• Why I took a long break from podcasting, and why I so badly want to try something different
• The focus on stories of my own business for this season, and how I hope these stories will be beneficial to your business.
• What made me invest in co-working: the isolation of working from home, and why I felt like doing something about it was so important.
•  The process I went through to get accepted into a co-working space, from the tour to paying my leasing agreement.
• A big part of what peaked my interest in co-working was the innovator for a day experience I had. So, I provided an honest take on why it was a game-changer for me.
• Joining a co-working space is not as simple as you would assume. You don’t just pay the money and sign the leasing agreement. The application process is actually a lot like a grant. Then, I provide an explanation of what that involved for my co-working space specifically.
• Next came the acceptance of my application. Here’s why I chose the option I decided on for total work hours, number of meeting room hours available, etc.
• The multiple benefits I found from just showing up at social events in the early days and talking to people.
• Something I noticed about the co-working conversation: a lot of people aren’t really sure if it’s a good option, and how I hope to clear up any doubts you might have.
• The value of the community part of co-working, especially for people who do very solitary quiet work.
• What co-working really does: takes the best part of an office and gives you the freedom you would have anyways as a self-employed individual. And how that actually works.
• With co-working, the more of an effort you put into it, the better the result. Plus, my own experience of doing that in my first month as a member.
• A hesitation I’ve heard before: “but I find talking to people exhausting,” and how surprisingly forgiving people are when you just need to focus.
• Headphones are a great tool for getting people to give you space at co-working spaces. That’s exactly why I stressed the value of investing in a great pair of headphones.
• Speaking of headphones, one of the biggest problems is that noise levels may vary in terms of people’s work. If that bothers you, that may be a problem you need to address.
• The phone booths that most co-working spaces have, and what they’re designed for. Unfortunately, they’re sometimes full because they’re popular, but there’s a way to work around that.
• The money bit of co-working sometimes intimidates people. So, I wanted to share a way to work around the cost that not everyone knows about.
• If you want to open doors to free space you need to talk to people at co-working spaces, and how I recommend framing that conversation.
• The value of taking your time to choose the right co-working space for you, and why I made up mind so quickly (but I don’t think you should 100% of the time).
• One of the most essential starting points for co-working: doing your research both online, talking to members, and coming prepared with questions when you do the tour of the space.
•  The value of researching organizations based at these spaces, and how that can help you find out if they have mutual values and priorities.
• Figuring out what co-working space is right for you is a lot like deciding on something big and long-term like a college, house, or car. And why this means it’s so important to take your time on the decision-making process.
• The reality is, you might not go with co-working in the end, and that’s okay because like all types of marketing and networking there isn’t a one-size fits all solution. And what I mean by that.

My bio:
 
Hey, I’m Rosemary Richings, a specialist in blog content promotion and audience outreach strategy. I help E-Commerce and retail brands, driven by their love of improving the lives of their community reach their target audience in a meaningful way.
 
This involves offering blog content creation & web page copywriting services, along with editing and blog content strategy services, which challenge clients to look at their content as something they can use to offer value over the long-term.
 
My work has been featured on sites such as Buffer and Search Engine Journal, and I have worked with clients such as Yellowpages Canada and E-Bay.
 
My blog, Rosie Writing Space, and podcast, People Behind the Business, are dedicated to providing practical advice for people who are “putting themselves out there” in the digital space.
 
I am based at the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto, Canada.
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website
​

• The most important takeaway of pancake breakfast event conversation: small business owners’ concerns about the return on investment they’ll get out of their content marketing.
• The most important problem with the “expert” opinions we’re saturated with all the time: and why it’s important to keep in mind the fact that they’ll make money if you try their tactic.
• Why the choices people make with their marketing aren’t a “one-size fits all” process. E.G: not everyone should be blogging, not everyone should do Facebook Lives, etc.
• An important sign that you shouldn’t choose a specific content marketing strategy: your audience doesn’t pay attention to it.
• The only way to find out if you’re choosing the wrong content type. And how following people in your target audience can make a huge difference can help you find out what types of content your audience consumes regularly.
• Why the most important thing you’re looking for, from the people you follow is what content type they’re sharing. And why that’s just as important as the subject matter they share.
• My homework for you if you’re not sure about any of these things: go on social media and following people with mutual interests, that you want to reach. And the way this can benefit you over the long-term.
• Key things to look out for when doing your “homework”: what people within your target audience are sharing, what content types they’re sharing, and why they’re sharing what they’re sharing.
• Why what they’re not sharing is equally as important, and how a lack of a specific content type is a sign that you need to rethink your strategy.
• An example of this is a client’s concerns about not enjoying being active on Facebook, and not being active on Facebook that came up in one of my content strategy sessions. And what you can learn from what I told her to do instead.
• The biggest flaw of getting too caught up in the stats and numbers of studies on the demographics and engagement of social media platforms: the limited amount of people surveyed. And how this impacts the final results.
• When I’ll use these studies to help clients and blog readers, and why I still believe you should still keep in mind the fact that the results of your efforts might still surprise you.
• The danger of choosing platforms that you’re not that enthusiastic about and aren’t sure if your audience will like: the higher chances of not being consistent enough to be successful.
• The most important takeaway you can get out of this episode: if you feel the pressure to be on one platform, but aren’t too happy with it, you can always choose something else.
• An example of why marketing isn’t one size fits all: my experiences with Facebook Live, and how my history of not being a brilliant public speaker made my attempt at “going live” go not as well I hoped.
• What going live taught me about which mediums I really, truly thrive on.
• Why not having a corporate budget isn’t an excuse to not invest in what you need to get the reach you’re looking for, with your content marketing, and examples of a case where that’s necessary.
• Something equally as important: time investment, and the biggest problem with that: people’s misconceptions with how long it takes to get results
• The reason why, if the amount of time it takes is enough to prevent you from investing time into a specific method, it’s okay to try something else!
• It’s important to pay attention to the signs that a specific content marketing method is a bad idea. More info on what to look out for is available in my blog post on this subject.

For even more insight on this topic…
 
 Check out my blog post: “Why you need to limit the reach of your online platforms & how to get iron-clad results”.
 
 About me
I specialize in blog content promotion and audience outreach strategy.
My work has been featured on sites such as Buffer and Search Engine Journal, and I have worked with clients such as Yellowpages Canada and E-Bay. My blog, Rosie Writing Space, and podcast, People Behind the Business, are dedicated to providing practical advice for people who are “putting themselves out there” in the digital space.
 
 I am based at the Centre for Innovation in Toronto, Canada.
 
 For more info about my work, check out www.rosemaryrichings.com.
 
 How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
​Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
 Check out my website

​Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here’s an episode where I share some ways that business owners have shown and continue to their love and appreciation for their customers. I believe that it’s the little things that count when it comes to expressing your love and appreciation. And many of the examples discussed in this episode are proof that I’m not the only one who thinks that way.
 
What this episode covers:

• Why “the little things” are the most important, and examples of what that actually means
• What I hope these stories do for your business.
• An FAQ in the Facebook groups I’m part of, “how can I get clients,” and how I believe it relates to this week’s episode.
• How a falafel shop used a fresh dessert to show their appreciation for me returning for lunch at their place of business, and how it was the perfect way to “say thank you, without saying thank you.”
• What taking a moment to conduct kind gestures like these force people to remember you as kind person, worth going back to, rather than “just” a sales or business person. For even more ideas check out my episode on customer loyalty.
• The story behind how a custom designed mug with my logo on it ended up at my co-working space. I actually took a picture of it and talked about it on Instagram, in case you actually want to see it!
• How my fellow co-working space members’ choice to leave branded mugs inside the space gave me the idea for doing the same thing.
• I noticed people where using their mugs to introduce their business to other people without saying anything: “through the simple act of someone pouring tea or coffee into a cup”. Here’s why I thought that was an amazing idea.
• The day when I found out that leaving a mug with my logo and website on it was a form of non-digital advertising that was actually reaching other members.
• Why I was frustrated at first that I couldn’t find the mug, and how seeing someone else pouring tea into that mug made me a lot less frustrated.
• How telling the person who was using my mug that I brought in the mug made that person’s day and allowed them to attach a friendly face to a logo, design, and website.
•  How talking to someone using my mug was a great way to spread the word about my professional services, without saying a single word about what I do or what I offer. A side note about this: a lot of people at my co-working space wear name tags (and I forgot to mention that in the episode), so she instantly was able to see that this is my business.
• Both these stories are proof that you don’t have to spend a ton of money on acts of kindness and appreciation directed at your customers: mug was cheap. Don’t know the cost of the dessert, but it was small enough that it probably didn’t require much.
• The fact that both those things are about putting a personality to a faceless brand, along with kindness and generosity.
•  Another misconception: that you have to use sleazy sales tactics, and why people respond so well to the alternative: offering value to people.
• My approach with my blog and podcast content and why it’s really about: “paying attention to things other people have questions about.”
•  How that helps people remember what they read or heard, and how that has helped me get my two most recent clients: “they liked what I was about”.
• How people liking you, because you did something valuable for them, makes them much more likely to invest in what you offer.
• The two most important things to consider when figuring out what’s best for you: the resources you have at your disposal, and a willingness to just try things.
• A few hypothetical examples/ suggestions of what I mean by “just trying things”.
• The value of listening to your audience through surveying and direct conversations and finding out for them what they need to hear to take the right action.
•   The fact that your customers will surprise you with their preferences.

 
For even more insight on this topic…
 
Check out my blog post: “My local tea sommelier’s sales process & how it makes an impact”.
 
About me 

I specialize in blog content promotion and audience outreach strategy.
 
My work has been featured on sites such as Buffer and Search Engine Journal, and I have worked with clients such as Yellowpages Canada and E-Bay. My blog, Rosie Writing Space, and podcast, People Behind the Business, are dedicated to providing practical advice for people who are “putting themselves out there” in the digital space.
 
I am based at the Centre for Innovation in Toronto, Canada.
 
