs.
Beyond marketing, he believes in providing clear support to your mission, shunning sleazy tactics and ambiguous metrics, and becoming a reliable partner for your audience.
Whether you're an entrepreneur exploring self-discovery or a small business owner keen on enhancing your communication strategies, Evan shares valuable insights as a seasoned professional dedicated to ethical and effective marketing.
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In this Live Full Work Fun episode, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the business world, particularly for small businesses. They explore how AI can be a useful tool for tasks such as drafting proposals or job descriptions, transcribing meetings, and aiding in communication with customers. They also highlight the importance of using AI as a tool rather than a crutch, and caution against relying on it too heavily.
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Tracey Piechocki, owner of Illustrated Designs is this week’s guest on the Live Full Work Fun podcast. Tracey is a seasoned entrepreneur who successfully transitioned from being part of a family business to taking the reins and carving out her own path.
In this episode, we explore an array of topics surrounding entrepreneurship, work-life balance, and personal growth.
Highlights: * Tracey's journey from being part of a family business to taking the reins and becoming a successful entrepreneur. * The importance of setting boundaries and managing expectations for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. * The challenge of dealing with imposter syndrome and the ways Tracey found to overcome it. * The role of outside interests like reading, kayaking, and travel in cultivating inspiration and creativity. * Tracey's 'word of the year' - 'Energized', and how it aligns with her personal and professional goals. * The importance of resilience and adaptability in business, as demonstrated by Tracey's experience during the pandemic. * The role of setting goals based on desired feelings as a powerful motivation strategy.
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This episode marks the last episode of a series to discuss the four key elements that all marketing plans should incorporate: Website, Consistent Core Content or Authority Piece, Social Media, and Email.
Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck’s conversation is centered around the critical role email marketing plays in a business. They discuss different strategies for nurturing customers, hard and soft selling techniques, and how to authentically connect with your audience through email.
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This episode marks the third episode of a series to discuss the four key elements that all marketing plans should incorporate: Website, Consistent Core Content or Authority Piece, Social Media, and Email.
In episode 3 of this 4-part series, Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck dive into the world of social media marketing, discussing strategies for solopreneurs, the importance of organic growth, and the value of having a systematic approach.
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This episode marks the second episode of a series to discuss the four key elements that all marketing plans should incorporate: Website, Consistent Core Content or Authority Piece, Social Media, and Email.
In episode 2 of this 4-part series, Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck discuss the importance of creating a consistent authority piece of content.
Having a core piece of content, whether it be in the form of a video, podcast, or blog provides a platform to share expertise, engage with your audience, and establish your brand's authority in your industry.
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This episode marks the beginning of a series to discuss the four key elements that all marketing plans should incorporate: Website, Consistent Core Content or Authority Piece, Social Media, and Email.
In episode 1 of 4, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck emphasize the importance of a clear, concise, and effective website for your business. They discuss the need to understand your target audience, methods to evaluate and update your website content, and the importance of consistent messaging.
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Ali Haney and Kassie O'Driscoll made a guest appearance on the Live Full Work Fun podcast to discuss their upcoming ESC Conference, a unique event designed to aid entrepreneurs in their business growth journey. The conference, held in Louisville, Kentucky from April 15th to 18th, 2024, is meant to offer a more intimate, inclusive, and practical approach to business development.
Highlights * Ali and Kassie share their experiences and the motivation behind organizing the ESC Conference. * They discuss the benefits of attending a smaller, more intimate conference and how it can lead to quality networking and deeper connections. * The pair explains their decision to make the conference all-inclusive, including accommodations and meals, to reduce stress for attendees. * The conference aims to provide actionable advice rather than abstract concepts, focusing on tangible business strategies. * The conference speakers will address a range of topics including intellectual property protection, tax planning for businesses, and leveraging artificial intelligence. * Ali and Kassie also highlight the unique "hot seat" feature of the conference, which allows attendees to pitch ideas and get real-time feedback from experts and peers.
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In this episode, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck talk about creating a business that promotes personal growth and freedom, rather than feeling like a "prison."
Key Highlights:
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This week, I wanted to take a moment honor the profound influence of two remarkable individuals, Dan Miller and Susan Guild, who recently passed away.
Both have not only been guests on our show but have also touched lives through their insightful books and online presence.
I’m sharing their insightful conversations of their past episodes, as their wisdom continues to inspire.
Today, you'll hear my conversation with Susan Guild. You’ll learn from Susan how to get out of your “over-thinking” mind and wake up the magic within yourself.
Let’s reflect on their invaluable contributions and celebrate their lives:
This week, I wanted to take a moment honor the profound influence of two remarkable individuals, Dan Miller and Susan Guild, who recently passed away.
Both have not only been guests on our show but have also touched lives through their insightful books and online presence.
I’m sharing their insightful conversations of their past episodes, as their wisdom continues to inspire.
Today, you'll hear my conversation with Dan Miller, author of "48 Days to the Work and Life You Love." We discuss his belief in limitless potential, creative business designing, overcoming obstacles, and the importance of the right mindset and network.
Let’s reflect on their invaluable contributions and celebrate their lives:
This episode is a continuation from last week’s conversation where hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck discuss the differences between sales and marketing. They also explore how these two practices work together, as both are essential for business growth.
It's a candid conversation on what to include in your marketing and sales strategies and how to connect with your target audience.
Highlights 1. Lead magnets are important component in a sales process. 2. Have offerings that move customers towards a company's highest dollar offering. 3. Fran’s mantra of patience, persistence, and momentum is needed in both sales and marketing. 4. The hosts emphasize the importance of repetition in delivering messages. 5. A solid marketing plan includes consistency and commitment in these areas: website, expert piece (core piece of content), social media, and emails.
Additional Resources: * How to Grow a Small Business | Donald Miller * Small Business Flight School | The small business training program helping you double your revenue. | Affiliate Link * Upcoming Clarify Your Messaging Events
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In this episode, hosts Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck discuss the differences between sales and marketing. They also explore how these two practices work together, as both are essential for business growth.
It's a candid conversation on marketing strategies, the importance of identifying your business's values, and how to connect with your target audience.
Highlights: 1. Understand the importance of continuous marketing, even in the face of financial constraints. 2. Think of marketing as a 'faucet' that needs adjusting rather than turning off. 3. The roles of marketing and sales in a business. 4. Effective marketing is simple and true. 5. The importance of understanding your business identity before starting marketing activities. 6. Fran shares the significance of her mantra of patience, persistence, and momentum in marketing. 7. The role of clear and simple messaging in effective marketing.
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Resources Mentioned: * How to Grow a Small Business | Donald Miller * Small Business Flight School | The small business training program helping you double your revenue. | Affiliate Link * Upcoming Clarify Your Messaging Events
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In this episode, host Gayla Scrivener had the pleasure of speaking with Macy Robison, the Director of Certified Guides for StoryBrand.
Macy Robison is responsible for equipping hundreds of StoryBrand marketing guides and agencies worldwide with the necessary tools and training to build their dream businesses. With a master's degree in education, over 5 years of experience as a StoryBrand marketing guide, and more than 20 years as a teacher and branding coach, Macy has assisted numerous clients in creating marketing collateral that tells a story and converts customers. As a marketing and personal brand strategist, she has played a key role in helping clients launch New York Times best-selling books, reach millions of followers on social media and email lists, and produce podcasts with a combined 4.5 million downloads.
During the conversation, Macy shared her insights and experiences in helping marketing guides and agencies build successful businesses using the StoryBrand framework. Here are the highlights:
To learn more about the StoryBrand certification program and access additional resources, visit storybrand.com.
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In this episode, co-hosts, Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck discuss the Law of 100% and how understanding this concept can help you prioritize your goals and manage your time more effectively.
Fran shared that her former colleague, Mike Miller, taught her the law of 100% and it had stuck with her for over 30 years.
The law of a hundred percent states that there is a limited amount of space or time available. Once it reaches its capacity, in order to add more, something else must be removed.
Let's visualize this concept using an eight-ounce glass. If you fill the glass with four ounces of water and two ounces of another substance, you can't add another four ounces without it spilling over. You must remove two ounces in order to accommodate the additional four.
Gayla and Fran share personal stories and insights on how to make the most of your time by eliminating distractions and focusing on what truly matters.
Highlights: * Recognize that when you take on something new, you will need to give up something else. * It is important to assess activities that align with your goals. * It is valuable to practice moderation and be mindful of how time is allocated to different activities. * Utilizing technology can help you be more efficient, such as talk-to-text technology is a convenient way to capture thoughts and ideas while on the move. * There are advantages to delegating tasks and investing in someone else to reduce your workload.
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In this episode, host Gayla Scrivener is joined by Craig Grossman. The conversation covers various topics, including the significance of understanding customer needs, the power of persuasive writing, and the role of reputation management in the digital era.
Craig has been a sales pro for most of his adult life. He owned and managed a gourmet foods brokerage company called Evergreen Fancy Foods, Inc., selling to retailers across the N.W. states with a team of 6 sales reps. But after 30 years, it was time for a new challenge! He discovered copywriting in 2016 and earned copywriting certifications primarily through AWAI. Craig sold his sales business in January 2020 to become a full-time copywriter.
Craig is now a StoryBrand Marketing Guide. He loves helping his clients create brand narrative strategies, compelling website content, and sales copy for local and national companies. His favorite niches include financial planners, accounting firms, B2B, and professional services.
Here are some highlights from the episode:
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In this podcast episode, hosts, Gayla Scrivener and Fran Groesbeck discuss the concept of a deload week and its importance in maintaining productivity and overall well-being.
They share their personal experiences and insights on how taking a break and resetting can have a positive impact on work and life. Here are the key points discussed:
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In this episode, host Gayla Scrivener interviews Thom Van Dycke, a fractional Chief Growth Officer for solopreneurs. Thom discusses transitioning from a focus on deliverables to a consulting approach in business. He highlights the limitations of relying solely on deliverables and the importance of adding strategic value to clients' businesses.
He explains the challenges solopreneurs face when they reach a growth ceiling due to deliverable constraints. He explores alternative approaches to break through revenue ceilings, emphasizing the shift from deliverables to consulting for long-term success.
Thom emphasizes the significance of strategic thinking and its impact on business growth. He shares personal experiences and insights into managing client expectations and communicating the value of consulting services.
Also discussed was Thom’s approach to structuring retainers based on added value to clients' businesses. He touches on managing client relationships and adapting the consulting model to meet evolving needs.
Key Takeaways: * Transitioning from deliverables to consulting can help solopreneurs overcome revenue ceilings. * Strategic thinking is a valuable skill set that can drive business growth. * Consulting adds tangible results and should be reflected in the client's contract. * Hiring a consultant expedites the process and reduces risks by learning from someone who is steps ahead. * The value of consulting lies in providing expertise, guidance, and helping clients reach their business goals.
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In this episode, the hosts discuss the importance of living a fulfilling life despite the negative things happening in the world. They share personal experiences and insights on how to maintain positivity and make choices aligned with personal values.
Here are the key points from the episode:
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This episode is brought to you by Scrivener Social. The easy-to-use social scheduling platform built for the busy solopreneur. Go to ScrivenerSocial.com and schedule a demo today!
In this Live Full Work Fun episode, host Gayla Scrivener is joined by Mike Brennan.
Author of Make Fun a Habit: The Creative PLAYbook for Making Life and Work Fun Again, Mike isn't your typical Creative Consultant and Communicator; he's a passionate advocate for reigniting the lost art of fun and creativity.
Mike's expertise goes beyond the pages of his book. He's helped renowned clients like Heineken and Chase Bank infuse creativity, innovation, and fun into their work. His art graces prestigious spaces like the Ronald McDonald House and the I.D.E.A. Museum in Mesa, Arizona.
What sets Mike apart is his commitment to helping individuals and organizations harness the transformative power of creativity. With a unique Daily Creative Habit process honed over a decade, he empowers people to seamlessly integrate innovation into their routines, making life and work more vibrant and fulfilling. Through his words, art, actions, and unwavering dedication to the cause, Mike inspires us all to make fun not just a habit but a way of life.
Mike emphasizes the need for finding joy and playfulness in our daily routines, even amidst busy schedules and work obligations. He shares personal anecdotes and insights on how rediscovering fun can lead to personal growth and professional success.
Some key takeaways from the episode include:
To learn more about incorporating fun into your life and work, check out Mike Brennan's book, "Make Fun a Habit." It offers practical tips, exercises, and reflections to help you infuse more joy and creativity into your daily routines.
Be sure to listen to the full episode for an insightful and engaging conversation on the power of fun and creativity.
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This episode is brought to you by Scrivener Social. The easy-to-use social scheduling platform built for the busy solopreneur. Go to ScrivenerSocial.com and schedule a demo today!
In this episode, co-host, Fran Groesbeck shares her concept of being a "Willingness Warrior."
There are three key actions that can help you embrace the mindset of Willingness Warrior.
Gayla and Fran highlight the journey of a "Willingness Warrior" as one of continuous growth and learning. They encourage listeners to build a toolbox of resources, including quotes, practices, and books, to draw upon when facing challenges.
Join the hosts in the "Live Full Work Fun" Facebook group to continue the conversation and share your own stories of being a "Willingness Warrior."
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This episode is brought to you by Scrivener Social. The easy-to-use social scheduling platform built for the busy solopreneur. Go to ScrivenerSocial.com and schedule a demo today!
In this Season 8 kick-off episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, host, Gayla Scrivener introduces Fran Groesbeck as this season’s co-host. They discuss the evolution of the show and the plan for this upcoming season. The theme of the season is “Grow and Soar.”
They talk about their shared focus on helping others, the importance of breaking free from the corporate think mindset, and the journey of living a well-rounded life that brings joy. They emphasize the need for work-life prioritization and share their toolbox of tools and practices to navigate life's challenges.
Gayla and Fran express their excitement about alternating guest episodes and episodes where they discuss various topics related to living full and working fun.
Listen and see what’s in store for the next for the show.
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This episode is brought to you by Scrivener Social. The easy-to-use social scheduling platform built for the busy solopreneur. Go to ScrivenerSocial.com and schedule a demo today!
When we think of work, it often carries a negative connotation. However, if we want to achieve our goals, consistent effort is necessary. Work doesn't have to be negative; it's simply the effort required to move forward. To appreciate the results achieved, we must invest a certain amount of effort. Work should also bring joy and fulfillment while fulfilling our goals. Even if we have setbacks, we can still find our work fun because we know the effort is worth it.
If we're beginning to feel overwhelmed by the work we love, burnout can happen. Sometimes we need to make changes to avoid it. We must place our focus on finishing some things and let go of other things, whether it’s for the short-term or for good. It's important to evaluate what the next logical step is and prioritize accordingly.
I came to the realization that I was on the road to burnout. I needed to evaluate where to focus my efforts and prioritize accordingly. In this episode, I share two major things I will pause in the short-term to make room for complete focus on what I have determined to be the most important next logical step: finishing a select few major projects.
For the next few months, Scrivener Solutions will not be accepting new "done-for-you" clients. Instead, we will be focusing on our current clients. Most of them have major transition projects that require additional attention. We are proud to be a part of their growth and changes in their business.
We are also focusing on our launch an easy-to-use social media scheduling platform called Scrivener Social. This program is being built for the busy DIY entrepreneur and is expected to officially release by the first of the year.
To make room for this launch, the Live Full Work Fun podcast will be paused. It will return in the fall or winter in conjunction with the official launch of Scrivener Social.
In the meantime, let's stay connected. Hop into the Live Full Work Fun Facebook group and drop a note. Be sure to follow and connect with me and the Scrivener Solutions team on your favorite social platform.
Until next time…Live Full Work Fun
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This episode’s guest, David Jenyns is a strong advocate for the importance of systemizing businesses to grow and scale.
David is an experienced entrepreneur who sold the Melbourne Cricket Ground in his early twenties and founded Melbourne SEO Services. He systemized himself out of that business in 2016 and founded SYSTEMology to help business owners implement systems to scale their business. Today, he supports a growing community of certified SYSTEMologists, delivers workshops, keynote addresses, hosts a podcast, and is on a mission to free business owners worldwide from daily operations.
He shares the benefits of systemization, such as increased efficiency and reduced stress. He offers suggestions on how to organize and document processes for better ease in delegation of tasks.
David emphasizes the need to delegate responsibility and free up higher skilled team members to work on tasks they are best suited for. This approach can result in not only higher efficiency, but also a more streamlined and profitable business. Business owners who prioritize systemizing their business can enjoy these benefits and more.
Anyone can build a systems-driven business with the right team members in place. Business owners do not have to be the ones to do the documentation themselves, but rather they can work with a systems champion on their team to help develop and implement the necessary processes.
Opportunities arise all the time, but many business owners are too busy to recognize them. By documenting and implementing systemized processes, business owners can better identify opportunities and have the bandwidth to take advantage of them.
Systemization can also lead to a more organized and less chaotic workspace, where employees can thrive and work more effectively.
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In today's fast-paced world, it's common to struggle with balancing our work and personal responsibilities. The pull between work and life obligations can be challenging, and it's easy to feel like you're constantly juggling to keep up with both.
It's important to find a healthy balance between work and personal life to achieve personal and professional fulfillment and well-being. In this podcast episode, we delve into the topic of work-life integration and the struggle to balance work and personal responsibilities.
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Lisa McGuire, personal branding coach and host of the "Your Passion, Purpose, and Personal Brand" podcast is featured in this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast.
The conversation with Lisa is an inspiring and thought-provoking discussion on personal branding, podcasting, and finding joy and purpose in our work.
Show highlights include:
Lisa highlights the importance of understanding your personal brand and finding work that aligns with your purpose. She believes that personal and professional life are increasingly intertwined and that it's essential to be authentic in the workplace.
She also talks about the challenges of balancing personal and professional life, emphasizing that it's vital to bring your whole self to work and find ways to work in your zone of genius.
Lisa shares her experience with podcasting, stating that it's a great way to test content and receive feedback. She adds that podcasting forces her to be consistent, and she loves the ability to educate, inspire, and encourage her listeners.
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Entrepreneur and sales expert Susan Trumpler shares insights into the world of sales and entrepreneurship.
These are the highlights from the conversation with Susan.
Importance of a Realistic Exit Strategy Susan stresses the importance of having a realistic exit strategy when thinking of leaving a corporate job and starting a business. A good sales process is also essential when starting a business to increase the chances of success.
Beware of Get-Rich-Quick Schemes She warns against falling for get-rich-quick schemes that promise overnight success. She advises that such schemes are often fantastical and prey on one's fears and desires.
Getting to Yes, Faster Susan shares details about her free masterclass, "Getting to Yes Faster," which teaches the neuroscience behind sales conversations and the three questions necessary to make a buying decision. She explains that to be able to say yes, a buyer must have three questions answered in their mind. The masterclass is based on these three questions and teaches how to answer them to get to yes, faster.
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Not always are goals achieved. It can be disappointing and frustrating. In this episode, I share a few tips on how to see the positive side of falling short on reaching that big goal.
Some of the tips shared include:
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Genesis Eakes, an organizational culture change and alignment expert, was special guest in this episode. She shared insights about how to make work more meaningful and fun by finding the right company culture fit.
We delved into the differences between transactional and relational companies, exploring how these differences can impact work experiences and how companies can communicate their culture to potential employees.
Genesis offered valuable advice for job (or client) seekers on how to identify the right company culture fit and what to look for during the interview process. She discussed the importance of asking the right questions and having honest conversations with potential employers, highlighting the benefits of being upfront about your priorities and what you are looking for in a work environment.
We also talked about the importance of aligning company culture with mission and strategy, and Genesis shared insights into how companies can go about making changes to their culture to better support their goals and values. She emphasized the importance of communication, collaboration, and intentionality in creating a culture that is fulfilling and meaningful for all employees.
Listen for practical tips and insights to make your work more meaningful and enjoyable by finding the right company culture fit. Whether you're a job seeker, freelancer, solopreneur, a leader in an organization, or simply someone who wants to create positive change in your workplace, you’ll get something out of this informative and inspiring conversation with Genesis Eakes.
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In this episode, host Gayla Scrivener shares a personal story about turning a negative situation into an opportunity for growth and success.
Knee-jerk reactions can often lead to short-term solutions that may not benefit your long-term growth and scaling. Gayla discusses how to evaluate a problem and find a solution that promotes long-term growth and scaling, rather than cover it up with a Band-Aid.
Listen now to learn how to embrace the opportunities in front of us and to slow down and fix them instead of just applying a Band-Aid.
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In this episode, Matt Lubaroff shares his expertise on using Google Analytics to measure and evaluate marketing activities. He emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs and using data to tell a story. Matt also discusses how becoming a certified StoryBrand guide has helped him create a lifestyle where he can be more present in his family life.
Matt has led teams in marketing, sales, customer service, and leadership for over 20 years. His core principle has always been to be the best you can be at that moment and try to be even better the next time.
He believes in keeping things simple and the concept of clarity is what initially attracted him to StoryBrand in 2015. When he became a StoryBrand Certified Guide in 2017, he became empowered to help small business owners turn their passion into words and emotions that will help them grow their business the way they imagined it.
Key Points Covered:
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For several years now, expert marketers have been telling us to be doing more video to promote our businesses. We’re going to talk today about short-form videos.
Stopping and taking video doesn't come naturally to me, and thinking about it became not fun. But I've had a change of heart and have a renewed interest in doing more video. I want to share some things through video for fun things happening in my personal life.
Brandy, who’s our lead designer on the Scrivener Solutions team started to coach me on getting over myself and just have fun capturing and sharing moments and I thought our conversation would be perfect to share because I'm sure I'm not alone in not hopping on the video bandwagon and feeling super awkward just stopping what we’re doing and videoing ourselves.
Sharing life’s moments should be fun and not a burdon.
Brandy has built a huge TikTok following. I’m so happy that she shares her expertise and can coach us on how to make fun and engaging videos.
In this episode, we'll be discussing how to overcome the awkwardness of filming yourself, what equipment to use, and tips for recording. We'll also talk about why short-form videos don't have to be just about work and algorithms, but can also be a fun way to share personal experiences.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, I address the importance of social media management for growing your business, even if social media isn't your favorite medium. I share personal struggles with social media and provide tips to make social media management more enjoyable and less overwhelming. You’ll learn that if you automate your posts, outsource social media management, limit your time on social media, and focus on the positive aspects of social media, you can find fun in the process. Whether you're a business owner or marketer, this episode provides valuable insights to help you maintain a strong social media presence and achieve your goals.
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In this episode, we explore the advantages and disadvantages of DIY marketing, and provide 5 tips that can do as a DIYer to help you right now. Here's what you'll learn:
Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your marketing strategy, this episode has something for everyone. Tune in to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of DIY marketing, and how you can use these tips to boost your marketing effectiveness right now.
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Additional Resources * Marketing Made Simple | Donald Miller and Dr. J.J. Peterson * Storybrand Marketing Livestream (affiliate link) * Canva * Scrivener Solutions | Fractional Marketing Agency
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, host Gayla Scrivener sits down with Brandon Birkmeyer, a highly experienced personal branding expert and podcasting coach, to discuss the ins and outs of creating and maintaining a successful podcast.
Throughout the episode, Birkmeyer emphasizes the importance of having a clear plan for your podcast and shares his own approach to designing episodes well in advance, which allows him to stay several months ahead of his content and avoid burnout.
Birkmeyer also highlights the value of building a supportive community of like-minded individuals, who can offer encouragement, ideas, and even be guests on your podcast. In addition, he stresses the role of podcasting in personal branding and how it can be used as a powerful tool to fuel your network growth, enhance your relationships, and attract people to your website and social media platforms.
The conversation delves into the reasons why many podcasts fail and how to avoid common pitfalls. Birkmeyer offers practical tips and strategies for creating a successful podcasting strategy, including the benefits of engaging with social media and the importance of finding a mentor or coach to guide you through the process.
This episode is packed with insights, actionable advice, and inspiration for anyone looking to start or improve their podcasting journey. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business!
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun Podcast, host Gayla Scrivener interviews Shannon Mattern, a web designer with over a decade of experience and the founder of The Web Designer Academy.
During the interview, Shannon and Gayla delve into the topic of mentorship and why it is a worthwhile investment. Shannon shares how having a mentor helped her to grow her business and how she continues to seek out mentorship in her personal and professional life.
In addition, the two discuss the shift that can occur when you move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. Shannon explains how this shift can lead to greater opportunities and success in your work and personal life.
Shannon also emphasizes the importance of finding the right coach or mentor for your individual needs. She provides tips on how to choose the right person and how to get the most out of the mentorship relationship.
Throughout the conversation, Shannon stresses the importance of having fun in your work and designing your work life around your passions. She encourages listeners to invest in themselves and their businesses in order to achieve their desired results.
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I’m proud to have on today’s show, Dr. Phildra Swagger.
She is President/CEO of Combined Expertise, Inc., a coaching and consulting firm established in 2006.
As an International Coaching Federation (ICF) credentialed coach, Dr. Swagger empowers her clients to reach new heights across individual and organizational spaces. She works with clients to design strategies to ignite success and take action that yields desired results. Her collaborative approach to achieving success rests in her motto, “combining our expertise to maximize yours.”
She often shares insights and inspirational experiences from her professional, industry, and client-based network on her popular podcast, Swagg University.
Dr. Swagger began her 30-year career as a classroom teacher and served as a principal, district administrator, university instructor, and charter school founder.
Dr. Swagger’s passion for teaching and developing others was evident in the teachers, administrators, and leaders she mentored and coached during her career.
She took a leap and left the traditional educational system and created her own coaching business. During our conversation, you’ll learn why she took that leap and how she lives full and works fun.
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You may have noticed that it's been weeks since a new Live Full Work Fun episode has published. In this episode, I explain why.
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Raising 8 children with her husband, Brian, plus building her own business, Juliana Stachurski could easily let chaos rule her life, but she doesn’t. Several years ago, when she realized that the work-life balance philosophy was a lie and developed her own priority framework, the chaos and stress melted. The relationship with her husband and children became stronger.
Juliana Balinbin Stachurski is a conversion copywriter, consultant, and speaker whose secret weapon in the fight against random acts of marketing is strong direct response copy. Her words help established business owners grow reach, increase awareness, optimize conversions and strengthen the engagement of their audiences.
She has taught at several universities; her gift for reigning in information chaos makes her lessons power-packed and easy to apply.
Juliana is a Ray Edwards International Certified Direct Response Copywriter who coaches clients to optimize revenue by improving their copy. She has led multiple organizations through hyper-growth leveraging technology to ignite rapid conversions.
In this episode, Juliana shares the four components of her Priority Framework as well as details surrounding the mastermind she leads. She also breaks down the meaning of copywriting and how it’s best used in any business to amplify good.
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About 10 years ago, I was truly growing to dislike the career I chosen for myself. I wanted more out of life. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be geographically independent.
That’s when I started my research to jumpstart my next big adventure in life. And then I found it. I stumbled upon the word “Virtual Assistant.” It was a legit thing and not a get-rich-quick work from home scheme. It was hard for me to believe at first that I could create a business revolving around the office skills I already knew.
The biggest resource I turned to back then was today’s guest, Tawnya Sutherland. Tawnya is the pioneer in the VA ecosystem with over two decades of experience in virtual assistance bringing to light the concept of virtual assistants. Not only is Tawnya a six-figure virtual assistant, but she is also creator of the VirtualAssistantCareer.com training system.
Since 2003, Tawnya has taught thousands of people worldwide to start their own virtual assistance businesses—nobody’s been doing this longer. Tawnya has been featured across many popular media outlets, including Dr. Phil, Reader’s Digest, Chatelaine, Entrepreneur and Redbook.
Now, the idea of working remotely isn’t so foreign as it once was. The realization that long-term virtual work is much more obtainable. Tawnya’s forward thinking has paved the way for thousands of people on their journey to living full through fun work.
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I’m happy to bring back to the show, Marshall Townsend. Marshall began his journey into leadership with 20 years in the active-duty U.S. Army as an Armor Officer. In 1999 he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and became a leadership coach, trainer, and mentor for the Army National Guard. Over the next 16 years, he trained combat units that deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
In 2015 he left the world of government contracts and started his company MT2 Leadership as an executive leadership coach, trainer, and keynote speaker.
Today, he helps business owners and leaders create companies and organizations ready to compete on the business battlefield.
It’s always fun talking with Marshall. He’s creating that life with more meaning and fun work to feed his lifestyle. The great thing is, as his role as a leadership coach…he’s able to work with his clients for them to achieve a life full work fun lifestyle too!
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Everyone has their journey in this crazy thing we call life. For the few of us who have something stir inside of wanting more out of life, we choose a path that may be more challenging than the norm… to grow into a life with more meaning… AND it’s worth it!
When I first met today’s guest, Jake Thompson, I was immediately drawn to his story. His energy and enthusiasm were, without a doubt, the epidemy of living full and creating work that sparks joy.
Jake is the Chief Encouragement Officer at Compete Every Day and a performance coach who travels around the country, helping people to create a competitor mindset so they can have the competitive edge in achieving their dreams.
He teaches people how to compete every day with themselves. He says by winning the day, we win in business and in life. Through lived experiences as an athlete, entrepreneur, and speaker, he’s battle-tested and mastered the secret to success.
The life we desire is closer than we think. It’s the small shifts in our daily focus, mentally and practically, that build a winning life.
Through his CE³ Model, Jake helps teams, CEOs, athletes, and students develop mental toughness, master consistency, and improve day after day.
Jake believes we all have a gift inside of us, but it takes courage, systems, and a competitive mindset to access it. There’s no reason to sit on the bench just waiting for life.
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In this episode of the Live Full Work Fun podcast, I’m delighted to introduce you to Lisa McGuire.
Lisa is a business growth strategist, storyteller, and founder of Your Passion, Purpose and Personal Brand podcast. Her love for knowledge led her to start her career in education and she went onto become one of the founders of a $20M startup.
When Lisa realized her gifts no longer fit into someone else's script, she took the leap to launch her own business in 2018.
She is a strong believer in spending as much time as you can working in your zone of genius. Today, Lisa helps consultants and professional service providers do just that using her signature framework, The Difference Is You. They learn to differentiate their expertise with a compelling story and a magnetic personal brand.
Lisa is married with two children and two grandchildren and lives in Atlanta, Georgia where she's never too far from a grove of trees or the beach.
I was intrigued when Lisa further explained why it’s better to write your own script than trying to fit into a script that someone else writes for you.
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Is it possible to experience inner peace in a world that appears chaotic and unfair?
Can we truly have all that we desire without the struggle?
What if we could alter the course of our lives and take back control of our lives with a simple shift in perspective?
Today’s guest, Amy Anfinson, is a positive change coach who has spent the last few decades searching for answers to the problems that have troubled humanity and uncovered the secrets that so many successful people are using to live out their wildest dreams.
Her gentle, yet powerful approach to life has helped her clients achieve what they thought was impossible. From attracting financial freedom, dream careers, and harmonious relationships, to recovering from past trauma, physical ailments, and addiction, there is no limit to what she can help people experience… if they’re ready to take that next step.
With the right coaching, support, and tools, it’s only a matter of time before you can learn how to tune in and rise above any challenge, find solutions to any problem, and easily manage your emotions and energy to have success in every area of your life…no exceptions.
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It took me a long time to distill into four little words the philosophy that I like to live by. It’s more than an entrepreneurial experience. It’s more than working from anywhere.
It’s live full work fun. Those four simple words have helped guide my decisions on a path that, earlier in my life, I never dreamed would be possible.
My hope for you by listening would be having those same four short and simple words help guide your decisions to explore and experience life in a way you may have never thought possible. And that’s why I’m particularly excited about having Dan Miller as a guest on today’s show.
Dan Miller is the President of 48 Days LLC. He specializes in creative thinking for increased personal and business success. He believes that meaningful work blends our natural skills and abilities, our unique personality traits, and our dreams and passions. Dan is active in helping individuals redirect careers, evaluate new income sources, and achieve balanced living.
What does it mean to be fully alive in your work? Dan looks at the changing work models and outlines a plan for integrating your dreams and your passions into your daily activities. If you’ve ever buried your dreams in an attempt to be “practical” or “realistic,” Dan will show you how embracing those very dreams is the most practical way to enjoy life and achieve the success you’re looking for.
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Today’s guest to the Live Full Work Fun podcast is someone who is a nature lover like me and left the corporate world in pursuit of creating a lifestyle where she could be geographically independent.
Chelsea Brinkley believes you can do great work from anywhere and that your life doesn’t have to revolve around an office building. This idea has made her a coach to remote workers and a hired gun for entrepreneurs who want to create a more efficient business by getting their systems and processes on track or bringing on a remote team member to delegate some work to.
Before having her own business, Chelsea worked for several years as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Digital Officer of a successful multi-million dollar company near Nashville, TN. Nowadays you’ll find her traveling with her husband, son, and pup, looking for the next mountain to hike, and occasionally sipping an old fashioned on the deck of her Colorado cabin— all while coaching, serving clients, and blogging about this life she gets to live after breaking free from the corporate world.
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Doing what you love can turn into a fulfilling career. Today’s guest to the Live Full Work Fun Podcast loved being a musician in his young life. But when it came time to make a career decision right out of high school, being from the Midwest, he was convinced it wasn’t likely that he could make a living as a performing artist.
Paul Siebert chose a career in as a manufacturing engineer. After marriage and 3 children, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that music was his passion. When his youngest daughter was in high school, he took the leap to make a huge career shift to follow his musical passion.
He started his solo touring full time in 2004 with the release of his first solo album “Echoes of an Era”, accompanied by the re-release of an earlier album “Reason to Play” where Paul had been the lead guitarist and vocalist for the band by the same name. Also promoting a wedding music CD, a Christmas CD, and a live version of the “Echoes” album.
His interests had changed over the years. He was now a fully acoustic solo show using up to as many as 8 different acoustic instruments and as little electrical support as possible, making his live performance his home. His songwriting abilities, musicianship and knowledge of pop music of all genres has brought his music into the lives and homes of the broadest audiences of any regional performer the Midwest has ever known.
