​Yolanda McAdam really understands the reality of being a small business owner, for one very simple reason:
 
Her business, Suite 532 isn’t her first business. First there, was a safari business. Then, there was a coaching business. But, as a result of burnout, and the challenges of moving from South Africa to Canada and not knowing a lot of people, she decided to go back to working a 9-to-5 job for a while. Eventually, she quit that job and started the business she runs today, Suite 532.
 
For those of you who are currently running your first business, there’s a lot that you can learn from her. Because this episode is Yolanda’s honest reflection on what making plenty of mistakes along the way taught her about what it takes to succeed as an online business owner.
 
What this episode covers:

• Who Yolanda helps at Suite 532
• The story behind the name, Suite 532 (turns out there isn’t much of one really), but she did provide a bit of context on what made her come up with that name specifically.
• How the name actually helped her get her first clients, and how long it took her to come up with the name.
• A good point about coming up with business names. The fact that people worry too much about it.
• Yolanda’s belief that she was a born entrepreneur, and how that influenced her interest in working with clients of that specific demographic.
• How a desire for freedom and spending more time with her sons, along with understanding the entrepreneurial mindset was a major source of motivation for Yolanda.
• A recommended mindset shift she learned from her previous business, for those who just want to say yes to every person that expresses interest: “when you say yes to every client, you are unknowingly saying yes to your ideal clients.”
• The benefits of creating an ideal client profile, and how to create your own.
• Why it’s so important to outline who your ideal client is on your work with me page.
• The importance of a really good client intake process, and what this should include.
• The reason why you should share this intake system on your website.
• The benefit of having a client intake process, and how easy you should make it to attract just the types of people you want to work with.
• Yolanda’s warning for those who say yes to everyone: “I suffered…I had a breakdown, because I was just too busy,” and how that taught her to say yes out of strength and not desperation.
• How the Seth Godin quote: “your reputation is actually more important than what you do,” rings true for all business owners just starting out.
• The fact that there’s lots you can learn from working with the wrong people, and it’s still challenging to get your ideal client 100% right.
• Why Yolanda doesn’t describe “bad” clients, as “bad”, but instead prefers to refer to them as “not the right fit”, and why that’s so important.
• Why Yolanda wants to reassure listeners that it’s okay to make mistakes.
• Yolanda’s opinion on this commonplace sense of shame about going back to the 9-to-5 full or part-time after running a business for a while: “after two decades of running my own business, I chose to go back to work, after immigrating to Canada from South Africa.”
• The reason why she went back to the 9-to-5 after she moved for a little while.
• The importance of putting your health and wellbeing first when deciding if it’s a good idea to go back to the 9-to-5 for a bit.
• If you choose to go back to a regular job part-time or full-time, some benefits that are worth considering, that will be good for your online business as well, such as the opportunity to create connections.
• What she did differently with Suite 532: “easing into it”, and the misconception people have that everything needs to be in order.
• Why that misconception is a myth, and the benefits of focusing on growing your business slowly.
• The problem with failing once and giving up, rather than seeing it as part of the journey.
• Why a lot of what holds Yolanda’s clients back is fear of success, and the new challenges this creates.
• The important reminder that some of the most successful entrepreneurs had a resume full of failure before they succeeded.
• The fear of judgement that Yolanda finds is a huge part of what holds people back, and why she thinks that’s a huge mindset issue.
•   The fact that people confuse marketing with sales, and the importance of remembering good marketing is a long-term game, and that sales is not manipulative (if done well).
• Why at the end of the day sales is about making an income, making connections, and adding value to peoples’ lives.
• Why Yolanda’s social media marketing process isn’t a process, but an attempt to remind her followers that she cares deeply about them.
• Why it’s not possible to fake love, real affection, or empathy online.
• Why her process is more about who she is and engaging in a natural way.
• The very real reality that social media engagement takes time, and how the only way to work around that is to automate content that’s always relevant.
• What Yolanda wants listeners to remember about coaches and social media: “it’s not a quick fix, it’s a long game.”
• The similarities between social media (other types of marketing as well) and a committed relationship.
• The key takeaway: “remember your why…of why you started your business when times get tough.”
• The importance of having a really good guide along the way as well.