For more info about my work, check out www.rosemaryrichings.com.
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)

Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website
 

I think, when it comes to running a small business, we talk a lot about the work aspect a lot but the one thing we don’t talk about enough is self-care. And I’m not talking about a cliché version of the word “self-care” that involves bath bombs and scented candles (despite the fact that all of the above are quite nice). I’m talking about just how important it is to take your own health and well-being seriously as the work that you produce for your clients/ customers every day. That’s exactly why I asked a nutritionist that works with busy, professional women to be a guest my show so that we could talk about how entrepreneurs who lead hectic lifestyles can squeeze time into their busy schedule for self-care.
What this episode covers:

• What Gaylene, this week’s guest, does at Compass Nutrition, and the types of women she works with.
• How a lot of her business is based on her own, personal health struggles.
• How a conversation with her husband about what she was learning while studying nutrition, was a major motivation for the mission statement behind her business.
• Gaylene’s past experiences working as a massage therapist; how getting an injury that didn’t allow her to continue practising massage therapy, and led to a career change, which allowed her to help people in a similar way.
• How Gaylene encourages her clients to do a combination of nutrition and other stuff that overlap too, such as getting a massage to really prioritize their self-care.
• Why she thinks it’s so common for professional women specifically to struggle with self-care, and why it’s often about putting others first.
• The other common issue: the all or nothing attitude: “if I can’t commit to this one thing, I’ll just do nothing at all” and what makes that mentality so damaging.
• Gaylene on what is a much more productive way to approach this: “the little things count”, and why it’s so important for professional women especially to put their own health first
• Why learning to nourish your body is so important.
• The role of body image in the work Gaylene does with her clients, and how she addresses that.
• Why she doesn’t teach calorie counting and restrictive eating: “because it sets us up for failure.”
• The reality that all it takes is something like a birthday or a period of a lot of travel to fall off track, and how that can cause people to quit and look for the next best thing.
• How Gaylene finds that nourishing your body with good healthy foods, but also having stuff like birthday cake once in a while is the best way to avoid that.
• How creating healthy habits is really about creating a healthy routine to combat unexpected changes in your schedule.
• The most important criteria for any nutritionist you go with: “find someone you can really trust and be yourself with,” according to Gaylene…
• The best way to do that: find a referral, and how to pull that off.
• The importance of having a good relationship with your nutritionist and choosing someone you can feel really comfortable with.
• The one thing Gaylene wishes more people knew about working with a nutritionist: “one session isn’t going to fix everything, and it’s not all or nothing.”
• The very important role of mindset, especially when trying to make lifestyle changes in social situations.
• Why having a conversation with others about your lifestyle changes is important.
• How to approach conversations about making changes in your diet and living a healthier lifestyle. It’s all about creating a support network…and how to make sure that exists.
• How to not avoid stuff like birthday cake at the office altogether. It’s all about nourishing your body outside of those time, rather than avoiding those social situations altogether.
• What to do if you don’t have a supportive group of friends or family that get what you’re doing with your change in diet and lifestyle and the options you have.
• Why “I’m too busy” isn’t an excuse, and why it’s really about including small but important things in your routine that is just part of your day.
• The “what if” question Gaylene often asks her clients that is all about putting consequences of not taking care of yourself, in the context of the things you do every day.
• The most important take away of that: if you’re not taking care of yourself, how can you take care of others?
• When the temptation to give in to bad nutrition choices, in situations like travel…. “sometimes those temptations are what gives us pleasure”. More specifically when everything’s on track, and everything’s working well.
• The only exception: if we’re treating ourselves more than we’re nourishing ourselves.
• Why that’s all about not being overcome by guilt.
• The secret to healthy eating on a budget. The key essentials that you need to eat healthy without spending a ton of money. It’s all about the “dirty dozen” the foods that often get pesticide sprayed the most, such as spinach, cherries, etc., and things from the clean fifteen.
• The reason why these things help save a lot of money, and what they are so that you can primarily focus on getting just those foods in an organic format.
• Why you don’t actually have to eat all organic to be healthy.
• The value of support and community for keeping motivated and getting questions answered.
• How asking friends or any online groups you are part of, who they already know can be a great way to work around a lack of people who get what you’re going through.
• The importance of not just choosing the first person to pop up, especially if they’re offering within 24-hour results.
• The importance of feeling like you have that sense of connection with whoever you choose.
• Why Gaylene recommends Facebook and the reason why she finds she gets a lot of her clients through recommendations on that platform.
• The most important takeaway: not having an all or nothing mentality and having some sort of relevant guidance along the way.

About this week’s guest:
Gaylene Gomez is a Certified Holistic Nutrition Coach for women and Owner of Compass Rose Nutrition and Wellness. She helps busy, professional women lose weight and reduce bloating with simple lifestyle changes, so they can have more energy and confidence.  
 
Where you can find Gaylene online:
 
Website: https://www.compassrosenutrition.ca/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CompassRoseNutrition/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/CRoseNutrition/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compassrosenutrition/
Free Nutrition Resource Library: https://www.compassrosenutrition.ca/nutrition-resource-library
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website

Because I realize that not “all” of my listeners have pulled the trigger, and launched their business, I thought it would be a great idea to have a website launch expert on the show. In fact, this episode answers a very important question: What makes a website “launch-ready”? And what if you’re not yet at the point where you can outsource your website copywriting and design to a freelancer? What are the absolutely essential components that you need to attract clients?
What this episode covers:

• What this week’s guest, Liz Theresa does
• The copywriting masterclass Liz just launched and what it covers
• The similarities between the personalities of Liz and her clients
• How a job interview for a job that involved writing product descriptions for an E-Commerce business that sells wigs, led to an important “ah-ha” moment about what her business should cover.
• How an amazing word of advice from her mom to not wait to get permission to do what she wants to do was the push she needed to get started
• How I can so relate to Liz’s story of how she got started and the tough dilemma of taking a stable job or starting something new.
• We both talk about why we didn’t really know that we’d become an entrepreneur but ended up doing that anyway!
• Why so many people at first didn’t seem to think it was going to work at first, but it did anyway!
• The reason why…no matter what stage of their business Liz’s clients is at, going online creates thousands of different fears.
• Why Liz feels like she’s different than her clients…in a sense that she didn’t feel like she had to worry about appearances, but she understands why that’s an issue anyways.
• The reason why Liz starts by asking her clients what they’re afraid of and forcing them to choose which life they would rather pursue
• Why she’s not a fan of the words “I just do…whatever”, and why building relationships with her clients are about a lot more than just that.
• The reason why what makes your business special is about you as “you”, and how this makes “DIY” web copy challenging
• Why being proud of what you put online is key when it comes to hitting “publish”, but if you just find it okay and you’re doing it yourself that’s alright too!
• The reason why Liz thinks Squarespace is a better option for those who are going the “DIY” route with their website than something like Wordpress or Bluehost
• Why she’s a huge believer in taking courses to prep you for launching a business, in the areas you’re not already strong
• The importance of making some entrepreneur friends in the process, because well…yeah, entrepreneurship can be lonely!
• My story of how co-working has helped me work around that.
• I admit that I underestimate the value of Wordpress, simply because that’s the medium I was trained in, and how I really realize how that’s something others might find challenging
• How taking a specialized course that benefits your business can really help
• How it can be really hard to write and create your own web copy, even if it’s what you specialize in, and the workaround: getting an objective eye to look at it can help
• The tendency to overinform on websites, if you’re the one doing the work on your own brand.
• The most common problems with web copy: saying too much or being too abstract.
• The value of saying what you mean when it comes to web copy, and how both our experiences working in customer service informed both our belief in that.
• How what’s valuable has changed since Liz first started
• Why it’s more important than ever to make it clear who you are and what you do
• How it’s now more powerful than ever to have a very “real”, authentically your voice. See my solo episode on customer loyalty to see why I’m a huge believer in this
• The value of getting someone that doesn’t know your business at all to look at your website and determine whether or not what you’re saying makes sense.
• Why Liz believes that putting everything from your site into a word doc and getting rid of everything you hate is a great idea.
• The reason why you should focus just on who you are and who you serve.
• The value of also including details about who you are and what you do, and how that can help…getting straight to the point is important.
• Why people get a bit afraid talking about their ideal customer, and the importance of telling your authentic story.
• Why being authentic about your story can be so important…because it’s what you’ve got!
• How exercises that get in the head of the target audience really help, and why we’re both not fans of customer avatars
• An example of how Liz’s “I really get you” exercises work: we use the example of a for-hire firefighter as an example…
• How the point really is just to focus on people’s problems and how you can solve them.
• Why you actually don’t have to be a great writer to have great copy.
• The problem with flowery copywriting: “clarity over cleverness” being the key objective.
• Why clarity is so important.
• Liz’s most important word of advice re those who are launching…. you already have all the answers, stop looking at your competition!
• The importance of focusing on what makes you excited about this, and looking at things from the point of view of what you want out of your ideal customer
• How talking about your business, the same way as you would talk about it to your friend is so important
• My additional tip on this subject: how learning how to explain things to people who don’t understand my industry has taught me a lot.
• Why we both agree that people need to stop asking others for opinions about small things like their logo in Facebook groups
• However, they’re great for support and relationship building!
• The hundreds of ways to get help for free, and why Facebook shouldn’t be one of them.

About this week’s guest Liz Theresa, business coach and founder of LizTheresa.com, has been helping entrepreneurs find clarity and uniquely market themselves with confidence for the past 7 years through her strategic website design and clever copywriting services. She wants every entrepreneur to rise and be the star of their own business. She’s also the creator of Concept to Creation™, her flagship branding and web design program and you can download a free copywriting training video from her at freecopyvideo.com.
Where you can find Liz online:
Check out her website: https://liztheresa.com/
Like her Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/liztheresa
 Listen to her podcast: https://liztheresa.com/podcast-archive/
 Sign up for her copy masterclass: https://copymasterclass.com/
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
 Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
 Check out my website

​Never participated in a photoshoot or hired a photographer before? Not really sure how to prepare or what to tell your photographer? Consider this episode to be your pre-photoshoot guide to approaching the experience with confidence.
 
Because chances are you’ll need photos that look professional for your website, brochure, etc. at some point!
 