In this episode, Paul shares his ups and downs when it comes to building a business of live performances. Even through a time where live events were shut down, Paul perseveres and shapes his business to stay true to himself, his values, and the lifestyle he’s created for himself.
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Hobbies and work-life can certainly intertwine. Ethan Yazel, host of “I Love Muzzleloading” certainly weaves the skills he knows through his day job as a content marketer into his muzzleloading hobby. Ethan is a 5th-generation muzzleloading enthusiast. His family’s love of muzzleloading dates to the 1930s. He’s always had a passion for history and thinks it is important to archive the stories of today’s muzzleloaders for future generations.
Producing a YouTube channel is hard, and he does it out of the love for his hobby. Can he monetize it? Maybe. But the important thing is that he’s doing it because of his love of his interest in muzzleloading. That’s what makes the work of producing the show more fun for him.
Learn more about the muzzleloading community and gain ideas on how you can incorporate your hobby into living your full life and making work fun.
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Through story amazing things happen. A story can entertain, teach a lesson, and change lives.
Kendall Johnson is a storyteller who is making an impact on a great many lives. His own story of leaving his home and job and relocating his family to Nashville, TN to start his own film making business is truly inspiring.
Kendall is the founder of Underdog. He is a Nashville based film maker and composer. Having attended Vancouver Film School and spending time at Remote Control in Los Angeles, the famed studio of Hans Zimmer, Kendall has a knack for captivating audiences with unique video compositions and cinematic scores. He is a natural-born storyteller and has a passion for telling the unheard stories.
Through video and music, Underdog captivates your audience with a creative piece that is compelling. He believes your story is one-of-a-kind and I’ve seen it firsthand, Kendall can certainly capture it.
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Founder of Ignite Your Book Marketing, Lindsey Hartz is this week’s guest on the Live Full Work Fun podcast. Lindsey was the owner, lead marketing consultant and book launch strategist from 2011 - 2020 at the Hartz Agency, a boutique marketing firm for authors dedicated to creating strategic marketing campaigns that help words transform lives.
Lindsey Hartz was the owner, lead marketing consultant and book launch strategist from 2011 - 2020 at the Hartz Agency, a boutique marketing firm for authors dedicated to creating strategic marketing campaigns that help words transform lives.
In 2021, she shut down the agency and started a new venture, Ignite Faith Media, because she wanted to work with authors more comprehensively for the long-term of their careers and to provide deeper opportunities for authors and readers to connect with one another for growth and community.
Ignite Your Book Marketing is the first program rollout from Ignite Faith Media and is an educational company for authors who are eager to master marketing to reach more people with messages of hope and healing and are dedicated to building an impactful career and / or ministry out of their book message.
Her work there includes:
Her background in corporate and digital marketing and project management, her graduate degrees in business and project management, and her marketing campaign and book launch work with hundreds of bestselling authors, speakers, consultants, and publishers provide the backbone for the skills and experience she brings to the table.
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On this show, I like to interview folks who have created fun work for themselves to fuel their lifestyle. I’m excited to bring you my conversation with Read to Lead’s podcast host Jeff Brown. Through one chapter of Jeff’s life closing, he opened another opportunity for himself. And he did it through his experience in learning from books.
In 2013, Jeff Brown left behind a 26-year career in broadcasting and launched the Read to Lead Podcast, a podcast that would go on to become a Top 3 Career podcast in Apple Podcasts and receive, so far, four Best Business Podcast nominations. For nearly 9 years now, Jeff has published weekly interviews with some of the world’s most successful and inspiring authors, totaling over four-hundred episodes.
The show’s success eventually led to the publication of his own book called Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career. Reviews for the book average 4.9 stars on Amazon and it has ranked in the Top 3 on Amazon for Career Guides.
Through his virtual and in-person speaking and workshops, Jeff evangelizes leaders and teams on the benefits of lifelong learning and professional development and has recently accepted invitations to speak from leaders at LinkedIn, Disney, the National Speakers Association, UPS, Docket, Anvl, and the Virginia Council of CEOs.
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Have you ever felt like you’re spread super thin? You left a job hoping for more freedom, but then found yourself frustrated by wearing too many hats. Have you ever wondered about possibly getting smaller might be the answer? Based on years of front-line experience, today’s guest, Jim Adams believes you can surround yourself with the right people and spend more time doing what you LOVE most!
Jim has helped literally hundreds of small and family-owned businesses around the U. S. and Canada better understand themselves and what they need to do next.
Before running his own super-successful business, Jim was a top consultant with an international business consulting firm. AmericanLandscapeStructures.com - the multi-seven figure pavilion sales business he founded in 2013 - has doubled 2 years running during a pandemic.
Nowadays, you’ll find him cruising around the country with his wife Cara in their RV - their “headquarters on wheels.” When he’s not meeting with clients or working with his
team of super stars, he’s hanging with his sweetie or dropping into the local CrossFit box for a high intensity workout.
In our conversation, you’ll learn:
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There are times that you meet someone and simply being in the same room with them just energizes and inspires you. That’s the case with today’s guest.
Recognized as a courageous and passionate communicator, Molly Grisham's work is rooted in experiential learning and designed to inspire and set people in motion. Molly is passionate about building teams, developing leaders, creating custom workshops, and utilizing personality assessments for personal growth and professional development.
Molly brings the experience of 20 years of athletic coaching, an entrepreneurial spirit of a successful business builder, communication skills of an author and storyteller, and 10+ years as an adjunct communication professor to every client engagement. She has helped athletes reach and exceed personal goals, teams become more productive, leaders achieve new heights, and companies be more competitive in their markets through highly experiential programs.
Molly has developed her facilitation skills by participating in trainings hosted by Training
for Change, The Center for Courage and Renewal, The Circle Center, and the Experiential Training Institute at OnSite. Additionally, she has completed training as a Civil & Family Mediator, she’s a Level 1 Certified Experiential Specialist with the International Society for Experiential Professionals, a member of the International Association of Facilitation, and a Certified Myers-Briggs facilitator.
Even though you can’t see her, you can certainly hear and feel her energy and her love of what she does to fuel her full life.
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
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Maintaining a consistent production schedule can be hard if you don’t have your systems down. In this episode, I share my 7-phase implementation process when it comes to podcast production.
Chunking down a big project like producing a podcast is important in order to move forward. Chunking down the podcast production project must be drilled down to one step at a time, one episode at a time. You must keep your “why” you want to be a podcaster in your line of sight because implementation is hard, but with the right systems, it doesn't have to be.
Here’s the 7-phases of implementation that my team and I go through for each podcast episode for this show as well as for our clients shows. Listen to the episode for a deeper explanation of each phase as it pertains to podcast production.
Phase 1: Plan
Phase 2: Create
Phase 3: Edit
Phase 4: Design
Phase 5: Schedule
Phase 6: Verify
Phase 7: Report
You may do every single phase yourself or delegate some pieces.
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Today’s guest is Connie J. Pak. Connie is the owner of Tuckdin Marketing, a digital marketing and consulting agency.
As an entrepreneur and business owner for over 10 years, she understands the pains and frustrations individuals and companies face when working to create an effective and successful online presence. She has built an agency that focuses on creating efficient and automated marketing systems that deliver bottom-line results.
Her passion is helping clients scale and grow their business to levels they never thought possible. She brings her clients’ visions to life with focused marketing strategies customized for their needs.
Connie calls Southern California home. She absolutely loves finding new delicious "hole in the wall" places to eat and spends every free minute she has going on adventures with her husband and two sons.
In our conversation, Connie and I cover:
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Christopher Nelson is an experienced technology executive, real estate investor, author, and co-founder of Wealthward Capital, a real estate investment firm with a diverse portfolio of over 3,000 multifamily units, mobile home parks, and ATMs.
Christopher shows technology employees how to achieve financial independence through education and creating passive income portfolios. He is currently editing his book, From No Dough to IPO.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Christopher mentions Sudden Wealth Phenomenon. According to Investopedia According to Investopedia, “SWS refers to psychological condition or an identity crisis in individuals who have become suddenly wealthy. Sudden Wealth Syndrome is characterized by isolation from former friends, guilt over their change in circumstances, and extreme fear of losing their money.”
Whether you’re a tech professional or not, Christopher’s journey is inspirational and him sharing his experience is valuable information that can be applied to any of our lives.
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Intellectual property is a heavy subject. IP attorney, Steven Thrasher, joins the show and breaks this complicated subject down in an easy-to-understand way.
He's known for helping create his client’s intellectual property fortress. Steven is an engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and attorney. When he was in college, he had a cool idea for an invention and had a terrible experience when it came to figuring out the patent process. The way I see it, he was scammed for a whole lot of money and his invention still wasn’t protected.
Because of this experience, he was bound and determined to help other budding entrepreneurs avoid feeling the way he did about his intellectual property… lost and unprotected.
He went to law school to learn more about the nuances of IP law and has created his own system helping small businesses with protecting their inventions and intellectual property.
He stops competitors from stealing your customers and keeps your online business from being the victim of a take-down notice or copyright troll attack. He does this while running marathons, hiking up mountains on remote continents, and building his own online businesses and information products.
If you see him on a laptop at the rim of the Grand Canyon, he just might be in the middle of working on all of these.
My conversation with Steven was full of great info of not only what we should be aware of when it comes to intellectual property, but also a peek behind the scenes of why he chose to leave a big law firm in lieu of creating his own firm.
In this episode you’ll learn:
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For those of you who are or want to coach or consult, it’s my belief that you should be producing a core piece of content to help lay the foundation for you to earn a reputation in the marketplace.
It takes a while to build a relationship to earn the business from the clients you wish to serve. Through consistent content, you can hone your message for yourself. You gain clarity and position yourself as an expert in the niche you’re serving.
Me, being the curious person that I am, through this podcast, I started asking my guests their perspective on pieces of their content marketing plan.
In December, I had a conversation with Mary Valloni. Mary is a speaker, coach, and mastermind leader in the non-profit fundraising space. I knew she was a podcaster, so I asked her about it.
Listen to the clip from our conversation and you’ll learn how she further served her
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Have you ever thought that about how you develop your network helps you both personally and professionally? The two components of living a full life are the experiences we have and the people we meet along the way.
Experiences and people allow us to gain different perspectives and we grow as individuals. I love it when I meet someone, then through them, meet someone else, then someone else. A friend of a friend of a friend is how I came to know today’s guest, Debby Peters.
After fourteen successful years as a salesperson and then sales manager, Debby moved to Toledo in 1992 and founded her first company, a traditional sales training and coaching effort. Since 2002 she has taught referral-based sales courses. In 2009 she founded Connext Nation and wrote Referral Pursuit, a course that helps business people to hone their referral relationships. In 2018 she merged with her son’s company to grow now and to continue this success for the future generation.
Ms. Peters is the author of “Tell Me Exactly What to Say” and is a contributing author to “Masters of Networking” and "Masters of Sales" and has written the eBook, “WhyWorks.”
She has been a member of BNI (Business Network International) for over 26 years and has received numerous awards as a result of her membership. Also, she was honored with the prestigious 2001 Milestone’s Award for Business and the 2015 Rocky River Chamber’s Most Active Member of the Year.
She adheres to the BNI motto of “Giver’s Gain” and her own personal business motto is, “If you don’t ask, you won’t get.” She and her son, Greg, host the Third Generation Networking Podcast.
Debby lives in Perrysburg, Ohio with her husband, and their one dog and two cats. She is a grandmother of ten having taught all her granddaughters to climb trees. She loves to create wonderful flower and vegetable gardens and also to read about and engage in adventure activities, such as white-water rafting, skiing and climbing. She mentored an inner-city student for over three years and believes that her responsibility is to give back to the community to thank those who have given help to her in the past.
Debby really lives a full life and has fun at the work she does.
In this episode you’ll learn more about Debby’s entrepreneurial journey as well as fantastic networking tips.
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Additional Resources:
Never Eat Alone | Kevin Ferrazzi & Tahl Raz
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Website: https://www.connextnation.com/
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In this episode, you’ll see a glimpse of my husband and my travel adventures. This marks the 200th episode of this podcast, which is something to celebrate. In addition to celebrating that milestone, Robert and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary, another great milestone.
Share in our celebration as Robert and I share:
WARNING: Robert and I had way too much fun recording this episode. We may have gotten a bit off-topic and silly. For us, it’s worth celebrating creating a travel filled lifestyle that is fueled by work that doesn’t suck.
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Today’s guest, Michelle Szabo, is a marketing communications and creative management professional, who thrives on bringing together data analysis, technical needs, brand objectives, creative and company goals to move businesses forward.
Her company, White Light Concepts, helps businesses with their digital footprint by creating websites and marketing materials that help them communicate more clearly.
Her clients have included: ADP, American Express, Consumer Reports, Coty, International Creative Management, J. Walter Thompson, Nestlé, MTV, NHL, PepsiCo, Pfizer, School of Visual Arts, United Nations, UPS and many others.
Michelle is also a published author and columnist, speaker, teacher, has served as the Marketing Chair of Southwest Missouri SCORE, and was a board member of the Southern Missouri Arts Connection (SMAC). Currently, her free time is filled with art, music and research that helps people with loss.
Listen as she shares great tidbits on many things involved when growing a business. Marketing plays a big part of business building…but whether you’re going into business for yourself or not…she shares give great perspective that falls right into the live full work fun philosophy.
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Most people who set a New Year’s Resolution will ditch them by mid-January. And statistics show that one of the biggest resolutions has something to do with health, fitness, and wellness.
What we eat and how we move our bodies plays a big part in our lifestyle quality. It’s important to develop good habits surrounding health and wellness so that we can actually enjoy the lifestyle we’re trying to build for ourselves.
Today’s guest shares how her wellness journey turned into her lifestyle business.
Danielle Brooks is the owner of REAL Wellness. Danielle helps others achieve their wellness and weight loss goals without a “diet” mentality. Her lifestyle that she’s created for herself to live full and work fun through her wellness journey is inspiring.
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You’re never too old to make a pivot in your life. Today, my guest, Thomas Clairmont shares great insights on how to create your version of Life 2.0.
Tom’s career path originally started in IT. After the fourth company buyout, both the culture and management went from bad to worse, he quit his job at the end of 2001 and started his own IT business full time in 2002.
For nine years he focused on his IT business. Now, he operates it on a part time basis as he pivots into sharing his experiences by helping other small businesses as a startup coach, earning him both active and passive income.
Tom offers coaching for those who are looking for clarity in purpose and strategy on how to start their own personal brand business. He has free tools you can use immediately to help you on your journey to self-employment. He specializes with the new, later in life entrepreneurs who get hung up on all the tech that’s now needed to get started online.
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Connect with Tom Clairmont: * Website: https://www.tomclairmont.com/ * Podcast: https://www.tomclairmont.com/small-business-podcast/ * Twitter: https://twitter.com/thomasclairmont * LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/thomasclairmont
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Work and family relationships are a big part of the success we have in our lives. Work and home lives are very much intertwined. When there’s trouble at home, it affects your work and vice versa.
Today, I have John Hulen joining me and we take a little bit of a deeper dive into discussing the relationship aspect of living full.
With nearly 30 years of experience coaching in private and non-profit sectors, John helps individuals and organizations clarify who they are, why they are here, and where they should invest their time and energy.
John has a passion for leading people to see the importance of navigating relationships—personally and professionally—and how mastery over this area can impact every aspect of life and success. As a 20-year business owner and successful entrepreneur, John specializes in working with business owners, executive leaders, managers, and team members—challenging them to think and act differently to achieve different results.
John offers 1:1 business coaching, group coaching, and various speaking and podcast opportunities. Programs can be customized to various industries and individual or team need.
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Last week, my guest Paul Klein shared his green light journey in launching his new streaming channel, BizableTV.
During our recording of the episode, we went down a little rabbit hole that I ended up cutting out of last week's show.
I'm always curious about new tools, resources, or services to better understand how they work and different business models. Whether or not I use the tool or resource personally, I'm fascinated with the workings of it all and am amazed and inspired how people come up with new ways to help people solve a problem and build their business.
After re-listening to the scrap audio clip, I changed my mind about sharing it because I thought you would find it helpful. You’ll hear how I was struggling to wrap my head around how it was all done. I tried comparing the service that Paul used to launch BizableTV to my Scrivener Solutions business model. I was admittedly way off base with the comparison.
Listen to take a peek behind the scenes of how a service like Uscreen works in making BizableTV a reality.
If you decide to subscribe to BizableTV, take advantage of an extra 40% off a monthly or annual subscription by using my coupon code of GS22. Get in early and lock in this special launch-only rate. This offer ends January 31st, 2022.
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Toward the end of 2021, I was poking around in my podcasts app on my phone one morning that I noticed a branding change in the Pricing is Positioning with Paul Klein show. Now it is called BizableTV. Of course, I was curious about what was new with Paul and what the heck BizableTV was all about.
As I listened to his episode 97, I can't tell you how excited I was about his new project. What I learned was that he was launching a brand-new streaming channel sharing stories of freedom-seeking individuals like you and me. The show is geared, as the name implies, toward business. The guests featured are those who have built their own six to seven figure one-person businesses.
After listening, I hopped over to BizableTV.com, clicked on the catalog link, and watched the intro video. Then I signed up for free access to see what the sample stories were all about. I've watch what episodes have come out so far and am impressed as well as motivated and inspired to keep going in living full and working fun.
I don't consider myself much of a TV person...but I was genuinely hooked. And I was itching to ask Paul a whole lot of questions to learn more of what sparked such a cool idea.
Even though the busy holiday season was fast approaching, I took the chance and reached out to Paul to see if he was available for a conversation. To my delight, he was thrilled to come back on the show.
Paul Klein is a business consultant and entrepreneur and joins me on today's show where you'll learn more about what BizableTV . You'll also hear some of Paul's journey of how he kept getting green lights to go after an idea that had been brewing for quite some time. Finally, Paul shares his biggest challenge he is facing with launching this exciting new project.
If you decide to subscribe to BizableTV, take advantage of an extra 40% off a monthly or annual subscription by using my coupon code of GS22. Get in early and lock in this special launch-only rate. This offer ends January 31st, 2022.
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Several years ago, when I was a member of a networking group local to Springfield MO, I had met some amazing people doing some pretty cool things. And today's guest is no exception. She's pretty amazing!
Dayna Ault is a well-established writer, editor, and author. Her articles appear in many parenting, religious and literary journals, newsletters, and "best of" compilations, all penned while parenting her eight children.
Her children's book, Benjamin's Coin Purse, was published by Rod & Staff Publishers in 2001. Several children later, she began a non-profit organization to support her magazine, the Missouri Autism Report. She wrote, edited, and published the magazine, supported by autism organizations Missouri-wide, for seven years.
Now, with an empty nest looming, she has launched herself into, writing Christian books with historical and spiritual value, for all ages. Dayna's desire is to leave a legacy, which points, unabashedly, to Christ. Dayna serves as a City Alderwoman and spends every
spare moment writing and building her platform for her upcoming books. Dayna is a Christian writer, who resides in a small town in Missouri, with her husband, youngest son, and a very needy American Eskimo.
Today, you'll hear Dayna's inspiring story of always continuing her dream of writing through the challenges of her life. Out of necessity of suddenly being a single mother, she used her writing talents to grow a little newsletter into a successful magazine. Now, at a different season of her life, she's going all-in for her true passion of being a full-time published author.
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Alyssa Houseknecht is a brand strategist and consultant, helping small businesses create confident designs that produce income and impact. She creates captivating brands for the modern entrepreneur.
Lyss and I tucked ourselves away at an event to have a conversation of similar paths. She had graduated college and was expected to go the traditional career path. Although she had the skills and worked hard in the roles she was hired for, something was amiss. She felt like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
Through the grind of figuring out her place in a corporate job, she found joy in graphic design and branding as a side gig. Then, one day, she was let go from her day job. Instead of letting the shame of being fired consume her, she made the decision to create a work from anywhere lifestyle and make her side hustle her full-time gig.
In this episode, you’ll be inspired by Lyss’s story of courage to go after a career of her dreams. You’ll hear how she helps her clients and works through the challenges of entrepreneurship.
Enjoy!
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Hi, I'm Gayla Scrivener. Welcome to Live Full Work Fun. This is the show to encourage you to live your life to the fullest and do fun work that fuels your lifestyle. Since work is a big part of our lives, you've landed in the right spot if you believe work shouldn't have to suck the life out of you, but instead, be the catalyst of creating your dream lifestyle. What breaks my heart is seeing folks stuck and unhappy in a career feeling like life is passing them by. I was there. But then, I took the leap and left a career of 20-years to focus on a life full of experiences. I had worked my way up the corporate ladder in a 20-year career in the medical management field. Then, the news came that the company I was working for would be shutting down. I was at a crossroads. I could stay in a career I grew unhappy in or I could do something totally different. I could take a risk and leave the only career path I knew and figure out how I could earn a living that was more joyful and not be geographically tied. My idea of living full was to have the freedom to travel anywhere and not have to find a new job in the process. I really didn't have a clear picture of how I'd earn that living to fuel the lifestyle I pictured, but... In 2011, my husband Robert and I sold practically everything to downsize to start our journey of living big. We moved into our 38-foot motor home and began the pursuit of a work-from-anywhere lifestyle. I founded Scrivener Solutions in 2012, at first as a freelancer. Over the years, I've formed a team of very talented content marketers where we've systemized the content publishing process for our clients. We primarily work with coaches, consultants, and speakers as their content plan implementation team. I'm a work from anywhere adventure seeker. I believe that we all have the opportunity to create the life of our dreams and earn a living in fun and creative ways to make our dream lifestyle a reality. Each week on this show, I will share lessons that I've learned along the way and introduce you to awesome guests to spark ideas of all the possibilities of how you can live full and work fun. Join the Live Full Work Fun community. Hop over to Facebook and join the Live Full Work Fun group. That's where we can share experiences and ideas together. Hope to see you over there. Enjoy! Live Full and Work Fun!
Something has been brewing for quite some time and in today’s episode, I reveal why I’m ending The Gayla Scrivener Show and what’s next in 2022.
I’m always fascinated by learning from other’s experiences and perspectives. I’m amazed at how many different ways people live a full life and find work that’s fun for them and feeds their lifestyle.
My core belief is that we all have the opportunity to live our lives to it’s fullest and earn a living that sparks joy to move us through life’s adventure.
Life is a wonderful adventure… it’s meant to explore.
Listen and you’ll learn my journey of my decision of leaving The Gayla Scrivener Show behind and stepping into the new branding of the show starting in 2022.
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Books can have a tremendous impact on us personally and professionally. That’s why in most of my interview episodes I ask my guest what book or resource has made the most impact on them. You can find many of the books mentioned in past episodes by going to the resource section of my website.
In today’s episode, I share the book that, by implementing its lessons, I attribute to a major turning point in operating Scrivener Solutions.
I discovered Gino Wickman’s book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business early in 2021. In this episode, I share how I was at a crossroads in my decision in implementing practices outlined in the book. I was faced with the possibility of key staff members leaving. Should I invest the time, energy, and money into having them learn Traction with me to grow the business just to have them leave?
The way the book is outlined is a great guidebook to, if practiced consistently, truly makes a difference in the growth of any company at any size. I’ve recommended it to clients and I’m recommending it to you.
Listen and you’ll gain perspective of how I swallowed my fear of losing valued staff and decided to make the investment to begin the process of implementing Wickman's EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System). I turned a corner of how I lead my team, my team has turned a corner in how they interact with each other, and together the company has turned a corner for big things to happen in 2022.
Enjoy!
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Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business | Gino Wickman
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I love having conversations with people at various stages of their business. You learn many fascinating things and gain unique perspectives on why they do what they do, what jazzes them, and know that they too have struggles.
Sometimes it’s easy to feel like you’re all alone in your journey and the resources are scarce to make your dream lifestyle a reality.
Way back in, probably, 2015 I met a wonderfully vibrant person. After that first meeting, I was always delighted to see her at other networking events. Over the years, we had lost touch. I was scrolling my LinkedIn feed and saw her and realized that she started her own consulting business. I was curious to see what she was up to now and asked her to come join us on today’s show.
In this episode, you’ll meet Mary Overbey.
Mary works as an ecosystem builder, a small business consultant, a micro loan broker, and a non-profit consultant. Borealis Consulting, LLC was born to bridge gaps identified within the small business ecosystem, and to assist business focused organizations as they strive to do the same.
Today you’ll learn what triggered her to start her own business, what she struggles with the most only being two years into her newly founded business, and how she builds other businesses by connecting them with the resources they need to prosper.
I think you’ll enjoy meeting Mary. This conversation was not only fun, but also eye opening on avenues of resources you may not have been aware of.
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
It’s the season of making plans for the new year. Making plans is so much fun. It’s like strategic daydreaming.
Planning is essential in business growth. You, as your business leader, must create the vision of how your future self will be.
Creating the picture of the future of what you’d like to see happen, where you’d like to go, what you’d like to do to serve your community is an exhilarating feeling.
Once your plans are in place, then it’s time to implement. Reality sets in. You remember that the planning part is easy. It’s the implementation that’s the hard part.
In this episode, I touch on points that are plan implementation obstacles.
I’d love to hear from you and what you have in mind for implementing your 2022 plans.
Schedule a time for a 30-minute conversation. Not a sales call. Let’s talk out your plan and perhaps through our conversation, you’ll get some ideas to keep you on target for successful implementation.
Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
Mary Valloni is a coach, trainer, and author who helps nonprofit leaders raise more funds and marketplace leaders give more funds.
Mary is the former Development Director for Special Olympics, the ALS Association, and the American Cancer Society. With over 20 years of fundraising experience, she has coached thousands of individuals and organizations through her proven 7-step process.
Mary is the award-winning author of the book, Fundraising Freedom, the co-founder of Fully Funded Academy, and co-host of the Fully Funded Podcast.
Her vision is to end the lack and scarcity mindset for those in the nonprofit sector and for those wanting to do more charitable giving.
Listen and learn what made her take the big leap from working for one of the biggest nonprofit organizations to starting her own consultancy.
Connect with Mary Valloni
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
The Scrivener Solutions team implement our client’s content marketing plan. All our clients can work from anywhere. They’ve created their businesses where they aren’t geographically tied to an office. They are flexible with their time and are strategic in deciding who they serve.
Our clients are at different levels of business growth and have different marketing strategies. Some of our clients are online course creators, some are speakers, and some are business consultants. They may use some of the same tools and tactics, however, each of their plans we help implement have a few differences.
But what is definitely the same with all of our clients and what steers them to success is they all publish consistently.
If you’ve listened to this show for any amount of time, you’ve heard me say that you must be consistent in publishing. I’m not just saying that just to be saying it. It’s true!
The heart of the reason why you should be creating consistent content to grow your business is for people to get to know, like, and trust you. Building relationships takes work. You must create a system to consistently publish topics of value to those who you want to serve.
In this episode, I share a quick content creation plan that you can implement and is easy to commit to for 2022. If you wonder what should come first, clarity of messaging or publishing, this is a must listen.
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
I love to learn about other people just like you and me who are making their lifestyle business work. We have the chance to learn about their journey and what they do that jazzes them to keep building their own lifestyle business.
Today, you’re in for a special treat because you’ll be meeting Lora Newman.
Lora is the founder and CEO of Zero2Sixty Performance Coaching, the world’s premier equine assisted leadership coaching and training organization, referred to as “Tony Robbins with horses”, Lora and her team combine knowledge and expertise in business training, mental health, animal behavior, and business coaching to provide dynamic programs for both individuals and corporate teams that are designed to deliver rapid results.
Lora partners with horses, tapping into their wisdom and honest feedback, to show leaders where they need to strengthen strategy and communication dynamics for greater results. Her work helps her clients breakthrough barriers, increase thinking performance and confidently make decisions that pull them forward resulting in leading teams with ease, increased revenue and freedom. Her work catalyzes authentic leadership, which brings body, mind, and spirit into alignment with business operations, marketing, and team.
When not coaching, you’ll find Lora riding her favorite cow horse down the trail of the beautiful Ozarks of Missouri.
I learned so much in our conversation and I know you’ll enjoy it too. She has created her lifestyle to include the love and respect she has for horses and helping leaders break barriers that's holding them back in life and business.
Enjoy!
Connect with Lora Newman:
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
This episode was recorded as I was traveling and experiencing first-hand the realities of working from anywhere.
What sparked the episode topic was a friend of mine is so excited to be getting a little RV and asked me how Robert and I managed to stay connected to the internet when traveling. In fact, over the past several months, many folks have asked us how we stay connected as they look into RV living.
In today’s episode, I thought I'd share my experience and stories of staying connected to the internet and working from anywhere realities. This perspective can be helpful whether you want to venture out and do some RVing or just enjoying more travel.
Robert and I started our travel lifestyle in our 38-foot Alfa SeeYa diesel pusher RV in 2011. Although we don’t travel much in our RV lately (because we travel and camp in much smaller vehicles) we still have quite a bit of experience when it comes to juggling work and travel.
The main thing we’ve learned over the years is that you cannot expect your work schedule and workflow to be exactly the same as it would be if you were at home. You must learn to be flexible and if you absolutely must have internet at a certain time, you must do some planning ahead.
Listen as I share some great tools to use to help boost your internet experience and some stories of impromptu office spaces.
Enjoy!
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
Sometimes conversations don’t always take the path that was planned. I love when that happens because that’s when you learn even more allowing ideas to flow. That’s what happened today’s guest.
A few weeks ago, I reconnected with Diane Wolf. I met Diane in Franklin TN as we both attended Ray Edwards Copywriting Academy Live event. We sat at the same table and spent a lot of time learning from one another.
Over the four years, we had lost touch and I reached out to reconnect. What I thought would be a little conversation to hear about how she had pivoted her business turned out to be a wealth of information to help alleviate the stresses of life.
Diane Wolf is a psychotherapist and educator in private practice. She is also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and works primarily with first responders and front-line professionals who have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. In her role as an educator, she delivers online courses to help people manage stress and anxiety before needing therapy. She provides them with tools and strategies so that they can build resilience and take control of their stress levels before they are out of control.
Diane has been a passionate student of neuroscience for over 40 years and calls herself a 'neuro-nerd'. She holds both an MBA in Knowledge and Learning Management and a master’s degree in Clinic Counselling. She is also a retired university professor, so her unique combination of experience as both educator and therapist provide the ideal foundation for teaching online courses.
Diane has been happily married for 42 years with three grown children and loves to spend her spare time with her grandchildren, who are the sunshine in her life.
I loved how my and Diane's conversation deviated as she shared actionable steps that you and I can take to truly make our lives happier and healthier.
Enjoy!
Connect with Diane Wolf:
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
“Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable,” - Dwight D. Eisenhower
Success is one thing. But obtaining long-lasting sustainable business success is another.
My guest, Frank Spevak has the formula to not only obtain success, but keep that success over the long haul.Frank is a speaker, online educator, author and business coach. He trains business owners howto quickly develop marketing skills and business strategies necessary to future proof their business.
Before running his own business, Frank worked as Chief Marketing and Sales Officer of a successful multi-million-dollar technology company in Minnesota. He left his corporate job at the end of 2019 and started his new business just as the pandemic was about to start. In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t the best time to start something new, but really... who knew what was going to happen? When is there a best time, right?
You’ll love Frank’s story and hearing how he has used his principles for long and sustainable success for launching his business during what many may have thought not the most favorable timing.
Connect with Frank Spevak:
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
This week, I’m wrapping up the three-part series about the Great Resignation with Genesis Eakes and Linda Guild. Each one of us has our unique perspective about the phenomena and what the future holds.
If you’re tuning in for the first time, or missed the last two weeks, be sure to go back and listen.
People in droves are leaving their jobs to find something better. In 2011, I left a career because I was burnt out and unhappy. I wanted more out of life. I chose to create a business to fit a lifestyle of travel. It wasn’t the easiest path, but I do have to say it has been rewarding.
The pandemic had bought about a mass mindset shift of people wanting something more out of life and demanding a new way of earning a living. There are more opportunities than ever to choose what lifestyle we want to live.
The collective mindset shift is disrupting how organizations are motivating their teams and how employees are finding creative ways to earn a living.
This episode is the third and final episode where my friends and colleagues Genesis Eakes, Linda Guild, and I discuss how organizations, employees, and solopreneurs can navigate these new workplace waters.
Each of us have our unique perspective of what we’re seeing and how it’s affecting the marketplace, our clients, and even our friends and families. This episode features our final thoughts of how you can communicate to your employer, your employees, or yourself to get what you want out of work.
CEO of Genesis Eakes International, Genesis is a consultant who serves mission driven organizations and she’s seeing firsthand the effects of what the pandemic has done to companies’ culture and the havoc it has been on production.
Linda is the founder of TAPP, the Talented Alliance of Part-time Professionals. She sees how thinking of creative work schedules through the lens of part-time employment solutions helps fill gaps for many.
My perspective is one from leaving the corporate world because I wanted something different out of life. I wanted to earn a living where I could create a lifestyle of more freedom of schedule and travel.
In today’s episode, we share our final thoughts as we give examples of how we may communicate and listen to ultimately get what we want out of life and career. Gaining different perspectives on the subject can help you craft your dream lifestyle.
Enjoy!
Connect with Genesis Eakes: * Website: https://www.genesiseakesinternational.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genesiseakesinternational/ * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesiseakesinternational/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genesiseakes/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ptNMLAUitKCHnNdpP2d7w
Connect with Linda Guild:
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
People in droves are leaving their jobs to find something better.You cannot go very far before you see a “We’re Hiring” sign. “The Great Resignation” is here and it’s affecting all of us in one way or another.
The pandemic had bought about a mass mindset shift of people wanting something more out of life and demanding a new way of earning a living.
Companies everywhere are scrambling to figure out how to cope with a mass exodus. Online influencers have courses and webinars to teach you how to do what I did and build your own online business. Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, so they are making career changes.