 
 About this week’s guest:
 
Yolanda McAdam is a social media and online marketing strategist and business coach with over two decades experience helping business owners attract and win quality clients.
 
Her experience includes working with businesses in the following industries:
 
Food & Retail, Health & Wellness, Construction & Renovation
 
Where you can find Yolanda online:
 
Visit her website (to learn more): https://www.suite532.com
Read her blog (for even more small business marketing tips): https://www.suite532.com/blog/
Like Yolanda’s Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/suite532
Follow Yolanda on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ygmcadam
Connect with Yolanda on LinkedIn: http://us.linkedin.com/in/ygmcadam
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
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Every piece of your branding is definitely important (from the logo to your website, to the photos you feature). So…how do you make sure that you don’t get too caught up in how “nice-looking” your colour-scheme is, and focus on branding your business in an intentional way? More importantly, why is that so important? In this episode, I spoke to a branding specialist who answered both those questions.
What this episode covers:

• What Robyn’s company focuses on
• Why Robyn transitioned out of the corporate grind, and how getting pregnant impacted things overall.
• How Robyn saw the pregnancy as a sign from the universe that this is all converging because it’s meant to.
• The challenges Robyn had with starting a business and being pregnant, and how she saw them as similar to starting a business as well.
• The biggest coincidence: the fact that Robyn booked her first client after she gave birth, and how it was like having two babies to take care of.
• How creating her own business largely informed her work and helped her help her clients.
• Why Robyn and I both agree that the hardest part is just getting started, and recommendations for tackling that.
• Robyn: “really it’s about becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable”, and what that means to Robyn.
• Why the challenges don’t stop when you’ve overcome the challenges of starting.
• How co-working was a huge help in the beginning, and why she believes finding something valuable in it is about being open to it.
• What changed Robyn’s mind about co-working, from “perhaps this is too expensive, to maybe this is a good idea.”
• How Robyn negotiated free space, in exchange for helping a new co-working space attract new members.
• When Robyn transitioned to a paid membership, and why she made that transition.
• The problem with the fact that we don’t see other peoples’ modest beginnings, and what Robyn recommends doing about it.
• The most important part of intentional branding: “your brand is not your logo”, which is actually about communication, and why a lot of it is about brand reputation.
• How a lot of it is about how it links to everything you put out there, and everything you do.
• Some examples of brands that Robyn thinks are great examples of this: Everlane, Casper, Dollar Shave Club. And what they are doing well.
• Why…no matter what you’re selling, you’re selling a lifestyle and an experience, and why that’s so essential.
• Why it’s also about convincing the customer that this brand adds value to them.
• The biggest mistake newer entrepreneurs that Robyn works with: “staying in a lane”, and what that means if that fear sounds too familiar.
• Why the identity of your brand comes first, and if you don’t have that you should just forget about the business.
• Why being different is also about providing value, not just being different from the competition.
• The most essential components of branding: and what to do if they seem overwhelming. FYI: I recommend my article: “How defining my value statement changed my business” if you’re not sure how to do all this.
• The first thing Robyn does when dealing with someone who isn’t used to the strategy elements: “what is it you’re passionate about,” and how she uses that to help them position their brand accordingly.
• How personal branding isn’t far off from corporate branding.
• A recommended resource that will help you get started: the complementary brand planning worksheet available on Robyn’s website.
• Why it’s about aligning what you’re passionate about with something that offers value to your audience, and how to find the right balance for that.
• Why…if you absolutely have to work with either a brand strategist or a graphic designer, it’s best to choose a brand strategist.
• A great example of this: some brands that have had a very basic logo and no online presence whatsoever, and why this is proof approaching things in a strategic way is the most important.
• Why this is the most effective with service-based businesses, rather than product-based businesses.
• Low-budget design options for small businesses (E.G: logo design on Squarespace, Canva). By the way, I also have some helpful resources on this. Check out both my blog’s resource page and my article on image tools for additional suggestions.
• Why it’s not about “I can’t afford this, so I won’t do this,” and how to work around it instead.
• The bootstrapping your brand course Robyn is working on. If it sounds interesting to you, feel free to sign up for notifications about it on her branding worksheet page.
• The very important thing to keep in mind: your brand is never done, and how much rebranding is normal.
• The most common misconceptions about a vision statement, and what a vision statement actually is.
• What makes a vision statement “good”.
• Why the most important thing to not leave out is clarity about what you do, who you do this for, and what is the whitespace you’re filling.
• Why affordability can be a dangerous thing to put as your central focus.
• Robyn’s most important advice about hiring brand strategists: “not all are created equal,” and what that entails.
• What branding studios are often leaving out of their work with their clients.
• What’s wrong with the mindset: “you should know all this about your business, we’re not going to tell you.”
• Why the synergy/ consistency of all the different bits of your brand align are the most important part in most cases, and why this is something you need to make sure your branding strategist focuses on.
• Why clarity about your message becomes before everything else.
• The most important thing to remember: “a brand without a plan is just a design,” and the importance of spending time on your brand identity, before you focus on the look of your brand.
• What Robyn is working on for 2019.