What this episode covers:

• What this week’s episode is brought you by: Blog On: A Blogging Starter Kit for Entrepreneurs, an e-book by yours truly.
• Why I chose to have yet another photography focused episode (there have been two others so far, not including this one for instance)
• The focus of Mira Whiting’s business (in other words, what she photographs/ who she photographs)
• What portrait photography actually is
• Why Mira sees the essence of people as being the focus of her sessions
• How the locations and settings Mira suggest varying from person to person, profession to profession
• How newborn shoots tend to be different than professional shoots
• The importance of breaks and heating in newborn sessions
• What she communicates to her clients about pre-photoshoot, especially in terms of what is the most special to them/ what they want to focus on.
• Why she finds that with kids especially communicating with them about something they’re interested in is so important.
• Why connecting with her clients as humans is so important for Mira.
• How she uses this same tactic to do her business photoshoots as well.
• The attire that is the most practical, and how to judge what works best for your industry.
• The misconception that people have that you need to be super dressy regardless.
• Why Mira encourages her clients to take pictures with their cellphone of things they’re considering for their photo shoot for their attire, in order to get feedback.
• Why Mira encourages her clients to consider outfits that are a little bit modular.
• Why bringing along lots of accessory options is such a great idea
• How changes in light and weather can impact the photographer’s decision for what accessories are appropriate
• Why planning out your outfit can mean that the various angles you use won’t change up what’s necessary to make the photos ready for everything from brochures to website banners.
• The secret to preparing from a confidence point of view: reducing the amount of negative self-image, and how to get rid of that completely. Spoiler alert: it’s all about the people who love you the most making you feel better about yourself.
• How Mira tries to use the same approach with her clients: and why it’s so much about reminding them of their own self-worth.
• The unfortunate reality that negative self-image is so engrained in adult women especially
• How the selfie has changed our perception of how pictures are taken, and an important tip that it’s standard practice to shoot from slightly above.
• How Mira’s physical size contributes to how she approaches her portrait photos, especially because so many of the adult women she photographs are about the same size.
• The conversational feel that Mira typically goes for and what it entails.
• The importance of talking to your photographer if you have particular needs and insecurities they need to know about.
• When Mira thinks they her clients are at their best during a photoshoot, and how she creates a judgement free zone.
• How this tends to vary with kids, and how she finds letting them have input helps.
• How she uses things like telling jokes to ease children into the process.
• Why one of the most important takeaways from this episode is that it’s all really just about communication and being heard to pull off great results, rather than the “scary” medium of the camera.
• Why Mira wishes less people were scared of the camera, and what she wants people who feel that way to remember. And…the fact she is totally sympathetic as well.
• How that experience with hating being on camera helps Mira understand her clients.
• The fall and winter sessions Mira is looking forward to the most.
• Unfortunately, the audio for the Patreon page got cut off a bit. If you want to donate, go to patreon.com and then search for “rosemaryrichings” (all one word)

 
About Mira:
Mira is a portrait photographer living just outside Boston with her husband and three kids. Mira works with families and individuals who want updated portraits, striving to make everyone more comfortable in front of the camera. She is the recipient of the #1 Readers’ Choice Award and HulaFrog’s Most Loved Family Photographer Award and has placed as a finalist twice for the Boston A-List Best Photographer award. When she isn’t behind the camera, Mira enjoys spending time with her family, knitting, and cooking.
 
Where you can find Mira Online:
Visit her website: http://mirawhitingphotography.com/
Like her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/mirawhitingphotography
Follow her on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mirawhitingphotography
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website
 

Think marketing is too expensive or complicated? This episode will change your point of view. Because I looked at things from the point of view of the loyal customer. This involves analyzing examples of wonderful things my favourite small businesses have done in the past to keep me coming back for more.
 
Because building trust and loyalty isn’t just cheap. It’s also one of the most powerful forms of advertising.
 
 What this episode covers:

• What this week’s episode is brought you by: Blog On: A Blogging Starter Kit for Entrepreneurs, an e-book by yours truly.
• How still living in my hometown makes my relationships with many of the local small businesses extra special
• The one thing all the businesses discussed have in common: the proof of how little you actually need to spend to keep customers coming back for more
• The story of a coffee shop just down the street from me rewarded my loyalty in a small but meaningful way. They’re called Empire Espresso by the way if you’re ever in the Toronto, Canada area!
• What made that small, friendly gesture so special: “she technically didn’t have to do that”
• Why despite the fact it wouldn’t lead to immediate profits, that gesture was a good idea, and peaked my interest in going back in the future.
• Why the little, small kind gestures towards the people who seem the most loyal are so important, and who falls under that category.
• A roti shop that retired recently, and how they rewarded my family for their decades of loyalty.
• The symbolism of that kind gesture.
• Why a personal connection is a hundred times more important than having Google ads or spending a fortune on any other type of advertising.
• My tea sommelier’s emphasis on “remembering”, “listening”, and picking up on subtle details, and why that keeps me going back for more.
• The biggest takeaway from the tea sommelier’s approach: offering value, being present, offering one-on-one support. And why that’s best way to prove you care about more than just your customer’s money.
• Why it’s more important than ever to make customers feel like they’re loved, supported, and truly belong.
• The importance of being vulnerable with people and personal.
• A great example of this: the first Medium Digest article I’ve published in a while. And why I felt like it was my chance to be truly vulnerable with people.
• What that article was all about: my history of finding public speaking hard, and how that has changed over the years.
• The podcast guest experience that inspired that article.
• Why I sincerely hope that you’ll be equally as vulnerable with your audience, and the value of that.
• What vulnerable content is really about: “making people feel like they really know you before they buy from you”, and why that’s so important.
• An awesome example of a brand that does this really well, Buffer. FYI:  if you want a more in depth explanation check out my blog post: “How Buffer’s Transparency Approach Changed My Life in The Best Possible Way”.  
• What Buffer chooses to be transparent about. Their official transparency page is available right here, in case you want to go back to it in the future.
• What transparency is really about, and why you might want to take it seriously.
• How that desire to keep being transparent relates to this podcast.

 
About me 

I specialize in blog content promotion and audience outreach strategy.
 
My work has been featured on sites such as Buffer and Search Engine Journal, and I have worked with clients such as Yellowpages Canada and E-Bay. My blog, Rosie Writing Space, and podcast, People Behind the Business, are dedicated to providing practical advice for people who are “putting themselves out there” in the digital space.
 
I am based at the Centre for Innovation in Toronto, Canada.
 
For more info about my work, check out www.rosemaryrichings.com.
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website

​Ever dreamed of starting your own independent publication? Not sure what it takes to get readers, subscribers, advertisers, and contributors to participate?
 
Recently, I spoke to Ashley Rector, the founder of Harness magazine about the good, crap, and totally awesome parts of starting and running your own magazine in a digital age.
 
If you have a great idea for an independent publication but are worried about its financial sustainability, there’s a lot you can learn from Ashley’s story of how she builds Harness from scratch. On this episode, you’ll learn exactly what it takes to run a successful independent publication.
 
What this episode covers:
 

• What this week’s episode is brought you by: Blog On: A Blogging Starter Kit for Entrepreneurs, an e-book by yours truly.
• The similarities between Harness Magazine’s focus and what keeps the podcast going in the first place!
• Ashley’s intro to what her magazine covers
• What kind of material Harness covers
• How Ashley got started at Harness, and why she’s super excited about its three-year anniversary
• Why she started Harness, and how the things she was interested in submitted not really having a proper home was a huge part of it.
• How the tendency for women to bond over shared experiences was a major source of inspiration
•  What Ashley loves about often being the first place where first time writers are published
• The struggle she had in the beginning to figure out if she was going to be in the digital or print space, and why that was a major thing she had to consider.
• Looking back her advice for others that have the same interest is basically this: ask yourself “what is the goal, and what you want it to be?” and why that should be priority number one!
• What Harness used to be vs what it used to be now, and how Ashley made the switch in publication schedules, and made it possible to do both web and print versions.
• How Ashley used social media to create a buzz, and attract writers, readers, and etc., and how that has evolved.
• What the submission process often looks like, and why it’s often about being inclusive but also maintaining quality at the same time.
• What she looks for in submissions and why it’s about what’s lacking content wise, and largely subjective.
• What gets rejected: “often there has to be something really wrong with it,” and what qualifies as “wrong”.
• The hardest part of managing submissions? The large amount of submissions. And why Ashley’s interest in always wanting to let people know regardless of the result is part of that.
• How getting a team has helped manage the large amount of submissions.
• Why Ashley sees giving one-on-one feedback to the writers as so important.
• How the themes are driven by Harness’s social media, and the tools/ systems that Harness uses to plan things out.
• Ashley’s advice to listeners: “you have to sit down and decide what’s most important and take it in bite-sized pieces”, and why launching a magazine is about starting small
• Why Ashley recommends using publishing group forums on Facebook to ask for help when you’re really not sure.
• Why the most important thing to decide is this: “do you want to be like Vogue or an indie magazine?”
• Why advertising partnerships for Ashley are about partnering with brands that match their mission.
• The truth about pricing for ad partnerships...? It really depends and all the factors that tie in.  
• Why a lot of the ad income goes towards printing and distribution costs.
• The Harness media kit, and how it has helped. If you’re stuck on creating yours Ashley recommends checking out Harness’s as a guideline.
• What to include in a media kit, how her graphic designer has been helpful, and why you might need to reach out to freelancer if you don’t already have access to a graphic designer.
• Why being in love with what you do is so much an important part of starting your own publication. And why doing your homework/ research is important too!
• The new issue that Ashley is currently working on, and the new website that’s coming soon in the new year.

 
About Ashley Rector, this week’s guest
 
Ashley Rector is a small business and passion coach, attorney and the founder of Harness Magazine. Harness is a digital and print publication dedicated to empowering women through creative expression. Simply put, Harness publishes the articles, artwork and poetry from real women around the world.
 
Where you can find Ashley Online:
 

• Website: https://www.harnessmagazine.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harnessmagazine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harnessmagazine
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/harnessmag

 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website
 

Finding the right co-founder is one thing, but what do you do when you also live in two different cities and time zones?
 
On this week’s episode, I talked to two friends who successfully made living in two different cities, while running a business together actually work. Here’s your chance to learn how Anna and Mallory of Bold and Pop developed a system for everything from dividing up the work, to keeping the lines of communication open with their clients.
 