This episode is the second of three where my friends and colleagues Genesis Eakes, Linda Guild, and I discuss how organizations, employees, and solopreneurs can navigate these new workplace waters. Each of us have our unique perspective of what we’re seeing and how it’s affecting the marketplace, our clients, and even our friends and families.
CEO of Genesis Eakes International, Genesis is a consultant who serves mission driven organizations and she’s seeing first hand the effects of what the pandemic has done to companies’ culture and the havoc it has been on production.
Linda is the founder of TAPP, the Talented Alliance of Part-time Professionals. She sees how thinking of creative work schedules through the lens of part-time employment solutions helps fill gaps for many.
My perspective is one from leaving the corporate world because I wanted something different out of life. I wanted to earn a living where I could create a lifestyle of more freedom of schedule and travel.
In today’s episode, Linda mentions how better communication must be #1 in this change. Both as employers and employees, it’s the responsibility of both parties to convey our ideas, while at the same time listening and receiving the others’ perspective.
Genesis shares how teams are stretched to the limit. Employers can’t do things the way they’ve always done.
Gaining different perspectives on the subject can help you craft your dream lifestyle.
Enjoy!
Connect with Genesis Eakes: * Website: https://www.genesiseakesinternational.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genesiseakesinternational/ * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesiseakesinternational/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genesiseakes/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ptNMLAUitKCHnNdpP2d7w
Connect with Linda Guild:
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
“The Great Resignation” is here. People in droves are leaving their jobs to find something better.
According to an Inc. article:
“… during the months of April, May, and June 2021, a total of 11.5 million workers quit their jobs. Recent studies indicate that it's likely not over. A survey of over 30,000 workers conducted by Microsoft found that 41 percent are considering quitting; that number jumps to 54 percent when Gen-Z is considered alone. Gallup found that 48 percent of employees are actively searching for new opportunities. And Persio reported that 38 percent of those they surveyed planned to make a change in the next six months.”
I believe that we all can earn a living that gives us the freedom to create the lifestyle of our dreams. Everyone’s vision of what their dream lifestyle is different.
Back in 2011, my dream was to leave a career where I felt stifled to create a business where I could have the flexibility in schedule and freedom to work from anywhere. I wanted to craft a living in such a manner to travel in a way that most people put off until retirement, and then often never getting around to it.
The Great Resignation phenomena is affecting the economy and our lives in many ways. It’s interesting what is going on in the marketplace.
The pandemic had bought about a mass mindset shift of people wanting something more out of life and demanding a new way of earning a living.
Companies everywhere are scrambling to figure out how to cope with a mass exodus. Online influencers have courses and webinars to teach you how to do what I did and build your own online business. Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, so they are making career changes.
The subject got my friends and colleagues Genesis Eakes and Linda Guild talking last week. We all have our unique perspective of what we’re seeing and how it’s affecting the marketplace, our clients, and even our friends and families.
CEO of Genesis Eakes International, Genesis is a consultant who serves mission driven organizations and she’s seeing firsthand the effects of what the pandemic has done to companies’ culture and the havoc it has been on production.
Linda is the founder of TAPP, the Talented Alliance of Part-time Professionals. She sees how thinking of creative work schedules through the lens of part-time employment solutions helps fill gaps for many.
My perspective is one from leaving corporate world to create a business.
In this episode, you hear Genesis sharing her perspective of what the overall mood or mindset of the workforce. Linda shares great food for thought about both employee mindset shifts and openness from companies to embrace different work scenarios
Gaining different perspectives on the subject can help you craft your dream lifestyle.
Connect with Genesis Eakes: * Website: https://www.genesiseakesinternational.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genesiseakesinternational/ * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genesiseakesinternational/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genesiseakes/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ptNMLAUitKCHnNdpP2d7w
Connect with Linda Guild:
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way. --Edward de Bono
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been accused of being a workaholic. I do admit that, on occasion, I will allow work to consume my days leaving little room for anything else. Today’s guest, Susan Guild teaches us to Wake Up Your Magic by tapping into your creative mind. Sharing the power of creativity and making people's lives better is her number one passion.
In this episode, Susan teaches us how to get out of our “over-thinking” minds to wake up the magic within ourselves.
My conversation with Susan really inspired me to remember to take the time to pause and be creative. Pick up those crafty and artistic things that spark joy and enjoy the moment. Learn a new creative skill to shake out the cobwebs of the mind and be inspired or unblocked in the business side of life. I know Susan will inspire you too by waking up the magic within.
Enjoy!
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
We’re continuing our series about networking with a conversation with my good friend Kat Williams. She’s the owner of a local to the Springfield MO area business networking group called Courageous Business Connect.
I met Kat many years ago at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. She's so bubbly and pours out positivity everywhere she goes. People seem to gravitate to Kat. To me, she seems to be the most well-connected person around Springfield.
I admire Kat in many ways. She is a naturally curious individual, non-judgmental, and brings out the best in everyone.
Kat and I originally met in a local referral networking group. She was heavily involved in the group, helping grow it to thousands of members and dozens of chapters in the Southwest Missouri & Northwest Arkansas regions.
Over time, an idea began to percolate of a different kind of group. A group that would offer more than standing up for a quick elevator pitch & reporting numbers of referrals passed.
There was nothing wrong with the referral networking group she helped grow because that formula works. But over time, the desire to make her dream networking group a reality could not be ignored.
She knew that being on the leadership team and leaving the largest networking group in the area could burn some bridges. I know that Kat struggled with that. She didn’t want to hurt anyone's feelings. She didn’t want to lose friendships.
She didn’t want to be seen as competition. Her view is always working collaboratively. She understood that not everyone thinks as openly as she does. To begin making her dream a reality, she had to take the leap and risk shaking up the status quo of her current position in the community.
I’m proud of Kat because she found the courage to take the leap and start Courageous Business Connect offering small business owners something different in her community. She brings seasoned entrepreneurs as well as start-ups together to share knowledge for collaborative business growth.
She believes in the beauty and importance of the small business to our economy and likes to keep the money local. She always says that she has 3 rules if you want to play in her playground:
Enjoy!
Connect with Kat Williams:
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
In keeping with this month's series about networking, today’s episode is about my networking intentions when I attended Podcast Movement 2021 in Nashville, TN at the beginning of August.
It was my first live conference since 2019. I had become accustomed to not going to these types of events. Like most everyone on the planet, I didn't go to any business live events in the last 18 months or more. Of course, because we were all on lock-down!
As an introvert, I prefer small groups and love my alone time. But I was excited to finally attend a LIVE event.
I know me and I needed to have some intention of meeting new people at the conference, or I'd hide out in the shadows and just listen.
Here were my intentions:
This was the first time to attend Podcast Movement and I didn’t know what to expect. Overall, I truly enjoyed the experience. There were a couple of break-out sessions that I attended that, to me, wasn’t at all what the title alluded to. But, overall, the event was a great experience.
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas * White Label Content Marketing Implementation Team: https://scrivenersolutions.com/whitelabel
Have you ever felt a little “reluctant” when it comes to networking? I know I have. As an introvert, it can be daunting to go out and do the whole networking thing. It feels awkward and sometimes forced. My guest, Greg Peters, totally understands. A computer programmer by training, Greg was the original reluctant networker. Through study, practice, and lots of trial and error, he has been able to transform himself into a true networking professional, using the skills he learned to build a thriving Web development business. Now, as the co-founder of Third Generation Networking, Greg coaches individuals, trains staff, and presents to associations and other groups on how to get past their reluctance and start building better connections and stronger networks. Greg is a past Chapter President of the National Speakers Association, the author of HELLO AND A HANDSHAKE: A RELUCTANT NETWORKER’S GUIDE TO SURVIVAL AND SUCCESS AT YOUR NEXT BUSINESS GATHERING, and the co-host of the THIRD GENERATION NETWORKING PODCAST. Networking successfully is important when it comes to building a business. Ultimately, networking is a matter of making new friends... but why does it seem so hard sometimes? Whether you have an online business or not,networking the right way and making those quality connections is vital for growth. Sometimes it takes getting out of your comfort zone and it definitely means not always being in sell mode.In this episode, Greg reveals a great secret that helps him make connections from the stage for his speaking engagements. He also shares that it’s not up to the other individual to develop the relationship. It’s up to you to make the consistent effort. Connect with Greg Peters: * Website: https://thereluctantnetworker.com/ * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReluctantNetworker * Twitter: https://twitter.com/gpetersspeaks * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thereluctantnetworker
Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
Just because you’re building an online business so that you may not be tied down geographically and can work from practically anywhere, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do any face-to-face networking.
In this episode, I share how belonging to a professional networking group early in my entrepreneurial journey jump started my business.
Key things to remember when joining a networking group:
Before joining any networking group, make sure you are all in and will, at a minimum, commit to showing up to every meeting. After all, showing up is a form of participation.
Get out from behind your computer and face-to-face network. It’s worth it to jumpstart your business to the next level.
Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
Becoming an entrepreneur is no easy feat. There's something to learning the right frame of mind to build a successful business. On top of that, marketing is even another level of thinking. Not only must you tap into what your prospects wants and needs are, you must nail down how to effectively communicate who you are, what you stand for, and how you help.
In this episode, Nick Carita, owner of Red Letter Creative joins me to talk “shop.” Some may consider Nick and I competitors since we both own companies who do digital marketing.
We don’t see each other that way at all. We learn from each other. Our business models are different. Although some of our offerings are similar, many services go in different directions. In short... although we both do digital marketing... we do different things.
After 12+ years working in professional sports, Nick decided to follow his budding passion for marketing. Now, with 11+ years of experience, Nick owns his own creative agency called Red Letter Creative, and also studies and teaches about sports and high-performance psychology.
I’m proud to have you meet Nick. I love his enthusiasm, honesty, and drive. You’ll learn a lot in this episode through his personal journey of moving from the corporate world of the professional sports industry to freelancing, then transitioning to agency owner.
Enjoy!
Connect with Nick Carita:
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Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
I think my team is pretty amazing. And to have them working at their best, communication is important. Leading a virtual team has its challenges when it comes to communication.
Scrivener Solutions uses different communication tools to build our virtual teamwork environment. Each tool serves its specific purpose.
This week’s podcast focuses on our use of Screencast-o-matic when it comes to staff training. Although there are other screen recording and editing software on the market, my go to is Screencast-o-matic.
The reasons:
I can’t tell you how many hundreds of videos I’ve created to help me communicate ideas, how-tos, and map out problems solving for issues that arise and share with my team. The problem that I ran into over the years was filing them in an organized and consistent fashion that would be easy to refer back to.
In this episode, I share how David Jenyns’ book, SYSTEMology helped make things click for me and how we’re making this year the year of SOPs. We’re blending our written SOPs with embedded how-to videos and have a better filing and organizing system.
Additional Resources:
Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
When it comes to building a business, most people spend years or even decades figuring out how to grow their business AND get the freedom they really want.
That’s why I asked David Robertson, master business coach and marketing strategist to this week’s show. David helps business owners achieve their goals faster, increase their profit by at least 68% per year, and build high-performing teams, so they can free up time for themselves and their family to focus on and do what matters most for their long-term personal and professional success.
David provides high-intensity business coaching and training on the Growthpoint Framework, which is a blueprint for growing & scaling service businesses.
Growing up, David watched his dad build the largest producing insurance agency in two states. From the outside looking in, life was great. The reality was quite different. His dad was overworked, frustrated and burned out. It all came crashing down while he was in high school. His dad closed the business and went to work at a local hardware store. The only explanation he had was he didn’t feel like he was good enough at the business part or managing people. He was tired of missing out on life for a dream that wasn't happening.
David committed himself to understanding why some businesses are wildly successful, while others struggle to break through. He has committed his life to helping business owners get the freedom and profit they want from their business and create complete personal freedom.
In the episode, David shares:
5 Things a Business Must Get Right to Create Growth
A business is like an assembly line. Documenting systems through the idea of apprenticeship.
Apprentice Steps:
Listening to other people's journey in creating freedom and success in their lives is a fantastic way in knowing we’re not alone when we encounter some bumps along the way. The journey isn’t easy most of the time and hearing how David’s miracle baby brought about a turn around in his business is such a heartwarming story.
Mindset, family, faith, business... all of it is intermingled to create who we are and how we navigate into creating the success and freedom we’re all seeking.
Enjoy!
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
Building a lifestyle business and working from anywhere isn’t as glamorous as what you may see in your Instagram feed.
When you’re seeing perfect images of someone lounging on the beach, cocktail in hand, toes in the sand, and computer on their lap “working” it’s easy to be discouraged if your life doesn’t look that way. You may be thinking you’re doing it wrong.
There may be glimpses of toes in the sand working moments, but the reality can be much different and not so pretty.
There are challenges to figure out when it comes to working from anywhere. I’m about ready to embark on a season of travel. Listen to this week’s podcast as I highlight six of the challenges that I’ll be addressing.
As with anything in life, there’s good with the bad. For me, I embrace the challenges that come my way and embrace the freedom to figure them out so that I may have the opportunity to live the lifestyle that was only a dream just ten short years ago.
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
Daniela Liscio is a writer, business consultant, corporate lawyer, and creator of How Not To Get Screwed By Your Lawyer, the workshop designed to help business people better manage the relationship with their lawyer to save themselves money and stress.
Daniela spent 12 years as a corporate lawyer both in her hometown of Toronto, Canada and in New York City working on mergers and acquisitions, financings, private equity investments and corporate reorganizations. In 2013 she left New York City for the Ozark Mountains to be with her guy Dan whom she met coming down from the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa. She started her consulting business to help small businesses better strategize for long term success through online courses, fun copywriting, and more effective sales strategy. In addition to her consulting work, Daniela is in the process of writing her first book called How Not To Get Screwed By Your Lawyer.
Daniela and I first met through an online course and we happened to join the same online mastermind. I was utterly floored to learn that she is living in a tiny town just about an hour away from where I’m currently calling home. What a small world!
Daniela is not only an ex-lawyer who teaches non-lawyers how not to get screwed by their lawyer, but she's also an adventurer and I love following her and learning from her.
I’m honored to introduce her to you. Enjoy the interview and learn from her perspective and experience as she left the big-city corporate world to create her own work from anywhere business in a tiny community in southwest Missouri.
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
Often, business growth is stunted because there's a disconnect between the vision and the doing part of what it takes to see the vision through.
As a small business owner, I’m sure you feel like you must do everything. Everything seems to be on your shoulders.
The longer we're in business and the more we grow, the more important it becomes to have systems in place. You have the vision... but it takes systems and implementing those systems to make the vision a reality.
An implementer is the bridge between the vision and the front-line doers. They are the translators, the trainers, the creators, and the jugglers. Their attention to details and holistic view of what must be done moves vision to reality.
Listen as I share a couple of examples of what could happen with and without an implementer.
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
Do you ever feel weird or out of place when you're trying to do your own thing? Weird for starting your online business when everyone around you thinks you should be looking for that traditional job. Weird for wanting to pursue your dreams. Weird for wanting to live and work from anywhere?
Well if so... know this... you're not alone.
Last week, brand specialist, Mike Kim joined me as we discussed different aspects of growing a business around your personal expertise and ideas.
Mike, very much like me, left the corporate world to create his own lifestyle business. During our conversation I had with him, I asked what his biggest challenge was in starting his personal brand business.
Instead of including the clip in last week's episode, I pulled it out to feature his answer separately. Listen as you may find his response resonating with you as much as it did with me.
Enjoy!
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
Personal brand is much bigger and all-encompassing than a logo, a color palette, a nice-looking website, and business cards. Your personal brand is the image you put forth both online and offline.
Your values, unique skills, experiences, stories, personality, and image make up who you are and what you stand for.
More than ever, people are building thriving businesses around personal brands. Some struggle while others earn 6-or 7-figure incomes.
In today’s episode, I have a conversation with brand strategist, Mike Kim. Mike outlines some of his 8-step blueprint to showcase your unique expertise and build a highly profitable, personally fulfilling business.
The full blueprint is shared in Mike’s book “You Are The Brand.” Mike's refreshing approach has made him a sought-after speaker, online educator, and consultant for top rated leaders like John Maxwell, Donald Miller, and Daniel G. Amen, MD.
Mike has been featured in and written for Inc., Entrepreneur, and The Huffington Post. He is also host of the top-rated and ranked podcast, The Brand You Podcast. He has spoken at industry leading events including Social Media Marketing World, Tribe Conference, and Podcast Management. He has been a guest on leading podcasts like Smart Passive Income, Marketing Made Simple, and Read to Lead.
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Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
You must slow down to scale up. That concept seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it?
On the contrary, slowing down is exactly what you should be doing if you’re looking to scale your business.
You can't be on that hamster wheel of always trying to cram in more work into your day. Hamster wheels go nowhere. They're just spinning in circles. The faster you run; the faster the wheel goes yet you’re still staying in one place. All you get is tired.
Once you slow down and get off that hamster wheel that’s when you go places.
When you're growing your business, there will come a time when you'll feel stretched so thin that you don't know how you can possibly do everything. The key is that you won't do everything. Not by yourself anyway. During this growth period, it's going to be extremely important to tug on the reigns a bit of being busy and refrain from pushing to do more in your workday.
To slow down is much easier said than done. Especially when your to-do list is a mile long. But when you do slow down, you are able to put actions in place to scale to the next level of your business.
Listen as I share three ways that you must slow down to scale up.
The need to slow down happens at the busiest times in your business. Don’t fall into the trap of running in circles.
Additional Resources: * You Must Downsize to Make Room to Grow | Podcast * Screencast-o-matic | Screen capture view resource * Systemology | David Jenyns * Traction | Gino Wickman
Connect with Gayla: * Website: https://www.gaylascrivener.com/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylascrivener/ * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaylaScrivenerWorkFromAnywhere/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gscrivener/
Content Marketing Resources: * Scrivener Solutions: https://scrivenersolutions.com/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn6GdZzFN9Ij9Iqe41heew * Free Download: 48 Social Media Post Ideas http://scrivenersolutions.com/48ideas
The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as you'd want to be treated. The golden rule really should be remembered in practically everything we do.
It’s easy in our digital world to feel detached. In this episode, I share one simple concept to remember that will help guide you when it comes to writing emails to your list.
Behind every email is a person.
When it comes to writing emails, if you always think of ONE person and speak to them as if they were in the room with you, you will resonate with many on your list.
Sure, you may miss the mark with some individuals, but you'll be on target for many. Trust your gut and frame your email message like a conversation that you'd have in person with that ONE individual.
Set up your systems to include value driven emails sent on a consistent basis.
Your nurturing series should be a staple of your email marketing plan to keep your relationship building foundation strong.
Then, when you do have a special event, a course, coaching service, or any other type of offer, the sales copy you write won't feel so forced. Your message will be a natural progression of how you are helping your subscribers. It's like telling a friend what's best for them and how you can help.
Follow the golden rule in your email marketing. Talk to others as you want to be spoken to. Help others in a way you'd liked to receive help.
Because... behind every email is a person.
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Password management is a necessary evil. You must have a password for every account you have online. It can be tough to keep track of it all.
We’re never 100% safe when it comes to password security. Hackers everywhere are looking for new and creative ways to cause havoc to our world. The best we can do is to implement best practices and always learning new ways to help protect ourselves and our clients’ information. At the same time, we must find ways to make our processes easy and efficient.
In this episode, I share how I organize not only my passwords to keep me efficient, but also how I do my due diligence in keeping my client’s passwords safe.
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As I was looking at the memories that were popping up on my Facebook feed, I came across the pictures that Robert took of our massive yard sale back in 2011. Looking at those photos made me realize that every time we saw growth, we first downsized.
Our dream was to break away from the traditional lifestyle that we knew for a lifestyle that awarded us the freedom to be more nomadic. We wanted to have a work from anywhere lifestyle.
That sale to downsize our possessions got us closer to living our dream. Freeing ourselves from those things that were in the way of making our dream a reality was such a liberating experience.
Listen as I share more about what else we’ve downsized to allow growth in both our professional and personal lives. Maybe my downsizing experiences will inspire you to think of areas where you can let go to make room for growth.
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To leverage your time, it’s smart to outsource your social media management. You may fear that once you delegate your social posts, that your messaging will no longer be uniquely you.Your social feed will no longer be as personal.
In this episode, I cover three points when it comes to keeping your social feed personal, both from a business owner and an agency point of view.
Highlights:
Whether you're posting everything yourself or outsourcing, your social feed can either be one that is intentional, engaging, entertaining, and helpful, or your posts could be like throwing spaghetti at the wall.
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An essential part of growing any business is planning AND implementing your marketing strategy. Without marketing, you won't have a sustainable business. You must be able to attract your ideal client and maintain a steady flow of business or cash flow.
Show highlights:
Three reasons why most solopreneurs just starting out have trouble establishing a good marketing plan.
A manageable marketing plan to put you on the right foot for building your online platform includes these three steps.
Listen to the episode for details of the plan. This is very doable for any solopreneur no matter how busy you may be.
Once your rhythm has been established, you’re successful at posting consistently, and you a regaining more clarity in your messaging, build on what you’ve started. Don’t be too quick to change and shift. You’re in this for the long-term.
Be focused. Be consistent. Be persistent. It’ll pay off.
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Just a few years ago, many people thought the concept of working from anywhere would be totally out of reach for them. The pandemic totally opened so many possibilities for remote work.
Through the adversity that 2020 brought us, there also are a vast number of opportunities that have opened up to create a work from anywhere lifestyle. There has been a mindset shift in the workforce and in corporations that pave the way for making a freedom lifestyle possible.
In this episode, I share hownow is the perfect time to create your work from anywhere lifestyle.
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Podcast production can be likened to the birth and raising of a child. At least that’s how my friend, Dr. Michelle Deering pictures it. Leave it to a mother-daughter relationship specialist to make that type of analogy.
Michelle has often called me her “podcast midwife” guiding her through the birth of her hit podcast, Mother Daughter Connections. It was an honor to give her help when and where she needed it so that she could leap over the hurdles that were before her.
As with the birth of a child, the work doesn’t stop there. You must care for and nurture the little bundle of joy for the child to grow and mature.
The same holds true for podcast production. Launching is just the beginning. Continued work and care must be done for the show to grow and mature. In this episode, I share a clip of a conversation Michelle and I had where she gives her perspective of what it takes to self-produce a podcast.
Enjoy!
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Dr. Michelle Deering is no stranger to entrepreneurship. She had been running a traditional clinical office for years, but Dr. Deering is a curious individual. Traditional was not where she fit in.
Dr. Deering believes that every mother and daughter should have a thriving loving relationship. Her passion on the subject led her to writing her book “What Mothers Never Tell Their Daughters” then down the path of opening her non-traditional office to serve the world. Her refreshing approach has made her a sought-after speaker, online educator, and consultant.
Before running her consulting business, Michelle served as a licensed psychologist and board-certified sport psychologist at a BIG-10 University, a Fortune 500 corporate trainer, and a higher education professional.
Nowadays you’ll find her speaking at conferences, training for her next Reebok Spartan Sprint Race, and practicing rudiments on her drum kit — all while coaching, serving clients, and recording her hit podcast, Mother Daughter Connections™.
Michelle shares these important points:
Michelle’s advice for fellow solopreneurs:
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Usually, to take significant action in our lives, there's a trigger moment. I’m sure you can lookback on your life and see specific events that made such an impression on you, that in a moment you had a mindset shift. You were determined to make a change. You arrived at the tipping point into taking action.
In this episode, I share two significant events that changed the trajectory of my life and eventually led me to taking action to creating the lifestyle I truly wanted.
For you... what have been your tipping points? I'd love to hear from you. Drop me a note at podcast@gaylascrivener.com.
Are you on the verge of wanting change... but resolving that you're stuck in a career that you are unhappy in? You really don't have to wait until pushed to take the leap of change.
You can take action.
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Most individuals who say they are sick and tired of their day jobs and want a different lifestyle will choose to stay miserable and stuck. It’s easier to stay put in doing what you know than venture out and do something different to find what you do love.
Plans are only achieved to the degree in which you IMPLEMENT!
Achieving the freedom lifestyle you desire isn’t easy and achieved overnight. It does take work. It takes diligence. It takes implementation of your plan.
What plan is on your mind right now?
Is it to leave your day job? Is it to find remote work or start your own business? Is it to downsize and have a nomadic travel adventure? Is it to scale your business?
Have you taken the first steps in implementation? Are you taking at least one step each and every day? Are you staying consistent? Are you staying diligent?
In the coming weeks, I'm going to share more of my journey of what got me here and how I'm implementing plans for the future.
Many of the topics will circle around marketing, mindset, and personal branding.
No matter what your specialty is, the area that really lights you up and you can find passion in doing, you must have the right mindset, learn marketing, and build your personal brand.
Additional Resources: * Business Made Simple | Donald Miller
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Fran Groesbeck had taken her over 29 year of housewares industry experience and took the leap into becoming her own boss. She pushed through her fears of leaving a steady paycheck to create the business and lifestyle that had been living in her dreams.
She uses her experience that includes product development, sourcing, manufacturing, and retail marketing into her marketing company, Ten Touch Creative Agency. She pairs the best of both worlds–strong technical knowledge and understanding of the housewares industry and applications, with strong creative and problem-solving skills to find the right solution for the challenge at hand for her clients.
Fran has recently been selected as the new Managing Director of the Cookware Manufacturers Association where she is embarking on another dream career adventure.
In this episode, Fran shares her challenges of starting her business and growing at a rate faster than she ever imagined. She also shares great nuggets of marketing wisdom.
Enjoy!
Connect with Fran Groesbeck:
* Website: http://tentouchcreative.com/
Additional Resources:
* Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead | Brené Brown
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There are many great reasons to start a podcast, five of which are...
The first and foremost thing you need to do before you start your podcast is to really evaluate your why.
Although the above reasons are valid reasons to start a podcast, you should have a deeper and more personal why.
Producing a podcast is not for everyone and you must come up with your unique and personal reasons. My reasons may be different than yours. Understanding and staying focused on your why will help you get through the tough hurdles that arise and the drudgery of routine.
In this episode, I review the basic set-up procedures in starting your own podcast. Be sure to email podcast@gaylascrivener.com if you are facing hurdles starting your own podcast.
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When it comes to recording and producing a podcast, there is a certain amount of gear you need. In this episode, I bring my sound engineer (and hubby), Robert Scrivener to the show as we talk about the equipment I use to record this show.
The basics are:
Below are links to the gear we mention in the episode.
Enjoy!
Go to Gayla Scrivener Blog to see Gear Mentioned
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I remember vividly the day that I made the decision to become a podcaster. It was the day that I was casually talking with Cliff Ravenscraft at a conference and he pushed me over the edge(in a good way).
He motivated me to take the plunge and do it. Was it easy peasy? I’d have to say... no.
Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. In this episode, I share my top three growing lessons I’ve learned by starting this podcast.
Enjoy!
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We’ve all heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. S for Specific. M for measurable. A for attainable. R for relevant. T for Time-based.
In this episode, Marshall Townsend II joins me as we dive into talking about the right way in setting goals. I was a bit surprised at first with his take on the S.M.A.R.T. goal concept. S.M.A.R.T. goals have been drilled into us forever. Marshall takes us onto a different journey when it comes to goal setting.
Marshall Townsend II is a Professional Leadership Coach, Mentor, Speaker, and Retired Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) whose passion for and dedication to empowering others have earned him the reputation as a service-centered leader within his community. Over the course of two decades, he has gained extensive coaching experience (as well as another two decades of leadership expertise in the army), helping thousands of people thrive along the way.
Marshall’s affinity for helping people has been lifelong, but the spark for coaching entered his life during his military service. It wasn’t long before he discovered his innate talent for positively influencing leaders by inspiring them to think outside of the box and cultivate a deeper sense of comradery between them and their soldiers.
Ultimately, this got him noticed amongst his peers, leading him to be selected by prominent senior leaders to teach organizations and fellow leaders alike. The most pivotal moment in his life arrived when he was asked by the Army to coach leaders in Idaho as a civilian contractor. After 18 rewarding years of coaching, he decided to expand his horizons (and his outreach) by launching his own company.
Today, Marshall proudly serves as the Founder of MT2Leadership, where he imparts his valued clients with the life-altering tools needed to pave the way to personal and professional prosperity. In 2016, he joined the John Maxwell Team and in 2017 he moved up to become an Independent Executive Director with The John Maxwell Team.
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Chances are, you probably already know that you should be growing your email list. If not, then, I'm telling you, you should be growing your email list.
There are many elements when it comes to content marketing but growing your email list should be your top priority. Each contact should be treated like gold.
In this episode, I share practical and very doable ways to grow your email list.
Discover ideas like:
...And probably the easiest and most overlooked method, but by far effective method. (Listen and find out what it is!)
Collecting emails and growing your list isn't a one-and-done thing. It's a continual process. You'll get better at it over time. You'll develop many methods and opportunities for people to enter your online business ecosystem.
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In this episode, I have a conversation with Dr. Sheila Cornea.
Sheila believes that everyone was created to make a unique contribution in this world. With a little bit of guts and a whole lot of tenacity, every dreamer can become a difference-maker. Her practical wisdom has made her a sought-after speaker, online educator, and leadership consultant. In addition to leading her own community, Gutsy Grace Leaders, Sheila has led in education, non-profit, and ministry organizations from start-ups to enterprises.
In our conversation, Sheila shares that there are four things that all leaders must have:
Listen as she discusses how ACT (Apply–Commitment–Today) should be incorporated into your daily routine.
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Company branded email is a detail that shouldn't be overlooked when you are starting your own small business. Yet, it often is!
No matter what stage you are in your business, if you are using a free email account (like gmail, yahoo, msn, etc.) it's time to STOP!
This detail matters.
In this episode, I share an experience I had that really left a negative impression on me from a business who should have known better. Their lack of using a company branded email placed a black mark on their professionalism and longevity.
Are you subconsciously leaving a bad impression on prospects because you aren't using a company branded email?
Listen and find out.
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Pricing expert, Paul Klein of the Pricing is Positioning Podcast joins me this week to discuss how knowledge-based businesses should be pricing their services.
If you struggle with being stuck in the antiquated hourly rate modeland feeling like you’re never getting ahead, then this is most definitely the episode for you.
Paul is a business consultant and entrepreneur. From his days as 1980s hair band guitarist, he has been a lifelong entrepreneur. He has experience starting and scaling a successful SAAS company as well as consulting some of the biggest brands including Target, Neiman Marcus, Starbucks, Holiday Inn, and other global brands,
Paul helps consultants, freelancers, and solopreneurs price their services and stop under charging so they can build their 7-plus figure businesses. Paul is the host of the Pricing Is Positioning Podcast and The Rock Your Pricing Online Course and Community.
Often, we take our expertise for granted and commoditize ourselves in the marketplace. Paul shares the pricing models he teaches:
Paul indicates that the first price you see or hear anchors the entire prospecting conversation. Learn what an anchor bomb is and how to use it.
Enjoy!
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Let's face it. Consistently creating content is not easy.
It takes commitment. It takes time. It takes work. And sometimes it can be an uncomfortable process. Uncomfortable because there seems to be that looming deadline over your head and you're busy and unsure what to write or record.
Listen as I share why sometimes it may be necessary to take a pause for the cause, so to speak. I gained a lot of insight from fellow podcaster, Paul Klein as I listened to his December 17, 2020 episode titled Why Pausing This Podcast Was Dumb...But Necessary and Paul was kind enough to allow me to verbalize my thoughts on this week’s episode.
Enjoy!
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Chances are, if you made any New Year’s resolutions at all, at least one of them has to do with improving your finances. Often, we resolve that we are going to make a change, only to find ourselves discouraged at our progress.
That’s why I invited Founder and CEO of Freedom Financial Group, Marissa Nehlsen to share ways to jumpstart our 2021 financial successes.
Marissa came from humble beginnings as a rural North Dakota farm girl and has built a multi-million-dollar financial services company. As an accomplished leader with proven results, her unique style and approach enables her clients to achieve extra ordinary and sustainable results.
With over 27 years of solid experience, she built a holistic planning firm based on the core principles to educate, empower, and equip individuals, organizations, and businesses to make wise choices. As a money & mindset coach, she is a thinking partner that provides simple, powerful strategies to take you and your business to the next level.
In this episode, Marissa shares valuable and practical tips on building wealth. Wealth starts with small actions, that over time, will deliver big results.
We even discuss the mindset limitations that keep many perpetually struggling with keeping afloat with their finances Marissa shares three places where you can make money with your money. You’ll learn that you must focus on these three things: time, money, skills. Then the key is finding your passion wrapped around those things.
Enjoy!
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In my role as creative director, coach, and mentor in our content marketing agency, I know this to be true... no two clients are exactly the same. Their viewpoints, their goals, their perspectives, their missions are individual. All, however, see the benefit of making sure to use the opportunities of communication through online means to extend their reach and grow their businesses.
With that said, working behind the scenes for our clients, my team and I implement their strategies. And wouldn't you know it? Even though many of the tools and systems are similar, their strategies differ.
That gives me the opportunity to learn firsthand what frequency of posting content is ideal.
Should you be posting your core piece of content (blog, podcast, or video) once a month, twice a month, every week, daily?
In this episode I share the top three considerations you must explore and decide on to make the ideal content posting frequency work.
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The new year has kicked off and one of the most popular resolutions revolves around living a healthier life. Whether it's starting a new diet, vowing to eat more leafy greens, or getting to the gym more often to get in shape, most of us have great intentions to make this year's health resolutions stick.
We start with enthusiasm, then after a few weeks, those old habits creep their way back into our routine.
Why would a show about creating a lifestyle business be talking about health?
Maintaining the best health we can is beneficial for anyone to live a full and vibrant life whether you’re growing a lifestyle business or not. I’m no health expert and I’m like most of the population. I struggle with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. All the healthy living information out there is so confusing and overwhelming.
That’s why I asked my friend, Dr. Lisa Olszewski, to this week’s show. She keeps it real and helps break down all the clutter when it comes to health so you can focus on what really matters.