 
About Robyn:
 
Robyn Young is a brand cultivator, strategy enthusiast, entrepreneur, and CEO of Robyn Young & Co. Her main focus is connecting smart, thoughtful strategy and intentional design. With a professional pedigree that includes market research for top commercial brands like Nike and Target, as well as branded content for UCLA, Modern Luxury and Everyday Health, Robyn has a vast understanding of what sticks and how to pull an authentic story to the surface. Now as the founder of her own branding agency, she pours passion into everything she touches - brainstorming unique brand strategies, overseeing the creative process, teaching branding workshops, and offering inspiration (and the occasional pep talk) for other Startup founders.
 
Where you can find Robyn online:
 
Get a copy of her brand planning worksheet: https://www.robynyoung.co/brandworksheet/
Sign up for her brand strategy email course: https://www.robynyoung.co/email-course
Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robynyoung.co/
Check out Robyn’s website: http://robynyoung.co
 
How you can follow this podcast (and learn more about its host)
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​

​What makes blogging a worthwhile and strategic choice for your brand? It’s all about the choices you make, from the groups that you interact with, to the content that you write.
 
In November of 2018, I led a Facebook Live session on strategic blogging in Miranda Nahmias’s Facebook Group, Grow Like Woah.
 
In this session, I shared with a group of entrepreneurs, exactly how they can produce and promote content that attracts not just any reader, but the right reader. The following episode is an edited, audio copy of that session.
 
This session provides answers to the following questions:

• What do clients and customers want to know when they read your blog?
• Does consistency matter?
• What are some free and accessible online groups you should be using to find out exactly what peoples' most frequently asked questions are?
• What should you do when you run out of ideas?
• What are a few content promotion methods you can use to keep on getting more attention?

 
FYI: you can sign up for the opt-in mentioned in this episode right here: https://bit.ly/2Du8FHl
 
Other stuff mentioned in this episode:
 

• When to expect in the next episode.
• A holiday greeting from the People Behind the Business Podcast.
• A sneak peek of what the next episode will cover.
• The HubSpot buyer’s journey. More info about it is available right here.
• Miranda Nahmias’s work. You can listen to a past podcast episode I did with her to learn more about what she does.
• The value of consistency. If you want more info on that here’s a blog post that I wrote, which discusses how to approach that in a strategic way.
• A few suggestions about promoting your content. Here’s a post I wrote recently on building relationships with your readers/ audience that will help you with that.
• My ProBlogger post, and Jeff Bullas, an influencer who helped increase the reach of that post with just a tweet.
• The importance of investing in a good social media automation tool (I personally recommend CoSchedule), but which one you choose depends on your budget and needs.
• How offering value in the groups, you are already a part is so important. For more detailed examples, here’s a post I wrote on offering value via Facebook groups.

 
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