What this episode covers:
 

• What this week’s episode is brought you by: Blog On: A Blogging Starter Kit for Entrepreneurs, an e-book by yours truly.
• Anna and Mallory’s intro to what Bold and Pop actually does.
• How Anna got started in her industry: the traditional “going to college and then getting a job in her field” path.
• How Mallory starter in her industry, and how she started her first company pre-Bold and Pop.
• How working together at the same PR agency lead to the original “let’s start a business” conversation.
• The story behind the name, Bold and Pop (actually it was as simple as just going for it, as all good ideas are).
• When they started working in different time zones, and what lead to their decision to do that. And how the toughness of only seeing their families a couple times a year was part of that.
• How having the experience of working remotely when they lived in the city helped when they moved to different parts of the country.
• One of them is a morning person and one of them isn’t and how that helped make managing all aspects of their business easier.
• Mallory and Anna’s “checking in” system, and how being in two different time zones helps them work with a global clientele, and make sure that at least one of them can handle direct communication.
• Mallory and Anna’s love of Asana, and why they’re glad it’s something they invested in with their business.
• The reason why both of them still are also paper planner users as well.
• Their opinions on the Trello vs. Asana debate, after I admitted that I consider myself to be more of a Trello user.
• What Anna and Mallory enjoy the most about working together: “they’re a match made in business heaven!” No…seriously! But really, it’s about what’s most important: similar values, interests, and ambitions.
• How they divide up the work and make the best of each other’s strengths.
• Advice on finding the perfect co-founder: “if your end goal is not the same, you’re going to run into problems along the way!” And why it’s so much about personality and long-term planning.
• A clever analogy between a marriage and running a business together: how the similarities between how you view your lifestyle are so important.
• What the average day looks like, and how various tasks are spread out throughout the week.
• Why making time to do work on your own business rather than your client work every once in a while, is so important. And how being strategic about their content is a big part of that!
• The challenges of being strategic in a business where your day-to-day doesn’t always look the same.
• How balancing work/ life balance has been a huge part of their lives lately.
• Bold and Pop’s #BoldBossTribe blog feature that has evolved a lot lately, and turned into a thriving Facebook group (FYI yours truly was featured on that!) Submissions for the fall are now open…
•  How you can submit your story directly (alternatively, you can access the link mentioned right here)

 
About Bold and Pop/ Anna & Mallory
 
Anna Osgoodby & Mallory Musante are the Co-founders behind Bold & Pop and are based in Seattle, WA and Raleigh, NC. Together, they specialize in working with other lifestyle entrepreneurs and small businesses to reach their goals by launching engaging social media and influencer marketing campaigns as well as building brands from the ground up through logo, branding and website design. They also host a blog series and Facebook group called the #BoldBossTribe that is focused on supporting fellow business owners, bloggers and side hustlers.
 
Where you can find Bold and Pop Online:
· Website: https://boldandpop.com/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boldandpop
· Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BoldandPop/
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldandpop/
· Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/boldandpop/
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website

Did you know that one third of online activity is spent watching videos? And chances are you’ve heard numerous others stress the growing popularity of video marketing as well. But what if you’re either super camera shy, and not all that great at talking in front of a crowd of strangers? Do you need to be on video as well? Well…a lot depends on who you’re trying to reach.
 
So, if being on camera proves to be a necessary evil, and it terrifies you this episode is for you. In this episode, I talked to a visibility expert who works with the types of people you won’t see presenting at conferences or doing Ted Talks. However, they have something worthwhile to share, and want to reach a lot of people quickly. So, they hire Erin, this week’s guest to make sure they’re put themselves out there in a flattering way.
 
In this episode, two people who know what it’s like to feel awkward on camera: myself and my guest talk about how you can overcome your fear of being on camera.
 
What this episode covers:

• A special announcement: my book, Blog on: a blogging starter kit for entrepreneurs has just launched and what it’s all about!
• Why I brought on this week’s guest, Erin Zimmerman and the kinds of people she works with.
• What Erin does, and how she helps people.
• What she means when she says she works with marginalized groups.
• How Erin’s history of hiding plays a role in the work she does.
• How one person sharing their story can make a huge difference.
• How she finds giving her clients a sense of accountability makes a huge difference in terms of making them feel less overwhelmed.
• The importance of just talking when feeling overwhelmed about telling your story.
• How things like fear of public speaking can hold people back and the techniques Erin finds helpful for helping people work through it. Plus: my own experiences with that as a shy writer type.
• Erin turns the tables and asks me a question I think makes a great point about what drives people to make that shift to being more public.
• How she finds that journey of learning how to be more public can help people open doors to more collaboration.
• How social media management work influenced the path Erin took, along with her experiences helping friends and family pursue new ventures as business owners.
• How having other people around solidified the need for what she had to teach and say.
• How having the supportive group of other women helped Erin earn her confidence, and why she thinks that’s applicable to others too.
• Words of wisdom about being behind the camera: “it doesn’t need to be perfect” and why that’s the case.
• How even doing practice videos can make a big difference with getting used to being in front of the camera, and why that’s something she challenges her Facebook Group to do!
• The importance of practice with public speaking and simplifying your stories.
• Why for Erin her top priority is encouraging her clients to have a conversation, and why things like people stammering and etc. is okay, as long as they just keep going.
• Erin’s focus on treating people gently and like a friend, and how reminding them she has been in their shoes helps.
• How those conversations where she is helping people practice their stories before going on camera make a huge difference in helping them develop their voice.
• Why you should give something like being on video a chance, but it’s okay too if you don’t like it when you try it. And why there’s always a way to get your voice heard.
• How bouncing ideas off someone is so important, and so is practicing speaking in general. Even if it’s to a phone camera.
• Why the objective, above all else with your content is building a relationship with your followers.

 
About Erin:
Erin P.S. Zimmerman is the owner of EZ Visibility, where she serves as the Visibility Guide, helping marginalized women create fun, sustainable action plans to grow their businesses and make a name for themselves with ease.
 
A graduate of the University of San Diego, Erin majored in Communication Studies and Leadership. She has worked on the marketing and production teams for a Top 10 movie theatre chain, Take 2 Production Company, the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team, and co-founded DoubleTake Productions, a photography and videography company, with her twin sister. When she first escaped her 9-5, she served her clients as a social media consultant.

Erin has helped her clients create courses, write books, start podcasts, and even leave their 9-5 jobs. She has been featured in The Huffington Post, and on podcasts like Grief: A Love Story, Women’s Side Hustle Society, and The Know Like & Trust Show, and is a regular guest on KCTV5’s Better Kansas City. Erin is also the President of Kansas City Women in Film and Television and serves on multiple film and media boards in the area. She currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri with her husband.
 
Where you can find Erin Online:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EZvisibilityLounge/
https://www.instagram.com/ezvisibility/
www.ezvisibility.com
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website
​

At some point in your business, you’ll find yourself having to go in front of a camera. This can be extremely terrifying if you’re not used to it.
 
Especially if you struggle with insecurities about either the way you talk or some part of your body. That’s exactly why the next two episodes are conversations in two parts with a photographer, and a visibility specialist.
 
Welcome to part one of this series where I talk to a professional boudoir photography about how she builds trust and helps her clients overcome their insecurities about their bodies.
 
For those of you who are unfamiliar with boudoir photography, it is a type of photography which traditionally captures its subjects in private, intimate settings such as a hotel or bedroom. The intimate nature of the settings where these photos are taken creates a classy, romantic look.
 
In this episode, you’ll learn exactly how Katherine Henry prepares her clients for a boudoir photo shoot.
 
What this episode covers:

• The goal of the photos that Katherine takes, and also her business
• What is Boudoir photography
• What Katherine loves the most about her niche
• Why her client’s comfort is more important than the tradition of Boudoir
• How she helps her clients overcome their nervousness about being on camera, and how getting to know each other really helps.
• How being vulnerable and goofy all at the same time helps make her clients feel comfortable
•  The one thing she wishes more people knew about photoshoots: there is never a perfect time to do it. Being “you” makes the photos far better!
• How Katherine’s questionnaire makes a huge difference for preparing her clients for a photoshoot
• What the questionnaire covers: common client concerns and what questions she asks to spark answers…
• How focusing more on what her clients consider to be the most flattering helps Katherine figure out what she should focus on.
• Katherine’s theory on where client insecurities come from: social media and magazines with models with “perfect” abs and etc. And why she thinks that’s the case.
• How putting photos in her studio of people of all shapes and sizes helps keep peoples’ insecurities at bay.
• How things are changing with various brands showing more diverse body types in their ads.
• When her clients are at their best selves: ten minutes into the session, and why she thinks that’s the case.
• Why Katherine finds that talking a lot during sessions helps people get a really natural smile, and why she thinks that’s so important.
• How Katherine’s photo shoot process is consistent but adapts to suit different preferences.
• How Katherine’s makeup artists contribute to the overall process.
• The importance of doing a little bit of research online, before doing a boudoir shoot, according to Katherine.
• How encouraging clients to send her examples of what styles they like helps her determine what will be the most natural.
• Why she recommends telling the makeup artist what you consider to be natural makeup.
• The most important takeaway of this episode about body image. “Everybody’s beautiful” and why it’s always more about the actual moment the photo was taken rather than the person’s appearance.
• Why one of Katherine’s goals is to get more maternity clients.

 
About Katherine Henry:
 
Katherine has always had an interest in photography and during college she studied both photography and graphic design. She received her degree in Visual Arts. She loves using her design background throughout her photography business.
 
After college, she worked full-time as an in-house designer for 8 years. She was still taking photos and started picking up weddings on the weekends! Her brides were starting to ask about Boudoir photos and that was when it all started to happen.
 
Over the next few years, she shifted from weddings and boudoir to completely focusing on boudoir. She loves everything about a boudoir session from the hair and makeup to all the fashion, and the best part is watching her clients feel empowered, confident and strong. Each client has their own story and reasons for coming to the studio. Some women come to celebrate an upcoming wedding, some are celebrating a milestone and others are treating themselves after a life change.
 
She opened her studio location in Reading, MA in 2012, and business has continued to grow year over year, as more women learn about boudoir and hear about the experience from their friends who have also done sessions.
 
Where you can find Katherine online:
 
Instagram: @kahenry
 
Website: www.khboudoir.com
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website
 

FYI:
 
My E-book, Blog On: A Blogging Starter Kit for Entrepreneurs is launching September 15th at 4 PM EST.
 
If you’re an entrepreneur that wants to include blogging in your business, but it’s not something you’ve done before. It will be available for purchase right here.

If you’ve ever wanted to train creative professionals, and aspiring creative professionals then this episode is for you. It is also an opportunity to dive into what having your own YouTube channel is really like.
 
I brought someone on the show who is juggling both. Shaw Bernard is a model with over sixteen years of experience in the fashion and beauty industry. She also has her own pop culture focused YouTube channel.
 
And she’s here to answer any questions you might have about juggling both a business, and a side project, like a podcast or YouTube channel, and training the next generation of creative talent.  
 