Dr. Olszewski is a chiropractor, naturopath and keto nutrition fanatic. When she's not adjusting spines in her chiropractic office, she's passionately making healthy living simple through her online courses, virtual summits and one on one coaching so everyone can achieve a vibrant level of health. She recently made history in the state of Michigan by becoming the first female President of the Michigan Association of Chiropractors.
Meet Dr. Lisa as she shares some practical ways to keep steadfast to your healthy living resolutions.
Enjoy!
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What is your game-plan for 2021?
Most certainly 2020 was interesting. It was an exceedingly difficult time for many. For others, it was a time of growth and discovery. Undoubtedly, all the changes and health concerns had all of us pushed out of our comfort zones.
Although things don't magically change when the new year rings in. Of course, the effects of the pandemic didn't magically disappear when the ball dropped on 2020.
Like most, I spent a lot reflection time in December and made plans. Now, it's now time for action!
How are you taking action on your 2021 plans? Results won't come without action.
In this episode, I share how I’ve began implementing my top three goals that I mentioned in episode 132.
The biggest announcement is the launching of the Scrivener Solutions YouTube Channel. There, you'll find practical tips and how-to's that help make your content marketing more personal, meaningful, and productive in a manner where you can gear up and accomplish more!
Every other week, we'll publish a new video in our areas of service like social media management, email campaigns, podcast production, website maintenance, design, content project management, etc.
I also share a few other events coming up.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources:
Connect with Gayla:
Content Marketing Resources:
High-performance business mentor, podcaster, and author, Paul Higgins to joins me for today’s episode.
I met Paul through LinkedIn. You know how sometimes you’ll get these weird connection requests and then when you accept them, you seem to get spammed with hard core sales messaging? It makes you a little leery in accepting connections out of the blue.
Paul reached out to me through an email and also asked for a LinkedIn connection. I was intrigued because they were messages like none other. His message was personal and relevant. Not canned. Not salesy. His interest was to broaden his network in a genuine manner.
I soon started following Paul and getting to know him through his podcast. I feel like I’ve gotten to know him without even meeting him. I was super excited when he agreed to be a guest on my show.
Paul helps service-based business owners struggling to strike a balance between life and work adopt a hands-off management approach and improve profits to fund their lifestyles.
To aid other service-based business owners like himself who have come to the conclusion that having a business so reliant on them is just not going to work, Paul developed a mentoring program — Build Live Give — that helps such business owners take control and implement an end-to-end sales and operations system that can easily generate profits.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources Mentioned: * Paul Higgins + Website + Email + Twitter + LinkedIn + Instagram + YouTube + Facebook * Build Live Give Podcast * FREE 3-minute Assessment to See Your Readiness to Have a 7-figure Business * FREE On-Demand Masterclass to Gain 3-5 Clients a Month on LinkedIn * Build Live Give | Book by Paul Higgins * 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Steven R Covey
Before ringing in the new year, it’s a good idea to check a few systems that you already have in place in areas where we tend to "set it and forget it." Sometimes these little forgotten details either no longer work or need updated.
In this episode, I share 5 details you should quickly check:
This year had resulted with many pivots and changes for many of us. By checking these details, you’ll make sure that your current systems are still accurate with your overall goal and vision.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources Mentioned: * 137 – Know Your Numbers with Jim Adams * Paul Higgins LinkedIn Profile * Paul Higgins LinkedIn Resource: BLGClick.com * Follow me on Instagram: @gscrivener * Be on my list: ScrivenerSolutions.com/Addme
You may have heard the saying “Numbers don’t lie” but if that’s true, why do so many entrepreneurs avoid them?
Jim Adams believes that in order to effectively drive your business from stuck to really enjoying your business. He believes you must know your numbers to actually see what’s out in front of you.
He’s helped hundreds of small and family owned businesses around the U.S. and Canada understand their numbers to DRIVE their teams to the next level.
Don’t let numbers scare you, Jim makes things much less intimidating.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources Mentioned: * Jim Adams + Website + Facebook + LinkedIn * Business Model Template * Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan that Works | Ash Maury
Life’s an Adventure Waiting to be Discovered
Nine years ago, when my husband, Robert, and I downsized by having a huge garage sale and moved into our 38-foot motor home, I think that's when we decided that life is an adventure, and we were ready to discover it.
We started our new identity by pursuing our work from anywhere lifestyle. We've made a lot of discoveries along the way. Discoveries about the practical side of working from anywhere and discoveries about ourselves in how to design the lifestyle we truly want.
Recently, Robert and I have made some big decisions and changes when it comes to our travel adventures. Those changes spill into making important business decisions.
Listen and learn what changes are percolating...both personally and professionally.
In your adventure...remember not all who wander are lost. You may feel a bit lost from time to time. Outsiders may think you have no direction. Every experience you have, every plan you try, every idea you explore is one step closer to fulfilling your dream lifestyle.
Your dream lifestyle may be a different picture than mine. And that is fantastic!
I'd love to hear from you about the picture of your dream lifestyle. Has it changed over the years? What is your biggest challenge? What's your biggest reward?
Drop me a message.
Connect with Gayla: * Website * Instagram -gscrivener * LinkedIn * Facebook
Been There Doing That – Our Travel Adventures
Not All Who Wander are Lost – J.R.R. Tolkien
Many people are intimidated and frustrated by trying to bring their personal brand to life through social media, live events, and public relations. If that’s you, then you’re really going to love this episode.
I’ve asked Lauren V. Davisto the show as she shares her experience in growing not only her brick and mortar business but also her online marketing business, Lauren Davis Creative.
Lauren lives near Chicago and works with people over the world to overcome their personal branding discontent and grow their presence so that they can focus on sales, exposure, leadership and community impact through her marketing consultancy Lauren Davis Creative and her podcast, the Real Personal Branding Podcast.
Lauren has been named as one of the "20 People You Should Know," a "Person to Watch," and a "Face of Tourism," in the Midwest, as well as being recognized as an "Up-Next Future Leader" by Gatehouse Media (Rockford Register Star.)
Lauren has received US Senate recognition for her passionate dedication to helping businesses succeed and her expert social media advice has been featured in articles by Huffington Post, Reader's Digest, as well as over a dozen podcast episodes including Build Your Network with Travis Chappell (Top 25 Business Category Podcast) and Brand You Podcast with Mike Kim (#1 Personal Branding Category Podcast on iTunes.)
When she is not running her two businesses in Rockford Illinois, (the other––a brick & mortar vinyl record store) she is traveling the globe learning and networking at conferences and workshops to better serve her clients with that knowledge.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources Mentioned: * Lauren V. Daviso + Website | Lauren Davis Creative + Email + Facebook + Twitter + LinkedIn + Instagram * Instagram E-Guide * The Enneagram Institute * Culture Shock | Rockford Illinois
The season of Thanksgiving has us thinking about what we are grateful for.
Practicing gratitude is a good idea any time of the year. The more you practice it, the better you feel, and the likelihood of better things come your way.
I take it for granted that I'm naturally a person who appreciates many things and tries to find the good in any situation. Sometimes I forget that not everyone thinks like I do and struggle in seeing the positives even when things are rough or not turning out as planned.
This holiday season, even during the weirdness of 2020, I feel there's a lot to be grateful for.
In this episode, I share how appreciating big and small things even during the roller coaster year of 2020 allows us to come out on the other side better people and have grown from the experience.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources Mentioned:
Autumn is an award-winning and bestselling author in fantasy, epic fantasy, and war with twenty books and counting currently published. She loves helping fellow writers with coaching, onlinecourses, and the Am Writing Fantasy podcast and website at www.AmWritingFantasy.com while creating book covers and other author services at A Raven Design. She is currently settled in a tiny cabin in the Vermont woods after an epic four-year road trip with her husband and small cairn terrier. Discover the world of her books and follow her adventures at www.AutumnWriting.com.
Autumn and I crossed paths in our travels and became fast friends. I love her adventurous spirit and appreciate her dedication and work when it comes to creating her lifestyle business. Autumn is wildly creative and has a smart business sense about her. I asked her to be on the show this week to share her journey in leaving her corporate job and living her travel adventurous life.
Additional Resources Mentioned: * Follow Autumn Birt: + Facebook + Instagram + LinkedIn + Twitter * Get a Free Book | Autumn Writing * Design for Your Ideas | A Raven Design * Writing Courses | AM Writing Fantasy * Podcast | AM Writing Fantasy Podcast * Your First 10,000 Readers| Nick Stevenson * Write to Market: Deliver a Book that Sells| Chris Fox * Zencastr | Podcasting Too
Has the year we call “2020” turned your world upside-down? All the big plans you set for yourself at the end of 2019 were thrown out the window!
As the end of the year draws near, it’s time to make plans for next year. But next year is uncertain.
With all the weirdness of 2020, many have told me that they are quite unsure as to how to plan for the future when this year has thrown them for such a loop. Some are delaying planning and almost seem paralyzed in deciding what to do next.
I hope that's not you. If it is... or if you’re a little less motivated in planning for next year because you're a little gun shy in doing so... remember this...
Every year is uncertain. The future is uncertain. That's what's exciting!
We have the opportunity to create how our future is shaped, despite what happens. We're able to navigate through life's challenges and find opportunities in every experience.
Granted this year may have kicked all of us in the pants more than other years. Please don't let that get you down. You can and should make plans for your future and try things that you may not have done before. You could do what I'm doing and revisiting past goals and making improvements of current processes to have a stronger foundation.
In this episode, I share with you three of my plans for the coming year. Listen and find out what my big plans are.
Maybe what I share will spark some ideas of what direction you'd like to go. Maybe it'll spark a sense of accomplishment because you may have already completed similar goals yourself and you're not giving yourself enough credit.
What are your 2021 plans? I'd love to hear from you.
If you're on Instagram drop me a private message. If you want to see how my plans play out next year, sign up and be on my list: scrivenersolutions.com/addme.
You can always respond to the emails I send with any questions or thoughts. I truly want to get to know you better... so let's stay connected.
Additional Resources * Follow me on Instagram: @gscrivener * Be on my list: ScrivenerSolutions.com/addme * Been There Doing That
Teamwork is essential to any business. Whether you have a small or large team, how your team works together as well as how you lead your team has a lot to do with the success of your business.
As a coach, consultant, or small service-based business owner, when it’s time to scale your business, it can be a daunting thought to hire full-time employees. Big questions pop in your mind like:
Can I afford to hire anyone?
Can I fill their workday?
Many of us who choose to work from anywhere and want to scale our businesses will choose to get started with our team-building with a part-time employment relationship, a freelancer, or an independent contractor (or a combination).
When it comes to resources available to help make the part-time employment relationship better and stronger... they are few and far between.
In this week’s podcast, I have a conversation with Linda Guild from Talented Alliance of Part-time Professionals.
Linda is an association executive with over 20 years of experience. She believes in the power of connections. Working with different associations has enabled her to learn about many industries. She is bringing the knowledge of associations to the Talented Alliance of Part-time Professionals, aka TAPP. She believes that those who work part-time, and their companies deserve to have resources which fit their situation so that the individual feels valued.
The Scrivener Solutions team is comprised of primarily part-time employees. There’s a lot of advantages for both the employee and the company to have the flexibility that part-time employment offers. But for as many advantages, there are just as many challenges to overcome.
Linda and I had a lovely conversation about the empty space that TAPP is filling. It’s not just a matter of companies knowing how to best utilize the skills of their part-time employees, but also a fantastic resource for individuals who are or want to be part-time employees.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources Mentioned: * Talented Alliance of Part-time Professionals | TAPP + Website + Instagram | tapponli + Facebook | TAPPonline + Twitter | @TAPPOnline * Linda Guild * Free Effective Communication Mini-Course * TAPP Tips * American Society of Association Executives | ASAE
In a time where, as online solopreneurs, we pressure ourselves to have the highest number of followers, a huge email list, tons of subscribers, there's little emphasis on the importance of ONE.
There’s a tendency to compare ourselves with our online mentors. We see their lists of thousands and hundreds of thousands of followers. The problem with the comparison game is we begin to feel terrible where we’re at in our journey. We overlook the fact that our online mentor has been working at it longer than we have.
The comparison game has us looking at what we don’t have instead of celebrating what we do have.
Listen as I share examples of how focusing on “one” leads to significant growth toward reaching your goals.
Embrace one...
Celebrate one...
Learn from one...
Grow from one...
Don't underestimate the importance of one. And certainly, don't underestimate the importance of each relationship you form. Appreciate and reflect on your collection of “one moments” that created ripples of opportunity in your life.
One has significance.
Additional Resources Mentioned:
The One Thing | Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
Duane Zingale joins me in today’s show. I met Duane several months ago through some mutual colleagues. We immediately connected as we both do similar things for our client. Similar, yet a little different.
We both very much believe in relationship-based marketing and we both tend to get distracted by the cool tech stuff out there to improve processes in our businesses.
I’m a regular listener to his podcast, The Marketing your Movement Show.
Duane’s specialty is funnels and getting the conversation right through automation by still being genuine and intentional. He believes it’s not just about building a funnel for the sake of it. Duane is a digital ad specialist and founder of the digital marketing group Legacy Catalyst.
His Mission with Legacy Catalyst is to get behind more than just a business… but to champion movements that will change the world one life at a time leaving a lasting Legacy. He likes to say when you leave your digital footprint today you start leaving your legacy for tomorrow.
And that’s why he believes starting a movement is the most powerful way to market and monetize your personal brand!
Enjoy!
BLOG/SHOW NOTES: PUBLISH 10/21 5AM LIBSYN; 7AM BLOG
Marketing Your Movement with Duane Zingale
Duane Zingale joins me in today’s show. I met Duane several months ago through some mutual colleagues. We immediately connected as we both do similar things for our client. Similar, yet a little different.
We both very much believe in relationship-based marketing and we both tend to get distracted by the cool tech stuff out there to improve processes in our businesses.
I’m a regular listener to his podcast, The Marketing your Movement Show.
Duane’s specialty is funnels and getting the conversation right through automation by still being genuine and intentional. He believes it’s not just about building a funnel for the sake of it. Duane is a digital ad specialist and founder of the digital marketing group Legacy Catalyst.
His Mission with Legacy Catalyst is to get behind more than just a business… but to champion movements that will change the world one life at a time leaving a lasting Legacy. He likes to say when you leave your digital footprint today you start leaving your legacy for tomorrow.
And that’s why he believes starting a movement is the most powerful way to market and monetize your personal brand!
Enjoy!
BLOG/SHOW NOTES: PUBLISH 10/21 5AM LIBSYN; 7AM BLOG
Marketing Your Movement with Duane Zingale
Duane Zingale joins me in today’s show. I met Duane several months ago through some mutual colleagues. We immediately connected as we both do similar things for our client. Similar, yet a little different.
We both very much believe in relationship-based marketing and we both tend to get distracted by the cool tech stuff out there to improve processes in our businesses.
I’m a regular listener to his podcast, The Marketing your Movement Show.
Duane’s specialty is funnels and getting the conversation right through automation by still being genuine and intentional. He believes it’s not just about building a funnel for the sake of it. Duane is a digital ad specialist and founder of the digital marketing group Legacy Catalyst.
His Mission with Legacy Catalyst is to get behind more than just a business… but to champion movements that will change the world one life at a time leaving a lasting Legacy. He likes to say when you leave your digital footprint today you start leaving your legacy for tomorrow.
And that’s why he believes starting a movement is the most powerful way to market and monetize your personal brand!
Enjoy!
Resources Mentioned:
If you listened to episode 126, you would have heard that Robert and I were going to check off our bucket lists bicycling across the state of Missouri on the Katy Trail. The Katy is the longest of all the rails to trails paths in the U.S. with approximately 237 miles of continuous trail.
We made it! The adventure was truly a test of our endurance. Our adventure had its fair share of obstacles, but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits.
Now that we’ve finished our journey, other life obstacles don’t seem so bad.
Listen as I share three lessons I learned from cycling 308 miles on Missouri trails.
What has been on your bucket list that you finally took the plunge to accomplish? Big or small...I’d love to hear from you. Hop over to Instagram and leave a private message. Or, if you’d rather, drop me an email at podcast@gaylascrivener.com
Additional Resources Mentioned:
When you think of branding your company, the first things we think of are logos, colors, basically how customers identify us in the marketplace.
As today’s guest Skot Waldron explains, branding goes much deeper than logos and colors. Skot believes that your brand starts within your organization. He shares that you must a healthy inside culture in order to truly be effective and grow your client base.
For the past 18 years, Skot’s work for clients such as J.P. Morgan Chase, CDC, Georgia Tech, Royal Caribbean, Sesame Workshop, The Home Depot, and The Coca-Cola Company has included national and international employer brand development as well as company culture programs. His focus is on helping people and businesses learn how to communicate more effectively.
In addition to running his own agency, Skot has been teaching brand development at the Miami Ad School in Atlanta. He has also traveled to different cities in the U.S. to conduct communication training and speaks about how the idea of branding pertains to us as individuals, teams, families, and businesses.
Connect with Skot Waldron:
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Resources Mentioned: * Free access to GiANT * Seth Godin’s Books * David C. Baker|The Business of Expertise: How Entrepreneurial Experts Convert Insight to Impact + Wealth * Mike Michalowicz’s Books
Today is a quick show. It doesn't have anything to do with business building. Instead, I'm sharing a little adventure my husband, Robert, and I are about to have.
It's a trip that has been on my bucket list for many, many years. Although I'm nervous and am tempted to cancel, we're going to do it!
It's the unknowns and the uncertainty that makes life adventurous.
I figure there's always doubts and unknowns in anything we do. We need to push through our fears. Every time we do, we'll experience a wonderful adventure.
Listen to find out what challenging adventure we're about to tackle.
Genesis Eakes joins me on today’s show. As the Founder and President of Genesis Eakes International, she believes that businesses exist to solve the world’s greatest problems. The most audacious goals can be accomplished when each member of an organization is passionate, productive, creative, cooperative when the wide diversity of gifts,talents, and dreams of the team are being expressed and realized.
A highly sought-after executive mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide, Genesis is well versed in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high-performance team building, and training to her work.
Trained and mentored by Dr. John C. Maxwell, the number one leadership expert in the world, she is equipped with the tools, resources, and experience to help business leaders and their teams improve productivity, performance, and profitability.
We learn from Genesis that leadership isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. Because no one has done something of significance by themselves, it’s important to always be learning on how to become a better leader and grow leaders within our organization.
Additional Resources Mentioned:
Making a plan for your business on an annual basis is absolutely a good idea. In this episode, learn how being a participant in a business planning session has me questioning everything I do in my business.
Maybe what I learned in this planning retreat could help you question everything to stimulate growth.
This episode was dedicated to Jen. Thanks to you...I continue to be inspired, motivated, and stretched to grow.
For most entrepreneurs, when asked why they want to be in business for themselves, the word freedom usually is at the top of the list. Although the definition of freedom means different things to different people, it's that strong desire to achieve freedom that seems to drive most entrepreneurs.
But being an entrepreneur is hard work and, at times, it doesn't feel like you have much freedom. There are many occasions where you may feel drained of time, energy, and money. Even overwhelmed with the whole process.
Then, something significant happens.
Something happens that jerks you out of the day-to-day grind of your business. An event that will reveal that all the hard work you're doing is worth it.
That's what happened to me just a few short days ago. Listen to this episode as I share what made me drop everything in an instant and drive a 12-hour overnight car ride.
When something like this happens, I realize that it's times like these that I really appreciate the hard work in starting a business that I love, working with clients I adore, and creating a lifestyle where I have the freedom to enjoy life on my own terms.
At first, being a business owner doesn't feel like there's much freedom at all. It seems like you're working 24/7 with little to show for it. Especially if you're used to working for someone else, your mindset is in the place of trading dollars for time. And when you're in that mindset, you tend to calculate how many hours you're working compared to what income is coming in...it can be disheartening.
That's why, little by little, you create systems. Systems that for the short-term may be hard and time-consuming to implement, but over time the collection of little systems evolves into bigger systems and then even bigger systems. Soon, things start to get easier. Soon freedom peeks through.
Creating systems is a mixture of thinking about what you're doing right now and forward-thinking about how things should be in the future. And it all happens with one system at a time.
What's your "why"? What's your primary driver that keeps you going when things in your business may be hard?
If you're feeling overwhelmed because you're pushing yourself...
Who am I kidding? All of us who are entrepreneurs are always pushing ourselves to do more and achieve more. It's time to step back and take a breath and truly appreciate your reason why you're creating your lifestyle you want.
Thanks for listening. Until next time...have a fantastic week.
In today’s episode, I interview Thinking Big Coaching’s Sean Osborn.
Sean Osborn is a coach and mindset strategist who specializes in getting people to their next level. He has spent more than 30 years developing his philosophy of Thinking Big.
You’ll learn what defining moment in his life changed him from being homeless and stuck to starting a multimillion-dollar tech company and managing high-level teams for some of the largest companies in the county.
Two of my biggest takeaways from our conversation were:
“If you’re not happy, it’s because you’re not making a decision you need to make.”
“People overestimate what they can do in a year and they completely underestimate what they can do in a decade.”
Learn when Imposter Syndrome rears its ugly head and what you can do about it.
Enjoy!
Resources Mentioned: * FREE 7-Day Think and Grow Rich Challenge! | August 17th – 24th 2020 * Sean Osborn + Website + Instagram + Facebook + Podcast
If you were to tell me ten years ago that I'd have a career in marketing, I would have thought you were crazy!
In this episode, I share a little story about this reluctant and apprehensive marketer who had transitioned into becoming an owner of a content marketing agency.
The very word “marketing” conjured up negative feelings in the pit of my stomach. But when I made the decision to leave corporate life forever and start my own business, I knew that marketing was a necessary evil.
My perception of what marketing is was so closed-minded back then. Fast forward to today, a little over 8 years after I opened my business, and marketing has turned into a career.
Listen and you’ll learn what triggered my mindset shift and transition into loving the art and community of marketing.
Once I realized that you could set up systems to allow people to get to know you and your expertise, grow an audience, and build relationships...selling wasn’t “sleazy” at all! It's a natural transition into helping those who need and want your help.
What a joy it is to help clients amplify their message to realize their goals.
Enjoy!
Resources Mentioned: * Ray Edwards + How to Write Copy That Sells: The Step-By-Step System for More Sales, to More Customers, More Often * Mike Kim + BrandYou Podcast + CopyProof + BrandYou Bootcamp * Seth Godin + This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See * Podcast | #120 – How to Tap into the Magic of Repurposing Content * Podcast | #114 – Big Changes Revealed
This episode focuses on how to tap into the magic of repurposing your content.
Not everyone digests content in the same way. Much of the time, one piece of content will lead to another, then another. When you tap into the magic of repurposing, you’re able to add value to your followers and make new connections.
Everyone’s specific strategy would be a bit different, but perhaps these examples I go over in this podcast episode will spark some ideas that you’ll want to try and implement.
A brief overview of the ideas:
Resources Mentioned: * Canva * Headliner App * Buffer * Hootsuite * AirTable * #116 – Super Simple Strategy to Start a Solid Foundation of Consistent Content * Super Simple Strategy to Jumpstart Consistent Content Creation Checklist
Many live events have been or are going to be moved online because of the challenges sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. The event coordinators of these events are working hard to make your online experience one that is valuable and worthy of your time and money, just as they would if they were holding a live event.
The biggest challenge in hosting an online event is gaining the participants' attention.
If you aren't able to meet face-to-face for your favorite events, does that mean they are less valuable? Absolutely not.
Why do you go to an event in the first place?
You will grow both personally or professionally. It's up to you on how you make the most of the event whether it is a live or an online event.
Online events do pose a particular challenge.
To help with your online experience, this episode outlines five ways you can make the most of attending online events.
Here’s an overview:
Listen to the full episode for ideas as I elaborate on each of the five ways you can make the most of attending online events.
In today’s episode, I interview Success Coach, Mastermind Leader, and the creator of the Business Success Academy, Missy Martin.
Missy helps business owners create a personal and profitable business by tapping into their strengths and personality. Missy believes that the more YOU that you can put in your business, the better the service and connection you can create.
Missy is a mother, wife, and a 19-year military veteran. She loves reading, watching movies (popcorn is a must), and has figured out how to be an introvert and nerd while still being comfortable speaking to groups and networking with other business owners.
Her superpower is motivating and coaching business owners to take action to achieve the success they dream about.
I can't wait for you to meet Missy...let's dive right into the interview.
Resources Mentioned:
Social media is an important piece of your overall marketing strategy because it's a means of communicating with individuals.
Since social media is personal and a way to build connections, are you cheating if you have others write and publish our social posts on your behalf?
Absolutely not!
Creating your personal brand and offering services through a brand that is unmistakably you...unmistakably personal...doesn't mean you do it alone.
Sure, at first, you may be doing all things yourself, but when you make the transition of treating your personal brand as a business and not a job, you will begin building your team.
You build your team so that you can scale and get help in areas where you fall short. Whether it's falling short on time or skill set, your team helps fill in the gaps and makes your personal brand stronger.
In this episode, I share five solutions that I found that works when it comes to delegating social media management and remain genuine.
My hope is that you can take away these ideas to help you when you're ready to look for someone to help you with your social posts.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the pressure of creating consistent content and struggle to get it all done?
All the online influencers are content producing machines! They are everywhere and doing everything! Video, podcasting, blogs, and on every social platform imaginable.
First of all, stop comparing yourself to those big online influencers. They've worked up to where they are today and have teams of people.
Stop comparing yourself to them and feeling like your efforts are falling short.
Where are you at right now in your business? Is it just you? Are you doing everything and haven't built your team yet?
Well...give yourself some grace. You don't have to be in all places and do all things.
Let go a bit and commit to doing one thing, one strategy to lay the groundwork and gain confidence in your content creation quest.
You do need to be consistent, but you don't have to do all and be everywhere. If you aren't consistent with one content publishing strategy first and get into the habit of it, then you don't have much of a foundation to grow on.
In this podcast episode, I outline a super simple strategy that will get you on the right track in strengthening your platform's foundation.
WARNING!!!
Don’t be fooled about how simple this strategy is. Don’t discount the fact that since it’s so simple that it’s not effective.
It IS effective!
…especially if you continually struggle in consistently publishing your content.
Listen to this week’s podcast and learn the super simple strategy to start a solid foundation of consistent content.
Resources Mentioned:
Merrill Stewart is the CEO of Marketing & Business Solutions and brings her experience in marketing and communications for both the for-profit and non-profit sectors.
Merrill’s experience includes over 10 years in non-profit fundraising and support including roles as Director of Development for a 120-year-old child-and family-centered non-profit in Tampa, raising $2 million in support each year in addition to the implementation of annual fundraising initiatives, social media strategy, fundraising strategy planning, marketing, communications, grant writing, major gift solicitation, community and volunteer support.
In today’s episode we discuss Merrill’s journey as she discovered that a physical therapy career wasn’t for her and how she made a bold move in landing her first intern job that set in motion her marketing and consulting career. Learn how she was told that she chose the wrong double major, and how that made her even more determined to achieve her goals.
See why Merrill turns away countless corporate jobs in lieu of staying on her entrepreneurial path.
Best quote from the episode:
“You cannot be both efficient and successful with your feet on both sides of the door.”
Resources Mentioned:
Last week, I promised a BIG announcement. I was brimming with excitement as I wanted to unveil this news at the same time our new website was published.
But alas, a technical snafu happened to the website, delaying the upgrade.
That's OK! I didn't want a little snag with tech stop me from telling you this big news!
You know me and my Scrivener Solutions team as virtual assistants. No more. As of today, we are no longer virtual assistants.
Scrivener Solutions is a Content Marketing Agency. We serve coaches, consultants, and solopreneurs implementing their content marketing plan.
Why the change?
Sure, we still work virtually. But our company has evolved over the last eight years. We went from doing general administrative duties to focusing exclusively on content marketing.
Keeping the term "virtual assistant" caused confusion.
Scrivener Solutions has never been a staffing agency, however, many thought we were. The company isn't a VA matchmaking service. Instead, Scrivener Solutions was set up to be our client's back office so they didn't have to manage many individuals.
Over time, our clients became to depend on us to develop systems to get their work done. They were not only saving time and headache in managing every detail of staffing many individuals, but they also save time by tapping into our experience and systems.
Still...I clung to the word "virtual assistant." In this episode, I'll clue you in as to why I clung onto the past so hard and why I finally let go and describe our new direction.
It starts with a whole new look. Here's our new logo! A radical change from the past.
The gears represent pieces in a content marketing system (i.e. social, website, landing pages, webinars, podcasts, etc). Each piece needs to work together for a smooth-running system.
A brand and a company aren't just about a logo. You'll notice other changes in our messaging to be more aligned with how we serve our clients. We're all about developing and implementing content marketing systems.
From our social profiles to our website, you'll be seeing the transition over the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to drop me a note at info@scrivenersolutions.com
To really accomplish more, it's important to plan ahead and then implement your plan to create a routine.
When it comes to content marketing, planning your messages and then scheduling them into the future certainly leverages your time. When you batch common tasks, for example, devote the planning and scheduling of your social media posts to a short block of time, once a week, you're free to do your many other tasks during the rest of the week.
Planning and scheduling are good, however, you always need to be aware and alert to current events and be nimble in adapting your messages should you need to. In recent months and weeks, some major events have happened in our country and our communities.
To go forward with your scheduled messages, whether it be on social, in emails, landing pages, sales copy...and not be sensitive to what's going on with major events, may not be the right thing for you or your brand.
“Begin with the end in mind.”-Habit 2 | Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
I’m often asked when a good time is to start creating a team. My initial response is to always be thinking ahead. Envision how you want your business to operate.
This week’s podcast episode goes over three methods of getting everything done.
Most likely, in creating your dream team to grow and scale your business, you’ll incorporate two or all of the above choices.
It’s a balancing act of investment of time and resources.
What is your takeaway from the episode? Drop me a note at podcast@gaylascrivener.com.
Now, more than ever, you need to grow your personal brand. If you want to stand out from your competition in your niche, attract new clients, and build a thriving business, it’s important to create a powerful, thriving personal brand.
Your personal brand is one of your biggest assets when it comes to building your business online. Your personal brand can take your business to places you never thought possible.
Unfortunately, most business owners don’t know how to build a personal brand. They feel fuzzy on exactly what steps to take and what’s involved in creating a brand around themselves.
First things first. Let me be clear here…
A personal brand is much more than a flashy logo or a color palette. A personal brand goes far beyond having a nice-looking business card. A personal brand is not just about having a website with your name on it, although that’s certainly part of it.
A personal brand is much bigger and all-encompassing. It’s about who you are and what you do.
Your personal brand is how you present yourself, both online and offline, to your ideal audience.
Your personal brand is the image you put forth. It’s what you stand for. Your values. What you’re all about. The core of who you are as a person. Your personal brand is your secret sauce – the thing that sets you apart from everyone else. It’s what makes you unique. It’s about what you bring to the table, the value that you offer. It involves the specific ways that you solve people’s deepest pain points and biggest frustrations.
People are already talking about you online. You have the means and opportunity to be in control of the process.
You do this by starting and committing to your core piece of consistent content. Ask yourself—
Am I a blogger?
Am I a podcaster?
Or…
Is video your thing?
Choose one. Commit to it. Commit to a consistent schedule. Once a week is best. If that’s too intimidating, publish no less than monthly.
It will be uncomfortable at first. It will feel weird. It won’t be perfect. But your core piece of content whether blog, podcast, or video is the center of everything making all other content easier to produce. The collection of your content (your messages to your followers) create and build relationships and shapes your personal brand.
Enjoy!
I’d love to hear from you. Email me at podcast@gaylascrivener.com. Send me the link to your core piece of consistent content. If you haven’t started, email me what you’d like to start.
We all want more freedom, right?
Have financial freedom. Have more time to be free to do whatever you want, whenever you want.
Freedom is a beautiful thing.
I used to sit in my corporate job wishing for more freedom. Then one day, I made the decision that completely changed my lifestyle and my outlook on life. I wanted to experience nomadic travel and earn the freedom that a work from anywhere philosophy could achieve.
I figured out that there’s a simple formula to earning freedom.
Planning + Implementation = Freedom
This episode goes over this simple formula and how implementing your plans systematically will result in the freedom you seek. But beware. If you think you can do everything yourself and don’t create a team to lighten the load of the work involved in growing your business, you’ll remain shackled to your business. Freedom will always feel out of reach.
Of course, there’s hard work, risk, and some sacrifice when it comes to earning freedom.
For me, what freedom means is the ability to travel a nomadic lifestyle for large spans of time. I want to be available to help care for my aging parents when they need me the most. And best of all, be available to have special time with my grandson (arriving this August!).
Systematically planning plus implementing those plans, I’ve gained more and more freedom and getting closer to my vision of freedom.
I hope you enjoy this episode.
Email me at podcast@gaylascrivener.com. Tell me your vision of what freedom means to you.
What does it mean to have a relationship personal trainer? This week’s show will explain it all!
In this episode, Dr. Michelle Deering joins me as we not only discuss the relationship between mothers and daughters but also how she transitioned from employee to entrepreneur.
Dr. Deering is a North Carolina & New Jersey state-licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified sport psychologist. She has guest blogged for Parent Magazine, is a contributing writer for Therapy Brands, & has been a featured guest on numerous podcasts, radio shows, and online magazines.
A graduate of Brown University, Dr. Deering is the founder and CEO of Curative Connections, a consulting company offering mother-daughter relationship consultation and motivational/keynote speaking services.
Michelle and her husband, Scott, compete in Reebok Spartan obstacle course races. She is also a drummer and curler. Married 27 years, Michelle and Scott are the parents of young adult twin daughters.
Even if you’re not a mom or a daughter, you’ll find this episode inspiring! You’ll learn how Dr. Deering made the transition from full-time employment in an atmosphere that stifled her into entrepreneurship and creating a lifestyle and career as she follows her passion.
Additional Resources:
Have you ever taken a course and didn’t complete it? It’s nothing to feel bad or ashamed about. It’s happened to many of us.