What this episode covers:
 

• What Shaw’s agency covers
• The story behind the name, “Strut” …because I had to ask, due to its catchiness
• The importance of getting the input of those that love and care about you when first starting a new creative venture
• Shaw’s secret to successful collaboration with coaches and etc.
• How sites for artists and teaching artists have helped Shaw find people to collaborate with, outside of her professional contacts.
• How a company she has wanted to work with for a while, no longer being in existence has opened up the opportunity to work together.
• The vetting/ putting to the test process that all coaches/ instructors at Strut go through.
• How she finds doing things like getting instructors to create a curriculum of their own helps her figure out if they’re willing to do the groundwork required to teach students
• How observing instructors’ classes helps Shaw figure out if they’re willing to take direction as well, and what their teaching style is.
• How choosing people with diverse backgrounds in the industry, who work in the field right now can make a huge difference.
• How being on social media a lot helps Shaw keep up to date with all trends and etc. in her industry.
• How she finds that her past experiences working in the industry helps her be constantly reminded of what it is really like, and motivated to keep up with progress that’s being made.
• Why representing diverse age groups, races, cultures, etc. is so important to Strut as an organization.
• Why she also finds that it’s important represent both high fashion and promotional fashion worlds.
• Something that’s really important to Shaw: not limiting people, by telling them they’re too young, old, etc. And why that’s so important to her
• How she includes “real talk” about her industry’s competitiveness in the training she gives her students.
• Why talent is not enough to survive, and how for her, it’s about giving students and their families the tools to not only have the talent to succeed, but the skills to navigate the industry as a whole.
• How confidence and self-esteem, in contexts like her Self-Esteem program for young women is super important.
• What this program does for the inner-city school students they work with, not only an exposure to the arts, but preparation for the real world and how to speak and dress appropriately to truly thrive.
• How she tackles difficult subjects like self-esteem with adolescents, and how things like her age, looking a bit younger than she actually is, and how personal she gets about her own experiences with that.
• How her awareness of social media and all the ads’ impact on the younger generation is a huge influence really helps her relate with the young women she works with on a personal level
• The story behind Shaw’s YouTube channel
• How taking videography and video editing classes helped her
• Why there’s never a good time to start something like a YouTube channel
• How Shaw juggles her business and her YouTube channel, while having a kid to take care of as well
• Shaw’s advice for people that want to start a YouTube channel: “just start!” and why she is a huge believer in that.
• The most important part of fitting a YouTube channel into your busy schedule: figuring out the right days and times to suit your busy schedule and life, and how to figure that out.
• The sacrifices you have to make as a one person show to make it happen, but the pay off as well: making sacrifices to not have regrets.
• Why having goals and ambitions for your channel are great, but you also need to not let that stop you from just starting.
• Why it will never be perfect, and you shouldn’t let your desire for perfection stop you from putting your channel together.
• The typical process for turning her ideas into videos...? Figuring out topics that relate to her.
• The filming and editing process she uses.
• Why there’s rarely a crossover between her YouTube channel and Strut.
• The only context where Shaw actually finds the two worlds overlap: when there’s a story that impacts the modelling community in some way, for example
• How the practice Shaw has had with her YouTube Channel have helped her create videos for Strut
• Her favourite part of her YouTube channel, and why it’s all about working towards her dream.
• Shaw looks back to her first video and admits that the takes she did were the one thing she would change. Take two on the video wasn’t great, and the one on the phone she wasn’t looking directly into the camera.
• I add the more positive side to that: the audience feeling invested and like they are part of your growth.
• Something Shaw is actively trying to improve due to how it increases engagement for her channel: adapting her videos for channels like Instagram.

About Shaw:
Fashion model, TV Host and entrepreneur Shaw Bernard has sixteen years of experience in the fashion and beauty industry.  During her over a decade long modeling career, Shaw has worked with numerous fashion and cosmetic brands, both internationally and nationally including Jovani Fashions, Ellery and Tommy Hilfiger to name a few.  She has also hosted fashion events and pageants. In 2013, Shaw opened Strut Model & Talent Agency in New York City, her talent development and management company for kids, teens and adults.  Shaw also created the Strut-Esteem program to help NYC public school students develop self-confidence through the arts. 
 
Where you can find Shaw online
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shawbernardtv
Instagram: www.instagram.com/shawbernardtv
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8LmIbGLegEo68TavtkQyXw
Website: http://strutmodeling.com/
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website
​

Did you know that 54% of the U.S workforce is not very confident that the work they do today will exist in 20 years? This has led to influx of people either freelancing or considering freelancing.
 
And this often triggers a very important question: “when is the best time to start freelancing?” The truth is, there is no perfect time. Like most important life decisions, you can either dive in head first and do it, or you don’t.
 
This week’s guest is proof of just how true that is. She left a 9-to-5 job she wasn’t too keen on to start Confetti Social, a social media marketing company for creative entrepreneurs.
 
What this week’s episode covers:

• What Jenny does at Confetti Social
• Jenny’s job pre-freelancing of doing freelance social media management at a mall, and why she made the switch
• What motivated her to make the switch to full-time freelancing.
• The hardest thing for Jenny when she decided to make the switch: picking a schedule that works for her, and what she did to make that work.
• How getting a project management system down really helped her, and why she recommends that to other freelancers who are struggling with the same thing.
• How projects like her podcast and her Facebook Group happened.
• When Jenny started hiring a team, and the purpose her team served.
• How Jenny approached hiring her team, and how a form she created, and Facebook groups helped.
• How things have changed since she first started hiring a team.
• How posting detailed instructions helped her filter out people who can’t follow instructions.
• The only challenge…? An instance where she narrowed it down to six candidates for one job and they were all really good.
• How using Slack and Asana helps Jenny manage an 100% remote team
• I add on my own personal recommendation, Trello, and share how it has helped make client communication easier.
• How being authentic and real with her audience helps Jenny create an environment in her Facebook Groups where people feel comfortable talking about both what is and isn’t working in their business.
• How Jenny maintains that authenticity: through sharing both the bad and the good parts of her business.
• Why Jenny chooses to not advertise and publicly celebrate how much she’s making, and why a lot of that relates to reminding people that there’s nothing wrong with making the income they’re making…” because everybody’s got to start somewhere”!
• The problem with the illusion that a six-figure income is the way to go for everyone, and the negative impact this can sometimes have on other people.
• How Jenny deals with the temptation to compare oneself to others and the success they appear to be having.
• How getting off of social media for a while or avoiding the person she’s comparing herself to for a while helps her.
• How Jenny has learned to accept the fact that she’s doing good for someone who has been in business for the amount of time she has.
• How being active in Facebook groups helped Jenny get her first clients in the door
• The Facebook group marketing tactics Jenny used in the beginning. And how having a 30-minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night system helped her.
• The biggest chance in terms of Jenny’s Facebook marketing schedule in the beginning vs. when she hired her team. Her team takes care of her online visibility so that she can have more time for client work.
• How having really good systems in place have been helpful for Jenny when it comes to juggling all the different aspects of her business and life.
• Why Jenny recommends outsourcing (if you’re at the point where you can do it)
• Jenny’s workflow process in Asana, and how she uses it manage her team. A useful walk-through if you want to try that yourself!
• How getting a team was a big turning point for Jenny in terms of her productivity and a majority of her business.
• A special announcement: listeners can now donate via Patreon and here’s how
• How surveying has helped Jenny out, when she’s in doubt about what to do next. And why she recommends surveying your audience as well.
• How she typically constructs a survey, and the similarities between that and how she surveys Facebook group members
• The importance of surveying even for introducing a new product or service, along with market research
• What success means to Jenny: it’s all about reaching and helping people rather than making millions of dollars…
• The importance of having a system and knowing what you’re doing everyday
• Why Jenny is a firm believer in trying lots of different tactics to promote your business before you pick just one.
• How referrals help once you have some testimonials, are good at what you do, and other people know that.
• Something I added: raising your rates, and focusing in on one just a few good projects, and how that can help.

About Jenny:
 
Jenny is a social media strategist + coach that helps female entrepreneurs uplevel their biz one social media post at a time. She also hosts the Savvy Social Hour podcast, which strives to help passionate women uplevel their businesses and become rock star entrepreneurs in no time. When she's not working on her business or recording podcast episodes, she's hanging out with her hubby and Golden-doodle pup. 
 
Where you find Jenny online:
 
Website
Podcast (the episode I was featured on is available right here, if you haven’t listened to it yet)
Twitter
The Savvy Social Hour Facebook Group
The Uplevel Your Biz Summit (no longer live but you can still listen to all the interviews when you purchase the all access pass)
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website
​

What this episode covers:

• What Paula does and who she works with
• The motivation behind Paula’s interest in travel and also web design as a medium
• What she did once she started running out of cash.
• The money goals she worked towards in order to survive off paying with cash and credit cards.
• How she found places where the cost of living is cheap really helpful when she was working towards her money goals.
• How reaching out to people she knows and asking if they needed her help made a difference and allowed her to end up with a lot of work.
• What she wishes she could have done differently back then, and how meeting a cute boy, misjudging the timing of when a contract starts, play into some of the things she wishes she could have done differently.
• The importance of doing what you have to do to make your business work, even if that means taking a part-time job.
• What happened when Paula tried to take on a part-time job to get out of debt. Why that didn’t work for her (a lot had to do with her lack of energy and mental health)
• How realizing that she needed to ask for help, and not do everything herself made a huge difference.
• Why she has found stuff like business coaching and group sessions really helpful, along with hiring out various tasks
• The story behind how Paula met her accountability buddy,and how similar their struggles were.
• What Paula and her accountability buddy do to keep each other on task and focused every week.
• The impact of having an accountability partner on Paula
• Her most important realization? Manifesting an important goal takes time, and how having someone to motivate her has helped her push forwards despite her depression.
• Paula’s approach on reaching out to a potential accountability buddy, and also how not to feel too down on yourself if certain goals aren’t being 100% met.
• Some of the mindset goals Paula has set for herself and how they helped.
• What you can and can’t learn from the “six-figure freelancer” oriented groups if that’s not realistic for you right now and you’re just trying to survive
• Why Paula believes that the most important thing you can do as a business owner is just to push through
• How mentally damaging comparing yourself to another freelancer making six figures can be, and why the best way to fight against it is to keep your head in the game.
• How patience and open mindedness can be the biggest pay off.
• The importance of asking for help and opening up to people, and this is where building your tribe can pay off
• Why Paula recommends journaling for being a more vulnerable person and how it can help your mindset within your business
• Another recommendation: meditation and here’s why…
• Advice for people searching for accountability buddies and the right support groups.
• How being able to turn to other people has helped.
• How building a relationship is such an important part of small business survival

About Paula:

Paula is one of those people who is profoundly inspired by other women who are building their own empires. Her mission is to help businesswomen achieve their business dream (so that they can live their greater purpose). She does precisely that by using her design, business, and human psychology skills to help those women create stunning brands that attract their ideal customers in order to grow and skyrocket their businesses to their next level.

Where you can find Paula online:

Paula’s course: http://paulaborowska.com/get-unstuck-bootcamp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_paula_borowska_/
Paula’s blog: http://paulaborowska.com/articles/

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Podcasting is now mainstream. And suddenly, everyone wants to start a podcast. But not everyone starts a podcast with realistic expectations.
 