The element that’s missing when you purchase a course is also making the investment in implementation. It’s not enough to watch the videos and show up for the live coaching. You must make the investment to implement what you’ve learned.
Why do most people fail to complete the course they’ve purchased?
Overwhelm sets in. Their mindset is wrapped around how they can get everything done that they are learning in the modules.
Here’s the secret…
You don’t have to be the one to do all the steps. You’ve already made the investment in the knowledge, make the investment to get the help you need to follow-through on the implementation.
Join me every Wednesday at 4pm Central for Weekly Wednesday “We-Treat”
Grab your favorite treat or beverage (or both!), get your computer, tablet or phone, park it in a comfy chair and log into the Zoom round-table discussion.
It's a place to share ideas, inspire, lift-up, and support each other for a bright future.
Get the Zoom link by clicking here.
"Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.”– Harry S Truman
Your life may be turned upside-down and inside-out with current events. You may be moving into uncharted territory. Don’t let that deter you in creating a bright future for yourself.
Things are just different now. How are you using your time? Are you waiting for things to go back exactly how they were?
Maybe you don’t want things to go back exactly like they were. I don’t. Hopefully, we all will have learned and grown from the experience.
Just because you may be unsure of yourself, or don’t know exactly where to start, taking imperfect action now is more important than ever.
Do these three things to jumpstart your action:
1) If you've purchased a course in the past and haven't finished, check to see if you have lifetime access. If so, go through the course now. You've already paid for the course(s), why not get more out of your investment and implement what you’ll learn?
2) Sign up for Mike Kim's Brand You Bootcamp. His three FREE videos are well worth your time. If you decide to invest more in learning more from Mike, all I can say, it's certainly the best investment I've made.
3) Join me for my Weekly We-treat Wednesdays. A time set aside for you to retreat from your routine and concentrate on YOU. Learn from others, be inspired, keep your momentum going, and hold yourself accountable to act.
Acting on these three FREE items will help you create a bright new future.
Additional Resources:
Even though there’s a lot of worry and uncertainty in current events and each one of us is affected, I'm seeing so much good and positive growth from many.
Even though we’re supposed to remain distant, communities are coming together and becoming closer, through virtual means. I'm inspired by the innovativeness, the bravery, and lighthearted ways to get through such a tough time.
Maybe more people are thinking outside of the constraints of the box they’ve set for themselves because they’ve been pushed into a corner to act. Maybe it's because now, there’s the feeling that there’s nothing to lose.
Whatever the reason, I’m witnessing more and more people blazing into new territory and growing their businesses.
And Personal Organizer, Theresa Volesky, isn't any different. She has totally impressed me on how she's making a path for herself.
Theresa has technophobia. The definition of a technophobe is a person who fears, dislikes, or avoids new technology.
She doesn’t like technology and feels inadequate when it comes to anything tech. Things have changed!
I received this text from Theresa:
Hi Gayla, just finished with my first 4 hour zoom session. Booked the next session. Hot Damn! I'm now officially a Virtual Organizer! Time to Celebrate!!
How does someone who avoided anything tech suddenly becomes a Virtual Organizer?
Theresa is very smart and determined. Her determination to not letting her business fold because of quarantine status is amazing!
This week’s episode, you can listen in on my conversation with Theresa as she shares her BIG wins in transitioning from fear of tech to embracing it. Her excitement and feeling of accomplishment are inspiring. She no longer is tiptoeing around technology; she’s facing it head-on and creating opportunities for herself and those she serves.
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
– Helen Keller
Additional Resources:
Join me every Wednesday at 4 pm Central for Weekly Wednesday “We-Treat”
Grab your favorite treat or beverage (or both!), get your computer, tablet or phone, park it in a comfy chair and log into the Zoom round-table discussion.
It's a place to share ideas, inspire, lift-up, and support each other for a bright future.
Get the Zoom link by clicking here.
What's on your mind at this very moment with all this stuff going on right now?
There’s no doubt about it, we are collectively going through something that none of us has ever experienced. There's a lot of uncertainty...and it’s scary for many.
I'm sad about seeing businesses close. I'm sad to see people losing their jobs.
It's hard to find direction in a time of uncertainty.
In this week’s podcast, I share my experience of the major uncertainty of my life when I left the corporate world into creating my own online business. At the time, I thought I was all alone.
Life is full of uncertainty. The difference now as opposed to what I experienced in the past, is that everyone all at once is experiencing uncertainty all at once. ALL of us are affected. Life’s uncertainty is amplified.
I believe that we are given the gift to take time to pause and figure out what's really important in our life. I've always believed that we can create a lifestyle that we want. We will get through this and I believe that on the other side of this uncertainty, life will not be exactly the same.
We will have learned new things, gained a better perspective and grown from the experience.
Listen as I share a few stories of seeing opportunity and finding direction in a time of uncertainty.
Join me every Wednesday at 4pm Central for Weekly Wednesday “We-Treat”
Grab your favorite treat or beverage (or both!), get your computer, tablet or phone, park it in a comfy chair and log into the Zoom round-table discussion.
It's a place to share ideas, inspire, lift-up, and support each other for a bright future.
Get the Zoom link by clicking here.
Several weeks ago, before the news broke in the spread of the Coronavirus, I had a wonderful conversation with Marshall Townsend. Marshall is a leadership coach, speaker, and consultant from Boise, Idaho. He's been coaching leaders for over 20 years in a variety of capacities.
I met Marshall through participating in programs facilitated by our mutual mentor, Mike Kim.
I contemplated whether I would share the interview this week or not because of all the stuff going on in the news. After listening to the recording again, I knew this was the perfect time to share and introduce you to Marshall.
In the interview, Marshall shares what it means to Mark Your Ball. He illustrates the analogy between living life on the driving range vs. out on the course.
When I listened to my and Marshall's conversation again, I realized that his message is more relevant than ever!
You see, many of us play it safe and stay on the driving range, not taking the risks of what's out there on the course. Today's events are making many of us move from the comfort of the driving range right onto the uncertainty of the course...and most likely, not by our choice.
Even if you aren't an avid golf player, you'll relate to Marshall's message. I don't even play golf and know little about the game, yet his message really hit home.
I do hope you enjoy our conversation.
Enjoy as Marshall Townsend tells us what it means to Mark Your Ball and how to navigate the course outside your comfort zone.
Resources Mentioned:
With what’s going on in the world right now, many challenged with workplace disruptions.
Employers who had never considered a remote work situation for their employees are now giving it a second thought. Employees, who once thought to work from home would be a dream come true are facing their own challenges.
Uncertainty generates anxiety and tension. Transitioning to a remote work model takes a bit of time and patience to get the bugs worked out.
The Scrivener Solutions team had a roundtable discussion at our last team meeting. In this week’s podcast, I share our conversation.
Our discussion included the challenges and advantages involved with remote work, both from the perspective of the employee and the employer. Each angle has very real concerns and responsibilities.
We share many of our experiences, like setting boundaries, alleviating distractions, technology issues, communication challenges, and family-time juggling.
We hope you find the episode helpful as you listen in as we pull back the Scrivener Solutions curtain.
Resources Mentioned:
We mentioned this short list of the wide selection tools and resources available to help achieve remote work.
When most people first start looking to outsource and begin their search for hiring a virtual assistant, they usually seek someone who can do absolutely everything.
Any task you throw their way, they’re able to perform with ease and efficiency. From managing your calendar, fielding support calls, writing your blog posts, to doing a complete redesign of your website. Everything with ease and efficiency. One person who seems to have superpowers and can even read your mind.
I can appreciate that dream. After all, it’s much easier to manage one person versus several people. You only have one point of contact, one personality to get used to, one person to train. I, too, have wished for such a super VA.
However, that type of utopia doesn’t exist.
In this episode, I cover different types of VAs and how you should hire to fill roles in your business.
Here’s an example list of job titles of roles you may need to fill. These are the folks who work virtually but don’t necessarily officially call themselves virtual assistants.
Individuals in one or more of these job titles may have skills and expertise that cross over to another job title. You’ll decide who on your team has the best skill set to do what you need done.
Other considerations outlined in the episode:
Whether you choose a freelancer or a firm, foreign or domestic, there's not a wrong or right answer. It's just a different answer.
Not everyone's preferences are the same. You should find the right scenario, the right individuals for you.
Finding the right people to add to your team entails conversations and trial and error. Start, nurture, and grow each relationship. Learn from each experience.
Your team will most likely consist of a combination of many freelancers or a combination of freelancers and firms.
Be aware of the different options you have available and go into the relationships informed.
Be sure to grab your copy of the 5 Things You Must Know Before Hiring a Virtual Assistant.
I hope you enjoy the episode. Until next time, have a fantastic week.
Additional Resources:
The very moment you decide to be your own boss and create your own business, you become a leader. You’re a leader before you even begin hiring anyone to help you with your business operations.
Like most coaches, consultants, or speaker you, more than likely, start doing everything yourself. Literally EVERYTHING.
You’ll roll up your sleeves and either learn the most important tasks or learn enough to make do until the time comes you can hire someone to help.
But soon you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with not having enough time in the day to do everything and desperate to find relief and FAST!
When your overwhelmed and desperate is not the best time to begin your search for the ideal virtual assistant to start your dream team.
A quick breakdown as to how:
When the time comes, you’ll already have an idea of who or where to look for your first team member. You’ll already have a connection.
I hope you enjoy the episode. Until next time, have a fantastic week.
Additional Resources:
You’ve most certainly have heard the saying, “Only do what you love and delegate the rest.” It’s supposed to be a saying to inspire you to be successful in your business.
You would think that me, being an owner of a virtual assistant company, would be wholeheartedly supportive of that statement. After all, I’m a proponent of delegating and in order for you to be successful, you should delegate the stuff you don’t like, right?
Wrong!
I believe that doing what you love and delegating the rest will lead you to success is a myth.
In order to grow as a person and as an entrepreneur, there will be times you’ll have to do things you don’t necessarily love. It’s a part of being responsible for your business.
There will also be times when it’s in your best interest to delegate tasks that you do love, and you find joy in. This will allow you to find time in your schedule to do other tasks that no one else can do.
“Do what you love and delegate the rest.” Myth.
What you're really doing when you delegate is leveraging your time so that you may accomplish more. You will shift your focus on working in your business to working on your business.
Seven years ago, I created a virtual assistant business where I could work behind the scenes helping online entrepreneurs leverage their time, earn more money, and scale their companies. Over time, my VA business has become a true team effort where the Scrivener Solutions team really make the magic of time leveraging happen for our clients.
My role has shifted where nowadays I'm helping in a different way. Although I serve as the project manager for Scrivener Solutions clients, I find myself coaching solopreneurs and helping them to develop and implement strategies and create systems in their businesses to achieve their big goals. You could sum it up as: I teach how to lead a virtual team.
There will be times where the right things to delegate may be some of the things you love so that you may have the time to do the important things that you may not necessarily love but only you can do.
It’s time to work ON your business and not IN your business.
What are your thoughts?
“Do what you love and delegate the rest.” Myth or fact?
I’d love to hear what you think. Drop me a note by emailing me.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources:
In this week’s show, I'm pleased to bring back Brandy Van Riessen. Brandy is the mother of three wonderful children, the wife of a college basketball coach, works as a virtual assistant for Scrivener Solutions, and is growing her own online business.
In episode #78, Brandy shared how she was able to create her dream job. This time she shares how her dream job is evolving into her very own dream business.
Brandy recently launched her personal brand. She had already started growing OliviaMaeFurnishings.com for future passive income selling printables and apparel and now she’s launched BrandyVanRiessen.com.
Brandy had already transitioned from working a traditional day job into working remotely for Scrivener Solutions. With her schedule jammed packed full of raising her kids, managing her household, and working her remote job, she still finds the time lay the foundation of her own personal brand.
Brandy isn’t waiting until a magical "someday when I have time" stage of her life to start. She's making the time now in her already busy schedule and growing a little at a time. She understands the importance of laying a foundation and systems now. As her children grow, so too will her business.
There’s a great lesson for all of us, no matter our season of life. You will make the time to learn and do what you truly enjoy. Do it a little bit at a time. You’ll see incremental growth and steadily laying the groundwork to take the leap into your next move.
Enjoy!
Additional Resources:
You’re not alone if filling your content calendar with social media posts is a daunting task.
When it comes to thinking about what to post, it’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed by the whole process. Sometimes it may feel like you have writer's block.
In today's show, I'm going to go over a few social media post ideas to spark your creativity and inspiration for your posts.
The main thing to remember is to keep it simple and don't complicate things.
If you’re unclear as to what to say, just becoming consistent and making it a habit of posting helps you achieve clarity. Download 48 Social Media Post Ideas, and over time, just by the act of getting used to posting and communicating on social media, you'll be able to understand and better know how you can effectively help your current customers and how you’ll attract new ones.
In this episode, I highlight twelve of the 48 post ideas.
For the rest of the list, download 48 Social Media Post Ideas.
Use it as a checklist and you could have 48 different social posts. Posting one a day, you’ll have enough on your content calendar for almost two months. Then, just start from the top of the list again.
Additional Resources:
We all have a mindset, or an established set of attitudes, about practically everything. Big or small.
Today’s show revolves around forming the right mindset when it comes to social media marketing and using it as a tool in growing your business.
It’s been my experience, through conversations with many individuals, that most fall within these three simple categories:
1) HATE it!
They don't want to be on any social platform. They feel it's a time sucker. They don't even want to have a social account but feel like they must have an account for their business, yet don’t know how to wrap their head around using it in their marketing plan.
2) LOVE it!
Social media is one of the core sources to stay in contact with friends and family. They use their favorite social platforms as a primary source of entertainment and news. Their phone is almost an extension of them as they’re continually checking their social accounts, numerous times a day.
3) OVERWHELMED!
Their opinion of whether they hate or love social media is indifferent. Many times, they understand that social media can be used in small business marketing. However, they’re either challenged by tech to be active on it or are just too plain busy to get their head around using it in their marketing plan.
There’s a lot of hype and undo stress when it comes to social media marketing.
In today’s show, I share simple tactics in framing your mindset around social media to be an effective communication tool in growing your business online.
By creating a system of consistency when it comes to your social posts, you’ll be on your way in developing a process where you will:
Enjoy!
Additional Resources:
Jennifer Filla, founder of Aspire Research Group and Prospect Research Institute joins me in this episode as she shares how she made her transition from her corporate job to becoming a solopreneur.
Jen felt stifled by her corporate job and knew she wanted to create a career and business for herself to fit a lifestyle she where she could travel, work remotely, and have the freedom of being more in control of her time.
In 2007, Jen took the leap right in the middle of the pool, as she puts it. Although she doesn’t necessarily recommend such an abrupt change, she felt she was at a point in her life where she could take a few more risks.
Jen was one of my first virtual assistant clients. Over the years, I’ve learned so much from her. With every conversation, I learn. I receive better insight, perspective, and clarity for my business…and today’s interview is without exception.
I know you’ll enjoy the conversation just as much as I did as Jen shares her experience and journey in leaving the traditional 9-5 in lieu of pursuing a business of her very own where she could and does work from anywhere in the world.
Additional Resources:
When you start and grow your personal brand...doesn't that mean you do everything?
After all, it's personal, you need to have your hands in everything and know how to do everything, right?
Intuitively...you may think so. But growing your personal brand isn't any different when it comes to recognizing the importance of seeing your brand as a business. Like any small business, you need to create systems and processes in order to incorporate efficiencies and set you up to scale.
When you listen to this week’s episode, you’ll see how I fell into the “it’s my personal brand, I better do everything” trap. Hear how I was shaken out of this mindset after a conversation with Brandy from my team.
For all practical purposes, when you first begin your personal brand or even any small service-based business, you aren't in the position of hiring anyone. You turn to Google to search what you need to do. There's nothing wrong with that. Everything you need to know to start and grow your online business is out there for free with a Google search.
You can start out that way. But to leverage your time, you will begin to save up and invest in training and coaching to accelerate your learning curve.
You begin to invest in seminars and conferences to be surrounded by like-minded individuals, to learn from each other, and to be inspired and motivated to keep going.
You invest to hire your first virtual assistant to help you fill in the gaps of doing the tasks that are repetitive so you stay focused on your message and your followers and clients.
I think it's important to learn enough about systems or the tech tools out there and available to help you be more efficient. By learning the basics of at a minimum their capabilities and most likely going through the motions of using the tool, like MailChimp, WordPress, or ClickFunnels, you can better plan, strategize, and delegate.
You should be in control over what strategies you want to implement and how you want your brand to be represented. If you're lost as what to do, that's ok to get help.
Coaching and online courses are a great investment to accelerate your progress and understanding of the particular struggles you’re having. It is up to you to implement what you’ve learned and had the dedication to follow-through with the investment of time and money involved. Without follow through of implementation, nothing changes.
Additional Resources:
When building your personal brand, my recommendation for your core piece of content where all other content draws from is either podcast or video production.
However, if you’re just getting started producing a podcast or publishing consistent videos may seem like too big of a mountain to conquer.
In this podcast episode, I share other ideas for you to consider for our core piece of content even if you don't have a website yet.
Listen as I give examples about:
I'm not suggesting that you do ALL the things I've listed...pick one.
Whatever you pick to be your core piece of consistent content will not be the wrong answer. The important thing is that you’re creating the habit of publishing the content. You’ll get into the mindset of the importance of consistency.
Although you won’t see an immediate return, you will begin connecting with your followers and gain more followers. You’ll learn how you can best serve your followers. Over time you'll be able to build on your processes, your messages will get clearer and better, you will become more confident and at ease, you will grow your personal brand...your online business.
Are you ALL IN for the long-term growth of your business, your personal brand? Or are you just tinkering? What is your core piece of content?
Additional Resources:
Today's show is about tiny habits that end up making a big impact on our life.
You've set your goals for this year. The year is still fresh, and you have the enthusiasm and drive to achieve all your goals.
Then again, we're a week into the new year and maybe you haven't started yet.
Creating a strategy for the coming year goes hand in hand with setting your goals. The little details, the new habits you form will lead you forward in achieving your goals.
You set goals because you want to get to a different place in your life or get something that you don't currently have.
Whether it's a tangible thing...like buying a new car, or a new home, or earning a certain dollar amount. Or something not so tangible like more energy, better and more meaningful relationships with family and friends.
You can't reach any of those goals without making a change in your current situation. And it doesn't have to be big drastic changes either.
Read this book: Atomic Habits by James Clear.
He explains that little changes in a habit, over time, will make a huge impact on your life. If you find it hard to stick with a new habit, it isn't that something’s wrong with you, it's a matter of a flaw in your systems.
You need to create and adjust your systems for good habits to form. He gives great ideas of creating strategies to implement tiny habits that will help achieve your goals.
In this podcast episode, I share a few of my atomic habits in my personal health journey. I even share something I hate doing, but come this spring, will implement a new atomic habit.
Learn how implementing little atomic habits in your business will lead to long-term growth. Your habits are your foundation. You’ll want a good, strong foundation.
What’s your new atomic habit that you are going to or have started?
Email me at podcast@gaylsscrivener.com and share your little habit. Sharing with someone else makes the commitment more real and solid.
Additional Resources:
If you’re anything like me, goal setting brings mixed feelings. There are a lot of good goal-setting frameworks out there, but they’re also easy to get tired of.
One of the things I’ve done in recent years to set better goals is to write down my one-year goals and then rank them and concentrate on the top big three. I've made the mistake in the past trying to set too many goals and to be completed in unreasonable timeframes.
I believe we should have time parameters to help us move toward our target. However, we shouldn't beat ourselves up if the goal isn't achieved on our exact timeline.
Goals without a timeline are simply dreams.
Deadlines put fuel in the fire. When you work toward your dream by placing a bit of fuel to the flame with a deadline, then even if you miss the timeframe, you've grown and achieved more than what you would have without any fuel at all.
A missed timeline doesn’t always mean (and I’d have to say, it shouldn’t mean) to give up. It’s a time of reevaluation and refocus.
Turning Dreams into Reality
To kick off the new year, I thought I'd share the 4 questions I ask myself about each goal I’ve set to keep motivated through the year.
Listen to the podcast as I share my own personal goals for the coming year. I share my top three BIG goals that will guide my decisions this year.
Will I achieve them by 12/31/2020? I’m not sure what the future holds exactly, because that’s a blank canvas I haven’t painted yet. I do know that I’m well on my way of mapping my way and setting deadlines for myself. I’m fueling my fire.
How about you? How are you fueling your fire?
Do you have any goals for the upcoming year, or a particular method to goal setting?
Share by sending me an email at podcast@gaylascrivener.com.
Additional Resources:
This is not only a year-end, but it's the end of a decade.
Sometimes we’re frustrated because we haven't progressed as quickly as we think we should. We seem always to be looking forward and trying to accomplish more. Then we beat ourselves up of all the things we haven't accomplished.
I believe that if we pause and reflect on past events and accomplishments, it gives us the momentum to leap ahead into the future. I don't believe in dwelling on the past, but the past shaped our present and we have a blank canvas for our future.
Here's my challenge to you. In the last days of this year...this decade, write down your 10 things in 10 years.
What are 10 accomplishments or events you've had in the last ten years that has shaped your present?
To get us kicked off, listen to today’s episode as I share mine.
My 10 Things in 10 Years 1) Married Robert
2) Living in an RV full-time
3) Left the only career I knew
4) Became an entrepreneur
5) Traveling to amazing places
6) My brother’s passing
7) My daughter’s marriage
8) Content marketing
9) Creating an amazing team
10) Sticking with publishing this podcast.
That's it, those are my 10 things in 10 years. Those 10 things have shaped my goals for the upcoming year and beyond.
Now it’s your turn. What are your 10 things in 10 years?
I'd love to hear from you. Drop me a note at podcast@gaylascrivener.com.
Sharing your accomplishments and life events, no matter how insignificant you think they are, creates positive momentum. That momentum keeps you going.
Additional Resources: • Been There Doing That
• Mike Kim
• Scrivener Solutions | Team
• Email: podcast@gaylascrivener.com
Interview with Alex Haimann, Business Development | Less Annoying CRM
When I first started my virtual assistant business, Scrivener Solutions, about seven years ago, I knew right out of the gate that I needed a good customer database.
I delayed in selecting a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system for two reasons.
First, when I started out, I didn’t have very many contacts or customers to keep track of, so I used manual systems. During this time, I searched and tried out different systems.
Second, to be completely transparent, as a small business owner and, at the time a solopreneur, most decent systems were way out of my non-existent budget. The CRMs that I could afford were so clunky and poorly designed that I hated using them.
Then one day, while consulting with a client, I was introduced to Less Annoying CRM. As I looked around at his account to help him with a project, I immediately knew that I needed to create my own Less Annoying CRM account. I signed up for the free trial, moved into the system, and never looked back.
I’ve mentioned Less Annoying CRM in past episodes and it’s no secret that I genuinely love the product. Their mission is simple. “Help small businesses succeed.”
While the product is a simple, robust, and affordable solution for managing contacts, keeping up with follow-up task, and tracking leads, the best part of the system is the LACRM team.
Everyone behind the software genuinely cares and are there to help you with your success. That’s why I asked Alex Haimann, Business Development Officer at Less Annoying CRM to join me on today’s show.
In my conversation with Alex, you’ll learn what a CRM is and what impact it has on growing a small business. More importantly, you’ll also gain much insight and perspective as Alex shares his experience and knowledge in business building…one small business to another.
Alex reveals what resource that really impacted his way of thinking. He’s giving away something extra special to the first 10 listeners of this week’s episode. You’ll have to listen to take him up on his free gift.
Enjoy!
Resources Mentioned:
Nowadays, it's inevitable that you'll be working with digital files. If you want to be able to work from anywhere, picking up your huge filing cabinets and hauling them everywhere you go is simply not feasible. Or, you may not have room in your house for all the files and cabinets you should keep for your business.
It's easy for you to feel scattered and out of control when it comes to digital files. After all, you’re working with many devices (phone, laptop, tablet) and have a lot of pieces of data (documents, spreadsheets, images) that you must keep track of.
I find it extremely interesting to know how someone else organizes their files and how they use certain tools. Just hearing how others organize sparks ideas for me to improve my processes.
In today’s podcast, I share my method of filing my digital files. By me sharing how my mind works in organizing and backing up my files, my hope is you get ideas to help in your digital file organization.
You most likely aren't working with as many files as I contend with. Starting a process for how you’ll organize your digital files early in your business is a good idea. You'll not only be able to find your documents faster, when the time comes to build your team, you'll be able to share pertinent files more easily.
In the episode, I share examples of some of my file structure. The images below are a visual of what I was talking about.
Sample Team Folder
Sample Marketing Folder with Podcast Folder Expanded
Enjoy!
Resources Mentioned:
Many of my clients who I help with creating their content strategy are overwhelmed by the very thought of creating so much content.
You don’t have to feel overwhelmed when it comes to content. As mentioned in my last post, start with choosing to either write articles, record podcasts, or produce videos. Choose one type.
Then select a publishing schedule. If you’re just getting started and find a weekly schedule intimidating, start with monthly and work your way up.
You may not have experience in writing articles, recording podcasts, or uploading videos. In the beginning, no one really does. Over time, you gain experience, you will become comfortable and faster with the process, and you’ll gain clarity in your messages.
The longer you publish, you’ll build your library of content. You'll be able to repurpose your content in many ways in the future.
The cool thing is you can begin repurposing right away.
Today's episode is short and sweet. I share how you can systemize one message into creating several pieces of content and spread your message in different places.
Creating your content calendar doesn’t have to be intimidating. Repurposing your main piece of content allows you to multiply your efforts.
Enjoy!
Resources Mentioned:
As business owners, we help solve other people's problems. You use your knowledge and experience to help others.
Bottom line: The fundamental element in marketing your business is creating consistent content.
If you believe that creating content doesn’t apply to you, you may very well be mistaken.
The word “content” can encompass many tiny elements. Basically, any piece of communication that you'll be sharing with others may be considered content.
For today's show, the kind of content I'm addressing is committing to publishing either a blog article, a video, or a podcast. Choose one to be your foundation content and commit to a consistent schedule.
Although sharing little snippets on social media is considered content in the bigger picture...you should be publishing something more substantial...like your article, video, or audio. Then SHARE your article, video, or audio on social with a link back to the original post.
The way I see it, you have a choice of what would be your foundation content. You may choose the written word and produce your very own online magazine. You could concentrate on audio in the form of a podcast where you build our own radio show. Or, you can record a video where you create your own tv station.
Just starting out, choose ONE. Just ONE. Create a content creation habit…a mindset.
Growing your business online, you should have the mindset that creating content is now what you do. That is a part of your business.
If you’re already consistently posting the little snippets here and there, don't stop! Just add the new habit of creating either your article, video, or audio content.
Commit to a publishing schedule and stick to it. Will it be once a month if you’re just starting out? Or are you “all in” and committing to weekly?
Today's show is for you if you’re a beginner in this whole online space or if you've been doing it a while.
I cover these obstacles that are stopping most from creating consistent content:
1) You think you don't have time for content,
2) You think creating content is too hard, or
3) You think you’re already creating content and you already know that you need to keep it up…but frustrated that you aren’t seeing immediate results.
Enjoy!
Resources:
*Note: If you click through the link above link for Click Funnels and purchase, I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Today’s show is focused on the importance of starting and building your personal brand to grow your business.
As the owner of a virtual assistant business, I have a unique perspective and hands-on knowledge of what strategies are working for one may work for another. Perspective on being exposed to different programs, tools, services, and resources. This perspective is very useful to my clients.
With this knowledge, I’ve known for a long time how building your personal brand makes a huge difference in building your business, yet for some strange reason, I didn’t think it applied to me…to my business.
I was wrong.
The real reason I waited five years to step out behind the safety of my company name was…
I was apprehensive to stick my neck out and be in the foreground of my business.
If you’re a coach, consultant, speaker, solopreneur, service provider, sell products through a MLM company, or consider yourself a small business owner, cultivating your personal branding process most definitely applies to you.
From today’s show, I hope to spark one of three motivations in you.
1) You are motivated to start your personal brand today. You aren’t quite sure what direction you want to go, but you want a change in career. You want to make a bigger impact. You want to scale your business. Starting your personal brand by purchasing your own dotcom address is your first step.
2) You already have a personal brand but haven't been doing much with it. Now you're motivated to start blogging consistently to grow your following.
3) You already have your personal brand and are blogging consistently. This episode helped you to know that you are definitely going in the right direction and you're motivated to step things up and grow your personal brand even bigger.
Enjoy!
Resources:
*Note: If you click through and purchase the book with the link above, I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
They say if you’re doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Sometimes it can be hard to find what you’re truly passionate about.
That’s why I invited Mary Howard to this week’s show. Mary is a registered nurse who is passionate in helping you keep your body healthy so that you live your life to its fullest.
In this episode, Mary and I get into discussing our thoughts when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. After all, being and staying healthy has a lot to do with our success in business and in life.
We also tap into Nurse Mary’s business growing experience as she shares what things worked and what tactics didn’t when it comes to marketing her health and wellness business.
We scratch the surface of talking about how to nurture communication with your contacts using email. Unexpectedly, we started discussing Russell Brunson’s Expert Secrets book, which we both highly recommend.
Enjoy!
Resources:
*Note: If you click through and purchase the book with the link above, I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
In today’s show, you’re in for a special treat.
I’ve invited Eric and Melissa Summerville, owners of Squeegee Squad of the Springfield, Missouri region. I first met Eric in 2014 as we belonged to the same local networking group.
We began working together and soon Eric, Melissa and I become good friends. Over the years, things have evolved with our businesses and although we no longer work together, we stay in touch as we genuinely love our friendship.
Squeegee Squad is a window-washing business. As you’ll find out from our conversation, they do more than windows.
I wanted you to meet Eric and Melissa because even though they don’t have an online business, they have discovered online tools and resources that have shaped how they do business and how they lead their team.
Learn why they decided to buy into a franchise and what keeps them motivated in growing their business even when things get tough.
Enjoy the episode as you get to know Eric and Melissa Summerville of Squeegee Squad of Southwest Missouri.
Resources:
In this digital age, if you’re in business, having a website is a requirement.
Your website is your digital home. YOUR digital real estate. If you don’t have a website and are solely using social media to share your message, consider your content on borrowed land.
Your website paints a picture of who you are and what you stand for. It’s a means of helping people to get to know, like, and trust you. Those who you resonate with, will do business with you.
The consistent content you place on your website, along with your social media and email plans help start and grow relationships. All these digital avenues for communication with our clients make up our marketing foundation.
If a website is so important, WHY did I steer my client NOT to build one for her business? In today’s episode, I thought I'd pull the curtain back a bit and share tidbits of a recent consultation session I had with a client.
My client has a tough time with tech. It wasn’t until about a year or so ago that she had gotten into the habit of opening and following up on her email.
My client and I sat down together for about a two-and-a-half-hour intense session where we unwrapped her goals, her aspirations, and her fears.
She kept repeating that she wants to go online because there is such a need in the market for what she does. But as we went into more depth into the conversation, she really had no idea what being online meant or what that would look like.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with not having a clear picture at this point, after all, that is why we're working together.
Instead of a website, this is what I suggested… Intuitively, you’d think that the first thing I’d suggest to her was to create her website. After all, building an online platform starts with a website.
During our conversation, we brainstormed on many possibilities of how she could scale her business. The possibilities excited yet overwhelmed my client.
Recognizing that if we dove in too fast, she would be frustrated and give up on the whole online thing before she even started.
Truth be told, I did tell her that she will have her website…but not now. First, we agreed that she needed to get comfortable with some aspects of using tech while at the same time helping her with her current sales and follow-up process.
We are chunking things down so that working with tech isn’t so intimidating to her.
Our first mission is to set-up and train on how to use a CRM in her business. I recommended to her Less Annoying CRM, because it is a robust system and affordable.
Listen to today’s episode to get the whole story.
Enjoy!
Resources:
What vision comes to mind when you hear the word “networking”?
A room full of business executives in their suit and ties mingling around shaking hands and passing out business cards? A place where you’ve got to have this stellar performance to sell what you have to offer? A place where you don’t feel like you fit in?
The word “networking,” for many of us, especially those of us who are introverts, conjure up feelings of dread. The interactions seem insincere and uncomfortable.
On many occasions, I’ve asked my husband, Robert, to join me to attend business networking events. He would graciously accompany me, but they’re certainly not his thing.
Robert is the behind-behind the scenes guy on the Scrivener Solutions team. His day job with Scrivener Solutions involves primarily editing and producing podcasts for our clients.
Marketing our company in official business networking channels is not where Robert’s area of excellent lies. Although he’s very talented in his skills of editing and producing podcasts, he’d rather be making leather hunting pouches.
Recently, we made a trip to Conner Prairie outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Robert had signed up for specialized classes for his fur trade era mountain man artistry.
Robert was nervous about going because he knew he’d be in the same room with leaders in the niche and he didn’t know what to expect. He had fears that his skills didn’t measure up.
“I’m with my people.”
What resulted was five days of discovering that he was truly “with his people.” He learned new skills, but most importantly, he genuinely got to know leaders in this niche. He received advice, direction, and encouragement. Conversations led to new discoveries of skills, interests and new connections.
Robert realized that he was networking.
In today’s episode, I asked Robert to join me so that we could share our conversation about how you could be networking and not even knowing it.
The very root of growing your business is creating relationships and helping people. Having genuine conversations with individuals may start as little ripples in your business growth but will lead to big waves down the line.
Networking doesn’t have to be uncomfortable or boring.
If you’re the creative type trying to make a living with your creative talents, perhaps this episode will help you gain perspective. Find your people and you’ll realize like Robert did, that you are networking when you’re honing your craft through classes and events.
Enjoy!
Resources:
One phrase I find myself saying often to my clients as we work through projects is to “chunk it down.”
When you have a mountain of a project to do, you need to chunk it down into manageable bits so you will make progress.
Some people have a knack in chunking things down. Some need a little help.
That’s why I invited Theresa Volesky to this week’s podcast.
Theresa is a professional organizer. She works with her clients assessing their piles cluttering up their living or working spaces. While those piles overwhelm her clients, leaving them paralyzed as to where to start, Theresa, she sees the piles and immediately knows how to conquer the project. She chunks it down.
I love Theresa’s story and wanted to bring her on the show for you to meet her. Now Theresa doesn’t have an online business…yet…
Her business is one on one client work. She started her business during transitions in her life. I think you’ll enjoy the episode as Theresa shares her journey.
Resources:
Theresa Volesky
In this episode, I’m proud to introduce you to Penny Rosema, owner of 2 Views International. Penny is a professional speaker and consultant specializing in negotiations. She also is the managing director of the Cookware Manufacturers Association.
I met Penny last year at the Less Annoying CRM user conference. Less Annoying CRM is one of the tools I, and some of my clients use, for our customer database.
Through a series of brief conversations at that conference, Penny and I ended up working together. I love working with Penny because she has such energy that I wish I could match. She says she’s all over the place, but I admire her momentum and how much she accomplishes.
I invited Penny to the show to share her experience of how she moved from corporate life to becoming a successful solopreneur. She shares great insight and tips about how she manages her business and her time.
Resources:
Steven Covey teaches us in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” that habit two is to begin with the end in mind.
The habit is basically refers to always having the image of the end of your life as your frame of reference to evaluate everything else. He says to start with a clear idea of your destination, so that what you're doing daily will always result in going in the right direction. The things that make your life busy should at least be important to you.
Clear idea of your destination...
Although, I agree that the clearer your picture you have of where you want to land in life…the easier it will be to make the right decisions to propel you forward.
However, does this mean that we should wait to take action until we have a clear picture of our destination?
If I would have waited until I had complete clarity to leave my traditional 9-5 job behind me, I would still be stuck in a lifestyle where I felt stifled.
This little two-word question started it all into a new life of creating a lifestyle and work that I absolutely love.
Two words…
What if?
Asking “what if” started the ball rolling, but I definitely didn’t have a crystal-clear vision of my destination.
I hope you enjoy this week’s episode and it sparks a little fire in you.
Feel good about getting started, even if you don’t have a completely clear vision of your destination. Doing, learning, and trying will give you the clarity you need.
Know that it’s OK to be a little (or a lot) fuzzy in your vision of your future. Your vision will give you direction. As you take your first steps, you will gain clarity.
The lesson here...don't wait.
If you truly want to achieve more freedom that an online business would grant you...don't worry if you're nervous or feel like you don't know what you're doing.
Just start.
If “start” means to download 20 Work From Anywhere Job Ideas to get your creative juices flowing, that’s fantastic! Download the list today.
If you dream of more freedom, but the tech is what scares you, then my new work from anywhere mastermind group may be exactly what you’re looking for. It’s available to a limited number of folks. I’m in the process of selecting members. Simply email me at info@scrivenersolutions.com to learn more.
I'm confident that you’ll achieve freedom in life and in work you're looking for.
Enjoy!
Resources: * 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Steven Covey * 20 Work from Anywhere Job Ideas * Email | info@scrivenersolutions.com
You’re in for a real treat. I’ve asked my lead designer on the Scrivener Solutions team, Brandy Van Riessen to be on today’s show. I am excited for you to meet her, virtually speaking.
Brandy got her start with her very own work from anywhere business shortly she started her virtual assistant position with Scrivener Solutions. She owns and operates Olivia Mae Furnishings, her branding, web design, printables, and apparel company.
I hope you enjoy the episode as Brandy shares how she juggles being a mom to three wonderful youngsters, a coach’s wife with a hectic schedule, working as one of my virtual assistants, AND build her business.
I’m super proud of Brandy as I see all the opportunities that are ahead of her. I think it’s wonderful that she can grow her business at her own pace as she spends quality time raising her kids.
Another benefit of creating a work from anywhere business: if her husband has a job transfer to another part of the country, she doesn’t have to go through the headache of finding a new job. Her business travels with her! She can continue her revenue stream no matter where she’s living. Now that’s a great asset.
Enjoy!
Resources:
In today’s show, I am excited to have Sharon Snow as my guest. You’ve heard about Sharon many times on the show as she is a Scrivener Solutions Virtual Assistant and is the go-to gal for our social media management.
Sharon also owns and operates Let’s Go Travel with Sharon, her work-from-anywhere business. I thought it would be wonderful for Sharon to share her experiences in growing her travel agency. We discuss the challenges she faces and the rewards she reaps from growing her business.
I learned a lot in our conversation, and I talk to her all the time. She even shares some secrets on how you too can get started in the travel agency business.
Enjoy!
Resources:
If you're not sure what passive income is, it's defined as income resulting in cash flow on a regular basis with little effort.
That sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Like money for nothing!
Then why isn't everyone on the planet doing it?
Listen in on today's episode as I share my take on what stops most people from cashing in on passive income.
Could it be that you, subconsciously, think that getting money for nothing is morally wrong? Here's a little secret...
Don't let the concept fool you. When it comes to reaping the benefits of passive income, you will earn every cent.
You'll hear in this episode my ups and downs...yet not gonna give up...story on one of my revenue streams.
With every learning experience, things have gotten easier. That's not to say that I didn't throw up my hands wanting to quit. And that's not to say I won't want to quit in the future. But, this long-term ride for this passive income stream fits in very nicely with my traveling lifestyle.
Learn some ideas where you can create multiple streams of revenue.
Resources Mentioned: * 20 Work From Anywhere Job Ideas (download) * Platform Get Noticed in a Noisy World | Michael Hyatt (affiliate link) * Book Recommendations * Resources Scrivener Solutions Uses * BlueHost | Web Hosting Service (affiliate link) * Episode #074 Work from Anywhere Job Ideas
An essential piece of growing your online business is most certainly publishing consistent content. Not just social posts. Not just emails. And not just a blog post. It's all three working together.
But where it all starts with your website...your blog.
New content published on your website on a consistent basis either in the form of a written article, a video, or a podcast is considered a part of your blog in my book.
In this episode, I share how from the first moment I began researching how to create my new online career back in 2012, I learned that consistent quality content was a key piece in my business growth. Yet, I resisted. I'd try. I'd start. I’d stop.
Here’s what was going through my mind and stopping me from creating content:
Are you creating consistent content? If so, FANTASTIC! If not, what’s your biggest obstacle?
At the end of 2017, I decided that my weekly podcast would become my core piece of content. Anything else would build around the podcast. The podcast is a priority.
I did have a bumpy start, but over time, it has gotten easier. More importantly, continuing to be consistent has given me clarity and I’ve gained a larger audience allowing me to grow as an individual and as a business.
Don’t let the start stop you. Your message matters. By being consistent, you will get better, the process will get easier, and it will pay off.
If you’re struggling in starting and staying consistent with creating your content, this episode is for you.
Resources:
Building Trust Online Mini Course | GaylaScrivener.com/trust
Starting and building your work from anywhere lifestyle doesn’t have to be lonely. Learn more at gaylascrivener.com/member
Having the desire to work from anywhere is one thing. Figuring out how to achieve the lifestyle is quite another. Especially if you’re unsure what your job would even be.
Let me tell you. Working in the same career for 20 years, I had no idea of the vast possibilities available when it came to work from anywhere job opportunities. I had been in the same industry for so long, it was hard for me to think of what I could do.
For many of us, it's a scary thing to venture out into the unknown and actually go after the lifestyle we truly want.
Ask yourself this… “If not now, then when?”
If you're working a day job and you're listening to this podcast and others like it, you’re searching for more out of your life. Then let's start with some ideas to get you heading in the right direction.
The biggest obstacle...or at least I thought so at the time...was answering this question:
“What the heck would be my job!?”
I had no clue.
All I knew was my experience in the medical field. I worked for various physician offices from a one doctor shop to a health system employing over 6,000. I held different positions and worked with different specialties. I acquired many skills with my experience. Yet, I had blinders on for over 20 years. I was completely engrossed in my medical management career.
I was truly unaware and didn't understand how many wonderful opportunities there were to earn a living...and have fun doing it.
All I knew was the type of office atmosphere that I was surrounded by so far in my adult life. I wanted something different. I wanted out.
It was hard for me to see my own talents and experience and how those skills could transfer into a totally new career path. I was lost.
What did I do?
I took action and brainstormed. I evaluated my talents and listed tasks in which I could help people and build a business around. There were some things that I thought would be cool to do. But I didn’t know how, so I learned.
If you’re in the same place I was back then and need a little help with your brainstorming, this episode is for you.
It takes a little bit of creativity and the bravery to take a few risks. But you can do it!
Even if you don't want to travel like I do and just want the flexibility of having a home office, this episode will help spark some ideas.
Download this worksheet for even more ideas. You'll find a job that's perfect for your work from anywhere lifestyle.
Enjoy!
Resources:
Download 20 Work from Anywhere Job Ideas
Starting and building your work from anywhere lifestyle doesn’t have to be lonely. Learn more at gaylascrivener.com/member
I’m getting ready to do something that some may consider “not normal.” At least not normal by the standards of what you may know of me and my personality.
Here’s the question though…
Why be normal?
This week, I share things that I normally keep private. I even got a bit choked up as I was sharing memories of my brother.
Listen to the episode. You’ll hear what Iron Maiden and my brother has taught me about “normal.”
Learn how raising the question “Why be normal?” can help you achieve your goals.
Step out of what others may think you should do and what’s normal to do, and enjoy your journey in creating the life you truly want for yourself.
Drop me a note. Are you trying to do something, or achieve a goal, that to some closest to you think isn’t normal?
Enjoy!
Resources:
Gaylascrivener.com/member
There are many mixed feelings about multilevel marketing companies. Some say they are scams and look down on them. Others believe they are the quick fix to financial freedom.
I believe that a MLM can be a fantastic work from anywhere business, but it’s not for everyone.
If you're not familiar with what a multilevel marketing company is, generally speaking, you invest in the company by purchasing some sort of starter kit. From there, you are an un-salaried sales representative.
You earn a commission on the products you sell. You’re encouraged to bring on additional sales reps because you also earn commissions on the products they sell. In short, compensation is of a pyramid structure. The more reps you sign on and the more they sell, the more you earn.
In this week’s podcast, I share my failed experience with joining a MLM. You’d think I’d be down on them, but I know exactly why it failed and why I shouldn’t have joined in the first place. Maybe my experience will help you avoid some heartache.
But, if joining an MLM is right for you, you need to remember something…
It’s not about the product.
I share in the podcast how important it is to create your personal brand so that you can earn more in your MLM.
Enjoy!
Resources:
Gaylascrivener.com/member
ScrivenerSolutions.com
This week, I’m excited to share an interview with dear friends and nomadic travelers Autumn and Adam Raven. This interview was originally recorded for Robert and my Been There Doing That Podcast, but I thought there was some inspirational and motivational info about how they fund their travel lifestyle.
No matter if you aspire to have a work-from-anywhere lifestyle, would like to make a change and start your own thing, or if you are already knee-deep in your entrepreneurial journey, this episode gives you a whole new perspective.
I love how Autumn and Adam freely share the inventive ways they earn their living and create the freedom they love. It’s an episode to get you to thinking about all the possibilities and opportunities available out there.
My biggest takeaway from the conversation was there are so many opportunities to earn a great living AND create a lifestyle you desire.
What was your biggest takeaway from this conversation? I'd love to hear from you. Drop me an email at info@scrivenersolutions.com.
Resources Mentioned: * A Raven Designs | Autumn & Adam Raven + Website + Facebook + Instagram + Pinterest * Been There Doing That
We’ve all heard the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover.” But we all do! That’s why a lot of time and energy is devoted in product packaging.
Unfortunately, we make assumptions about people entirely too quickly. In this week’s podcast, I share how I decided not to judge and sought out a conversation. Listen and learn what I learned from 87-year young Dale Smith when it comes to broadcasting your message and managing all the tech that goes with it.
Resources Mentioned: * Fiverr * MyNetworks * Dale Smith * Ray Edwards Copywriting Academy Live
Live events are important for both your personal and professional growth. In today’s podcast, I share what I believe are the most important things to remember about live events.
Highlights Make the investment in yourself. Budget to go to one or two seminars or conferences annually.
Although going to live events can lead to a new client or two, let it come from genuine interaction, not a “push them in the corner and buy from me” scenario. No one likes that guy at the event.
Go there to learn and participate. If there’s after-hours mingling, go. If there are lunch break-out sessions, go. Immerse yourself.
Live events are a great place to gain inspiration, but turn inspiration into action. Take at least a day afterward to go through your notes and turn your notes into action plans.
Follow-up with the people you had deeper conversations with. Drop them a note. Just be yourself and continue on that relationship online.
Resources Mentioned: * Copywriting Academy Live 2019 * Ray Edwards * Cliff Ravenscraft
With everything you must do to grow your small business does the thought of all the tech stuff make you want to crawl in a corner and hide?
The tech is supposed to make our lives easier, but it runs at lightning speeds and is overwhelming.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place to go to be shown the basics to get you started and get you over the hump of your fear of tech?
In today’s podcast, I invited my husband Robert to the show. He doesn’t consider himself a “techy” person. We discuss the launching of his personal brand website. He feels comfortable with knowing the basics and experimenting with his messages and his communication to grow his following and grow his freelancing business.
Most of us, when just starting out, don’t have the budget to hire people to do our blogging, email campaigns, social posts, etc. We are doing everything ourselves. The thing is…we are overwhelmed as to what to do and where to start.
To leverage your time, wouldn’t it be nice to have a place to go where you can learn the basics in a simple, straightforward manner to get you through until you’re ready to hire someone?
Wouldn’t it be nice to be involved in a community of people just like you who fear tech just as much as you? Wouldn’t it be nice to feel comfortable asking questions and not feeling behind the times or like an amateur?
You’re not alone if feeling lost in navigating on how to work your business in the online world. As I reveal in this week’s podcast, I’m taking applications on creating a community just for those who feel technically challenged. It’s a perfect place for those who are in the in-between stage of needing to know enough of the tech to grow your business but not ready to hire your first virtual assistant.
I hope you enjoy this week’s episode as Robert and I talk about not being ashamed of being tech challenged. To learn more about the application process, drop me a note at info@scrivenersolutions.com.
If you’ve got the tech thing down but know someone who needs help, I’d be honored if you’d share.
Do you produce a blog consistently? Either publishing an article, podcast, or video on your website?
No? Why not?
In today’s podcast, I share that I waited far too long to start my blog. I should’ve started producing consistent content way before my corporate life ended.
I didn’t because at the time I opened my own business, I didn’t realize the impact of a consistent blog would have on the longevity of my business.
I had this misperception that I needed to have everything about my business figured out and have a formal content plan drafted before I should start my blog. When I first started my business, I didn't have a clear picture of who my ideal client would be...let alone how to talk with them.
I felt inadequate because I'd see what the people I follow were doing and would become overwhelmed.
They are doing so much! Blogging, social posts, live events, courses, podcasting, video. And then they talk about stuff like list building, freebies, email segmentation, tagging, funnels, auto sequences, audience targeting....
Oh my!!! It's enough to make your head spin!
You start to feel terrible because you think you should be doing all that stuff. And instead of starting, you feel the mountain is so big, you simply feel like imploding.
Deep breath…
If the idea of starting (or restarting) your blog makes your head swim, I invite you to listen to this week’s podcast.
I share why you shouldn’t wait to have everything figured out about your business before you start your blog. I also share what the single most important thing you must worry about in the beginning.
It doesn’t matter if it’s an article, a podcast, or a video…if you’re a service provider of any kind, you need to blog for the longevity of your business.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a…
…you’re a business owner who helps people. You help solve their problems.
But how will they find you and know how well you can solve their problems without them getting to know, like and trust you?
You have an audience waiting…what are you waiting for?
I'd love to hear from you. Email info@scrivenersolutions.com and let me know what your biggest obstacle is in starting and staying consistent with your blog.
Getting out and meeting new people face-to-face is essential in growing your business.
Don't wait until you think you've got everything figured out before you join a group. You need to get out and tell people what you're doing.
When you show up, you are establishing credibility with the other members in the group and more importantly, you're keeping a promise to yourself. You’re gaining confidence in yourself that you can do this! You can grow your business!
In today’s episode I share when I opened Scrivener Solutions, I knew the very first thing I should do is tell people. I joined a networking group that met weekly and I remained dedicated in attending whether I wanted to or not.
A networking group shouldn’t be solely viewed as only gaining referrals. True, you’ll earn referrals and grow your business when you engage, listen, and grow as an individual.
When you do new things, it's a scary thing. I had no idea of my exact direction or even a picture of who my ideal client would be when I walked into my first networking meeting. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you start.
I invite you to listen to this week’s podcast to gain insight on my networking beginnings. If you’re not in a networking group, this episode is for you. Challenge yourself to join a group for at least a year. Learn from the process. Learn from the members.
I'd love to hear from you. Email info@scrivenersolutions.com and share what your networking routine is. Don’t have a routine yet? What’s your biggest obstacle in joining a group?
When you work for yourself, you must become even more disciplined than you would be when working for someone else. You must, at a minimum, show up to work, just to keep your job. When you work for yourself, it’s up to you to hold yourself accountable.
You may say you don't have time to build your business, but in reality, you will make the time for things that are really important to you. If creating and growing your own business is truly important to you, you'll make the time to move forward.
When you’re your own boss, you will be challenged with many distractions. In today’s episode, I share my thoughts about alleviating some of those distractions.
No matter what it is in life if you find yourself saying "I should be doing..." and yet you’re doing some other activity that’s taking you away from growing your business...perhaps you need to cut it out of your routine...at least for a period of time.
I'd love to hear from you. Email info@scrivenersolutions.com and share what your biggest time sucker is. In what ways have you been working on reducing or even eliminating that distraction?
In today’s podcast, I share what I was going through in my transition from my day job and what, in hindsight, I should have done. Today's show is for you if you are frustrated in your day job and want to leave but don't know where to begin. It's also a show for those of you who say to yourself that you'll be leaving your day job…someday…but find yourself staying. You may have started your own business on the side, but you aren't working on it because you have convinced yourself that you must stay at your day job for the security.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with working for someone else. In fact, I appreciate the time and experience I gained when working for someone else. I also appreciate my staff and anyone that helps our company reach our goals.
But if you find yourself constantly complaining about working for someone else and wishing you had your own business and create freedom for yourself, it’s time to act. Instead of complaining and wishing, you have it within you to just start.
It’s time to be honest with yourself. When you say things like "I really want to start my own thing, but I can't…,” it isn't the fact that you’re scared of leaving the security of the consistent paycheck it's really the fear of failing. You have doubt in yourself and doubt in believing that you can truly make it work.
I hope my experience I share in today’s episode lights a fire in you to give you confidence and courage to stop making excuses of fear of leaving the so-called security of your day job and creating your own security.
If you are perfectly happy working for someone else, great. But if you find yourself saying “Someday I'll be on my own,” or feel trapped in your current job situation, start taking action now.
Finding the courage and strength to build your own business is sometimes hard. I know you can do it and the only thing stopping you is…Y-O-U.
You have it within you to gain the confidence in yourself to make it on your own. Consider your day job as an opportunity, a learning experience. It’s a place you need to be during this season of your life. But look ahead at your next chapter and start planting those seeds to grow now. It's an exciting place to be to create your own security.
I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to email me your comments at info@scrivenersolutions.com.
It happened. That sinking feeling that everything was lost.
All that data…all those images…at least a terabyte worth…GONE!
That’s when I heard it.
From my memory banks, I heard the sound-byte of PacMan dying in my head. You know… those few notes that are played when the game is over.
Losing your data isn’t just sad, it can be costly…especially in your business. Costs come from the time you spend in recreating your work that was lost. You may also incur the expense of having someone trying to retrieve the data for you.
Drives fail. Computers crash. You spill tea on your laptop.
This stuff happens! And it happens at the most inopportune times.
In this week’s podcast, I tell you my “Game Over” story with my 2T hard drive. I share other stories and how backups and redundancy systems for your data should be elevated to the top of your mind.
Don't let the excuses of "I don't know how" or "I'm not techy" stop you from saving your important data. Those are excuses!
I'm not an expert or a whiz when it comes to backing up data. But I don't think not being a whiz should be an excuse for not having good back-up practices in your business.
You can either learn how to back up your data by Googling for the info you need, or you can have someone do it for you.
Helping you stay organized is certainly a virtual assistant task. This could involve having your virtual assistant be the one who helps you organize your time to meet with your IT professional to create your system. Your system may include your VA to put it into his/her routine to ensure your backups are done routinely.
I'm curious...do you have a back-up routine of your data? If so, what is it? What services do you use? If not, what’s stopping you?
Email me at info@scrivenersolutions.com with your comments.
Catch me live every Friday at 2pm Central on Facebook. GaylaScrivener.com/Live
The work from anywhere lifestyle presents many challenges. One of which creating a schedule where you can work and grow your business while enjoying a travel lifestyle.
In today's episode, I discuss how creating a schedule and keeping appointments you make with yourself is important in the growth of your business. The schedule you create that will really work for you takes experimentation. It also takes a great deal of discipline.
Each year, for the past few years, Robert and I take off for at least three to five weeks to travel slowly toward and back home again to Overland Expo events. These travel times become our workcations. We blend our work along with some vacation time during our weeks of being gone.
We've learned a lot since we hit the road for our very first month long trek, so many years ago. And we are still learning.
Not everyone aspires to have an overlanding lifestyle like my husband, Robert, and I have. We become nomadic. There's a different level of uncertainty and more challenges in this type of nomadic lifestyle than staying home in a regular stick & brick home.
Vehicle-based travel may not be your thing, but you may aspire to travel often, staying in hotels or condos to enjoy a different part of the country or even to a different country and learn a totally new culture all-together. Or maybe your work from anywhere dream is working from home and being there to raise your kids. That is a wonderful thing too.
Quite frankly, creating a schedule is important in any of those cases. Creating a schedule and routine is important for any entrepreneur to achieve growth and success.
Many folks jump out of employment and into entrepreneurship wanting more freedom. They think that more freedom equals less structure. On the contrary, to be successful and grow the business you desire to the heights you want, you must create a discipline of structure and schedule.
As an entrepreneur, you must be even more diligent in scheduling your time.
In today’s episode, I share some of my experiences and how going on an overlanding trip shakes up a routine and presents challenges to become even better at scheduling of projects for clients, projects for business growth, and enjoying your time off and disconnecting.
Resources Mentioned:
The work from anywhere lifestyle presents many challenges. One of which is how to keep your systems all powered up.
In today's episode, I have my husband, Robert, join me to talk about our travel set-up and how he manages to keep our work from anywhere office all charged up.
He explains how he has set up batteries, solar, and inverters in our ’98 Jeep Wrangler overlanding set-up. We recall some things we’ve learned along the way.
Enjoy the episode…it’s always a little silly when Robert and I record a podcast together.
Resources Mentioned:
The choice to have a work from anywhere lifestyle, while it's rewarding to say the least...there are many challenges.
At the top of the list of challenges is internet.
In today's episode, I thought I'd share how we deal with our never-ending saga of finding enough internet to work.
I'm not going to lie to you, sometimes it becomes a stressful situation to find internet service. Sometimes, we must change our plans in search for internet signal to finish projects. Sometimes, projects are delayed. There's a certain amount of stress when it comes to internet challenges.
I'm much better in dealing with the challenges of internet connectivity than I was eight years ago. My stress level, although it’s there, is not nearly as overpowering. It's a challenge and almost a game to figure out how to plan and work.
I hope you’ll get some ideas by listening to how Robert and I handle our internet connectivity. Maybe it will give you the inspiration to branch out and have your office somewhere out of the ordinary.
If you already roam around and work out and about, what creative ways have you connected to internet? Do you have any funny stories to share?
Hop over to my Facebook Page [GaylaScrivenerWorkFromAnywhere] and leave a comment and share your experience. I'd love to hear from you.
Resources Mentioned:
It’s hard to believe that I could be actually recording this podcast in the Santa Fe National Forrest in New Mexico. If you were to tell me 10 years ago that I'd be camping in a rooftop tent and living out of our ‘98 Jeep Wrangler for weeks at a time...while at the same time running and growing a business...I'd think you were crazy.
Ten years ago, this type of lifestyle just seemed like a pipe dream. Actually, the dream wasn't even formed yet.
My husband, Robert, and I live a “work from anywhere” lifestyle. We like to travel weeks at a time, being nomadic, and experiencing wonderful journeys along the byways of our beautiful countryside.
We are not traveling as much as we'd like, but we are traveling more than most. We are always working to experience more. To stretch ourselves to earn a living by helping others with their businesses but also creating a lifestyle we enjoy. It sparks our motivation and it sparks our life's enjoyment.
I've been talking a lot about mindset in the past several episodes. I think that mindset has a lot to do with accomplishment and success. There are so many things that come up in life that presents resistance to achieving our goals.
I truly believe the biggest resistance comes within ourselves.
If we are in the right state of mind, we can overcome the little details of not knowing what we are doing or how we'll achieve that big goal we have in mind.
Is a mindset shift a sudden change? Do you wake up one morning and BAM!! You've got a different outlook on life and can make anything possible? Or does it come incrementally? Maybe there's a little bit of both.
In this episode, I share how incrementally Robert and I moved toward our work from anywhere lifestyle. Then, BAM! We took a leap and downsized drastically so that we could enjoy more travel. Then incrementally, we continue to make choices to move us toward longer stents of travel.
Sometimes, when you’re in the moment of “right now” and you wish things were different, you may think you’re not making any progress. Listen to the podcast and reflect. I do hope this episode allows you to reflect on your achievements while at the same time giving you ideas and inspiration to stretch toward the lifestyle you enjoy.
I was inspired by an article that my team member, Arlene, wrote for one of our direct mail newsletter clients. He's a financial advisor and the article was about the Chinese bamboo tree and how it relates to your financial planning.
I thought it was a great article and wanted to share it in today's podcast. It’s a great analogy for not just doing your financial plan, but for many things in life, like growing your business.
Once planted, like all plants, the bamboo tree requires water, fertile soil, and sunshine. In the first year, there are no visible signs of growth. There are still no visible signs of growth in the second, third, and even the fourth year.
Finally, in the fifth year, there is astonishing growth. The tree grows 80 feet in just six weeks.
Is it a miracle?
No.
The little tree grows underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond.
In our culture of instant gratification, we want immediate solutions to every complex problem and lack the patience and perseverance to stick to our plan.
Successful people don't stop. They move forward, even if they don't see immediate results.
The bamboo tree is a great analogy for many situations.
I believe that with our tech-driven world that encourages instant satisfaction and instant results, we’re placing a great deal of stress on ourselves. When instant doesn't work, then you may be tempted to pluck up your little bamboo tree and move it elsewhere...hoping for instant results. You are making growth slower because you aren’t allowing your roots to take hold.
Please join me in this week’s podcast as I share more about how growing a bamboo tree is like growing your business.
This week’s episode is short and to the point. We all have the chance to receive a negative review. Reviews are a good opportunity to scrutinize our systems and look for ways of improvement.
There’s no avoiding it, negative reviews hurt. It’s like being kicked in the gut.
And for the small business owner, it seems ten times worse. It seems that one negative review could discount all the positive ones you’ve collected.
Remember this…
It’s not about the negative review, but it’s the manner in which you respond to the review that really counts. When you respond in a level-headed professional manner, people will take that into consideration.
I invite you to listen as I share the three things you should remember before responding to a negative review.
I’m in a great place in my career where I gain a lot of perspective on building teams.
First, as a virtual assistant where I first started out as a freelancer who picked up a few clients here and there to help them behind the scenes with various tasks.
Second, as a business owner where I understand the challenges of building a team but also know the importance of team building when growing beyond what I could do myself.
In observance of Administrative Professionals Day, I dedicate this week’s podcast to thinking big and building teams.
There are more opportunities than ever when it comes to growing your business. In today’s episode I share both perspectives:
I invite you to listen as I share how cost-effective and smart it is to delegate a little at a time. Starting out small is beneficial for both parties…the business owner and the virtual assistant.
It’s important to be flexible to change as businesses evolve and pivots. Thinking big and surrounding yourself with other big thinkers who are open to the opportunities of the future stimulates growth.
Whether you are a part of a team or developing your team, the biggest takeaway I’d like for you to get from this episode is to be open-minded and have a positive mindset.
For those of you who are freelancing and building up your clientele, swallow your ego and think about the bigger picture for your client. You can’t be all things for all clients. Embrace change with a positive attitude.
For business owners out there, who are growing your team, remember that life is too short to walk on eggshells. Build your team where you have people who are not only skilled but also have a positive and growth mindset.
A special shout out to Team Scrivener Solutions. Thanks for being so fantastic! I truly couldn’t be doing all this without you. Happy Admin Professionals Day!
Resource Mentioned: * Podcast Episode 46 | Achieving More Work Freedom is Possible * 50 Tasks Perfect to Delegate | Free Download * Administrative Professionals Day | Wikipedia * Scrivener Solutions Team
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into The Gayla Scrivener Show today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
We’re busy people, right? We don’t have the time to be bothered by unwanted messages. Being bothered and annoyed is one thing, but being manipulated, deceived or even cheated is so much worse.
Most people I know, myself included, hate spam and don’t want to be associated with being a person who dishes it out. In today’s podcast, I share some of the spammy things that have happened to me.
Little acts of spammy annoyances or just plain maliciousness sure does make it harder for you and me, who are just trying to connect with folks, to grow our businesses.
The idea of bothering people or afraid of being associated as a spammer slows most small business owners down in building and marketing their services. The fear of being lumped into a category of being a spammer shouldn’t stop you from marketing your business.
What’s important is that you implement good, honest practices to truly attract and connect with those who you serve.
In this episode, I talk about the obstacles encountered with spam being received on the phone, in your email, and on your website or social account.
Spam happens to good people. It just does. Don’t let it stop you from doing the good work that you do. You will grow your audience when you implement good practices and deliver value on a consistent basis.
I hope you enjoy this episode. I’d love to hear some of your stories. Hop over to my Facebook page and tell me some of the crazy calls, emails or weird links you’ve experienced. We can have fun with this because I’m sure we all have a kooky experience we can share. Also, we may have some things to watch out for. So please share your examples and stories.
Resource Mentioned: * Taming the Chaos of Passwords * 8 Tips for Creating Secure Passwords | Infographic * com/Live | Live on Facebook Fridays 2 PM (Central Time Zone) * Like and Follow Gayla Scrivener Facebook Page
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into The Gayla Scrivener Show today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
This week’s show is all about getting your voice and your message out there. It’s a show about content.
Producing content means consistently adding to your blog. Whether it’s writing an article, creating a podcast, or a video, consistently adding content to your website is important. (Did I mention consistently?)
Content also means your social posts and emails. Even good old-fashioned snail mail is considered content in my book.
Content is what you produce so people will understand what you do, how you can help them, and basically get to know you better. When people get to know you and trust is built, they will want to do business with you. In practically every marketing book out there, you’ll see phrases about the importance of know, like, and trust. And it is so true!`
When you provide value and information, you establish authority and influence in your area of expertise. Your audience will turn to you for answers and inspiration. You build trust and confidence. You build your business upon the relationships you develop. Through producing and publishing content, you scale your communication and allow people to get to know you.
What stops people from producing consistent content? In today’s episode, I share what I believe are the three main reasons most don’t even get started with producing their content.
I invite you to listen to see if you are held back because of one of the three reasons I share.
What’s the main reason that stops you in your tracks from starting your consistent content plan? Click here to hop over to my Facebook Page and start a conversation. I’d love to hear from you.
Resource Mentioned: * #053: Want Freedom and Work from Anywhere? Embrace Technology * us * Scrivener Solutions Podcast Services * com/Live | Live on Facebook Fridays 2 PM (Central Time Zone) * Like and Follow Gayla Scrivener Facebook Page
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into The Gayla Scrivener Show today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
If you are longing to gain more freedom in your work and your lifestyle, you must embrace technology.
You don’t have to be a whiz at all the apps or programs or anything tech, but you certainly don’t have to let the fear of tech limit your growth. Today’s podcast is all about changing your mindset of tech fear to embracing it.
Indeed, with all the new tech available to us right at our fingertips, and always changing, I wholeheartedly understand how easy it is to feel overwhelmed.
Too often, the conversation we have in our heads telling us we “can’t” will hinder our growth.
Join me in today’s episode as I give examples of how overcoming any fear of tech will open your opportunities for more freedom in your life.
Resource Mentioned: * Been There Doing That | Our Work from Anywhere Lifestyle * Like Gayla Scrivener Business Facebook Page
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into The Gayla Scrivener Show today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Do you really want change? I mean really want change?
With everything you must do in any given day, how on earth will you find the time?
Far too often we remain stuck in an area of life because we become comfortable. Comfortable doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re happy in that area of life we wish were different.
You grow accustomed to the sameness of routine. You may go to work each day, yet long to do something else. Even though you may be unhappy, frustrated, or shall I say…miserable…you remain doing the same routine each and every day. Why? The routine you’ve made for yourself becomes a level of comfort.
To achieve any goal, to accomplish any big task, to make BIG things happen, you must prioritize your time. This means creating new routines.
Changing your routine may make you uncomfortable. Change forces us to learn new habits. It forces us to think differently and learn new things.
For some people, embracing change doesn’t seem hard. For some, they actually look for change. For others, change seems to be very difficult.
Change stretches us all and makes us all uncomfortable to some degree.
If you’re tired of feeling stuck and are truly ready for a change, then you must make room for it. How to make room for something new in an already busy life?
You learn the art of time blocking.
You schedule time on your calendar to do everything you need to do. You break out your calendar app or a good old-fashioned date planner and begin using it religiously.
You must become more intentional with your time. You must budget and use your time in a manner where you make room for the change you want.
Those items that you intentionally schedule onto your calendar receive a higher level of importance.