Unless you’re already as popular as Gary Vaynerchuck, you’re likely not going to make it to the iTunes New and Noteworthy List overnight. 
 
Hate to break it to you, but that’s really hard to do within a short period of time unless you have a large team helping you pump out multiple episodes a week.  This week, I spoke to an expert on all things podcast related. The goal of our conversation? Addressing all the damaging myths and fears about starting a podcast.
 
If, after listening to this episode, you still want to start your own podcast, you’re likely not doing it for all the wrong reasons.
 
What this episode covers:

• The story behind Megan’s business, One Stone Creative
• What Megan loves about working with a former colleague and friend of hers
• The software that Megan and her team uses despite the fact they’re not all based in the same locations
• What Megan wishes she could have changed in the beginning: focusing exclusively on revenue generating activities, rather than creating a ton of content before she had a ton of clients.
• Megan’s advice on what makes a professional podcast “good”: making the best of the content you already created and the network you already have. And why that’s so important…
• Why…if your goal isn’t to make podcasting a hobby, you need to figure out how it integrates with every other element of your business.
• The reality of podcasting: “it’s a long-term game, not a short-term game.” And what that means in terms of how you should measure results.
• The only exception to that rule? If you already have a huge community, then yeah sure…the misleading articles online about “becoming a podcasting superstar in your first week” aren’t entirely incorrect.
• What’s required if you don’t have a big community already. Yes, you can get results from it, but there’s a bit more work required.
• Why Megan’s clients aren’t necessarily shocked when they find that building an audience is a lot of work, when you create content.
• One of the most important parts of podcasting: the content promotion stage, and ways to get results out of that.
• How to deal with one of the hardest truths about podcasting: “it’s more work than is actually fair,” if you are dealing with the reality of having a small team or no team.
• The importance of setting your expectations as a podcaster, in terms of the promotion plan, organizing and recording episodes, etc.
• Megan’s recommendation for independent small business owners with podcasts: plan to spend an hour promoting it once it’s live.
• Megan and I both admit we’re lucky: I took a course on Audacity when I was in university, and she knows someone with a radio broadcasting background. But what do you do if that’s not something you have access to?
• The importance of working through the technology aspects that are confusing you, one bit at a time.
• Why it’s so important to give yourself time for audio editing, especially if there’s only you doing it, and you don’t know how. Megan and I agree that YouTube is jam-packed with helpful resources.
• The importance of good mic positioning.
• Why you can’t get away with bad audio anymore.
• Although it sounds harsh, it is also true. If you don’t know who your audience is, don’t start a podcast!
• The importance of participating in podcasting-focused communities and checking things out.
• Our favourite podcasting online communities. Megan recommends the She Podcasts group and the Podcast Movement Group, along with the Podcast Editor’s Club. I recommended Podcast Bay.
• One Stone’s Podcast resources: the story behind it and the process that went into making it.
• The importance of investing in a good mic and the brands Megan recommends.
• Why listening to podcasts and analyzing them as you listen can really help inform the structure you choose for your show.
• Megan’s belief in the intimacy of audio.
• The most important question to ask yourself if you feel any form of anxiety about it: is podcasting where you want to be spending your time?
• Why, despite the fact that the quality of your audio can increase with time, it’s important to keep in mind that the audio will reflect on you and your business.
• Other important considerations: your confidence, before inviting your first guest.
• The products that the One Stone team is working on, such as how to pitch yourself as a podcast guest.
• The most important words that describe One Stone: empathetic, concierge, and innovative and why that’s the case.
• Why the most important quality of One Stone is caring about the success of clients. They do the interviews; One Stone takes care of everything else.

 
About Megan Dougherty:
 
Megan Dougherty is the co-founder and CEO of One Stone Creative, a multi-media content agency specializing in podcast production for businesses. She lives just outside of Ottawa, Canada with her partner, a lazy cat and hordes of belligerent houseplants. When she's not planning podcast strategies she likes to read, watch period dramas and painstakingly create from scratch items that are easily and inexpensively available in any store. 
 
Where you can find Megan Online:
 
Twitter: @MeganTwoCents
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/doughertymegan/ 
Website: OneStoneCreative.net
 
Megan also wanted me to mention a new service that she just started offering. You can learn about it via Podacsttobook.com.
 
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​This episode is for those of you who have ever wondered:” is it possible to make a living as a writer?” The summarized version is basically this…well it really depends.
 
Are you willing to channel your inner Mad Men, and be the creative department, and the client accounts department all rolled into one? And if you’ve never watched Mad Men, I’ll put it into terms you can understand.
 
Are you willing to be your own marketing department, and do the work, while keeping track of your expenses, and handling duties typically reserved for HR professionals in “regular” workplaces?
 
Not sure if that’s something you can handle? I dedicated an entire episode to talking to a fellow writer, I met in a Facebook group for independent freelancers, Leesa Klich, about how she made the switch from professional nutritionist to professional writer. Listen in to get a better sense of what being a professional writer is “really” like.  Since that’s what I do as well, the episode is a compilation of both our opinions.
 
An important hint: it’s not all pyjamas, and glorious muses. But in some cases, that’s an occasional, additional benefit.
 
What this episode covers:

• The proper way of spelling and pronouncing Leesa’s name (because as someone who has my last name misspelled all the time I know the feeling)
• What Leesa does and the niche she specializes in.
• How Leesa’s fascination with the human body and physiology lead to her interest in pursuing the work she does today.
• How learning the skills of a nutritionist and someone asking her to write a blog post lead to her transition into being a professional writer, rather than a nutritionist.
• Why Leesa believes that working with people that have such amazing skills that you don’t necessarily have can really elevate your skills as a writer
• Leesa’s advice to other writers: “other peoples’ opinions of you is not a reflection of your skills as a writer” and why that’s important
• Why Leesa believes that when all else fails with the client relationship, you started working with them for a reason (and why that will help make the whole process easier)
• The importance of adopting a “let’s work together/ negotiation skills”-focused approach when dealing with clients
• How getting on the phone can make a big difference when dealing with clients (I second that opinion) and we talked a bit about why we are both huge believers in solving client issues over the phone
• When dealing with clients that don’t understand the marketing world, “content strategy” doesn’t mean anything to them, and how to work around that.
• Why Leesa is a huge believer in occasionally offering free content strategy calls to her email list and how the changing nature of ideal clients factors into this.
• Why we’re both believers into not only sending content but offering value. We both agreed it was because they need to get to know the person behind the message rather than just the message.
• The one thing people forget about in terms of professional writing, the combination of customer service and actual writing to produce a profit. And why client relationships are so important.
• How other peoples’ involvement directly is so important, and relationship building. Always other people to learn from.
• How Facebook’s role in Leesa’s business has changed.
• Leesa’s social media for business rule: “no social media until the evening” and why setting some sort of rule is so important.
• What Leesa looks for in her Facebook group interactions, in order to get something valuable out of it
• A tip I added in: the importance of social media automation
• A valuable experience that Leesa had when she regularly committed to Facebook Group interactions: how finding someone with similar interests has been huge for her, who has from a completely different country.
• How Leesa filters out the good health research from the bad health research: “you got to filter by review”
• Why a study’s bias is about not just sponsorship but also statistics
• How the free and open lines of communication of Twitter help Leesa keep up with the changes in her field
• Why the blogging and content marketing blogging community also helps Leesa stay current
• How to go outside the bubble of the information that’s being fed to you on places on Facebook and being open to the criticisms of it.  And why that’s so important.
• What is the done for you content model that Leesa uses? And how it has helped grow her business…
• The most important thing to remember to achieve results as a writer: the big picture. Helping clients achieve revenue and results.
• Leesa’s tips for writers and marketing professionals that want to use the done for you model: customize for yourself, and also know exactly how many other people will get that blog post.
• Why the 50th sale of her done for you posts are always discontinued.
• How the done for you content model works…
• Leesa’s tips on simplifying medical professional’s language and writing…
• How taking simple science writing courses have helped Leesa train herself to be a writer in her field.
• How keeping in touch with people over social media about their health concerns helps Leesa discuss the subject matter in a way that makes sense to the general public.
• Why Leesa does all her editing 24 hours before it’s due.
• Her recommendation for editing:  The Hemingway App for simplification and also Grammarly, for proofreading and grammar, and also ProWriting Aid. But…you still need your brain despite how good these tools are, and here’s why.
• Why quality is more important than a “random 500-word blog post on why you should drink more water.”
•  The importance of promoting the blog posts you write.
• Leesa’s average work day: “no average days, but average mornings” and why she loves being able to change her time frames around, thanks to working from home. She has kids and this makes it easier to add driving them to school and etc. into her schedule.
• Why Leesa is a major believer in logging her time.

 
About Leesa:
Leesa Klich is a Health writer, blogging expert, research nerd. She helps health & wellness professionals attract more email subscribers & clients using their blogs. She moves them from feeling stumped & overwhelmed to confidently & consistently showing off their expertise. And she makes credible research-based blogging both strategic & easy, which saves them a ton of time, so they can focus on what lights them up in their business & life.
 
Where you can find her online:
 
Leesa’s website: https://leesaklich.com/
Follow her on twitter: https://twitter.com/LeesaKlich
Find her on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/leesa-klich-msc-r-h-n-6ab0a621
Give her Facebook page a “like”: https://www.facebook.com/ScienceForHolisticHealth/
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
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We all want to do good in the world, we all want to be successful. But we can’t do any of the above without taking risks life will be filled with endless conversations about what will happen “one day”.
 
In fact, I experience this all the time when I talked to aspiring freelancer friends. They ask me:” how can I make money off my passion?”
 
And when I reveal just how much work is required to do it, I check in with them months later, and they’re exactly where they were when we first talked about their interest in freelancing. That’s exactly what interested me the most about this week’s guest.
 
She’s a motivational speaker who travels across the US and talks to people about rejection and kindness. So, if all that is holding you back is your fear of the word “no”, there’s a lot you can learn from her.
 