In this week’s podcast, I explain how Robert and I arrange our calendar. I share examples of how we use our monthly paper calendar for an overall picture of the year and how it keeps us motivated and how our shared Google calendar keeps us on task on a daily basis.
Time blocking helps you to prioritise your time and lead you to the change you’d like to see. It allows you to know what activities you should say “yes” to and what you should say “no” to.
Like with anything artistic, there is no one perfect way and things will change. After all, life does happen, and we are all faced with distractions where we must decide where they fall on our priority lists.
Styles and techniques of time blocking change over time. The way I organized my schedule two years ago is much different than I organize it now. But what does remain the same, is when I want change to happen to achieve a goal, I make room for change by blocking time on my schedule.
Do you practice the art of time blocking? Click here and hop over to my Facebook page and drop a note on your ideas of making room for change.
Resource Mentioned: * Been There Doing That | Our Work From Anywhere Lifestyle * Facebook Live 2PM (Central) Fridays * Like Gayla Scrivener Business Facebook Page * Follow Gayla Scrivener on Instagram
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into The Gayla Scrivener Show today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
In this week’s podcast, I share the second half of my conversation with Joanne Weiland, owner of LinktoEXPERT.com. You met Joanne in episode #048: Building the Right Connections on a Large Scale.
In 2007, Joanne created a platform to make it easy to link experts to decision makers in organizations to benefit both parties. Experts like coaches, consultants, speakers, team builders, trainers, facilitators, and authors in the LinktoEXPERT community are scaling their networking efforts and growing their businesses in tremendous ways.
My and Joanne’s conversation continues as we discuss what it takes to become a member of the LinktoEXPERT community and how membership can scale a solopreneur’s business.
Joanne shares how creating original content is more important than ever when it comes to marketing your business. The decision makers in who will hire you must feel like they know you by viewing a sample of your body of work before they even consider hiring you.
Have a listen to the episode as Joanne and I discuss how content creation and distribution is an important factor in building the connections and relationships to prosper in your business.
Resource Mentioned: * LinktoEXPERT * Joanne Wieland * #048: Building the Right Connections on a Large Scale | An Interview with Joanne Weiland * Facebook Live 2PM Fridays * Like Gayla Scrivener Business Facebook Page * Follow Gayla Scrivener on Instagram
It’s time to celebrate! I think it’s pretty cool to have accomplished publishing fifty podcast episodes.
This fiftieth episode, I did something drastic. I changed my branding from the Accomplish More podcast to The Gayla Scrivener Show.
The reason was I had been struggling with the “Accomplish More” name. Accomplish more is the tagline of my virtual assistant business, Scrivener Solutions.
It works in that space. When you hire a virtual assistant, you will literally accomplish more. When you accomplish more by getting more of the routine work done in your business, your focus and mental energy are better diverted to other business growth activities. The activities only you can do.
As the saying goes, “many hands make light work,” when you’re ready to delegate to your first VA, you’ll truly understand what that means. It’s quite a remarkable feeling to build a great team with systems that make things happen without you thinking about it.
I love my Scrivener Solutions team. I love helping our clients to accomplish more. But for several weeks now, the name “Accomplish More” didn’t seem to resonate with how I truly wanted to serve you.
It may be presumptuous for me to name the show after myself. After all, I’m not famous by any means. I hope to be better known in the future, but I won’t be known at all unless I show up.
By renaming the show and embracing the thought of self-branding, I feel I have more leeway of the subjects I will address.
Have a listen to this week’s episode as I dive in and talk about how you too should be stepping out from behind the curtain of your business and putting a face with your business.
A personal brand is based on creating a business that encompasses your talents, experiences, and expertise to teach, inspire, or even entertain others. Having a personal brand allows you the freedom to evolve as most will evolve or pivot focus over time. Your audience will evolve and pivot over time as well.
Just like there’s only one you…you are the voice and influencer of your own business. People with similar interests and passion want to learn from you and be inspired by you. They want to be inspired to act. They want to learn from someone like you who has walked the path and learn from your experiences and mistakes making their journey easier.
I’m so glad you are tuning into the newly branded Gayla Scrivener Show. I look forward to sharing more with you about how I’ve created and am growing my freedom business. Freedom to me means having the ability to work and live from practically anywhere…to not limit my travel…to not limit my earning potential…and to have the freedom to live life on my own terms.
What does your freedom business look like in your mind’s eye? I’d love to hear from you. Be sure to leave a comment.
Resource Mentioned: * #049: Stretch Like Stretch Armstrong * Scrivener Solutions
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into The Gayla Scrivener Show today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Do you remember Stretch Armstrong? You know, the little toy where you could stretch his arms and legs to at least four times their length?
Do you ever feel stretched thin with everything that you must do? Stretched because you are going in many different directions and are struggling to decide what should be at the top of your priority list?
Building a business, leveraging your time and achieving freedom won’t happen overnight nor is it without its work. Your success happens because of the little things you do on a consistent basis over time. It begins with little habits. You build on those habits. Soon, you’ll be creating a business using your talents and your experience to help others which leads to creating the lifestyle you want.
Creating something new requires us to stretch. Learning something new requires us to stretch. Sometimes stretching is uncomfortable as we get out of our comfort zone.
You will wonder how you’ll get it all done. You will feel behind. But don’t let that get you down. Feeling stretched and worn thin can last as long as we will allow it. We begin to figure out what means the most to us and begin to prioritize accordingly.
We won’t always be stretched to the max. As we instill new habits things will get more comfortable. We find a new comfort zone.
Remember you are in control over your time and how you use it.
I’m doing a bit of stretching myself. Please join me on Friday afternoons at 2 PM Central on Facebook Live. It’s easy to find it, simply follow this link: gaylascrivener.com/live
Resources Mentioned: * #046: Achieving More Work Freedom is Possible * Facebook Live | Fridays 2 PM Central
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
It's important to get out there and shake some hands to make valuable and meaningful connections. When you network, you learn a lot about others, their businesses, and even yourself.
There comes a time when you need to break through and do more than just pass out business cards never to see the person again. There comes a time when you need to connect on a larger scale.
In this week’s podcast, I have a conversation with Joanne Weiland, Chief Collaborations Officer at LinktoEXPERT.
In 2007, Joanne created a platform to make it easy to link experts to decision makers in organizations to benefit both parties. Experts like coaches, consultants, speakers, team builders, trainers, facilitators, and authors in the LinktoEXPERT community are scaling their networking efforts in tremendous ways.
In our conversation, Joanne shares how she ran herself ragged running all over town networking and connecting and she knew there was a better way.
There are unique challenges when growing a business as a solopreneur. Time is precious and breaking through the mindset of working in your business to working on your business is an important factor in significant business growth.
Did you know that you must be seen at least 27 times before others think you’re credible? That’s HUGE! As a solopreneur, or someone just starting out, this episode is perfect for you. You will get fantastic ways to scaling your networking beyond the monthly chamber meeting. You will become better connected with those who want to hire you and with those who you need to hire.
If you are a coach, consultant, speaker, team builder, trainer, facilitator, or author, I urge you to contact Joanne and learn more about LinktoEXPERT. Currently, Joanne’s network reaches about 317,000 people regularly. Are you networking to that many individuals?
I must admit, our conversation went well beyond this week’s recording. I’m excited that I’ll bring her back in another episode in the coming weeks as we go into more about how content creation and distribution is an important factor in building the connections and relationships to prosper in your business.
Resources Mentioned: * LinktoEXPERT * Joanne Weiland * The 5 Things You Must Know Before Hiring a Virtual Assistant
Thank you for tuning in…
Content is simply building on the communication you would do in a face-to-face situation.
In today's podcast, I share how you should get started with creating content.
The best way to get to know anyone is by talking with them face-to-face.
There is no way to be face-to-face with everyone all the time.
To leverage your time, you must create habits that allow people to get to know you better and understand how you may help them even if you aren't right in front of them.
You do this by extending the conversation through content.
Consistently being present through producing content builds trust and allows others to get to know you better so that they will want to do business with you. You will begin to attract those who you may serve best and will become your ideal client.
Ideally, you would be creating content on your website on a weekly basis. But what if you don't have a website yet? Don't let that stop you from getting started with the habit of creating consistent content.
If your website isn't up and going yet, start with committing to consistent social media posts or weekly emails to your contacts. Both are key components in building your marketing foundation.
You need content strategies for all three: website, email, and social.
Are you creating consistent content yet? Email me at podcast@scrivenersolutions.com and share your wins in your content creation. Or, if you feel stuck as to where to start on your content creation journey, drop me a note and let me know your challenge.
Things with the podcast will be changing. Soon, it will no longer be called the Accomplish More Podcast. Instead, I’m transitioning into updating the name that is more aligned with how I feel compelled to help you.
Accomplish More is the subtitle of my virtual assistant business, Scrivener Solutions. It works well there. Those who have been in business a while and are ready to delegate to a team of VAs need the extra set of hands to help them accomplish more.
Over the past few years, I’ve been helping those of you who aren’t ready to delegate yet. I’ve been serving as a guide and someone to bounce off ideas. Many times, over coffee, I’d have various conversations with colleagues and friends about different things that mainly circled back around to having more freedom.
Some feel stuck in jobs and chained to one location and have no idea how to break away. They look at Robert and my lifestyle and wonder how we can break away and travel so much.
Some are new in their businesses. Some have been in business for a while and are exhausted and frustrated.
At the beginning of the year, I launched my personal brand website, GaylaScrivener.com. This is where I can build a platform to help those of you who are thinking something has to change in your life. Something must be different with how you’d like to earn a living.
We all must work and earn some sort of living to put a roof over our heads, put food on the table, and do the stuff we love to do, go to the places we want to go to. But work doesn’t have to miserable.
I honestly believe we all have it in us to create a lifestyle and do work that we truly enjoy and be wildly profitable at it.
About 8 years ago, I was frustrated and burnt out in a career that I had been in for 20 years. I wanted a change. In today’s episode, I share my story about how I made the leap to create a lifestyle where I can work and live from practically anywhere.
I didn’t want to feel chained to one spot. How I wish back then that I had a better understanding of what I should have done to make my path a bit easier.
How I wish I had a place to go or people I could talk with to share and brainstorm ideas. What I really longed for was just to be shown in simple terms what I needed to do and what to worry about at certain stages in my journey.
I do hope you enjoy the episode. I believe you are destined for great things. If you are truly wanting a change, don’t let excuses stop you.
Today you can make the decision to act and begin your journey in gaining more freedom in your work. Click here and download the free guide outlining exactly what you need to build your foundation.
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Over the years, by helping coaches, consultants, online educators, and other small business owners by being their extra set of hands in their marketing efforts, I’ve seen what makes up a solid marketing foundation.
In today’s episode, I share what I’ve learned and wish I knew when I first opened Scrivener Solutions.
Marketing doesn’t have to be salesy and uncomfortable. Being a small business owner is wonderful. You have the opportunity to connect and build relationships in a way that will make your work meaningful and fun. You make real connections.
Connecting with people face-to-face is always preferred. And that may be very well where you start. But there’s only one of you, many people to help, and only so many hours in the day.
How to get more done in less time. How do you leverage your time and increase your influence in your market? The answer is simple really.
Build a strong marketing foundation. You will save time and money in the long run by developing your systems in learning more about communicating with your ideal customer. Over time, you’ll discover tasks that you would want to delegate, giving you more time to build your business, all the while strengthening your foundation of communication.
Your marketing foundation consists of four parts.
Keep it simple. If I only knew what I know now that creating a marketing foundation doesn’t have to be flashy or complicated. Before clouding your mind with worries of SEO or sales funnels, concentrate on your foundation. It makes all other marketing efforts a whole lot easier.
Cutting through all the hype of everything you hear out there about marketing, it all boils down to genuinely connecting and communicating with those you serve. All the communication you do consistency through your website, with your content, and sending out emails and posting on social is the secret and the foundation to all other marketing you may want to do.
If you are confused about connecting all the dots of what I’ve covered today, be sure to subscribe to this podcast. I truly believe that you will accomplish more and scale your business, but in order to do so, you need to get a handle on developing your strong marketing foundation.
I’m going to share secrets and strategies over the next several weeks.
When the company I was working for seven years ago closed its doors, I decided to not look for another medical job. Instead I started my own business. I jumped in with both feet. I was determined to make it work.
I was scared to death, but I was ready for a drastic life change. I read book after book about marketing in today’s digital world.
What did I find?
Everything was pointing me to write. What I didn’t understand then, but I do now, was that those books were giving me the advice to build a marketing platform or foundation.
Write? I’m not a writer. That’s what I thought at the time, anyway.
I didn’t believe what I was reading.
So, what did I do? I dismissed it. Writing is hard work. There’s got to be an easier way.
The more I resisted the fact that writing, the longer I delayed building a strong foundation for my business.
As I began to work with clients and help them with their marketing tasks, my eyes were opened. I saw how my clients’ businesses grew with their consistent content marketing efforts.
Build Your Marketing Foundation In this week’s episode, I talk about why building an online marketing foundation helps you build and scale your business. I address some reasons why many will delay or resist sticking their neck out and creating consistent content and building their online platform.
I wholeheartedly believe in building a marketing foundation through creating consistent content. Having a website isn’t enough. Only posting on social media isn’t enough. It’s the creation of blog posts on your digital home (your website), then systematically building an email list to stay connected with your contacts, as well as having a social media plan for sharing your new posts. I’m simplifying it just a bit, but those are the key elements that are essential in building your marketing foundation.
You have the opportunity of making big waves by starting out with a little ripple with creating your content foundation. What’s stopping you?
If you’re unsure what to do in starting your online platform or how the pieces fit together, please stick with me. Over the next several weeks, I’m going to lay out the steps, recommend resources and encourage you to create your online platform. Create your marketing foundation for the longevity of your business.
Email me at podcast@scrivenersolutions.com with your biggest challenge in building your online marketing foundation.
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
We all have obstacles to overcome whether business or person. Most obstacles are self-inflicted. Meaning we listen to the voices in our heads which plant seeds of doubt in what we can truly accomplish.
One of my favorite sayings is:
“You can’t read the label when you’re inside the bottle.”
Seeking an outside perspective helps you to see the things you either didn’t realize or have forgotten.
In this week’s episode, I wanted to introduce to you Amy Anfinson, Positive Change Coach. Amy helps countless people get out of their own way and to recognize their inner strength to achieve transformation and growth in their lives and businesses.
I’m excited for you to listen to the episode as Amy talks about how important it is to understand yourself and know what works for you. It can be a journey in finding those key individuals to truly boost your growth.
Finding the right coaching for you so you’ll surround yourself with the people and the thoughts and ideas that spark creativity, confidence, inspiration, and motivation is super important. My hope is that by you following me and listening to this podcast, I can spark creativity, confidence, inspiration and motivation for growing your small business.
Afterall, you may be a small business owner, but you think big!
Amy will give you a new perspective in how you should view what’s holding you back. Don’t hold back, have a listen. Enjoy and be prepared to be motivated.
Thank you for tuning in…
I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Resources Mentioned: * Amy Anfinson’s Website * Coach for Life Institute
There’s mainly one thing holding you back from achieving the success you desire.
Before we dive into that, let’s first break it down on what it means to be successful.
Success Dictionary.com defines success as “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.”
But success has different meanings to different people. Everyone in his or her mind has a unique definition of what success means to them.
So much of the time, people put pressure on themselves because they are measuring themselves based on someone else’s ruler of what it means to be successful.
They are afraid of what other people think of them. They make up stories in their mind of what they think other people think of them. They make up stories in their minds believing they fall short of success.
Do you do this? It’s OK if you do…I know I find myself doing it.
On today’s episode, I share how I was measuring myself against other people’s rulers and was fuzzy on what my definition of success was.
I believe it’s important to STOP and really nail down what your definition of success. Don’t compare with how you think others define success. What does success look like to you? In your mind. What would give you a satisfied mind?
Achieve Clarity by Pinning Down Your Definition of Success To gain clarity of what success means to you, try out Frank Kern’s Core Influence exercise, by asking yourself “if there were no limitations or consequences, what would your average perfect day look like?”
I challenge you to give yourself a mini retreat. Take the time and put pen to paper and completely write out your average perfect day. Your complete day. From the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. Be detailed.
If you take the time to truly analyze what success means to you… actually write it out…your perspective begins to shift. You will recognize the areas where you have achieved a level of success. You will recognize what needs to be done to move forward in reaching your perfect day…your success.
What’s the biggest obstacle blocking your success? You may blame things like the economy…or the job your stuck in…or the area where you live…or you may even blame your family for holding you back.
But deep down, you know that the reality of what’s holding you back is YOU!
YOU are the one that limits your progress in achieving the success you desire.
Overcoming Limiting Beliefs We all have them…limiting beliefs. We place ourselves in a little box. Our thoughts are powerful. They can move us toward growth, keep us at status-quo, and even spiral us toward destruction.
Are you up for the challenge? Are you going to make time for yourself and take the first step in getting out of your own way to your success? Will you actually write down your perfect day?
There’s Great News! When you recognize that your mindset is truly the obstacle for achieving true success, it’s a liberating feeling. You begin to gain clarity and focus. What an important exercise right at the beginning of the year as you start your goals you’ve set for yourself.
The details of your perfect day exercise are as private as you wish. It should be an honest depiction of your perfect day…a day that without limitations or consequences…a day that you wouldn’t get tired of repeating.
I’m not asking you to share with me the details of your perfect day. Just drop me a note and let me know that you did the exercise. What is your biggest takeaway from writing down your perfect day?
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. Please be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Resources Mentioned: * Marty Stewart | Satisfied Mind * Frank Kern | Core Influence * Been There Doing That | Our Work from Anywhere Lifestyle
In today’s episode, I wanted to explain why I was laying low for a while and broke off communication. Nothing bad happened or anything. In fact, some marvelous things were unfolding.
Truth be told, sometimes you have to stop what you're doing and evaluate. Question everything. Regroup and refocus.
As we begin the new year, you may be anxious to get started on your new goals. First, listen to this episode. I hope that it helps you gain perspective on your business and your direction. It's OK to become lost sometimes. It's OK to stop what you're doing to regroup and refocus.
Resources Mentioned: My new personal brand website | GaylaScrivener.com
Content Marketing Virtual Assistance| ScrivenerSolutions.com
Social media communication is fast and constant. You should have a foundation of consistent posts to be active on your favorite social media platform. In this week’s episode, I go over the three habits you should implement today to increase your social media productivity.
To sum it up, the three habits you should implement today to be efficient and save you time with your social media posts are:
Plan Your Content Stay focused by creating a theme for your content. Having a theme per month is an easy way to break things down. Your theme will guide you on how you’d like to communicate on your favorite social media platform.
If you are just sitting there with a blank canvas without any inspiration or direction, then the canvas usually stays blank. When you set a plan for yourself, you don’t have to wait until inspiration strikes on what to post, just follow your plan.
Schedule Your Posts Once you have your plan in place, then it makes it easy to schedule your posts. There is no need to do your baseline consistent posts in real time. To leverage your time, you should set up a system to schedule your posts. You save time in the long run if you set aside a little block of time and do your posting for the week or even the month all at once. It’s much more effective than starting and stopping what you are doing in the week just to make one social post.
Delegate Delegate your routine, consistent social posts to free your time for important engagement opportunities. Your focus shifts to higher level business developing and planning. Advantages about delegating are you get an outside perspective and you are freed of writer’s block.
When you systemize your content strategy, your marketing will become more efficient and effective. Your system will lead to becoming more intentional with your marketing messages. You will learn what messages resonate with your followers and when you make investments in paid advertising, your message will be more effective.
Social media marketing is such a hot topic. It seems like everyone wants all the latest tricks and gadgets to be able to extend their reach and beat the system of social media engagement. Of course, I’m not any different in wanting to know how to communicate better through social media.
But, it’s my opinion that there is a lot of misconceptions when it comes to social media. There seems to be a lot of high hopes or skewed views of promoting businesses through social media. I find that many people hope it will be their magic bullet in opening the floodgates of sales.
Social media is a powerful and wonderful tool, however, it’s no magic bullet. The first and foremost purpose of social media is to make a connection with people.
You need a foundation and system for consistently communicating and learning from your audience in the social media space. I hope you enjoy today’s episode as I review how social media fits into your small business marketing plan.
Additional Resources Mentioned:
You’re a solopreneur and feel pretty assured that you have control over all your stuff. To accomplish more and achieve significant growth in your business, you’ll begin forming your perfect team. Hiring anyone, whether it’s an independent contractor or an employee, you are trusting them to get the job done and achieve the outcomes you desire.
You have a handle on your passwords, but now you need to delegate. You’re advised to never share your passwords. But for all practical purposes, there comes a time when you must share some of your passwords simply to get more done.
Most of the time, when you bring on an assistant to be your extra set of hands, you will inevitably need to be sharing access to some of your accounts, therefore will be giving away passwords.
Whether you are already delegating or haven’t started yet, it’s a good idea to create a best practices policy for sharing passwords to help protect you and your team.
Last week’s show I talked in depth about the best practices in creating more secure passwords and developing a system for organizing them. In this episode, I go over five questions you should be asking yourself before sharing your passwords with an assistant.
Develop a Strategy to Safely Share Passwords with Your Assistant by Asking Yourself:
Taking precautions is important with sharing information on any account you have. I do hope you enjoy the episode as I dive deeper into these five questions and give some examples of some of my experiences with password sharing.
Additional Resources: * LastPass * Tips for Creating Secure Passwords [Infographic] * #037 – Taming the Chaos of Password Management * Accomplish More Academy
Securing our passwords is super important. With cyber hacking everywhere, the bad guys certainly have us on edge. It seems like we are fighting a nameless and faceless enemy.
Everything we have access to online has a username and password associated with it. There’s no avoiding it. Password management can get disorganized quickly making you feel annoyed and frustrated.
In today’s show, I go over several tips to remember when setting up user passwords. Then, I go over some thoughts on storing those passwords. And finally, I share with you the tool I use for Scrivener Solutions to keep my passwords and my client’s passwords secure and organized.
Below is an outline of the areas I discuss in today’s episode. I hope you enjoy and have many takeaways that you can implement today.
Tips to Remember When Creating Passwords
Points to Remember About Organizing Passwords
Additional Resources Mentioned:
In this week’s podcast, I go over why control isn’t a bad thing. I believe that there’s a healthy kind of control and then there’s the micro-manager freaky kind of control.
Control Isn’t a Bad Thing
Overall, as small business owners, we need to be able to have the control and flexibility over our systems so that we may adapt and change to fit our clients’ needs and to the market’s ever-changing climate. That’s the beauty of having your own business, you can have the control you want to make the changes you want when you want to make them.
One obstacle that you may when deciding to delegate is feeling like you will lose some control over your business. I contend that the best clients who delegate to virtual assistants are the very individuals who don’t want to lose control. They shift their mindset with being bothered with the details to making sure the outcomes are what they want. They spend more time thinking on how things should be and get the help they need to achieve those goals.
Don’t Let the Unknown Strip You of Control
Your most valuable online asset is your website. Building and updating your website doesn’t have to be daunting or a mystery. Just because you may not know how to create your own website, you can acquire enough knowledge to maintain control.
You want control over your website so that you may quickly make changes, post regular content, and made additions when necessary. Sometimes it’s more economical to make the quick changes yourself or have an assistant do them than to have a web developer do them.
As Your Business Evolves, Your Website Evolves
To create your website, you should select someone with the right skills that you need to get things started, but you should also have the freedom to learn to make simple updates or have an assistant do it for you. Building your website isn’t a one-time project. As your business evolves, so does your website.
The best solution in starting your website and maintaining control is to use a platform that:
I hope you enjoy this week’s episode as I do in deeper to each of those four points to illustrate why you should use WordPress when developing your website while at the same time maintain control over your biggest online asset.
Maintain Control with Knowledge
If you don’t have a website and are fuzzy as to where to start or how to find the right person to help, I invite you to join us in the Accomplish More Academy community. With your membership, we dive into subjects just like this. We take the mystery of what is involved with systems like developing a website.
It’s a place where, if you want to do things like building your own website yourself, you can! You gain the confidence to no longer be afraid of technology and feel more in control over the systems in your business. Even if you just want to know the gist of how systems like WordPress work, then you have better control of how you want to delegate tasks when you are ready.
The Accomplish More Academy isn’t just a bunch of tutorials, but it’s an environment with coaching, consulting and encouragement where you get your questions answered and receive the motivation and inspiration to become more efficient and to accomplish more in your business.
Especially designed for the solopreneur just starting out, hop over to AccomplishMoreAcademy.com and sign up and let’s connect. Feel free to drop me a note at support@accomplishmoreacademy.com with any questions.
Additional Resources Mentioned:
In the pursuit of accomplishing more, we should remember to take a step back and to not complicate things.
In this week’s podcast, I give you an example of how a friend of mine was wanting to do a create an extensive email and social campaign to fill the remaining seats of his seminar. He had high expectations of what the results would be, and I was afraid that he’d be sorely disappointed.
Without an already active email campaign or social media strategy nurturing the relationship of his contacts, I didn’t think a quick email “blast” or a couple of social posts on an account he rarely posts to would be effective.
To reach his goal of filling his seminar, I suggested something different. I suggested something with a more personal touch. Listen to this week’s episode to hear the entire story and my take on how email campaigns and social media works in your ongoing marketing methods. I’ll give you a little secret…it’s not always about selling.
If you aren’t actively using email or social in your current marketing plan, why not? Is it because you are too busy? Then it’s time to delegate. The Scrivener Solutions team of virtual assistants help you stay connected with your clients and prospects.
Maybe you aren’t ready to delegate and want to do it yourself. But the issue is, you don’t really know how to put it all together. You know you should be doing email, social media, and even blogging, but you have questions about how to do it.
You don’t know where to turn to ask things like…
Go to AccomplishMoreAcademy.com. Sign up for a membership today and be directly connected with coaching and tutorials on all subjects relating on how to promote your small business, gain ideas and inspiration from your peers, and be in a place where you can learn the basics without feeling like an amateur.
Whether we like it or not, every small business owner needs to become a good marketer.
This week's episode revolves around the three actions you must do consistently when marketing your business. The three actions aren't revolutionary and I'm sure you've heard it before, but my question is...
Are you actually taking action CONSISTENTLY in all three areas? Working together, the three actions will help you build a strong foundation for your marketing plan. Once you have a handle on your process and become consistent with it, you gain the trust and authority that you need to make your paid advertising much more effective. It makes "selling" so much easier.
Imagine...business coming to you instead of your chasing after business. What are the three actions? Have a listen to the episode.
You will discover that you may already be on the right track. You may need help in some areas. Action and consistency are key here. Whether you do all three yourself or delegate pieces so you may achieve consistency, you would be taking action.
The topic of masterminds is huge and seems to be a big buzz word nowadays. Everyone should be a part of a mastermind.
The concept isn’t new. Napoleon Hill is credited for coining the term “mastermind” in his book 1930’s book Think and Grow Rich.
He defines it as “The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”
He goes on to say, “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind [the master mind].”
In the strictest sense, a true mastermind is a group that offers a combination of education, brainstorming, and peer support and accountability. Usually it’s a small group where members sharpen their business or personal skills and challenge each other to achieve lofty goals. There’s a facilitator, but they shouldn’t be dominating the conversation. Everyone participates equally. Everyone in the group benefits. There’s confidentiality so members may share with total honesty and openness. It stimulates creative thinking and guides your decision-making process.
Belonging to a mastermind takes a commitment and challenges you to get out of your comfort zone, allowing you to grow. It’s worth it because you are lead and nudged forward in a way in which you can’t achieve on your own.
Although belonging to a formal and structured mastermind group is important, I believe the masterminds effect can come in different forms. Most say that a mastermind group isn’t coaching, a class, or networking. But I believe there are elements of coaching, classes, and networking where you can achieve a sense of that “third mind” Mr. Hill speaks about.
The invisible intangible force comes from relationships with individuals that help propel us forward. On one level, what starts out as a simple exchange of business cards in a networking meeting, could lead to added conversations and connections which allow you and your business to grow beyond what you could do on your own.
This third mind concept comes from sharing ideas, coming up with solutions, and having a sense of accountability allowing you to go beyond what you can accomplish on your own.
I do hope you enjoy today’s podcast episode where I share where I’ve found the mastermind concept in my life.
Have you read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill? If not, I encourage you to grab a copy. What does “mastermind” mean to you?
Additional Resources:
There’s a lot of frustration and heartache when it comes to the subject of the reach Facebook awards Business Pages. Facebook always seems to be changing its algorithms and the only way to get exposure is to pay for ads. It leads people to wonder if they should even have a Facebook Page.
All the social media platforms are designed to enhance the end user experience, not to cater to businesses. If the end users complain about too many ads or ads that don’t relate to them, then of course the algorithms will change. As business owners, we shouldn’t be discouraged with the changing algorithms, but instead, we should be thinking of ways to connect and form relationships with our clients/customers in more meaningful ways.
In today’s podcast, I discuss the three main reasons why your business should have (or continue to use) a Facebook Business Page. Quickly, the reasons are:
I dig a little deeper into each reason and give some examples for you to think about.
Resources Mentioned:
Last week, I attended the Less Annoying CRM user conference in St. Louis. Cute name, isn’t it? Well, I think so. I have to say, it has been my experience that it is actually less annoying than other systems I’ve worked with.
A CRM system is a powerful tool where you not only store your contacts, but it enhances your workflow. If you are only storing your contacts in your phone, as a Google contact, or even in an Excel spreadsheet, you are missing out on a huge efficiency opportunity by not using a CRM database.
As virtual assistants, my team and I are flexible. We work with the systems our clients choose and use. Sometimes, our clients will solicit my advice as to what systems to implement or what systems I have experience with.
If they are asking about a CRM, most of the time I recommend Less Annoying CRM. Some people are in industries where I may recommend an industry-specific CRM because of the features they offer that would be directly related to their industry.
However, for the most part, Less Annoying CRM is great for the small business owner because:
My intent in today’s podcast isn’t to win you over in selecting a CRM for your business. My true intent is to go over the five reasons why going to live events boosts the growth of your business.
Mainly, I talked about the importance of going to a live event outside of your geographical area. I did touch on belonging to a local networking group. Both, I believe, are valuable.
Another very important investment, I believe, is online education and online communities. Becoming a part of an online community helps you learn skills whereas you may not feel like you have the time to go to a traditional class. You can participate in forums or discussion groups and create conversations. You learn, not only from the instruction classes or coaching, but you learn from other participants and like a live event you gain perspective and renewed energy.
Live events, local networking, and online community membership all serve the purpose of investing in yourself with education, perspective, and most of all making connections. I believe in working into your schedule a blend of all three.
I’m glad I went to the Less Annoying CRM user conference. I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the whole experience. We are taking our conversation online, which I’m excited about. I look forward to seeing how people are doing.
If you are looking for renewed energy, have some accountability in moving forward in your business, and especially if you fear techy stuff, I encourage you to invest in yourself. I invite you to go to accomplishmoreacademy.com to learn more. You can always drop me a note at podcast@scrivenersolutions.com if you have any specific questions to see if Accomplish More Academy would be right for you.
Resources Mentioned:
*Referral Link
Today’s episode is all about tools. Not like those tools my husband uses to work on our vehicles or house. No, let’s talk about the tools we need as entrepreneurs.
Tools are created to scratch an itch, so to speak. You start with a problem and someone creates a tool to help solve that problem. But here’s the thing. There are a ton of tools out there to solve the same problem. How do you choose?
The abundance of tools available that seem to do the exact same thing can lead us down rabbit trails of research and indecision. It doesn’t have to be hard or complicated.
When choosing tools to help you run your business, of course, you’ll make your selection based on budget and ease of use. Sometimes you choose one tool simply to get you started. Then when you grow and expand, another system may fill your needs better.
Ultimately, you don’t want to have to do everything yourself forever. You want to scale your business and want things to be easier. Tools help get you there.
The reason why there are so many tools available that do the same job is that all of our brains work differently. To one person, one system is easy peasy, and yet to another person, it’s cumbersome.
As virtual assistants, my team and I work with a lot of tools. We must be open minded and flexible. It’s up to our client to choose what tools and systems they like using. It’s up to us to achieve the outcomes they desire.
Being exposed to so many tools gives me a big advantage when I put on my consulting hat. When I consult with clients as they navigate in organizing their processes, we discuss what they want to accomplish. I get to know them and make suggestions of tools based on what fits them best. Many times, my clients have chosen tools, but don’t know where to start in using them effectively. They are at a loss.
Today’s episode dives right into the five categories of tools, you as an entrepreneur, need to fill. I illustrate examples of tools in each category.
Sometimes the tool selection process slows people down because they are apprehensive in getting started with it. They may feel they aren’t “techy” enough to figure it out. More often than not it’s because you are too blasted busy to slow down and figure out what to use and how to use it.
Not everyone is like me. I love learning new systems and seeing the similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages. There is great value to have someone streamline your learning curve for you. There’s value to getting personalized training that will cut to the chase and show you what you need to know and teach you the parts of how it works so you don’t have to figure it out for yourself.
If you believe that you aren’t “techy” and feel at a loss as to being current with the stuff you need to know to increase your productivity and incorporate processes to scale your business, then I invite you to join me in the Accomplish More Academy.
It’s a community of small business owners just like you where you’ll learn about some of the tools I’ve talked about this episode. The Accomplish More Academy is a place where we get down to the nitty gritty and learn where to get started with the practical subjects like social media, email marketing, CRMs, etc. and learn to use them and integrate them into your business so you can work more efficiently. More importantly, you’ll gain the confidence about working with the most popular tools and be able to manage your time and create a winning team to grow your business. Hop over to accomplishmoreacademy.com to learn more and to see if it’s right for you.
Have confidence in your decision. Seek the help you need to arrive at your decision and implement. Make the decisions of what you want to use for your business based on your budget, your business size, and even your personal preference. Remember, there’s no one system that does everything beautifully. But there are systems that do work well together.