What this episode covers:
 

• How Carrie Grace made the switch from teaching to motivational speaking
• Why she wishes she worked with a mentor earlier and why she wishes more people would prioritize that…
• Why Carrie chose her area of motivational speaking
• How Carrie went from playing things very safe and not taking any risks to being someone who helps other people take risks
• Why she believes taking risks is important when in business
• What the fear of rejection is really about: not trying to get rejected, rather than going out and getting rejected and why that’s a problem
• The biggest issue she finds with big dreamers: fear of rejection…
• How the topics she talks about go hand and hand: people not helping because of their fear of the word “no” is actually quite common…
• How Carrie tries to encourage and facilitate kindness by creating a lot of margin in her life (being early, therefore finding opportunities)
• How she finds not being in a rush and getting in the habit of not doing that, can allow her to really be present and help people.
• A rant by James May of Top Gear that reminded me of Carrie’s philosophy on helping others reminded me of: I was unable to find the original quote but you can watch the reassembler series on YouTube I was referring to right here. At some point in the series he points out how technology doesn’t save time at all, it creates less time.
• On her Twitter profile, Carrie often shares her random acts of kindness, and why it’s often in airports. I encouraged her to talk a little bit about the story behind her random acts of kindness.
•  A man she sat next to once in an airport, who started off by behaving inappropriately; why all it took was sheer kindness for him to decide to open up to her about his cancer treatments
• Turns they have something in common: experience with stem cell and bone marrow treatment.
• How being understanding and starting by saying “you never know what people you sit next to are going through!”
• Something she’s noticed about why airports need acts of kindness: the reasons for flying: joy, sorrow, or work.
• Why she believes that the multiple opportunities at airports are a motivational and perfect reason for her kind notes she often leaves for passengers, flight attendants, pilots, etc.
•  Why people are surprisingly receptive at airports about opening up to strangers
• Why Carrie believes that speaking to a crowd is about reading a person/ individual rather than adapting to an environment.
• Why Carrie finds that what works for her is her belief that “we’re all humans, therefore we can relate on that level.”
• The role of social media in the need for her work: why she thinks it’s both a good and bad thing in terms of the impact on others
• Social media’s darker side: pulling us further down some days…
• The most important takeaway of the scary word “no”: it’s a numbers game.
• What really stops people from moving forwards despite rejection, and a baseball analogy used to illustrate that.
• Why it’s important to not get disheartened by non-instant friendship and trust
• Why all it takes is one awesome “yes” for all the no’s in the world to seem meaningless
• Why it’s not about the “no’s in terms of what holds people back, they’re simply wasting the one “yes” and they don’t know it yet.
• The most important thing Carrie wants listeners to remember: do you want to give up on what you’re pursuing and have regret, or keeping going and not regret it later? Why you can have both.
• The “no but…” answer that is more common than you think, and how Carrie found out how common it is when she did the rejection challenge
• I added in the one I get in my work a lot, which is the time based one: “no but we’ll need you in the fall instead,” for example.
• Why Carrie wants to do more pro bono/ free speaking for places that can’t afford it/ are low income. And the partnerships she’s still working on.

 
Bio:
 
Carrie Grace is a former teacher turned motivational speaker. She is on a mission to inspire others to spread joy and kindness, in hopes of people making the world better than they found it. She believes that no act of kindness is too small or ever wasted. She loves the color pink, balloon, and Taylor Swift. She currently travels the country to inspiring others and has she's been featured on major media including USA Today, Huffington Post, His Radio, and many more.
 
Where you can find Carrie Online:
Website: http://www.simplycarriegrace.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carriegraceshop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carriegraceshop/
 
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What does a love of fashion and a desire to empower people with chronic illnesses have in common? In the case of Keisha Greaves, this week’s guest all of the above are what inspired her to create her fashion line, Girls Chronically Rock.
 
On this week’s episode Keisha and I covered the day to-day realities of running an online product business, while living with a chronic illness, and juggling a part-time day job.
 
What this episode covers:

• What is Girls Chronically Rock?
• How Keisha came up with the name, Girls Chronically Rock and what motivated her to start it in the first place
• Who Girls Chronically Rock is for…not just people with chronic illnesses!
• Why Keisha wishes she started sooner on her business and how she feels like developing her confidence would have really helped
• However, coming to terms with her diagnosis of muscle dystrophy was a necessary first step for her before she started, and here’s why…
• The story behind how Keisha’s partnership with the Muscle Dystrophy Association came to be
• Why Keisha’s most valuable word of advice for organizations thinking of partnering with related charities is to take the initiative to reach out, share your story, and figure out what the organization is all about…
• How telling your own personal story can make a huge difference when reaching out to a charity you want to partner with
• How Keisha first got involved in the MDA Muscle Walk
• How Keisha uses the MDA Muscle Walk to get the word out there about her business and how launching her website made spreading the word a lot easier
• Why motivation/ encouragement from other people is what Keisha believes is the most important for those who run businesses with chronic illnesses… especially on days when you feel the most tired.
• Why she believes that people with chronic illnesses shouldn’t let feeling tired stop them. Even just posting a meme can go a long way!
• How strong the disability community is on social media and how just a hashtag can go a long way
• The support groups Keisha is part of both muscle dystrophy focused and not
• The Boston Business Women’s Network group that Keisha is part of, and how it has benefited her
• The Boston fashion community: what her impressions are of it…
• Keisha’s goal to get her products into local boutique stores, how she’s currently working towards that…
• The design process for Keisha’s T-Shirts and graphics…
• What making the switch from Etsy seller to self-hosted website has been like…
• Why Keisha loves Shopify especially as someone who isn’t tech-savvy
• Keisha’s collaboration with a PR person, and how they have helped her pitch her clothing line to local stores…
• The flexibility of Keisha’s part-time day job, and how she juggles both aspects of her professional life.
• Some of the people in the chronic illness community who are also juggling stuff like speaking engagements: why they motivate Keisha to keep pushing forward and balance all aspects of her professional life
• Why fun, inspiring, and rocking best describe Keisha’s business
• Keisha’s interest in making a line of Girls Chronically Rock clothing for the gym, while doing partnerships with other fashion designers who want to create an adaptive clothing line. 

​Just a little background on Keisha (from Keisha’s point of view, thus the first-person tense) 
 I have Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (MD); I was diagnosed at the age 24. I was born and raised in Cambridge, MA and went to high school in Cambridge. I received my bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising and then got my master’s degree in Business.
 
While in graduate school I began to repeatedly fall, and my leg would just give out on me without notice. I would fall to the ground and not be able to pick myself back up, I would need assistance from someone to lift me up with all their might, because it was something I just wasn’t capable of doing on my own.
 
I also began notice when I tried to reach for certain things in the kitchen cabinets or try to exercise I was unable to lift my right arm up all the way.
 
I kind of just thought to myself maybe I need to go on a diet and lose weight, but in the back of my mind I knew it something more and after getting all the different testing done, I was officially diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy.
 
I always wanted to be a business owner and create something in fashion, so I started with a t-shirt line. Because I always like to wear different graphic logo t-shirts with different writing on them and wanted something inspiring.
 
That’s when I came up with the name Girls Chronically Rock because I wanted it to have some form of the name chronic in it for chronic illness, so I thought of Girls Chronically Rock and I loved it.
 
Girls Chronically Rock was inspired by my own experiences, because I was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy and wanted to create something to help motivate, encourage, and let people know you rock and you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
 My t-shirt line consists of many different designs/logs with multiple meanings behind it. I add about a few different designs every month or so with a new look to see what customers may like best.
 
Each month 10% percent of proceeds go towards the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
 
Where you can find Keisha Online:
 
Check out the official Girls Chronically Rock Website (for more info): https://www.girlschronicallyrock.com/
Give Girls Chronically Rock’s Facebook Page a “like”: https://www.facebook.com/GirlsChronicallyRock/
Follow Keisha’s work on Twitter: https://twitter.com/girlschronical1
Keep up to date via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlschronically_rock/
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
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Starting your own small business is a bumpy road to success no matter how long you’ve lived in the town or city you’re based in. 
 
But what if you want to also start your own business outside of your home country, and be location independent?
 
How do you figure out all the details, like time zone differences, your local tax rules, and knowing absolutely no one local who works in your industry? That can be especially challenging if you’re facing other challenges as well, like cultural differences and language barriers.
 
However, this week’s guest found a way to overcome those challenges and start a location independent business ten years ago (and she is still in business)!
 
 What this episode covers:

• What is Jamie’s company, Studio Aiuto?
• What makes a brand, more specifically Jamie’s target audience Aiuto-focused? For those of you who don’t know Italian, it is the Italian word for “help”, just to give you a sense of what she gravitates towards…
• Jamie’s mission…to use design to make a small difference in society and how that ties into the bigger picture of her work.
• Many of her clients are people who have lived with illnesses and have made their business out of something that could have been very negative but actually isn’t. Here’s what she likes about that aspect the most.
• Why her work is “more than a job. It’s a connection from my heart.”
• Jamie was responsible for my website’s branding audit. Seriously though, can’t recommend her enough! We chatted too about the important role she played in making my website much more suitable for my current goals of my business.
• An important part of U.S history ten years ago was the mortgage crisis. We talked a little bit about how that lead to her decision to not get a job in what she majored in when she was in college, interior architecture, but to help businesses with their design instead.
• How starting out by working for free and meeting people in person, formed the business relationships she still has today.
•  Jamie’s advice on working for free when you’re just starting out: “provide an invoice with the total slashed out, so that it’s clear what dollar amount you’re donating.” And how she used that tactic when she was first starting out.
• Why she thinks that’s important: it’s all about credibility
• How she went from just general graphic design services that were based off “concept and feeling” to also considering things from a strategic business point of view.
•  Why when she looks back Jamie really values niching down rather than being a jack of all trades
• Why she values the idea more of taking a business course of getting a mentor, or coach, or taking a business coach more than she did 10 years ago.
• The very basic fact about running a business that I added in: not everyone is lucky enough to be connected to someone who can help you with your bookkeeping, has run a business before, or can help fill the gaps of aspects of your business you’re still not great at.
• Why you shouldn’t let that stop you as a creative from being open to learning about the business or feel like there’s no need to learn those skills if you know someone who can help you out.
• The fear of moving abroad to start a business and thinking about the worst-case scenario: “if it doesn’t work, you can just go back home!”
• The importance of getting to know the rules of a country if you’re going to set up your business there long-term
• Why Jamie doesn’t necessarily work with local, Japanese businesses and what she does to make connections with businesses abroad more meaningful.
• How being a new parent has impacted her business…
•  Why she sees being available by platforms like Skype and chat as so important for her business.
• How being able to be mobile and do stuff like record videos and soundbites with something like a smartphone has made working with people internationally so convenient
• I added on some of my own examples of how only communicating by written messages can be misunderstood and why you need to reach out to people in more ways than just written communication is so important.
• Jamie’s advice on boundaries with clients and customers: make sure you’re okay with working with that person and you have similar ideals and beliefs, and why that’s so important…
• The importance of outlining things in your scope of work via your contract…
• Her online course Looks That Sell: what it is all about
• Why strategy and growth perfectly describe her business

 About Jamie (and Studio Aiuto)
 
Jamie is a brand strategist, graphic designer, world dweller, and mamma. Jaime Di Dio Aoyama grew up knowing she would have a career in art or design and craved living in the world.
 
Jaime’s exposure to French started as a toddler and continued into her university years. She then began studying Italian and took a semester abroad in Florence where she casually attended classes on interior architecture and Italian language emerging herself in the local scene. Returning to the US, she completed her degree in interior architecture while embarking upon her journey with the Japanese language.
 
Days after graduation, Jaime moved to Tokyo with her now husband, a native of the metropolis and began teaching English and doing freelance graphic design. Returning to the states 3 years later, the couple founded Studio Aiuto, a brand strategy and graphic design consultancy.
 
Passionate about using design for the greater good, Jaime works with well-living and heart-centered businesses. When she’s not working, she’s playing with her daughter or finding a few quiet minutes with her husband.
 
Jaime currently lives with her artist husband and toddler daughter in a coastal village outside Tokyo and is on the cusp of her 4th international move.
 
Where you can find Jamie (and Studio Aiuto) online
 
Website: www.studioaiuto.com
Instagram:www.instagram.com/studioaiutodesign 
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jaimedidioaoyama
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
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​

People are trafficked from 127 countries and are exploited in 137 countries according to the United Nations.
 
However, you’re probably looking at that statistic and going “but…is there anything I can do really?” As an independent small business owner, it’s safe to assume that you’re not a trained therapist. And even if you are, it is still a complex problem lacking an easy solution.
 
The good news is that you can also offer men, women, and children who have been victims of human trafficking in the past a second chance.
 
On today’s episode I spoke to a hospice nurse, who started her own company after seeing what severe poverty really looks like in countries like Honduras, Haiti, Kenya and Ethiopia.
 
 But the real source of motivation for Amber Runyon, Eleventh Candle’s founder, was watching young children be sold like cattle in the marketplace, amongst broad daylight.
 
If you want your business to be a supportive environment for people who have lived in similar conditions, there’s a lot you can learn from her. And if you want to support her work, donate to her charity or buy one of her candles.
 
What this episode covers:

• Who is Amber Runyon?
• Amber’s greatest passion: teaching little girls to dream and reinvesting in broken women and what exactly that means…
• How Amber’s bond with a little girl named Mulu changed her life
• Amber’s advice on fair treatment of cultural differences: “it’s important to remember that the American way isn’t always the best way. I find that it’s about listening more than actually doing”
• Why she believes love above all else is something that can transcend all cultures
• Creating a welcoming environment for victims of human trafficking and abuse: how Amber does that….” it’s about making them realize that they don’t have to be something”
•  How the women who work at Eleventh Candle find solace in helping others with common struggles in other countries
• How giving the team a sense of community makes a difference
• Changes in team members: mostly related to allowing them to leave Eleventh Candle and find other sources of employment in the “regular” workforce, and give back to their community
• The tie in between Amber’s two organizations: Legacy and Eleventh Candle: not for profit vs for profit
• Why the way we often view what not-for-profits vs for profits are supposed to be doing is problematic, according to Amber
• How companies becoming socially aware has changed things: “they want to support a specific demographic of people…”
• The purpose of Amber’s for-profit and not-for profit companies: “providing a purpose and a safe place”
• Amber’s experiences collaborating with other, local for profits
• Creating a supportive environment and why to Amber it is about everyone having an equal say in how we can do better
• How Eleventh Candle helps their employees work towards self-improvement outside of work, via professional counselling and celebrating just showing up for work in the first place! If you fail it is okay…
• How Amber’s company keeps lines of communication open, despite the fact that they face challenges on the Ethiopia end with not quite knowing what they’re saying (because language barriers…)
• How Amber earned the respect of both the not-for profit and for profit sector
• Amber’s belief that people want to do good but don’t always know how to do good, and how she thinks having a simple solution like buying a candle can make a huge difference
• The purpose of the pouring parties…? Giving the women who work at Eleventh Candle transferrable skills, more specifically working in a retail environment
• Amber’s favourite part of her work, the relationships that she has formed and why that is awesome to her!
• The Eleventh Candle policy on photography: never about depicting children or women in a state of desperation or sadness. And how they make sure that they only work with people who understand what they’re trying to do from a mission statement standpoint
• The photographers’ roles in things? They’re part of the company…
• The three words that describe Eleventh Candle: authentic, progressive, and justice…
• The full-time store that Eleventh Candle is in the process of opening up

 
About Amber Runyon, the founder:
 
Amber is a Hospice Nurse who became a social entrepreneur. She founded Legacy and Eleventh Candle Co. out of the desire to bring hope to women both in the United States and in Ethiopia who’ve been vulnerable to human trafficking, abuse, exploitation, and addiction.
 
Amber focuses on providing therapeutic work setting that allows all women a fair chance and opportunity to grow.

About Eleventh Candle:
 
Eleventh Candle Co is a social enterprise local to Columbus, Ohio, that employs women who are survivors of human trafficking, exploitation, addiction and abuse to hand-make our 100% soy wax candles/melts and high-quality room sprays.

About Legacy:
 
Legacy provides coaching, counselling and employment opportunities for the women in their program.
 
Where you can find more about Amber’s work online:

Check out the Eleventh Candle website: www.eleventhcandleco.com
 
FYI:
 
As a special thank you for tuning in to the Eleventh Candle episode of my podcast, the company’s community manager wanted me to share with you a free shipping code for People Behind the Business listeners.
 
And the shipping code is… “Rosemary”.
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
Twitter
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Check out my website
​

​Starting an online business is really hard, but it seems like the hardest bit of all is making the decisions that have the longest-term impact.
 
How should you promote your business? What web platform is best for hosting your website? What Wordpress or SquareSpace theme will make you look the most professional? 
 
If you’re a female entrepreneur that is struggling to work through all the different choices that you have to make, and you’re not ready to outsource your web design and content marketing this episode will give you the “101 intro” that you’re looking for.
 
Because Salma Sheriff, this week’s guest works with entrepreneurs just like you!
 
About this week’s guest:
 
Salma Sheriff is an Online Business Coach, Brand Strategist and International Best-Selling Co-author who helps Passionate Entrepreneurs Launch and Scale a Profitable & Automated Business, help generate their dream income while being location independent.  She successfully runs an Online Coaching Business + Branding & Web design business from home. 
 
She is an award-winning Blogger & Entrepreneur and has been featured in various websites for her work, some of which may include, “ICICI Women Achiever Award”, in 2017 but ICICI Bank, “Entrepreneur of the Month”, by OpenDesigns in 2016, “Top 5 blogger” in India.

Salma is an Engineering Post-graduate from India and she follows her passion for Design & Coaching to help other entrepreneurs and bloggers live their Dream Life with a Business they Love!
 
 
What this episode covers:

• An intro to Salma Sheriff, who she helps via her work as a business coach/ web designer
• How Salma used her passion for entrepreneurialism and her computer science education to create the business she has today…
• The blogging-focused backstory behind Salma’s business
• Why using guest blogging to grow your business is about knowing exactly who is accepting your content
• Why Salma is a huge fan of Wordpress and why you might want to consider it for your business.
• But what if you’re not that great at web design and find Wordpress intimidating…?  Salma’s suggestion is SquareSpace and here’s why.
• The SquareSpace vs Wordpress debate: Wordpress= “good for busy people”, SquareSpace= “very clean” looking
• Salma about her first few months in business: “I had this purpose, and I wanted to create something, but I found it difficult…”
• The one thing Salma wishes she could change about the very first day of her business: the lack of strategy she had in the beginning in terms of income goals, marketing strategy, etc. and why she encourages listeners to not make that mistake.
• Salma to listeners: “you can launch a business! But you also need to understand all the different aspects, so you can grow as well!”
• What to put on your website, what is the most important, and what you can omit without it being a problem
• The most important component according to Salma…? Your homepage, which has to be clear!
• How to make your homepage clear: start by mentioning what you are, and clearly mention what your website is about
• Other key essentials like opt-in forms and clear headers, and your navigation bar…and why that’s also about clarity
• So how can you make your navigation bar clearer? A good example: Amazon where you always know what to click to select a product and where/ how to insert your payment information
• What can you learn from that? It’s about thinking about the visitor, client, or target audience and what they get when they opt-in on your website.
• How does this apply to service-based businesses? It’s all about mentioning your services.
• A mistake that many of Salma’s clients have made: a lack of contact and about me pages and why that will stop people from hiring you…
• Why you need to submit your site map to Google Search Console to increase your chances of showing up in search engine results (if you haven’t done so already)
•  How Google Analytics can make a huge difference over the long-term for helping you know who is visiting your site
• Why all your publicly available images need to be watermarked and what that actually is (basically it is about stopping your original material from being plagiarized and copied unfairly)
• How unfair use of images impacted Salma and also a friend of hers, and I also shared a story of my own relating to that!
• An easy way to protect yourself from similar issues: have your logo or website name at the bottom of your image
• Salma’s favourite part of working with female-run businesses/ entrepreneurs: she sees them as a past version of her!
• Something she finds about the female-run business demographic: even their audience is mostly women, and why that’s something she really identifies with
• The selective fears and design qualities she finds amongst her clients but that’s not just the case just with female entrepreneurs!
• Salma’s average day: a 6 to seven-hour day, but not without important components like prayer, reflection, and lunch breaks
• Why Salma doesn’t disconnect for the day completely, and how she makes it possible for her clients to respect her time (I.E: vacation days, end of the work day, etc)
• How Salma manages time zone differences, which is a very real reality of her business’s international reach: “time zone difference has never been an issue!”
• But how does she do that? It is all about their preferences and negotiating based on that.
• Money mindset: it is all about what’s there inside talented entrepreneurs relating to money fears and history of money problems: so what’s the best way to overcome that…?
• Why money mindset issues are important to address
• The most important takeaway: think forward to overcome your fears about money
• Why you need a money mantra based on what’s the most challenging for you and why being with people who share positivity can help
• Salma’s ambition to connect with even more women entrepreneurs and help them grow their business and her plan to uplevel her own business as well!
• The three words to remember Salma’s business by: professional, authentic, and result oriented, and why she believes they are the best choice!

 
 
Where you can find Salma Online:
 
 
Connect with Salma her through her website: www.salmasheriff.com
 
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/salmasheriffdesigns/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/salmasheriffdesigns/
Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/theradiantinfluencers
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)

Twitter
Get podcast news and updates in your inbox
Check out my website