Don’t get caught in the maze of rabbit holes when it comes to selecting the right tool for your business. If you do go down one of those rabbit holes, don’t stay in there long and fall into the trap of indecision. It does take patience and persistence in learning a new system. And no tool works unless you use it.
Resources Mentioned:
*Referral Link
Something happens. You can’t be fully engaged in running your business. You must drop practically everything and shift your focus. What will happen to your business? Can it run without you?
Running a small business certainly has its advantages. However, for some, running their business makes them feel trapped because they feel they can’t get away or they don’t feel like they have help. They continue to do everything themselves, become burnt out, even miserable in their own business.
It doesn’t have to be that way. A few weeks ago, I had to drop everything and shift my focus to family and healing. My world came to a stop, but my business didn’t have to. I could dramatically scale back what I needed to do and not have to close my business completely. How?
Listen to this week’s podcast as I share a little bit of what happened in my personal life that gave me better appreciation and perspective in how developing a team and processes will allow you to keep your business running even if you have to disengage for a short time-period.
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
Early in my career, I was taught to dress for the job I wanted, not the job I had. I didn't quite understand it then, but over the years I learned how important personal branding really is.
Whether you call it your signature style or your go-to professional look, how much thought are you putting into marketing yourself effectively using the subtle clues of your wardrobe and communication?
Personal branding isn’t a new idea by any means but seems to have been lost over the years. It’s not just about dressing professional, it’s also about speaking confidently and conveying your thoughts and ideas effectively.
I'm excited to welcome back Kandice Alexander and Michele Rickman as we dive right into this subject. Kandace and Michele share how personal branding isn't stripping away your personality but rather builds a professional look with your own individuality.
Don’t miss Kandice and Michele's upcoming Show Them What You Know event on May 5th. To learn more about this event and their other personal branding events, email Michele at 4dstyleandpresentationcoaching@gmail.com.
There's a lot to think about when branding your business. I go over what I think is a very important piece of branding your business. It's a piece that I see many small business owners or new business owners overlook.
It’s a minor and affordable detail, that if implemented and used correctly, complements your brand.
By doing this simple little detail, you are on your way of accomplishing more, because you’ll make things more clear for your customers and you are setting up processes to be able to delegate in the future.
I do hope you enjoy today's episode as I reveal the top five reasons you should be thinking about and implementing this branding detail. Are you overlooking this small yet important piece of branding your business?
Listen and let me know.
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
How you connect both verbally and visually with the people you want to do business with is important. You only have just moments to make a good first impression.
In this episode, I share my recent interview with style coach Michele Rickman. Michele is the owner of 4D Style and Presentation Coaching. As a style coach, she helps business owners and professionals update their look and help with their presentation skills to help gain confidence and express themselves to reach your ideal client.
We are told at an early age that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover…but we all do!
Authors spend a lot of time and money on the design of their book covers to make their books more marketable. It’s similar with how we present ourselves as business owners…especially for those who are a personal brand.
Michele helps business owners with their presentation skills. Her coaching isn’t just for those who want to be professional speakers. Any business owner, especially those new to entrepreneurship would benefit in brushing up and learning presentation skills. How you express yourself verbally in networking situations or even an unlikely casual situation can help you get your next client.
You’ll get a lot out this episode as you meet Michele and learn how you can unleash your fourth dimension.
Resources Mentioned:
Accomplish More Academy
Michele Rickman | 4D Style and Presentation Coaching
Park Lane Jewelry | Sparkle with Michele
Connect with Michele by:
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
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In the past, I’ve talked about the importance of planning and systems. Even back in Episode 15 [https://www.scrivenersolutions.com/15/], business coach, David Sims and I discussed how people don’t seem to do enough planning in order to achieve their goals. He mentioned that many people spend more time planning their next vacation than they do planning the growth of their business.
Consistency with systems will help you become efficient and more effective in your time management. Consistent systems are a very important foundation, but with routine sometimes comes complacency. You may become blinded to seeing new opportunities for growth.
Sometimes you should shake things up and pop out of your normal routine to renew motivation, be inspired, and get some much needed rest.
That’s why going to a retreat or seminar is great. You have the opportunity to network and to learn from others. Even taking an online class and devoting a part of your day to retreat from your normal routine can give you renewed energy and reframe your thoughts. Most importantly, taking a vacation and getting completely away from work is definitely important.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about David’s lessons about planning and goal setting. I realized that I’ve blended the planning of my vacation and my business growth all together, calling it my workcation.
My husband, Robert, and I started our business because it was important for us to earn our living which wasn’t geographically dependent. We wanted a business where we could be anywhere in the world and not feel like we were starting over. We serve our clients and lead our team no matter where our front door happens to be.
We have created a work-from-anywhere lifestyle. Planning and systems become very important with each adventure. With each adventure also comes shaking up our normal routine to make way for growth.
In today’s episode, I thought it would be fun to give you a peek behind the scenes of how Robert and I are preparing for our next work-from-anywhere 6-week adventure. We use these trips to challenge ourselves by getting better at our planning and shake up our routine to improve our processes and systems in our business.
Enjoy!
Resources Mentioned:
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
In today’s podcast, I am pleased to feature Kandice Alexander. Kandice is the owner of 5 Elements Esthetics and Makeup Studio and Alexander Personal Image Styling. She is a tremendous resource when it comes to growing and marketing a personal service business.
Learn from Kandice as she shares tips about how she organizes her busy schedule as an entrepreneur, wife, and new mom. She shares how she uses her liberal arts degree every day even though she’s not in the industry any longer. Her degree and experience working as a director of many shows has helped her shape and grow her business in ways she never even realized possible.
She provides chemical free skin care therapies and has learned that the best way to grow her personal service business is through the connections she makes. Building relationships are important in the service industry. Putting your looks and your health in the hands of someone is intimate and requires a lot of trust. To bridge that trust gap means making a connection first.
Kandice reveals how self-care appointments help you to accomplish more. You will find that when you actually take the time to take care of yourself, the days after your self-care appointment you are more productive.
I think you’ll enjoy our discussion as we talk about how she fits everything into her schedule, her perspective on competition, and what she does to build a good foundation of quality clients.
How to Connect with Kandice:
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
Money is a huge concern for most small business owners when it comes to deciding to hire someone. It’s probably the number one reason that holds most people back from getting help when they need it.
Because of our fear of how much hiring someone will cost, most of us will put on our superhero capes and trick ourselves that we can do everything.
What happens if we keep up the superhero pace?
Having the right people in place to help you achieve your goals in your business is key. I can’t stress that enough. Whether you dream of having a huge corporation or always want to work out of your home, the right team is important to allow you to get you where you want to go in your business.
There’s no doubt about it, the largest line item on any Profit & Loss report is going to be labor. In today’s episode, I get to the heart of the matter and talk about the dollars and cents when it comes to hiring a virtual assistant.
First, I touch on how our mindset on how we view money is important to be able to scale our use of time. Then, we talk numbers. We crunch the numbers in comparing hiring a full-time employee versus a virtual assistant.
Here’s the thing…you cannot just compare only the per hour rate. There’s more to consider.
I hope you enjoy the episode.
Additional Resources:
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
Do you have an uncontrollable Inbox with thousands of unopened emails lurking there? Do you hate even opening your email because there’s just so much stuff there and you don’t know even how to begin to organize it? Or do you have a good handle on it?
Either way, in this week’s podcast I talk all about practices you can implement to tame the beast many call “email.”
Nowadays, some people think that email communication is dead, but it isn’t. It is very alive and well within business communication. Big companies email between departments. Meetings are arranged through email. Reports are sent through email. Reminders and announcements are sent via email. It’s the culture of communication. But you are a small business. Is email still important? Absolutely!
If you let it, you can be consumed with reading and answering email all day long. Email is a wonderful tool and very much a part of any business. You don’t have to let emails control you, you can have control and effectively manage your time, your Inbox, and accomplish more.
In today’s episode, I go over some practices to tame the chaos of your Inbox. With just a few changes in your habits, you will save time and become more efficient in processing your email. Even achieving the “Inbox Zero” goal is possible.
I hope you enjoy today’s show and find it helpful. Below are the resources mentioned in the episode. I encourage you to use the tutorials below to create templates. By far, implementing email templates is, by far, the best time saver in being able to streamline answering routine emails and possibly even delegating.
Soon enrollment for the Accomplish More Academy will be open. I’m super excited about launching the academy. It is a place where I’ll go over in much more detail things like we talked about today.
I love all these techy tools, but I fully recognize that not everyone catches on as quickly as others may. It’s perfectly OK to not be techy. What’s not OK, at least in my opinion, is to let the techy stuff limit you.
Instead of struggling or wasting time trying to figure out some of the tech stuff, wouldn’t it be nice to have a place where you are free to ask questions and be shown how? The Accomplish More Academy is training for the busy entrepreneur who may feel like they aren’t very good with computers and are apprehensive about the technology.
We will have coaching and live training calls to cut to the chase in what you need to know. You’ll be able to get over your apprehension about the tech stuff. You’ll learn how tools are set up and how they interact. Whether you do any given process yourself or delegate it, you’ll understand the tools better, so you can develop a better strategies and systems for your business.
Enrollment for the Accomplish More Academy will be open soon, so click here and be the first on the list to receive updates and info.
Resources Mentioned:
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
Although it’s easy to say to do what you do best and delegate the rest, the reality is there are some things that you shouldn’t delegate.
When you create your business out of thin air and start from scratch, the wonderful thing is that you can create your own rules and processes. Yet, that’s also the downside because creating everything from scratch takes a lot of self-discipline. You must to figure things out for yourself, try new things, learn new things, and find the things that work best for you.
You have the wonderful opportunity in creating a company culture you want and achieve the profits you desire, whether you want to create a big team or a small one. Your team will be your largest investment you will make in your business. Learning what you can let go and what you should do yourself will evolve.
Last week I went over what types of tasks that are perfect to delegate. In this episode, I'm talking about the flipside of that… what you shouldn’t delegate.
In the midst of your busy schedule, sometimes things come up that you and only you must do. These may be things that you really don’t want to do, you aren’t good at, or don’t have the expertise to do well, yet you must do them yourself.
As a leader, you delegate to leverage your time, but you cannot delegate everything. I invite you to listen to this week’s podcast to learn the five major areas you shouldn’t delegate.
Resources Mentioned: * 50 Tasks Perfect to Delegate * Gusto | Payroll Services * Screencast-o-matic | Screen Recording
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
When I first started Scrivener Solutions, I was freelancing and would do everything myself. With my background in operations and management, I’ve lead many teams and know the importance of structure, systems, and delegation.
The thing about working with small business owners and me becoming a small business owner myself, structure isn’t necessarily a daily reality. Even the most organized person who is pulled in so many directions finds it hard to have structure and processes in a small business.
The question comes up as to what to delegate and when. Delegating tasks is a process and is something that is perfect to start small and then build on. It’s great for your sanity and your budget.
In today’s podcast, I go over the 7 types of activities you should routinely evaluate and delegate.
As a business owner, you should be focusing your time on activities that further the growth of your business, like strategy, planning, servicing, and marketing.
To break things down even further, download my free checklist, 50 Tasks Perfect to Delegate. Not everything on the list may fit your particular situation and you may not want to delegate everything listed, but what the list will do for you is get you thinking.
Resources Mentioned: * Toggle * 50 Tasks Perfect to Delegate
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
Recently, I’ve had this question posed to me, “When should I expect to see the return on investment for delegating tasks?”
Early on in any business, it’s hard to let go. More often than not, there’s a fear of not being able to afford help. Then when you decide to delegate that first task, you wonder how fast you’ll make your money back.
Taking the first step in delegating is taking your first step in becoming a leader and moving your business toward growth. So, how should you view ROI when it comes to delegating?
Time is an asset that once spent, you can’t make more of. You can’t hoard your time and use it just when you need it. It passes whether you like it or not.
When you begin delegating, think about what time you’ll free up, and what you will do with that newly found time that will affect your bottom line.
You should see the ROI on your financial statements, but first, you must see the return on your investment with your time spent doing other things to generate revenue. It’s up to you to delegate in a strategic manner.
In today’s podcast, I go over how you see the return on your investment when delegating. I hope you enjoy the episode as I talk about examples of ways to delegate with a strategy in mind.
Resources Mentioned: * Asana * Quickbooks * Scrivener Solutions Services
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
Do you ever feel scattered and lost in your direction? Maybe you have too many things to do without enough time to do them. I think we all struggle with this. Even the most organized people struggle with time management from time to time.
While you are in the midst of overwhelm, it’s easy to feel like you are all alone. With all the things piling up around you, all the pressure seems to be all on your shoulders, it’s hard to know where to get started. You feel paralyzed. We go through natural phases as we grow our businesses.
The line between personal and professional time is often blurred. Whenever you are working hard to make a significant change in your business, you must be more intentional with your time.
In today’s episode, I go over how important it is to use your schedule to move you forward to achieving big change. Being intentional with your time isn’t easy and can’t be done with the snap of a finger.
Maintaining a schedule is not something that is set in stone. It takes work to be disciplined in always planning ahead. Planning ahead helps you prioritize and minimize distractions.
I hope you enjoy the episode as I go over my personal experiences in becoming more diligent with my schedule to move forward with achieving the goals I’ve set for myself.
Resources Mentioned: The Three Natural Phases of Successful Small Business Growth | Duct Tape Marketing | John Jantsch
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share.
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When a door closes a window opens. I think it’s important to realize that we should take control and purposefully close some doors once in a while allowing room for windows of opportunities to open.
My past couple of weeks have certainly been full. My husband said that I had made some waves. What I actually did was set in motion some of the key action steps to make the changes I need to achieve my big goal for the year.
Some of the changes that were needed weren't easy, but they were necessary. You know the saying that you can't expect different results if you continue to do the same thing. There's certainly some truth to that, but you can't realize results unless you have some consistency and processes in place. There comes a time that you must grow and implement a new norm and that involves making waves.
In this episode, I explain what recent ripples I've made and how I felt I needed take action.
Although change can sometimes be difficult, three great things come out of making waves.
Resource Mentioned: Asana
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If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
In today's podcast, I’m excited to share with you my recent interview with Jennifer Filla. Jen is the founder of Aspire Research Group and Prospect Research Institute.
We have been working together for several years and I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for you to hear her perspective on growing her businesses and starting to grow her virtual team. She reveals fabulous insight and is candid on what she has experienced on her journey of growing her small business.
Jen says that it takes a leap of faith to begin delegating. When she became serious about sales, she became serious about growing her team. She shares what her biggest fear is when it comes to team building and her strategy in pushing through that fear.
I think you’ll enjoy our discussion as we peek behind the scenes of our worlds.
Resources Mentioned in Episode: * Aspire Research Group * Prospect Research Institute * Slack * Dropbox * Nomadesk * Dashlane
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share on your favorite social media platform.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
We have just entered a new year and goals are on many people’s minds. It’s one thing to set goals, but it’s a whole other thing to set things into motion to achieve those goals.
When it comes to writing down your goals, I'm sure you are very familiar with the acronym, S.M.A.R.T.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-sensitive
Once your goals are written down, then what?
If you are one to have goals written down only to be disappointed to not reaching them, then you know that there's something missing.
The missing piece?
Your strategic action plan.
When it comes to achieving your goals, you must take action and implement a plan. Many people set the goals and stop there. They don't know where to begin to systematically take action and see results.
In this week's episode, I'm delighted to be talking with Sales Coach, David Sims. I met David a few years ago in our networking group and have had the pleasure of working with him on several projects. I’ve attended several of his workshops and have truly gotten a lot out of each one. In fact, every time we have the opportunity to get together and visit, I learn something new.
I'm excited to be attending David's upcoming workshop titled “How Do You Make Your 2018 Your Best Year Yet?” It focuses on strategic planning to achieve our goals.
In today's episode, David and I discuss what it takes to get started on the right foot with achieving goals set for the year. We had a great discussion with a ton of value. Enjoy!
Resources: David Sims Coaching Company
The Ultimate Sales System For Professionals
The Ultimate Referral System For Professionals
Contact David: 417-831-0050 or david@davidsimscoaching.com
Thank you for tuning in… I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share on your favorite social media platform.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying, “Do what you do the best and delegate the rest.” Chris Ducker is credited for the saying. He’s a serial entrepreneur and owns a virtual assistant business in the Philippines. When it comes to virtual business management, he’s the go-to resource. I love his book called Virtual Freedom. I highly recommend any small business owner to go to Amazon and grab a copy. The book is a step-by-step guide on how to systematically build your team to help you grow your business, with the resources you can afford.
This week’s Accomplish More podcast covers the practical side of delegating. Technology has dramatically changed the climate of how we can build the team for our businesses. No matter how big or small you want your workforce, you have many more options available to fill your needs.
It’s easier said than done when it comes to building a team. There are things that hold us back. In this episode, I share why I used to be dead set against having a remote team and how my mindset dramatically changed.
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I appreciate you tuning into the Accomplish More Podcast today. There are many podcast choices out there and I’m honored that you chose mine. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share on your favorite social media platform.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
I simply can’t believe that in just a few days we will be starting a brand-new year! In today’s show we are going to talk about setting your goals in motion for a successful new year.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." --Walt Disney
Why is it that we think we can continue to add to our pile of things to do and stress ourselves out because there is never enough time?
It's a tough reality to face. When you say "yes" to something, you must say "no" to something else. Whether you are aware of it or not, at the end of the day what you said yes to left other things undone.
It's natural for our priorities and goals to shift in our businesses and in our personal lives. As we come into a new year, many of us are reflecting on our progress from the past years and focusing on our future goals.
In this podcast episode, Sharon and I talk about time management and the importance of evaluating what to let go in order to make room for growth. We give examples of some tough decisions we are facing at the moment and how we are working through the process to achieve our goals we've set for ourselves for the coming year.
Recap: Be Realistic With Your Time Time is our most valuable resource. We can never get it back. We can never make more. We just keep moving forward whether we like it or not.
People set goals, but don’t put an action plan in place. That action plan must translate into something listed on your calendar.
Just because you put something on your calendar to take an hour, does it really take an hour? Things can go two ways. You think something should take only an hour, but in reality, to do the job right, it will take much longer. Or, you are dragging your feet and making things take longer because you are unsure, not confident, or just wasting time.
It takes practice and continual work to find processes that work for you to have a good sense of how long things will take so that you can become more efficient.
Carefully Evaluate What You'll Give Up You must prioritize and figure out what is important to you. Before you decide to give up something, take a moment to evaluate and understand the value it brings. Sometimes we aren't in a mood and don’t want to do something. Let's take, for example, exercise. If you are trying to achieve a weight loss goal and give up exercise because you don't feel like it, then you wouldn't be getting closer to reaching your goal. It’s in your best interest to keep your appointment with yourself and do it because you see the value of the end result.
Blocking time on your calendar is a helpful way of visualizing what you should attend and what you’ll give up in order to add something else. When you see your calendar full of events and faced with other demands on your time, it’s easier to visualize your priorities and either say no or move things around.
Shift Tasks to Make Room for Growth Sometimes it’s a good idea to eliminate tasks, but often times, we can’t eliminate them because we need to keep things running smoothly. But should you be doing the task or is it time to delegate so you can accomplish more? You should think about how much is it costing you to do the task versus paying someone else to do it.
You should be asking yourself these questions:
Attaching a dollar amount to your time helps you measure and prioritize what tasks you should keep and what tasks make sense to delegate.
There are many things that demand your time and only you can make the decision of what takes priority.
Be realistic with yourself about your time, assign a value to your time, evaluate carefully how you are spending your time, and see if some tasks should be shifted.
What are you doing now that is holding you back from future growth and how are you making progress of letting go?
Last week, Sharon and I went through 10 of the 15 mistakes commonly made when goal setting. We didn't want to make the episode too long, so we broke it up into two episodes. Join us and see if you have ever made any of the mistakes.
We don't want to dwell on the negative because that isn't productive. But knowing the reasons why we don't accomplish a goal is important. Instead of feeling lost and frustrated, you gain a better understanding of yourself and your actions, which will better enable you to recognize if you fall into your old routine keeping you from achieving your goal.
Set your goals for next year with a fresh and new perspective.
It’s the end of the year and it’s the traditional resolution time. The added stress of the holidays and the pressing fact that the year is swiftly coming to an end gets many of us reflecting on what we’ve accomplished.
But are you frustrated and focused on what you didn’t accomplish in the year and trying to hurry to do some catch-up? Do you have any goals that you set last year that looking back you haven’t made the progress you wanted?
It happens to all of us.
I think it’s a good idea to know and understand the reasons why goals fail so that we can get over being discouraged and be on a better path when setting new goals. In this episode, Sharon and I go over the main mistakes made in setting goals.
We hope you enjoy the show. If you find the show useful and helpful, we encourage you to subscribe to the show on iTunes and let us know your thoughts. You can leave a comment or always drop us a note at podcast@scrivenersolutions.com.
Working with a team has its challenges, but when it comes to your team being remote, there are special challenges.
We’ve had our struggles with some of our clients getting started and getting into a good groove.
In today's episode, we talk about the key things you should know when working with a virtual team. Actually, most of the things we go over apply to anyone you may add to your team whether they are remote or not.
Episode Highlights: Have a plan Without a plan, you waste time and money. Sure it would be nice to hire someone, snap your fingers, then everything is in place and everything is running smoothly. The reality is it doesn't happen that way. Careful planning is needed on your part for a successful relationship with any new team member.
Remember, VAs are people When you don't see someone on a regular basis, you aren't as "connected" to them. Without finding ways to consistently talking with your virtual assistant, you may lose sight who they are as a person and aren't using their talents to the fullest.
Communication is key Regular communication holds both you and your VA accountable. You are able to address questions and talk about plans and projects. There are many tools that help streamline communication with a virtual team.
Training is necessary Even hiring someone with a great deal of experience will require some training. You have a uniqueness in your company and you are creating your company culture, so training and feedback should be expected in order to produce the outcomes you desire.
Resources mentioned: * Dropbox * Slack * Zoom * Skype * Screencast-o-matic * YouTube
Conclusion Once you have things in place, don’t take advantage of how much your team has taken on. Even the little things add up to big-time savings for you. The small stuff matters!
It’s a big step to reach out and ask for help. When you seek help in your business, there’s a lot to consider. Being well informed before making a decision is important.
We invite you to download our free book called 5 Things You Must Know Before Hiring A Virtual Assistant. We hope it helps you with your journey in accomplishing more and growing your business.
In order to truly accomplish more and grow your business, you must strategically plan on getting help. Teams come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and the reality is, you will need a team.
In today's podcast, we go over the main fears of building a team and some hints to overcome them.
Episode Highlights Reason 1: No money Most businesses starting out have more time than money and you must do everything yourself. The first step in realizing your business' growth depends on building the right team is viewing help as an investment instead of an expense. Find ways to make your money go further by delegating small projects first. An hour or two each week of delegated work makes a huge impact on your productivity.
Reason 2: No trust The perception that no one can do as good as a job as you can is the wrong rabbit hole to go into. Yes, you may hear horror stories, but start delegating tasks a little at a time. Do your homework before hiring someone. This doesn't always eliminate bad things from happening, but how you plan separation of duties and processes will help you identify issues should they arise.
Reason 3: No time You may tell yourself that you are too busy to look for or train a new person to help. It would be just quicker if it did it myself. Getting stuck on that hamster wheel will lead to exhaustion and burn out. Indeed, finding the perfect person or people is hard, but always be on the look-out of qualified people that can help you in small projects. Develop cheat sheets and/or video tutorials on your processes to streamline training.
Reason 4: Loss of Control Letting go and beginning to not know what is going on with every little piece of your business is scary, no doubt. You must shift your thinking on all the details and focus on outcomes.
Conclusion Are all these things that we discussed today reasons or merely excuses?
It’s a big step to reach out and ask for help. If you need help in your business, there’s a lot to consider. It is certainly a process to always be working on overcoming these fears. Being well informed before making a decision is important.
We invite you to download our free book called 5 Things You Must Know Before Hiring A Virtual Assistant. In it, you'll gain insight to help you overcome some of your fears.
We hope you enjoyed the show and find the information helpful and gets you on the path of accomplishing more.
We often get puzzled looks when we say we are virtual assistants. The buzz word of "virtual assistant" is rampant in the online business world, but not so much with traditional product or service industries. Technology has made it possible for small business owners to seriously consider virtual assistant services as they grow their company. In today's podcast, we go over what a virtual assistant is and ideas of what kinds of businesses they serve.
Show Summary Virtual assistant definition: A Virtual Assistant (VA) is one who aids clients remotely by doing administrative tasks in their own office, using their own equipment. Communication between VA and client is generally done by a variety of methods, such as phone, email, instant messaging, or video conference.
Why consider a VA Whether you are growing your business or a busy executive and you find yourself either bogged down with administrative tasks or simply do not have the desire or expertise in certain administrative tasks, then consider VA services. Many times, the ever-so-important tasks that must be done, such as bookkeeping, letter writing, invoicing, etc., eats up the time of a busy business owner cutting into the time they should be spending growing their business and spending time with their family. The delegation of administrative tasks or special projects to a VA saves time and money for the business owner.
How would a VA save money Because VAs are independent contractors instead of employees, clients are not responsible for such employee related expenses such as employment taxes, insurance, and benefits. A VA provides their own office space, equipment, and supplies, the business owner does not have to have the extra expense of employee space and equipment.
How do you know if VA is right Consider a VA when you have grown your business enough and you feel overwhelmed with all the administrative tasks. You realize you can’t focus on the continued growth of your business. There are tasks that you know need to be done, like bookkeeping, invoicing, website updates, newsletters, client communication, but you either lack the expertise or lack the desire to do the task, then hiring a VA is a great option.
Many times, business owners may have the need for help 5-10 hours a week, for example, and find it difficult to hire a quality employee to fill those needs and do not have space or equipment for that employee to do the job effectively.
Other times, a special project comes up and there isn’t the expertise or time in the office to fill the need. Scrivener Solutions discusses with you your needs to cater a plan that works best for your business.
Think about it, even delegating a project that may take 2-5 hours a month is well worth the investment. You are assured the project is completed and you use those hours for either servicing current customers or gaining new ones.
Where to find VAs Of course, Scrivener Solutions is available for content marketing services
There are many national and international companies
Finding freelancers
What types of businesses do VAs help Online businesses are the most obvious and the term VAs are thrown around there a lot. VAs are a great option when you are running your office out of your home. Or, if you have office space and employees, VAs are an option for those projects where your current staff does not have the expertise or time to complete.
VAs can perform general or highly specialized tasks. Some VAs are industry specific.
Types of Industries who use VA services
It’s a big step to reach out and ask for help. If you need help in your business, there’s a lot to consider. Download our free book, 5 Things You Must Know Before Hiring A Virtual Assistant to learn more.
Undoubtedly time and money are the biggest stressors for most people. There are tons of books, blog posts, articles, and podcasts about...
We all have ups and downs with managing both. We are hungry for information to improve so that we have more of both.
In order to improve, you've got to track. Today's podcast is all about tracking and using tools to help you gain a better perspective of where both your time and money goes.
We as business owners can quickly get a warped sense of how much time things take to complete or where our money actually goes. We convince ourselves that we have a great sense of where we stand because it's just in our head. We have great instincts. We just know. Much of the time, we are fooling ourselves.
Try putting things down in black and white for awhile, then review the data. This is one sure way to bring into focus how you can improve in both your time and money areas.
If you aren't tracking...I challenge you to start. This will certainly better prepare you for your yearly goal setting. It will also help you to prioritize, become much more efficient, and lead your team better.
Sharon and I discuss what tools we use at Scrivener Solutions and give examples of what we and some of our clients do with the information we gain from our tracking efforts. We hope this sparks some ideas of how you can improve your tracking systems so that you'll be able to better plan for the future. Don't let technology get in your way. Learning a few basic digital systems of tracking will save you both time and money.
Resources Mentioned: * Quickbooks * Peachtree (now Sage) * Freshbooks * Excel * Toggl
Undoubtedly you've heard the phrase "failure to plan, plan to fail." Sure it may be true, but who has time for it? Running a small business takes all our time and energy, the last thing we want to do is a business plan.
You may have the impression that preparing a business plan is intimidating and the only time you'd need to bother with preparing one is when you must apply for a business loan. True, banks need a formal business plan in order to consider you for a loan and often times it's a good idea to get some help to prepare the document in a thorough and professional way. The professionals in organizations like SCORE are a great resource to help you prepare such a formal document.
But today we aren't talking about a formal document. Even the smallest business needs a plan. It doesn't have to be formal. It certainly doesn't have to be long. It's simply a way to have you think about your business and become clear on your direction.
As a small business, the only person in your business may be you. Your business plan serves as your goal-setting document and the foundation for your marketing message.
In today's episode, Sharon and I talk about the components of a business plan. We discuss the importance of the K.I.S.S. method (keep it simple silly) when it comes to your business plan.
All the components of a formal business plan can be scribbled on a piece of paper or typed up in a document. For me, I use an Excel spreadsheet. The sections don't have to be long, and often times may be one sentence.
A few years ago, when I strayed off course and was frustrated with my business, I realized that I needed to pull out my plan and really think how I wanted my business to take shape. I know how important making a plan is, but truthfully I get busy just "doing" and put off going back to my plan. That's why I implemented a system to hold myself accountable.
In the show, we go over each section in a little bit more detail and give examples of how I address each in my small business. We also discuss who I've recruited to hold me accountable so that I make time to pause and plan.
Sections of a Business Plan * Business Description * Products and Services * Sales and Marketing * Operations * Management Team * Development * Financial Summary
To some, my calendar may look intimidating with all the color-coded blocks and very little white space. To me, I gain focus and have a better plan for my day increasing my productivity.
I truly believe that if it's not on my schedule, then it doesn't get done...whatever "it" may be.
I use a blend of both an old-fashioned paper calendar and my digital calendar to help me plan and prioritize. I think using a blend of both is beneficial and here's why.
Using a paper calendar seems to be more tangible. It can help you gain an overall picture of the big stuff. It's great for goal setting. When you write down milestone goals on a paper calendar and keep it out and handy to frequently review, it's a perfect visual to help you stay on target.
I use a monthly planner and look at the coming year and the first thing I schedule are my trips or major family/personal events. By writing them down on the calendar, the level of importance has been elevated. My mindset shifts from "maybe someday" to "the time will be here soon."
Then, I move the major events from my wall calendar into my digital calendar to plan out more detailed events. Even if you are a technology-challenged individual, I think it's important to implement a digital calendar in your systems because it will position you for delegating some scheduling tasks in the future.
For example, Norma on my team reviews my appointments on my calendar for the week and will send email confirmations for my meetings. Only on rare occasions, she may need clarification. We have a system of communication through my digital calendar that I've shared with her. The number of no-shows or misunderstandings about meeting times and dates have been greatly reduced. My productivity increased!
You may wonder why I don't confirm my own appointments. Honestly, I tried, but that got placed to the bottom of the list. The fact is, I didn't want to find the time. I needed to have the accountability of someone else. That little task that I've delegated to Norma wouldn't have been possible if I didn't keep a digital calendar. She can't read my mind, but we've created a little system where it's almost like she can.
Even though you may be a team of one right now, it's important to develop systems that will allow you to grow into having team members.
You may say that you can't schedule because you don't know what tomorrow will bring. Of course, things come up. Of course, schedules may need to be modified. Of course, you may not allow the right time for a project. Having a schedule is a guide. When the unexpected does come up, you are better able to prioritize and determine if you should stray or stick to your plan.
In this podcast episode, I introduce Sharon Snow who is a part of the Scrivener Solutions team. Sharon is a mother, wife, teacher, business owner, and virtual assistant. We discuss different ways we use schedules to be more productive and organized.
Hints discussed: * Use a paper calendar to give you a big picture of the year * Schedule what's important to you first * Move your important, big picture events from your paper calendar to your digital calendar * Block out the times of your recurring meetings/events * Block out travel time to avoid overbooking * Share your calendar * Review on a daily basis and move items from your to-do list and block time for the task/project on your schedule * Block times that are available for meetings and when someone asks to meet with you, only choose those days and times * Use your schedule to hold yourself accountable
Resources mentioned: * Google Calendar * Life 360
Learn the three main reasons why you should step away from your business to allow you to accomplish more.
How much time do you spend marketing your small business? It may seem like a full-time job, that's for sure. When you must take care of your customers and everything else you must do to run your business, marketing tasks seem to go to the bottom of the list.
Setting up processes and visualizing how you'll be able to delegate some pieces of your marketing is key in accomplishing more. You should train yourself to think, "How will all this get accomplished," instead of "How will I accomplish everything?"
There's a slight difference in sentences, but a huge difference in mindset. In the first, "How will all this get accomplished," you open up your mind to possibilities. Sure, you may have to do the tasks yourself at first, but creating processes and thinking how you will hand it off later is quite helpful.
I believe that no matter what kind of business we have, we all must use at least five things when marketing our small businesses. You should develop a marketing strategy in all five areas and consistency in each is essential.
Everything you do, whether it's in person or digital, tells a story. You have the opportunity to learn more about your customers and make connections like never before.
Join me in today's podcast where I go over the five essential tools you must have when marketing your small business. Do you have a plan and strategy for all five?
It's tough being an owner of a small business. We wear many hats, don't we? Just helping our customers or clients is the tip of the iceberg. We've got much more to do, like...bookkeeping, purchasing, errands, networking, meetings, events, marketing, planning, billing...the list goes on.
Sometimes being an owner of a small business can get pretty lonely. You must be a self-motivator and it's up to you to hold everything together. Perhaps you feel like your friends and family don't quite understand what you're going through. It can be very overwhelming!
In this episode, I share my story of how I delayed starting my business and what that experience has taught me.
Welcome to the Accomplish More podcast created specifically for the small business owner who doesn't think small. Hosted by Gayla Scrivener. Tune in each week for practical ideas, hints, tips, and tricks to help you grow your small business where you can leverage your time and accomplish more. I encourage you to contact me with questions by emailing podcast@scrivenersolutions.com. Thanks for listening. Enjoy the show!